Update on Greenwald and Omidyar Joint Venture

Photo of Pierre Omidyar in May of this year presenting an award to  "Global Integrity, for the leading role they've played in catalyzing and convening the government transparency and accountability community." I originally published this post on October 16, 2013 at 2:30 PM writing about my reaction after reading  Rosen and Beaujon.  I updated it at 6:10 PM to add this photo and the section marked update which reflects on past articles by Beaujon and John Letman. H/T to   Buzzfeed's Rosie Gray  and Samir Mezrahi for including Letman's interview in their Omidyar story posted last night at  7:19pm "This Billionaire Really Likes Glenn Greenwald."   BTW, apparently the post was already in the works before Reuter's Mark Hosenball reported the Omidyar connection at 7:06 PM, because they link to him as a confirmation in a 7:29 PM update. I updated it again at 7:41 PM to add my rundown of the coverage via Memeorandum and mediagazer.

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Last night, I speculated about the joint venture last night with Glenn Greenwald , but had no access to Omidyar.  Today he's released a statement, but his only interview was and will be with Jay Rosen, according to Andrew Beaujon, news editor at Poynter Institute.

So, what can Rosen tell us after his interview with Omidyar?  According to his blog post at 11:48 AM, updated at 1:00 PM, it turns out that  Omidyar was a contender for the purchase of the Washington Post. I was right that Omidyar's experience with Honolulu Civil Beat, according to Rosen

stoked his appetite to do something larger in news.

After his experience with The Washington Post,

Omidyar started thinking seriously about investing in a news property. He began to ask himself what could be done with the same investment if you decided to build something from the ground up.

I had thought that Omidyar's emphasis on philanthropy was significant and that this project, like those detailed in yesterday's post would be a project of the Omidyar Network. If he makes this a successful business venture, I hope it will have some applicability for legacy media.

I DID noticed that Omidyar posts often as staff at Civil Beat.  If I had known about the Washington Post  connection or dug deeper into Civil Beat, I might have speculated otherwise.In checking Civil Beat's FAQs, it's a for-profit run by Peer News LLC  and charges $239.99 a year for an online subscription. Peer News is registered in California as a foreign corporation (which can just mean out-of-state.)  There's a summary by Mark Coddington updated on October 2 at Nieman's encyclopedia of news sources. 

Omidyar's new project with Greenwald, whose name has not been released, but Rosen refers to as "NewCo, will be   

 a company not a charity. It is not a project of Omidyar Network. It is separate from his philanthropy, he said. He said he will be putting a good deal of his time, as well as his capital, into it. I asked how large a commitment he was prepared to make in dollars. For starters: the $250 million it would have taken to buy the Washington Post.

Rosen had access because 

As Omidyar was making the rounds to talk to people about his plans I was one of those he consulted with. That happened in September. So he knew I was familiar with his thinking and that’s probably why he chose to talk to me. That’s my initial report. I may have more to say as I sift through my notes and think about what he told me. 

I WAS  right, though, about Omidyar's underlying motivations, if not his ambition to come up with a commercial model:

“I have always been of the opinion that the right kind of journalism is a critical part of our democracy.” He said he had watched closely over the last 15 years as the business model in journalism collapsed but had not “found a way to engage directly.” But then when the idea of buying the Washington Post came up he started to think about it more seriously. “It brings together some of my interests in civic engagement and building conversations and of course technology, but in a very creative way.”

A final factor. His “rising concern about press freedoms in the United States and around the world.” The U.S. has the First Amendment. When the freedom to practice hard-hitting investigative journalism comes under threat here, he said, that’s not only a problem for our democracy but for the chances that democracy can work anywhere. NewCo will designed to withstand that threat.

This is borne out  by Beaujon.  Since he  had no direct access to Omidyar, he decided to add value to the story by interviewing John Temple, former editor of Civil Beat (who edited the Rocky Mountain News,was a managing editor at The Washington Post after he left Civil Beat and now teaches at Stanford).  Temple told Beaujon about his experience with Civil Beat.  Omidyar was

in the newsroom almost every day...[and was] very involved with writing the code for the site... [He has] got a journalist’s sensibility...He enjoyed the hunt for a story, and he’s very open to experimenting with how to tell the story and using contemporary approaches...[Omidyar] gives you the space to do your job....it is much more in his character to build and innovate than it is to transform...He could have bought the paper in Honolulu, for example.

 It also turns out, according to Rosen, that

Greenwald, his collaborator Laura Poitras, and The Nation’s Jeremy Scahill had been planning to form their own journalism venture. Their ideas and Omidyar’s ideas tracked so well with each other that on October 5 they decided to “join forces” (his term.) 

UPDATE:

Omidyar's mention of Poitras, Scahill and Greenwald and their plans to form their own venture  sheds light on AP ReporterBeaujon's September 28 scoop that Jeremy Scahill comments to the audience members at the Rio debut of Dirty Wars.  He announced that he and Greenwald were

working on a project right now that has at its center how the National Security Agency plays a significant, central role in the U.S. assassination program...There are so many stories that are yet to be published that we hope will produce "actionable intelligence," or information that ordinary citizens across the world can use to try to fight for change, to try to confront those in power.

 Also interesting is this nugget from Civil Beat interview with Omidyar on the occasion of  the launch of the joint venture with HuffPo.  John Letman wrote on September 17

I didn’t want to talk about twerking teens or top ten lists of weird fruit. I was interested in what...HuffPost Hawaii might do to shine a light on Hawaii’s often overlooked but massive role as a surveillance and intelligence outpost and headquarters for the U.S. Pacific Command...

Letman links to Nick Grube's "Bow Ties, Spies and Money: A Look Inside Hawaii's Intel Community" from July and writes in details about Omidyar's views on what the media needs to do:

It’s been a little disconcerting— whenever the drum beats of war are beating, it seems to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. It creates a sort of war frenzy...I think it’s a biological thing ... something about the Third Metric can help us balance that a little bit. The male drive is once the drums start beating ‘we want to get out there, we want to be violent’. As a society, of course that's really dangerous. I think the media — parts of the media — beat the drums and accentuate that....Is...[military action] really the only the answer and why is that the first thing we think of when the think of bad people in the world doing bad things?” He said it shouldn't be the “only tool in the toolbox.“I would add that the crux of the debate that needs to be had is how we balance our need for security with the importance of our liberty and civil liberties...

The distractions unfortunately, sort of official government propaganda, really is about distracting from that core issue because people in power with the best of intentions accumulate as much power as they can in order to keep us safe. They give their lives for that and they truly have the best intentions, I really believe, but they lose perspective on not what makes us safe, but what makes us human...

The government assault on whistleblowers in general, I think really impacts the intent on the First Amendment. Without whistleblowers speaking to the press — or any citizen — you don't have to be a journalist, the First Amendment is there to protect any citizen, but without people on the inside able to speak their conscience and then have others amplify that voice, there’s no way for us to check the power of these secret programs. So I think whistleblower protection needs to be expanded, personally.

I also believe that the communication between journalists and their sources also needs to be privileged in some sense and should not be forcibly disclosable and so I think shield laws are also very important.

Letman also included Omydar's observations on suveillance:

Can we be truly free if we are surveilled all the time, if we have no privacy? I think that’s a really important debate to have.

 Letman also observed that 

Omidyar, who in recent months has gone from being an [occasional tweeter](https://twitter.com/pierre to an almost daily Twitter critic of the NSA and other government surveillance. 

Interestingly, Memorandum "leads" with Omidyar's post (but only as one of "more items" below, of course the shutdown media carnival, but also something on drunken college women.)  For the discussion, it links to Rosen  and to Beaujon, but also Hosenball's scoop for Reuters, Andrew's piece at Buzzfeed and Farhi's piece at the Washington Post (which I wrote about yesterday and all of which predated Omidyar).  Other links include   The Huffington Post, NPR, Guardian, Poynter, Scripting News, Mashable, Politico, and Business Insider. As usual for additional coverage, it sends you to  mediagazer.

 Mediagazer, on the other hand lists Jay Rosen's interview as primary with the discussion including Omidyar's post, plus The Huffington Post, Forbes, Guardian, Poynter, CNET, GlobalPost, Subtraction.com, @emtitus, @allanbrauer, @johngapper, @mlcalderone, @jason_pontin, @ariannahuff, @erikwemple, @biellacoleman, @nickkristof, @thestalwart, Poynter, @poynter, @carlzimmer, @jayrosen_nyu, @mleewelch, @jayrosen_nyu, @howardweaver, @clarajeffery, @barryeisler, @jcstearns, @timoreilly, @rafat, @jgreendc, @omidyarnetwork, @michaelroston, @pierre, FishbowlNY, The Drum, Business Insider, Gawker, Pressing Issues, Committee to Protect …, Hit & Run, BBC, The Wrap, WebProNews, The Verge, The Raw Story, New York Magazine, BuzzFeed, Online NewsHour, Talking New Media, Erik Wemple, @hunterw, Hillicon Valley, Mediaite and Politico. 

It lists again the Huffington Post story in its own section as related, although there's not much original there, other than connecting some dots to other pieces.  The Beaujon's Pointer piece, which DOES have original content, is only listed as related to the HuffPo piece, along with Mashable, @tcarmody, Gawker, The Switch, Press Gazette, Big News Network.com, Talking Points Memo, Slate, The Atlantic Wire, CNET, Boing Boing, @raniakhalek, Business Insider, The New York Observer and Daily Dot.

Also, as only a related story is Reuter's Mark Hosenball scoop, with the discussion including a second HuffPo piece and  The Wrap, Washington Post, New York Times, Gannett Blog, Glenn Greenwald (when that link is to his announcement?!) Mashable, Erik Wemple, PE Hub Blog, The Verge, FishbowlNY, @qhardy, New York Magazine, Softpedia News, Business Insider, Mediaite, VentureBeat, and GigaOM. Which goes to show that algorithms rate popularity, not quality, I guess. I'm glad that Omidyar is interested in both: Again from Rosen:

Omidyar believes that if independent, ferocious, investigative journalism isn’t brought to the attention of general audiences it can never have the effect that actually creates a check on power. Therefore the new entity...will have to serve the interest of all kinds of news consumers. It cannot be a niche product. It will have to cover sports, business, entertainment, technology: everything that users demand.

Glenn Greenwald Departs Guardian for new Omidyar Venture

Photo of Pierre Omidyar from his staff profile at Honolulu Civil Beat,  where his slogan is "Be you. Be cool. Be civil."  The project emphasizes "investigative and watchdog journalism, in-depth enterprise reporting, analysis and commentary that gives readers a broad view on issues of importance to the community."

This post was first published on 10/15/13 11:50 PM.  I'll be updating, as I get further information. 

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So, Warren Buffet buys the Roanoke Times and Jeff Bezos buys the Washington Post.  And now enter another billionaire E-Bay founder Pierre Omidyar's new as yet unnamed venture, for which Glenn Greenwald will head up political reporting.

The Washington Post's Paul Farhi (twitter)--who reported on the Bezos sale October 1--writes that   a "person familiar with the venture" says it has also sought to hire Laura Poitras and Jeremy Scahill.  (Neither could be reached for comment as of the updated version of the story at 10:21 PM.

Unlike Bezos and Buffet--who seem to me to be angel investors with an emphasis on investment-- Omidyar's history is more philanthropic regarding journalism, especially with  initiatives that foster government transparency.

People look to government institutions to work on their behalf and provide oversight on matters that significantly impact their quality of life. Government fulfills this role most effectively when its activities are open and transparent to citizens. With visibility into government actions and spending, people are more likely to participate in the political process and hold government officials accountable for their actions. When citizens engage in the issues that affect them, they can help to ensure that power and public funds are used wisely and are representative of their interests...

We believe greater transparency will also result in more effective investigative journalism, which holds political leaders and systems to a higher standard. More accountability will ensure appropriate influence and integrity in the political process, and bolster the effectiveness of representative government as a force for improving people’s lives.

Omidyar's  portfolio includes Global Integrity, Global Voices, Project on Government Oversite (POGO) and the Sunlight Foundation.   (Omidyar also funded Newstrust in 2010, back when I worked there. Founder Fabrice Florin left the online social news network in January 2012 for the Wikimedia foundation and announced in June of that year that he had turned the effort  over to Poynter.)

 I had thought that Omidyar's emphasis on philanthropy was significant.  Even foundations that expect impact find "impact investing" problematic. Take for instance, Kevin Starr, who directs the Mulago Foundation and the Rainer Arnhold Fellows Program. In Stanford Social Innovation Review, he writes that 95% of the foundation's porfolio is philanthropy because "few solutions that meet the fundamental needs of the poor will get you your money back... and "overcoming market failure requires subsidy."

A businessman in Africa told me that Coca-Cola lost money there for 12 years. In other words, it required over a decade for one of the most competent companies on Earth to break even on the sale of a mildly addictive sugary drink that is absurdly cheap to make. Imagine what it takes when you’re focused on impact. Microcredit, the iconic impact investment of the last decade, required more than $100 million in subsidies before it became a profitable business—and the impact has been disappointing at best.

It would seem that the same might be true of journalism projects in the public interest. Maybe it's unrealistic to believe that traditional journalism can yield great returns on investment when the ever-increasing competition comes from those who have no concern for quality or informing the public.  Even those sites which fund journalism rely more and more on getting free content. Florin-- who had worked at Apple--may have grown frustrated that Newstrust (unlike Craigslist, twitter, facebook, Wikipedia, et al.) was no killer app.  Newstrust was an aggregator that attempted to promote quality, not just popularity.  It did no costly investigative reporting.

After Greenwald issued a statement by himself and the Guardian's Jennifer Lindauerat,  Ben Smith at Buzzfeed reported at 4:15 PM that George Soros, through his spokesman, had denied being Greenwald's deep pockets.  The Buzzfeed story made second place on Memeorandum, right behind the shutdown coverage.  The story was number one on the related size mediagazer.  The discussion included Greenwald, VentureBeat, Slate, Talking Points Memo, The Atlantic Wire, The Wrap, Boing Boing, USA Today, Erik Wemple, @ggreenwald, CNET, Politico, @blam, @dylanbyers, @niemanlab, The Verge, @rosental, @fishbowlny, @erikwemple, Business Insider, @megan, @hamishmckenzie, @hunterw, @jackofkent, @brianstelter, The New York Observer, @rafat, @arusbridger, Gawker, FishbowlNY, Mediaite, @davewiner, @fishbowlla, @raniakhalek, @michaelroston, New York Times, @pkafka, @jeffjarvis, GigaOM, Hit & Run, BBC, New York Magazine, The Huffington Post, Guardian, @stefanjbecket, Hillicon Valley, The Raw Story, Daily Dot, mUmBRELLA, Online NewsHour, WebProNews and Talking New Media.

Reuter's Mark Hosenball may have been the first one to report the Omidyar connection at 7:06 PM.  Listed as a related story by mediagazer, the discussion included Farhi's story, as well as Mediaite, GigaOM and @qhardy.

While Soros has also launched transparency intiatives, I see him as more involved in activism and Omidyar as more involved in journalism.  In any case, I look forward to Omidyar's latest project.

Kohlrabi Apple Carrot Slaw

Photo by Matthew Holloway from JR Organics (twitter).


October 15's farm share from Glade Road Growing  is slated to include spinach, carrots, celery and kohlrabi.

The word "kohlrabi" is German for "cabbage turnip." While in the mustard family--as are are turnips--these veggies are more closely related to  cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collard greens, and Brussels sprouts. All of the latter originate from the same species of wild cabbage.  In kohlrabi, selective breeding has emphasized the swollen portion of the stem.  You can read more information about its origins here.

Photo of white kohlrabi by Elise Bauer (twitter) on her blog post at Simply Recipes.  There is also a purple variety.

Kohlrabi can be cooked and are often used in Indian cuisine. The leaves can be sauteed or steamed like other greens.  I like them raw, peeled, sliced and added to a salad.  Prepared that way, they taste  a bit sharp and peppery with texture like jicama.

Here's a recipe for a slaw.  If you'd like to make it into a main dish, I suggest serving on a bed of a mixture of 3 cups of cooked hulled barley or wheat berries and 3 cups of cooked black beans.

Serves 6


Peel the hard skin from 2 - 3 kohlrabi.  Cut into thin slices and then into matchsticks.  Cut 1/2 # unpeeled carrots and 2 tart unpeeled apples the same. In a large bowl toss with 1 tablespoon lime juice to preserve color of apples and kohlrabi. 

Photo from Quinne Davey's (twitter) blog post.

Mince 1 small onion and 2 stalks of celery.  Place in a quart jar and combine with the other ingredients for dressing, cover with tight lid and shake to mix well:


3/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoons apple juice concentrate
1 tablespoon dry mustard
freshly ground pepper and salt to taste

Toss dressing with veggies and apples to coat.  Serve, if desired over, grain and bean mixture.  Garnish with 3 TB of chopped fresh cilantro, parsley or chives, as well as a sprinkle of poppy, celery and toasted sesame seeds.

Steinkamp and her "Marie Curie" come to Virginia Tech October 18

Photo of Jennifer Steinkamp's Madame Curie (2011) from the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech exhibit page.  I first published this post on 10/11/13 at 12:58 PM. I updated it on 10/18/13 after attending  Steinkamp's artist lecture at from 4 to 5 PM on October 18 at the Armory Art Gallery in Blacksburg.  The exhibit will have its official opening Monday October 28 from 6 to 8 PM at Ruth C. Horton Gallery, Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech. (Steinkamp won't be there.)  It runs through December 1. See the bottom for dates for gallery talks relating to the exhibit.

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UPDATE 10/18

I wrote Madame Curie Remembers Radium after reading Marie Curie's biography of her husband Pierre, written after his death. So, of course, I wanted to be on hand to hear LA-based installation artist Jennifer Steinkamp (website) give her artist talk on her own piece inspired by Marie Curie--a multi-channel, synchronized projection originally commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.

The above picture appears to be part of this image from the original installation there, taken  by Robert Wedemeyer (website) which appears on Steincamp's history of the exhibition.

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Steinkamp says "Marie Curie" was inspired by the frightening and now closed San Onofre nuclear power plant on the Pacific coast.

Photo  (2001) by Dan Kelson for the LA Times.


When Steincamp started reading about the history of atomic energy,  she encountered Eve Curie's biography of her mother Marie, who was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in physics for her discovery of the elements radium and polonium.  She was inspired by reading that Marie Curie loved flowers so much that she would buy them even instead of food when she was a student and that she later gardened.

At the time of the initial installation, Steinkamp gave an interview to Kinsee Morland (twitter) for San Diego City Beat, which I found with exhibit materials by Lehmann Maupin.

Two years ago when the museum contacted me I had no idea what I would make. The idea of a subject came to me driving past the frightening nuclear plant in San Onofre on the way to the museum.

I have had a distrust and fear of nuclear power and weapons since grade school when we were taught to duck and cover. We also watched devastating films about Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since then, the Three Mile Island accident, 1979, and the Chernobyl Disaster, 1986, should have put an end to the industry, not to mention many more radiation accidents. My research has found that nuclear power is too costly on all fronts including living beings and monetary. There is no way to dispose of the radioactive waste, unfortunately Fukoshima is proving these dangers as we speak.

My research took me on a winding path looking at the connections between nuclear power and weapons. I came across Madame Curie who won two Nobel Prizes in physics and chemistry for her research. I decided to look at her incredible life for inspiration. Besides being one of the foremost scientific minds in all history, it turns out she was enamored with flowers, her daughter's biography of Madame Curie mentions many throughout the book. I decided to use this little known and perhaps insignificant detail to make a peaceful homage to her brilliance. 

I told her Steinkamp that I was not surprised that a utility would build a plant on the ocean coast.  After all, here in Virginia Dominion constructed its North Anna plant on a fault line that became the epicenter of an earthquake that damaged the Washington Monument and the National Cathedral.  (I have to still wonder about leaks, especially after re-reading this piece that Alex Madrigal wrote for The Atlantic.

Margo  Crutchfield (bio), curator at large for the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech told me that she has been following Steinkamp's career for a decade and that she chose this piece for the opening of the center because Tech is so involved with technology and that she wanted to highlight the work not only of a woman artist working with technology but also of a woman scientist.

I shared with her that I had just encountered an article by Eileen Pollack in the October 3 NYT Magazine, "Why Are There Still So Few Women in Science?" with a caption "Can you spot the real outlier?" who, of course was Marie Curie.

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BTW, although Southern California Edison, which operated the San Onofre plant announced  June 7 that it would close the plant, the saga continues.  October 16,  the utility submitted to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) a Request for Arbitration for claims against Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Nuclear Energy Systems for defective steam generators designed and built for the plant. 

October 16, Jason Wells reported for the LA Times that fifty sirens went off  in an annual test in the cities of Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, as well as other areas of southern Orange County, nearby state parks and the Marine Corps base Camp Pendleton, still required despite the decommissioning.

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Steinkamp says likes to change architecture with light--that she dematerializes architecture with her art and, in turn, architecture dematerializes the art. I'll write about what she said about some of her other work in a separate post.  I'd love to interview her to learn more about her interest in social science fiction, as I'm a fan of disutopian fiction such as The Handmaiden's tale.

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There will be a series of gallery talks about the exhibit by Virginia Tech faculty.

Friday, November 1, 2013, 7:20 p.m.
Holly Scoggins, Director of the Hahn Horticulture Garden

Thursday, November 7, 2013, 7:20 p.m.
Elizabeth Mazzolini, Assistant Professor in the Department of English

Friday, November 8, 2013, 5 p.m.
Joe Merolam Professor in the Department of Chemistry

Friday, November 15, 2013, 7:20 p.m.
Doug Bowman, Director for the Center for Human-Computer Interaction

There is also a projected video animation by Steinkamp and and a 3-D sculpture by Rona Pondick (http://www.ronapondick.com) at the Armory Gallery October 25 - November 22, 2013, "Two Trees," which "explores the interaction of computer-based technologies and traditional art practices." The opening reception is October 25 from 5-7  PM and Pondick will speak at 12:15 PM on October 28, in the Armory.

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Another Moroccan Stew: Beets, Buttercup Squash and Radishes

Photos of heirloom buttercup squash and radishes from the French J&L Seeds and Planet Natural respectively.
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Yesterday evening at the Glade Road Growing potluck, Sally was talking about the survey results.  Although she's only had ten answers to date, the most frequent answer for "least liked new veggie" is either radish or salad turnip.  She asked if I could provide a suggestion for radishes in the recipe for this week's newsletter.

I thought that maybe those folks who don't enjoy radishes object to the sharp taste, which can be  down by slicing them  very thin or by pickling or combining them with fat and acid (think balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil or nuts or cheese. Radishes will also be milder in taste when roasted, braised, sauteed, steamed or stewed. The following is a recipe that combines cooked radishes with the buttercup squash and garlic we are slated to find in this week's farm share.

Other expected veggies this week are napa cabbage (think kimchi, Asian stir fries and soups) and Greenstar lettuce mix.

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Serves 6

If you are going to cook your own dried garbanzo beans/aka chickpeas (which I prefer to canned), start the night before or at least two hours early.  The night before you make this stew or at least two hours before, cover 1/2 # of beans (1 cup) with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Soak for an hour or overnight, rinse, add three cups of water, bring to boil and cook until tender.  Rinse and drain.


Peel and dice 2/3 pound of beets (about 2 cups).  If you want this to be a little less messy and bring out the sweetness, you can quarter and roast them first before slipping off the skins and dicing.  

Wash a buttercup squash (or other winter squash, such as delicata, acorn, butternut, hubbard or pumpkin).  Winter squash are hard and thick-skinned, which make them store well, but hard to peel and cube unless you first cook them slightly.  You can do this by cutting off the stem end, halving it,  scooping out the seeds and fiber with a spoon and baking, microwaving or steaming until slightly soft. Or, to bring out the sweetness, you can roast the halves at the same time as the beets.   Cut the softened squash into 1/2 rounds and peel, then dice into 1/2 inch cubes.  You will need up to 2 cups for this recipe.  If there is more, you can save it for another recipe.  You can roast the seeds the same way you would pumpkin seeds.

Wash and trim stems and leaves  on about  2/3 pound radishes.(You can reserve the leaves and stems to use as a spicy salad green).

Coarsely dice 1 onion or two small onions.

Smash, peel and mince 4 cloves fresh garlic.

Finely grated zest of 1 medium lemon (about 1 1/2 teaspoons).  If there is more, you can save in a jar with a tight lid.

Measure out the following spices:
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes



Coat the skillet or dutch oven with extra virgin olive oil and saute onions, stirring occasionally until softened.  Add the garlic and spices and stir to combine.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic and spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.  If you don't have a dutch oven, transfer to a 3 quart or larger heavy-bottomed stainless steel pot with a lid.  De-glaze skillet with a bit of water and add to pan.

Add  beets, 2 1/2 cups water and stir to combine. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beets are slightly softened.  Add squash, radishes, chickpeas, 1/4 cups of raisins, 1 T sweetener such as raw sugar, molasses, honey or maple syrup.  Return the mixture to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, stirring every 10 minutes and making sure to stir to the bottom of the pot to rotate the vegetables evenly, until the vegetables are fork-tender but still hold their shape, about 45 minutes.

While stew is cooking, prepare garnishes  coarsely chop 1/4 fresh cilantro. Slice 3/4 cups of almonds and toast in skillet. 

 Taste and season with salt as needed. Remove from the heat and stir in  lemon zest.  Serve stew over a cooked starch.  Couscous is traditional, but this also works with cooked brown rice, quinoa, wheat berries, barley or millet, if you prefer a whole grain.

Sprinkle with the almonds and cilantro.

Poem: Marie Curie Remembers Radium

"Fireflies  Inside" by Alfredo Camargo.  Digital fractal posted to DeviantArt.com in 2009..


MARIE CURIE REMEMBERS RADIUM

Dew on periwinkles
fireflies
moon-bathed high plateau
Pierre in a French window

eyes clear with abandon
dreamer lost
in his reflections.
Light always lured me.
How can it surprise you
I was seduced
a gram of blue glow
coaxed from tons of pitchblende?

I tell you the instant of my calling:
uranium salts kept in dark for months
and black paper shrouded
exposed a photographic plate.

You assume
that radioactivity's escape
from the shroud fascinated a girl
who had lost her mother too young--

a girl, who even before the hacking cough,
noted her mother's avoidance
of kiss
or even an embrace.

Don't. As much as I mourned
and stiffened to others' touch
and even banished God
I tell you

a glass case, graceful instruments,
amber, silk, the gold-leaf electroscope;
I must have been only five
yet, I remember my father's tools.

Yes
light always lured me.

Mr. Rogers: A Beautiful Man in the Neighborhood

This photo accompanied a February 28, 2003 tribute to Fred Rogers in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by Rob Owen (twitter) and Barbara Vancheri.  Rogers grew up in Latrobe, PA, 40 miles to the east. 


My friend Barbara Schauer (website) posted someone else's version of the following story about Fred Rogers on Facebook, but Marc Acito (website) is the original source,  according to A.W. Hatano-Worrell in 2006,  who quotes Acito's essay, "A Sad Day in the Neighborhood:  Mr. Rogers, Gay Men, and Me" published in Lavender Magazine.

UPDATE:  11/10/13.

After I posted A.W. Hatano-Worrell's version, I emailed Acito (email) on 10/2/13 and asked him for a link to the original, which he didn't have, but instead kindly sent me a copy.  I've replaced Hatano-Worrell's excerpt with the slightly longer version Acito sent me today.

UPDATE:  11/18/17:  Today, Facebook reminded me that on November 18, 2012, I had posted the auto-tuned version of Mr. Rogers' "Garden of Your Mind."  The blog post is here.

When I was looking at Acito's website, I realized that he wrote the book for the Broadway play about the WWII US internment camps for American citizens of Japanese descent, Allegiance, starring George Takei.  I didn't recognize his name at the time he wrote me.  While the musical began development in 2008 and premiered in September 2012 in San Diego, California, it didn't reach Broadway until October 2015, where it ran until  February 2016.
I also learned that the tag line at the end marked it as one of his humor columns in "The Gospel According to Marc," syndicated for four years in nineteen publications, including the Chicago Free Press and Outword-Los Angeles, according to his bio at Penguin, publisher of two of his books.  Acito started writing a weekly column under that tag line again on 9/25/17, this time at his blog.
*

A Sad Day in the Neighborhood
Mr. Rogers, Gay Men and Me

So I’m talking with my friend Bobo about the recent death of Mr. Rogers
when he says to me, “When I was a kid, I wasn’t allowed to watch Mr. Rogers.”

Wasn’t allowed to watch Mr. Rogers? What kind of flicking-cigarettes- at-your-
head, child-services- arriving-in- the-dead- of-night parents don’t allow their kid to
watch Mr. Rogers? Did they keep him in a cardboard box in the basement, too?

“My dad thought he was gay,” Bobo says.

Gay?! Okay, purse-carrying Tinky Winky I can understand. The creepy purple
dinosaur, sure. But Mr. Rogers?

The Far-Out Right would have us believe that there’s a vast gay conspiracy
determined to warp the young minds of America. But I’ve got news for them; most
gay men don’t give a rip about the young minds of America. Forget Tinky Winky;
most of us are just interested in Hanky Panky.

The latest target is Sponge Bob Square Pants. Okay, I admit, the little guy
makes Christopher Lowell look positively butch by comparison, but he is most
certainly not a homosexual.

He’s a sponge, for crissake.

Sponge Bob, Tinky Winky, Mr. Rogers: What is it about these characters
that’s so threatening to conservatives?

Is it their gentleness, which has always been considered subversive in our
“my weapons of mass destruction are bigger than yours” culture? Maybe. Because no
one was gentler or more subversive than Mr. Rogers.

Wait a sec. The guy in the faggy sneakers subversive? Perhaps I’d better
explain.

I went to college in Pittsburgh, where Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood was filmed,
and I once found myself seated near him on a People’s Express flight home. (For
those of you who don’t remember People’s Express, it was the first no-frills airline. It
was a good deal until the rubber bands broke.)

We disembarked at the same time and, after making the insightful
observation that he was indeed Mr. Rogers, I found I had absolutely nothing to say
to the man.

Fred Rogers took one look at my off-the- shoulder sweatshirt and leg warmers
(it was the 1980’s, okay, give me a break) and politely inquired as to whether I’d
seen Torch Song Trilogy. “I hear that Harvey Fierstein is awfully good,” he said.
That’s right, my one and only conversation with Mr. Rogers was about a drag
queen.

A couple of years later, my roommate Lisa got an internship on Mr. Rogers’
Neighborhood and she began a lifelong friendship with Fred Rogers. Lisa’s most
cherished memory is of a trip to Boston they made together for a concert. (No, not
to see Metallica, he was doing a children’s concert.) Upon arriving at the fancy home
of a WGBH executive, the limo driver Billy turned to Fred and asked when he should
return to pick them up.

“Why, where are you going?” Fred answered, and promptly invited Billy to
join them for dinner, much to the bewilderment of the hostess.

On the way back to the hotel, Fred sat in front, so he could find out more
about Billy. When he discovered they’d be passing Billy’s house, Fred suggested they
stop in to meet Billy’s parents.

“So there we all are,” Lisa says, “getting out of a limo in the middle of West
Roxbury, Massachusetts to meet the driver’s parents. We walk in the door and
there’s Billy’s dad coming down the stairs in his bathrobe, a cigarette dangling from
his lips. He takes one look at Fred and yells, ‘Holy Shit! You’re Mr. Rogers!’”

Think about it. How would you react if you were sitting around on a Friday
night and Mr. Rogers came wandering in your front door? Talk about visiting the
Land of Make Believe.

“Then suddenly it was like the whole neighborhood showed up,” Lisa says.
“People brought cookies and Fred was playing the piano…it was just magical.”
Billy and his family never forgot that night (who could?), but apparently Fred
didn’t either, because a few years later when he learned that Billy was dying of
AIDS, he took time out from his vacation to call the hospital.

Think about it. You’re on your deathbed, and Mr. Rogers calls to comfort you.
That indeed is a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

I don’t know what Mr. Rogers said to Billy, but I’m pretty certain it was the
kind of thing that he said to all of us for over thirty years: “You make every day a
special day by just being you. There’s no one in the world exactly like you. People
can like you just the way you are.”

No wonder the bigots are so threatened.

And that, my friends, is The Gospel According to Marc.

Teflon Tuesdays

The cartoon "Moral Mondays" by Kevin Siers (twitter, website) appeared July 30, 2013 in The Charlotte Observer.  

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On "Moral Mondays"  North Carolina citizens protest legislation from the newly Republican-controlled state government:  cuts to education funding, restrictions on abortion and voting  and more--a total of 50 laws take effect tomorrow according to the AP's Gary Robertson (twitter).  The protests, which started in April failed to move the legislature or governor.

September 23, the 19th protest took place in small- town Yadkinville--which although a county seat, has fewer than 3,000 citizens.  This photo is by Lauren Carroll (twitter) accompanied John Hinton's  (twitter) report on the protest for the Winston-Salem Journal.

Ironically, Civitas,  a conservative think tank criticized for collecting data on the protesters for possible harassment has refuted the Governor's claims of outside agitators.  Of course, the analysis was based only on those arrested. It has, however, criticized the organizing umbrella and its groups with receiving public funding:

Wilted Arugula Salad with Pears and Cheese

Photo from  The Kitchn, an online daily.

Sally tells me that the October 1, 2013 farm share will include Greenstar Arugula (larger leaves), bok choy, sweet peppers, salad turnips, cinnamon basil and beets with greens.

The cinnamon basil (also known as Vietnamese basil, Saigon basil or húng quế) contains cinnamate, the same chemical that gives cinnamon its flavor.  It's good  in hot drinks and with fruits or used in Asian soups, salads and stir fried dishes. 

Arugula is a dark green with a spiky leaf and a peppery mustard flavor.  It's traditionally found in Mediterranean cuisine.  Younger, smaller arugula leaves are milder and less bitter. The larger leaves are better wilted and served with and acid and  cheese to cut the sharpness. If they are too strong for your taste you can combine with other milder greens. It's good served with a variety of fruits and berries or with roasted beets.

Other names include Rockette, Rocket, Gargeer,  Roka, Roquette, Rucola and Rugula, 


Serves 4


8 large handfuls of arugula rinsed in cold water and patted or spun dry (about 1 1/2 #)
4 fresh garlic cloves thinly sliced 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
2  ripe pears
4 ounces of soft blue cheese (shown) or feta or chèvre or shaved Asiago, if you prefer


Heat oil a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant but not browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add arugula; cook, stirring constantly, until slightly wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add vinegar; cook, stirring constantly, until most of the vinegar has evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in salt; season with pepper. Serve immediately. Arrange on four plates. Slice the pear thinly and lay over the arugula, then crumble the cheese over.

If you'd like, before wilting the arugula you can also saute one red pepper seeded and  cut in strips. For a main course, you can also toss in 2 cups of cooked garbanzo or navy beans or 1/2 cup of pecans, walnuts or sliced almonds.

Marissa Alexander Gets New Trial!

Photo of Marissa Alexander by Lincoln B. Alexander, her former husband (and supporter.)  I originally published this post on 9/27/13 at 6:51 p.m. and most recently updated it at 7:50 p.m. on 9/28/13 to include information on further media coverage and art and activism on Alexander's behalf.

*

Gary Fineout (twitter) reports that the appeals court has ordered a new trial  for  Alexander in his on September 26, 2013 AP story, "Fla. woman who fired gun at husband gets new trial." Here's the ruling written by Judge Robert Benton.  (H/T Aura Bogado (email, twitter, bio) of Colorlines.)


Last year Marissa Alexander, a woman with no record, got 20 years after being convicted of firing a single warning shot during an domestic dispute with her abusive ex-husband.  No one was hurt. Compare that with Zimmerman in the case of Travon Martin's death. (See my blog post of May 19, 2012, "Marissa Alexander: Inequal Use of Gun Laws in FL.") 

Other media coverage

Irin Carmon (twitter) has written a good summary of the trial and the new court order for MSNBC.

Benton's ruling specifies errors in jury instructions about self-defense, but prohibits use of Florida's Stand Your Ground defense.  Alexander’s appeal attorney, Bruce Zimet told Cyd Hoskinson of WJCTpublic broadcasting, 

We’re gonna go in front of the judge and make the motion to allow Marissa to be free on bail before her trial.  She’s now presumed to be innocent and that presumption will stay with her all the way through the case.

Prosecutors with the state attorney’s office have said they want Alexander to remain behind bars until her new trial.  Corey, the prosecutor in both this case and Zimmerman's has maintained in the past that the evidence refutes Alexander's testimony.

Lest you think this is purely a liberal cause, "moderately conservative" attorney Aaron Laramore (twitter, (LinkedIn), a program officer with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation lays out his reading of the evidence and why he supports Alexander.  While his entry is undated, Black Conservative linked to Laramore's post on July 17, 2013.

Art and  activism on behalf of Alexander

Here's a poster  uploaded July 24, 2013  by Dignidad Rebelde (website), a graphic arts collaboration between Oakland-based artist-activists Jesus Barraza (bio) and Melanie Cervantes (bio). 

September 14, Alexander's 33rd birthday, supporters held  rallies throughout the country  calling for her freedom  (facebook page, facebook event, map). Chicago's Project NIA (website, twitter) held a teach-in and posted the curriculum September 26.  (In Swahili, NIA means "with purpose." Ultimately, the main purpose for Project NIA is to prepare communities to get involved in creating an effective strategy to address violence and crime.)

 Here's the poster from Philly:

And here's a poster by A.N.S.W.E.R. organizer Autumn Morales (twitter, facebook), which she posted at tumblr on September 8.

Members of WORD (Women Organized to Resist and Defend--website, fb page) are among those calling  for Alexander's immediate release after the court ruling.  The Washington DC chapter plans a Speak-Out at noon on October 5 at Tivoli Square.

Studio Swine's "Can City"

Screen shot from the short film Can City by Dutch filmmaker Juriaan Booji, now based in London. (website).

*

Studio Swine (Super Wide Interdisciplinary New Exploration--website ) is a collaboration between Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves. Here's how they describe their  "Can City" project from Behance, a platform to share creative work with fellow-artists and with the public.

Studio Swine has made a mobile foundry that smelts aluminum cans using waste vegetable oil collected from local cafes as a fuel. Waste collectors known as Catadores mine the streets for materials to produce a furniture series with vernacular aesthetic, providing a portrait of the streets.

The Can Stools are made simply with sand casting technique using readily available construction sand from local building sites, and by casting an assemblage of objects found on the streets. The furnace and the tools are made with salvaged materials and a scrap beer barrel.

Can City suggests a future possibility where Catadores (waste collectors) can adopt this system to make use of free metal and free fuel to produce an infinite range of individually crafted aluminum items.

According to  architect and sociologist Teodora Zapartan (twitter), writing at Inspiratonist, Studio Swine emphasizes not only sustainability, but aesthetics, believing that "desire is the greatest agent of change."

Photo from Behance.

According to Eoghan Macguire and Sofia Fernandes writing for CNN, Business Commitment for Recycling (CEMPRE) estimated in 2010 that there were roughly one million catadores in Brazil

Many are the formerly homeless, ex-convicts or individuals who have stumbled upon hard times, selling what they find to recycling companies.

Waste Land (movie website) told the story of Brazilian-born artist Vik Muniz’s collaboration with catadores who mined the world's largest dump outside Rio.  "Can City" is the next installment of collaboration.  Any artists in our region want to start up a similar project for economic development in Appalachia?

Lentil and Cabbage Borscht

Photo by Alea (no last name provided) accompanied her post on AllRecipes.com

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Glade Road Growing's farm share for September 24 is expected to include cabbage, Greenstar organic lettuce mix, garlic, delicata winter squash, and spinach. 

Most Southern mountaineers and many who call Appalachia our adopted home love our cole slaw.  There's even a slaw line, similar to the kudzu line or the sweet tea line.  Here, though, is a cabbage recipe that might be new to you.

This sweet and sour cabbage soup uses many of the same ingredients as my (late) mother's  stuffed cabbage rolls.  While retaining the flavors of one of my favorite comfort foods, it's much less labor intensive, since you don't have to painstakingly pull off all the leaves, keeping them whole and undamaged--which usually requires multiple steamings.  Nor, do you have to worry about the rolls falling apart.  

I've replaced the rice with potatoes, so that you won't have to stir the soup frequently to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. And to make this recipe attractive to vegans and vegetarians, I've substituted lentils for ground beef. 

If you prefer a meat-based soup, I'd suggest 1 and 1/2 pounds of chuck roast or short ribs, which you would brown in an iron skillet or dutch oven, before adding to the soup.  You will have to cook longer until it is tender (maybe an hour) and can add the tomatoes and tomato paste right away, as they tenderize the meat, while, paradoxically, they have the opposite effect on beans and keep them from getting tender.  If you want to make this with both meat and lentils, therefore, cook the lentils separately for 10-20 minutes until tender and add last.

*

Serves 6

The night before or at least 1 hour before you make this soup or bring a generous cup of dried lentils to boil in at least 2 cups of unsalted water.  Turn down heat, cover  and simmer for 5 minutes.  Skim any foam and leave to cool and soak until lentils at least double in volume.  Drain and rinse until water runs clear. (This method not only  softens lentils, shortening the cooking time, but makes them easier to digest.  You can also use this method to cook dried beans and split peas.)


Wash cabbage and trim bottom, any discolored leaves.  Quarter head.  Depending on the size of the head, you may need to use 1/2 to 3/4 to yield 2 cups of chopped cabbage.  You can store the rest for another use (such as slaw!) in an airtight container in the main part of the refrigerator, or in a plastic bag in the crisper.  For each quarter that you use, cut out the core and chop coarsely.  Then thinly slice the leaf section.

Cut 1 or 2 bell peppers in half, depending on size.  Remove stem and seeds and slice in strips to make 2 cups.

Thinly slice 1 medium sized onion or equivalent sufficient to make 1 cup.

Thinly slice 3 stalks of celery or equivalent to make 1 cup.

Scrub and cube 1/2 lb of potatoes.  (I prefer Yukon gold or red potatoes.  White potatoes are fine, too.  I'd avoid baking potatoes such as russets as they don't hold up well in soups.)

Smash, peel and mince 3 or more garlic cloves.

Chop 2 cups of vine-ripened tomatoes.  If unavailable, you can substitute a can of diced tomatoes.

Put soaked lentils (which will measure about 3 cups by the time they cook)  in the bottom of a 3 quart or larger stainless steel pot with an inset steamer and cover with 3 cups of water. Add 2 bay leaves  and pepper.  Bring to boil and steam cabbage until translucent and add to bottom of pot. Steam potatoes for ten minutes or until tender and remove to a plate.

While the cabbage and potatoes are steaming you can start sauteing the onions and garlic, then the green peppers and finally the celery and add to pot.  Once the lentils are tender, add tomatoes, up to one small can of tomato paste (to taste), 1/4 cup or more of brown sugar and salt to taste.  You want this to be sweet and sour.  If the tomatoes aren't tart enough you can adjust this component with lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. 

Serve in bowls, topped with cooked potatoes and with yogurt.  For vegan version, you can find a tofu "sour cream" here. 

Nathan Salsburg and Nathan Bowles at Trad in the Attic

Photo of Nathan Salsburg, while at a 2012 residency at Space Gallery in  Portland, ME accompanied an  interview by Nat May (email), Executive Director of the gallery.



*


Nathan Salsburg (blog), of Louisville, KY, curates the  Alan Lomax's archives for The Association for Cultural Equity.  He was in Blacksburg September 23 to perform most of the songs on his  his second album "Hard to Win and Can't Be Won" at Trad in the Attic in Blacksburg.

The album contains, in addition to  one sung ballad,  "Coll Mackenzie," written by Archie Fisher, eight of Salsburg's guitar instrumentals:

First Field Path
Mrs. Gristles Reel
Paraffin Turpentine
Concessions
Dog At Bay
Chief Wants
To Welcome the Travelers Home
What Can't Be Won

Salsburg set up playing "Coll Mackenzie," by saying he had learned the tune in the traditional way for music to be passed down from earlier generations in the 21st century --YouTube.  Salsburg had written Fisher for the lyrics and gained his permission to record it.


Salsburg also played  others' music including Norman Blake's "Whiskey Deaf and Whiskey Blind" with  his friend Nathan Bowles of The Black Twig Pickers sitting in on banjo.

Afterwards, Salsburg screened clips from the Lomax archive.  You can find many of the videos (but not the bawdiest, evidently) on YouTube.  For instance, here's a screen shot of the video of  Tommy Jarrell playing "Breaking Up Christmas" in 1983:

Linda Ronstadt and her Simple Dreams

Photo Linda Ronstadt taken 9/17/13 by Amy Sussman (website, email) accompanied John Carucci's 9/20/13 story, "Linda Ronstadt confronts Parkinson's disease."

*

Simon and Schuster released Linda Ronstadt's memoir, Simple Dreams on September 17, 2013. The title echos her 1990 album of the same title, which included covers of Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy," Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou," the traditional "I Never Will Marry," the Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice" and Warren Zevon's "Carmelita" and "Poor Poor Pitiful Me." The title, I'm guessing comes from a song on that album, J. D. Souther's "Simple Man, Simple Dream.

In the course of promoting her book, Ronstadt appeared on Fresh Air September 17. She talked about how she had already stopped performing before she received the diagnosis which explained why she was having more and more trouble controlling her singing voice:  Parkinson's disease.

So I was surprised,  when a friend told me at the Richard Thompson concert at the Lyric Friday night that she saw Linda Ronstadt was on Letterman recently, even after her diagnosis of Parkinson's--singing with Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton.  Does anyone know about a link?

I'm wondering, if instead, it were a re-broadcast of this performance of Neil Young's "After the Goldrush" from their album Trio II (recorded in 1994, but released  in 1999).  According to Nashville Business Journal, the three promoted their album on Letterman March 24 of that year.

The reason I'm guessing it was a re-broadcast is because most Letterman appearances are associated with new releases.  For instance, Harris is currently promoting an album with Rodney Crowell (not Parton and Ronstadt)  and appeared earlier this year with Crowell on Letterman.  (Harris is now on a concert tour with Crowell, which includes  some performances  with Richard Thompson...)

For those of you who enjoyed the Fresh Air Interview, you might enjoy this one from earlier this year at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.

Tempeh and Tatsoi

This photo is from the recipe blog of Joan E. Marrero (email), CSA Director for J. R. Organics in Escondido, CA 85 acres under organic cultivation by  Joe Rodriguez, Jr.


For the September 17th delivery, Glade Road Growing expects to include tatsoi, broccoli, bell pepper, onions, cilantro, and summer squash.  YUM!  If you don't know, tatsoi is an Asian green, also known as Spinach mustard, Spoon mustard, or Rosette bok choy, but it's a bit more delicate than regular bok choy and works really well in recipes calling for wilted greens.  You can also eat it raw as a salad green.  Here's a recipe you can try.

*

Serves 4

Cut one package (8 ounces) of tempeh into strips.  If you prefer, you can use a package of tofu cut into 1/4 " cubes, or 2 cups of cooked chicken or cooked beans (or a combination of chicken and beans.)

Wash tatsoi and dry on a clean kitchen towel.

Unless you already have some from a prior time, toast 1 TB or more of sesame seeds in a cast iron skillet until they just pop.  You can store any extra in a glass spice  jar after they cool.

Smash, peel and mince 2 fresh garlic cloves and 1 TB fresh ginger root.  In a small bowl, make a slurry of   1 1/2 tsp of corn starch and an equal amount of water.  In the bowl whisk together the garlic and ginger and slurry with:
1 TB miso
1 TB brown sugar
1 TB lime juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a cast iron skillet, heated and lightly coated with extra virgin olive oil, saute tempeh or tofu over medium heat for 5-7 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove from skillet. Re-coat skillet with oil and add tatsoi; once wilted, add sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook just until sauce slightly thickens.

This is cook served over cooked brown rice or Japanese soba noodles mixed with chopped cilantro or parsley. Divide greens on plates. Top with tempeh or tofu. Drizzle with remaining sauce, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

If you are making this recipe with cooked chicken or beans, fold them in as sauce thickens and cook until warmed through.

Moroccan Squash and Eggplant Stew

Photo by Kana Okada for Epicurious (website)


The September 10 farm share for Glade Road Growing is slated to include Salad turnips, Greenstar organic salad mix, eggplant, garlic, delicata winter squash, and a poblano (a mild chilli pepper.)  Here's a recipe to try.

*

Yield: 6 servings

Coarsely chop  3 cups of onions.
Crush and finely chop two cloves garlic.
Finely chop 1/2 TB of fresh ginger
Slice 2 cups of carrots (about 1/4 #)

Cube 3 cups of delicata squash.  To do this,  run the squash under warm water and scrub away dirt with your hands. If there are any hard spots on the squash, you can scrape them off with a butter knife.  With a sharp knife, cut delicata in half lengthwise. This should be easy; the squash is more tender than butternut and just as sweet.  With a spoon scoop out the seeds and discard or save and  prepare like pumpkin seeds.  Cut each delicata half into 1/2 inch segments and peel, creating moon-shaped pieces that have slight bumps around the curve.

Cube 3 cups of eggplant (about 1 #)
Slice poblano or sweet pepper in strips.
Slice 2 cups of summer squash (about 1/2 #) (optional)
Chop 2 large vine ripened tomatoes or equivalent (about 2 cups--you can used diced canned when not in season)


Measure out these spices:
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamon
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes if you are using a sweet pepper, rather than the poblano
1/2 tsp paprika (optional)


Chop 1/2 cup cilantro or mint.
Thinly slice 1/2 cups of whole raw almonds


If you have a dutch over, you can use one pot or you can saute in a cast iron skillet and transfer to a stainless steel pot (at least 3 quarts in size) for cooking.

Saute onions in extra virgin olive oil for 2-3 minutes until translucent.  Add garlic and spices, stirring continuously. Saute the vegetables in the order given, so that the starchier ones will cook the longest.  Cook until the color deepens.  Stir in 3 cups of cooked, rinsed and drained garbanzo beans or 1/ 1/2 beans and 1 1/2 cups diced roasted chicken, along with half a cup of raisins and the almonds.

In dutch oven or large pot combine all ingredients with 1/2 cup of tomato juice or water.  Cover and simmer on low heat until all the veggies are tender.  If you'd like this stew will be good served over cooked couscous, brown rice or quinoa or it can be eaten as just the stew, garnished with cilantro.

Arsenio's back!

Screenshots from Mark Lamont Hill's 9/6/13 interview with Arsenio Hall.

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I was a fan of the Arsenio Hall Show the first time around from 1989-1994...Arsenio has serious chops, and not just as a comedian...he's a great an interviewer, as you can see as he talks with Magic Johnson about HIV.  And speaking of chops, take a look at Columbia education professor, activist and journalist  Marc Lamont Hill interview Hall on the new show.  I'm not the biggest fan of HuffPo, especially how it treated its unpaid contributors, but Hill makes it worth it to tune in...


According to Hall's website, first week guests include:
Tonight--Chris Tucker
Tuesday--Ice Cube, Lisa Kudrow  and rapper Mac Miller
Wednesday--Magic Johnson, George Lopez and rapper Nas
Thursday--Mark Harmon, Penn and Teller, Ariana Grande
Friday--Angela Bassett  and trio Emblem3

Hall has opted to sign again with CBS/Paramount so that he will have access to the archive for his original show.  It will air here, however, on Fox at 11 p.m.

Bok Choy Slaw

Photo from Dawn Hutchins (email, bio) from her similar recipe in 2010.

Sally just let me know that the September 3 farm share from Glade Road Growing is slated to include bok choy, summer squash, a pint of salad tomatoes, sweet peppers, onions, and basil.  Here's a a lighter alternative to traditional slaw you might enjoy.

Serves 6 as salad or 4 as a main course with the addition of a protein. 2 cups of cooked, chilled beans (white or garbanzo) would be nice.

Finely dice:
1 TB  raw onion
2 cloves of fresh garlic
1 TB fresh ginger

In a jar with a tight lid combine with other ingredients for dressing and shake:
1/4  cup lime juice
1 TB apple juice concentrate
2 tsp ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Store for several hours or overnight to let flavors combine and raw ingredients marinate.  If you are using beans, you can add them to the dressing to make them more flavorful.

Trim and thinly slice a pound of bok choy (about 6 cups)

Trim and thinly slice 1 or 2 sweet peppers, depending on size

Core and thinly slice or shred 1 Granny Smith or other tart, crisp apple and coat with lime juice  to keep from darkening.

Finely chop 3 tablespoons of fresh cilantro and 3 table spoons of green onions.

Toss with dressing to coat.  Drizzle with 1 TB or more toasted sesame oil.  Top with toasted sesame seeds and raw sunflower seeds.  Serve immediately

Summer Squash and Potato Torte

Serves 4


Preheat oven to 375°F

Thinly slice 1 green onion
Slice 2-4 fresh tomatoes

Grate 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Grate 1/4 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese

Strip leaves off rosemary twigs to measure 1 tablespoon 

 Drain 2 cups Greek yogurt  or one quart of regular yogurt and stir with 2 TB whole wheat flour salt and pepper.

Cut red potatoes into 3 cups of 1/8-inch-thick rounds

Cut summer squash into 2 cups of 1/8-inch-thick rounds

Cut onions into 2 cups of thin slices

Toss in bowl to blend:
cheeses and 1 TB whole wheat flour

Butter and flour 8-inch-diameter cake pan. Layer  1 cup potatoes in concentric circles in bottom of first prepared pan, overlapping slightly.  Layer 1 cup of onions and 1 cup squash in concentric circles atop potatoes. Spread with 1 cup greek yogurt and sprinkle with 1 tsp rosemary. Repeat with another layer of ingredients and top with 1 cup of potatoes. Sprinkle with 1 tsp rosemary,  cheese mixture and press gently to flatten.

Cover pan with foil. Bake until potatoes are almost tender, about 40 minutes. Take off foil and bake uncovered until torte begin to brown and potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes longer.

Cut torte into quarter wedges. Garnish with tomato slices on the side and sprinkle wedges with green onions.