Shalom! Happy Hanukkah!
Hanukkah (or Chanukah) is the Jewish Festival of Lights which dates back a time over 2500 years ago when Antiochus, the then King of Syria, wanted the Jewish people worship Greek gods and some of the Jews rebelled.
The first candle of the Menorah is lit at nightfall on the eve of the festival’s first day.
More on Hanukkah by Somewhere in the world today…
Picture: Hanukkah menorah by skpy, on Flickr
Jay Smooth TED Talk about Race and Pockets of Prejudice
by Trent Gilliss, senior editor
“We are not good despite our imperfections. It is the connection we maintain with our imperfections that allow us to be good.”
Don’t you just wanna stand up and shout Amen! when you read this? Or at least nod in solid agreement with this profound statement that cuts to the quick of the essence of being human?
Jay Smooth, the video blogger of Ill Doctrine and founder of New York’s longest-running hip-hop radio in New York, WBAI’s Underground Railroad, gave a refreshing talk at TEDx Hampshire College about the ways we can have better discussions about race and racism. He’s funny and this talk is truly enjoyable. More importantly, it’s his astute observations about the ways in which these discussions devolve that’s worth noting.
He points out that discussions about race often border on matters of being a “good person” or a “bad person” — a matter of “who you are” rather than “what you said.” He reminds us that talking about issues of race is like bodily hygiene: it’s something you have to do and keep up every day. And, he says, when we embrace our own imperfections we are on the path to becoming a good person, a better human being.
What’s on my plate 12-16-2011
Napa Cabbage!!!
now I’ve had Kimchee before (and it was delicious!) but I wanted to know what else you could do with Napa cabbage and it was only $1.75 lb so why not?
First off, if it’s just you, be aware that a head of Napa Cabbage is huge…no seriously, I’ve been eating off of this thing for two weeks now and there’s still so much left…
Second off, if you have a neighbor or are into dinner parties then you just figured out a way to get rid of half of it!
Now then what did I do to that cabbage tonight?
I made teriyaki porkchops with sauted napa cabbage.
Heat a pan of olive oil and toss in some garlic and the ginger (a tsp of each is plenty), then add the sliced cabbage. I cooked it on low while tossing it with a spoon.
Heat another pan with olive oil, and add the pork chops. Season and add two tblsp of soy sauce. Now you gotta be careful here. If the pan is too hot the soy sauce will burn and you’ll have a gooey mess. I kept the stove on medium heat throughout the ten minutes I cooked the meat.
Poke the middle of the chops with a fork and press down on the holes you made with fork. Are the juices running clear? Then you are good to go! Add the cabbage to the pan with the meat and toss of that together for 2-5 min depending on how crunchy you want the cabbage to be. Add 2 tblspn of the Soy Vey! or whatever teriyaki seasoning you have last.
One big mistake I made was not cooking the pork long enough. I ate the cabbage while I microwaved the meat for two min. The cabbage by itself is awesome!
Do you like greens? What is your favorite kind? How do you prepare them?
Doing Better n Sh*t in 2012
As a proud member of That Nation (ihustlenation.com), I can’t wait on Jan. 1st to change. It starts now. So here are a few of my “Now” Year’s resolutions.
- Working out daily
I need to meet certain physical fitness requirements to reach my career goals. The minimums are so stringent that I need to pound the pavement daily. This has been a hard one to keep (it’s cold outside!) but I’m excited about the challenge. Plus droppin’ it like it’s hot is so much easier when you don’t have too much to drop.
- Using more seeds
I’m a hardcore gardener (facebook.com/urballife) and it gets expensive. Seeds are cheap but hard to start and they can take weeks to get to the transplantable stage. There’s a few propagation classes I can take that will teach me how to grow the plants I want from seed and how to harvest seeds from plants I see around town. Hide yo pots, Hide yo plants cuz I’m snatching seeds from everybody out here!
- Travelling
So as it turns out, the world is huge and I’ve only seen a little bit of it. Let’s remedy that in 2012. I want to take a four day weekend each month and see something new. It could be a new city, new culture, new play, or new country, just as long as it’s something I’ve never experienced. What are some cool places you’ve been to? What would be your dream vacation? Where do you dream of visiting? What are you doing to get there?
- Aligning the tongue in my mouth with the tongue in my shoe
I can be flaky as hell and I hate that! This year, when I make a promise, word is bond, son! I will do what I say in a timely fashion and over deliver, especially when I make promises to myself.
- Action
I’m pretty lazy. I’m not sure why but I am. Sleep is just what’s up to me and that needs to change. I need to become accustomed to moving 18 hours a day, 6 days a week (Saturday is fun day!).
- Style
I want to cultivate a unique style and look. Something that you’d expect to see me in and then I’d like to play around with different styles. I may even start wearing make up. Perhaps, I should take a sewing class…
So what needs to change for you in 2012? What are your “Now” Year’s resolutions? What’s your plan for success? If you don’t have one check out ihustlenation.com for tips. What do want 2012 to bring you?
I worry that I’m not making the most of each day…
Milos does things to my heart…
I hate Turkey
I’m so happy I’m at a point in life where I can eat whatever I want. whenever I want. My Thanksgiving dinner consisted of mac and cheese, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and oxtail stew. It was a good weekend. I hope you enjoyed yours too! Tell me a little bit about it. What did you have for dinner? Did you have family over or did you head over to a relative’s place? How was the food? did you try anything different? How was it?
Have an easy Sunday!
