Q-Tips Reviews

The SMARTEST kids in the WORLD –& how they got that way by Amanda Ripley

Mrs. Q says: Great book about education and what the author found out that really matters.

Follow three American kids who move to other countries for one year. One from Oklahoma to Finland, one from a high achieving Minnesota suburb to South Korea and one from Pennsylvania for Poland – on student exchange programs. Follow them and find out how they did and combined with the authors investigative research what is really important.

South Korea has the lowest teen suicide rate but it turns out they have the highest young adult suicide rate, Why? And are the Koreans really happy with their education system? Do richer school districts always do better than the poorer areas irregardless of what country you are in?

Could the American charter schools work? Is a great “football program” really important? How about all that praise we give our America kids – everyone get a trophy- win or not. Are we preparing them for real world life when they don’t learn how to fail when they are younger?

Finland required a matriculation test for 160 years, it was a way to motive kid/teacher toward a common goal to actually mean something. Korean rerouted air traffic for their graduation test. Polish kids studied fro their tests on nights/weekends and arrived for the exam wearing suits, ties dresses.

What about the teachers? HS in Korea, Finland & Poland had a purpose just like high school football practice in America. There is a big important contest at the end, the score counted.

In America some of us believe that our kids would get a second/third chance. But in real life that doesn’t always happen. Why is it some American parents go to the teacher and ask “why did you give my child an F”?Instead of asking the child/and teacher “why did you get this F”? Why do American parents readily show up for sporting events w/cameras, etc but fail to show up for school conferences? Do we give some of our aspiring teachers a second/third chance even tho they do not do well to become teachers? Or do we just pass them along till they get their teaching certificates? And yes, by all means let us pay the students to go to class ??? but can that actually make them study and become successful adults in the real world?

Read The SMARTEST KIDS in the WORLD and see if you think other countries have a better educational system and why? Or do they?

WASABI– 5770 Ranch Lake Blvd., Bradenton FL- 941-755-1053
Hours, M-Th 11 am – 10 pm, Fri & Sat. 11 am – 10:30 pm, Sun. 12 Noon – 9:30 PM

Q-Tips say: A new restaurant that opened and we always like to try and support the locals.

Mrs. Q says: The new restaurant is absolutely exquisite the way it is decorated. WASABI offers Hibachi Dinners (where they cook at the table), Tempura & Katsu, Sushi & Sashimi & varied Lunch Menu and a full bar. The Q’s stopped for a to-go Lunch order and put in the fridge for dinner. The food was ok.
They certainly go out of their way to make you comfortable and happy. If you choose to eat in the Sushi/Sashimi area and someone in your party wants a Hibachi order they will cook it and bring it to your table so they can enjoy with the Sushi/Sashimi eating friends or the other way around. So go and give the new local restaurant a try, you might like it. I’m sure they will do well during the “Prime Snowbird” season but will they survive the hot summer season after the “Birds” are gone is the question. Only time will tell.

400 Beach Seafood & Tap House – 400 Beach Dr NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701,
(727) 896-2400 400beachseafood.com

Q-TIPS SAY: We decided to go for a light lunch after seeing the Chihuly Museum which is a few doors down. The service, food and ambiance is outstanding. Show them your Chihuly Museum tickets and you will get !0% off your bill. Great for kids since they have fish on the walls and a TV monitor with fish swimming about. Outdoor seating, free WIFI and full bar, great menu, FREE VALET PARKING. Mr. Q enjoyed his Island Seafood Chili Bowl of Soup $6.95 (It is not chili but a tomato based soup with seafood). Mrs. Q enjoyed her lightly breaded Crispy Buffalo Shrimp w/Blue cheese dressing $7.95.

400 Beach Seafood offers an Early Dinner Special: Two entrees for $25.00(not per person – two meals for $25.00), I believe soup/salad is included & a Happy Hour 2 for 1. The Entrees have a variety of choices.

We enjoyed the ambiance, food, service and want to go back for the Early Dinner and Happy Hour Special.

DALLLS BUYERS CLUB – Matthew McConaughey stars in DALLAS BUYERS CLUB as real-life Texas cowboy Ron Woodroof, whose free-wheeling life was overturned in 1985 when he was diagnosed as HIV-positive and given 30 days to live. These were the early days of the AIDS epidemic, and the U.S. was divided over how to combat the virus. Ron, now shunned and ostracized by many of his old friends, and bereft of government-approved effective medicines, decided to take matters in his own hands, tracking down alternative treatments from all over the world by means both legal and illegal. Bypassing the establishment, the entrepreneurial Woodroof joined forces with an unlikely band of renegades and outcasts – who he once would have shunned – and established a hugely successful “buyers’ club.” Their shared struggle for dignity and acceptance is a uniquely American story of the transformative power of resilience.

Q-TIPS SAY: We liked it. Based on a true story of a biography about a man going through a very new, scary disease (Aids) and his will to help others. Also an interesting insight on how the government and drug companies work through the process of testing new drugs.

LONE SURVIVOR – LONE SURVIVOR, starring Mark Wahlberg, tells the story of four Navy Seals on an ill-fated covert mission to neutralize a high-level Taliban operative who are ambushed by enemy forces in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. Based on the bestseller, this story of heroism, courage and survival also stars Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster and Eric Bana.

Q-TIPS SAY: A good movie that depicts war with only one Navy Seal surviving. Mrs. Q says: Bloody, Violent, and NOT FOR CHILDREN. But that is what war is: Bloody, Violent and NOT FOR CHILDREN. Extremely moving movie based on a real mission. Stay for the credits because it shows the real men who fought here and personal photos of their lives. The photos bring us a back to their more human every day life existence.
PS Pay attention to the captions at the end of the movie. They explain why some of the Afghanistans in the tiny village help the soldier.

FRIENDLY FISHERMAN – 150 129th Ave W., Madeira Beach, FL 33708, (727) 391-6025 gofriendlyfisherman.com

Q-TIPS SAY: We chose the Friendly Fisherman since it had waterfront views.and heard it was good. The blackened grouper sandwiches were excellent. Our waitress was good, friendly & attentive to our needs. It is located at John’s Pass in Madeira beach, where you will find a fun experience while walking along the boardwalk. Full of nice scenery and fun shops to checkout, not to mention you are also at walking distance to beaches in the area. A little pricey but good. The Q’s spent close to $60.00 for our sandwiches/sides/and ice tea – no drinks, including a tip.

Mrs. Q says: John’s Pass is truly a tourist trap but it can be a fun place to visit.
It is larger than Fisherman’s Village in Punta Gorda but not as upscale as Fisherman’s Village or St. Armand’s Circle in Sarasota. If you are in the area, go and enjoy. Many restaurants to chose from along with shopping and water related tours. Good for kids and plenty of metered street parking and a large parking lot.

PUB REPUBLIC – 3120 Lakeville Hwy, Petaluma, CA 94954, (707) 782-9090
pubrepublicusa.com

Q-TIPS SAY: If you are in the area give it a try. Food, drinks were good and so was our server, Shelby. The restaurant is warm and inviting. Friendly staff. Great spot for a date or to watch the game.

Mrs. Q says: We were visiting the son and decided to go to Pub Republic. Mrs. Q doesn’t go to Pubs very oftern and thought because it was a “Pub” with TV’s for “game watching” the bar would be filled with men. However, the bar filled with many women first then the men arrived later. Perhaps it is a good place for food, drinks, game watching and dates.

SAVING MR. BANKS – Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks topline Disney’s “Saving Mr. Banks,” inspired by the extraordinary, untold backstory of how Disney’s classic “Mary Poppins” made it to the screen. When Walt Disney’s daughters begged him to make a movie of their favorite book, P.L. Travers’ “Mary Poppins,” he made them a promise-one that he didn’t realize would take 20 years to keep. In his quest to obtain the rights, Walt comes up against a curmudgeonly, uncompromising writer who has absolutely no intention of letting her beloved magical nanny get mauled by the Hollywood machine. But, as the books stop selling and money grows short, Travers reluctantly agrees to go to Los Angeles to hear Disney’s plans for the adaptation. For those two short weeks in 1961, Walt Disney pulls out all the stops. Armed with imaginative storyboards and chirpy songs from the talented Sherman brothers, Walt launches an all-out onslaught on P.L. Travers, but the prickly author doesn’t budge. He soon begins to watch helplessly as Travers becomes increasingly immovable and the rights begin to move further away from his grasp. It is only when he reaches into his own childhood that Walt discovers the truth about the ghosts that haunt her, and together they set Mary Poppins free to ultimately make one of the most endearing films in cinematic history. Inspired by true events, “Saving Mr. Banks” is the extraordinary, untold story of how Disney’s classic “Mary Poppins” made it to the screen-and the testy relationship that the legendary Walt Disney had with author P.L. Travers that almost derailed it.

Q-TIPS SAY: See it. Well done and based on a true story.

Mediterraneo – 1970 Main St., Sarasota, FL 34236, (941) 365-4122
mediterraneorest.com

Q Tips say: Go and try it. Met friends and enjoyed the company. The Q’s had ordered a Carpaccio di manzo con caprino, pancetta e crescione – (Paper thin slices of raw beef with goat cheese, crispy pancetta and watercress) for the entire table to share. Yes, it was that big. Mrs. Q had Scaloppine di vitello con funghi e Marsala-(Veal scaloppine sautéed with marsala and mushrooms served with potatoes).Mr. Q had the “Swordfish Special”.Our friends chose a Pasta Dish and Piccata di Salmone con capperi limone(Sauteed Salmon scaloppine with lemon and capers sauce served with spinach).

Mrs. Q says: The service is good and twice they brought a complimentary tomato mix brochette for the table to share. One negative is that they do not deviate from the menu when it comes to your side dish. They respond with – “That is what comes with the meal”. So if you do not want the potatoes and request the String Beans, it probably is not going to happen unless you order another side dish.

NEBRASKA – Bruce Dern plays Woody Grant as a tempestuous Missouri father who’s convinced he’s won a million dollar magazine sweepstakes, and Will Forte as the son who grudgingly agrees to drive him to Nebraska to claim his winnings. Bob Odenkirk and Stacy Keach costar and June Squibb as Kate Grant.

Q-Tips say: SEE IT! A movie that is in black/white and might not be for everyone.
Mrs. Q says: It is slow at times, awkward, touching and sad, but at times, very very funny.
An unusual type of performance for Bruce Dern – but a good one. Believe me, the 20’s somethings will not rush to see Nebraska. Mrs. Q especially enjoyed the performance by June Squibb as Kate Grant, Woody Grant’s wife. At first she comes across as a Pain in the a-, a major PITA. However, as the movie progresses we find out what she is really like. Go see it and/or rent it. You will enjoy NEBRASKA, especially if you are older.