“The SAT Is Not Fair”
The cover story of the New York Times Magazine (March 9, 2014) was the SAT – the standardized test designed to put high school students on a level playing field when it comes to college admissions in the US. Written by Todd Balf, the article is humorously (but truthfully) titled “The SAT Is Hated By…All Of The Above” meaning the most widely used college admissions test is despised by “stressed-out students, frustrated educators, hamstrung admissions officers, and anxious parents.” Designed as a tool by which all students could be compared, the SAT doesn’t do what it was designed to do and is, in fact unfair because students have unequal access to two systems: education and test-prep. Read more 
“Disgrace”
One can punish a dog, it seems to me, for an offence like chewing a slipper. A dog will accept the justice of that: a beating for a chewing. But desire is another story. No animal will accept the justice of being punished for following its instincts.
Such is the limited reasoning ability of David Lurie, a middle-aged (52) White South African man who spends his days as an adjunct professor at Cape Technical University in Cape Town where he teaches introductory communications courses which bore him and leave him with nothing but contempt for the students he regards as ignorant. That a dog has a desire to chew or that some instincts, if acted upon, should be punishable acts doesn’t seem to occur to Lurie, a twice divorced serial womanizer who chalks his desires up to instinct and therefore not something he should be sorry for. Read more
The Sharkk Wallet
When it comes to a wallet, having a place for bills, change, pictures and a few credit cards is not enough. Most retail stores – grocery, pharmacy, pet, chocolate, hardware, gym – and clubs – automobile, warehouse, and train – have membership cards so the dilemma is how to organize all these cards in a way to easily access them when needed. For years, I struggled with how to carry these cards around with me and tried everything from plastic card holders to rubber bands until I discovered the Sharkk: an innovative and durable wallet that keeps cards organized and easily accessible. Read more
Linwoods Health Foods
Linwoods is an Ireland-based company that manufactures a variety of superfood products including four energy rich blends referred to as Linwoods Health Foods. Made primarily of organic flaxseed that are cold-ground to protect the essential fatty acids and nutritional goodness and then blended with a variety of ground seeds, berries, or nuts, Linwoods Blends are high in protein (4-6 grams of protein) and fiber (5-8 grams) and low in sugar (1-2 grams) and sodium (30 mg) per 1/4 cup serving. Each serving has 155-178 calories and 12-15 grams of fat, which is primarily derived from the flaxseed. Read more
Capers and Sun-Ripened Dried Tomatoes
Jeff’s Naturals, a California-based company specializing in jarred Mediterranean products free of preservatives, stabilizers, artificial colors, flavors and sulfites, offers two shelf-stable pantry products – Imported Non-Pareil Capers and Sun-Ripened Dried Tomatoes – that most cooks find very helpful to have on hand because both products can be used in so many recipes. Read more
“The Interestings”
From this day forward, because we are clearly the most interesting people who ever lived, because we are just so fucking compelling, our brains swollen with intellectual thoughts, let us be known as The Interestings. And let everyone who meets us fall down dead in our path from just how fucking interesting we are. Read more
Barnana
Barnana is one of the newest, most delicious super snacks on the market. Created and distributed by Wholesome Valley Foods of La Jolla, California, a Barnana has one ingredient – an organic banana – a chewy bite-sized piece of banana that has been dehydrated at 104 degrees which allows the nutritional density and natural enzymes to stay intact. Gluten-free and a great source of potassium, fiber, vitamins and minerals, Barnanas are 100% raw and unprocessed…and did I mention moist and delicious? Read more
Bragg’s Salad Dressings
Many people believe that a salad is not complete without a tasty salad dressing so the choice becomes whether to make a homemade version, which can be intimidating because there are so many decisions to make regarding the choice of ingredients (type of oil, vinegar, herbs, juices, spices) and determining the right combinations, or buy a pre-made salad dressing, which can be a huge timesaver (especially if empty salad dressing bottles are not in your kitchen inventory). Read more
The “Trader Joe” Bowl
My family calls this meal in a bowl the “Trader Joe” Bowl because the main ingredients are purchased from Trader Joe’s. Years ago, my sister-in-law told me to go to Trader Joe’s because their stores sell the best avocados and they truly do. I’ve bought avocados from grocery stores and gourmet markets and the quality has never come close to the ones sold at Trader Joe’s. Rich, creamy and delicious, the avocados are consistently excellent and so I make a twice-weekly trip to Trader Joe’s to buy 4-5 avocados at a time (we eat a lot of avocados). Although the avocados are often hard and green when I buy them, they ripen in 3-4 days. Read more
“Safe As Houses”
Safe As Houses is a collection of short stories written by Marie-Helene Bertino and winner of The Iowa Short Fiction Award (2012). The title of the book – Safe As Houses – signifies what most of us believe a home should be: a haven from the outside world where families celebrate holidays and display refrigerator art and framed photographs, but Bertino shows the reader that home can also be a house that is wiped away in an instant, a place we flee from, or a prison in which we lock the world out. Despite the general belief that people are safe in their homes, the truth can be entirely different because what makes a house a home is its inhabitants, not the brick and mortar – and people can be dangerous. Read more
Paddock Post 