A Movie Review Of Sorts

Christmas break is a time when families actually have a moment to catch a movie together. This has been a great movie season for me. In the last week I have seen The Golden Compass with my daughter, No Country for Old Men with my own father (yes, had to go to Tulsa for that one), and The Great Debaters with my sister (more movies than I had seen all year combined). It was throughout that last movie, though, that I found myself wishing both my children were watching with me.

Based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson's 1935 debate team at Wiley University in Marshall, Texas, The Great Debaters is a movie every young person should see, not because Denzel Washington will probably win an Academy Award (although that is a great reason to see the movie, indeed), but because Professor Tolson's debaters can teach us a thing or two about perseverance and the importance of education in our lives.

While I don't care for Tolson's poetry (I am a fan of his essays and the column he wrote for the Washington Tribune entitled Caviar and Cabbage), I am fascinated by his techniques for motivating his students. First, let me point out that he has been criticized by both the African American community for using the Latin and Greek Dead White Guys method of instruction and by many conservatives for espousing Communism (he lived in the same Progressive Era as Oklahoma's very own Woody Guthrie).

But, neither of these "small" criticisms would have worried Melvin B. Tolson. He was never afraid that teaching the dominant language norms would deracialize his students; on the contrary, he recognized that access to the language of power is what enables people of any color to succeed. Here is how Minerva Sloss, a former student of Tolson's (Wiley 1947) summarized his lasting effect on his students:

Although he constantly pounced on the "wrongs"and "cruelties" of the world,
most of us began to know him not as a rebel American, but one who truly loved
America, yet also loved his ancestral African heritage. He believed we should be
ever aware of the inequalities in our nation, that this knowledge, however, should
not make us bitter: but should make us realize the necessity of being ever prepared
mentally, physically, and academically to cope with these inequalities. . . . I
believe my acceptance of myself as a black woman with capabilities to go as far as
my educational preparations, aspirations and physical endurance would permit
. . . became more realistic as a result of my experiences in his class. . . . I learned much more than mere facts: I learned about life, about myself, my fellowman, my own people. I learned to be concerned about others, that each human being, black
or white, is unique and plays a part in the development of our great humanity. *

And, to me, Ms. Sloss hit upon why going to see this movie with one's children is important. Tolson epitomizes what every human being should experience, regardless of and with regard to color, race, ethnicity, or gender. Every teen should see how far we have come, what it took to get us here, and why we can't allow our apathy to ever regress us back to those places in human history in which freedom and the human spirit were repressed.

Tolson recognized education as a means to uplifting the human spirit. It might be idealistic, but I dare to believe that in 2008 we can hope that parents, teachers, and teens can aspire to Tolson's kind of dogged perseverance combined with a moral and ethical covenant with the rest of mankind. One can dare to believe.

*Quoted from David Gold, English professor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, 2003.

Insert An Audible Sigh of Relief Here

Hope your Christmas was grand. I love the house all decorated and dressed up but by today, I'm ready to take the tree down and put the stockings away for another year. It's satisfying to replace Poinsettias that have lost their lustre and pry the sticky candy canes from the apothecary jars they've lived in for a month. The glittery exuberance is fun but it's great to get the rooms back in ship-shape, January order.

With teens in the house, you may be journeying with them to the mall. Sacks of gifts, so eagerly and lovingly bought, weren't quite what said child had in mind. Wrong color. Wrong style. Just wrong. That's OK. It's better to let them pick something they want rather than finding a gift six months later, still in the box with tags attached. That's discouraging. So, Happy Hunting.

Are you writing New Year's resolutions? Lose 10 pounds. Exercise. Organize your closet and your life along with it. Spend less money. Save more. Sound familiar?

What about resolutions in regards to your teen? Things like: Be more patient. Communicate better. Less ultimatums and more compromises. More meals at home and healthier choices. Not sweating the small stuff and picking battles. Positive affirmations and guided choices. More time spent together. Clear scholastic expectations and support for those goals. Supporting community and school involvement. Listening better. Helping your child find his/her passion. Directed activity options that are constructive and healthy. Identifying life goals and opportunities. Saying "I love you" even if your teeth are clinched and your fingers crossed behind your back.

Here's two great recipes for left-over turkey. That 's another thing that feels good. Getting that sucker out of the fridge so there's room for my pot of Black-eyed Peas!

Turkey Tetrazzini

About 4 cups diced turkey

1 4 oz can chopped olives

2 tsp. Lee and Perrin

1 4 oz can sliced mushrooms drained

2 tsp. paprika

1 8 oz container sour cream

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 lb grated cheddar-divided in 1/2

1 onion, 1 small green pepper and 1/2 c celery, all chopped

1 12 oz spaghetti (try the whole wheat)

Saute the vegetables in 2 tbsp butter. Set Aside.

Cook the spaghetti according to directions. Drain and set aside.

Combine the soups with the sauteed vegetables, the olives and mushrooms, the turkey and the seasonings and heat until bubbly. Add 1/2 of the cheese. Now add the noodles into the mixture. Put in a greased 3 quart baking dish. and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake covered with foil at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serves about 8.

Laurie's Turkey Hash

Peel, pare and boil 3 or 4 large potatoes. Drain

In large saute pan - 1 large yellow onion-chopped and softened in 1 stick butter. Then add 2 cloves garlic, dash Tabasco and 1 Tbs Lee and Perrin. Also add good dash of poultry seasoning and salt and pepper.

Now add 2 or three cups of leftover turkey, shredded or chopped, and the cubed, cooked potatoes. Let brown a minute in the butter-onion mixture, lightly turning over. Finally, add 1 can Swanson's Chicken Broth and simmer until reduced. Serve hot.

Have a restful and relaxing last week of 2007. I for one am not getting out of my PJ's for at least two days! Enjoy the down time. Chrissie

Joy To The World

It's down to the count. One week to go. Are you hyper-ventilating yet? Planning one more trek to Tulsa? Williams Sonoma, Sam's and Target lure like a siren's call. Take my word for it. Put your fingers in your ears. Combined with the Tulsa-ites weather and electricity problems, the trip to T Town just isn't worth it. There are no traffic lights. Cars are backed up for miles. And those people are pretty frantic. I would never have thought our January ice storm was lucky. If we had to have one, the timing was pretty fortunate. It was after Christmas!!

Ah. The Holidays. There is wrapping paper all over the bedroom. There is flour all over the kitchen floor. The Southern Living Amaryllis and Paper White centerpiece is blooming too soon and will be dried up by December 24th. The Christmas cards were returned for not enough postage and several catalog gifts are back-ordered. There will be 2o cousins for Christmas Eve lunch, immediate family for dinner, then Christmas Morning Breakfast and an Open House Christmas Night for friends. To the grocery store, again. Better get cooking.

There's not enough time. There's too much to do. Who dropped a gift by? D#@*! I didn't get one for them. How dare them be thoughtful. Still have those Angel Tree kids to buy for. Wonder if they would take a check? Stop by for a glass of wine and conversation? Are you kidding? We still haven't put up the Christmas lights. Gotta put up the Christmas lights. The rest of the neighbors are giving us dirty looks. "But honey, ours is the only house on the block with just a wreath on the door. Stand Back! Inflate the 12 foot snow globe!"

Mumbling to yourself? Nah. Not sleeping and making lists at two in the morning? Maybe. Hair falling out? Yes. Just a nervous reaction to stress.

Are you finding yourself short with the kids as you create the perfect Christmas? "Don't bother me. I have 300 gold sequins to glue on this table runner. You'll just be thrilled at the ambiance created (walking past to the Kids Table in the laundry room on Christmas Eve)."

" Oh honey. Love the glitter and Popsicle stick ornament with your precious photo........No!.....not on the Christmas Tree. Got a gold and red blown glass kind of thing going this year. Popsicle sticks just don't go with the theme."

Exaggerated? Maybe. Based somehow on fact? Probably so. I for one got a big dose of put it in perspective last night. I hope some of you reading this were also as blessed. The Muskogee Community Chorus presented Handel's Messiah at St Paul UMC. Sitting there with eyes closed, as the beautiful music filled the sanctuary, you just knew the angels were singing. Handel's breath-taking music proclaims the magnificent gift given Mankind, first prophesied and then fulfilled. The Son of God Incarnate.

Christmas is not a Hallmark card with Snoopy in a manger. Christmas is not Barry Manilow singing "Seasonal Carols" or holiday cocktails for all Twelve Days of Christmas. In a way, it is not family or friends or traditions, though they are definitely bonuses to the celebration. It is an acknowledgement of the birth of a Saviour. As Handel so beautifully proclaims, King of Kings. Lord of Lords. Hallelujah.

I'm for one am going to take a deep breath. It's time to simplify the preparations so we can acknowledge and reflect on the season. As the T-shirt says, remember the reason. I'm putting my foot down. Happy Holidays just does not do it for me. There are lots of holidays. There is only one birth of Christ. So, to all who believe:

A Very Merry Christmas

Final Exams

This week students around the area are taking final exams. Some schools have exemption policies for exemplary attendance during the semester, others are more traditional and give comprehensive exams to all.

Comprehensive finals exams are important because they help your child review the information learned during the semester. In almost every school they count for only one-fifth of the grade. They can hurt a student's grade, however, if they do poorly on the exam. They can also moderately raise a student's bad grade.

Please stress the importance of final exams and encourage your children to study as we enter this last week before the holiday vacation. If you value education, your child will value education, even though it may sometimes seem like s/he doesn't.

High school may be looked on as rinky-dink, but it is preparation for what awaits your child in college. Although times are changing to accommodate the lackadaisical American education system, most universities still give only a mid-term and final to their undergraduates. Professional schools, such as law school, give only one test per semester and that's the basis for the student's whole grade. This, too is a preparation for the challenges that await a person in life - it tests the mettle out of which a person is made.

Are there final exams in life? I think there are at every stage, and sometimes we flunk them. Fortunately those don't go on our permanent transcript.

Here is a great macaroni and cheese recipe to make this week as fortification against those hours of study your child will put in on top of work, sports, church, and extracurricular activities. Good luck!

Real Macaroni and Cheese
1 8 oz. package elbo macaroni, cooked and drained
12 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white or black pepper
Layer in thirds in a lightly greased 2 quart casserole: one part macaroni, then one part cheese, but reserve the last cup of cheese for later. Combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper; pour over macaroni. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining one cup of cheese. Let stand about 10 minutes to melt the cheese before serving. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, if desired.

Two Weeks and Counting

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Two weeks til Christmas

Where does the time go?

Shopping to do

Then wrapped with a bow.

The teens in your house

Are easy to please,

Ipods and lap- tops

On you put the squeeze.

Razors and Coaches

And flat screened TV's

It seems in your family

A rich Santa you need.

The tree is not decorated

There's no one around,

To help with the trimming

No teen can be found.

Six dozen Christmas cookies

In bright green and red;

Stood alone and unguarded,

Teenage-boys? Enough said.

Gifts for the neighbors

Now must be bought

So much for homemade

Poinsettas now sought.

Daughter announces

(On Sunday before)

Her friend gifts are needed

So back to the stores.

The house is all polished,

You've worked for a week.

Wait, schools's out today

Your plans get a tweek.

The dishes are stacked

In the sink night and day,

Their clothes you step over,

As this prayer you pray:

Lord help me remember

This time too shall pass

To not be impatient

Nor let life go too fast.

Each stage with our children

Is unique in it's way

Each moment a blessing

Give thanks for today.

Lord give me patience

And guide me as I

Help these children grow

On you I rely.

May the seeds that we've planted

Nurture and grow

And Christmases from now

We'll reflect in the glow

Of children who grew to be

Honest and giving

Loving and strong

And making a living.

It all comes full circle

As around once again

Our daughters and sons

Become women and men.

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Visualize Whirled Peas

Do you remember that wordplay from the late 1980's - vizualize whirled peas? Whatever happened to that vision for world peace? It was the mantra of the Pepsi Generation and those teeangers standing around a big evergreen tree cheerily teaching the world to sing in perfect harmony in the Coke commercial. Was it the real thing or have we just given up on that vision?


We are fighting for democritization of the Middle East, but I don't recall anyone's having mentioned world peace as part of the deal, or even whirled peas. And, I don't think I recall hearing the words "world peace" come out of a teenager's mouth since the mid 1990's. Maybe teens simply are not as naive as we once were.


But, I just got home from a wonderful evening at China King Restaurant with the members of Muskogee High School Asian Club, of which I am the sponsor. If these kids are any indication of young people around the world, it makes me wonder why world peace isn't possible.


This invasion of youth included Koreans, Spaniards, Vietnamese, Indonesians, Chinese, Mexicans, Swiss, Hindus, and Americans of all ethnicities. They laughed and told stories, ate with chop sticks, read their fortune cookies, and took pictures of each other.


Ok, so it's not cool to be a peace-nik in this day and age of doing stupid, pointless acts that can be video-ed with a cell phone and posted on YouTube. Maybe the virtual world has rendered the real one, with its ugly genocides in Darfur and Sudan and threats of war elsewhere, unimportant to this generation.


It's hard to analyze right now, but a definite shift is coming. I'm not going to say these teens will be asking for world peace tomorrow, but I do think there is a movement to hold the rest of their generation accountable. There is a growing intolerance among this very tolerant crowd for the stupidity that has prevailed for the last decade or so. In fact, there is a growing intolerance for world stupidity, for lack of a better term. Here are some statistics which point out why teens are becoming fed up:

*In the U.S., youth homicide rates are more than 10 times that of other leading industrialized nations, on par with the rates in developing countries and those experiencing rapid social and economic changes. The youth homicide rate in the U.S. stood at 11.0 per 100,000 compared to France (0.6 per 100 000), Germany (0.8 per 100 000), the United Kingdom (0.9 per 100 000) and Japan (0.4 per 100 000). [World Report on Violence and Health, World Health Organization 2002]

• Persons under the age of 25 accounted for nearly 50 percent of those arrested for murder and 62 percent of those arrested for robbery in 2005. [Youth Violence Facts at a Glance, Summer 2007, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)]

*The World Health Organization declared violence the number one health problem worldwide.


At least there are signs of, maybe not world peace, but a rebellion against these statistics. It's time - not one more person should be killed by a kid with a gun. Hopefully this generation can find a way to end the violence in just American society, if not the world. That would be a huge start.

Breathe Deeply

It's official. Joe Camel is officially "reassigned." The cool dromedary with the shades and hip wardrobe has been eliminated as the spokesman for Camel cigarettes. That is well and good but it would be hard to convince me that Joe is entirely responsible for the popularity of tween and teen smoking . Could it be peer pressure? Insecurity and wanting to look "cool"? Adults who smoke? The entertainment industry? An accepted and necessary addition to the teen experience as they perceive it? How about invincible, young and stupid?

Among persons aged 12-17 years, the first use of cigarettes per 1,000 potential news users has been rising continuously and has been steadily higher than for persons aged 18-25 years since the early 1970s.
+ At least 4.5 million adolescents (aged 12-17 years) in the United States smoke cigarettes.
+ Young people vastly underestimate the addictiveness of nicotine. Of daily smokers who think that they will not smoke in five years, nearly 75 percent are still smoking five to six years later.
+ Seventy percent of adolescent smokers wish they had never started smoking in the first place. http://www.parentingteens.about.com/

Truth #1: Any one's teen can start smoking. Every day in the United States, more than 3,000 young people become regular smokers-that's more than one million new smokers a year. The pull to smoke is not just affecting someone else's kid. Your teen sees the glamorous advertising, has peers who smoke and is as vulnerable to becoming a smoker as much as anybody else's teen.

Truth #2: Nearly all first time smoking happens before high school graduation, according to the CDC. If your teen hasn't started smoking before he/she graduates, chances are he/she never will. That is good news. It means that you have the time to influence your teen and their choices.
Truth #3: Actively working on your teens self-esteem, self-confidence and resilience can prevent your teen from smoking. Often, teens cite 'being accepted' as a reason for starting to smoke, along with modeling someone they admire, to loose weight or to overcome stress. Help your teen develop friendships, shape a healthy body image and deal with stress without having to turn to tobacco use.

Truth #4: Your teen needs to hear that smoking is bad for him/her from you. While your teen's friends may seem to be more important to your teen, you are his/her number one choice to learn about values. This is the time to make it count. Send a clear message to your teen that you consider smoking to be unhealthy.

Truth #5: If your teen smokes, he/she can't quit just because you've ask. According to American Cancer Society 'the best school health classes won't have much effect on the students who already smoke, unless those teens are also offered professional help to quit.' Teens do not realize they are addicted until it is too late. Among adolescents aged 10 - 18, about three-fourths of daily cigarette smokers report that they continue to use tobacco because it is really hard for them to quit. Your teen needs to team up with you and a doctor in order to kick this nasty habit. It is worth your time and money to help your teen get through this problem.

Here's a questionnaire found on the net to figure out if a teen is smoking. It seems obvious, however, that a kid stuffing towels under the door and who smells like an old ashtray- is probably lighting up. My experience was that most kids with a lick of self preservation are not smoking at home. Still the same issues, just harder to catch in the act.

Here's the quiz ( or- Is My Kid Smoking ?- For Dummies)
Have you found lighters, matches or crushed tobacco in your teen'S room, backpack or pants pocket?
Does your teen's room smell like stale smoke?
Does your teen use a lot of air freshener in his/her room? (No, but I do!)
Does your teen put a towel down to block the crack under their bedroom door?
Does your child come home from school or a friend's house with his/her clothes and hair smelling like smoke?
Do your teen's friends smoke?
Has your teen lost weight? (other issues here too)
Does your teen brush his/her teeth more often and at odd times of the day? (Is this a bad thing?)
Is your teen evasive when you ask where they have been? (This one just goes with teen territory-not always signaling that they are smoking!)

Seriously, the statistics are sobering.
*On average, someone who smokes a pack or more of cigarettes each day lives 7 years less than someone who never smoked.
*The resting heart rates of young adult smokers are two to three beats per minute faster than nonsmokers.
*Smoking at an early age increases the risk of lung cancer. For most smoking-related cancers, the risk rises as the individual continues to smoke.
*Teenage smokers suffer from shortness of breath almost three times as often as teens who don't smoke.
*Teenage smokers are more likely to have seen a doctor or other health professionals for an emotional or psychological complaint.
* Teens who smoke are three times more likely than nonsmokers to use alcohol, eight times more likely to use marijuana, and 22 times more likely to use cocaine. Smoking is associated with a host of other risky behaviors, such as fighting and engaging in unprotected sex.

My Mother started smoking when she was 15 years old. She tried to quit all her life. She would wet the pack and throw it in the trash. Two hours later the smell of drying tobacco would waft through the house. There were the filters that supposedly captured the tar. There were the "light" versions. One time she tried hypnosis. Mother white knuckled it sometimes. Not fun at our house then. Mom crunched sour lemon candy until her enamel was gone. She chewed the gum and wore the patches. She walked around and around the block. No matter how hard my Mom tried, she could never break the addictive habit. And did she try! My beautiful and brave Mother had to use oxygen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 4 years. She died of emphysema at the age of 71.

Anyone young and reading this- Smoking shortens your life. More importantly, smoking severely effects the quality of your life while you are living it. It ages your arteries, increases your risk of heart and lung disease, weakens your immune system and promotes cancer. It prematurely ages you on the inside and on the outside. When you become an adult, trust me on this one, you will want to live a long time. Additionally, you will want to be healthy while you are doing it. Don't start smoking, or if you are, stop. Get help if you need it. You ( and the family you will have someday) will never regret it.

Side note: Wacky Santa is coming to the Muskogee Public Library on Monday, Dec 10th from 6:30-8:30. Presented by the Muskogee Library Teen Board, he's arriving to entertain 12 and up. Food, Prizes and Fun. Don't miss it!