Emerging as a duo that succeeds in lavishly injecting significant horsepower into even the most delicate of compositions, a track touched by the Kloudmen now carries a substantial addictive quality. Combatting the inevitable variables of everyday life, the Swedish masterminds of wonky and wonderful sound sculpture continue to strike sweet spots in their rhythmic and abstract bass laden exports. Having seen their latest releases praised by dub-lovers worldwide, and catching the attention of illustrious selectors such as Hatcha and Truth, their most recent signing affixes them firmly amongst the rising ranks of Deep Dark and Dangerous. As heavyweight single "I" oscillates the airwaves surrounding DDD's growing catalogue, we were eager to find out more about the two piece. Offering a full toned narrative that holds just as much gravity as their music, we sat down with Martin and David in an exclusive and inspiring session on the inner workings of the music making machine that is Kloudmen.
Stoked to finally talk with you Kloud dudes and get to know the creative forces behind it all! Many are sure of the fact that your tunes boast a heavy shock factor (in the best way) but we'd love to hear a bit about your story from Kloudmen's inception till now, where did it all begin?
David: Thank you so much for having us! Alright, so the story goes like this: Once upon a time, in the dawn of 2011, there were two lonely dubstep dudes. Unbeknownst to each other, their mutual interests and their future companionship, they both started studying computer game development, sound design and music at the University in [a small town called] Skövde. One day in class, David noticed that Martin was wearing a t-shirt that implied he liked dubstep. David thought to himself, "Hey, that dude seems to be into dubstep!" so they got to talking about it. Eventually, David invited Martin to his house and showed him some of his tunes. Martin was blown away. But Martin had created some dubstep as well and showed it to David. Needless to say, David was equally blown away. So the two dubstep dudes started producing dubstep together, quickly realising that they were a natural fit. One day when sitting in David's (bedroom) studio, casually producing some bangers, the two thought about forming an alias. David gazed out of the window, where big and beautiful clouds slowly passed by. "Kloudmen", said David suddenly. They looked at each other and was struck by how perfect the name were for them. Kloudmen became their alias. That is the story about how the Kloudmen got their name.
Martin: To give you a quick recap up until now, we met almost every day during our years at university to make music. By accident, I sent "Shifter" (the original version) to DJ Hatcha. We really thought he would think it was too hard or not his kind of dubstep, but we were so wrong! It was probably at that moment everything took off. Known DJs started asking for our tunes and playing them out and on different radio stations such as Rinse FM and KISS FM. After university I moved to Stockholm and David stayed in Skövde (because of his family living there), but our music didn't suffer from our "separation". We kept producing, growing, learning and constantly sending stems to each other. From there we just kept doing what we love which led to several releases on amazing labels, gigs, interviews, collabs, new friendships and more.
You've had a solid slew of impressive releases with Encrypted, as well as Duploc and Uprise Audio as of late, how are you feeling about adding Deep Dark and Dangerous to your repertoire?
M: We are extremely proud of being a part of Deep Dark and Dangerous. It's such a great label founded by two of the coolest dubstep dudes in the scene. We've always been big fans of TRUTH, and to be able to say that we're releasing music on their label and that they support us is crazy! Big up Dre and Tristan!
"I" definitely holds the characteristic 'Kloudmen' groove that you guys dish generously throughout your music. Do you feel like you've always found this sound naturally or did it take some tweaking time working as a duo?
D: Our sound indeed developed naturally. We noticed after a while of working together that people gave us many comments about us having a recognisable sound. I can't say that our intention was to actually achieve that. It just developed over time I guess. I think that you shouldn't focus too much on finding your own sound. Your focus should be on making music from your heart. It may sound cheesy, but I think that is one key aspect of eventually having a distinct sound of your own.
M: It has come to mind that nearly every tune we start has lots of pads and mellow ambience to it. I think the most natural sound for me when producing is to add a more cozy and relaxed soundscape, because we like it so much! But in the end we often strip down and change the vibe totally to fit the overall mode (hard drums, high energy percussions and dark basses etc).
I won't go on about how stoked we are on "Shifter VIP", but would love to probe about what drives you guys as producers. What motivates you in the studio? Are there any particular influences in mind that you think shows up in the genesis of your tracks?
D: We're happy that the VIP version of "Shifter" is getting so much love! Alright, so my biggest motivation in the studio is actually Martin. I get very excited when I have worked on a tune and am about to show it to Martin. It has been like that ever since we started making music together. We spur each other into making better and better music.
M: It may sound cheesy and childish, but one big thing that keeps me motivated is David. He's one hell of a producer and it's an honour to work with him. He has been teaching me new things since day one and we keep the energy up together. I also strive to make music that me and my friends like. That's where it all started. To produce music for fun and showing it off to our friends. It's important for me and I'm glad that I feel the same way since we started. There aren't any particular influences which come to mind, but we strive to make our music feel energetic with some touch of dark or melancholic vibes most of the time. I try to listen to all the music I can get my hands on. Spotify has helped a lot to stretch my field of view in music and I can be inspired of all kinds of things. I think one of the most important things for us is to make music that we would both love to hear out on a system but also that you can move to. The only rule I have is: if the music doesn't get me to stand up and dance for myself, then it's not worth finishing.
Absolutely loved the mix you shared on DDD recently, busting with originality and some plain lovely tunes. What is important for you when designing a mix, and what do you look in mixes you listen to?
M: Thank you! Glad you like the mix. For me personally, regardless of what kind of mixes I listen to I tend to seek that "journey" kind of feel, that the music takes me somewhere. I like when it starts off nice and easy and tends to rise more in energy the further in the mix you are. I love when you hear a tune which you can't find anywhere else, except in that mix. Same goes for producers and DJs who only produce and play some tunes strictly live and not on radio and in mixes. It gives more of a "value" to that tune. Also, I really dislike mixes that don't include the playlist! I know the struggle myself of listening to a mix and the need of a playlist.
D: Martin hit the nail on the head on this one.
What are some obstacles that you come across while working as a duo, as well as some of your favourite aspects?
D: When we're working together, especially IRL, everything regarding the music making process flows really well. One obstacle, not necessarily related to working as a duo, is time. We've all got it, but it's a matter of prioritising and making use of it. Sometimes music can end up pretty low on the priority list because of life (kids, work, boring grown up stuff), but we try to at least do something [music related] every day, whether it is designing sounds for our library, mixing, mastering, finishing tracks or just playing around etc. Some favourite aspects of mine are that we complement each other so well and that we're very honest with each other. We also have similar but very different ideas which is really nice. It's a little hard to explain, it's like we're one, but and at the same time ourselves. Sometimes we make whole tracks (for Kloudmen) on our own and it will still sound like a Kloudmen track.
M: Yeah, I would say that the biggest obstacle for me personally is the distance between us. We usually talk over the phone or message when we give each other feedback. But sometimes, you really want to be there in person to share ideas, thoughts or point out that little thing that bothers you in the mix etc. At the same time, distance can also be one of the best things when working in a duo. We are honest with each other but I'm personally kind of a control-freak. I think if we were in the studio together all the time, many projects would probably get lost because of me (laughs). David is a fantastic producer and has started a lot of tunes that I have put a sweet little touch to at the end, and sometimes it's the other way around. We both have a similar taste and vibe when it comes to producing and listening to music.
Over the past few years, what are some of the most cherished tunes you haves shared?
M: Beside "Shifter" and "Shifter VIP" which has gained a ridiculous amount of plays lately, I would say that "Win" and "Mind" are two of my favourites. "Win" was a project we worked on for only 2-3 hours and then we forgot about it for a year. When we found it later on and it still sounded big to our ears, we just wrapped it up and sent it to N-Type and Hatcha who both loved that tune and supported it for a good long time. "Mind" was one of those tunes that "wrote itself". It was one of our first early tunes where we really prioritised sound-design. It came out great and at the time we didn't have as many followers as we do now, but I think it's a "Kloudmen-Classic" (laughs).
D: I totally agree with Martin here. "Win" is definitely one of my favourites, and of course "Shifter" and "Shifter VIP". Another early tune we made, and released for free in 2014 was "Desert Mike" which has kind of an ethnic vibe to it. One tune I really cherish though is "Abduction" released on Encrypted Audio 2016. "Abduction" is another tune that we kept simple and made in like 2-3 hours.
What's next for Kloudmen? What ideas do you have for upcoming projects and the direction of your musical path?
M: We have been telling ourselves and our close friends for years that we want to work more around the 160-170 bpm area. We have some DNB-projects that are waiting to be exported and unleashed but it's not the right time for that now. We just released tunes on Duploc, Gradient Audio and Deep, Dark and Dangerous and have vinyl + digital coming up on Encrypted Audio. At the moment, I only produce dubstep and I don't have the time or focus to be experimenting with other genres as I want. I like the 140-groove too much and have got so many ideas left in that BPM that I want to get out.
D: Yeah, we definitely want to branch out to different genres such as DNB and halftime, and as Martin said, we already have lots of projects that we're holding onto. Maybe an album is in the works *wink* hehe. We're also working on eventually releasing a sample pack. Right now we have a bunch of tracks that we're finishing up. We will keep producing dubstep since we have plenty of ideas left and a BIG love for the genre.
In terms of releasing music, from the initial creation and polishing of a tune to it's eventual debut, what kinds of considerations do you make? What propels you to work with specific labels or artists?
M: When we started making music, we didn't care if the tune would fit nicely in a mix or not. We just produced music. Now, we have a lot of friends who play our tunes at gigs and on radio so we have to make our tunes more or less "mix friendly". Of course, any good DJ can mix in whatever kind of crazy tune thrown at them, but we want to make it easy for both ourselves and others who play our music. We want to make sure that our music adds some spiciness in a mix and that it shouldn't be too hard to beat match.
D: I think one general consideration we make sometimes is (for better or worse) "How will this sound on the dance floor?". This could be a good thing but it could also restrict your creativeness a bit. We don't usually make special considerations in terms of releasing music though, but we always try to make better and better music. Our relationship with the labels we're working with right now are very good. If one label doesn't want to release a specific tune, another label is grabbing it instantly. We haven't really searched for specific labels or artists to work with, we've usually been approached but have always been open to working with new labels and artists. What propels us is our creative urge, to create cool music with cool labels and artists.
Between the two of you, can you compile what you think would be your 5 most helpful tips for the enthusiastic and developing artist?
1. It's easy to get caught in a pattern when making music. One thing you can do to counteract that is to experiment a lot! For example, by trying out new combinations of effects and settings within them you might achieve a totally different sound than you usually get. This also involves plenty of trial and error. Some things just work while others doesn't. Experiment away!
2. One good way to learn is to listen to some of your favourite tracks and analyse them. Try to build your own track after one of those favourites, try and get it to sound similar. That way you can learn, for example, arrangement techniques and develop your own. If you do this with the right intent, to learn, I would say this is a great way to grow and learn new stuff. But if you're only doing this to completely copy another artist's sound and style I would say it's for the wrong reasons. Cheeky old bonus tip: Listen to your favourite artists inspirations. What artists inspired them to make some of your favourite tracks?
3. Try to work on music every day. Eventually you'll come to a point where you feel that you're stuck or not motivated enough to work on a song. That is the perfect opportunity to just play around and create some crazy sounds to add to your sample library, search for some new interesting music or record some foley sounds. Sometimes the best thing to do is to just simply take a break from music and later return with a fresh mind and a fresh set of ears. Have patience.
4. If you haven't already, get yourself a handheld recorder. Carry it with you wherever you go, because you never know when an opportunity to record cool sounds will appear. Record as much stuff as you can and add them to your own sample library. Implementing foley sounds in your productions can really improve your sound. It will make your tracks feel a bit more organic and alive.
5. Feedback is incredibly helpful. It's important to be able to take criticism in order to grow and learn new stuff. Embrace it! There are several ways to get feedback on your tracks, for example, by posting in different forums and sending it to your friends. Hell, even your mum might give you some constructive feedback!
Again, thank you for having us. Has been a pleasure!
Kloudmen's DDD single "I" is out now and available from Beatport, Juno Download and the Deep Dark & Dangerous Store.


text:
Downtown sports bar Hockeytown Café stands the test of time
by Melissa Hoffman
Hockeytown Café
2301 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-471-3400; hockeytowncafe.com
Open: 11 a.m. Tuesday-Saturday, closing times vary based on area events
If Hockeytown Café isn't a Detroit staple, we don't know what is. The sports bar sits across the street from Comerica Park, next door to the Fox, and connected to City Theatre. If there's a place that's more intertwined with all the goings-on of Detroit, we'd like to see it.
Located on the corner of Woodward Avenue and Montcalm Street, Hockeytown Café is home to plenty of Red Wings memorabilia, yes, but its decor is also comprised of custom-built motorcycles that sit or hang in the bar's three-story space. Run by the same family that owns the Red Wings, the Tigers, and the Fox, no expense is spared in keeping this place well-maintained. Though it's been open for as long as we can remember, you'd never guess this place didn't just open last year.
Behind the bar guests will find the requisites that appease and please so many sports fans. Budweiser and Miller Lite are on draft, so are Sam Adams, Guinness, and Killian's. A couple crafts are represented on the tap system too, including Griffin Claw and Bell's Oberon. More Michigan crafts are available via bottle like Atwater's Dirty Blonde and Java Porter, Frankenmuth's Hefe, Motor City Brewing Works' Ghetto Blaster, and Shorts' Huma Lupa Licious and Bellaire Brown. New Belgium's Fat Tire and selections from Goose Island are available too.
A long list of cocktails and shots are also available, including classics like a Manhattan, mojito, martini, Cosmo, and margarita. Other Red Wing-themed drinks are available as well.
Though the bar is fully stocked, Hockeytown Café is still a family-friendly place. Stop by around noon and you'll spot (and hear) young sports fans alongside businessmen conducting lunch meetings. It's a pretty inclusive place. Their menu, filled with American favorites like mac and cheese, burgers, pasta, salads, and pretzels, speaks further to its welcoming nature.
During game days, Hockeytown Café's rooftop deck opens, meaning fans can bask in the glow of a beautiful sunset in downtown Detroit while enjoying pizza and a full bar.
It's worth noting that although Hockeytown Café is located on Woodward, smack in the middle of M-1 construction, it's still easily accessible from Montcalm. And think how much easier it will be to quickly access this Detroit staple once the light rail is completed.
Food & Drink Hockytown Cafe Detroit Drinking

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The symbol incorporates the eye, the rays of the sun, the double crescent moon, and the stool. The sun, the moon, and the eyes depict natural creation by a supreme being. While the stool depicts the socially created institutions and the creativity of human beings.


ASWSU Student Legal Services is a student run office created to service the legal needs of current students at Washington State University. We offer free 30 minute legal consultations with our attorney, Wynn Mosman, to students who have a valid WSU student ID. Student Legal Services also offers internship opportunities each semester to highly motivated students aspiring to gain insight into the dynamics of the legal profession. Internships are offered to students seeking credit under Political Science or Criminal Justice, as well as on a volunteer basis. Interning at SLS is a great opportunity to gain experience in an office setting and build a professional relationship with a practicing attorney.


Last year in my art class we painted to the sound of music. Each person chose their piece.. I have painted this painting to the sound by Samuel Barber 'Adagio for Strings'. This Acrylics painting is in memory of so many heros… The music was played on the BBC in memory of 9/11 and it always remind me that very sad moment….
Thank you very much I feel it is special….
Nice work! And yes, I remember that day well and the music associated with it! Thank you for remembering in this way!
Enjoy watching your art work very special thank you for visiting me and leaving a link.
Still watch it and still can't believe it.. sad.
This is really a powerful piece. I admire that you were able to tackle not only such tense, extremely sad subject matter – but w/ Barber's "Adagio for Strings" as background music. I'd be pretty overwhelmed and find it hard to complete anything, but this painting shows the intensity of what you must've been experiencing or thinking about while painting.
what have you already read ?
Memorable painting , Doron !
Unfortunately it was… very sad to live in such a world.
Such a feeling of collapse in the building on the left and those two small figures trying to find their way through the chaos, and the flag planted in the rubble… the music you painted to marries with the image.
Thanks Cara I found it hard to paint such a chaos on the ground and yet to symbolise such a sad event. Somehow that special music guide me through.
Sorry Hollis that is something created by wordpress to visitors without account, I apologise and will try to find a way to change it. I clearly understand.
Oh my avatar did show! Boy I am really clueless! Yay it shows up on my phone. Good deal!
Thank you welcome to our world.. we all get lost here and that is part of the fun as long as we all enjoy ourselves.
Hollis no worry we all learning here and everywhere this is the fun of modern technology getting lost and reappearing. No need to apologise and thanks for being around.


text:
Man burned to death for being gay in Uganda
An angry mob in Uganda burned a man alive for allegedly being gay. The incident occurred in December, but has been brought to light due to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signing a controversial anti-gay bill into law.
From Ynaija:
…the latest photo to make social media rounds, this time first appearing on imgur of that of what the posting individual has termed gay person burned alive by anti gay mob in Uganda. The harrowing image involves that of an individual, one assumes a gay person who has literally been burned alive. How or why the circumstances have come to be are not known.
As the deceased lies forlorn near railway tracks, onlookers, including children look on, one imagines resigned, elated that yet another individual has been 'appropriately punished' for having gone against the grain of society.
Read more at Ynaija
The image follows the release of a video showing two gay men beaten to death by an angry mob with planks of wood. In the video, police were seen standing with the crowd as the act occurred.
Uganda's anti-gay bill makes homosexual acts punishable by life in prison.
Are you shocked by the level of hate and cruelty people have against those who are gay?
Should the U.S. and other countries intervene?
alive, Anti-Gay, burned, death, homosexuality, law, man, Uganda


It is a major discount for the salary-cap challenged Hawks as they were able to add a top Cheap NBA Jerseys four defenseman – something they sorely NFL Jerseys Wholesale lacked during the 2015 – on the cheap.
squad that compete the 2016 World Cup NFL Jerseys Wholesale of Hockey at the end of the , and barring any significant changes to the Winnipeg roster, the eight-year veteran figures to be a leading candidate to be the second captain Jets 2 history.
a report on Saturday, October 22nd.
NFL Jerseys Wholesale In fact, there appeared to be more spin on his delivery on his last couple of strikes–perhaps rearing back for something extra?
During that stretch, Martellus caught 15 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown.
He followed that by scoring his first run to give Pittsburgh a 1 lead.
They began their married life Mineral Wells, Texas while stationed at the air base.
Portions of this information are based on facts provided by the arrested individuals.
Cut at the beginning of the 1970 and 12 seasons after his first retirement, Blanda went on insane five-week run Wholesale Jerseys Paypal Cheap NFL Jerseys Paypal where he either replaced Raiders quarterback Daryle LaMonica to lead the Raiders to a comeback victory or Cheap Jerseys Online kicked a winning or tying field goal.
Assuming that Wholesale Jerseys Paypal Gresham does sign with another David Savard Authentic Jersey team there might be opportunity to sell high on Eifert.
At Miami, Hargreaves helped mold , , , Rocky McIntosh and Nate Webster into NFL linebackers.
Previously, http://www.officialbillslockerroom.com/elite-thurman-thomas-jersey served as Vice President of Strategy & Consulting at Keystone Solutions, where he drove overall analytic & optimization strategy, process, and organization.
Obviously we http://www.predatorshockeyshop.com/adidas-craig-smith-jersey have done some really good things, we have 10 wins.
I Womens Kareem Hunt Jersey have no pain at the moment.
I think fighting always be part of the game.
Steve Barber and Fisher, also signed 1957, would combine for more than 200 league wins.
He looks like a pretty good one coming up.
The police report states that Pettigrew shoved each of his companions several times, and after Pettigrew pushed his companions for a third time, officers intervened.
All that from a who didn't receive a single scholarship offer from a Division I school despite having great size.
It's the 10 percent that worries about.
• Today, being the day after, I planned getting the largest core group the day off, Banister said.
I wish it would have happened a few weeks earlier, just he could have had Cheap NFL Jerseys Paypal more weeks to bank on that.
made four All- teams his first five seasons Cincinnati, starting the game centerfield 1954 and '56, and drawing some down-ballot MVP votes for his first with the Reds which he hit .300 .525 with 30 home runs and 105 RBIs.
He has some experience facing the Orioles as a relief pitcher posting 8 three appearances.
Although the employee or contractor have expressed personal views on the and strategies Womens Chris Archer Jersey in content contained herein, they do Cheap NBA Jerseys not necessarily reflect the view of FAM or the daily fantasy sports partner being promoted.
Gerbe signed up with New on a one-way deal in the offseason, but couldn't find his way into a fourth-line slot on the NHL roster.
It's a blast from the past multiple ways, from the hair to the uniforms to the pants Wake Me Up Before You Go Go Zorn & Careless Whisper Largent lit up AFC while workin as Wham!
I have tons of respect for some of these guys.
Analysis: Bochy was booed when Wholesale Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Paypal Paypal he went to the mound to bring Casilla into the game, and booed louder when he had to go back and pull him two batters later.
Elijah Shumate out of Notre Dame and from South Cheap http://www.authenticclippersshop.com/authentic-6-deandre-jordan-jersey.html Jerseys Online were undrafted rookies.
, obviously it's cool Andrew Desjardins Authentic Jersey and it's honor, but we know we have a way to go–keep getting better each week.
I'd like to get to Alabama and Auburn as http://www.footballseahawksproonline.com/Germain-Ifedi-Jersey as possible, too.
Breslow graduated with degrees molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale 2002, and has been given the nickname The Smartest Man Baseball.
He would be asked to explain this attitude to the Olympic team before they set out for Los 1984.
Regardless, the fact of the matter is that it's not necessarily Kilpatrick, which is what everyone seems to believe.
Rhodes matched up with throughout the majority of their first meeting this Cheap Jerseys Online year, and caught just three of Cheap NBA Jerseys seven targets for 52 yards.
Until there is absolutely anything whatsoever to corroborate anonymous reports that he was dealing with headaches , then that story should not be taken seriously.
Authors' views are formulated independently from any inside knowledge and or conversations with Ravens officials, including the coaches and scouts, unless otherwise noted.


text:
The Former Clintonite Trying to Build the Country's Most Controversial Mine
As part of the Clinton Administration, Tom Collier brokered deals to protect wildlife and curb pollution. Now he wants to unearth a mother lode of precious minerals worth billions—but at what cost?Joshua Corbett
by Michael R. Shea
TOM COLLIER IS BUCKLED INTO THE BACK of a six-seat AS350 Helicopter, racing over the lowland bluffs of southwest Alaska. Clad in a black Helly Hansen jacket and baseball hat bearing the word Pebble, he doesn't exactly look at ease, though he'll later claim otherwise. When the chopper banks south, he reaches awkwardly for the ceiling, desperate for something to grab.
Soon we pass over the Newhalen River, a rushing white torrent, then cut into the rolling hills of the Nushagak and Kvichak river drainages. The two waterways are among the wildest left in the United States, and their watersheds form a sea of tundra sedge and skinny water that produces about half of the sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay, Alaska. It's one of the few intact, fully functioning salmon ecosystems left on Earth, and Collier, chief executive of the Pebble Partnership, has ambitious plans for the area's future: to dig a mine that's deeper than the Empire State Building is tall.
In 2014, the Pebble Partnership enlisted Collier to drag the so-called Pebble Mine across the finish line. Set in the headwaters of Bristol Bay, the proposed site sits atop the largest-known undeveloped deposit of copper and gold in the world—a mother lode that could be worth some $40 billion over the project's 20-year duration. The minerals are the sort that keeps modern life from grinding to a halt; they'll end up in iPhones and electric cars, wind turbines and wristwatches. With a draft environmental-impact statement for the project's Clean Water Act permit due in January, Collier is just a stride or two away from accomplishing his goal of unearthing this fortune and ending one of the most contentious environmental sagas of the past quarter century.
That the mine has reached this point is largely to Collier's credit. In just a few short years, he has managed to take a project that many considered dead and resurrect it through canny politicking, legal maneuvering, and his overseeing a mine redesign that he says addresses the many environmental concerns leveled against it.
The proposed site of the Pebble Mine, where $300 billion worth of minerals lie. Joshua Corbett
But local tribes; commercial, recreational, and subsistence fishermen; and dozens of highly vocal environmental groups doubt almost everything about Collier's plan. For nearly two decades, they've argued that the mine would spell death to the sockeye salmon—62 million of which migrated back to Bristol Bay in 2018, making it the world's largest red salmon run—and destroy a rural Alaskan way of life. They're concerned about how much water the mine will draw from nearby creeks; the possibility of polluted water being pumped into area rivers; the effects of the mine's sprawling infrastructure; and the possibility that the project could clear a way for more mines to be built across the region.
"Wrong mine, wrong place," says Brian Kraft, a fly-fishing guide and owner of Alaska Sportsman Lodge, on the Kvichak River. Man and salmon coexist in Bristol Bay, even with a substantial commercial-fishing industry. "But you start chipping away at the environment," he says, "with a scratch here, a nick there, and it turns into a death by a thousand cuts. Pebble will bring that. The whole ecosystem could collapse.
Collier, a stocky guy of 67, dismisses such concerns. Which is somewhat surprising, given that, in the 1990s, he served as chief of staff to Bruce Babbitt, interior secretary under President Bill Clinton. "Look," Collier said wearily before our helicopter ride, lifting his tan Wayfarers and rubbing his eyes, "you don't invest nearly a billion dollars in a project if there's a risk you're wrong about the fundamental science." He compares people who are worried about the fishery to flat-earthers and schizophrenics; though mining has a poor environmental track record, he insists that Pebble Mine will be different. Fearing for the salmon of Bristol Bay is "like worrying an asteroid is going to hit Earth," he adds. "It has no basis in reality."
Fishing guide Brian Kraft. Joshua Corbett
He's so confident in this view that he agreed to debate the issue with Kraft, who for years has been one of the most vocal critics of Pebble Mine and a foil to Collier. The two men, at my request, will tour the mine site together, then spend a day fishing, to hash out their opposing views—and that's what we're headed to do right now.
The helicopter zips over the flat, water-logged landscape. There are no mountains within view, none of the snowcapped peaks that Alaska typically calls to mind—only a dense carpet of sedge and dwarf shrubs, wildflowers and moss. With winter coming, the landscape rolls on in shades of gold and copper, hinting at the treasure buried below.
THE CHOPPER SWINGS south and makes a detour to Frying Pan Lake. We touch down near the shore, not far from where Kraft is waiting in his Cessna 206 floatplane. A former professional hockey player, Kraft is wide-shouldered and fit at 52, with a face scarred from a near-fatal bush-plane crash. By his own account, he "threw the first punch" in the fight against Pebble Mine, having worked to rally commercial fishermen, environmentalists, native villages, and sportsmen against the project since 2005. For years, you couldn't visit a fly shop in the Lower 48 without finding an anti–Pebble Mine sticker, largely thanks to his efforts.
Kraft wades over to the chopper, and introductions are short, with a scramble of handshakes between him and Collier, then between him and the pilot, Pebble's PR man, a photographer, and me. I half expect some kind of standoff between Kraft and Collier, but instead, their meeting resembles a tense business deal: the two sides civil but guarded, neither wanting to give any ground.
A sockeye salmon comes to net. Joshua Corbett
Once Kraft changes into cowboy boots and loads up, we're airborne again, swinging over the lake, and a mere 90 seconds later we land at what the Pebble folks call the Overlook, a 1,700-foot-tall hill and the highest spot on the known deposit.
We climb out of the chopper onto an expanse so vast that all sense of scale is lost: open, slow-rolling country in every direction, broken only by thumbprints of standing water, seeps, and streams that look like pale cursive script against the amber and crimson grasses. The Pebble Partnership owns 414 square miles of mining claims in the region—all of it on Alaska state land—and we're standing right where its enormous pit might soon be.
Each year, the site is expected to produce 318 million pounds of copper, 23,000 pounds of gold, and 100,000 pounds of silver. "We're coming in and dealing with the easiest deposit to get," Collier says, motioning toward our feet and the earth beneath. "We can mine this by moving very little material, with a very small footprint."
As we talk, Collier and Kraft are polite, maybe a little awkward. But later, in follow-up interviews, when they address opposing arguments, one word will come up over and over: Bullshit. Not salmon. Not gold. Bullshit. Bullshit! BULLSHIT!
It's not terribly surprising that Kraft, as a fishing guide and longtime Bristol Bay resident, has ended up in the middle of this argument. Collier, on the other hand, took a highly unlikely route to his role as head of the Pebble Partnership and to finding himself here this September morning, having this debate.
Born in Mississippi, he went to high school in Memphis, then, for undergrad, to the University of Virginia, where he served as student body president. On his left hand, he still wears a silver ring, emblazoned with a black Z, for the Z Society—"a silly college club," he says, but it's UVA's oldest secret society; several top government officials are rumored to have been members.
For law school, he attended the University of Mississippi. He originally hoped to become a civil-rights attorney, but after graduation, he instead clerked for a federal judge, then joined the white-shoe firm Steptoe & Johnson in Washington, D.C. It was there, while working on a case for Motorola in Arizona, that he befriended Bruce Babbitt, the state's Democratic governor. And when Clinton appointed Babbitt as interior secretary, in 1993, Collier agreed to come aboard as his number two.
Environmentalists generally remember Clinton's Interior Department favorably, and Collier played a key role at the agency, brokering deals on pollution in the Everglades and on protecting the threatened northern spotted owl in the Pacific Northwest. Babbitt called the shots, while Collier was the "trains-run-on-time guy," making sure policy was implemented. "It was a fascinating time and an exciting time," Collier recalls.
Brown bears at Katmai National Park. Joshua Corbett
Jim Baca, a director of the Bureau of Land Management under Babbitt, remembers Collier as attentive, focused, hardworking—the consummate Washington professional. Nonetheless, Baca says, Collier always stood apart, as more dealmaker than true believer. "The general feeling was he wasn't on the same agenda as the other appointees on environmental protection," Baca says. (When asked about the mine, Baca says, "It's a crime against humanity.")
During his tenure at Interior, Collier worked closely with Babbitt and also with Vice President Al Gore. Somewhat unexpectedly, Collier credits these two environmental stalwarts—Babbitt has publicly opposed the mine—for teaching him lessons that he has used to usher forward the Pebble project. For one, "the notion that you need to choose environmental protection or resource development is false," Collier says. "They can coexist." A balance can be struck with good science, he says.
I ask Collier about the fact that many of his former Interior colleagues—particularly Babbitt, with whom he remains friends—have come out against the Pebble Mine. "The Bruce Babbitt I know was almost always right," Collier says, "but when he was wrong, he was really wrong." (Neither Babbitt nor Gore responded to interview requests.)
When Collier left the Interior Department, in 1995, he returned to Steptoe, where he worked with cell-phone companies when worries emerged that the devices could cause brain cancer; he also aided Kellogg's when public pressure urged the company to reduce the amount of sugar in kids' cereal. The biggest departure from his Interior days came in the early aughts, when he began working with British Columbia–based Northern Dynasty Minerals—the Pebble Partnership's parent company—as outside counsel. Some years later, when he was asked to find a new chief executive for the firm, he recommended himself. According to one of his professional biographies, he specializes in "bringing adversaries together to resolve their differences," which is exactly what the job called for.
But shortly after Collier assumed the role, in 2014, the Pebble Mine conflict—already a decade old—seemed just about resolved. Upon completing a three-year, twice-peer-reviewed study of the project, the Environmental Protection Agency, under the Obama administration, proposed restrictions on the mine's Clean Water Act permit, citing concerns about water pollution and harm to salmon habitat. The move effectively put the kibosh on the mine. Then came the 2016 election, and suddenly everything changed.
AlexAnna Salmon, a local opposed to Pebble. Joshua Corbett
Opponents of the project now worry that the Army Corps of Engineers, which is conducting the draft environmental-impact statement due in January, is rushing to green light the Pebble project and thus take a critical first step in turning the headwaters of Bristol Bay into an expansive development district, echoing how the Prudhoe Bay oil field opened Alaska's North Slope to oil extraction. Standing toe-to-toe at the mine site, Kraft tells Collier as much. He's concerned that the expansive infrastructure of roads and ports that the mine requires will make it easier and more cost-effective for future projects to break new ground.
But Collier isn't having it. "Today, we're permitting this," he says, motioning at the ground beneath our feet. "We don't have any plans to do anything else." In 20 years, if someone "wants to do this," he adds, waving his hands. "they have to start over in permitting," and the permit won't be approved if the environment can't handle the burden.
He doesn't mention, however, that Pebble's 20-year plan would leave almost 90 percent of the deposit's $300 billion total worth of gold, copper, and other valuable minerals sitting in the ground—basically begging to be dug up once the project gets underway. Dennis McLerran, President Obama's Region 10 EPA administrator who oversaw the 2014 report on mining in Bristol Bay, says it's typically much easier for a project to have an additional phase permitted once it is already up and running. What Collier is doing, McLerran says, "is playing the permit game."
"The general feeling was Collier wasn't on the same agenda as the other appointees on environmental protection."
AT THE OVERLOOK, the fog gives way to rain, and, with our hoods pulled tight, we separate to snap some photos. It's hard to imagine anything industrial in this wild country, yet it's also no Brooks Falls, famous for its brown bears catching leaping salmon. Collier claims that there's been a lot of "picture propaganda" concerning the mine, with environmental groups using emotion to trump science. For starters, he says, by his math, if the mine is built and the worst-case scenario occurs—say, an earthquake or human error causes a dam holding back mining waste to fail—only a couple of thousand fish would die.
Kraft finds this laughable. As we survey the site, he points toward Frying Pan Lake, about a mile to the south. "Prime salmon habitat," he says. Then he motions west, to Upper Talarik Creek and beyond to the drainage of the South Fork of the Koktuli River. More prime salmon habitat, every bit of it. "It all connects," Kraft says. "It's all intertwined." Bears, caribou, eagles, moose, wolves, and subarctic vegetation would all suffer from a mining disaster here.
He brings up the Mount Polley Mine accident in British Columbia, where a dam failure in 2014 sent some 6.6 billion gallons of mine waste and water rushing into nearby Polley Lake and Quesnel Lake, resulting in short-term increased levels of arsenic and copper in the water system. Mines in Brazil, Chile, China, Mexico, and Peru, as well as in the U.S., have experienced similar disasters; biologists speculate that one here would be impossible to contain—and could jeopardize not only the countless creeks and tributaries that tie in to the water table but also the 12,000 commercial fishing and processing jobs that Bristol Bay supports.
To Collier, this is just more bullshit. If disaster strikes, he says, only 30 miles of river would be affected. Besides, "this is the fourth year since Mount Polley," he says. "They've had one of the biggest salmon runs in history right up the river to Mount Polley."
A handmade anti-Pebble sign in Bristol Bay. Joshua Corbett
Kraft isn't put at ease. Every time there's a mining disaster, executives promise "Well, we're going to learn from that," he says, but dams that hold back toxic mining waste keep failing. He's also concerned that the mine will require a gas-fired power plant large enough to power some 200,000 homes; it will connect to a 188-mile natural-gas pipeline and an 83-mile transportation corridor by land and lake—none of which he thinks bodes well for fish.
The Pebble site is also exceedingly wet. Water will need to be pumped from the pit, treated, discharged into holding ponds, and then funneled back into the Koktuli River. "You can't take tons of water out of three creeks, move it around, treat it, and not fundamentally change the chemistry," Sarah O'Neal, an independent salmon ecologist, tells me. "It will drastically affect fish, and the little critters they eat."
"Bullshit," Collier says, once more, later in response. He claims that the water-treatment process is so good that the company will have to "dirty it up" to match the river; besides, the discharges will be governed by Alaska's state water-quality standards.
Again, Kraft doesn't buy it. He's doubtful whether state water standards are strict enough to protect salmon, and he's skeptical of the permitting process in the first place—especially when a project like the Donlin Gold Mine, about 150 miles northwest of Pebble, is being allowed to destroy salmon-bearing streams. "That's standard operating procedure," he says.
Standing above this mineral-rich wetland, shivering in the wind, Kraft and Collier soon launch into a nitty-gritty disagreement about what the EPA in 2014 deemed an appropriate-size footprint for the mine. Collier wants to know the reason the agency can't definitively tell him why a 5.5-square-mile mine footprint is not acceptable but a 4.5-square-mile one is. "That's what science is!" he says, fired up: To know why one is acceptable and one isn't.
"I would prefer zero square miles, personally," Kraft says.
The conversation illustrates a central difficulty with the Pebble Mine debate: Both sides are so dug in, so determined, that they can't agree on even the most basic facts. All science is suspect, all narrators unreliable. Collier and his cohort allege, for starters, that the Obama administration was biased with its 2014 EPA study (a federal inspector general has found to the contrary), and the anti-mine contingency now makes similar claims about the Trump administration. Discussions between the factions tend to break down quickly, as this one does between Kraft and Collier.
The EPA's guidelines, Collier tells Kraft, were "pulled out of thin air," and its environmental standards "don't exist anywhere in the world." Kraft hits back: "Bristol Bay doesn't exist anywhere else in the world!"
"The world has many pristine places," Collier says.
Dark clouds soon roll toward us, and the rain turns relentless. The chopper pilot tells us that we need to go, and no one argues with him. Out here, the weather is the only absolute.
"You can't take tons of water out of three creeks, move it around, treat it, and not fundamentally change the chemistry."
A LARGE PART of Collier's pitch to Alaskans relies on downplaying the inherent risks of building the mine and emphasizing the economic benefits for native villages, including Iliamna (population: 109), just outside the deposit, on the northeast edge of the Bristol Bay watershed.
More than a decade ago, when Pebble began exploratory work at the deposit, most of Bristol Bay's tribal groups came out against the mine, or refused to take a side. But village leader Lisa Reimers and her family decided to work with the company. "We saw it coming and wanted a seat at the table," Reimers tells me when I visit the village later that day. "There's no such thing as a 100 percent traditional lifestyle anymore. We had to find a way to survive out here so our village doesn't die."
The village experienced a few boom years, but work slowed to a halt in 2014, when the future of the mine became uncertain. Iliamna, like many rural Alaska communities, is hamstrung by poverty, rampant substance abuse, domestic violence, gambling—problems villagers hope mine money will solve. After all, the project could bring 2,000 construction jobs over five years—with as many as possible filled by locals, Collier has pledged—and it could sustain as many as 1,000 six-figure incomes locally for 20 years or more—and Iliamna, for one, has no other industry to speak of.
Later, standing by Iliamna Lake—a vast sockeye nursery that drains into Bristol Bay—Reimers seems annoyed when I ask about what if the Pebble guys are wrong, what if the mine harms the salmon or the lake? Salmon are essential to her people she says, but "salmon don't pay the bills here. Mines can, and they don't risk the salmon."
If Iliamna suggests that the mine can save indigenous villages, Igiugig, on the other side of Iliamna Lake, highlights a different route. The village has found prosperity through rugged, environmentally savvy self-sufficiency. "If you want a job in Igiugig, we'll find you a job," Christina Salmon, a tribal leader, tells me when I visit the next day. The village runs a construction company and generates power through wind and water turbines. It has a fully staffed tribal office, a maintenance crew, social services programs, and a library with two full-time librarians. Locals ship in supplies and fuel for fishing lodges and rent rooms and boats to DIY fishermen.
"We're not anti-mining," Salmon explains. She waves her diamond ring as proof. "I'm anti-irresponsible mining. This isn't hard-rock mining; it's mining swamps and tundra." Iliamna had mining work 10 years ago, she says. Look where it got them. She contends that, without a strong community infrastructure, windfall money like what Pebble could bring will only exacerbate their struggles. "I'm not saying rural villages don't need something," she says, "but it doesn't have to be Pebble."
AFTER TOURING THE MINE site, I stay the night in Iliamna, at one of Pebble's camps, with Collier. We eat bite-size Hershey bars, talk politics, and heat up a frozen lasagna for dinner. Though fiery when pushed, he's charming, crackling smart, well-read (he just finished Anna Karenina), and hard to dislike, even if you disagree with his agenda.
Christina Salmon's sister, AlexAnna, opposes the mine but sits on a Pebble Partnership advisory board. "Tom is a good man; his law firm has done good work," she tells me. But he's dead wrong, she says, about the potential effects of the mine—not just on the fishery but also on water quality, on ancestral hunting and foraging grounds, on a rural subsistence way of life.
As we eat, Collier clarifies his quip about people with concerns over the mine being akin to flat-earthers. He's sympathetic to their feelings, he says, but feelings aren't facts. "We're getting our permit," he says flatly, "and inevitably we'll be sued." No matter the federal district-court ruling, the case will be appealed to the Ninth Circuit, "the greenest court of appeals in the country," he says, "and we'll win." The decision won't be based on salmon or water or preserving a native Alaskan way of life, he adds, but on the thoroughness of the permit process—a game he's spent a lifetime playing.
Why not let the people of Alaska decide the mine's fate with a simple up-or-down vote and avoid the hassle? He waves off the idea, then gets animated when I persist. "This isn't a popularity contest!" he hollers. "That's not how America works!"
Kraft helps Collier unhook a sockeye salmon during a day of fishing on the Kvichak River, a waterway downstream from the proposed Pebble Mine. Joshua Corbett
TOM COLLIER LOOKS anxious again. We're at Brian Kraft's lodge, on the Kvichak River, suiting up for a day of fly-fishing. When I ask whether he's OK, he ignores the question. Or maybe he doesn't hear me. Kraft joins us, and we pile into a drift boat and set off, for more debate and to catch some fish. A couple of miles downstream, the river opens to a series of braids—stretching, expanding, and changing the way only wild rivers do. Schools of red torpedoes rise in the water: Sockeye salmon, returning to the streams of their births to spawn and die. Nitrogen from their bodies is in the grass, the shrubs, the trees. When their eggs hatch in the spring, the cycle will begin anew.
As we float, Collier and Kraft settle into fishing. Everyone's blood pressure drops a few points, aided by the river and the morning sun. This stretch of the Kvichak River, fed by Iliamna Lake and connected to the Pebble Mine site, is renowned for its 30-inch rainbow trout, fat from trailing the dying sockeye and feeding on their eggs. Earlier, Collier told me about how much he likes to fish. Watching his cast, I smile. Back at the dock, Kraft had to help him put on waders. But he's starting to get it now, with some help from Kraft.
Collier soon hooks a sockeye—a hook-jawed zombie—and Kraft nets it at the boat; a rainbow trout soon follows. As we drift, the pair finds common ground talking about their significant others—a girlfriend and a wife, respectively. "They keep you young," Collier says.
Spoiling the tranquility, I ask Collier if anything could stop the mine. "We have almost $1 billion in it," he says. So, no. "The value is too great." Perhaps the only thing that could halt development, he says, is a drop in copper prices. "They could discover a new deposit in Africa or someplace hungry for the work."
He claims that the opposition to Pebble Mine is largely a case of NIMBYism—Not in My Backyard. He knows that lodge owners, like Kraft, stand to lose the most if a mine goes in; after all, they're selling fishing trips—but more so a chance to experience unexploited, untampered wilderness. Which is why, Collier says, they've fiercely opposed the project; he reduces their advocacy to naked self-interest. But, to be sure, Collier also has a financial stake riding on the mine's outcome: A $12.5 million bonus awaits him if he can get the mine's Clean Water Act permit within four years of filing. Yet money seems to drive neither man.
Kraft has a real affection for Alaska; it's where he's lived for 34 years—going to school, starting a business, raising a family. Collier, meanwhile, has an attorney's zeal for winning. During our time together, he says again and again that he wants to prove that mining and the environment can coexist. That seems to be his chief motivation: to prove the point. If he's successful, and correct that the mine won't wreck the fishery, he'll go down in the history books with a huge W next to his name. "If he gets that line in the history books," Kraft says, "the next line will read, Brian Kraft failed."
The day ends abruptly. After lunch, one of Kraft's guides ferries Collier upriver to Igiugig for a flight back to the paved world. The plan was for Collier to stay through dinner, but Kraft suggested that he leave early. "In all honesty, until 2 p.m. was about all I could take," Kraft says. "I have employees who are passionate about this effort. It's hard for me to have him here."
Neither Kraft nor Collier, during their time together, got any closer to a compromise or to conceding each other's point. In fact, the encounter may have widened the divide. Collier mentioned that he wanted to return to the lodge with his girlfriend. "I wouldn't accept that booking," Kraft tells me. One of his employees suggests that instead of shaking Collier's hand at their first meeting, he should have punched him in the nose.
A few days after our fishing trip, I call Collier. Unless the mine is built, it'll remain unclear whether he or Kraft is right about whether it'll threaten the Bristol Bay fishery. What's certain, though, is that scores of similar projects have proved disastrous for fish and wildlife—in continental Europe and the British Isles; in Appalachia and out west; in the Columbia, Sacramento, and Fraser watersheds. When I ask Collier one more time about the ecological harm mines have had on these areas and others, he attributes the damages, in the Pacific Northwest anyway, not to mines but to damming, dredging, and timber harvest.
The Pebble Mine, Collier insists, will be different. The question is whether we—and the federal government—should believe him. ♦
This story appears in the January 2019 print issue, with the headline "Gold Digger."
How a Shark Epidemic Is Changing Surfing and Community on Cape Cod
The Investment Banker Who Became the New King of Weed
The Revival of Black Cowboy Culture
The Best Men's Journal Stories of the Decade
In Defense of Traffic Jams: Finding Peace in Commuting Chaos
Patagonia CEO: Congress Needs to Fire William Perry Pendley From the BLM
More from Features
Aaron Paul Is Finally Breaking Big
Aaron Paul, the 31 Greatest Trips in the World, and More: Inside Our January Issue
Michelin-Starred Chef George Mendes on Finding a Healthier Buzz


I'm glad your team won and I'm glad that Your Majesty won too. Bring on the treats.
Yay for Paddy for the win :-) He sure deserves snacks!
I don't think cats really care about glory but they DO care about food !
Hey, a quarter's not bad... unless it was a quarter of a can of food, of course.
Good job Paddy - I think glory AND treats are appropriate you cute cat!
Yeah Paddy!! A true Champion!
I used to always be on a "Square" when I worked and it always made the game so much more fun...especially when I won!
How funny! We trust the winner got a special treat or nine!
That should buy lots of treats for you Paddy.
We're with POM. Snacks should be involved!


Stay ahead of the current trend just by stepping out in this maroon colored half & half saree showcased by Prachi Desai. The saree is made out of georgette fabric with printed and embroidered lace work which not only looks good but it's also comfortable to wear all day long. Saree comes along with unstitched georgette blouse piece with stone work which can be stitched as shown or as per your requirement. It's a perfect saree to wear for kitty parties, casual outing and weekend get together. Team it with beautiful accessories and heels to make your looks more beautiful.


Since 1971, the Agapè Centre has evolved as an organization by including a Soup Kitchen and developing its own social enterprise – New for You Thrift Store. The Agapè Centre was established out of meeting a need in the community of Cornwall and stands on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights statement that 'the right to food is a human right'. In the last year, regulations for delivering some services have changed. The process has been streamlined, easing access to those in need of food bank services.
For more information on the services offered by the Agapè Centre, visit our website at www.agapecentre.ca.


The Great British Bake Off has become a much anticipated feature of autumn viewing in the UK. Along with its many international spin-offs - such as Bake off Brazil, The Best Baker (France), Bake Off Italia - there seems to be a huge appetite for the technical bakes and showstoppers. I think that part of the enduring appeal of the BBC's GBBO is that it's good clean fun – just like this latest fun Type table, which links a bake to each MBTI personality type.
Don't expect your Type's cake to be your favourite baking indulgence. I've simply identified an aspect of 16 different cakes and bakes that seem to me to capture something of the essence of each Type. My aim is that this Type table will create a little light food for thought.


This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 20th, 2016 at 4:16 pm	and is filed under Chicks, News & Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.


DYNAGEN brings unique functionality and distinctive styling separates your equipment form your competition. Whether it is a standard product or a customized power control solution Dynagen controls will give a competitive edge over your competitors.
Polar Industrial Services is pleased to announce they are the new distributor for Dynagen power controls in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The Addition of Dynagen to Polar extensive line up will allow them to produce equipment that will give you a competitive, labor savings advantage over your competition. Having supplied controllers to the US Army and NASA Dynagen can provide innovation and engineering excellence to all you power control needs.


Pre lit gold glitter paper twig tree warm is one images from 21 best twig christmas trees uk of Fight for Life photos gallery. This image has dimension 600x600 Pixel and File Size 136 KB, you can click the image above to see the large or full size photo. Previous photo in the gallery is premier cherry led twig tree gardensite. For next photo in the gallery is led light white birch twig tree indoor outdoor. You are viewing image #6 of 21, you can see the complete gallery at the bottom below.


"Sticky Chicken" is the MVP of the Make Now & Eat Later diet. This chicken serves as the main protein source for both lunch and dinner.
I admit it is a bit of an exaggeration to suggest that you will never want to eat another chicken (or beef or pork or seafood) recipe in your life. However, I think I can safely say that this chicken recipe holds up to some serious repeat eating. Just how much?
According to my calculations, my boyfriend Kosuke has eaten 1,040 meals of sticky chicken. And counting! He started making it in the spring of 2014.
We never seem to get tired of this chicken. Together we have eaten almost 1500 meals of sticky chicken.
The current iteration of the MN&EL diet started in September 2015 and uses this chicken at both lunch and dinner. Before that, I was cooking a variety of protein dishes and vegetables, which I would designate as either "lunch" foods or "dinner" foods. Then last year, I decided to cook my way through my new Japanese salad cookbook, in order to prepare for the Japanese vegetable sommelier license exam. Since I knew I would already be making many new recipes each week, I wanted to simplify the protein option.
And what better choice than "Sticky Chicken"!!
Kosuke was already the master of making this recipe (although he claims he is still perfecting his technique!!). Ha. I will not point out that he has made the recipe over 100 times. Honestly what is left to perfect? Also and more importantly, he was still enjoying this chicken years later, which was a major plus for a recipe we planned to eat twice a day for months and months and months. And it is really easy to make.
Super easy! This is all you need (plus chicken of course).
This recipe is perfect for the MN&EL diet.
It requires very few "special ingredients." We can use whatever we normally have in our cupboards.
It tastes good cold, hot, or even room temperature (which is great if you are packing a lunch and don't have access to a microwave).
It has a wonderful flavor of its own but it doesn't compete with the salads. Since it is cooked in a soy sauce based marinade, it actually goes well with the Japanese flavors in the veggie side salads.
It is super quick to prepare!
Another plus for me is that eating this chicken twice a day reminds me of being a kid. My mom cut the original "Sticky Chicken" recipe from the newspaper back when I was in elementary school. She used to make it during the summer with bone-in chicken drumsticks, and my fingers would get all sticky eating the chicken (hence the name, I suppose). So yummy!!
I tried to find the original recipe online to credit the author but could not. So I want to be sure to say that this recipe is definitely not mine! Instead, I give my sincere thanks to the recipe's creator. Whoever you are, did you imagine that your single recipe would feed two people for life?
Now without further ado, here is the last chicken recipe you will ever need.
Note: Kosuke and I make about 20 servings of chicken per week, assuming that one piece of chicken = 1 serving. It is a somewhat crazy looking amount of chicken, and I would recommend buying a large Pyrex pan (or two) if you plan to cook this much. Of course, feel free to scale back the amount of chicken if you like.
Arrange the chicken in a foil-lined glass baking dish. Mix the sauce ingredients together. Pour the marinade over the chicken. Cook for about 1 hour at 375 degrees (flipping the chicken halfway through).
Eat warm. Or if you are storing it for the MN&EL diet, let cool in the sauce and then transfer to a container.
A few handy tools to have. Kosuke swears by his garlic crusher (the silver tool in the front). Click over to "Listen in here" and you can hear him playing with his garlic crusher for the first time!
What to do with all the sauce?
The sauce alone is quite scrumptious!
My former roommate, who was studying to be a chef, loved this sauce. We saved it for him every week. He had jars and jars of it by the end. You can cook other meats in it, or simmer it and use for sauce or dressing. You can also just throw it away, since you'll be making another big batch the following week anyway!


When my younger sister dropped a glass bottle and broke a new flower pot, I tried to fix them.
Before getting ready to make a new flower pot I tried to draw out my ideas. After the first drawing, I continued to draw more. This is the result after a whole weekend.