Harvest and Hunger on UCE Children's Mural

By Victoria Scott

Sue Sinnamon, (left), minister of religious education at the Unitarian Church of Evanston, and church member Joan Retzloff, who wrote the curriculum, admire the Hunger Mural that Sunday school children created as part of their study of worldwide hunger and of groups that address it. (The glass mosaic mural took five months to complete.)

Hunger is no longer an abstract concept for the children of the Unitarian Church of Evanston, 1330 Ridge Ave.

During their Sunday school classes last winter, nearly 60 children, ages 7 to 11, tasted hunger, saw the enormity of the problem, and learned about some of the local, national and international organizations addressing it.

Each week in a post-class session they worked with artist Bonnie Katz to create a glass mosaic mural. The mural is now permanently installed near the building entrance and highlights the roles of the Unitarian Church and other agencies working to end hunger.

"The mural illustrates the many facets of hunger that the children touched upon: the harvest, food distribution channels, social action groups, specifically the Heifer Project, as well as the main theme of the ‘have's and have-not's,'" says Sue Sinnamon, minister of religious education at the UCE.

The idea was to investigate the causes of hunger along with ways to approach it. Children prepared the rice gruel people eat in United Nations hunger stations, says Ms. Sinnamon. They sold the gruel to the congregation to help raise $5,000 they pledged to Heifer International. That money will fund an ark, a collection of pairs of farm animals for families who then promise to pass along some of the animals' offspring to other families.

The children also led the adult congregation in several eye-opening activities. One, the Oxfam Hunger Banquet, afforded everyone a stark look at world hunger.

Using a script from the British aid group Oxfam, the children handed banquet attendees a red, yellow or blue ticket. Then, by color, they seated a quarter of the guests at a table where they were served a large meal; led a quarter of them to a table where they served themselves beans and rice; and directed half of them to sit on the floor, where they received only a bowl of rice.

It was a dramatic snapshot of the global economy. The mother of a boy who attended the banquet told Ms. Sinnamon she did not know whether her son had listened, but that "he certainly got the visual effect."

Joan Retzloff, a retired primary school teacher, wrote the curriculum for the 7- and 8-year-olds. Together they incorporated nutrition into their study, defining hunger as "not enough of the right kind of food to be healthy."

They tasted the corn porridge that is the major food of Angola, made a nutritious taco lunch and prepared a trail mix they sold to the congregation. They learned about fair trade at Ten Thousand Villages on Main Street and toured Hilda's Place, a local soup kitchen and food pantry. They learned that "one of the main causes of hunger is war," says Ms. Sinnamon.

Martin Wiviott, 8, says he was surprised to learn that "there's hunger everywhere." He has an allowance he divides into three - "save, spend and give," he calls it. He says the church project convinced him that "we can be more generous in the way we give food and money."

The Hunger Mural, conceived as a two-month project, took five months to complete. Allison Salter, 9, expected it to be finished in a day but learned a lesson from the lengthy process. "Never expect art to be easy," she cautions.

The artist and children began by making lists of the images they wanted to include. Then they drew or tore paper figures and landscapes and glued them to the backing.

Next they applied the glass pieces. "We tried to shape what we had in mind," says Allison. "For a pig, we looked for pink." Using protective eyewear, they broke the glass tiles with a hammer or cut them with tile nippers. The art of mosaic, says Ms. Katz, is like a jigsaw puzzle in reverse. At first everyone nipped and cut. By the end, she says, "If a broken piece looked like a face, [they] used it."

The result is a colorful landscape alive with llamas, pigs, goats and cows, productive fields and orchards. People carry banners: "Make a Difference" and "Crop Walk." The Hunger Banquet table, one end replete with food and smiling people and the other with empty plates and frowning faces, occupies the middle ground.

The children are proud of their individual work. Martin made the figure waving "hi" in a field next to a cow. Allison says she came up with the idea of mountains and the little girl with the guinea pig.

The children still need $1,500 by December to purchase the ark. The money is intended to come from them, a reminder of what hunger means. A list of fundraising ideas includes: Skip dessert and give 25 cents for each family member; give 10 cents for each drink of water you take; ask for money instead of presents for your birthday.

Along with making hunger real, says Ms. Sinnamon, the hunger project had another goal: "to help children know they can make a difference."

Ladd Arboretum part 1

Celebrating 50 Years of an Idea: Ladd Memorial Arboretum

By Libby Hill

For 50 years, the Ladd Arboretum has provided quiet enjoyment for Evanstonians. Photo by Claire Bryant

Edward R. Ladd, a highly respected Evanston citizen, died on Jan. 23, 1956, at the age of 73. In June 1925, Ladd founded the Evanston Reviewand, as the Dec. 13, 1956 issue said, he "continued in active direction of the publication until the day of his death." Because of his self-effacing nature, the details of his many civic contributions to Evanston went unnoticed even during his lifetime. Evanston is blessed with a wonderful arboretum because his many friends and admirers wished to create a living memorial to perpetuate his name.

The idea for an educational and aesthetic arboretum in Ladd's honor along the North Shore Channel was first presented at a meeting of the Kicker's Club on Sept. 7, 1956. Mr. Ladd had been active in the Kicker's, a group of Evanston businessmen who frequently ate lunch together and "kicked" around ideas about Evanston improvements. At the request of the Evanston Historical Society, these eminent citizens, all Rotary Club members, adopted a project of installing historical markers, or "tablets" throughout the City - hence their moniker, "the tablet group."

The entire 23-acre strip along the North Shore Channel was the first Evanston "park" to be created and financed primarily by volunteers and private contributions, but not the first idea for a park in this location. Starting in 1855, prominent citizen and lawyer Harvey Hurd headed up a drainage district that dug a channel through the low wet prairie, throwing up the dredgings to create a road that dairy farmer Benjamin Emerson could use to deliver milk to Chicago. (Harvey Hurd would later craft the legislation for a sanitary district.) The "Big Ditch," as it was called, was to convey water south to the north branch of the Chicago River at Foster Avenue. The design failed. Water that was to flow south instead flowed north toward the village. In the early 1870s, the ditch was widened and deepened under different auspices, starting at Oakton Street and following Hurd's route. The Evanston Index wrote that draining the land would "transform this wilderness into a garden and make it ‘blossom as the rose." Prophetic?

When the next "ditch," the North Shore Channel, was completed in 1910, a new generation of Evanston citizens and planners saw exciting opportunities for leisure and beauty. The 1917 Plan of Evanston depicts a tree-lined channel with a bridle path along the south shore. Pleasure boats ply the waters. In 1919, the City leased the land from the Sanitary District of Chicago (SDC), on the condition that the SDC could take it back after giving 90 days' notice. Intervening wars probably led to slippage in plans, and the document went unremembered. Between 1947 and 1956, Evanston used the land for Quonset huts to house World War II veterans and their families. That project was demolished in August 1956.

A potential stumbling block for the Ladd Arboretum was obtaining a land lease from the SDC. By December 1956, the City began negotiating with the District trustees. In May 1957, research turned up the 38-year-old lease agreement between the City and the District, advancing the cause.

During 1958, soil tests were performed to determine the types of trees that could grow in what was essentially a spoil pile. On Oct. 23, the City Council approved landscape plans and authorized $10,000 from the municipal budget for the project.

The pace picked up in 1959. In March, the City formally established the Ladd Arboretum Committee, a group of dedicated volunteers who would work tirelessly to solicit funds, develop standards and oversee development.

Giant earth-movers began their work on April 20, 1959. On May 26, 1960, Ralph Melin, the volunteer landscape architect for the project, explained in The Evanston Review the east section between Bridge Street and Green Bay Road would be developed first. Knolls, or 6-foot rounded mounds, would, the article said, "relieve the monotony of the flat canal bank." The trees in this section would be native to Illinois; similar species would be grouped. Illinois is long and narrow and contains both northern and southern flora; Mr. Melin had a lot of latitude in his choices. Signs with common and Latin names would identify each tree.

Grasses would be planted to create a meadow area. Flowers would be excluded because of the maintenance they require. Mr. Melin wanted to avoid the arboretum's becoming a "weed patch," although he understood that future generations might feel differently. "Exotic" species, those of foreign origin, were planned for the second unit between Bridge and Emerson streets. Mr. Melin projected, correctly, that more than 1,000 plants - shade trees, ornamentals and shrubs - would eventually grow in the arboretum.

Ironically, the arboretum's first tree was a non-native, a ginkgo (a female with unpleasantly odoriferous seeds), planted in the native section on Arbor Day, April 27, 1960. It was chosen because it was Mr. Ladd's favorite. By the time of the formal dedication on June 10, 1960, at least 18 native trees accompanied it. At the dedication, speakers from the City and the Sanitary District stressed the use of the channel banks for recreation, not industry. Dr. Oscar Chute, Superintendent of School District 65 and chairman of the Ladd Arboretum Committee, said, "It will be educational in a broad sense ... for both young and old."

An Evanston Review article on June 9, 1960, praised the arboretum, saying, "[It] becomes the only botanical garden for trees on the north shore. The closest arboretum is Morton Arboretum. ...The Ladd Arboretum, though smaller, will be more accessible to residents of the north shore." What the article's author could not foresee was that only one month later, in July 1960, at a summer luncheon of the Woman's Board of the Chicago Horticultural Society, President William A. Pullman would astound the ladies by proposing a botanic garden. The members' reaction to such an ambitious project? "He might as well have exploded an atomic bomb," said June Reedy, author of "It's Fun to Remember, A Story About the Woman's Board of the Chicago Historical Society and Other Known Events" (1974). The site was yet to be determined because the society owned no land. The Forest Preserve District of Cook County came to the rescue, agreeing to lease the area north of the Skokie Lagoons. Francis Dawson of Evanston shepherded a bill to create the garden through the state legislature by mid-1963, and construction began in 1965.

The Chicago Botanic Garden today dwarfs the Ladd Arboretum in size, scope, ambition, money, buildings, volunteers and its generous percentage of Forest Preserve District of Cook County tax dollars. But it can never compete with the spiritual renewal our simpler arboretum offers Evanston residents.

Over time, Ladd Arboretum, particularly the native section, suffered from a lack of sustained attention. It is fitting that this year, the 50th anniversary of the idea's conception, the arboretum is to receive a much-needed facelift. For the purpose, the City has contracted with BauerLatoza Studio, which has many parkland projects to its credit. Their challenge is to develop a master plan for the arboretum's renewal. The first open meeting was held on Oct. 19, and public input would be of greatest value now.

Once the plan has been accepted, it will again be the public's turn to volunteer its services to help bring it to fruition and contribute to the arboretum's stewardship.

For more information, and to participate in the planning process, contact Stephanie Levine, the City's landscape architect in the Evanston Parks, Forestry and Recreation Department, 847-448-8043. Or give your opinion through public survey forms obtained at the Ecology Center building, 2024 McCormick Blvd., and on their website, www.laddarboretum.org.

Ask the Eco Expert

Dear Eco Expert,
I'm planning my vacation and would like to make Earth-friendly choices. What do you recommend?
— Green Traveler

Dear Green Traveler,

Whether you arrive at your destination by car or plane, you can purchase carbon offsets from www.terrapass.com. For example let's use a flight from Chicago to Portland, Oregon. At a distance of 3,466 miles, 69 gallons of fuel is used and 1,351 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced. That flight is categorized as a Puddle Jumper because it is less than 6,000 miles and less than 2,500 pounds of CO2 are generated. The fee for a Flight TerraPass is $9.95.

Purchasing a Flight TerraPass means lower carbon dioxide emissions elsewhere because industrial efficiency and renewable energy projects, such as wind farms, will be funded with the fees. Renewable energy from wind reduces CO2 emissions by displacing power produced from fossil fuels. Industrial efficiency initiatives reduce CO2 emissions through conservation. The Flight TerraPass results in a guaranteed reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, balancing out your flight's global-warming impact.

As travel destinations go, Portland is an excellent model of an eco-friendly urban environment with a public transit system that could eliminate the need for a rental car. Several "green" options are available for overnight travel accommodations. A visit to www.greenhotels.com yields green hotels, inns and bed-and-breakfasts listed alphabetically by state. It lists properties in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and other continents as well. Navigate to the "Member Hotels" page and scroll to find a city/state destination. Most establishment listings include a link to the property's own website.

More extensive bed-and-breakfast selections can be found on Pamela Lanier's website, www.lanierbb.com. On the homepage choose the button labeled "Select" and check the "USA and Canada" option. Go to the "Amenities" button, click and check the box for "Green." In the destination window, type in a city/state and click on the arrow. You'll be redirected to a page with a list of B&Bs that are green and each listing has a link to the property's website.

What makes a hotel, inn or bed-and-breakfast green? According to a spokesperson for the Green Hotels Association, "Green hotels are properties whose managers are eager to institute programs that save water, save energy and reduce solid waste - while saving money - to help the environment."

Events aRound Town

Jazz Performance at Comix Revolution

Jazz musician Karl Seigfried will perform on upright bass at 6 p.m. on Nov. 4 at Comix Revolution, 606 Davis St., showcasing music from his new CD, "Criminal Mastermind." This will be Mr. Seigfried's first solo performance in his hometown. Call 847-866-8659.

Keep Evanston Beautiful Presents Environmental Stewardship
Award to City Manager

At its annual meeting in September, Keep Evanston Beautiful, Inc., presented the Walter Lucansky Environmental Stewardship Award to City Manager Julia Carroll, right. This award is given to an individual or a group demonstrating or exhibiting environmental stewardship and having a positive impact on Evanston's environment through education, government, policy, personal effort or business.

The Lucansky, Jennifer, left, Marge and Michael family chose Ms. Carroll because of her initiation of, and ongoing input to, the strategic plan for the City of Evanston. Walter Lucansky (1938-1999) was an Evanstonian who made a personal commitment to the community and the environment. He volunteered much of his free time to the Evanston Ecology Center and Keep Evanston Beautiful. His excellent organizational skills, artistic talents and gregarious personality were assets for both organizations. He tried to reuse and recycle as much as possible and was fond of saying, "One person's junk is another's treasure."

Green Groundbreaking at JRC

The Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation held a celebration on Oct. 22 to launch the building of its new green synagogue, 303 Dodge Ave. The congregation has chosen to construct a building that will "make the smallest possible impact on the environment. Because of the energy-efficient design and uses of building materials, JRC hopes it will be certified "gold" by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). JRC has received a grant of $105,000 from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation. JRC President Alan Saposnik said, "Our goal is to build a house of worship that serves as an inspiration and model for others to build sustainable buildings." The architects for the project will be Ross Barney & Jankowski, who designed the Levy Senior Center just across Dodge Avenue from JRC. The congregation has raised about 60 percent of the cost of the $10 million project, and they expect to be using the new synagogue by next fall.

Nobel Prize Winner Wole Soyinka to Speak Nov. 4

Wole Soyinka, winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, will discuss and read from his works on at 10 a.m. Nov. 4, at the Main Library, 1703 Orrington Ave.

Mr. Soyinka is the first African to receive the Nobel Prize in literature. His new book, "You Must Set Forth at Dawn," is a chronicle of his turbulent life in (and in exile from) his beloved, beleaguered homeland, Nigeria. More than a major figure in the world of literature, Wole Soyinka is a courageous voice for human rights, democracy, and freedom.

"You Must Set Forth at Dawn" will be available for purchase and signing, as will a number of his other books. This program is free and open to the public; seating is on a first-come basis. Call 847-448-8600.

Choctober

Offering fairly traded chocolate and information about its production, Ten Thousand Villages, 719 Main St., held "Chocolate October" last Saturday.

Rise Terney, left, a volunteer at the shop, shares a bit of the sweetness with store manager Cheryl Nester-Detweiler and customer Kerri Leo.

What's Cooking at CIF

Center for Independent Futures, a non-profit organization that helps young adults with disabilities to live autonomously, will hold its annual nosh and benefit from 3 to 6 p.m. on Nov. 12 at Prairie Moon, 1502 Sherman Ave. CIF promises an "appetizing afternoon with some of the area's finest chefs," featuring soups, salads, desserts, bar, raffle and silent auction. There will be fare from Prairie Moon, Davis Street Fish Market, That Little Mexican Café, White Rabbit Catering, Gold 'N Pear Catering, and Fox and the Grapes Catering. Tickets are $40 per person. Call 847-328-2044 or visit 222.independentfutures.com.

Look and Learn

The Art Encounter presents "Expanding Visions," a program that gives an in-depth look into the artist's world. It will take place selected Wednesdays, 1:15-3:00 p.m. A non-member can attend one tour for $20. Art Encounter membership is required after the first tour. On Nov. 8, "Expanding Visions" explores the "Artists Studio Building." Take this opportunity to visit the studios of several working artists, including Paula Henderson and Julia Oldham. Call 847-328-9222.

What's Next

Next Theatre Company journeys to the afterlife with the Chicago Premiere of Christopher Durang's "Miss Witherspoon." In Durang's latest play, Miss Witherspoon, burdened with a lousy aura, is dropped off in the afterlife and refuses to be reincarnated. Performances begin on Nov. 16 and runs through Dec. 17 at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St. $20-$35. Call 847-475-1875 ext. 2.

Join the Guild

The Midwest Clay Guild's 34th Annual Exhibition and sale will take place Nov. 17 through Nov. 19 at the Guild's studio facility, located at 1236 Sherman Ave. The collection of ceramics, drawings, paintings, prints and jewelry comes from 14 featured artists. An opening reception will be held 6-9 p.m. on Nov. 17. Call 847-475-9697.

"The World to Come"

A Book Review By Sue Brooke

"The World to Come" by Dara Horn is a novel with characters, prose and plot that keep the reader enthralled.

The author has woven in some art history and even rejuvenated a few old Yiddish stories. The novel is loosely based on a true incident - the theft of a small Marc Chagall painting from the Jewish Museum in New York during a singles cocktail party a few years ago.

The author has embellished the story, creating as the thief the character Ben Ziskind, 30 years old and recently divorced. Dragged to the party by his pregnant twin sister, Sara, Ben does not feel like mingling.

Then Ben sees a small painting and recognizes it as one that used to hang in his parents' house. He even spots on it a small stain made by Sara when she was young.

Without thinking, he lifts the painting off the wall and walks out of the museum. It was his mother's; she was never paid for it. Now it is his.

In the 1920s Marc Chagall taught at a Jewish orphanage in Russia with other gifted artists and authors. One of them, called Der Nister, The Hidden One, wrote wonderful Yiddish stories. But the only one of the group to become famous was Chagall, because he alone escaped Russia.

One day Chagall is working at the orphanage with 12-year-old Boris, who has been found sleeping in a grave. Chagall befriends the orphan and wants to display the boy's soulful drawing. But Boris, wary as a result of his brutal childhood, says he will give up his drawing only if he is paid. Chagall offers him a trade: anything in his studio for Boris's drawing.

The Hidden One appears and decides to give Boris something too. He stuffs the pages of one of his stories into the back of the picture frame. Much of Der Nister's work survived because he later hid his stories behind Chagall's murals in the Moscow State Jewish Theater.

"The World to Come" is filled with stories within stories. Though Ben becomes a thief on the first page, intriguing questions remain: What should he do with his stolen painting? Is it a forgery, as his mother was led to believe? If so, can his artist sister make a forgery of the forgery, allowing him to keep his mother's painting?

The long-ago death of his father, and his mother's recent death, along with his recent divorce, have put Ben in a fragile state. Experience has taught him to trust no one. But when he meets Erica, a curator at the victimized museum, he starts to fall for her even as she is investigating him.

"Flags of Our Fathers"

A Film Review By Joe Linstroth

In "Flags of Our Fathers," director Clint Eastwood explores the impact of one iconic photograph - the Joe Rosenthal image of six faceless soldiers mounting an American flag on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima - on the men who were there and on a war-weary nation desperate for a reason to continue the fight.

Based on the book by Ron Powers and James Bradley (the son of one of the flag-bearers), the film's multiple storylines are painted in broad strokes, some of which are eye-catching and poignant, while others seem bland and disconnected.

Mr. Eastwood covers the vast material by moving between three different time periods. The bloody battle for Iwo Jima is shot in the grainy, almost black-and-white tone that Steven Spielberg (who is one of the film's producers) used so effectively in "Saving Private Ryan." Though the battle scenes have a cinematic familiarity to them, the technique captures the real, chaotic horrors on the ground often hidden by statistics, headlines and political rhetoric.

The film flashes back to these intense battle scenes while telling the story of the photograph and its sizeable influence through the eyes of three soldiers in the picture and through present-day interviews with aging veterans of the battle.

In February 1945, the government is hemorrhaging money and forced to borrow millions to keep the Pacific campaign afloat. The picture appears on the front pages of hundreds of publications and the picture hits a nerve with an American public that is tiring of the war. The three surviving flag bearers, two Marines and a Navy corpsman, are plucked from their unit and return stateside as reluctant heroes. Pressured by a government public relations gadfly (played by John Slattery) into accepting a slightly fictionalized version of events, the three men are whisked around the nation to shake hands with fake politicians, wave to adoring, confetti-throwing crowds, and, most importantly, to remind people to buy war bonds.

Mr. Eastwood deserves credit for attempting to tackle many themes and storylines - the public's need for heroes and the reluctant everymen who become them; soldiers fighting and dying not for politics or ideology, but for the men who stand next to them; exploitation of an image or event for political and financial gain; and the racism and hypocrisy of a culture that is as quick to discard its heroes as it is to anoint them. They are excellent themes, worthy of exploration, but at times "Flags of Our Fathers" feels like it has bitten off more than it can chew.

By fixating on the broad themes and bouncing around in time, the characters become secondary, used as instruments for telling the story, rather than as real people whose lives show us the story. Two of the flag bearers, the shallow Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford) and the reticent Doc Bradley (Ryan Phillippe) are little more than two wide-eyed soldiers without much to say. Ira Hayes (Adam Beach) is the closest the movie gets to a complex character worthy of sympathy. A Native American Marine, Ira is unable to reconcile his dubious fame with his haunting war experience and marginalized status as a man of color.

"Flags of Our Fathers" has compelling battle scenes and raises relevant issues regarding America's current war, but the lack of character development lightens the emotional impact of its many important messages.

2 hr. 11 min. Rated R for language and gruesome violence.

"The Prestige"

A Film Review By Brian Murphy

"The Prestige," a film set in the Victorian-era about dueling magicians, is much darker than "The Illusionist," the recently released magician film starring Ed Norton. Based on the book by Christopher Preist, it is a startling, sometimes violent study of rivalry, jealousy and obsession. Deftly directed with a screenplay sharply written by Christopher Nolan ("Memento," "Batman Begins") and his brother Jonathan Nolan, the story follows the lives of friends-turned-rivals Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale). Their unrelenting quest to be the best has profound effects on their entire adult lives.

"The Prestige" hooks us right away, with an intriguing shot of a hill littered with top hats. Without explanation, what becomes a film narrated by multiple voices begins its first voice-over with trick-contraption designer Cutter (Michael Caine, terrific again) describing the three stages of a magic trick: The pledge, the turn and the prestige. The devious Nolan brothers have crafted their story to play out with a magic trick, setting out to trick us at the film's end.

Despite some meandering scenes and revenge plots that may eventually seem repetitive, when the final effect is chilling.

Narrative structure is bent, as past, present and future become a multilayered collage that Christopher Nolan expresses with stunning clarity. Whatever points in Robert's or Alfred's lives are given screen time are distinguished with ease, whereas a lesser director would have muddled them.

Robert and Alfred are apprentices working for the same magician. Despite a cordial relationship, they seem to have different ideas about what makes a good magic trick, with Alfred always seeming to have the idea of pushing things further. After ignoring Cutter's advice for how to tie a knot properly for assistant Julia, the woman dies in a water tank, and Alfred is responsible. Julia was Robert's wife, thus spawning the heated, perhaps even murderous, rivalry that is to comprise the rest of the film.

The Nolan brothers have done their research, dissecting several intricate magic tricks and revealing them to the audience. From the "Bullet Catch" to the "Disappearing Man," all angles are dispelled, and Robert and Alfred stop at nothing to sabotage their enemy from completing either trick.

Even the bit players offer some spice, such as Scarlett Johansson as Robert's assistant Olivia, who may or may not be playing one side against the other. Rebecca Hall is outstanding as Alfred's wife, Sarah, her performance reminiscent of some of the outstanding, tough performances given by many of the women on HBO's "Deadwood." Sarah's feelings towards Alfred begin with intrigue, melt into love, and almost slip into madness trying to understand Alfred's split personalities -- loving husband one day, obsessed magician the next.

The lines in this film are as shadowy as Wally Pfister's cinematography; our allegiance is deliberately forced to shift from one magician to the next, a testament to both good writing and to the outstanding performances of Mr. Bale and Mr. Jackman. Both characters are, at times, valiant heroes and vile villains.

As with "Memento," picking apart the plot of "The Prestige" may uncover some holes, but the overall effect is an exhilarating whirlwind of mystery, suspense and shocking revelation that is bound to have audience members discussing motives and theories long after the credits have stopped rolling.

Rated PG-13 for violence and disturbing images.

Former FAAM Player Raises $2,500 From Cookbook Sales

Former FAAM player Courtney Hammell shows FAAM co-founder Gene Bell her cookbook, "A Taste for All Seasons," which raised more than $2,500 for the organization. This was the first time in FAAM's 38-year history that a former FAAM player has used such initiative to financially support FAAM's programs and its legacy.

Courtney Hammell, former player on the Fellowship of African-American Males Rockets basketball team and now a senior at Evanston Township High School, recently raised more than $2,500 for FAAM. Courtney, who played in FAAM from 2000 to 2003, said she enjoyed the experience so much that she wanted to give back to the basketball organization that has given so much to her and others in the community.

Last summer Courtney presented to the FAAM Executive Committee the concept of compiling recipes to be sold as a book, later titled "A Taste for All Seasons."

She solicited recipes from family, friends and members of the community - with an overwhelming response. The book contains more than 100 recipes for appetizers, soups and salads, entrees, quick breads and desserts. All proceeds from sales of the recipe books directly benefit FAAM.