I prepared this Indian rice dish for a potlock dinner (meditation evening) for a gathering of 14 friends – we all know each other from India – and our dinners are always unbelievably good.

Directions

Wash rice by rinsing in cold water. Then soak in cold water for about 15-20 minutes. Drain.

In a large saute pan over medium heat, heat the ghee and add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, cinnamon and cook, stirring for 2-3 min. Add chopped chili, and saute for another minute and add the rice. Saute until rice is translucent and begins to brown. Add the boiling water and salt and bring to a boil (If you like the rice to have a light yellow color, add the turmeric now). Stir once, then cover and on very low heat let it simmer for about 15-18 min (depends on rice). The water will evaporate and steam holes will show through rice.

Add the butter over the rice and sprinkle the lemon juice over it. Serve with the chopped coriander for garnish.

Tip: get fresh curry leaves from an Indian store, after washing them you can keep them in the freezer.

Portion calculator per person:

Rice (for main course or mash) about 100g gross weight
Rice (as side dish) about 50g gross weight
Rice (added to a soup) 1 tbs (10-15g) gross weight

Source: Science Daily

ScienceDaily (Oct. 26, 2011) — Bisphenol A (BPA) -- a substance that may have harmful health effects -- occurs in 94 percent of thermal cash register receipts, scientists are reporting. The recycling of those receipts, they add, is a source of BPA contamination of paper napkins, toilet paper, food packaging and other paper products.

The report, which could have special implications for cashiers and other people who routinely handle thermal paper receipts, appears in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Kurunthachalam Kannan and Chunyang Liao explain that manufacturers produce more than 8 billion pounds of BPA worldwide every year. Research links BPA with a variety of harmful health effects. BPA has been used in plastic water bottles, the lining of food cans and a variety of other products. But how much do non-food sources contribute to humans' daily BPA exposure? BPA coats the surfaces of thermal receipts, where it acts as a developer for the printing dye. To see whether this source of BPA was a concern, the researchers analyzed hundreds of samples of thermal cash register receipts and 14 other types of paper products from the U.S., Japan, Korea and Vietnam.

They found BPA on 94 percent of the receipts. The only receipts with that were BPA-free were those from Japan, which phased out this use of BPA in 2001.

BPA was in most of the other types of paper products, with tickets, newspapers and flyers having the highest concentrations. But these levels still paled in comparison to BPA on receipts, which the study said are responsible for more than 98 percent of consumer exposure to BPA from paper. The researchers estimate that receipts contribute about 33.5 tons of BPA to the environment every year in the U.S. and Canada. They note that handling of paper products can contribute up to 2 percent of the total daily BPA exposures in the general population, and that fraction can be much higher in occupationally exposed individuals.

I enjoyed playing with some of the 125 alternative lower cases and the 46 ligatures:

Download OTF file

You can download this font here, for free! (And if you wish, you can also donate few dollars to acknowledge the creative work)

Version

Valentina-Regular 1.0 includes:

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You can:

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Of course there's more to it than that and we each have our own road. Each will be different. And for those that embrace their ability and chase their dreams, we will share these things in common.

But yes, it's more than that. How we approach our life? How we define value through our values. Are we adding or taking away. If we are not adding, then we are subtracting. If we are not building, we are either tearing down, or allowing things to be torn down.

We have opportunities; to be part of something bigger, or to shrink away and be less than we can be, and less than the sum of what we could accomplish if we tried, if we participated, if we realized that we are the contribution to the whole that adds or takes away from the sum of the parts.

Yes, there will be challenges. There will be hardship. There will be tears. But there will also be smiles, and joy, and accomplishment…for those that try and try hard there is always a gain, an advancement. Experience is the gift we learn as we work and fight and try, and push forward. And for all the times we fall, and get up again, we are still advancing.

If we are willing to recognize when we are wrong, quickly. If we are willing to not try to just look good for the sake of looking good. If we are willing to be the fool and recognize that we really are just human…. If we are honest with ourselves and others, then we can at least say we did not only our best, but the best.

If we lie to ourselves and others, then progress is diminished. Pretending we are doing great is not the same as doing great. And it seems for all our faults, if we are not honest, then how can we be honorable.

Randy Pausch lived a great life. And now he lives through all he has touched. Be it his family, his friends, his students and colleagues. Shouldn't we all take these simple rules to heart, pursue our dreams, do the best we can and live the fullest life? Would it make sense to do it any other way?

If we do, our legacy will be the beauty and strength of what we lived, what we accomplished, and whom we touched...

And looking back at our individual roads, I hope we can all say, I learned from that, through the tears and the laughter, the joy and the pain. And if we do our best , our contribution will be reflected in the lives of those around us, those we touch and whom touch us. And from now and today, unto all such tomorrows, we can know that we did our best – and really, is there anything better than that?

Fascism is one of the most dangerous forms of collective human behavior ever observed. Of course it is often mixed with many factors to become manifest and those factors dictate the degree of severity of the manifestation.

The story occurred in California in the first week of April, 1967, where Ron Jones, a High school teacher, wanted to teach about Hitler and what happened in WWII. His students did not understand how people could become so caught up in something so evil and then claim that it never happened. Ron figured out a way to get them to understand this lesson – by living it!

They asked:

"How could the German soldier, teacher, railroad conductor, nurse. tax collector. The average citizen, claim at the end of the Third Reich that they knew nothing of what was going on. How can a people be a part of something and then claim at the demise that they were not really involved. What causes people to blank out their own history?"

• How could the Germans just stand by and do nothing.
• If only 10% of the German population were members of the Nazi Party, why didn't anyone do anything?
• How could 10 million Jews be exterminated and no one know?

The teacher thought about how to help them understand. How to teach about what happened and he came up with an idea. He did not realize how dangerous the idea was. Even he as a teacher did not seem to fully recognize the power and danger that fascism creates. Mr. Jones himself may not have understood just how powerful even just mimicking the methods of fascism would make it real..., that his students could actually get caught up in it, and not simply learn about fascism, but become fascists.

Three things were remarkable about the experiment.

1. How fast the students became caught up in it.
2. How fast it began to manifest in not just behavior, but violent behavior.
3. And lastly, that the teacher himself would fall victim of his own experiment.

The following videos are a start reminder of the dangers of the use of such methods to control or direct human behavior. Have you ever wondered:

• How do wars start?
• What is group-think?
• Why do some people think they are better than others?

Perhaps the most startling thing about this story set in California in the late 1960's is that it is a true story. This really happened, and the lesson is one that we should all learn, so we can recognize mechanisms and traits of fascist behavior in ourselves and our social environment through group dynamics and behavior.

The Wave Part 1

The Wave Part 2

It was 1976. The teachers name was Ron Jones. Here he shares his thoughts long after 'The Third Wave' had occurred. Nearly 10 years later, the story begins to see more light of day. It might amaze one to realize that from beginning to end, the wave was no more than a week in duration, but its impacts will resonate in the minds of those that were there, that felt it, that experienced it, for a lifetime. And for those of us willing to see how easily we can all fall into 'the wave', let it be a warning and a call to reason….

Ron Jones: Once again I faced the thought of closing the experiment or letting it go its own course. Both options were unworkable. If I stopped the experiment a great number of students would be left hanging. They had committed themselves in front of their peers to radical behavior. Emotionally and psychologically they had exposed themselves. If I suddenly jolted them back to classroom reality I would face a confused student-body for the remainder of the year. It would be too painful and demeaning for Robert and the students like him to be twisted back into a seat and told it's just a game. They would take the ridicule from the brighter students that participated in a measured and cautious way. I couldn't let the Roberts lose again.

The other option of just letting the experiment run its course was also out of the question. Things were already getting out of control. Wednesday evening someone had broken into the room and ransacked the place. I later found out it was the father of one of the students. He was a retired Air Force colonel who had spent time in a German prisoner of war camp. Upon hearing of our activity he simply lost control. Late in the evening he broke into the room and tore it apart. I found him that morning propped up against the classroom door. He told me about his friends that had been killed in Germany. He was holding on to me and shaking. In staccato words he pleaded that I understand and help him get home. I called his wife and with the help of a neighbor walked him home. We spent hours later talking about what he felt and did, but from that moment on Thursday morning I was more concerned with what might be happening at school.

I was increasingly worried about how our activity was affecting the faculty and other students in the school. The Third Wave was disrupting normal learning. Students were cutting class to participate, and the school counselors were beginning to question every student in the class. The real gestapo in the school was at work. Faced with this experiment exploding in one hundred directions, I decided to try an old basketball strategy. When you're playing against all the odds the best action to take is to try the unexpected. That's what I did.

By Thursday the class had swollen in size to over eighty students. The only thing that allowed them all to fit was the enforced discipline of sitting in silence at attention. A strange calm is in effect when a room full of people sit in quite observation and anticipation. It helped me approach them in a deliberate way. I talked about pride. "Pride is more than banners or salutes. Pride Is something no one can take from you. Pride is knowing you are the best.... It can't be destroyed..."

In the midst of this crescendo I abruptly changed and lowered my voice to announce the real reason for the Third Wave. In slow methodical tone I explained what was behind the Third Wave. "The Third Wave isn't just an experiment or classroom activity. It's far more important than that. The Third Wave is a nationwide program to find students who are willing to fight for political change in this country. That's right. This activity we have been doing has been practice for the real thing. Across the country teachers like myself have been recruiting and training a youth brigade capable of showing the nation a better society through discipline, community, pride, and action. If we can change the way this school is run, we can change the way that factories, stores, universities and all the other institutions are run. You are a selected group of young people chosen to help in this cause. If you will stand up and display what you have learned in the past four days...we can change the destiny of this nation. We can bring it a new sense of order, community, pride and action. A new purpose. Everything rests with you and your willingness to take a stand."

To give validity to the seriousness of my words I turned to the three women in the class whom I knew had questioned the Third Wave. I demanded that they leave the room. I explained why I acted and then assigned four guards to escort the women to the library and to restrain them from entering the class on Friday. Then in dramatic style I informed the class of a special noon rally to take place on Friday. This would be a rally for Third Wave Members only.

It was a wild gamble. I just kept talking. Afraid that if I stopped someone would laugh or ask a question and the grand scheme would dissolve in chaos. I explained how at noon on Friday a national candidate for president would announce the formation of a Third Wave Youth Program. Simultaneous to this announcement over 1000 youth groups from every part of the country would stand up and display their support for such a movement. I confided that they were the students selected to represent their area. I also questioned if they could make a good showing, because the press had been invited to record the event. No one laughed. There was not a murmur of resistance. quite the contrary. A fever pitch of excitement swelled across the room. "We can do it!" "Should we wear white shirts?" "Can we bring friends?" "Mr. Jones, have you seen this advertisement in Time magazine?"

The clincher came quite by accident. It was a full page color advertisement in the current issue of Time for some lumber products. The advertiser identified his product as the Third Wave. The advertisement proclaimed in big red, white and blue letters, "The Third Wave is coming." "Is this part of the campaign, Mr. Jones?" "Is it a code or something?" "Yes." "Now listen carefully."

"It's all set for tomorrow. Be in the small auditorium ten minutes before 12:00. Be seated. Be ready to display the discipline, community, and the pride you have learned. Don't talk to anyone about this. This rally is for members only."

STRENGTH THROUGH UNDERSTANDING

On Friday, the final day of the exercise, I spent the early morning preparing the auditorium for the rally. At eleven thirty students began to ant their way into the room; at first a few scouting the way and then more. Row after row began to fill. A hushed silence shrouded the room. Third Wave banners hung like clouds over the assembly. At twelve o'clock sharp I closed the room and placed guards at each door. Several friends of mine posing as reporters and photographers began to interact with the crowd taking pictures and jotting frantic descriptive notes. A group photograph was taken. Over two hundred students were crammed into the room. Not a vacant seat could be found. The group seemed to be composed of students from many persuasions. There were the athletes, the social prominents, the student leaders, the loners, the group of kids that always left school early, the bikers, the pseudo hip, a few representatives of the school's dadaist click, and some of the students that hung out at the laundromat. The entire collection however looked like one force as they sat in perfect attention. Every person focusing on the T.V. set I had in the front of the room. No one moved. The room was empty of sound. It was like we were all witness to a birth. The tension and anticipation was beyond belief.

"Before turning on the national press conference, which begins in five minutes, I want to demonstrate to the press the extent of our training." With that, I gave the salute followed automatically by two hundred arms stabbing a reply. I then said the words "Strength Through Discipline" followed by a repetitive chorus. We did this again, and again. Each time the response was louder. The photographers were circling the ritual snapping pictures, but by now they were ignored. I reiterated the importance of this event and asked once more for a show of allegiance. It was the last time I would ask anyone to recite. The room rocked with a guttural cry, "Strength Through Discipline."

It was 12:05. I turned off the lights in the room and walked quickly to the television set. The air in the room seemed to be drying up. It felt hard to breathe and even harder to talk. It was as if the climax of shouting souls had pushed everything out of the room. I switched the television set on. I was now standing next to the television directly facing the room full of people. The machine came to life producing a luminous field of phosphorus light. Robert was at my side. I whispered to him to watch closely and pay attention to the next few minutes. The only light in the room was coming from the television and it played against the faces in the room. Eyes strained and pulled at the light but the pattern didn't change. The room stayed deadly still. Waiting. There was a mental tug of war between the people in the room and the television. The television won. The white glow of the test pattern didn't snap into the vision of a political candidate. It just whined on. Still the viewers persisted. There must be a program. It must be coming on. Where is it? The trance with the television continued for what seemed like hours. It was 12:07. Nothing. A blank field of white. It's not going to happen. Anticipation turned to anxiety and then to frustration. Someone stood up and shouted.

"There isn't any leader is there?" Everyone turned in shock. First to the despondent student and then back to the television. Their faces held looks of disbelief.

In the confusion of the moment I moved slowly toward the television. I turned it off. I felt air rush back into the room. The room remained in fixed silence but for the first time I could sense people breathing. Students were withdrawing their arms from behind their chairs. I expected a flood of questions, but instead got intense quietness. I began to talk. Every word seemed to be taken and absorbed.

"Listen closely, I have something important to tell you." "Sit down." "There is no leader! There is no such thing as a national youth movement called the Third Wave. You have been used. Manipulated. Shoved by your own desires into the place you now find yourself. You are no better or worse than the German Nazis we have been studying."

"You thought that you were the elite. That you were better than those outside this room. You bargained your freedom for the comfort of discipline and superiority. You chose to accept that group's will, and 'the big lie' over your own conviction. Oh, you think to yourself that you were just going along for the fun. That you could extricate yourself at any moment. But where were you heading? How far would you have gone? Let me show you your future."

With that I switched on a rear screen projector. It quickly illuminated a white drop cloth hanging behind the television. Large numbers appeared in a countdown. The roar of the Nuremberg Rally blasted into vision. My heart was pounding. In ghostly images the history of the Third Reich paraded into the room. The discipline. The march of super race. The big lie. Arrogance, violence, terror. People being pushed into vans. The visual stench of death camps. Faces without eyes. The trials. The plea of ignorance. I was only doing my job. My job. As abruptly as it started the film froze to a halt on a single written frame. "Everyone must accept the blame. No one can claim that they didn't in some way take part."

The room stayed dark as the final footage of film flapped against the projector. I felt sick to my stomach. The room sweat and smelt like a locker room. No one moved. It was as if everyone wanted to dissect the moment, figure out what had happened. Like awakening from a dream and deep sleep, the entire room of people took one last look back into their consciousness. I waited for several minutes to let everyone catch up. Finally questions began to emerge. All of the questions probed at imaginary situations and sought to discover the meaning of this event.

In the still darkened room I began the explanation. I confessed my feeling of sickness and remorse. I told the assembly that a full explanation would take quite a while. But to start. I sensed myself moving from an introspective participant in the event toward the role of teacher. It's easier being a teacher. In objective terms I began to describe the past events.

"Through the experience of the past week we have all tasted what it was like to live and act in Nazi Germany. We learned what it felt like to create a disciplined social environment. To build a special society. Pledge allegiance to that society. Replace reason with rules. Yes, we would all have made good Germans. We would have put on the uniform. Turned our head as friends and neighbors were cursed and then persecuted. Pulled the locks shut. Worked in the "defense" plants. Burned ideas. Yes, we know in a small way what it feels like to find a hero. To grab quick solution. Feel strong and in control of destiny. We know the fear of being left out. The pleasure of doing something right and being rewarded. To be number one. To be right. Taken to an extreme we have seen and perhaps felt what these actions will lead to. We each have witnessed something over the past week. We have seen that fascism is not just something those other people did. No. it's right here. In this room. In our own personal habits and way of life. Scratch the surface and it appears. Something in all of us. We carry it like a disease. The belief that human beings are basically evil and therefore unable to act well toward each other. A belief that demands a strong leader and discipline to preserve social order. And there is something else. The act of apology."

"This is the final lesson to be experienced. This last lesson is perhaps the one of greatest importance. This lesson was the question that started our plunge in studying Nazi life. Do you remember the question? It concerned a bewilderment at the German populace claiming ignorance and non-involvement in the Nazi movement. If I remember the question, it went something like this. How could the German soldier, teacher, railroad conductor, nurse, tax collector, the average citizen, claim at the end of the Third Reich that they knew nothing of what was going on. How can people be a part of something and then claim at the demise that they were not really involved. What causes people to blank out their own history? In the next few minutes and perhaps years, you will have an opportunity to answer this question."

"If our enactment of the Fascist mentality is complete, not one of you will ever admit to being at this final Third Wave rally. Like the Germans, you will have trouble admitting to yourself that you had come this far. You will not allow your friends and parents to know that you were willing to give up individual freedom and power for the dictates of order and unseen leaders. You can't admit to being manipulated. Being a follower. To accepting the Third Wave as a way of life. You won't admit to participating in this madness. You will keep this day and this rally a secret. It's a secret I shall share with you."

I took the film from the three cameras in the room and pulled the celluloid into the exposing light. The deed was concluded. The trial was over. The Third Wave had ended. I glanced over my shoulder. Robert was crying. Students slowly rose from their chairs and without words filed into the outdoor light. I walked over to Robert and threw my arms around him. Robert was sobbing. Taking in large uncontrollable gulps of air. "It's over." It's all right."

In our consoling each other we became a rock in the stream of exiting students. Some swirled back to momentarily hold Robert and me. Others cried openly and then brushed away tears to carry on. Human beings circling and holding each other. Moving toward the door and the world outside.

For a week in the middle of a school year we had shared fully in life. And as predicted we also shared a deep secret. In the four years I taught at Cubberley High School no one ever admitted to attending the Third Wave Rally. Oh, we talked and studied our actions intently. But the rally itself. No. It was something we all wanted to forget.

An Interview with Ron Jones

Ron Jones is often asked to explain The Wave! How did it happen? Is it like the movie? Can you teach me how to do it? He has turned down inquiry from Jim Jones of Peoples Temple, to magazine editors, scholars, students, skin heads and evangelists. He is constantly asked to advise on plays about The Wave being produced around the world and respond to a web site that claims The Wave never took place.

To depict what really happened—to describe his personal feelings and the role of racism/violence in The Wave—Ron chose to perform The Wave only once before a San Francisco audience of students and Holocaust survivors! He recorded this event as a DVD and hoped it would answer all questions. And only once did he respond to a late night phone call to meet Eva Moses, a child at Auschwitz, and join her in the examination of horror. And once, only once did he take Eva Moses story to Hitler’s private chambers in Nuremburg’s Gold Room to perform a requested exorcism.

“I’m not proud of The Wave but I can’t escape it! It is like a calling that just gets louder! For me The Wave is a story of ghosts. What we can be. The allure of good and evil. Choices. I’m sorry, but in the end I can’t answer your questions about The Wave. I am a gym teacher and grandparent.  Confused by today’s events. Worried.  Feeling unable to affect change.  Content to play basketball with a grandchild, listen to the songs in my head. Spitting the poetry of everyday life in quiet reverence.

I suspect, the answers you seek are closer than some distant drum beat.  It is the choices you make. The decision to include or exclude people from your life. To walk across the room to meet a stranger. The stranger in you and all of us. To trust yourself and others. To fight for justice and equality in the pulse of your life. To love your children. To be silly. Playful. Organize for a sense of community and better life for all. A life that can’t be given away to any fear or tyrant. A life that can’t be planned or explained, only appreciated.

Yes, there is good and evil in what we do. The good in me yearns for freedom.  The evil exists at the edge of road rage or a racial slur waiting to explode into a world of perfection, answers, and order. I am capable of either.”

Links

• http://www.ronjoneswriter.com/bio.html#interview
• http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/Auxiliary/Psychology/Frank/RJmore.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Jones_%28teacher%29
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave_%28TV_special%29
• http://www.thewavehome.com/
• http://www.lessonplanmovie.com/
• http://libcom.org/history/the-third-wave-1967-account-ron-jones

The Third Reich

And what happens when we don't recognize the reality and turn a blind eye or a deaf ear. One might ask Martin Niemöller who was arrested on 1 July 1937 and remained imprisoned until late April 1945 Niemöller when he was transferred to Tyrol together with about 140 other prominent inmates. The SS left the prisoners behind and he was liberated by the Fifth U.S. Army on May 5, 1945. He is best known for a poem he wrote describing our human frailty in dangerous circumstance:

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Links

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Wave
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Jones_%28teacher%29
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came...
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Niemöller
• http://libcom.org/history/the-third-wave-1967-account-ron-jones

This article was written by:

John P. Reisman

by John P. Reisman

When I was managing Promise Productions, which was one of the hottest mix rooms around LA, I saw many producers and engineers come through our room. Of all the producer/engineers that I heard there, Reggie Dozier stood out among the rest. The sound that came out of the speakers was so perfectly balanced, so powerful, so sweet and so alive... it was as if you were standing on stage with the musicians, and the music literally surrounded and enveloped you... and at the same time, it penetrated your soul.

But that's not the best part about Reggie...

The best part of Reggie is Reggie. He is one of the warmest people you will ever meet. When you meet him, he greets you like a friend; it's as if you have known him for years. Maybe one of the most easy going guys on the planet. His reputation for integrity and getting the job done has been exemplified throughout his career.

No matter what kind of music he was working on, he was always able to make it shine bright and clear, and slamming when needed. Reggie is still actively producing and making music better than ever. If your ready to make some music, Reggie is the one you want behind the desk!

Like his brother, Lamont Dozier, Reggie is an artist as well. As a producer, writer, arranger, musician and vocalist, Reggie's 'musical sense' comes from his amazing talent and experience. He 'knows' how to make music.

I don't know when I first met Reggie, it may have been in North Hollywood at Sound Master Studios back in 79 or 80, or Hollywood at Lionshare, when he was Chief Engineer working with Kenny Rogers.

Now I've known Reggie for years, and I can't tell you how many times I've heard one of his signature phrases, always delivered with a smile and a look that tells you 'you're about to get a treat'. He leans over and simply says, "Check this out" with the excitement of a childhood friend sharing something special, shiny and new..., and then he reaches for the play button...

If your ready to make music, contact Reggie via e-mail: studiomixdoctor@yahoo.com

ARTISTS - RECORDED OR MIXED:

Phil Collins, Gerald Albright, Miles Davis, The Dells, Michael Jackson, Outkast ("The Love Below"), B.B. King, Brandy, Toni Braxton, Lamont Dozier, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross ("Dance With My Father"), Aretha Franklin, Ike Turner, The Temptations, Justin Timberlake ('Justified'), Natalie Cole, Dru Hill, Lionel Ritchie, Switch, Diana Ross, Johnnie Taylor, The Four Tops, Cheryl Lynn, Bobby Bland, Marilyn Mccoo & Billy Davis Jr., Johnny Mathis, Ray Parker Jr., Kenny Rogers, Raydio, The Jazz Crusades, Ronnie Laws, The Isley Brothers, Lucy Pearl, Brenda Russell, Leon Haywood, Barry White, Gladys Knight, Patti Labelle, Bobby Lyle, James Ingram, Martha Reeves, Bobby Womack, Zoom, Debbie Gibson, Nancy Wilson, Pleasure, Mary Mary, Jamiroquai

Grammys

GRAMMY Category "Album Of The Year"
Best Rap Album
Best Urban Alternative Performance
Year 2003 - 46th Annual GRAMMY Awards
Title of the Work Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Artist Performing Work OutKast

GRAMMY Winner "OutKast" (André 3000, Big Boi), artist. Brian Paturalski, Chris Carmouche, Darrell Thorp, Dexter Simmons, John Frye, Kevin Davis, Matt Still, Moka Nagatani, Neal H. Pogue, Padraic Kernin, Pete Novak, Reggie Dozier, Robert Hannon, Terrence Cash & Vincent Alexander, engineers/mixers. Bernie Grundman & Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, mastering engineers. André 3000, Big Boi & Carl Mo, producers.
Genre General

Grammy Nomination 2002:
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Album
Artist - Lamont Dozier
"An American Original"

• Reggie in the news: Universal Audio Webzine
• Facebook

• 500 ml buttermilk, room temp
• 200 ml water, room temp
• 2.5 tsp yeast
• 1/2 tbs sugar

• 1 tbs salt (=15ml)
• 550 g / 4 cups and 1 Tbs whole wheat flour (or whole spelt flour)
• 200 g / 2 cups rolled oats
• 50g / 1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or a mix of seeds: sunflower, pumpkin, sesame etc)

Optional: add to taste some spice (fennel, coriander, cumin, anise, caraway, lemon zest)
mix into the bowl. This makes a sticky, wet dough

Preparation by hand:

First dissolve the yeast in warm water, then add all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
The dough is quite liquid and sticky.
Put it into a buttered cake form (or use a non-stick form).
Let it rise for 30 minutes.
Bake in preheated oven at 390 ºF (200 ºC) for about 50 min to 1 hour.
Tip: use the double amount of the ingredients to fill a 30 cm long-square cake form.

Preparation with bread machine:

Put all ingredients into the machine, liquids first, flour and seeds last, and choose a dark bread cycle.

Bread Flour Converter:

Doesn't it look gorgeous?! And so easy to make.

• 500 g beetroot
• 500 g white cabbage (or 1/2- 1 cup sauerkraut, chopped small)
  
• 200 g potatoes
  
• 200 g carrots (2-3 carrots)
  
• 1 leek
  
• 1 onion or 2 shallots
  
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 Tbs oil
  
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper
  
• 2-3 Tbs balsamic vinegar or fresh lemon juice (you can skip this if you use sauerkraut)
• Extra: 1 cup chestnuts, cooked
  

Garnish

Sour cream

Dill for garnish

Preparation

Clean, wash, peel and cut the beetroot, potatoes and carrots into small chunks.

Peel onions and garlic, chop finely and fry in oil.

Add beetroot and saute briefly.

Add water (or vegetable stock) and bay leaf.

Add the potatoes and simmer for about 5 min, while you clean the leek and cut it in thin stripes.

Clean the cabbage, remove the stalk, cut in quarters, then in small pieces.

Add the rest of the vegetables, salt and pepper, vinegar and cook for another 25 min.

Add the cooked chestnuts, cut in half, 5 min before serving.

Serve

Serve stew in soup plates, add a spoon of sour cream and garnish it with dill.

Tip: Some regional recipes do not use cabbage, or use instead of cabbage half a cup of sauerkraut. The heart of the recipe are the beetroots, the other veggies in the recipe you can vary in quantity to your liking or which veggies you have already in your fridge.

We were cooking vegetarian Borscht in the black Forest in winter time. The hot soup felt so good that we cooked a variation even two times, and enough to warm it up!  We made once a variation with added chestnuts, fresh lemon juice, without cabbage but sauerkraut instead.

We serve pearl pickling onions and "petite dill pickles" (Cornichons) with it, and black tea or dry white wine to drink.

Important: continuously stir the cheese mixture, also when serve it is important that always someone is slowly stirring with one's bred chunk on the fork so the cheese doesn't split.

Ingredients (4 portions: 200g cheese per person)

• 1 loaf of white bred (Italian bred or baquette)
• 1 clove garlic
• 400 g Gruyère
• 400 g Emmentaler (or Vacherin cheese, a Swiss cheese from fribourg)
• 3 dl dry white wine
• 1 Tbs cornstarch
• 1 Tbs Kirsch
• Nutmeg and pepper, freshly grated

Directions

Prepare the table and cut the bred into 1-inch cubes.

Rub the garlic on the inside of fondue pot (Caquelon).

Grate the cheeses into the fondue pot. Mix the wine with the cornstarch and add to the fondue pot and stirring slowly and continuously heating it so it bubbles gently, but do not boil. Add the kirsch while stirring. Season with nutmeg and pepper – while stirring.

Tip: The Gruyère & Vacherin cheese fondue is called "moitié-moitié" and is the best! If Vacherin cheese is not available use Emmentaler or half Emmentaler and half Appenzeller.

2 Tbs olive oil or coconut fat

1 red cabbage (approx. 2 pounds/1 kg), quartered, cored and shredded

2 apples (approx. 400 g), finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1 cup red wine

2 Tbs balsamic vinegar

1 pinch glove powder

2 pinch freshly grated nutmeg

1 sweet potato

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Wash the cabbage, cut in 4 pieces, remove the trunk and shred it.

Wash apples, remove seeds and shred them.

Chop onion.

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil/fat and simmer the onions and apples.

(For the very traditional German-Style Blaukraut add one table spoon sugar and caramelize, that will enhance the dark blue color – I personally do not cook with added sugars for health reasons).

Wilt in the cabbage and season with salt, pepper, glove and some freshly grated nutmeg.

Add the red wine and vinegar, cover and let it simmer for 20 min.

Add the chunks of sweet potato and cook for another 15-20 min.

Tip: adding chestnuts to the red cabbage gives a wonderful tasteful natural sweet flavor – add instead of sweet potato and cook them right in the beginning with the cabbage.

• 75 g onion ½ onion
• 75 g leeks ½ leek
• 50 g carrots 1 carrot
• 25 g celery root ¼ celery root
• 40 g ham
• 25 g butter
• 50 g barley
• 15 g flour

• 1,5 l bouillion

Enrichment

• 1,5 dl full cream
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 pinch saffron

Special

• 2-4 trout filets

Directions

Chop the veggies and ham and glaze in butter.
Add the barley and simmer

Sprinkle the flour into the pan.

Add the broth.

Cook for about 30 min. till the barley is tender.
Add cream, egg yolk and saffron, bring to a short boil then reduce the heat and add the trout filets for about 5 min.

Serve

Skim some veggies/barley into the warmed soup bowls, whisk the soup, serve the soup over the veggies/barley and the fish on top, garnish with some chives.

This recipe I wrote down from a booklet we received in Switzerland for our 2011 elections. The booklet portraits all the parties we can give our votes, in total 12 parties this year, published by the Swiss federation.

Barley soup is traditional for one area in Switzerland, the Graubünden, which is one of my favorite areas…if you click on the Graubünden link and have a look at the pictures from Graubünden you may understand….

Train tracks through the lush valley.

This train is world famous, it takes a full 360º circle inside the mountain. The railway conquers a gradient of up to 70% without rack and pinion!

Many homes still look like from centuries back, yet well maintained and with modern interiors.

Preparation

Simmer the cream, vanilla and sugar for 5 min.

Soak the gelatine leaves in a small bowl of cold water for about 5 min.

Let the cream cool down a bit and whisk in the gelatine leaves (squeezed from the water).

Fill the liquid into small forms, let it cool out, then put them into the fridge for about 3-4 hours.

Serve

To serve, turn each panna cotta out onto a serving plate. Spoon over the berry sauce and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Fresh Berry Sauce

• 2 Tbs sugar
• 350g/12oz raspberries or berry mix

Blend berries with sugar (or honey) and pour decoratively around the panna cotta.

The berries can be fresh or deep frozen.

Extra: add a splash liqueur (Grand Marnier, cherry, Triple Sec etc) to the blend.

I prepare this breakfast nearly every day, but without ever measuring the ingredients; so it comes out different nearly every time I make it. This is an attempt to write a recipe for Lila:

Ingredients (7 servings)

• 3 cups barley

for flavor you can add:

• 1 Tbs cinnamon
• cacao
• yoghurt
• 3 bananas
• 2 apples
• walnuts or almonds, chopped
• raisins
• juice of 5 tangerines or 2 oranges

Preparation

Soak the barley over night in enough water.

Next morning rinse the soaked barley, cook it tender in about the double amount of water (using a pressure cooker this takes approx. 10 min)

Mix the barley in a bowl with the other ingredients to your taste and vary with the flavors so it never gets boring.

Serve it in bowls and sprinkle with cocoa.

Add honey if you like the sweet taste.

Variations:

Add flax seeds when cooking the barley

Add cashew nuts

Add cranberries or dried plums instead of raisins

Add sesame seeds

Add 2-3 cardamon seeds to the cooking

Add any other fresh fruits and berries as available

We had friends over one day and they said that their son was wheat intolerant. This along with my own wish for a wheat free substitute inspired me to begin experimenting.

After a few tries with tasty oat muffins (that kept falling apart on me, Harito had a suggestion. She said if you boil the oats, they will stick together. Playing with different mixes eventually I had a mixture that worked. The oats stuck together with a muffin like consistency, like magic!

My first goal was to NOT use fruit, sugar or eggs to stick the oats together.

My second goal was to make a blank muffin mix that could then be mixed with any flavors you like. Fruit, spices, nuts or whatever flavors and textures one might find preferable so the basic recipe can be customized to achieve your desire.

No mashed banana, no honey, no sugar, no eggs. Just a basic oat muffin. You can add any flavors you wish!

The 6 Muffin Mix

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup small rolled oats
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1 cup Milk [or 1 cup buttermilk, yum!]
• 1 Tbsp arrowroot [or 1 Tbsp tapioca flour]
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 & 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt

The 12 Muffin Mix

Ingredients

• 1 cup small rolled oats
• 1 cup oat flour
• 2 cups Milk [or 2 cup buttermilk, yum!]
• 2 Tbsp arrowroot [or 2 Tbsp tapioca flour]
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Tips:

• If you only have salted butter, reduce the amount of salt in the recipe.

Notes:

Mix dry ingredients: small rolled oats, arrowroot, baking powder, salt (do not add oat flour yet, otherwise you may end up with a bread texture). You will add the oat flour later. Mix these dry ingredients and milk in a pot and warm slowly, add butter to the mixture in the pot. Stir regularly. The mixture will remain liquid until the end where you will notice it creates a thick pasty texture. Once this glue like texture is achieved, turn off the flame and fold in the dry oat flour (as if you are making a scone). You can add a little more milk if needed to mix the oat flour into the dough (but not too wet).

You may need to adjust liquid or dry ingredients depending on humidity and altitude.

Bake on level of oven that provides even heating (depends on oven size, usually mid to lower).

Altitude considerations – You might have to adjust the temperature or cooking time, the following notes may help:

• Bake 35 minutes at 175C (350F)
• Liquid: 900 meters (3000 ft) - Increase liquid for each cup 1 to 2 T
• Liquid: 1500 (5000 ft) - Increase liquid for each cup 2 to 3 T
• Liquid: 2100 meters (7000 ft) - Increase liquid for each cup 3 to 4 T
• Baking Powder: for each teaspoon decrease 1/8 teaspoon
• Baking Powder: for each teaspoon decrease 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon.
• Baking Powder: for each teaspoon decrease 1/4 teaspoon.
  

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