TImes Square Peace Rally - 12-2-09

With the World March for Peace and Nonviolence event at All Souls, I and a hundred or so others were conflicted from attending this event. It was great to be able to see THIS snippet from the OTHER peace event, thanks to Air America / Radio or Not's Nicole Sandler.

Celebration of World March for Peace by All Souls NY

The World March for Peace and Nonviolence was here in NYC last week and the march was celebrated at an event Dec. 2nd at All Souls in Manhattan, sponsored by their Peace Task Force and co-sponsored by other groups including Fellowship of Reconciliation, Peace Action for New York State, Metro New York Religious Campaign Against Torture, Code Pink, and Brooklyn For Peace. Joe Friendly filmed the event and made this composite video which portrays the good flavor of the evening's 2+ hour program in only 11:17 minutes. Thanks to All Souls Unitarian Church for hosting and Joe Friendly for filming -- and of course the World March for Peace and Nonviolence for marching!

Pumpkin soup

Pumpkin soup
Originally uploaded by Kate Anne

Easy to make soup from CSA organic pumpkin: delicious!

I was inspired from Tassajara Cooking by Edward Espe Brown. "The way to be a cook is to cook." The recipes in the book are sketchy but even sketchy recipes work as a recipe depends a lot on the flavors, size (relative, unless measured, and even then preference matters more), and intensity of the ingredients. The CSA season has ended and I had two small pumpkins which my share partner ceded to me. (She was pleased to be gifted with some of the soup!) I took one and dived in:

Ingredients:
Pumpkin, onion, (sea) salt, (olive) oil, water, cinnamon, nutmeg

After removing seeds and stringy stuff, cut pumpkin (unpeeled worked) into one inch or so chunks. take a onion (mine was large not huge), and saute for two minutes, add the pumpkin and saute five more minutes. Then add 1 cup of water and simmer covered (stirring occasionally) for about 45 minutes until soft and watery. Puree in blender or food processor, add a little more water if necessary. Heat. Add a little sea salt, then kiss each serving with some grated cinnamon and nutmeg. Perfect for a stormy night -- or a sunny day -- whenever you have an extra pumpkin. Not just for jack-o-lanterns or pie!

R.I.P. Liam Clancy

Liam passed today. So very special indeed -- thank God and modern creations that his music can live on. He has blessed us with many a song and has touched many a heart. To Liam! Together with his brothers and Tommy Makem again. 1935-2009

Senator Sanders: Bernanke Hold, Floor Speech

Listen to my hero Senator Bernie Sanders' floor speech on blocking Bernanke's reappointment to the Fed -- Bernanke's leadership has been disastrous. AND the Fed should be transparent.

If you care about the economy and the middle class, Bernie should be your hero, too. Follow him on Twitter as @senatorsanders

Carrickfergus - Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem

Liam Clancy does this Irish song up proud and Tommy Makem provides an amusing coda. This is from their 1984 reunion tour when the lads were young and vibrant. (Don't wait for March 17th to hear it.)

Reporters Without Borders: Craig Aaron on Net Neutrality (Sous-titres en francais)

Why preserve net neutrality? Check out this excellent description of internet neutrality: Reporters Without Borders' interview of Craig Aaron. Thanks to Free Press for providing this easy to share little url on Facebook: http://bit.ly/4HoEdy. Craig is their Communications Director. (FYI, good way to practice your reading of French, as it is in English with French subtitles :-) Then you might be inspired to RT this: Let's reach 2 million for Net Neutrality! Save the Internet: bit.ly/4qMVWI #netneutrality (via @freepress) -- thanks!!

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) vs. Sick Arkansans

Senator Blanche Lincoln says her first loyalties are with the people of Arkansas NOT the insurance industry -- oh yeah? This short FireDogLake.com video splices Blanche with Arkansans at the free healthcare day -- I hope she sees it and that it inspires primary opposition her insensitivity deserves.

SARAH PALIN BOOK SIGNING - Interviews with Supporters

This is scary -- These folks in Columbus, Ohio, have drunk the koolaide and blindly follow Sarah Palin although they cannot articulate answers on her policies and positions. OMG deliver us from Sarah Palin and her supporters. (I lived in Ohio 14 years and fear for my family still living there.)

Senator Menendez for Health Care Reform and US!

On his Monday show, Thom Hartmann played an excerpt of NJ Senator Menendez speech for Healthcare reform which I found on YouTube. It contrasts the Party of NO with the party of the people that reaches for reform and progress. Let's hope Menendez and the American people win out against the healthcare industry and the Big Business lovers who prefer the status quo. We need a robust public option and so much more -- will we get anything of value after all are hard work for the 47 million uninsured and all those underinsured and weighed down by healthcare costs? Speak up NOW. Call/Write/Talk about it to our legislators, friends, newspapers, talk shows. Healthcare reform now.