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J.D. Salinger letters show "warm," "affectionate" side

LONDON (Reuters) – Previously unseen letters from "The Catcher in the Rye" author J.D. Salinger show the kind of "warmth" and "affection" not often associated with someone who is seen as an eccentric recluse, a university said on Thursday.

Salinger wrote the letters to Donald Hartog from London, between October 1986 and January 2002, and Hartog's daughter Frances and his other children have donated them to Britain's University of East Anglia (UEA) Archives.

The men met in 1937 when they were both 18 years-old and sent by their fathers to study German in Vienna. They stayed in touch after their return home in 1938 and continued to write to each other until the 1950s, although these early letters no longer survive.

After several decades with no contact, Hartog wrote to Salinger in 1986 when he learned of the possible publication of an unauthorized biography of the writer. Salinger replied and their correspondence resumed.

The UEA said it was unable to provide excerpts from the letters, because the copyright remains with Salinger's estate.

The author, who died a year ago, aged 91, was fiercely protective of his body of work, and in 2009 sued the writer and publisher of a book billed as a sequel to "The Catcher in the Rye," saying it infringed on his copyright.

Salinger's 1951 novel, a story of alienation and rebellion featuring teenage hero Holden Caulfield, is considered a classic of American literature.

"MOVING" LETTERS

Salinger addressed Hartog as Don and signed the letters as Jerry, and talked about everyday topics like politics, the weather, family and tennis, including who should win Wimbledon.

According to the UEA, he also referred to their increasing ages and associated health issues, and Salinger remembered fondly the time he spent with Hartog in Vienna before it was annexed by Nazi Germany.

Frances Hartog, who once met Salinger, said that despite the mundane subject matter, the letters were "very moving.

"There is tremendous warmth and affection toward my father and this is so different to the man Salinger is often portrayed as. The letters have been sitting in a drawer, but hopefully by being in the archive they will show people another side to him.

"I think there was this extra bond between my father and Salinger because they met before the war.

"This isn't the fighting Salinger of the 1960s, though he talks quite aggressively about publishing and publicity.

"He wanted to be published, but what he appears not to have liked was that it wasn't just about what you published, it was about you."

In 1989 Salinger traveled to London to attend Hartog's 70th birthday dinner, and it was then that Frances met him.

"I didn't really want to meet him because I liked his writing and was worried he might live up to his reputation and be rather unpleasant, but he ... was utterly charming."

In the manuscripts, Salinger was honest about his dislike of publishers but said he continued to work on his writing, and in 1997 was considering publishing a short story, "Hapworth 16, 1924," which appeared in The New Yorker in 1965, as a book.

The correspondence from Salinger stopped in 2002, but his wife continued writing to Hartog until his death in 2007.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

To Teach Is to Serve

I was very fortunate to have had a handful of gifted teachers during my years in school. Their passion for their subjects - literature, history, writing - was inspiring. But their most important attribute was not that they taught what to believe, but how to learn - not what to think, but how to think.

For our fourth annual national-service issue, we have examined the problems of public education, specifically why it's so hard to find the teachers we need. I believe that teaching, particularly for K-12, is a form of national service and that the importance of what teachers do for our democracy is hard to overstate. At the same time, though, we can praise our teachers while realizing that we're not doing a very good job of preparing young Americans for either the responsibilities of citizenship or the workplace. As a country, we're spending more than twice as much per student than we were in 1971, and we rank 25th among industrial nations in math. Something's not right, and everyone knows it.

Our cover stories by Amanda Ripley and John Cloud come at an inflection point for public education in America. The combination of falling test scores, rising dissatisfaction among parents, a difficult and more competitive global economy, a new crop of dynamic education innovators and an Administration that is actually willing to listen to them might just lead to real change.

Ripley's story uses the much-talked-about new movie Waiting for "Superman" as a vehicle for examining why the quality of public education in the U.S. is so uneven and whether new endeavors like charter schools can be a catalyst for positive change. Cloud's story looks at all the new ways that people, especially those looking to change careers, can become teachers and whether these programs actually work and are scalable. In both stories, we see how innovative organizations like Teach for America, KIPP schools and the New Teacher Project are helping to revitalize public education. And AndrÉa Ford's roundup of volunteer opportunities offers links and information about how anyone from recent grads to senior citizens can pitch in. Finally, this entire package, which was conceived and edited by senior editor Julie Rawe, is launching on the same day that Time.com will begin a weekly education column called School of Thought, by Andrew J. Rotherham, the Eduwonk blogger and a co-founder of Bellwether Education Partners, a nonprofit working to help low-income students.

TIME's interest in education is long-standing, and because we think this is such a vital issue, TIME will partner with the Carnegie Corporation of New York and our parent company, Time Warner, to host a national summit of thought leaders on higher education next year. The idea is to look at what's working and what's not, at a moment of great challenge and change in higher education. It's an honor to work again with Vartan Gregorian, the head of Carnegie, who helped us launch the national-service summit in 2008. Vartan has been one of America's outstanding advocates for maintaining the nation's pre-eminence in higher education.

Finally, in keeping with the theme of this issue, just as students return to the classroom, TIME will be donating 10,000 subscriptions of TIME for Kids to low-income, high-need schools.

Richard Stengel, managing editor

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DragTheBar.com Offers 'Way of the Poker Warrior' Free with Three-Month Membership

Paul Hoppe’s celebrated book to be distributed to all new DTB members

Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) September 7, 2010 -- Up-and-coming poker training siteannounced a promotion today that will enable new members to get a free copy of Paul “GiantBuddha” Hoppe’s Way of the Poker Warrior when they sign up for three months of coaching.

To receive the book, prospective members must go through Hoppe’s website, , or through the website of fellow DragTheBar insructor Dusty “Leatherass” Schmidt, . Schmidt’s media company, Imagine Media, published Way of the Poker Warrior, which combines Hoppe’s two passions — martial arts and poker — with the result being original instruction delivered in a very unconventional way.

A three-month subscription at DragTheBar costs $90, with the new member getting a fourth month free when they sign-up.

“I think this represents an incredible value,” Schmidt said. “Once they sign up, a person walks away with a book and a coaching site that will quickly make them more profitable. They can monetize the investment in hours.

“Even better, I feel that making a player more profitable is the least important take-awayfrom Paul’s book. Way of the Poker Warrior is about poker and life seen through the prism of martial arts, and I think the reader walks away a better person for having read it.

Hoppe is both a Manhattan-based martial arts instructor and a highly successful mid-stakes Limit Holdem pro known for his work ethic, attention to detail and complete devotion to his two passions. In Way of the Poker Warrior, Hoppe applies one discipline to the other, detailing a remarkably clear-eyed approach to winning poker that he says he’s used to achieve acclaim and a six-figure income as a player and coach.

“Way of the Poker Warrior is about learning how to learn and learning how to compete,” Hoppe said. “DragTheBar will show you what to learn, and Warrior will show you how to assimilate and apply that knowledge efficiently and effectively.

“In the martial arts business, we require student to commit to at least three months of training. By committing to three months of poker education, you have a better chance to push through the challenges ahead.”

Emphasizing discipline in preparation, play and conduct, Hoppe grounds his theories in hard-and-fast applications to the game, including 29 hand samples taken from Limit and No Limit Holdem, Pot Limit Omaha and multi-table tournaments.

Jared Tendler, a celebrated mental coach and DragTheBar instructor, says Hoppe’s book is useful to amateurs and pros alike.

“Paul is a consummate professional, masterfully integrating all aspects of the game,” Tendler said. “His dedication, discipline and poise are a model for any aspiring player, as well as established players looking to shore up bad habits.”

Though it contains allusions to the intangible rewards one seeks in martial arts, the Hoppe’s poker instruction ultimately remains practical, with the goal of making readers more profitable tomorrow.

“The coolest thing about Paul’s book is that he manages to turn his theories into advice a poker player can use immediately,” Schmidt said. “This is not a book full of analogies and metaphors; it’s not vague kung-fu-speak. His advice is useful and real, and it’s written in a way that makes it incredibly practical and fun to read.”

Schmidt and DragTheBar CEO Hunter “Beachjustice” Bick wrote forewords to Way of the Poker Warrior.

“We’re very excited to be working closely with Imagine Media,” Bick said. “Both of our companies are on the forefront of poker tining and it’s a natural fit. The list of DTB coaches that have published books with Imagine is growing, and this is a good way to offer extra value to those looking to take their poker game to the next level.”

As a poker professional, Hoppe is known for his detailed and efficient combo analysis. He first played live poker professionally from 1999-2000. This included $20/$40 Limit Holdem and Seven Card Stud, some Omaha 8 and Stud 8, and $5/$10 No Limit. After several years away from the game, he returned to poker in February 2006 with a $100 deposit bonus. He built his bankroll from that free $100 into a six-figure income, going from $.50/$1 to $10/$20, $15/$30, and $30/$60, which he plays today.

Hoppe has maintained a very solid 1.5BB/100 win rate over the last 30 months. His Heads Up win rate is 5BB/100. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, he was able to double his poker income from the previous year. He’s known as a versatile player, mixing Limit, No Limit, Omaha, Stud, and Triple Draw.

He has coached poker for more than two years, including about 50 private students, and is an instructor at DragTheBar.com, for which he has made more than 50 videos.

DragTheBar.com boasts affordable memberships and rakeback options at a variety of poker rooms. The site’s poker-training videos and poker software are not digital-rights managed (no DRM) and are compatible with iPods and other MP3 players. Alongsidepoker, the site also offers backgammon, coached by world champion Bill Robertie.

There is no sign-up fee for joining DragTheBar.com, which has one membership level for all stakes and multiple payment options. The site is presently offering a 7-day free trial to all prospective members.

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Imagine Media, LLCScott Brown831-224-3187

Winning start as South Africa seek redemption

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – South Africa launched a challenge for African Nations Cup redemption by outplaying minnows Niger 2-0 Saturday in the north-east city of Nelspruit.

Early and late first half goals from strikers Katlego Mphela and Bernard Parker saw Bafana Bafana (The Boys) secure maximum points from a Group G opener likely to prove the easiest of six qualifying games.

A visit to bogey team Sierra Leone in October will reveal more about the team who three months ago became the first World Cup hosts to be eliminated after the first round.

Local coach Pitso Mosimane replaced veteran Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreria after that tournament and vowed to take the 1996 African champions to the 2012 finals in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

With seven-time title holders Egypt in the same mini-league and only the table toppers guaranteed a tournament place, it is a tall order for former national team striker Mosimane.

After hosting and winning the Nations Cup, South Africa have steadily slipped from 1998 runners-up to three consecutive first round exits since 2004 and the humiliation of not even making it to Angola this year.

"We controlled the game and I am happy with the result which takes us to the top of the table. Anxiety and nervousness in front of goal cost us a wider winning margin," admitted Mosimane.

Everton midfielder and official man of the match Steven Pienaar echoed his coach: "It was disappointing that we did not score more goals, but I am happy with my form."

The vuvuzela may have been shown a 'red card' from European football body UEFA this week, but the plastic horn that droned to prominence during the World Cup was much in evidence at the 40,000-seat Mbombela Stadium.

South African supporters need little encouragement to celebrate and they witnessed an encouraging start as the team set out to break down the predictably hyper-cautious Central Africans.

Niger survived several scares and goalkeeper Kassaly Daouda needed treatment after taking an accidental knock when defender Bongani Khumalo tried to knock a loose ball into the net.

Mphela put Bafana Bafana ahead with a clinical finish on 12 minutes, racing on to a perfectly weighted Pienaar pass and touching the ball twice before chipping it over the onrushing goalkeeper.

The 27-year-old Mamelodi Sundowns striker craves a transfer overseas with Birmingham City and Glasgow Rangers reportedly showing interest and this top-drawer finish will do his prospects no harm.

Poor control robbed Mphela of a second goal as half-time approached with the ball running away from him and overworked Daouda cleared as Niger struggled to contain the lively home team.

And three minutes into first-half stoppage time South Africa doubled their advantage with Parker from Dutch champions Twente volleying an Anele Ngcongca cross into the corner of the net.

The second half followed a similar pattern to what had gone before with South Africa attacking continuously and Daouda from Cameroon club Cotonspoprt Garoua sparing the visitors a hiding through numerous fine saves.