http://news.yahoo.com/diary-first-teacher-racism-alive-well-kids-mississippi-185037297.html
Although the title suggests something negative, this short entry is actually uplifting and gives us hope for the future. Even though racism may still be alive and informal segregation evident, the kids see the positive side of it. And that, is enough for progress to work with.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Sierra Club to Engage in Civil Disobedience for the First Time in Organization’s History to Stop Tar Sands | Sierra Club National
Sierra Club to Engage in Civil Disobedience for the First Time in Organization’s History to Stop Tar Sands | Sierra Club National
Give it a gander. Climate change is NOW. Not 50 years, not 100 years, NOW. We have to support organizations like the Sierra Club and do all we can to help before it's too late. If today, all CO2 emissions were halted, it would still take 50 years to clear the atmosphere. We can't sit by idly and hope it all goes away. It's up to us.
Léelo. La crisis del medio ambiente está pasando AHORA. No en cincuenta años más, no en cien años, AHORA. Tenemos que apoyar las organizaciones como el Sierra Club y hacer todo que podemos antes de es demasiado tarde. Si hoy, todos los emisiones de CO2 fueran parados, pasarían cincuentas anos antes de seria limpia la atmosfera. No podemos quedarnos aquí y esperar para desaparecer las emisiones. Tenemos que actuar.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Martin Luther King Jr.
I hope everyone had a good day and took a little time to think about the man for whom this day is named.
If we all continue to fight for equality and accept all people as they are, MLK will not have died in vain. He has inspired millions and continues to do so with his words, his life, and his values. I hope we all continue to learn from this great man.
The fight is not over. This concerns ALL people, black, white, brown, gay, straight, lesbian, the list goes on. Our differences make us stronger and the ability to work together is our greatest strength.
Never give up.
If we all continue to fight for equality and accept all people as they are, MLK will not have died in vain. He has inspired millions and continues to do so with his words, his life, and his values. I hope we all continue to learn from this great man.
The fight is not over. This concerns ALL people, black, white, brown, gay, straight, lesbian, the list goes on. Our differences make us stronger and the ability to work together is our greatest strength.
Never give up.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
And on a lighter note...
Here combines my favorite Star Wars original character with one of LA's most comical if infamous stereotypes:
Gotta love it. Can't believe this has been missing from my life for so long!
Tamales!
Tamales are a huge part of Mexican culture and are always present during the holidays. Often, families and friends get together to prepare them as they really are time consuming, but you'll find they are totally worth it.
In places with a large Mexican population, buying prepared masa from a store is the easiest way to go. Here in Montana, however, the only option you really have is to buy dried prepared corn flour by a brand like Maseca. This corn flour is treated with lime and perfect for tamales. Lard or vegetable shortening can be used, but lard is more traditional.
I bought lard and hand-whipped it with a fork, which I don't suggest if you have access to an electric mixer! Once the lard is nice and fluffy and the consistency of frosting, you're ready to add the corn flour. Once the corn flour is completely mixed in, warm water or warm chicken broth is added and mixed until the a small ball of dough will float in a glass of water (if it doesn't quite float but almost does, it will be fine).
For the filling, I decided to make two types. Pork filling is probably the most common, aka carnitas. These are made by slow-cooking chunks of pork shoulder in various spices. I made a spicy red chile sauce to go into the tamales with them. For the second type, I made salsa verde (tomatillo and green chile sauce) and bought Muenster cheese to go in the tamales as well.
Dried corn husks soaked in warm water for at least thirty minutes are used to wrap the tamales. The masa is spread on the husk, then the filling is added and the edges and ends wrapped in. Next, steam the tamales for an hour to an hour and a half. If you don't have a steamer deep enough for the tamales to stand upright, a deep colander can be used in a large pot. Make sure the gently boiling water does not hit the bottom of the tamales. If a colander must be used, wrapping the top edge with foil is a good way to keep in the steam.
In places with a large Mexican population, buying prepared masa from a store is the easiest way to go. Here in Montana, however, the only option you really have is to buy dried prepared corn flour by a brand like Maseca. This corn flour is treated with lime and perfect for tamales. Lard or vegetable shortening can be used, but lard is more traditional.
I bought lard and hand-whipped it with a fork, which I don't suggest if you have access to an electric mixer! Once the lard is nice and fluffy and the consistency of frosting, you're ready to add the corn flour. Once the corn flour is completely mixed in, warm water or warm chicken broth is added and mixed until the a small ball of dough will float in a glass of water (if it doesn't quite float but almost does, it will be fine).
For the filling, I decided to make two types. Pork filling is probably the most common, aka carnitas. These are made by slow-cooking chunks of pork shoulder in various spices. I made a spicy red chile sauce to go into the tamales with them. For the second type, I made salsa verde (tomatillo and green chile sauce) and bought Muenster cheese to go in the tamales as well.
Dried corn husks soaked in warm water for at least thirty minutes are used to wrap the tamales. The masa is spread on the husk, then the filling is added and the edges and ends wrapped in. Next, steam the tamales for an hour to an hour and a half. If you don't have a steamer deep enough for the tamales to stand upright, a deep colander can be used in a large pot. Make sure the gently boiling water does not hit the bottom of the tamales. If a colander must be used, wrapping the top edge with foil is a good way to keep in the steam.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Our World's Greatest Threat: Global Capitalism
Whether or not any of you reading this are interested in political science, something that pertains to us all and deserves our attention is the crisis we, as a world, are currently facing. I am no expert, and there dozens of perspectives when it comes to global relations/international relations, but I hope to present a particular view and spark thought, conversation, and even change. I want to pique the interest of anyone reading, in the hopes that it makes something think more deeply about the world and their role in it, as well as what they want for the future.
I use the term "global relations" rather than "international relations" because I feel that the major actions in the world are not nations. Nations are definitely important and large, powerful, actors, but I feel global capitalism is a much more powerful force that shapes interactions across the globe. Capitalism has become ever more pervasive and present in all parts of the world. I have to admit, after being exposed to three of the many dominant views in IR (international relations), I find myself arguing from the radical leftist, or Marxist perspective.
This means that I believe that the capitalist system is the ultimate root and source of many problems that face the lower and middle classes in countries all across the world. I believe in equality in opportunity, as opposed to equality of outcome, which is what most people probably think of when they think of communism and or socialism and the radical left. I do not think that people who are successful should be penalized by having to distribute their wealth to the less fortunate. I do, however, think that we should all have the equal opportunity and access to a valuable primary, secondary and higher education, regardless of the price of homes in our neighborhood, parental income, etc. I believe we should all be able to pay for college, pursue the degree that best fits us, and do our best to reach our various outcomes.
I believe that people of the lower classes in Guatemala for example, now have more in common with the lower classes of Mozambique and other countries than they do with the upper classes of their own country. Latin America is classified as a region of "third-world countries." I think this depends on your perspective. Many people in the US believe it is their job to "bring development" to the poor, backwards people to the south. This is ridiculous. I do not believe integrating the rural people of the Andes into the capitalist system will help them. I do not believe in integrating more people into the system and making it more accessible, because the system itself is deeply flawed and adding people to it only makes it stronger.
Why is capitalism flawed? Because it is economically, socially, and ecologically unsustainable. Capitalism can never create equality. It depends on poor working conditions, wages, and cheap resources in order to make the biggest profit possible. I do not need to tell any of you that this affliction exists in abundance in Latin America. The people at the bottom tier all over the world are becoming increasingly fed up with the lack of social movement, decent living conditions, and it can only get so bad before the system implodes upon itself.
Why are conditions so poor in Latin America? Why can't peasants stay peasants and live the lives of their grandparents? Capitalism has taken their land, their means of production, driven them to the cities, where they rot and starve. Some of you may say, but nothing is worse than being a peasant. In the cities, and with capitalism, these people have more opportunities they have ever had before.
I argue that this is gravely wrong. The people of the Americas had been surviving, flourishing even, for at least 10,000 years before capitalism ever set foot on their shores. The grand cultures of the Americas did not need Europeans to come and tell them who the true gods were, how to grow food, how to build, how to speak, how to live. Ever since Europeans laid eyes on the "New World", they have been raping, pillaging, and exploiting it, which brings me to my next point.
The other main reason capitalism is unsustainable, besides that the economic system of ever acquiring more money is impossible and that the people will not be suppressed indefinitely: the ecology of the world. The earth's natural resources are by no means infinite. On the contrary, they are quite limited and that max is fast approaching. We as a people have two choices: wait and do nothing, until some cataclysmic event occurs and changes everything, or we attempt to change things ourselves. I urge you all to support the latter.
Thank you.
I use the term "global relations" rather than "international relations" because I feel that the major actions in the world are not nations. Nations are definitely important and large, powerful, actors, but I feel global capitalism is a much more powerful force that shapes interactions across the globe. Capitalism has become ever more pervasive and present in all parts of the world. I have to admit, after being exposed to three of the many dominant views in IR (international relations), I find myself arguing from the radical leftist, or Marxist perspective.
This means that I believe that the capitalist system is the ultimate root and source of many problems that face the lower and middle classes in countries all across the world. I believe in equality in opportunity, as opposed to equality of outcome, which is what most people probably think of when they think of communism and or socialism and the radical left. I do not think that people who are successful should be penalized by having to distribute their wealth to the less fortunate. I do, however, think that we should all have the equal opportunity and access to a valuable primary, secondary and higher education, regardless of the price of homes in our neighborhood, parental income, etc. I believe we should all be able to pay for college, pursue the degree that best fits us, and do our best to reach our various outcomes.
I believe that people of the lower classes in Guatemala for example, now have more in common with the lower classes of Mozambique and other countries than they do with the upper classes of their own country. Latin America is classified as a region of "third-world countries." I think this depends on your perspective. Many people in the US believe it is their job to "bring development" to the poor, backwards people to the south. This is ridiculous. I do not believe integrating the rural people of the Andes into the capitalist system will help them. I do not believe in integrating more people into the system and making it more accessible, because the system itself is deeply flawed and adding people to it only makes it stronger.
Why is capitalism flawed? Because it is economically, socially, and ecologically unsustainable. Capitalism can never create equality. It depends on poor working conditions, wages, and cheap resources in order to make the biggest profit possible. I do not need to tell any of you that this affliction exists in abundance in Latin America. The people at the bottom tier all over the world are becoming increasingly fed up with the lack of social movement, decent living conditions, and it can only get so bad before the system implodes upon itself.
Why are conditions so poor in Latin America? Why can't peasants stay peasants and live the lives of their grandparents? Capitalism has taken their land, their means of production, driven them to the cities, where they rot and starve. Some of you may say, but nothing is worse than being a peasant. In the cities, and with capitalism, these people have more opportunities they have ever had before.
I argue that this is gravely wrong. The people of the Americas had been surviving, flourishing even, for at least 10,000 years before capitalism ever set foot on their shores. The grand cultures of the Americas did not need Europeans to come and tell them who the true gods were, how to grow food, how to build, how to speak, how to live. Ever since Europeans laid eyes on the "New World", they have been raping, pillaging, and exploiting it, which brings me to my next point.
The other main reason capitalism is unsustainable, besides that the economic system of ever acquiring more money is impossible and that the people will not be suppressed indefinitely: the ecology of the world. The earth's natural resources are by no means infinite. On the contrary, they are quite limited and that max is fast approaching. We as a people have two choices: wait and do nothing, until some cataclysmic event occurs and changes everything, or we attempt to change things ourselves. I urge you all to support the latter.
Thank you.
Monday, December 3, 2012
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