Vegetarian Vegetable Soup #1

 
Recipe for one variation on vegetable soup.   

prepare soup stock

in olive oil, saute 1 yellow onion and 6 cloves of chopped garlic

add several carrots chopped into large pieces

add several stocks of celery also chopped

add a handful of dried shitake mushrooms

add two bay leaves 

add several dozen pepper corns

add about 8 cups of water and simmer for 15 or 20 minutes

strain the stock, discard the vegetables and put half of it in the freezer

keep half for the rest of the recipe

in a clean soup pot, saute several cloves of garlic 

1 teaspoon paprika

add the soup stock

add about a dozen romano beans chopped roughly

add several dozen snow peas chopped roughly

add a handful of chopped broccoli 

add a can of cannellini 

3/4 small can of tomato paste

4 or so large fresh shitaki mushrooms sliced

fresh oregano, fresh thyme, fresh basil 

add dried oregano, basil and thyme

several bay leaves

salt and pepper

and simmer for 15-20 minutes

variations: 

cook the cannellini from scratch

use fresh tomatoes sauted in olive oil 

roast an anaheim pepper, remove the skin and seeds, chopped

add one small chopped carrot 

add one stalk of celery chopped

add juice of 1/2 lemon

Vegetarian Pseudo Pozole

Recipe for a vegetarian pseudo pozole:

1 anaheim
1 poblano/?
1 jalapeno
roast & skin peppers

1 onion, shredded
6 cloves of garlic
saute in olive oil

1 can red enchilada sauce (hot)
put peppers & 1/2 the saute onion in blender with enchilada sauce and 1/2 cup water 

4 cups soup stock
in pan with 1/2 onion saute
2 cans garbanzo beans
add teaspoon cumin seed
add fresh oregano
add pinch of cinnamon

put pepper mix into the main pot
salt and pepper
cook for 15 minutes

garnish with avocado, radishes, lime juice, cilantro, cheddar cheese

Campus Protests Redux and the Media Failure

(Rewritten to tone down this post).

The campus protests about the Israel-Hamas war are slowly dissipating but their impact is still very much with us although what those implications actually are or will be is to be determined.  Many, many people are annoyed by these protests and annoyed at how our media failed to deal with many points.  Here are a few of the issues.

1. It is possible to do protests without making other people feel unsafe.  See for example the women's marches of the last decade.  

2. Many people attend the University in order to get an education.  They do not have infinite time to screw around and to be intimidated.  The role of the President and the Trustees is to see that people get their education.

3. I dont recall ever seeing a contract that says a student can determine the investment policy of these institutions.  Furthermore there are people associated with the University, including other students who do not agree with the opinions of these protesters.  

4. Many campuses have been unsafe for Jews for a long time.  This issue is well known to the administration(s) and they have declined to do anything about it.  I think its funny that all the noise about "safe spaces" turns out to be hypocritical bullshit.

5. I have no desire to have this country's foreign policy determined by these people.  I do relate to the protester's frustration with our foreign policy elites.  

6. From what they say, I have no reason to think that the protesters know enough about the history here or what they are protesting.  Or maybe they do know enough about what is going on and have made some choices that I do not agree with.

7. There are slogans that are code words for killing Jews, and when the media repeats them they need to make that clear. 

8. Failure to understand and use words like "genocide" is offensive.

9. I personally have been prevented from expressing my opinion on this topic and been removed from social events on the possibility that I would express these opinions.   What about my freedom of speech?  Oh I guess that doesn't matter.

Palestinian Flag

Brief Bio for Friends from Virginia

 

This is a very brief non-bio bio for friends and classmates from Virginia.  It is just a way to keep things concise and not have to repeat myself too much and I doubt anyone else will be interested.

I left Collegiate after 10th grade, spent one year at a high school in LA (public, it was awful) and then spent a few years at UCSB and graduated from UCLA in Math and/or Economics.  From there I went to the RAND Corporation which was wonderful, and worked in early computer graphics for visual effects which was "not pleasant" although I did meet some nice people.  Did some early films with the technology, wrote some of the early technology (for which I received an Academy Technical Achievement Award) and worked on some innovative, very early, projects.  I briefly helped run my own production company, deGraf/Wahrman, inc, and when that was over worked on a variety of consulting projects.  Some of these were lots of fun, like the rebuild of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History.  If only they could all have been that fun! 

I have lived in Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Colorado and New York City.  I am currently living in Los Angeles with Jill Fraser, a noted pioneer and composer in electronic music.  

I am thinking about going back to school to make something of my life.

Now its your turn.

Other notes: 

-- email sent to kent hudgens, linda linkins, bruce mckenney on 5/7/24

-- I have heard from Paul Sikorovsky, Bucky Neal, and Linda Linkin, Ed Jones, Bob Siff, Chuck Rogers, Charles Strauss and David Clough