Three Sisters, Oregon

Three Sisters, Oregon, Beck kisses Masha, played by Anna Elise Mahaffey. Anton Chekhov’s Russian drama, “Three Sisters,” will play a part of Oregon State University Theatre’s 2013 Season of Style. Director Elizabeth Helman said this year’s season focuses on literary value and historical significance.

Although the play first premiered in 1901, the production of “Three Sisters” at OSU will be set a few years later, around 1911. Helman said by moving it up a few years, the immediacy and seriousness of the play is set in motion, with the Russian Revolution and World War I right around the corner.

The classic family drama centers on the actions of four siblings, three sisters and a brother. After their father dies, the Prozorov siblings learn to take responsibility of their own lives and face many challenges along the way.

According to Helman, heroes and villains are nonexistent in Chekhov’s play. The naturalistic style of the play allows the audience to view little snippets of the characters’ lives, much like many of today’s dramas. As viewers drop in on these characters’ lives, they can obtain perspectives of how these characters have grown or changed over a period of time.

“It’s a play about people learning who they are and figuring out: What the hell are they going to do with their lives?” Helman said. “This is a really, really good play for college students to see.”

Characters like Masha, played by Anna Mahaffey, appear to be self-centered and arrogant.

“She cares about how pretty she looks, and she’s very dissatisfied with the choice of her husband,” Mahaffey said. “She’s got this struggle going on with her husband and she’s got issues with family.”

But as the play progresses, Masha realizes the rights and wrongs of her decisions and the effects her decisions have imposed on her family.

Irina, on the other hand, has a different complexity from her sisters. Played by Richelle Jean-Bart, Irina dreams of going to Moscow, hoping to find happiness and love in a bigger city.

“She’s sassy, incredibly smart, knows lots of languages and she’s a very big dreamer,” Jean-Bart said.

Like many college students, Irina dreams of going away from home and seeking a new life in a different environment.

The eldest sibling, Andrei, played by Michael Beaton, faces his own troubles as he strives to be a respectable older brother and breadwinner. His gambling addiction and poor choices create both sad and humorous situations.

“Three Sisters” is a mixture of tragedy and comedy.

“The way that this drama is presented and written is really fascinating, how you can go from one emotion to another,” Mahaffey said.

Audience members should expect a wide array of emotional reactions.

Oregon Coast Surfing

Oregon Coast Surfing, There’s a secret in Oregon that local surfers don’t want you to know. Hawaii may have the pristine beaches but Oregon has waves that are irresistible for all surfers from novice to expert.

Before you head West check out the conditions at these wave watch sites: www.surfline.com and www.oceanweather.com. Next, hook your boards onto your Subie and hit Highway 26 West straight to Seaside about 75 miles from Portland. What? No gear? Your first stop is Seaside Surf Shop, (www.seasidesurfshop.com, 1116 S Roosevelt Dr.(503) 717-1110) where they have all the gear you need to rent or buy. Closer to the beach you’ll find Cleanline Surf (www.cleanlinesurf.com, 719 1st Ave, (503) 738-7888) and after that it’s time to hit the water!

Novice surfers will want to stay on the beach in the middle of town where there is a lifeguard on duty during the summer months. Watch out for that undertow! It’s known to be tough and has pulled many a surfer out to sea. If the waves aren’t nukin’ you can always hit the promenade and get an elephant ear, stroll through the many shops, learn about the Lewis and Clark expedition, or play a game of miniature golf.

Expert surfers will surely enjoy the wake a little farther South at “the point”. Truly for experts only, the rocks off the point have injured even the most accomplished surfers. This is the place world-renowned by professionals but kept low profile so they can enjoy the beautiful tubes that break off the point in relative peace. You’ll want to stay forever, and Hawaii will become a distant memory after visiting the point.

Travel South on Hwy 101 from Seaside a mere fifteen miles and you’ll arrive at another hot Oregon surf spot called Indian Beach. Indian Beach is on the South end of a small town named Cannon Beach nestled within Ecola State Park. Full amenities are available if you choose to spend the night and turn a short surf trip into a little longer one. Indian Beach is perfect for the novice to moderately skilled surfer and the view is breath taking. There is a surf shop in Cannon Beach (Cannon Beach Surf Shop, www.cannonbeachsurf.com, 1088 S Hemlock, (503) 436-0475) that offers everything you need including lessons. Cannon Beach Surf shop also has surf camps for all levels and one especially for women.

A surf vacation in Oregon wouldn’t be complete without stopping at Short Sand Beach. This Oregon gem is hidden within the old growth forest encompassing Oswald West State Park just 10 miles South of Cannon Beach. This location truly should be included in one of the Seven Wonders of the World with towering old growth trees covered in moss lining a gravel pathway leading toward the beach. After a long and winding journey down the path along a babbling brook, the most seasoned surfer might be a little weary but will be invigorated once again when the trees open up revealing a cove with a break to the South that is ideal for experts. The more novice to intermediate surfer will be satisfied with the waves generated at mid-shore and feel secure seeing other’s at all skill levels within close reach. Short Sand is frequented year-round by many surfers and was used for filming the final scene in the Patrick Swayze/Keanu Reeves classic surf flick “Point Break”.

There you have it! The secret is out. So, save your money on airfare and check out the Oregon coast. Year-round, for all skill levels, it won’t disappoint.

Hug Point Park Stagecoach

Hug Point Park Stagecoach, A wagon and team cross Hug Point around the turn of the 20th century. The road, which is still there, was chipped into the rocky headland so wagons, stagecoaches and cars would not have to drive out into the surf to get around the point.
Hug Point State Recreation Site is a state park on the northern Oregon Coast in the U.S. state of Oregon. Administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, the park is open to the public and is fee-free. Amenities at the park, which is 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Cannon Beach along U.S. Route 101, include picnicking, fishing, and a Pacific Ocean beach.

Hug Point, the cape for which it is named, lies in the park.

Late 19th century stagecoaches that used the beach as a highway “had to ‘hug’ this particular point even at low tide to get around it”, hence the name Hug Point.

The primitive roadbed was chipped into the head by unknown persons around the turn of the 20th century to facilitate access to Arch Cape, which at the time was accessible only by driving a horse-drawn or motorized vehicle on the beach. This sometimes necessitated driving directly into the surf — an inconvenience in a stagecoach or wagon, but a real hazard in motorcars, which were far easier to get stuck and were disabled and immobilized by relatively small waves. A persistent rumor claims that the roadbed was made by a man whose brand-new Maxwell car got stuck and was submerged by the incoming tide in the 1920s; however, photographic evidence shows the road was there well before 1920, and Oregon popular historian Ralph Friedman interviewed a stage driver who remembered using it before World War I.

The 43-acre (17 ha) park has a large parking area, public restrooms, and a sloping walkway to the beach. Erosion has formed caves in sandstone cliffs along the headland’s south side, which is also the site of a seasonal waterfall. The Oregon Coast Trail passes though the park along the beach.

Zip Herring Recall Listeria Contamination

Zip Herring Recall Listeria Contamination, ZIP INTERNATIONAL GROUP LLC, 160 Raritan Center Parkway #6, Edison, NJ 08837 is expanding its recall of sliced herring fillet (forelka) 330 gram and 600 gram in plastic packaging due to Listeria contamination. Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women

The recalled sliced herring fillet (forelka) 330 gram and 600 gram in plastic packaging includes best by date 5/18/2012 . The best by date is located on the round side of the packaging and was sold to retail grocery stores in New York State. It is a product of Ukraine.

The recall was initiated after routine sampling by New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets Food Inspectors and subsequent analysis of the product by Food Laboratory personnel found the product to be positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem. Consumers who have purchased sliced herring fillet (forelka) should not consume it, but should return it to the place of purchase. Consumers with questions may contact the company @ 732-225-3600, 9:00AM-5:00 PM EST from Monday to Friday.

Source: FDA

Cooked Pork Hocks Recall Wheat

Cooked Pork Hocks Recall Wheat, Han Yang Inc. of Milwaukee, WI is recalling approximately 25,600 pounds of cooked pork hocks because they contain wheat, an allergen not noted on the label.

The label omission was discovered by a USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service inspector during a label review.

There have been no reports of adverse reactions.

The recall is of shrink-wrapped packages of various weights of “JANG CHUNG DONG HAN YANG KING JOAK BAL COOKED PORK HOCKS” with EST. 21880 inside the USDA mark of inspection. The pork hocks, produced between Oct. 7, 2011 and Feb. 7, 2012, have a four month shelf life and were distributed to wholesalers and retailers in Los Angeles and Chicago.

For more information contact the company’s president, Chang Choi, at 414-389-1099.

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