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Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them – Tobias Berchtold’s Best of 2016

This article was written by Tobias Berchtold

2016 has been a difficult and troubling year for the world, but it has also produced some absolutely outstanding music so I wanted to renew my best of review for the year just passed. (
As much as I wanted to keep it short, there was just way too many amazing projects to whittle it down to a sensible number. Behold, my top 30 of 2016:

  30. The Colour in Anything – James Blake

James Blake’s third album follows on from his previous projects nicely, it is very similar in mood to those two however there are some very subtle but effective tonal changes. He has become known for a minimal and moody aesthetic, underlined by precise and layered production, however with this project Blake has seemingly tried to shift from a minimal approach to a more maximalist one. The production is once again absolutely stellar and the swelling instrumentals throughout lend a beautiful atmosphere to the album. The only real issue I have with the album is that it’s just too long, clocking in at 76 minutes, so it can be a bit tricky to stay engaged the whole way through.

  1. ArtScience – The Robert Glasper Experiment

For years, Robert Glasper has been the gold standard of jazz fused into all sorts of different genres. With his Experiment band, Glasper seems to refuse to be pegged into one genre – even exclaiming it at the start of the album (“So why should I just confine myself to one? We want to explore them all.”) In my opinion it’s the group’s best project yet, in big part due to the fact that they decided to do all the vocals themselves instead of relying on outside artists – by doing this I feel like they succeeded in cementing their own vibe, more so than in their previous attempts.

  1. Konnichiwa – Skepta

Skepta has been amongst the forerunners of the UK grime movement in recent years. It’s been 5 years since his previous album, and the long wait (with many delays) was thoroughly worth it. It’s packed with anti-establishment sentiment, and the lead single That’s Not Me is a good example of the content of the rest of the album. It’s a big middle finger to the press, the police and the government. All around it’s a great trailblazer for the grime genre, a genre that doesn’t usually feature albums but more often than not consists of singles and mixtapes.

  1. Epoch – Tycho

Tycho is back with another excellent downtempo album. All of the songs on the album bear his unmistakable style that he forged with his previous albums Awake and Dive, with very precise and deliberate instrumental melodies. This album is probably his most energetic yet, with some vocal samples added in, which Scott Hansen hadn’t really used much in the past. While it would be difficult to argue that this album is anything new, it’s probably one of my favourite Tycho projects yet – and with it he has cemented himself at the very top of my exam time playlists.

  1. 22, A Million – Bon Iver

It’s been a loooong time since we got a release from Justin Vernon and it really didn’t disappoint. It’s a difficult listen, which in general is nothing new from Bon Iver – but on this album he seems to explore, and play with, the strange and the uncertain. There is a great existential angst to the subject matter of this record, with Vernon resorting to a lot of religious imagery to try to explain his anxiety about the uncertainty of existence and his use of distorted vocals just adds to the theme. Its aesthetic is very high brow and experimental, and it works beautifully well as a reminder that Bon Iver is one of the best contemporary artists around nowadays.

  1. Freetown Sound – Blood Orange

“My album is for everyone told they’re not black enough, too black, too queer, not queer the right way… it’s a clapback.”

I think I kind of want to be Dev Hynes. His activism for black rights is immensely powerful and it is the overarching theme of this album, the racial context of this album imbues it with so much meaning. It was released during the time when there were weekly/daily occurrences of police brutality towards black teens. It’s a celebration of everyone who is told they’re not good enough and the music does the theme justice – I found there were a lot of similarities between this album and D’Angelo’s Black Messiah, both in style and substance. In a year like the one we just had, music like this is so incredibly important in conveying a message.

  1. Coloring Book – Chance The Rapper

Chance’s third mixtape had a lot of expectation placed on it, after the widespread success of the 2013 release of Acid Rap. Since then he has teased an built hype through some excellent features, in fact in my opinion he had the best feature of 2016 (on Kanye West’s Ultralight Beam). The album is filled to the brim with gospel singers and excellent features, but that’s also my biggest issue with the album. The gospel and the features add a great dimension but it hits a point of diminishing returns and I just wish there was a little bit more Chance. There are some spots on the album The best song in my eyes is Same Drugs, which is a beautiful Peter Pan metaphor of two people growing apart. Noticeably on that song there is mainly background gospel and no features.

From what i’ve just said it sounds like I didn’t like this album at all but that’s not the case – it just left me wanting more from Chance because I think he’s one of the most exciting talents in hip hop right now. I can’t wait for his first official album release.

  1. Bottomless Pit – Death Grips

Don’t really know how to describe this one. It’s taken me a good two years to wrap my head around what Death Grips do, and to be honest I think anyone that says they understand their vision is a liar. That being said this project is probably their most cohesive yet, and is what has led me to explore deeper into their discography. Their mix of hip hop with heavy, experimental rock is abrasive and crass but this is probably their most accessible effort yet due to a renewed focus on songcraft instead of shock value.

  1. Lemonade – Beyoncé

Before this album I wasn’t really a Beyoncé fan at all, I thought her songs were disappointing when you took into account her vast amounts of raw talent. This is a complete departure from her usual style of music, and it’s almost as though this album was born out of a desire to make an artistic statement rather than for financial gain which is what always irked me about her music. The overarching theme of marital troubles with Jay-Z (real or not) add a really nice dimension to the album and is very engaging. We see Beyoncé flit between several genres, even including a country song Daddy Lessons which ended up being my favourite on the album. Beyoncé took a lot of risks with this album and for me they all paid off.

  1. Emily’s D+Evolution – Esperanza Spalding

Esperanza Spalding is an upright bassist and singer who gained fame by beating Justin Bieber to the 2011 Best New Music Grammy, but she never seemed to crave this kind of attention and a few years later she took some time off from the music industry to reevaluate her position within it. For her return she came through with a really nice funk album that is highlighted with elements of rock music. Straddling the lines between several genres, Spalding seemed to create this album with the freedom that comes from being out of the limelight. If you haven’t heard this album yet I would warmly recommend it, it’s an incredibly rewarding listen.

  1. Spiritual Songs for Lovers to Sing – Lost Under Heaven

Born out of the ashes of WU LYF (RIP), Ellery Roberts’s new project has much of the same charm that drew me in the first time round. Ellery’s visceral, raw voice is coupled with that of visual artist Ebony Hoorn and he carries a similar message to the one he did with WU LYF. Blaring anti-capitalist, anti-establishment, anti-everything lyrics is Ellery’s speciality and the mixture of this and grandiose instrumentation makes this a really euphoric listen.

  1. Blank Face LP – Schoolboy Q

This is Schoolboy Q’s first album after beating a horrible addiction to lean and he seems to be on track to become a force in hip hop. This album is almost like a TDE poster child as it is absolutely littered with features but not once does it lose its way – Schoolboy Q is always front and centre of each song without getting overshadowed by anyone. Combining raw and emotional portrayals of a past life with a straightforward and down to earth manner make this a very enjoyable listen start to finish. The focus of this album is very clearly on the rapping which put a lot of pressure on Q to hold the attention for a full hour, but he does so seemingly with ease, with regular tone and tempo shifts that really work in his favour.

  1. The Sun’s Tirade – Isaiah Rashad

Isaiah Rashad’s second album is another stellar output from the TDE label. The Tennessee based rapper’s bars are laced with anxieties regarding maturing and moving past addiction and in doing so he comes across as very human and brutally honest. Fitting with the theme the album ebbs and flows between manic highs and sluggish lows, much like life with addiction does. It is a moving account of facing demons and coming out of the other side better than before.

On her fifth album, ANOHNI teamed up with producers Hudson Mohawk and Oneohtrix Point Never to create an absolutely outstanding protest album. As ever, she sings about difficult political themes and challenges things like pop culture’s obsession with image, drone warfare and even the Arab Spring. She paints a bleak picture of despair and struggle, but coupled with bombastic songs and production from HudMo and OPN this album is truly great, and that seems to fit 2016 perfectly.

  1. 99.9% – KAYTRANADA

Kaytranada first made his name as a Soundcloud producer and dance DJ, and his first commercial effort is a statement that shows he’s going to stick around for a while. Specialising in samples and Madlib-style crate digging, Kaytranada’s production is funky and upbeat and enlisting the help of some high-profile collaborators (like Anderson .Paak) makes this a really refreshing experience. He accredits his style to his Haitian roots, and the percussion-heavy beats with help of drummers like Karriem Riggins back this up. A pleasure to listen to all-round.

  1. Telefone – Noname

I first heard of Noname (fka Noname Gypsy) through features with artists like Mick Jenkins and Chance the Rapper, and had been looking forward to this album for a while and in no way did it disappoint. This is a rich, satisfying and intimate hip hop album which documents Noname’s experience growing up as an introvert and finally blossoming into adulthood. The album is framed around transformative phone conversations in her life, with upbeat and playful bars underlining this as the best album by a female rapper this year.

  1. MY WOMAN – Angel Olsen

With her previous three albums Angel Olsen has crafted a powerful identity, her name being synonymous with her voice and her storytelling. On this, her fourth attempt, she has pushed both of these to their highest heights yet. This album is a haunting and beautiful recital of sadness, hope and love. There is a mix of sounds and styles, and there is a constant maze of self-discovery present throughout the songs on the album – even the brightest of songs are twinged with ideas of impermanence, that none of the feelings she is feeling can last forever.

  1. A Moon Shaped Pool – Radiohead

I’ve personally never been that enamoured with Radiohead, and consistently found that I preferred their more expansive and airy music. In particular I loved Thom Yorke’s solo project with Atoms for Peace, which is why I was so satisfied with this album – it has a very similar tone. The album is a bit of a grower, it’s a midnight sort of listen and it signals a return to a more conventional type of songcraft . There is a palpable sense of loss which is likely born out of Thom Yorke’s separation from his long time partner – but it would be a disservice to call this a breakup album. It’s lofty, vast, and encompasses all of the things I love about Radiohead. I can’t wait to see them headline Glastonbury.

  1. Yes Lawd! – NxWorries

Anderson .Paak’s meteoric rise seems to know no bounds and album only serves to confirm that. Having teamed up with producer Knxwledge this is a beat tape first and foremost, with all of the songs hovering around the 3-minute mark. Paak has seemingly mastered his vocal range and uses it to full effect on this album, all the while maintaining an infectiously upbeat mood. The production by Knxwledge is immaculate, channeling greats like Dilla and Madlib.

Livvin’ is probably the epitome of the feeling of this album, which is basically an exclamation of the triumphs in .Paak’s recent history. Hopefully he can keep going from strength to strength.

  1. In My Mind – BJ The Chicago Kid

This is a modern update on Chicago soul, and BJ delivers a beautifully tender and soulful approach to the classic genre. Its lyrics are very on the nose about sexual experiences, but the way BJ sings them makes them is absolutely perfect. He excels at his brand of love song, and the only time where this album falls a bit flat is when he strays from this concept. The features he enlists on this album are also excellent, with appearances from Kendrick, Chance and Big KRIT complementing his voice expertly.

  1. Awaken, My Love! – Childish Gambino

It’s been a great year for Donald Glover – his new show Atlanta landed him a Best Comedy Actor Golden Glob, and he’s been cast as the young Lando Calrissian in the forthcoming Star Wars movie. I’ve loved him as an actor for a while but I have never been particularly enamoured with his rapping. It piqued my interest when I heard that he had ditch rapping for more of a funk sound and this is easily my favourite project of his so far. The production is majestic, Glover’s singing is better than ever and this project is so unique and unexpected that I’m struggling to find things to compare it to. I have to say that Redbone is up there as one of my favourite songs of this year – it is so smooth and serene that I could listen to it on a loop for hours.

  1. Malibu – Anderson .Paak

I mentioned earlier how good a year Anderson .Paak has had, and this is the centrepiece of his many successes. Behind his success there is a difficult story (as explained on the opener The Birds) – his mother was a farmer from South Korea and his father was an Air Force mechanic that was imprisoned for beating the former. Mixed in with the fresh and new sounds of Anderson .Paak are several old heads, including features from Schoolboy Q, Rapsody, The Game and Talib Kweli. This is another important, empowering album with the overarching message being that anyone can achieve anything, regardless of where you’ve started or what colour your skin is.

  1. A Seat at the Table – Solange

Most of the time the significance of an album doesn’t really hit me until the third or fourth listen through, but with this album I realised about halfway through about its importance in the world today. Specifically on Interlude: Tina Taught Me where we hear Solange’s (& Beyoncé’s) mother talk about her pride in her culture and heritage and seems to get very emotional about the fact that that is often not accepted by other cultures. This seamlessly flows into the incedibly powerful Don’t Touch My Hair which epitomises the message that this album tries to convey. It is an incredibly meaningful account of black womanhood in modern America, and is complemented by some beautiful singing and excellent production.

  1. The Life of Pablo – Kanye West

The birth of this album was a massive rollercoaster with delays, leaks, revisions and additions hampering it on its way. When it did come out, it ended up being the most perfect description of Kanye you could get. It’s bold, erratic, a bit bonkers and overall a great experience from start to finish. It seems as though this is the artistic vision that Kanye has wanted to put forward for a while now, and his ‘unique’ way of putting it out into the world seems to fit that theory. There is a good mix between the larger-than-life Yeezus Kanye and the introspective and damaged My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Kanye. Some of Kanye’s best songs in my opinion are on this album – Ultralight Beam’s production is some of the best that Kanye has done, along with an incredible Chance the Rapper feature (as mentioned earlier, my favourite feature of the year). Real Friends is another that I am enamored with – Kanye is vulnerable, and laments his failures as a friend and as a person in a real and relatable way.

Since then, Kanye has cancelled shows and tours and has been hospitalised following a manic depressive episode. I hope he can stay stable in the future and that we get to hear more of his vision, because as much shit as he says and does, he really is a fantastic talent.

“Name one genius that ain’t crazy.”

  1. Run The Jewels 3 – Run The Jewels

A surprise 2016 release that was initially slated for early 2017 but was brought forward and released as “A CHRISTMAS F***ING MIRACLE.” I’m really glad it was released early because it fit the theme of 2016 excellently, RTJ have become known for their defiant and political style and of course this album is no different. The third album in the RTJ series is a culmination of what made the previous two so great. They managed to maintain their sound while subtly developing it – yet this album is the most subtle and polished. Killer Mike is ridiculously good as ever, and El-P’s production is better than it has ever been. It’s a protest album with several riot anthems that may or may not be directed towards the Mango Mussolini that was inaugurated just a few days ago.

  1. untitled unmastered. – Kendrick Lamar

It’s a bit unfair really isn’t it. An album of 8 throwaways that weren’t quite good enough to fit into last year’s To Pimp a Butterfly, is still better than most of the music that has come out in this year. While it is obvious that a lot of the tracks on this EP are unfinished that doesn’t diminish the quality of this product at all. The songs are in a very similar vein to the songs on TPAB, however Kendrick has to be commended because I do agree with the fact that none of these songs would have added much to last year’s album. As a standalone project it is excellent, with catchy hooks and silky instrumentals (as ever) from people like Thundercat and Kamasi Washington. It’s going to be interesting to see what Kendrick can do from here, it seems like everything he touches turns to gold.

  1. We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your service – A Tribe Called Quest

18 years in the making, the swan song of the alternative hip hop pioneers was so much more than I thought it could ever be. I have to confess when I heard that there was a new ATCQ album in the works I was a bit sceptical. Halfway through the first song my doubts were blown out of the water – the opener The Space Program sets the tone by making clear that this isn’t a 1994 project that’s 20 years late, but is a refreshingly current attempt. The tragic death of MC Phife Dawg was covered by the fact that the band had recorded all of his vocals at Q-Tip’s studio earlier in the year, and you would never know that he wasn’t there.

This is another album on this is list that is incredibly timely. The songs are again very political, and We The People is the best example of this which clearly references the various unrests of 2016 – “All you black folks you must go/All you Mexicans you must go.” Even if they do get a bit blunt by naming one of the songs The Donald, overall it’s a very nuanced and effective commentary on the state of the world compared to how it was in ATCQ’s heyday.

  1. Atrocity Exhibition – Danny Brown

This album genuinely transcends explanation, it’s like nothing I’ve ever heard before. If I were to compare it to something on this list I would say that the closest other thing is Bottomless Pit but even that isn’t really close. The beats are gritty and dark, and Danny’s abrasive, shrill voice over the top of it just works. I’m struggling to explain why it works but it just does, to tremendous effect. It’s a wild ride that documents the ups and downs of drug addiction, some songs are blurry and fuzzy and then there are others that almost sound like Danny is driving himself up into a fit. There isn’t a song on this album that I don’t like, but Ain’t it Funny is the standout track for me. The beat is outrageous and it doesn’t really make sense, the way Danny sings offbeat and just plays with the rhythm is so engaging and fun. There is also Really Doe which in my view is the best posse track of the year (however the Black Hippy THat Part remix runs it close). The track has Danny Brown, Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul and Earl Sweatshirt bouncing off each other perfectly as though it’s all they’ve been doing for years.

I’m not really sure where Danny Brown is going to go next but he’s one of the few artists where I trust his vision, and I really look forward to whatever he can bring out next.

     2. Blackstar – David Bowie

If I ordered this list to take historical significance into account then this would be a no-brainer at the number 1 slot. David Bowie’s last album before he lost his battle with cancer is the most perfect way he could have said goodbye. I thought it was an incredible album soon after it came out, as its songcraft and instrumentation is beautifully dark and sombre. However when Bowie died, the album took on a whole new shape and added countless layers of complexity and imagery. Even though it has transpired that Bowie may not have necessarily known that he was  dying during the recording process, the idea that Bowie immortalised his views about death and mourning shortly before his own passing is so beautiful to me.

Lazarus is the key song on the album, it’s a superbly artistic statement – condensing the entire human narrative of birth, life and death into one single song that was released three days before his untimely death.

Doesn’t get much more Bowie than that.

“Every man has a black star
A black star over his shoulder
And when a man sees his black star
He knows his time, his time has come”  – Elvis Presley

  1. Blonde – Frank Ocean

The hype around Frank Ocean had reached a boiling point, after the widespread success of his 2012 abum Channel Orange he just disappeared. Shortly after that release he came out on the internet, saying that his first love was a man. After that, he was gone. There was endless speculation and Channel Orange had taken on a sort of cult-like status until Frank posted on his  Tumblr #ALBUM3 #JULY2015 #BOYSDONTCRY. July 2015 came and went and no sign of Frank, apart from the occasional feature on Odd Future tracks. His only 2016 feature was on Kanye’s The Life of Pablo, as an add-on track to Wolves.

More and more speculation built up with photos and teases from people close to Frank, suggesting his third album Boys Don’t Cry would release in July 2016. Alas, no album. Yet early in August a cryptic livestream popped up which showed people woodworking in a whitewashed warehouse and the hype machine hit max.

On 19th August, finally, Frank released a visual album called Endless (which is also fantastic and well worth a listen/watch). But was this the full album? This wasn’t called Boys Don’t Cry? What?

The day later, 20th August, Blonde was released and an accompanying magazine called Boys Don’t Cry was announced.

And it is a masterpiece. I won’t have enough space here to convey just how much I love this album but I’ll give it a go. Compared to the relatively expansive and elaborate production on Channel Orange, Blonde is very minimal and stripped back. There is a very sparse use of percussion on the whole project, but where it does appear it adds a beautiful dimension – purely because of its absence previously. When Frank’s voice breaks through it’s almost as though the relative quietness and peace shines a spotlight on him and his words.

There isn’t a song on this album that I would remove or even change, every single word and note seems to have been placed very deliberately, which may explain the long drawn out release process that this album went through. The album is noticeably devoid of standalone bangers, unlike Channel Orange that had songs like Thinkin Bout You and Pyramids, but even then I think this is endlessly more listenable because of the different layers that you can unpick with every listen. Even Ivy, the song that is closest to being like those two, isn’t as massive or as instantly catchy, but is carried amazingly by only Frank’s voice and two guitar tracks. It’s probably the best example of the themes present on the album – a sort of nostalgic teenage heartbreak seen through reminiscing eyes – ‘I ain’t a kid no more/We’ll never be those kids again.’

This is easily my most played album of this year, and after hearing it for several months my favourite song changed almost after every listen – it flitted from Ivy to Nights to White Ferrari to Self Control to Seigfried. It’s a testament to how well put together the album is that I even enjoy listening to the (often criticised) interludes because they set up the following song really nicely. Be Yourself features a phone conversation from Frank’s mother saying that he shouldn’t rely on drugs or alcohol to be himself, and then in the next song Solo Frank sings about taking tabs of acid to be able to unravel himself and be ‘solo.’ Facebook Story features SebastiAn who talks about a relationship that broke up over his refusal to get involved with Facebook, and it flows into a cover of Stevie Wonder’s Close To You, which is heavily distorted and mechanical sounding – almost as though he’s trying to get close to someone but can’t break through the virtual barrier.

Overall, this album definitely worth the wait. I hope the next project comes a bit sooner but even if it takes another four years I’d be happy if the overall quality stays like this.

My Favourite 15 Albums of 2015

By Tobias Berchtold

Honourable mentions that were good but didn’t quite make my list:

  • Vince Staples – Summertime ’06
  • Miguel – Wildheart
  • Freddie Gibbs – Shadow of a Doubt
  • Algiers – Algiers
  • Sufjan Stevens – Carrie & Lowell

15. Hiatus Kaiyote – Choose Your Weapon

After discovering them through their excellent previous release “Tawk Tomahawk” I was looking forward to this album massively, and it continued much in the same vein as one before it. Combining elements of funk, soul and jazz they succeed in creating a smooth album that is incredibly easy and fun to pick up and listen to all the way through (several times).

Favourite Tracks: Shaolin Monk Motherfunk, Breathing Underwater

14. Viet Cong – Viet Cong

The self-titled album by Canadian band Viet Cong is far and away my favourite rock album of the year. They lived up to all of their hype and controversy by delivering a truly excellent post-punk album, complemented by their tight instrumentals and adventurous songcraft. The album sounds chaotic and dark but what stands out to me are the little snippets of delicate instrumentation that added an interesting twist into the usually heavily reverbed songs. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next, albeit likely with a new name as it was deemed that the current one is unnecessarily inflammatory (probably a wise move, as it’s gotten them banned from several venues in the USA).

Favourite Tracks: Continental Shelf, Death, March of Progress

13. Oddisee – The Good Fight

Oddisee seems to churn out a solid release every few years or so, and this one is likely my favourite thus far. The album has really excellent production, with the themes of humility fitting the understated and subtle music very well. Oddisee’s experience as an instrumentalist shines through on every track, and coupled with his eloquent and charismatically witty lyrics it makes this album a pleasure to listen to.

Favourite Tracks: That’s Love, Want Something Done, First Choice

12. Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah – Stretch Music

Christian Scott attempts to blend several different genres together with his style, hence ‘stretching’ the genre of jazz into new and uncharted territories. On this record he involves a lot of African rhythms, alongside other elements of African music and it works to great effect. Four years ago he extended his name by adding aTunde Adjuah, which are supposedly Ghanaian cities of ancestral significance to Christian Scott. It seems that this record is part of his journey to reclaim and rediscover his home culture, whilst infusing it into a modern sound.

The highlight throughout this album is the interplay between the 9 instruments in his band, which combine to create a cohesive jazz ensemble with some interspersed glimpses of Scott’s genre-bending – for example, occasionally, out of the blue, a jagged electric guitar chord will accompany his trumpet, before being joined by sampled African drum beats – this combination makes this a very nice listen.

Favourite Tracks: Sunrise in Beijing, Perspectives, West of the West

11. Archy Marshall – A New Place 2 Drown

Also known as King Krule, Archy Marshall seemingly used this joint multimedia project with his brother to transition slowly from songwriter into producer. He utilises samples much more in this release and for me it pays off. I have to confess that I’m a bit of a King Krule fanboy anyway but I feel that his continued experimentation with his music has made him more three-dimensional, and the introspective nature of the lyrics makes for an interesting listen. You follow Archy as he explores themes to do with loneliness and solitude, and he even gets to the point where he seemingly finds pleasure and solace in being alone (which I can thoroughly relate to).

The main criticism that I’ve heard about this album is that the songs seem to kind of blend together, but me this isn’t a major issue as it is accompanied by an art book (bought separately) which suits the music brilliantly. I’ve found myself leafing through the book with the album on in the background on several occasions already and I’ve really enjoyed both sides of this project.

That’s right Mo Hafeez, I’m calling you out. Fight me. 1v1.

Favourite Tracks: Ammi Ammi, Any God of Yours, Swell

10. Mbongwana Star – From Kinshasa

This one caught me by surprise. I can’t even remember how I stumbled across this but the Congolese band’s album quickly became one that I had on repeat for weeks. In terms of sensation, I’d have to agree with The Guardian’s review that likened it to arriving in an unfamiliar city, bustling and exciting. It creates a sensory overload because there is just so much going on, and in doing this it completely immerses you and makes it a joy to experience.

The album shines all the way through but it started to really interesting at “Malukayi” where it became clear to me that this album isn’t really like anything I’ve heard before, in part due to the many different instruments that are interacting on all of the tracks. Every listen I seem to discover a new layer to each song, which has made it a staple for me this year. The highlight for me is “Kala” as it seemingly explodes into life right at the end of the album, and on my first listen it made me want to listen to the whole thing through again straight away.

Favourite Tracks: Malukayi, Kala, Suzanna

9. Clarence Clarity – NO NOW

I’m not really sure how to describe this album because it’s absolutely bonkers. And I love it. There are so many different inspirations on this album and where most artists would pick and choose which ones to use on separate songs, Clarence Clarity seems to throw them all into every single one.

It’s incredibly sonically dense and an almost maximalist approach to music, yet it still has a strong sense of rhythm and is catchy too. I went into this album not really sure what to expect, and to be honest I’ve still not quite reached a conclusion. Clarence Clarity makes songs that are so outlandish that they seem familiar again, which results in this album having a remarkable amount of replayability which is rare for a project as experimental and unusual as this.

Favourite Tracks: Will to Believe, Bloodbarf, The Gospel Truth

8. Björk – Vulnicura

Break up albums are nothing new, but trust Björk to bring a new and refreshing take to the table. She’s done it again, her ninth (!) studio release is a unique and brave take on coping with emotional pain. It’s not always necessarily an easy listen but once you’ve found your way in she keeps you engaged through her almost poetic lyrics, and oddly intoxicating instrumentals. It feels a bit similar to Vespertine which is my favourite album in Björk’s discography, and that’s why probably why I love this so much.

I found it really hard to put this album down after I finally managed to get my head around it, and it really helped me work through some difficult times this year due to its emotional openness, intimacy and sincere tone on break-ups and loss. The lyrics are intense, haunting, and at points are heartbreaking so I wouldn’t recommend listening to this if you’re having a good day.

Favourite Tracks: Stonemilker, Lionsong, Black Lake

7. BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah – Sour Soul

While they may not be the best individual musicians the world has ever seen, BBNG’s take on jazz gained them a lot of well-deserved hype last year. This latest project saw them team up with Wu Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah to cement their status as the current kings of fusing hip hop with jazz.

Ghostface’s vocals suit the instrumentals well, while still allowing BBNG’s flair to shine through and some well-placed features from people such as Danny Brown and DOOM make this album really stand out. BBNG’s input isn’t nearly as experimental as on previous projects like “BBNG 2” but the addition of Ghostface more than makes up for it. The only real disappointment that I have with this album is the fact that there’s just not enough of it, clocking in at just over half an hour. Short but sweet, as they say.

Favourite Tracks: Sour Soul, Gunshowers, Ray Gun, Street Knowledge

6. Lupe Fiasco – Tetsuo & Youth

In some ways this is probably Lupe’s most ambitious project yet, and after the disappointments of his previous few releases he really needed this one to be a success to put him back into the game. And a success it was.

This release is littered with 8-9 minute long songs with enough good bars in each to fill a full length album. Of these, “Mural” is a the best and the song title definitely does it justice – it’s a work of art, and in its almost 9 minutes of runtime there isn’t a second that feels like it could be cut. If I was pushed to give an answer, I’d probably say that it’s my favourite song of this year. Every song on this album is filled with Lupe’s intricate and intelligent lyrics, playing with metaphors to convey his messages about growing up and breaking out of the ghetto (particularly effective on “Deliver”).

Lupe recently announced that he’d be releasing three full length albums in 2016, and if any one of them is even close to being as good as this one then I’ll be a very happy bunny.

Favourite Tracks: Mural, Deliver, Madonna, Prisoners 1&2

5. Jamie xx – In Colour

Bangers. Bangers galore. This is probably the easiest listen on this list. Jamie xx has had a few projects in the past that I have enjoyed (in particular his Gil-Scott Heron mixes) and I’m glad that the hype surrounding this debut record didn’t disappoint. He maintains his trademark sound throughout the album, yet still manages to push the boat out a bit further on some of the songs. “Gosh” in particular is a departure from the usual light beats that Jamie likes to produce and seems slightly more experimental than the rest of the album, and it was a bold call to put it as the opener but one that in my eyes paid off.

“Good Times” was released as a single before the album came out, and it really surprised me because even though I’m usually not a massive Young Thug fan I absolutely love this song. It was a mix of smooth beats with Young Thug’s ridiculous lyrics made it one of my favourite singles of the year. On this album (this song in particular) Jamie uses of a lot of vocal samples, and this is a welcome addition to his sound.

This album really impressed me with its mixture of tried-and-tested Jamie xx type songs featuring xx running mate Romy and some slightly more ambitious risk taking. As much as I love this album I do wish that there were one or two more songs that pushed Jamie out of his comfort zone – another song like “Gosh” or even “Good Times” would have made this album challenge some of those higher on this list for me.

Favourite Tracks: Gosh, Good Times (There’s Gonna Be), Loud Places

4. FKA twigs – M3LL155X

After a strong debut with LP1, twigs continued in a very similar fashion on this five track EP. LP1 was weird and eccentric, and this album builds on that further while adding a slightly darker and creepier tone. The production quality is fantastic throughout, the same as with her previous release, but what really caught my attention with this project was the narrative that she managed to spin across only five songs. The tracks “I’m your doll” and “in time” are powerful statements about the self – they’re almost uncomfortable in the way that they play with your emotions and it almost feels as though she’s talking directly to you amongst the music.

Accompanying this project were self-choreographed and self-directed videos that only further the sense that twigs is getting more and more confident and self-assured, and if this is anything to go by I expect the next full length album to be even better than the first. It feels like this EP was twigs flexing her skills and showing what she’s capable of as a producer and as an all round creative force. Where LP1 was good, I think M3LL155X is excellent.

Then again I’m likely biased due to my absolutely astronomical crush on twigs, but that’s neither here nor there.

Favourite Tracks: in time, i’m your doll, glass and patron

3. D’Angelo – Black Messiah

I’m cheating a bit with this one, as it was released right at the end of 2014 but I only really gave it a go at the start of this year, so I’m going to sneak it in here anyway.

After a 14 year break since his last release Voodoo, D’Angelo returns with a record on which he hasn’t changed his style, but has refined it into something even better. Smooth, soulful R&B tracks are his forté and this album is filled to the brim with exactly that. Combining strong messages dealing with black rights with the type of music that we’ve come to expect from D’Angelo, this release is absolutely spectacular and in my eyes is D’Angelo’s best record to date. The mix of retro with modern twists alongside layers and layers of vocals, guitar, strings and keyboards make this album refreshingly different – it’s like D’Angelo has perfected and transcended R&B.

“Sugah Daddy” in particular caught my attention – the old school offbeat rhythm is ridiculously catchy, and really does sound like the D’Angelo of old. It’s almost as though the previous 14 years of his absence never happened, in the best possible way.

Favourite Tracks: Really Love, Sugah Daddy, Ain’t That Easy, The Charade

2. Kamasi Washington – The Epic

2015 has been a terrific year for Kamasi Washington – he was the sax lead on “To Pimp a Butterfly” and upon release of his solo album he went on his first ever world tour (which I frustratingly couldn’t get tickets for).

The title of the album is likely the best way of describing it. Three hours of jazz fusion magic rolled into one fantastic release. The album is split into three parts, each of which could easily function as its own entity, however putting them all into one makes this truly world class. Each part on its own is more than worthy of a listen but if you’re having a lazy day and haven’t got much planned, whack this on in the background and listen through the whole 3 hours and I promise you won’t regret it.

If you haven’t found your way into jazz and are interested, this is probably your best bet – it’s very accessible alongside being far and away the best jazz release of this year (and in my opinion also of the past few years).

Favourite Tracks: Change of the Guard, Askim, Final Thought, The Rhythm Changes, Isabelle

1. Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly

This decision wasn’t even remotely close. If I’m being honest this is probably my favourite album ever. There’s not much I can say about it that hasn’t been said before, it’s an absolute masterpiece. I really thought there was no way Kendrick was going to be able to top “Good Kid M.A.A.D City” but he’s bettered it in every possible way.

The concept is in itself incredible, the poem that is slowly built piece by piece throughout the songs as they pass is a genius idea that I don’t recall ever hearing in an album before. Kendrick must have balls of steel to create that Tupac interview at the end – someone who is generally considered one of the best hip hop artists to have ever lived. Kendrick seems to want to continue his legacy with his insightful commentary on society, particularly in the black community (as the tracks “Hood Politics,” “Alright” and “The Blacker the Berry” in particular show). He paints this picture while outlining his personal struggles with fame and the massive expectations placed on him – “u” is so raw and intense that it really feels as though Kendrick is bearing his all through his music and it feels incredibly authentic and heartfelt.

The instrumentation and production is again pretty much perfection, as Kendrick enlisted the help of people like Thundercat and Kamasi Washington (as mentioned earlier) which helps him skip between different styles of hip hop with ease, from the wailing G-Funk synth sounds on “Wesley’s Theory” and “King Kunta” to the more R&B like sound on “These Walls.”

I usually don’t like it when I read a review and they give an album a perfect score, but I have to say that for this album I’m inclined to say that it’s justified. I really can’t think of a single thing Kendrick could have possibly done better with this project.

In my eyes Kendrick is the king of hip hop right now, after creating two albums (this one and GKMC) that could easily be argued to be amongst the best hip hop albums of this decade.

Favourite Tracks: N/A, all of it

Overall, 2015 has been a stellar year for music and 2016 will have to be pretty special to top it. However with a release from David Bowie, (hopefully) one from Kanye, three from Lupe Fiasco, and a Kendrick and J Cole collaboration on the horizon I have high hopes for the coming months.

On top of those I’m still blindly hoping that Jai Paul may arise from the land of the dead, but with his prolonged silence since the leak it’s unfortunately looking increasingly unlikely. Jai Paul will make a comeback. #believe


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Freedom: William Wallace vs. Martin Luther

Every time I watch Braveheart, I cannot wait until the speech that William Wallace gives to the Sons of Scotland persuading them to fight the English army for their freedom. Wallace’s speech is so persuasive, the first time I heard it I felt like getting my sword from under my bed and joining the fight for freedom. Then one night I read Martin Luther’s “On Christian Liberty” and William Wallace’s speech was never the same.

Luther and Wallace were both champions of freedom, but it became obvious that Luther’s idea of freedom was much different from that of Wallace. In Luther’s case, freedom was from the Law and for Wallace it from the English army. The difference between Wallace’s freedom and Luther’s freedom (which I will call Christian freedom) is the step taken after freedom from the oppressor is granted.

Wallace’s end goal of freedom was for him and his countrymen to be free to act without hindrance or restraint in all things in life: he essentially didn’t want anybody telling him what to do. Luther, on the other hand would agree with Wallace because he didn’t want the Law dictating his every move, but Luther understood Christian freedom as living free from the Law but living a life governed by love. Therefore, freedom is not just deliverance from something, but freedom from one thing to another.

The fact that Christians are free from the bondage of the Law is a primary consideration for Luther. The condemnation of the Law has become absorbed by Christ because the believer is found hidden in His righteousness. Because of Christ’s victory and fulfillment of the Law, it becomes powerless to bind the Christian because its demands have already been met.

The qualifier “Christian,” of Christian freedom implies that it is an extraordinary brand of freedom. Ironically, Christ is only person to fully uphold the Law, yet even in Christ’s perfection there was little effort to uphold the particulars of the Law, but to live a life characterized by love. Christ himself summarizes the Law of the Old Testament by emphasizing that Christians should love both God and our neighbor (Matt. 22:37-39) which completely revolutionizes the way the Law is understood and upheld.

At first glance, the concept of freedom can seem a bit arbitrary, so allow me to bring this idea of Christian Freedom from the stratosphere of theological deliberation and into your living room, applying it to the individual and also to the church. The current state of the American economy has a number of people wondering where their next meal is going to come from. With that said, the freedom that William Wallace seeks leaves him free to choose the option of doing nothing about the plight of his fellow man. Christian freedom, on the other hand leaves us free do as we please as well, but because we are continually being conformed to the mind of Christ, our every action should be oozing the love and compassion of our Savior. As we continually meditate on the gospel that has reconciled to Christ, the grace that we have been shown should be the same grace that we demonstrate to others. Notice there is no magic formula, boxes to check, three easy steps or rules to uphold, we are free to the extent that we know and glory in Christ.

In the world’s eyes, the church is very good at pointing people to the things that we do and don’t do because we are good, and at times legalistic, Christians. This is a tragedy because the church is showing off the effect (good works) of the gospel before we reveal its cause (Christ). The world is not looking for another law or more rules to be a slave to, because all manner of bondage already runs our society into the ground, rather, people are looking to be free from their vices and addictions, not simply trading them for a new form of bondage from religion.

Those of us who are invested in the SBC will do well to build upon the foundation of piety and devotion of generations past. I have been encouraged with the “gospel centered” preaching and teaching from pulpits in recent years. The up and coming generation of Baptists should look to exalt our cause (Christ) and show his value with our actions by freely loving God and loving one another, and in these the Law (Matt. 22:37-39) is satisfied.

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August 16, 2017 – 2:31 am

Good eating, an eclectic Toastmasters group, hospice training, Zen meditation, depression, social phobia, orgasmic meditation, tears — and laughter — all come into play in Cravings: A Zen-inspired memoir about sensual pleasures, freedom from dark places, and living and eating with abandon (Say Yes Press), an insightful gem of a memoir: writer, editor, foodie and adventurer Wanda Hennig’s first.

Read the full story »
Home » Buddhism, Conscious Living, Culinary Adventures, Culinary Travel, Food Culture, Lifestyle Features, Mindfulness, San Francisco & Wine Country, Slow Food

The Zen of Food

Submitted by on October 28, 2009 – 1:22 pm 3 Comments

It’s sometimes fast, always Slow, deafeningly quiet and a metaphor for life.

Story and Pictures by Wanda Hennig

First published in East Bay Edible

TatooHeadYou’re making an apple cake. You slice your crisp and juicy Gravenstein into a bowl. So what is it you’re slicing? Well, there’s the sun and the rain that helped the apple tree grow; the farmer who tended the tree; the earth with its rich nutrients that supported growth; the harvester who plucked the perfectly ripe apple from its bough; the driver who took it to the marketplace; the various people who picked up the apple and felt it, and maybe sniffed it, before you purchased it to bake and serve, as a cinnamon-infused afternoon treat, to friends who will hopefully relish it — and at some point return it in a different form to the earth.

That’s a short story of interconnectedness and one choice morsel in the paradoxical buffet served up here as “the Zen of food,” where signature dishes include the famed vegetarian delights of the summertime guest season at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in the Ventana Wilderness; the heaven-from-earth culinary pleasures that have given legendary status to Tassajara–inspired Greens Restaurant in San Francisco; and the organic bounty of Green Gulch Farm — Green Dragon Temple — near Muir Beach.

Chef Jerome Waag cuts veggies in the Chez Panisse kitchen, Berkeley.

Chef Jerome Waag cuts veggies in the Chez Panisse kitchen, Berkeley.

“When I think of ‘Zen food,’ I think of something simple, balanced and attractive to all the senses,” says Laurie Senauke, who has lived and practiced at the Berkeley Zen Center (BZC) for 18 years and before that, Tassajara. “[The food] smells, looks and tastes great and in preparing it, the cook is thinking of the experience of the guest.”

“Zen cooking in my opinion is about allowing the food to be what it is; bringing out the inherent quality rather than trying to manipulate it,” observes Ron Nestor, a regular Saturday breakfast cook at BZC.

Zen practice, in essence, is about paying attention and being present. Kitchen work, food preparation and feeding people have traditionally been seen as a complement to sitting, in silence, in formal meditation (zazen).

“In Zen practice we want our intuition — our universal self — to come forth,” says Berkeley Zen Center abbot, Sojun Mel Weitsman Roshi. “When you’re doing simple tasks [like peeling broccoli or breaking lettuce into bite-size bits], your body, mind, the broccoli, the knife, your hand, the breath, are all involved. When you keep bringing your attention back to what you’re doing — when you are simply one with your activity — it’s the same as sitting zazen.”

“We are what we eat and we eat what we cook; so in a sense, we’re cooking ourselves,” observes Jerome Waag, Zen student and long-time Chez Panisse chef.

And when we eat?

“Just eat,” says Weitsman. “Simply be direct and total.”

Similarly, going back to the apple cake: When you slice, just slice. “When you’re thinking (about it), you create a separation. That’s why chopping vegetables is such a great activity; because you get beyond the thinking mind.”

And not thinking, you are the apple.

Go figure!

When Slow is Fast

If you think that Zen is about slowing down and blissing out, you most likely haven’t tried the oryoki experience; the formal and highly ritualized form of eating spawned in the Zen monasteries in Japan and a BZC Saturday morning tradition.

“I got performance anxiety every time I went to oryoki,” says Oakland painter Meg Kiuchi, who tried it several times — then admitted defeat.

Laurie Senauke demos serving oryoki breakfast to Hozan Alan Senauke at BZC.

Laurie Senauke demos serving oryoki breakfast to Hozan Alan Senauke at BZC.

Kiuchi — a Japanese-American Francophile and something of a gourmet who regularly conjures up exotic feasts for friends — was raised Buddhist, but in the Jodo Shinshu tradition. “They have the teachings, but they don’t meditate,” she explains. And they don’t have oryoki.

Detailed how-to directives for oryoki date back to medieval Japan. The text, “Instructions for the Zen Cook,” completed in 1237, also gives specific guidelines for preparing, cooking, serving—and even eating food in ways that Miss Manners would approve. One should not, for example, make noises when chewing, scratch ones head and let dandruff fall in the bowl, or pick out food bits from the teeth without covering one’s mouth, to quote from the translation.

“When you do oryoki,” groans Kiuchi, “you have to follow all these forms and know all these hand positions (gestures that tell the server, in the silence observed throughout the meal, that you want more, don’t want more, or want just a little). And you’re supposed to eat, like it or not, whatever is put in your bowl.

“Well,” she continues, “that might be the ideal, but I couldn’t do it. My discriminating mind came into full play. First I’d be thinking, ‘Will I get it all down?’ Then I’d pray that I wouldn’t barf it up. Then I’d wait for it to get locked in my throat, and I’d worry: ‘What if I can’t finish it? How can I clean my bowl?’

More specifically, three bowls. They nest one inside the other and when not in use, are wrapped in a napkin-like cloth. You eat with a spoon and chopsticks. Opening the bowls, laying out the lap- and wiping cloths, serving the food, eating it—all follow form and ritual. At the end you’re given hot water to wash your bowls; you wipe them dry and wrap them up again. There’s no dishwashing.

“It’s a very efficient and concentrated way of having a meal,” says Weitzman.

Also very green.

“Green came afterward,” he notes.

There are many, of course, who relish oryoki. “If done correctly, there’s a flow,” Weitsman

Oryoki bowls open and ready.

Oryoki bowls open and ready.

explains. “It’s rhythmic. There’s no wasted motion. It becomes sort of like a very sophisticated dance. The way the servers come in and serve; the way you come into the zendo (meditation hall); it’s all kind of choreographed.”

Except, in Kiuchi’s case, oryoki choreographed up nightmares.

“It’s all done is such a hurry,” she laments. “You have to chew quickly and swallow fast. In fact, I don’t think many people chew. There just isn’t time. How some manage seconds, I just don’t know. I’d start to hyperventilate and curse the server. It drove me crazy. I think it’s all created to make you feel tense.”

“Some people feel like that. We say, OK, just stumble through it,” says abbot Weitsman, good-naturedly responding to questions in his book-lined studio at the Berkeley Zen Center, a short stroll from the Berkeley Bowl.

“There are obstacles in practice and the obstacles are usually your own mind,” Weitsman continues. “So you just notice: I’m anxious, I’m worried, I don’t like the food; and you keep going. That’s practice.”

And, he says, eating fast is the monastic way. “You just eat. It’s only fast when you think it’s fast.”

What about the chewing?

Oryoki meal served up and ready to eat.

Oryoki meal served up and ready to eat.

“I chew everything completely and I always encourage everyone to chew everything completely,” says Weitsman. “But I’m just chewing. I’m not dawdling and thinking about something else. Well, I am thinking about something else,” he chuckles, as he does often, in that classic long-time-Zen-monk/Dalai Lama sort of way. “But I come back.”

So, Zen food can be fast. And as Kiuchi and any new or long-time meditator knows, Zen silences while eating, same as while sitting (meditating), can be deafening, as thoughts, ideas, prejudices and resistance shout to be heard.

“Our usual meaning of good is that some things are good and some things are bad according to our likes or dislikes, which is OK,” says Weitsman. “But the true meaning of good is that good includes bad. If we only want things to be good, then mostly we’re living in what’s bad, because we can’t have everything according to our likes.”

And that causes suffering?

“That’s suffering. So, because ‘good’ includes what I like and what I don’t like, we eat whatever is served.”

Suffer on, Kiuchi.

So what is Zen food?

Saturday breakfast prep at Berkeley Zen Center.

Weitsman established the BZC in 1967 at the request of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, the legendary Japanese monk who founded the San Francisco Zen Center. The SFZC has grown from a single location at the corner of Page and Laguna streets in San Francisco — now known as City Center — to include the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Green Gulch Farm Zen Center and Greens Restaurant.

Zen priest Mary Mocine, founding teacher at the Vallejo Zen Center, got the flavor of assorted Zen kitchens during stints as tenzo (head cook) at Tassajara and the San Francisco City Center.

She explains: “The menu at Tassajara during winter practice period [when it closes to the public and functions as a monastery, for meditation and study] is classical oryoki; three bowls at breakfast and lunch and two at dinner and always a plain grain in the main bowl.”

Mocine labels it “wholesome feeding-family food.” “There’s a saying that it needs to be interesting enough that people want to eat it; but not so good that they’re talking about it afterwards.”

Summertime food at Tassajara, meanwhile, is similar to the Greens experience; “probably a little heartier,” says Mocine. “It’s vacation food.” Some would call it sublime food. “You want people to feel nurtured in all senses.” So, same as Greens, it’s fresh, seasonal, flavorful, creative, beautifully presented, fantasize-about-forever food.

The City Center tenzo has invariably trained at Tassajara. There, a body of residents eats the food every day, so the menu varies; the approach is home-style fresh, seasonal and local; and there is a focus on flavor and presentation.

Given these differences, what identifies Zen food?

“I’d say it’s more about how you do it. Working quietly and harmoniously and in a way that fits the circumstances,” says Laurie Senauke, who spent six practice periods at Tassajara and helped Greens executive chef Annie Somerville write and edit the 1993 classic “Fields of Greens — New Vegetarian Recipes from the Celebrated Greens Restaurant” (Bantam). “The cook presents the food as an offering; the eater receives it as a gift.” In other words, eats it.

“There are no real rules,” says Weitsman. “The real rules are: What do you do in this [any] situation?”

So, while BZC and most Zen centers are vegetarian and there are many vegetarian and vegan practitioners, outside, in the community, eating meat is optional. “You eat what you’re given,” says Weitsman.

But what if it’s foie gras?

“You don’t have to eat it.” (He laughs.)

So, what is Zen food, I ask Senauke?

“I bet everyone gave you a different answer,” she replies.

Wake Up and Cook

This observation is not about food in the sense of plucking a luscious peach or a forbidden apple from a tree, biting into it, and experiencing the sublime sweet-piquantness of the juice as a rush of ecstasy in the mouth. But it does capture a Zen moment.

Chef Jerome Waag peels in the Chez Panisse kitchen.

Chef Jerome Waag peels in the Chez Panisse kitchen.

I am in the kitchen at Chez Panisse in Berkeley shelling peas. It’s early afternoon and the kitchen crew have just begun their dinner prep. The young cook to my left is chopping carrots. Another cook is attending to a pig’s head with a knife and deep concentration. Jerome Waag, tonight’s chef, is helping a third cook peel about a gazillion asparagus spears.

It’s been a long time since I shelled peas. I have a memory of my Scots grandmother, when I was a small child, asking me to shell peas. I have a strong sense that I resented the peas, and my grandmother, and being asked, and that I felt angry and miserable.

And yet, I remember that some small part of me enjoyed shelling those peas; which wouldn’t have made sense, would it? when my mother refused to shell peas; my grandmother grumbled about cooking them; and the pair dumped the pea shelling onto me.

I now see that there must have been moments when I forgot to feel peed off at those peas and most likely got into the zone with them — as happens in the Chez Panisse kitchen.

There is a sense of peace and connectedness and timelessness in the spaces between worrying that I’m shelling too many peas, wondering if I’m shelling them right and looking for a more efficient way to shell these peas, which aren’t cooperating with my attempts at a formula because each pea is different.

Preparing vegetables for dinner at Chez Panisse.

Preparing vegetables for dinner at Chez Panisse.

I notice all this during the periods of silence. It is not a noisy kitchen. Waag has noted that the kitchen culture is one of respect and collaboration. People help each other. This is no place for histrionic TV types. Sometimes there is conversation. A discussion about a new abortion-related law in Italy, for example. Opinions about the contents of an article on Martha Stewart.

When I notice I’m back with the peas, I realize the talking has stopped. With nothing to entertain it my mind, once more, is entertaining itself. I try to focus my awareness on my breath, my space in the kitchen and the growing mound of peas.

Waag has invited me to experience the Chez Panisse kitchen after I asked if they peel their broccoli. “Everybody peels and preps,” he replied. “Even the chef might spend an hour peeling broccoli, fava beans or potatoes.”

A cook, philosopher [we need a sequel story] and an artist, Waag has worked in the “downstairs” kitchen since 1991, except for his two years at Tassajara: “The only kitchen I’ve ever been in that [during winter practice period] was warmer inside the walk-in.”

Other than freezing your butt off in the [Tassajara] one, “I don’t think the two kitchen are that different,” Waag says. “This one gets crowded, it gets hot, you do things fast.

“There is a Zen saying that, like pebbles in a bag, the monks polish one another. Well, the grinding here is more intense. But maybe you’re not noticing it.”

While Tassajara could be called the spiritual home of Zen food, Chez Panisse is home, in the United States, of Slow Food — thanks to Alice Waters, who was honored by the San Francisco Zen Center on March 30, 2008, at Greens Restaurant, for her part in “awakening our senses to what is truly nourishing.”

“Both Zen and Slow are about paying attention,” says Waag. “To how things are grown; where they come from; to things as they are.”

Breakfast Time

Hozan Alan Senauke waits to demo oryoki in the Berkeley Zen Center zendo.

It’s six on a Saturday morning at the Berkeley Zen Center. A couple of dozen men and women, some wearing black robes, have left their shoes on the wooden shelves outside the doors of the Japanese-style zendo (meditation hall) and gone inside to sit on round black cushions facing the wall.

After 40 minutes, they will get up and do a slow 10-minute walking meditation, sit for another 30 minutes, chant and bow through a 15-minute service. Then, for those who elect to stay, it will be time for oryoki breakfast.

On this Saturday, Ron Nestor, a 35-year BZC veteran, has been in the small kitchen across the courtyard from the zendo since 5:15 a.m. The massage and yoga studio manager signs up to cook breakfast about once a month. He always prepares the same meal; and works on refining it.

Laurie Senauke dishes up an oryoki serving in the zendo at Berkeley Zen Center.

On Wednesday Nestor bought brown rice from the Berkeley Bowl.

On Thursday night, at home, he ground it by hand in his bronze spice grinder.

At 6 a.m. on Saturday, when fellow Zen student Meghan Collins arrives to assist, he is at the stove, toasting the ground rice in two large pans.

“Making brown rice cereal is time consuming but I like to cook it because it tastes good and its creamy, so long as you stir it a lot so it doesn’t stick or go lumpy,” he says.

“And you don’t need to toast the grain, but it brings out the flavor,” he adds as he watches it turn golden and smells the toasty aroma. He has soaked prunes overnight in water. They will go in the third bowl, with plain yoghurt. The second bowl will have miso soup, with stock made from scratch—another thing that takes time, “but I do it because it tastes better.”

Around 6:05, the Zen priest covering the morning service enters the kitchen. We do a small service. He offers flowers. With rising allergy complaints, BZC has done away with incense. There is a second service when the meal is cooked and the servers come to get it, at which point the cooks go eat.

BZC is a lay community. Even the nine people who live on the property have jobs, families and busy lives. People sign up to cook as needed. “The challenge is to be careful and mindful and to really bring out the quality of the food in a limited time,” says Nestor.

Zen cooking, he adds, mirrors Zen practice. Both are about bringing out inherent qualities.

“Usually we think we’re inadequate. We think what we have is not enough and we want to augment it. Zen practice is about allowing people to be what they are and appreciating them for their inherent qualities; not for how fancy, how skilled, how beautiful they are.”

On the other hand, there are places that maybe haven’t seen the sunshine; or received enough rain. “It’s not about just allowing the habits and patterns. It’s about really paying attention. What, in the deepest sense you are? Who, in the deepest sense, are you?”

In other words, he says, “You can cut out the mold — but you don’t add chocolate and strawberries.”

Except, of course, if you choose to.

Recipe: Breakfast Miso Soup for 10

  • 1 x 8 ounce tub of organic Miso Master (miso). Mix into a slush with a cup or so of tap water before use.
  • 2 packages organic medium-firm House tofu
  • Fresh Chinese ginger (enough to peel and finely grate at least four generous tablespoons)

For the stock:

  • 10 cups water
  • 2 bunches carrots
  • 1 bundle of celery
  • One-quarter pound (or more) dried shitake mushrooms
  • 2 medium onions

Get mushrooms into the water and boiling while you wash, peel and slice (into about inch-size bits) the carrots, celery and onions. Throw vegetables into shitake water and boil for about 30 minutes. Strain the stock into a separate, clean pot that you can use to continue cooking the soup. Be sure to squeeze excess water out of the cooked vegetables into the stock using a plate or something firm.

(If you can put it to use, blend or puree the cooked vegetables. Otherwise, deposit in the compost. “In the boiling, you will have captures the vitamins,  nutrients and flavor,” says Nestor.)

Cut tofu into 1-inch squares. Add to the broth and simmer for about 5 minutes. Pour in the miso (mixed with water). You do not want to boil the miso; allow it to cook at below a simmer for at least 10 minutes.

About 5 minutes before you are ready to serve the soup, add 3 generous tablespoons grated ginger. Add more to taste if desired.

Serve and enjoy. And if you have doubts about miso soup for breakfast, know: they’re just cultural.

For more on Zen and food read:

Tomato Blessings and Radish Teachings” by Edward Espe Brown (Riverhead Books)

Instructions to the Cook” by Bernard Glassman & Rick Fields (Bell Tower)

From the Zen Kitchen of Enlightenment” by Dogen and Uchiyama (Weatherhill)

Thoughts on Zen, Slow Food, eating mindfully, having fun with food?

Please share them!

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It was late October and I awoke at noon in the bed of a bartender with whom I had been flirting as some sort of idle pastime, but who, once our lips struggled through an awkward and passionless kiss, fell from the queue and vanished, like snowflakes melting into a city street. I passed out next to him just before sunrise in all of my clothes and when I woke to the piercing midday sun breaking through the curtainless windows, I immediately realized I was five hours late for work. While showing up late for the corporate job I loathed so vehemently wasn’t an anomalous occurrence, five hours was egregious, and not sending an email with a bullshit appointment or family emergency before going back to sleep was unprecedented. It was Wednesday and on that Thursday I was to fly to DC for the weekend to see my friends and the one boy who had my attentions rapt of late. Despite the fact that we had only been talking across four hundred miles for a few weeks, even the lightly playful flirtations with that British bartender and his horrid teeth left a small tinge of guilt in my mouth and gut for this boy. But things with him had only just begun and the witty bartender easily dissolved into anticipation for my trip to see the DC poet. Groggily walking to my car in last night’s outfit through the unseasonably warm sun I felt a slow panic rising in my chest. Were they going to fire me for this? I couldn’t very well roll in at two p.m. on Wednesday with no excuse then take off Thursday and Friday as well. Clearly the only option was to make up a family emergency, change my plane ticket, and fly out a day early. My addiction to reckless spontaneity was instantly piqued at this thought and I began to grind the wheels of my next harebrained scheme through my infinitely careless mind.

Opening the door to my apartment I called the only person I could ever call for advice on wildly irresponsible decision making: Keats. The only friend of mine that can truly empathize with the inability to make decisions like a responsible adult, Keats has always been there to help me come up with an excuse to needlessly miss two days of work and waste a couple hundred bucks for a few extra hours someplace with nary a judgmental comment. This day was no different and Keats successfully coached me through two hours of planning, packing, and pacing until I made my way to the airport with a half-burnt plan and a credit card waiting to be charred.

Sifting through the crowds at the airport excited anticipation whirred in me like music; my limbs bouncing almost imperceptibly as I nervously planned my attempt to get the ticket change fee waived. A large busty blonde woman with a scowl carved into her hard, textured face groaned for the next person in line to step forward and I allowed the gentleman behind me to go ahead. I made my way down the counter to a light-skinned black man who looked like a friendly bus driver from a seventies sitcom. I cheerfully greeted and chatted with the amicable Earl as his fingers busily typed away and he listed my options to get to DC that day. Despite my sweetest efforts and sincerest pleas, the change would cost two-hundred and twenty-five dollars and I would be on standby for each of the four flights leaving the rest of the day. Considering that reckless spontaneity was the name of this game I handed him my exhausted credit card and made my way to the security checkpoint. After spending eight hours on standby at two different bars for three different flights in an airport fifteen minutes from my house I finally made it on the last flight available and was air-bound to DC at eleven that night. The flight was a dream-like blink for my boozed-up body and finally seeing Keats’ face through the darkened window of her boyfriend’s Audi pulled a smile across my face, dry and tired with travel. I didn’t yet know it, but the events of this weekend would seal a fate I had long awaited, and another I secretly feared.

The excitement of my arrival rinsed the exhaustion from my body almost immediately as Keats and I made our way from BWI to Columbia Heights to meet Faye and the poet. As we walked up to the bar in the chilly October night, I saw him standing there smoking a cigarette in his lanky graces and I rushed to throw myself around him and kiss him as I promised him I would. His shy steel eyes illuminated as he saw the face that had been missing for weeks and he kissed me hard and soft again with a furtive smile curling up towards those cloudy eyes. From this moment on, the weekend was a blur of blissful sloppiness. We spent the large majority of our time together, getting drunk each night and awakening lazy with skin against skin as the sun poured morning in his bed each day. The whirlwind of parties, boozing, and staying under covers through the late afternoon took us through the days too quickly and by the time Sunday rolled around I already began to feel the familiar sinking in my chest that I would again have to leave this life to which I knew I belonged and return to the life that every piece of me was fighting.

This weekend was a little different than most as my return flight to Charlotte was to leave at five a.m. on Monday morning from Baltimore from which I was to go home, shower, and go directly to work. A part of me knew I would never make it to work that Monday morning when I booked the ticket, but as I have about as much sensibility as I have self-control, I took my chances. As the raucous Sunday night at the bar twisted its way back to his house we tipped up bottles of bourbon to our swooning faces with surreptitious glances and playful laughter. And as that night wore into early morning and the hour I needed to be en route to the airport approached, the poet and I lay in that same bed of his and I whispered to him that I didn’t want to go. And then it happened: the ever irresponsible Keats called me and told me she didn’t have her car and that she would have to take a cab to pick up the car before she could drive me. We would never make it. It was all I needed and in that moment my mind was made up. Even though not ten minutes later one of the poet’s closest friends offered me a randomly rare three a.m. ride to Baltimore there was no turning back in me and I curled up closer to him, pressing my body to his, and stated in defiant surrender that I wouldn’t be going anywhere. A look of panic flashed through his eyes like a confession but in moments his arms were wrapped around me and his chorus of snores told me he was sleeping like stones. I laid there with eyes open as panic began to boil inside of me, shallowing each breath. I could have possibly just made the most irresponsible decision of my life. Halfway through the semester of writing classes and weeks before I was supposed to apply to grad schools I was throwing away my finance career with no job and no money and no plans and seventy-five grand in debt. Only the knowledge that the life I was leading in Charlotte was slowly suffocating me kept me together that night. I had wanted to get the fuck out of where I was before it swallowed and changed me for so long and now, after everything, something in this poet finally gave me the courage to do so. I needed to do this, it had to happen and there could be no point in fighting it any longer. Settling into the decision I made, I lay back down and slithered carefully into his arms, silently thanking him for the strength that he didn’t know he had given me.

The next morning I did not bother to send an email attempting to save my career. The decision had already been made and it settled firmer and more comfortably within me with each passing minute like a fast friend. The poet and I spent another morning quietly lazy in a bed scattered with kisses and as he got up to shower and run errands before work I stayed naked, wrapped in his blankets, and let the weight of my eyelids lead me back to a contented slumber. Upon awakening I bought a ticket on the six p.m. Amtrak back to Charlotte comfortably wrapped in the knowledge that I was driving back up the following weekend for Halloween and possibly never finding my way back to the place in which the last four dead years lived again. That Tuesday, upon returning to work I put in my notice. I threw away half my shit, packed everything I could into my Jeep, and by the 10th of November, Charlotte was just a city to remain in my rearview mirror.


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Wednesday, April 19, 2017

WWC115 - Gail's Clean & Simple "Spring Theme" Challenge

Woo Hoo!  It's Spring and time to create something wonderful using that theme.  Gail Allen is hosting and has provided this inspirational picture to get our creative juices flowing.

And if that isn't enough, we have some wonderful cards created by our Watercooler Artists.  As usual, if you click on the name under each card, you can visit the blog post to see details on how the card was created.  We begin with Gail's elegant card which combines the classic Lovely as a Tree with a dreamy background from the Serene Scenery Stack.

Now it's your turn.  You can join us by linking up your creation with the InLinkz at the bottom of this challenge.

          1.  This must be a new project---no back-linking to a previous post.
          2.  You must link your project back to our challenge (details at top of page).
          3.  You must link directly to your post, not simply your general blog.
          4.  Please link to no more than 8 challenges, including ours.
          5.  Have fun!

Please use the link-up below to share your project.  This Linky will close on Monday, April 24th at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time.

  1. Your spring inspiration cards are sensational! Thank you for another fun challenge!! Hugs, Darnell

  2. Beautiful DT cards! Thank you for a fun challenge.

We welcome your comments or suggestions.


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Community invited to take stock of speed limits

13 September 2017
Have your say on the speed limits around the district

Speed limits are under review this month as Waikato District Council asks the community to have a say on proposed amendments to its Speed Limits Bylaw.

Rural roads in the northern area of the district will be addressed first as Council follows recommendations in the New Zealand Transport Agency’s Speed Management Guide.

Within that document, speed limits on all roads throughout the country have been reviewed.

The new approach is underpinned by the Government’s Safer Journeys Strategy 2010-2020 which seeks to reduce death and serious injury on New Zealand roads.

A number of roads in the Waikato District have been identified as high risk with their current speed limits in place.

Roads addressed in this round of proposed amendments, which are all speed limit reductions, are in the Awaroa ki Tuakau, Onewhero and Whangamarino Wards.

The list of roads earmarked for speed limit changes is at

Assessment criteria used to determine roads that fall into the high risk category include: alignment; carriageway width; roadside hazards; land use; traffic volume; crash history and the suitability of the existing speed limit.

Initial feedback was sought from the residents who live on those roads with a potential speed limit change that had been identified from the Speed Management Guide maps.

As part of the review, the existing Urban Traffic Areas for Tuakau, Pokeno and Te Kauwhata have also been looked at and where significant areas of residential development are zoned for, the Urban Traffic Areas have been extended to cover these zones.

This is to ensure that any future roading development in these areas will have a default speed limit of 50kmh.

Council is now required to consult on all proposed changes for the northern area of our district through a special consultative procedure.

There are also a couple of roads that have been added from the remainder of the district in this round of consultation – Horotiu Bridge Rd (to improve safety at a school) and Rotokauri Rd ( to align with Hamilton City Council speed limit).

From today, anyone can make a submission about the proposed speed limit amendments on the list of roads at

Copies of the submission documents are also available at Council offices and libraries.

Submissions close on 13 October 2017. Should submitters wish to be heard, the hearing date for submissions is 27 November 2017.

Because of the sheer volume of roads assigned for speed limit amendments, roads in the Huntly, Hukanui-Waerenga and Ngaruawahia Wards will be addressed next year, followed by the Tamahere, Raglan, Eureka and Newcastle Wards the following year.

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Running real fast … Cardiff half marathon 2016!

What an incredible day for a half marathon! The weather is banging, and record numbers of you turned out today to run the Cardiff Half Marathon, which is one of the flattest and fastest in the UK.

Congratulations to everyone that took part!

cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-01 cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-02 cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-03 cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-04

People who have run the race before will be familiar with the mountains of water bottles strewn across the streets, but this year’s race was one of the greenest yet with more recycling bins than ever before, more signs, and for the first time an army of environmental champions there to help people recycle properly and make sure the maximum amount of materials are recycled. Brecon Carreg’s water bottles are also smaller for the first time (which is a brilliant move – it’s not easy to chug down that much water on mile ten!).

In terms of the impact of recycling at the event, according to Recycle for Wales, if every Cardiff Half runner recycled one 500ml water bottle, enough energy could be saved to power these famous Cardiff Half route landmarks:

  • Power the Principality Stadium’s floodlights for three years
  • Operate the Cardiff Bay barrage for 48 hours
  • Provide the Millennium Centre with electricity for nine hours
  • Make sure Cardiff Castle stays regal, and keeps its electricity going for 55 hours.

Although the best bet is always to bring your own reusable water bottle, the plastic bottles that are recycled on the day will be transformed into a number of different products (including clothing – as well as new bottles!). The peels from the bananas handed out to runners at the end of the race can be used to generate energy, which could charge a range of household items. FACT: just one banana peel can create enough electricity to fully charge two smartphones. Where’s my banana charger?

cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-05 cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-06 cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-07 cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-08 cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-09 cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-10 cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-11 cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-12 cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-13 cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-14 cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-15 cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-16 cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-17 cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-18 cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-19 cardiff_half_marathon_chloe_jackson_nott-20

Cardiff Uni put together this awesome little video of things to look out for while running around the city

The numbers of runners turning out today wasn’t the only record thing about the race. Kenyan runner Shadrick Korir set a new Cardiff Half record in his first run ever outside Kenya (finishing the race in an eye watering 1’00’54!!). Viola Jebchumbah won the women’s race with a new record of 1’08’14, and there was even a new Guinness World Record set today!

Yes, that’s right – Batman and Robin stormed the course in under 71 minutes, to set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest half marathon run in fancy dress. Yes, there’s a record for that!

Some of our other favourite tweets from the day:

Well done to ALL who participated in today’s run. Remember, there are only three kinds of winners: those who start the race, those that finish, and whoever happens to come first. You’re all winners to us!

Now go celebrate with a pint and get those feet in some ice, yes?

cardiff half marathon

(photo from Helia’s half marathon effort in 2015)

Inspired to sign up for next year? Everything you need is on the Cardiff Half Marathon website.

For more information about the Run Refuel Recycle campaign, and to find out how you could win a £115 voucher from Cardiff-based specialist running shop, Run and Become, head to

Thanks to photojournalist Chloe Jackson-Nott for all the great pics of the race this year.

3 responses to “Running real fast … Cardiff half marathon 2016!

  1. Pingback: Running real fast … Cardiff half marathon 2016! | WelshBiz WordPress Blog·

  2. Pingback: Published work on We Are Cardiff – chloejnuswpressandeditorial·

  3. Pingback: We Are Cardiff: our most popular posts of 2016 | We Are Cardiff·

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This year’s Emetrics Summit is slated to be the biggest for the five-year-running conference series organized by industry luminary and president of the Web Analytics Association, Jim Sterne.

Registration for the first east coast Emetrics Summit broke all previous year’s records four weeks prior to the event, and the conference series is likely to see its third sold-out event in a row.

Seems like it is going to be a big event. Hopefully I will see some of the blog readers there.

Coremetrics 2007

September 28, 2006

Coremetrics is launching a comprehensive range of tools which enable organizations to implement more scientific, data-driven and proactive online marketing programs. Coremetrics 2007 builds on Coremetrics’ robust web analytics platform, enabling marketers to turn granular analytical data into clear marketing activity plans instantly.

Coremetrics Online Analytics Enhancements

Coremetrics 2007 adds significant new capabilities for companies in the travel, financial services and content delivery spaces, including:

  • Action Ready Reports – an executive-level set of reports available in an automated and easy-to-distribute Microsoft Excel notebook format, viewable on or offline. Action Ready Reports extend the reach of the Coremetrics platform to those without direct access to the Coremetrics interface.
  • Conversion Events a set of reports that track the relative value of potentially thousands of discrete events that represent non-commerce related website goals, such as downloading information, registering for a newsletter or signing up for a gift registry. For example, a media website may value the completion a subscription twice as much as a visitor interacting with a game. The new Conversion Events functionality enables organizations to assess the performance of various content or marketing programs in achieving their goals.
  • Dimensions Report – analyzes details surrounding online bookings, enabling travel providers to track information such as the website where the booking originated, the relative success of different brands or geographies, and attributes such as room size or seat classification. The Dimensions Report can also be tailored to meet the ad hoc dimensional reporting needs of other new customers.

SEMDirector, Inc., the leading provider of enterprise search analytics software and Omniture (Nasdaq: OMTRNews), a leading provider of online business optimization software, jointly announced today the formation of an alliance to provide a select portfolio of integrated software solutions. Under the terms of this agreement, the two companies will work together to extend the integration between Omniture’s Web analytics products and SEMDirector’s enterprise search analytics solutions.

The integration between these two product suites provides global, distributed organizations with unparalleled visibility, actionable metrics and robust functionality to manage and optimize all facets of search engine marketing across the entire enterprise. As part of this new alliance, SEMDirector also announced its participation in Omniture’s accreditation and certification programs for technology and sales.

Read the rest of this entry »

According to Mark Shields over at Adweek, the Interactive Advertising Bureau is pressuring the two firms to increase their transparency and improve their methodologies—just as both prepare to undergo long-awaited Media Rating Council-led audits.

It’s been a long-standing tradition among Web publishers to occasionally gripe about their numbers. But in the last several months, what was mild grumbling has become a cacophony of complaints, as several top publishers call into question the validity of the traffic data being provided by the industry’s major third-party metrics firms: Nielsen//NetRatings and comScore Media Metrix.

Read the entire article at Adweek

Websidestory today announced the results of a new study that shows paid search has only a slight 9 percent edge in conversion rates over organic search. In a study of leading business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce sites during the first eight months of this year, paid search — keywords bought on a pay-per-click basis at search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN — had a median order conversion rate of 3.40 percent at business-to-consumer e-commerce sites using the company’s award-winning HBX Analytics technology.

Paid v. Organic Search
    Median Order Conversion Rates at Business to Consumer E-Commerce Sites
    Jan.-Aug. 2006

    Marketing Channel                 Conversion Rate
    Paid Search                       3.40%
    Organic Search                    3.13%
Read the rest of this entry »

Real-Time Identity Proofing

September 22, 2006

Identity risk management company, ID Analytics, Inc., and VeriSign, Inc., provider of intelligent infrastructure services for Internet and telecommunications networks, have developed an initiative to strengthen identity verification and proofing for online customers.

Under the terms of a Referral Agreement, VeriSign intends to refer ID Analytics solutions to certain customers, including VeriSign Identity Protection (VIP) customers. Using the ID Network and Graph Theoretic Anomaly Detection (GTAD), advanced pattern recognition technology, ID Analytics solutions are designed to allow VIP customers to instantly assess the risk of an identity the first-time a user registers for a new account or attempts to complete any high-value service online.
Read the rest of this entry »

On Thursday Manoj Jasra from Webpronews interviewed Google Analytics’ Senior Manager Brett Crosby.

Can you start by talking a little bit about your professional background.

[Brett]: When we were acquired by Google I was VP of marketing at Urchin, I was also one of the co-founders of Urchin Software. We had been developing the software for about 10 years prior to that, both software and web based version. Once we were acquired I became the senior manager of Google Analytics.

The entire interview can be found here


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Request Forms

  If a foster child you know has a need, Friends of Wednesday’s Child would love to help.  Please read our guidelines for requesting funds and complete one of our request forms.  We look forward to serving all foster children and youth in North Texas with your help!   **** ONLY CPS workers, Child Placing Agency Workers, TRAC workers and CASA workers may request funding.  If you are a foster parent and have a child who is in need please contact one of the workers above for your child and ask them to submit a request for your child. Thank you for serving North Texas foster children and youth!****   Click below to download our 2015 Information and Resource Packet and our Request Forms! 2016 Information and Resource Packet (for caseworkers, case managers, CASA, TRAC)  2016  Request for Funding 2016 Birthday Request Form 2016-2017 SIS Referral

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