Learnin' 'bout chile peppers

I have recently had the opportunity to learn more about peppers, since people have been giving me peppers from their gardens and I've been getting peppers from the CSA. After a look at a nice, organized website that gave me a good idea of what I'm working with, now I know what recipes to research. I apparently have some habanero peppers, some Anaheims, and some "goat" anaheims.

The website is called Chester's Chiles, and whoever made the site is clearly obsessed with peppers...which I happen to respect. There are worse things to be obsessed with. You can try to identify your own chiles at their site. It's a very helpful website for the nacent gardener/chile aficionado.

Vegan Zucchini Bread!

I just made some vegan zucchini bread for the first time this week. I'm pretty pleased with how it came out. I based my recipe on one that I found on a blog (Rain Rain Go Away). I modified the sugar content and a few of the ingredients. Also, my recipe was mostly zucchini with just one yellow squash, whereas Rain Rain's recipe had all kinda squash up in there. The result of my efforts was a spicy, moist, cake-y bread with lots of flavor! Here's the recipe, in case y'all are interested:

Dry ingredients:

* 3 c. all-purpose flour
* 2 tsp. cinnamon
* 2 tsp. baking soda
* 1 tsp. baking powder
* 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
* 1/2 tsp. salt

Wet Ingredients:

* 2 c. coarsely grated summer squash
* 1/2 c. canola oil
* 1 1/2 c. honey* or maple syrup
* zest of 1 lime

Mix all dry ingredients together. Set aside. Mix all wet ingredients together. Add dry ingredients. Spoon into bread tin or muffin cups and bake at 375ºF according to which baking tin you used (see below), or until bread turns a deep, delicious, autumnal golden brown.

MUFFINS: ~ 15 minutes
MINI LOAVES: ~ 20 minutes
REGULAR LOAVES: ~ 35 minutes
MINI MUFFINS: ~ 12 minutes

I believe this bread would taste fantastic with raisins in it. You could alter this into carrot cake by reducing the amount of squash and substituting it for grated carrots (add a little extra grated carrot for good measure).

* I realize that honey is not vegan, but it's just so damn delicious. I usually get local honey from Shepherdsville or Shelbyville.

Arrested Development is my friend

This is a fantastically funny episode.

Never-nudes!

Thomas loves me...

my wife is like a
pot of water on
slow boil
bubbles dancing
in her eyes
heat shimmering
from her fingertips

Checking it off the list

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

I have been really inefficient this month. I haven't gotten hardly anything done that I intended to do; but I am finally coming out of my vacational lethargy to check some things of the long-awaited "to do" list. For example, I'm going through a big stack of stuffs that I've been reshuffling for over two years, meaning to "get to it" in that long time. So I'm dealing with the pile; I'm recycling things, sending letters, filing and sifting. It's satisfying. In my checking off of the list, I came across a folder full of half-written letters to my best friend, Elizabeth. Among the things I've been meaning to send to her is a little bookmark from Oprah magazine (that she probably already has, but I still want to give it to her). The quote on it is such a lovely thought, I wanted to share it here:

"I...always imagined Paradise to be a sort of library." - Jorge Luis Borges

Is there any felicity in the world superior to a library? I believe not. (And Elizabeth: there's a preview of all the stuff now on its way!)

"Whites-only" pool in 2009? FUCK THAT.

I received this email (see below) from the Color of Change.org website. Please take action and contact the Justice Dept. so that legal action can be taken against the swim club. This is a blatant violation of civil rights. Watch the original news story here.
TEXT OF EMAIL:
Two weeks ago outside Philadelphia, 65 children from a summer camp tried to go swimming at a club that their camp had a contract to use. Apparently, the people at the club didn't know that the group of kids was predominantly Black.

When the campers entered the pool, White parents allegedly took their kids out of the water, and the swimming club's staff asked the campers to leave. The next day, the club told the summer camp that their membership would be canceled and that their payment would be refunded. When asked why, the club's manager said that a lot of kids "would change the complexion ... and the atmosphere of the club."1

A "Whites only" pool in 2009 should not be tolerated. The club's actions appear to be a violation of section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act.2 Whether or not any laws were violated, a "Whites only" pool should be something every American condemns.

Please join us in doing exactly that, and please email your friends and family and invite them to do the same. Your signature will also be used to call on the Department of Justice to evaluate suing the facility under federal law. It takes just a moment to do both, here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/swim/?id=1927-513854

Obama is President but that doesn't mean that suddenly all is fine when it comes to race in America. This is a vivid reminder of what we know still lies beneath the surface.

We all know stories like this one -- similar incidents play out quietly every day in different communities across the country. The difference in this case is that folks got caught and there was a contract in place that makes for a potentially illegal act.

Standing up now isn't just about making things right for these kids in Philadelphia or bringing consequences to this swim club (called the Valley Swim Club). It's about creating a climate of accountability everywhere. If we can publicly shame the Valley Swim Club and hold them accountable for this incident, it will make others think twice before engaging in what appears to be blatant discrimination.

Please join us in condemning the Valley Swim Club's behavior and calling on the Justice Department to investigate whether they violated civil rights laws. And please ask your friends and family to do the same.

http://www.colorofchange.org/swim/?id=1927-513854

Thanks and Peace,

-- James, Gabriel, William, Dani and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
July 10th, 2009

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU -- your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don't share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

https://secure.colorofchange.org/contribute/?id=1927-513854

References:

1. "'Pool Boots Kids Who Might "Change the Complexion,'" NBC Philadelphia, 07-08-09
http://bit.ly/90Zyr

2. "Section 1981 Summary," Employment Law Information Network
http://www.elinfonet.com/1981sum.php

More Resources:

"60 Black Kids Booted from Philly Pool For Being Black -- Speak Out," Jill Tubman at Jack and Jill Politics, 07-08-09
http://bit.ly/GkJTs

VIDEO: "Please Don't Change the Complexion of our Pool," This Week in Blackness, 07-08-09
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saTCMJVYljU

"Swim Club Accused of Discrimination," FOX 29 Philadelphia, 07-08-09
http://bit.ly/7EKGy

"Valley Swim Club: Day Two," Adam B at Daily Kos, 07-08-09
http://bit.ly/qbpSA

100 soldiers versus a few unarmed villagers

I received this email today:

Israeli Occupation Force Invades Bilin Village and Kidnap Two Youth

Sunday 5\7\2009

At approximately 4:15 on the morning of 5.7.09 more than 100 Israeli Soldiers invaded Belin Village. Many of them were masked and all carried automatic weapons. They attacked several houses and arrested Oda Rebhe Abu Rahma, 20, and Mahmoud Issa Yassein, 17. Upon request the soldiers would not tell their families where they were taking them or the name of an officer in command. Palestinian and international presence questioned the soldiers and dearrested several people who were documenting the kidnappings. This is the third week of night raids in Bilin village. Israeli soldier have conducted night raids almost every night and have arrested seven village youth during this period.

For more information, Please call

Abdullah Abu Rahamah, the coordinator of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in Bilin.

0547258210 or 0599107069

e-mail – lumalayan@yahoo.com