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Leticia Alaniz
www.leticiaalaniz.com
Pomegranates - The Ruby Jewels From The Ancient East
A Pomegranate split open showing its juicy red seeds
Photograph by Leticia Alaniz © 2005 All Rights Reserved
One of the most ancient fruits known to man has long been associated in religion and mythology as a symbol so powerful that it has long endured thousands of years. Considered to be the fruit of love and passion, it is no wonder it is associated with desire, fertility and marriage, abundance and prosperity, life and death, rebirth and eternal life. The ruby red interior fruits of the pomegranate have been appreciated and valued as the fruit of perfection, the product of a woman's womb and the red of her lips.
Pomegranates are a fruit known by their scientific name as Punica granatum. They are native to the land known in ancient times as Persia, now modern Iran. The name "pomegranate" derives from Latin pōmum apple and grānātus "seeded" or grain. By the spanish it is called granada, by the French, grenade. The ancient Persians called it dulim or dulima. In classic Sanskrit the word was taken from the Persians dadima or dalim. They grow from a deciduous shrub or small tree that reaches a height between five to eight meters. The shrub is much-branched, more or less spiny, and extremely long lived, some specimens have been known to have survived two centuries.
A Pomegranate Bloom
Nearly round but crowned at the base by the prominent calyx, the fruit which can measure anywhere between 2 1/2 to 5 inches (6.25-12.5cm) wide, has a tough, leathery skin or rind, yellow more or less overlaid with light or deep pink or rich red. The interior is separated by membranous walls and white spongy tissue into compartments packed tight with transparent sacs filled with tart, flavorful, fleshy, juicy, red, pink or whitish pulp.
Pomegranates are a fruit long steeped in history and romance. For centuries it has been admired as a fruit of passion for its luscious bright red color. It has been featured in Egyptian mythology and art, praised in the Old Testament of the Bible, written and described poetically in the Quran and in the Babylonian Talmud, and it was carried by desert caravans for the sake of its thirst-quenching juice. During the Moorish conquest of 711, the ancient Andalusan city of Granada, Spain was renamed after the fruit. Spanish colonists later introduced the fruit to the Caribbean and Latin America. It traveled to central and southern India from Iran about the first century A.D. and was reported growing in Indonesia in 1416. It has been cultivated throughout India and the drier parts of southeast Asia, Malaya, the East Indies and Tropical Africa.
It is rather commonly planted and has become naturalized in Bermuda, West Indies and warm areas of South and Central America. In Mexico it is a cherished and much admired plant and has become a much celebrated fruit associated with harvests and religious festivals. During pomegranate season, the markets are filled with mountains of these fruits beautifully displayed half open with the jewels sparkling and enticing the eyes of passersby.
Pomegranate juice is rich in vitamin C and is a good source of potassium, polyphenols such as tannins and flavonoids and is an excellent source of vitamin B5.
Believed to be rich in fiber and antioxidants, for thousands of years it has been used medicinally in the reduction of heart disease and in eradicating free radicals which cause cancer. It is known to reduce high blood pressure, inhibit viral infections, and its extracts have antibacterial effects against dental plaque.
Since medieval times, pomegranates were used to cure blood diseases, following the principle of similarity that was identified because of its juice being a blood red color. It has long been valued because of its magnificent astringent properties. In Ayurvedic medicine every part of the plant (root, bark, flowers, fruit, leaves) is used for medicinal purposes.
Due to its form and structure, the most important meaning of the pomegranate fruit, is the adjustment of the diverse and multiple all in one unit. In many cultures it symbolizes the unity of the universe and fertility.
Jews celebrate the beginning of a new year in September and pomegranates are eaten in many houses; because of their abundant little juice filled sacs, they also represent the number of good deeds that a person must try to accomplish reflecting equally the number of wishes that may be granted.
A favorite dish from Mexico: Chile en Nogada traditionally
embellished with pomegranate seeds most popularly served during the month of September.
In the month of September, pomegranates appear in one of the most impressive manifestations of the mexican culinary arts: the Chiles en Nogada. The famous dish that consists of a stuffed grilled poblano chile, covered in a walnut sauce and adorned with pomegranate jewels that glisten like rubies. The blanket of creamy and fragrant walnut sauce over the green chile with the little jewels, apart from being a delight to admire visually, announces the most patriotic month of the year in Mexico.
In the Middle East, pomegranate juice is very popular sold streetside in thousands of stalls when in season. In India, fresh seeds are used in preparation of a curd rice. Prior to the arrival of the tomato in the Middle East, granadine, which is a thick red syrup made from the fruit is commonly used in a variety of persian foods.
Anardana, a spice which is made from drying the pomegranate seeds for 10 to 15 days is used in India and Pakistani cuisines. Literally the word comes from (anar) seeds and (dana) in Persian. The seeds are used as an acidic agent for a variety of chutneys and curries.
Labels: Chile en Nogada, Culture, Exotic, Fertility, Fruit, Granada, History of Pomegranate, India, Iran, Love, Mexico, Passion, Persia, photography, Pomegranate, Spain, travel
Chile Peppers - Its Journey From Mexico to Europe and Asia
Since the dawn of cooking, people around the world have added spices to their foods to make them taste better. But no other ingredient is more popular and widely consumed than the chile pepper. There is evidence that supports the notion that "countries with hotter climates use spices more frequently than countries with cooler climates".
Plenty has been written about the etymology of the various words used to describe the capsicums: pepper, chile, chili, chilli, and chile pepper, chili pepper. Pepper, of course, is derived from the early confusion with the black pepper genus, Piper, while chilli, chile, and chili are, the Nahuatl (Aztec) and Spanish spellings.
The Plant and Its Power
Chile peppers are perennial subshrubs, native to the Americas. They are a part of the large nightshade family, or Solanaceae, and are closely related to tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco, and eggplants. They are not related to black pepper, Piper nigrum. The chile pepper genus is Capsicum, from the Greek kapto, appropriately enough, meaning "to bite."
The active principle that causes heat in chile peppers is a crystalline alkaloid generically called capsaicin, produced by glands at the junction of the placenta and the pod wall. The capsaicin spreads unevenly throughout the inside of the pod and is concentrated mostly in the placental tissue that holds the seeds. The capsaicin in chiles is an incredibly powerful and stable alkaloid, seemingly unaffected by cold or heat, thus retaining its original potency despite time, cooking, or freezing.
Capsaicin is one of the most pungent compounds known, detectable to the palate in dilutions of one to several million. It is slightly soluble in water, but very soluble in alcohols, fats, and oils. Capsaicin has no flavor, color, or odor. Therefore the precise amount in chiles can only be measured by specialized laboratory procedures.
There are some people more sensitive to the burn of the chiles more than others. Our human taste buds can detect sour, sweet, bitter and salty. Scientists have identified a lipid molecule called PIP2 that plays a crucial role in controlling the strength of the burning sensation caused by capsaicin. A lipid molecule is a fatty molecule, insoluble in water but soluble in fat solvents and alcohol -- just like capsaicin. In the mouth there is a capsaicin receptor called TRPV1, and the lipid molecule PIP2 is bound to it. In the presence of capsaicin, the PIP2 molecule separates from the receptor, causing a painful sensation.
In plain language, sensitivity to capsaicin is determined by genetics -- some people's lipid molecules have a stronger bond with capsaicin receptors than others. But the fact that biochemical and pharmacological mechanisms can also play a role could explain why some people become desensitized to capsaicin and can take more and more heat.
Origins of the Chile
Chiles originated in the remote geologic past in an area bordered by the mountains of southern Brazil to the east, by Bolivia to the west, and by Paraguay and northern Argentina to the south and as far north as central America and the jungles of Mexico. Not only does this location have the greatest concentration of wild species of chiles in the world, but here and only here, representatives of all the major domesticated species within the genus do grow. Scientists are not certain about the exact time frame or method for the spread of both wild and domesticated species, but suspect the birds were primarily responsible. The wild chiles (like their undomesticated cousin of today, the chiltepin) had erect, red fruits that were quite pungent, which discouraged mammals from eating them. But they were very attractive to various species of birds, which unaffected by the pungency, ate the whole pods. The seeds of those pods passed thru their digestive tracts intact and were deposited on the ground, encased in a perfect fertilizer. In this manner, chiles spread all over South and Central America long before the first Asian tribes crossed the Bering land bridge and settled the Western Hemisphere.
The earliest evidence of chile peppers in the human diet is from Mexico, where archaelogists discovered chile seeds dating from about 7500 B.C. during excavation at Tamaulipas and Teotihuacan. These pods and Peru's Guitarreo Cave (dated 6500 B.C) seem to indicate that chiles were under cultivation approximately 10,000 years ago. However, the date is extremely early for crop domestication, and some experts suggest that these specimens were harvested in the wild rather than cultivated by man.
It was in Mexico that the annuum species reached its greatest diversification of pod shapes. By the time the Spanish conquerers arrived in what is now Mexico, chile peppers of all sizes and shapes were available in the marketplaces, as recorded by historians such as Bernandino de Sahagún, who described "hot green chiles, smoked chiles, water chiles, tree chiles, beetle chiles, and sharp-pointed red chiles." Chiles were combined with virtually every meat and vegetable available, they were made into sauces and were even used in hot chocolate drinks also native to Mexico.
Dispersion Around the World
Credit goes to the most famous explorer Christopher Columbus for the dispersion of the chiles. While trying to find a short cut to the East Indies, he landed first in Mexico thinking he had made it to the sought after land of the "black pepper". He sampled a plant, thought it was a relative of the black pepper and dubbed it a "pepper". So began several hundred years of misinformation about chile peppers. Unlike what Christopher Columbus thought, they aren't related to black pepper and they didn't originate in India.
Shortly after Christopher Colombus brought back the first chile pods with seeds from Mexico, the word was out about the pungent pods. Pedro Martir, a cleric in the service of the Spanish court in Barcelona, wrote in 1493 that the new hot pepper was called "caribe, meaning sharp and strong," and that "when it is used, there is no need of black pepper."
From 1493 on, chile seeds from the Americas, were available to the Spanish and Portuguese for transmittal throughout Europe and to ports anywhere along their trade routes. Spanish and Portuguese ships returning home were loaded not only with gold and silver but with packets of the seeds of the New World plants, destined for monastery gardens. Monks and amateur botanists carefully cultivated the capsicums and provided seed to other collectors in Europe.
In 1494, papal bulls of demarcation divided the world into Spanish and Portuguese spheres of influence; Portugal controlled Africa and Brazil, while Spain effectively ruled the remainder of the colonies of the New World. Thus Spanish and Portuguese traders spread chiles from both the Iberian Peninsula and other major colonies throughout the Eastern Hemisphere by way of their extensive trade routes.
Traders carried seeds to Africa and India, and from there they were dispersed to Southeast Asia, the islands of Indonesia, and then to China, Japan, and the Philippines. Eventually, chiles were transported to the islands of the Pacific.
From that point on chiles became a food craze around the world as the Spanish traded them with other countries. They spread like wild fire throughout Europe to Asia and the rest of the world in a short period of approximately 50 years. Its spread happened in a time when horse-drawn and wind-driven vehicles were the primary means of transport.
Today, chile peppers around the world are used lavishly on many dishes no matter what language you speak or what continent you live in. As the previous is a known fact, everyone knows that Columbus carried chile peppers to Spain, but why didn't the cuisine of Spain become fired up like that of India, China, or even Hungary? No one knows for certain. Chiles do not dominate the cuisine -- except in one part of Extremadura in the far west, the same region where they were introduced.
Chiles were welcomed in many cuisines around the world. An Indian curry and most of its cuisine would never be the same without the chiles, or the Szechuan cuisine from China wouldn't even exist. Imagine Thai dishes without chiles or the famous Baharat, very popular in Turkey, Berbere, from Ethiopia, and Charmoula from Morocco. The list could go on and on. One thing is for certain, chiles are very addictive and the more we eat of them the more we crave them. Chiles make everything taste better.
Chiles are not physically addicting -- you don't have withdrawal symptoms when you stop eating them, but they are psychologically addicting; spicy-food lovers miss the burn if they are deprived of spicy food for a while. When chiles are ingested, our bodies produce endorphins, which is a chemical produced by our pituitary gland that gives us the feeling of exhilaration similar to that of excitement, pain, love, and orgasm, and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a feeling of well being. Once someone starts enjoying fiery foods, they are likely to continue enjoying them for life.
Labels: Africa, Asia, Chile Pepper History, Chiles, China, Christopher Columbus, Cuisine, Europe, Gastronomy, India, Mexico, Peppers, photography, Spain, Spice, Thailand, Trade Route
Lotus Temple of New Delhi, India
The Lotus Temple located in New Delhi, India
Photograph by Leticia Alaniz ©2008
Among the world's most ancient surviving civilizations is India. And as such contains some of the worlds most amazing structures devoted to worship. It is a land defined by both tremendous spirituality and an extraordinarily rich intellectual tradition. In the capitol city of New Delhi, as the sun rises, an amazing structure glistening white of marble can be seen from many directions. It was constructed in the shape of the most venerated and appreciated flower of India. It is the glorious Lotus Temple of the Bahá'í Faith. As dawn approaches it opens its doors allowing visitors to enter into a space of tranquility and peacefulness, much appreciated in the bustling city. It is quiet, calm, and serene and its visitors indulge in its beauty and spiritual atmosphere.
The Lotus Flower
To appreciate the architectural grandness of the building, one must understand the importance and significance of the lotus flower. It is considered as one of the most ancient and deepest symbols of great beauty and purity. The flower grows in soft soil water and rises above the surface to bloom with remarkable beauty. Once it has glistened in the rays of the sun for the entire day, at night it closes its delicate petals and sinks underwater as if blanketing itself for the night's slumber. At dawn it rises from its water garden bed and opens again. Untouched by impurity, the lotus flower symbolizes the purity of heart, mind, and soul. It has long been regarded as the representative of long life, good health, honor and good fortune.
In many cultures, the lotus flower is considered a symbol of spiritual unfoldment. The Egyptians called it Sesen, and in their mythology it is the symbol of the sun, of creation and rebirth.
In the East, to the Tibetans it is considered sacred and represents their holy mantra: Om Mani Padme Hum, meaning, "Hail to the Jewel in the Lotus".
The Indian lotus flower symbolizes divinity, fertility, wealth, knowledge and enlightenment. In Hinduism, it is associated with the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi whom brings prosperity. She sits on a fully blossomed lotus flower. It is also revered and represented with Vishnu. Used as an example of divine beauty, Vishnu is described as the Lotus-Eyed One. It's unfolding petals suggest the expansion of the soul. Most deities of Asian religions are depicted as seated on a lotus flower. The white and pink lotuses are national flowers of India.
The Lotus Temple
Taking into consideration the cultural and spiritual beliefs of the lotus flower, the international Bahá'í Faith adopted this symbolism in the architectural design of The Lotus Temple in New Delhi, India. The magnificent structure is considered internationally as the Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent.
It is located in the Kalkaji sector of the capital city, and its monumental structure can be appreciated from afar, given its large size and easily recognizable shape. The temple was carefully planned and designed to have the appearance of the revered lotus flower.
Since its completion in 1986, the temple has received recognition from all over the world. It is listed among the most visited monuments of India. The mastermind for building the beautiful and impressive temple of peace was the Iranian architect Fariborz Sahba from Canada.
The purpose and intention of the building of the temple was to provide a sacred place for people from all religions and faith, a space for meditation, worship, wisdom, peace and love.
The design is in the shape of a half open lotus flower with 27 freestanding petals constructed out of marble. The architect took into account the importance both culturally and spiritually of the flower and labored diligently with a team of 800 engineers, technicians, workers and artisans. It took ten years for completion of the temple. It is considered to be one of the most complex edifices of the world, integrating awe inspiring aesthetic and technological values.
Surrounding the beautiful structure are nine reflecting pools, representative of the flower growing from the water garden. Converting the geometry of the design that did not have any straight line to the actual structure needed a lot of effort and precise engineering.
There are nine doors all the way around that open to a central hall accommodating nearly 2500 people. It is about 40 meters high and it appears to be floating in water. Since its inception, it has been continually visited by people from many countries.
The Bahá'í Faith
Recognized as an independent world religion, the Bahá'í Faith, its leaders and followers are to be credited with ordering the glorious temple to be built. The religion has existed over 150 years and according to the Encyclopedia Britannica Yearbook, it is the second most widely spread religion in the world, with five million members residing in 232 countries and dependent territories.
The Bahá'í Faith began in ancient Persia, now known as Iran. Its history is intimately connected with the lives of it's leading figures:
'Alí-Muhammad, Titled the Báb.
Born in southern Iran in 1819, in 1844 he announced that he was the promised one or Mahdi expected by Muslims. He wrote scriptures in which he promulgated a new calendar, new religious laws, and new social norms. Opposed by Iran's Muslim clergy and ultimately by its government, thousands of the Báb's followers were killed; in 1850 the Báb himself was put to death.
Mirzá Husayn 'Alí, Titled Bahá'u'lláh.
Born in northern Iran in 1817, Bahá'u'lláh became a follower of the Báb in 1844 and was imprisoned for his beliefs. In 1853 he had a vision that he was the divine teacher the Báb had promised; he publicly declared himself a messenger of God in 1863. He spent the rest of his life in exile and prison, where he wrote over 100 volumes of scripture.
'Abbas Effendi, Titled 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
Son of Bahá'u'llah, 'Abdu'l-Bahá was born in 1844 and accompanied his father on his exile to Palestine. Bahá'u'llah appointed 'Abdu'l-Bahá his successor, the exemplar of his teachings, and the interpreter of his revelation. Under 'Abdu'l-Bahá the Bahá'í Faith spread beyond the Middle East, India, Burma to Europe, the Americas, southern Africa, and Australia. He died in 1921.
Portrait of Abdu'l- Bahá
Central Baháí teachings are the "oneness of God," that there is only one God and that God is actively concerned about the development of humanity; the "oneness of religion," that God sends messengers such as Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, Krishna, Buddha, Christ, Muhammad, the Báb, and Bahá'u'lláh to humanity to educate it in morals and in social values; and the "oneness of humanity," that all humans come from the same stock and deserve equal opportunities and treatment.
The Bahá'í Temple in New Delhi, occupies a unique position. Not only does it embody the spiritual aspirations and basic beliefs of the world-wide Bahá'í community, but significantly in a land of myriad religions, it has begun to be seen as providing a unifying link, bringing divergent thoughts into harmony by virtue of its principle of oneness. This, perhaps, is the reason for its unabated popularity among its visitors.
Posted by Unknown at 9:57 PM 11 comments
Labels: Bahá'í Faith, Culture, Fariborz Sahba, History of Lotus Temple, India, Iran, Lakshmi, Lotus Flower, Lotus Temple, New Delhi, photography, Religion, Vishnu
Tortas - The Mexican Quintessential Sandwich
Torta al Pastor
In Mexican gastronomy, a torta is a kind of grilled sandwich. It is usually prepared with a telera roll, although depending on the region of the country, it is also prepared with other types of bread such as a bolillo, birote, micha, pambazo, etc. The bread is split in half and filled with a kaleidescope of fillings that are limitless, then further grilled to a crunchy perfectness.
It is a culinary "antojito", prepared street side on gourmet food carts or in establishments called "torterias". Although for a Mexican, the torta is considered a street snack, don't confuse this with fast food. It is far from that. Epicureans consider it a gourmet feast as the ingredients are all fresh, grilled, and include all the exotic ingredients you can imagine.
Like all mexican food, the torta has a unique history well described by "Tortologo" Roberto Ayala in his book: "El Gran Libro de las Tortas". According to his findings, there is an account that dates back to the sixteenth century:
It happened one day that Leonardo Da Vinci wanted to surprise his guest and protector Ludovico Sforza with something to eat, but he did not have much to offer. He improvised a quick delightful snack that consisted of placing a piece of bread between two hard pieces of meat as hard as cobblestones and covering the entire dish between two larger pieces of bread. This could be considered the initial stages of the torta, placing Leonardo Da Vinci in the culinary history books as its inventor.
From then on people began placing ingredients between two pieces of bread to conceal what was inside, especially if the ingredients were not very impressive. Eventually, the torta or sandwich has been prepared in some variation in many parts of the world.
Leonardo Da Vinci may have had the ingenious idea of putting a piece of meat between two buns, but who reinvented the torta and turned it into a popular and exotic dish were the Mexicans. The torta is so important for Mexicans that an annual festival is organized in the esplanade of the delegation of Venustiano Carranza in Mexico City.
When the Spanish arrived in Mexico in search of riches, they brought with them wheat, a Spanish staple and religious necessity, the only grain recognized by the Catholic church as being suitable for the Euacharist wafer. One important way of colonizing and christianizing the natives, was to replace the native grains such as amaranth with wheat.
Bread production began in Mexico with the new grain, but it wasn't until the arrival of the french colonizers in Puebla in the 1800's, that Mexican bakers soon developed a baking tradition unique in its own way, making it one of the most inventive in the world.
From the Mexican and French marriage in Puebla, the telera was born. It is highly prized for its flavor and crusty golden outer shell with which the tortas are made. Even though Puebla may take the credit for introducing the torta, it is Mexico City whom is the superstar for being the most inventive in making the most impressive tortas.
Not only are the ingredients with which the tortas are filled raised to a higher level of cuisine, but their names are also the most ingenious reflecting the culture of Mexico and their love of humor.
There are an endless array of tortas, but some are more famous than others. The creativity of the Mexican does not have borders but it does contain a lot of humor:
"La Chancla" (flip flop), consists of shredded chicken cooked in "guajillo" chiles and spices. The telera roll is stuffed with the chicken filling and avocado slices. Then it is topped with guajillo salsa.
"La Ahogada" which translates to the "drowned one", was invented in Guadalajara, Jalisco. The torta is called that because it is submerged in a "chile de arbol" salsa. A hard and crunchy birote roll, characteristic of the region, is filled with fried pork, then submerged in the spicy red liquid. The consistency of the bread permits the torta to be submerged without crumbling or dissolving.
"La Guajolota" the name given to a torta that consists of a telera roll stuffed with a tamal. (literally it translates to a large turkey hen).
"El Chavo" (the kid), a torta that is a favorite among children, but also made famous by the Mexican television farcical sitcom. It consists of a telera or bolillo roll, ham, and avocado slices.
"La Hawaiiana", called that because it is filled with grilled pineapple and ham, then topped with asadero cheese.
"Lambada", aptly named after the famous brazilian dance craze. It consists of grilled meat, chorizo, and asadero cheese.
"La Cubana", no translation needed, just about every ingredient you can name stuffed into the bread.
Then there are the tortas named after certain places even though, they are all Mexican: "Michoacana, Española, Rusa, Alemana, Suiza, La China, etc"
But it does not stop there, in the "torterias", you will find yourself amused at all the humorous names: "La Gringa (the name given to a foreigner of English descent), Mariachi, La Tejana, La Negra, La Mora, La India, La Tortuga, Francis, La Torta Loca, La Macha, la Pobre, Cantinflas, Pachuqueña, La Arabe, La Milanesa, Al Pastor, La Capulina, La Barbi, etc..."
All tortas are usually served with lettuce and tomato, queso fresco, avocados, onions, fiery hot salsas, pickled jalapeños, and even crema. But when you visit a torteria, no dictionary is needed, just bring a huge appetite.
Posted by Unknown at 1:30 AM 16 comments
Labels: Bolillo, Bread, French in Mexico, History of Tortas, Jalisco, Leonardo da Vinci, Mexian Torta, Mexican Cuisine, Mexico City, Puebla, Sandwich, Spain, Telera, Torta Ahogada, Torteria
Potosí Bolivia - Cerro Rico, The Mountain That Eats Men
Potosi, Cerro Rico, Bolivia
Considered one of the highest cities in the world at an elevation of 4,090 meters (13,500 ft), Potosí is the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia, a South American country located in the lanlocked area between Brazil to the north east, Paraguay and Argentina to the south, Chile by the south west, and Peru by the west.
It lies on the Andean mountanous region, and prior to Spanish colonization, Bolivia was part of the majestic Incan Empire. The Spanish Empire conquered the region in the 16th century. The mountain was known in Quechua as "Sumac Urku", which translates as beautiful mountain.
The city has thrived for hundreds of years beaneath the Cerro de Potosi, often reffered to as Cerro Rico (rich mountain), as it is rich in silver ore, which is the reason for Potosí's historical importance. The mountain has been exploited for almost 500 years, and it was the major supply of silver for Spain during the period of the New World Spanish Empire.
Potosí was a mithical land of riches having supplied according to official records over 45,000 short tons (41,000 metric tons) of pure silver from 1556 to 1783. Indian Incan laborers, forced by Francisco de Toledo were enslaved and made to mine deep in the mountain for the precious commodity that was to make Spain wealthy.
In addition to the indegenous labor force called the mitayos, that had to transport the ore up the shafts to the mouth of the mine, the Spanish imported 1,500 to 2,000 African slaves per year. An estimated 30,000 African slaves were taken to Potosí during the colonial era. The African slaves were forced to work as acémulas humanas (human mules). Since mules would die after a couple of months pushing the mills, the colonists replaced the four mules with twenty African slaves.
It is estimated that over eight million people have died in the mines, not simply from brutal labor, but by mercury poisoning and the inhalation of silicosis which damages the lungs.
Today over 9000 Indios work in miner owned cooperatives, in search of any remaining minerals within Cerro Rico. Sadly, among the workers are many child laborers often as young as ten years old. They work in a maze of over 20,000 tunnels. Fatal accidents are often and most miners fall victim to the black lung disease and die by age 40. It is known as "The Mountain That Eats Men".
To gain strength enough to go deep into the mines, the miners chew on coca leaves, which will give them the energy to stay down often for up to eighteen hours at a time. The coca leaves help with controlling fatigue and hunger.
Due to exhaustive mining, the mountain has shrunk from it's original glory by a few meters and there is very little mineral left. The miners meticulously search and pick for the last few remaining "veins" of silver and as a result, the mountain is in danger of collapsing making the ardous work extremely dangerous and life threatening.
Imposed by the Spanish rule, the governors of the mine struck fear into the workers if they refused to work. And according to their Incan beliefs, God does not exist deep below. So the Spaniards played on that idea, and made them to believe that if they did not work in the mines "El Dios" the God of the underworld would punish them.
"El Tío", the lord of the underworld venerated and respected
deep in Cerro Rico, Potosi, Bolivia.
In Quechua the Incan locals did not have the "d" sound, so they pronounced "El Dios" with a "El Tio". To enter the mine, they enter into the realms of the malevolent being or el diablo (the devil) where El Tío, or uncle presides. If an accident or collapse occurs, they say it has happened only because the Tío has been angered. But if a miner is lucky to find a "plentiful vein", then it is due to El Tío's blessings. He is the lord of the underworld. "What happens inside depends on Mother Earth and El Tío".
Everyday, before beginning their work, the miners make offerings to a statue in the form of a goat with horns representative of El Tîo. They offer coca leaves, water, fruits, cigarretes, colored paper, bottles of grain alchohol, incense, and prayers in hopes that he will spare their lives.
El Tío rules over the mines, simultaneously offering protection and destruction. At the openeings of the shafts, at regular intervals the villagers of Potosí offer a sacrifice to the devil in the mines, ritually slaughtering a llama and smearing the animal's blood at the entrance to the mine in hopes of calming El Tío and diverting him from claiming more lives.
Labels: Andes, Cerro Rico, El Tio, Inca, Potosi Bolivia, Quechua, Rich Mountain, Silver, South America, Spain, The Mountain That Eats Men
Hyderabadi Biryani
Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani
When most people whom love South Indian cuisine think of one dish that by heart and sentiment stands out, without exaggeration, it is Biryani. Hyderabadi Biryani, to be more exact. It is a dish most popular in the great state of Andhra Pradesh.
Rice, the staple of indian cuisine has been dressed in gala. Nothing was overlooked in the creation of one of the most fragrant and elegant rice dishes in the world.
The dish consists of the most prized rice of them all: basmati, and it includes a meat such as mutton, lamb, or chicken, and even fish or prawns, onions, eggs, chiles, and an exotic array of spices that perfume the dish to a level of intoxicating fragrance, that will make any person that comes in contact with the dish, come back for more.
The spices may include of the highest quality nutmeg, mace, cumin, pepper, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, coriander, mint leaves, ginger, and garlic. And to cook it all and to add more to its richness, a drizzle of ghee (clarified butter), that makes all of the ingredients come together in heavenly perfection.
Its history is impressive and rich as it comes from a long line of royalty. Its origins can be traced back to the great kings of Andhra: the Nizams (meaning Administrator of the Realm), the title of the native sovereigns of Hyderabad State. The style of cooking is believed to have arrived to India from Persia, during the Mogul empire. The word biryani is derived from Farsi "birian" which means fried before cooking. The cooking method itself is called "dum".
In the 1700's, during the Mogul empire, Lucknow was known as Awadh, and from there people cooked biryani and called it Awadh biryani. In 1856, during the British rule, Asafa Jahi was crowned as the Nizam-ul-mulk and only ruler of Hyderabad.
Seven Nizams ruled Hyderabad for two centuries. And the Nizams (Azaf Jahi) rulers were great patrons of literature, art, architecture, culture, jewelry and Rich Food. Since then biryani spread all over Andhra and the rest of the subcontinent, with each region making its own variation.
For the most exotic and rich biryani experience, a leg of telangana goat is cut into pieces and marinated in a paste that consists of papaya, yoghurt and spices. Afterwards, the meat is cooked in ghee. The rice is also fried in ghee which brings out the addictive nutty flavor and also roasts the outside starch layer gelatinizing it. The rice is then boiled until half done in spices. In the next step, the meat and the rice are layered first with rice then meat and so forth in an earthen pot called a handi. An interlayer of onions, condiments, spices, and rose water are added which give it a flowery and herbal aroma. The handi is then sealed with a cover made of dough and then cooked slowly over coals. The seal is broken only when ready to enjoy.
For practicality, there are two types of cooking methods: Kutchi (raw) biryani, and Pukki (cooked) biryani. For kutchi biryani, raw marinated meat is layered with raw rice. For pukki biryani, cooked meat and cooked rice are layered and then finished cooking for a short while in the handi pot. Hyderabadi biryani is meticulously prepared in the kutchi style which takes a lot longer but is well worth the long wait in gold.
Lucknow and Hyderabad compete for the biryani crown. But only the Hyderabadi biryani, can walk away with the gold as it is now without dispute known all over the world. Food critics in many countries vow their testimonies and defend the Hyderabadi biryani without rest.
Due to its proximity to India, Hyderabadi biryani is exported by flight to Dubai and the United Arab Emirates among other countries. The biryani is cooked in Hyderabad and shipped overnight so that the people in those countries can satisfy their cravings of biryani.
If you are traveling to Hyderabad, there are many restaurants that specialize in biryani, but as in every city there are a few that stand out as the best. Make sure you visit the all famous Paradise in Secunderabad, Hyderabad House in Hyderabad or Sri Kanya in the Panjagutta neighborhood.
To sample dishes of a country is to appreciate and know the splendor and history of its culture. And Hyderabad has many gems of cuisine that stand out. Biryani is only one among hundreds.
Labels: Andhra Pradesh, Basmati, Biryani, Cuisine, Culture, Dubai, History of Biryani, Hyderabad, Hyderabadi, India, Mogul, Nizams, Paradise, Rice Dish, South Indian, Subcontinent, United Arab Emirates
Peyote - Call Of The Shaman
For over three thousand years, hikuri has been consumed by Mexico's native tribes. Most notably the Huichol and the Tarahumara or Rarámuri. Hikuri is the name of a cacti that is known more by its Nahuatl name peyotl or peyote. Its scientific name is Lophophora williamsii, and the use of the plant is a pillar in the Tarahumara and Huichol tradition.
Deep along the Sierra Madre mountains in the Chihuahuan desert, in the sacred land of Copper Canyon or La Barranca del Cobre, the peyote cati grow wild among the scrub, especially where there is limestone. It flowers pink blossoms from March through May, and sometimes as late as September. The cati take up to four years before a small "button" can be seen just below the dirt's surface.
Most societies today prohibit the use of this cacti that when ingested, produces a hallucinogenic effect, and the plant contains psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline. But the native indians of Mexico have been drinking the very potent wine made from the plant. As per their belief, it is the way to enter the spirit world and summon the gods.
The Tarahumara believe in everlasting life after death and in the existence of benevolent and malevolent beings. Among the benevolent are the sun, the moon, the shaman, the serpents and the rocks that provoke rain and control the animals which they hunt. Included in the malevolent are the beings which they consider from the underworld that cause all death and natural disasters. Their communal rituals are an essential part of their culture. They celebrate victories, animal hunting, and their harvesting and they praise the sun and the moon.
In the Huichol tradition the peyote is identified as the spirit of the blue deer and they make an annual pilgrimage on a long and difficult trek in search for the venerated plant. To return to Wirikuta is to return to paradise. To obtain the Peyote is to obtain Hikuri, which if translated to Spanish or English it would be "heart of the Deer God". The Deer God is known as Tatewari and it represents the God of fire, the Grandfather God.
One such ritual is the ingestion of the peyote. For the Tarahumara the peyote was the Hikuri, the spiritual being seated to the right of Father Sun. It was a plant so potent that it had four faces, and it percieved life in seven dimensions, and the plant could never be allowed to rest inside the houses of the living.
According to legend, the elders, met in the Sierra Mountains to discuss the situation in which they were. Their people were sick, there was no food, no water, no rains came and the land was dry. They decided to send four of their strongest men in the hunting community into the desert, with a mission to find food. Each one represented a life element: earth, wind, fire, and water.
The next morning they began their mission into the desert, each carrying his bow and arrow. They walked for days until one afternoon a big and fat blue deer jumped from the shrub. The young men were tired and hungry, but when they saw the deer, they started running behind him without loosing sight. The deer saw the young men and felt pity for them. He let them rest for the night and the next day he woke them early to continue with the chase.
Weeks passed, and the young men were still chasing the young deer, until they reached Wirikuta (desert of San Luis Potosi and the sacred road of the Huichol). They were right outside on the hillside of the region of Las Narices, where a spirit of the land dwells. They followed the deer and noticed the deer run in that direction. They swore that he had gone there, but when they looked for him he was nowhere to be found.
Suddenly one shot an arrow that landed in a large deer figure formed in the dirt where peyote plants grew. The plants glistened in the sun like emeralds all facing the same direction. The young men were confused by what they had seen and proceeded to cut the plants that formed the figure of the deer (marratutuyari) so that they could take them back to their village.
After days of walking, they reached the Huichol Sierra where the people were waiting. They presented the plants to the elders and told them of their experience. They shared the peyote (hikuri) among the people, especially among the sick. The villagers noticed that the rains came and calmed their thirst, their hunger was satisfied and they were cured from their ills.
Since then on, the Huicholes and Tarahumara people venerate the peyote that at the same time is considered deer and corn, their guiding spirit. Every year the people of these desert mountains make their pilgrimage into the high altitudes following the same route in search of the peyote cacti, maintaining this tradition from the Huichola Sierra all the way to Wirikuta. Their mission is spiritual in commune with the gods.
Carl Lumholtz, a Norwegian ethnologist studied the Indian tribes of Chihuahua and discovered that a symbol employed in the Tarahumara Indian peyote ceremony appeared in ancient ritualistic carvings preserved in Mesoamerican lava rocks dated over 3,000 years ago.
In his writings Unknown México: Explorations in the Sierra Madre and Other Regions, 1890-1898 he recorded one account:
"According to legend, they could find the plant as they heard its song thru the desert. The hikuri never stops singing, even after being collected. A native of the region told a story, as it happened one day, while returning to the desert he tried to use the sack of the hikuri he had collected, as a pillow to rest on for the night, but the singing of the hikuri was so loud that he could not sleep."
"Once the hikuri was collected, they were dried on jute, and then ground on a metate (a flat stone used for grinding corn and seeds) into a thick liquid the color of ochre. A large fire was lit, with the firewood pointing to the east and the west. Seated to the west of the fire, a shaman would trace a circle on the dirt and inside the circle he would draw the symbol of the world. He would place on the cross a peyote button and then it would be covered with an inverted squash which would amplify the song of the peyote that pleased the spirit of the plant. The shaman would wear an adornment on his head made of plumes, which would reveal the wisdom of the birds to him and prevent the malevolent winds to enter into the circle of fire."
"Afterwards, the peyote was shared from hand to hand between men and women that were dressed in white cloths and bare footed. After ingesting the peyote a ritualistic dance was performed that lasted until morning. At the first sign of sunlight, the shaman and his people would stand up facing east and they bid farewell to the spirit with the arms of the hikuri, the spirit that had descended carried on wings of a green dove."
Posted by Unknown at 11:18 AM 10 comments
Labels: Barranca del Cobre, Carl Lumholtz, Chihuahua, Copper Canyon, Culture, Hikuri, Huichol, Lophophora williamsii, Mexico, Peyote, Ritual, Ritualistic Dance, Spirit, Tarahumara, Tradition
Nothing In The Dark - The Twilight Zone
A still photograph from the episode of The Twilight Zone
Nothing In The Dark 1962
There was an old woman who lived in a room, and like all of us, was frightened of the dark, but who discovered in a minute last fragment of her life that there was nothing in the dark that wasn't there when the lights were on. Object lesson for the more frightened amongst us, in or out of The Twilight Zone - Rod Serling
Wanda Dunn, the elderly woman (played by Gladys Cooper), lives in an old abandoned building that has been ordered to be demolished. She has victimized herself by the fear of "Mr. Death" and has not left the room in many years. She is tormented by the fear of dying and daily lives a vivid nightmare, that "Mr. Death" is waiting for her outside.
One day, she hears loud gunshot sounds right outside of her door. She is frightened by the sound and opens the door just a crack and peeks out fearfully. There is a young man (played by Robert Redford), laying wounded on the ground, and claims that he is a police officer by the name of Harold Beldon. He begs her to help him as he is bleeding, and is in need of a doctor.
She explains to him that she cannot open the door as she has a firm belief that "death" is out there and ready to take her if she leaves the comfort of her room and steps outside. The door is what separates her to her doom. She somehow knows the officer is there to claim her as everyone outside is suspect.
After much convincing by the wounded officer, she opens the door and brings him inside. She spends several days nursing him to better health while she expresses to him her fears of "Mr. Death".
She believes "Mr. Death" is out there and everywhere and he shows up knocking at her door. One week he knocked and claimed he was from the gas company, after that he knocked on her door again, claiming he was a contractor hired by the city. But she knows it's "him", so she refuses to open the door.
Her fear began many years ago, while she was riding on a bus. Sitting in front of her was an old woman knitting. Then a young man got on, and even though there were empty seats, he sat down beside her. The man did not speak at all, but his presence upset the old woman. She noticed that the young man touched the old woman's hand after picking up the yarn that had fallen on the floor. The young man got off, but when the bus reached the end of the line she was dead.
Now she believes to see the young man everywhere. Every time someone she knows dies, he seems to always be there. He shows up disguised like an ordinary person. A person you would not notice unless you were "watching".
The old woman tells the officer, "I would rather live in the dark, than to not live at all".
One last time there is a knock on the door. She refuses to open, but the wounded officer convinces her that there is nothing to fear. When she finally goes to the door, a contractor, with an evicting order, forces himself inside, knocking her down.
She begs Harold for help, but the contractor does not see Harold at all. Wanda looks in the mirror, but sees the bed empty where Harold is lying, but not Harold himself. She realizes that Harold, is in fact "Death", and has come to take her with him.
After the contractor leaves, Death explains to her that he set her up that way so that she would stop fearing and go with him peacefully. She thinks he has tricked and betrayed her trust. He convinces her that he is gentle and that her life will end, but at the same time begin.
He says, "Mother, give me your hand." She is finally convinced to touch him. "You see. No shock. No engulfment. No tearing asunder. What you feared would come like an explosion is like a whisper. What you thought was the end is the beginning."
She is standing beside her body laying on the bed and the old woman and Death walk together through the doorway, out of the darkness and into the sunlight.
Stunningly filmed to express the light and the dark, interpreting life and death, this is one of my favorite episodes of the collection of The Twilight Zone, by the mastermind Rod Serling. Directed by Lamont Johnson, it is a testament and a reminder of death and a world beyond our control.
The episode also reminds us that death is not worth being preoccupied with as it only results in a life not worth living.
Rod Serling - Creator of The Twilight Zone
Labels: Death, filmmaking, Gladys Cooper, Philosphy, photography, Review, Robert Redford, Rod Serling, Science Fiction, The Twilight Zone, TV
Chapulines - An ancestral tradition in Oaxaca
Chapulines at the Mercado 20 de Noviembre, Oaxaca, Mexico
There is a local myth that says: If you eat chapulines from Oaxaca, then you never leave. It translates to: If you eat Oaxaca's extraordinary cuisine, then you take a piece of Oaxaca with you and you will return again.
Situated in Southwestern Mexico, Oaxaca is bordered by the states of Guerrero to the west, Puebla to the northwest, Veracruz to the north, and Chiapas to the east and as a bonus: the Pacific Ocean as its backyard, drawing tourists from all over the world. It is indeed a paradise that meets all the senses.
The state is best known for its indigenous peoples and cultures, and for its exotic indigenous cuisine. In 2010, Mexican cuisine was added by UNESCO to its lists of the world's "intangible cultural heritage".
Oaxaca's regional cuisine is considered exceptional, and a trip to the markets uncovers just how unique and exotic the gastronomical experience is. To foreigners, there is a peculiar snack that causes second thoughts. But to the people of Mexico, this snack or "botanita", is a delicious protein packed delicacy: Chapulines.
The word chapulin is specific to Mexico and derives from the native Nahuatl language. They have been collected and eaten as a food source for thousands of years and are known as comida prehispanica, or prehispanic food.
Chapulines are grasshoppers of the genus Sphenarium. Indeginous to the region, they are collected only at certain times of the year, (from their hatching in early May through the late summer/early autumn). After being thoroughly cleaned and washed, they are roasted on a comal (clay cooking surface) with garlic, chile, lime juice and sal de gusano (salt made from the roasted maguey worm), making them crunchy, sour-spicy-salty, and may I add adictively delicious.
The chapulin is an important and indispensable food source for the locals. During the harvest season, it is very common to see large groups of people collecting them in the milpas, or maize fields. They provide nutrition as well as income for the locals during the traditional Lent season.
There are two kinds of chapulines that are harvested. The one that can be collected from within the maize fields, and the one that can be collected from the banks of the fields. The first is considered best in size and flavor, as they feed on the corn fields. The second are smaller in size and they feed mostly on grasses and brush, making them a little bitter in taste.
Many cultures eat insects. It is termed as entomophagy (from Greek éntomos, "insect(ed)", and phăgein, "to eat") it is the consumption of insects as food. However, in some societies it is uncommon, even considered taboo. It is very rare in modern countries, but in Mexico, there is little to no concern over modern taboos. Chapulines are eaten to the hearts content. They are an excellent source of protein, calcium, zinc, vitamins and minerals, and they contain no fat.
A tlayuda with chapulines
They are served alone as a street snack, or in the cantinas with an ice cold beer, or in tacos with guacomole and salsa. For a more complete and healthy snack, they are served on tlayudas. The tlayuda is a large handmade tortilla that is toasted over coals, then covered with a thin layer of refried beans, shredded lettuce or cabbage, guacamole, and topped with roasted chapulines, smoky salsa, and for coolness, a little drizzle of mexican crema. It is heaven to the adventurous foodies, and for those whom care to venture out into the extraordinary.
Labels: Botana, Chapulines, Crema, Cuisine, Culture, Guacamole, Mercado 20 de Noviembre, Mexico, Oaxaca, photography, Prehispanic Food, Salsa, Tacos, Tlayuda, travel
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Semih Sergen Semerci June 29, 2016 What's On
Terrorist Attack Hits Atatürk Airport
A terrorist attack hit the international terminal of Atatürk Airport at about 10 pm on Tuesday evening, leaving at least 41 people dead and as many as 239 injured in an attack. According to statements of officials, a terrorist armed with a Kalashnikov rifle first opened fire on the public near the airport's x-ray security checkpoint at the […]
A terrorist attack hit the international terminal of Atatürk Airport at about 10 pm on Tuesday evening, leaving at least 41 people dead and as many as 239 injured in an attack.
According to statements of officials, a terrorist armed with a Kalashnikov rifle first opened fire on the public near the airport's x-ray security checkpoint at the arrivals hall before blowing himself up, while another blew himself up before reaching a security checkpoint. A third attacker was in the parking lot, where he was noticed by police, who shouted "suicide bomber" but was unable to stop him detonating explosives.
"The terrorists came to the airport in a taxi and then carried out their attacks," the Prime Minister said. "The fact that they were carrying guns added to the toll. Preliminary findings suggest all three attackers first opened fire then detonated themselves."
Hours after the attack, PM Yıldırım didn't clarify why but said early indications pointed to so-called Islamic State behind the attacks but no-one has so far admitted the attack.
At least 36 people were killed, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said. An additional 147 people were wounded, Turkey's Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ said.
Turkish President Erdoğan released a statement condemning the attack, saying that it "shows that terrorism strikes with no regard to faith and values." The killings took place on during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Erdoğan called on the international community to take a firm stand against terrorism and said the attack should serve as a turning point in the global fight against militant groups.
Turkey has suffered a raft of bombings this year, including two suicide attacks in touristic areas of Istanbul, blamed on Islamic State, and two car bombings in the capital, Ankara, which were claimed by a Kurdish militant group.
In the last terrorist attack, a bus carrying Turkish police officers appeared to be the target of the blast, which struck during the morning rush hour in the historic Beyazıt Square district near Istanbul University, killing 11 people and wounding 36.
Istanbul's position bridging Europe and Asia has made Ataturk airport, Turkey's largest, a major transit hub for passengers across the world. Istanbul's Ataturk airport was the 11th busiest airport in the world last year, with 61.8 million passengers, according to Airports Council International. It is also one of the fastest-growing airports in the world, seeing 9.2 percent more passengers last year than in 2014.
#kalashnikov #terrorist #bomb #airport #attack
Semih Sergen Semerci
Born and raised in Istanbul where I'm a medical student at YeditepeUniversity.
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Untitled (Archive ST3: Content) is a continuation of a project started in 2015. This intervention is two-part and conceptually connects the two parts of the city of Split with the locations of its performance. The first intervention was realized on the façade of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science in Split located in the urban area of Split 3, and the second in the Kula Gallery, a constitutive part of the perimeter of Diocletian's Palace. This kind of work unites two seemingly separate urban units, the late antique and the one of high modernism, although their conceptual connections and interferences were set as early as late antiquity.
The work problematizes urban planning and architectural heritage from the late 1960s and during the 1970s by writing textual fragments on the Faculty of Philosophy in Split's façade, designed by architect D. Colnago at the crossroads of two epochs with different socio-political paradigms, as business and commercial building for the firm Brodomerkur. From one of the source documents of the Split 3 project – Basic Urban Design – Textual part: preliminary technical description and report from November 1969, a few sentences were selected and projected to the recognizable façade, turning it into an active drawing questioning the appearance and temperament of the city today. The inert aesthetics of the architectural exterior thus transforms into a platform of extremely dynamic public discourse.
In the Kula Gallery, with the artistic re-elaboration of Zvonimir Buljević's photographs documenting the construction of Split 3, the importance of protecting carefully designed and defined urban units was pointed out, alluding to the need for the more appropriate valorization of this segment of Split urban planning at all levels. By placing scaffolding in the exhibition space, the working character of the preserved photographs is underlined and the construction of a carefully designed urban ensemble and its architecture is shown. By positioning the installation within the exhibition space, the Roman centuriation of the pre-Diocletian era is evoked, ie the articulation of the space in which today's public spaces and multiple frames of private life are harmonized.
The works were produced for a two-part solo exhibition Untitled (Archive ST3: Content), the University of Split, Faculty of Humanities and Social Science and Cultural Institution Kula Gallery, Split, 2021.
Untitled (Archive ST3: Content)
digital prints on canvas, canvas, scaffolding,
archive photographs: private archive
(photographer: Zvonimir Buljević)
Untitled (Archive ST3: Content), Kula Gallery, Split, Croatia (January 19 – February 19, 2021)


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Meal Plan Comparisons – St. John's most expensive
Bryant Rodriguez, Opinion Editor
The University sparked controversy among some students last month by announcing plans to require meal plans for those who live in the townhouses beginning in fall 2017. In an interview with the Torch to explain the decision, the Director of Residence Life, Eric M. Finkelstein, M.Ed., said that mandating meal plans is "pretty standard in the industry."A subsequent comparison by The Torch of St. John's meal plans with those at 21 colleges and universities—schools with dorms in the New York City area along with Big East schools—revealed that requiring meal plans is in fact a common practice. Although these colleges vary drastically in food offerings, meal plan options and cost, most have selections similar in breakdown to the University's current meal plan policies.
Chartwells, which manages St. John's dining services, and Aramark were the most common food providers at these schools, each serving six. No other company had more than three schools.
All but three of the schools that The Torch reviewed mandate meal plans for students who reside in traditional-style dorms. The three schools that do not mandate meal plans are: Queens College, The New School and Baruch College.
Pace University and Hofstra University are the only schools which require all students, including commuters to purchase meal plans.
According to the office of admissions at Baruch College, the school does not offer any meal plans for commuters or residents. The rationale is that students prefer to eat off campus or purchase food from the surrounding eateries that provide student discounts.
A Dining Services representative at Queens College told The Torch that meal plans are not required for those who reside in the dorms. This is due to kitchens being located inside the rooms, however, meal plans are offered for residents and commuters. This seems to be the standard at schools that offer apartment-style dorms; of the 15 that do, only two — Pace University and DePaul University — require residents to have meal plans.
The New School did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.
St. John's believes there is value in requiring meal plans in traditional-style dorms. "The university experience is learning to be more self-sufficient so that you're prepared to leave here and to get you to that point," Finkelstein said last month. "The living on campus component, [by] not having a meal plan attached to it, would be incomplete."
The comparison also showed that St. John's Carte Blanche plan is the most expensive overall unlimited meal plan offered among the schools with meal plans reviewed by The Torch. The St. John's plan costs $3,125 per semester and comes with 50 dining dollars. Fordham University, Villanova University and Butler University unlimited meal plans cost more upfront but offer more dining dollars with 550 at $3,273, 160 at $3,275 and 400 at $3,315 respectively. These prices are current for this semester at each school.
Freshman plans are mandatory at St. John's, as is the case at the 18 of the 21 schools that mandated meal plans at their traditional style residence.
St. John's executive director of Conference and Auxiliary Services Scott Lemperle said, "Other meal plans are very similar but there's more flexibility in points balance," referring to the larger dining dollar balances included in the residence village and apartment meal plans. "The apartment meal plans, the one for the townhouse, is the lower priced one of all the resident meal plans," he added.
The St. John's apartment meal plan offers 200 dining dollars at $2,150. The lowest required plan for residence village here offers 300 dining dollars at $3,075. In comparison, every school except Butler University offers cheaper mandatory meal plans.
The following schools were included in the comparison:
From the New York metropolitan area: Pace University, Fordham University, Long Island University, New York University, Queens College, The New School, Adelphi University, Columbia University, Hofstra University, Manhattan College, Monmouth University, Baruch College.
From the Big East Conference: Georgetown University, Butler University, DePaul University, Xavier University, Seton Hall University, Marquette University, Providence College, Creighton University and Villanova University.
Of all of these schools, Manhattan College has the smallest student body at 3,000 undergraduates. New York University has the most, with over 25,000 undergraduates. St. John's has about 15,000 undergraduates. Manhattan College was the only school that did not break out their meal plan options from their housing prices.
Bryant Rodriguez, Managing Editor Emeritus
Bryant Rodriguez is a senior majoring in enterprise regulation. He worked towards the Torch reaching a wider audience and increasing student participation...
Steven Verdile, Design Editor
Steven Verdile is a senior graphic design major. He spent his first two years as a design assistant, and is entering his second year as Design Editor....
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Not every high-profile musician is signing an anti-war petition.
"Have you forgotten how it felt that day, to see our homeland under fire and the people blown away?" asks Tennessee country singer Darryl Worley in a song that hasn't been released for sale to the public yet.
But "Have You Forgotten?" a patriotic anthem recalling September 11 and dedicated to the American military, is already ranked 19th on the country airplay chart by Radio & Records magazine, an industry publication that tracks what radio stations are playing.
Billboard pronounced the tune its "hot shot debut" Monday, and country radio stations nationwide are inundated with requests for the tune; KSON in San Diego, in fact, plays it every hour.
"Where can I get it, and when will you play it again? That's what we're hearing about this song," said Rockville-based WMZQ music director and disc jockey Jon Anthony yesterday.
"It's telling people to support our troops, to remember what they're out there doing," Mr. Anthony said.
Mr. Worley, whom the Academy of County Music Awards nominated for best "New Male Vocalist" on Tuesday, sings over soaring guitars: "I hear people saying we don't need this war. But I say there's some things worth fighting for."
The tune ends with the question, "Don't tell me not to worry about bin Laden. Have you forgotten?"
The song is meant to "let our soldiers know we support them and their efforts to protect our freedom," Mr. Worley said when he introduced it at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry in late January.
Only weeks before, Mr. Worley spent Christmas Eve with the USO entertaining U.S. troops in Afghanistan, accompanied by 22 members of the U.S. Army Band.
"Count me in," the 6-foot 6-inch Mr. Worley told his military hosts after he was told he would sleep in a tent and eat with troops on the front line.
He wrote "Have You Forgotten?" on his return home.
The song has gotten some quick pigeonholing in the news in the last week.
The Nashville Tennessean newspaper said the song was "racing up the country charts with a bellicose message of vengeance."
USA Today said it "plays a drumbeat for war," saying the recording "endorses war with Iraq" and "may seem to equate Saddam Hussein with Osama bin Laden" as well.
"We're not trying to be politically correct. We're trying to put out a message that we believe everybody needs to hear, whether they agree with it or not," Mr. Worley told the daily.
Patriotism is not new to country music. Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)" was nominated for the Country Music Award's single and video of the year last week.
Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" became an instant hit shortly after September 11, and Lee Greenberg's "God Bless the USA," released in 1985, is still in constant airplay around the country.
Some country artists disagree with it all, however.
Emmylou Harris, Roseanne Cash, Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams recently signed a anti-war petition championed by Musicians United to Win Without War, a group organized by singer David Byrne and rap music maven Russell Simmons.
The group is allied with Artists United to Win Without War, a Hollywood-based organization that includes actors Mike Farrell and Martin Sheen.
Some country stars, however, side with Mr. Worley, who is on tour of the United States. In late February, musician Charlie Daniels sent "An Open Letter to Hollywood" to print and broadcast media throughout the country.
Disgusted by anti-war performers, Mr. Daniels did not mince words.
"Why you bunch of pitiful, hypocritical, idiotic, spoiled mugwumps. Get your head out of the sand and smell the Trade Towers burning," he wrote.
"Do you think that a trip to Iraq by Sean Penn did anything but encourage a wanton murderer to think that the people of the U.S.A. didn't have the nerve or the guts to fight him?
"Barbra Streisand's fanatical and hateful rantings about George Bush makes about as much sense as Michael Jackson hanging a baby over a railing," Mr. Daniels said, adding that he would boycott the movies of anti-war stars.


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Home Uncategorized	Simon Cowell looking for "La Banda"
Simon Cowell looking for "La Banda"
written by Ruben Jay 13 May, 2014
There's OneDirection and Emblem3. Simon Cowell's little boy band projects. Now, he's looking for the boy band of Latin America.
Syco teams with Univision to search for La Banda.
Simon has had great luck creating hot acts like OneDirection and 5th Harmony. It is an interesting concept to go ahead and create a band from the ground up. And if anyone can take a latin boy band to the top, it's Simon.
NEW YORK – MAY 13, 2014 -Univision Communications Inc. and Simon Cowell's Syco Entertainmenttoday announced a new music-based TV and multi-media format; "La Banda" (The Band). With a new take on the singing competition show format, "La Banda" will search the US and Latin America to put together the ultimate Latino boyband. Representing Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Puerto Rico, contestants will compete for their place in "La Banda" and for a coveted recording contract with Sony Music Latin, label home to the most prolific Latin music artists, along with Syco Music, the recording label for the world's biggest selling boyband – One Direction.
"La Banda" will debut on the Univision Network in 2015. Univision Communications Inc., the leading media company serving Hispanic America, is a top-tier multimedia company with 16 broadcast, cable and digital networks; 62 television stations; 68 radio stations; an array of online and mobile apps, products and content creation facilities in Miami, New York and Los Angeles.
Syco Entertainment is one of the world's leading global entertainment companies and is responsible for creating the world's most successful international music and TV formats; Got Talent (now 63 countries), X Factor (46 countries) as well as a film, digital and music division. Syco Music signed music phenomenon One Direction (X Factor 2010) who were 2013's bestselling artists in the world. Sony Music Latin is the leading Latin music company in the US and home to the world's biggest Latin stars, including Ricky Martin, Shakira, Marc Anthony, Romeo Santos, Chayanne, Prince Royce and many others. Consistently dominating Billboard's Top Latin Album chart, Sony Music and its artists were the top winners at this year's Billboard Latin Music Awards and 2014's Premio Lo Nuestro as well as the most recent Latin Grammy Awards.
"Univision's collaboration with Simon Cowell's Syco Entertainment is part of our commitment to innovation and to raising the bar in entertainment for our audiences and partners," said Alberto Ciurana, president, Programming and Content, Univision Communications Inc. "'La Banda' will tap into Hispanic America's passion for music unlike any other program on television and will bring millions of fans the next international musical sensation."
Simon Cowell said, "I'm delighted to be partnering with Univision on this new format. They are fantastically ambitious and most importantly for 'La Banda' they are totally focused on discovering and creating the next music superstars. There is a huge opportunity for this band and we are going to be giving the power via this show to the millions of teenage fans."
Senior Producer, Kelly Belldegrun leading the partnership for Syco Entertainment added, "Univision are the perfect partner for our format La Banda; they are a multi-media powerhouse and the undisputed leaders in entertainment for the Latino audience. With such engaged live viewing this is the best place for our show."
Ruben Jay
Ruben Jay is the President of MultiMediaMouth.com. He also hosts On Air With Ruben Jay, The Daily Mouth Podcast, and is a red carpet correspondent for MultiMediaMouth.com.
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Zwetschgendatschi as Germans and Bavarians call it, or Zwetschgenfleck as we Austrians are calling the Zwetschgenkuchen more often, is a very nice summer cake. Especially when fresh prune plums (italian plums) are available. Because right now (August) you can get the plums fresh, right from your local farmers market (like we are getting ours from Gerardi's Farmers Market, here on Staten Island).
So August is a great month in New York City to go with this fruity and sweet coffee cake. Of course this German plum cake with crumble is also a nice dessert. Like when you are out for a pic nic. You can just cut the cake into handy pieces and everyone can just grab one piece after a little outdoor snack.
Serveral different varieties of Zwetschgendatschi recipes are popular in Germany and Austria. We are baking our personal favorite today. The Streusel-Zwetschgenkuchen made from a nice yeast dough.
Put all the ingredients for the dough into a mixing bowl of a stand mixer.
Turn on the stand mixer on lowest speed for about 2 minutes.
Now turn the stand mixer on the highest speed for about 8 minutes until the dough gets a smooth surface and removes itself from the mixing bowl.
Cover the mixing bowl with a dish cloth and let rest at a warm place for about 30 minutes.
Wash the plums under hot water.
Remove the pits, the stems and the annoying stickers from the peel.
Cut plum halves into 1cm (3/8 inch) thick slices.
Sieve flour into a bowl.
Add granulated sugar and ground cinnamon to the bowl and mix it (just stir it in with a spoon or so).
Now melt butter and let the hot butter drip over the flour-sugar-cinnamon mix and stir with a FORK. But not too much. This way you get the little crumbs.
Take the dough out of the bowl and place on counter top.
Cover the counter top with flour and roll out the dough a little bit.
Now take a non-stick baking sheet liner that fits a "half sheet pan" (18 x 13 inch) and put the dough on the liner.
Roll out the dough on the liner so that it will cover the complete liner.
Pull the liner with the dough on it onto the half sheet pan and press the dough against the walls of the baking pan.
Take the melted butter, the 50 gram listed in "for the filling", and brush the dough with it.
Take the plum slices and cover the dough with the plums. Set them tightly together.
Take the crumbs and with your hand crumble them over the plums.
Put the cake into the preheated oven for about 20 - 30 minutes. But please trust your eyes, don't rely on any numbers regarding temperature or time mentioned here, and bake the cake until it has got a golden brown crust on the sides.
Remove from the oven and immediately dust with ground cinnamon and powdered sugar. But only a LITTLE BIT. Not too much!
An Guadn! Bavarian for "Enjoy your meal".
And if you don't have a farmers market around where you get fresh plums or if you just don't have the time to bake this delicous German cake, we bake it in our little bakery for you.
For your birthday party, office catering or even if you have a little cafe where you would like to offer Zwetschgendatschi with your delicious coffee, contact the 2 PENZ and we make you a quote for local NYC delivery!
Enjoy your home made Zwetschgenkuchen!
And so we'd like to serve you with a recipe for a great summer dessert. The Blueberry Strudel, which is called Blaubeerstrudel in Germany and sometimes also called Schwarzbeerstrudel in Austria - even though the berries used are blue berries and not blackberries.
Strudels are great in summer because you can take advantage of all the seasonal fruits. Fill your strudel with apples, cherries, blackberries or even kraut to make a savory variety. Eat your fruit strudel either as a dessert or with a cup of coffee in the afternoon. Like we love to do! We call it "Kaffee und Kuchen" when we gather in the afternoon to enjoy a freshly brewed coffee along with a Mehlspeise as we also call the our pastries.
Sieve flour onto a wooden working table.
Make a little dent into the flour.
Carefully stir oil, egg, vinegar and the required water (not the all water) into the flour. One ingredient at a time by adding water at the end. Always keep the working table clean while stirring in the ingredients (make sure the flour absorbs all the liquids before they reach the working table).
Once all liquids including about 3/4 of the water are absorbed from the flour you should have a sticky dough and about 1/4 of the water left. Add the last 1/4 of water in very small quantities by carefully stirring in only as much as the dough needs so that you get a sticky dough with no flour left which you now need to knead until you have a smooth dough that makes tongues whean kneading it (I know, that sounds difficult. It actually IS and needs a lot of experience).
Place dough on a wood board, brush it with some vegetable oil and cover it with a moist hot pot (heat some water in a pot on the stove, remove the water and cover the dough with the pot).
Let the dough rest for 30 minutes and prepare the filling.
Wash the blueberries and dry them with paper towels.
Melt butter in a pan and roast the bread crumbs until they are golden brown. Let roasted bread crumbs cool before you use them in the strudel.
Now definitely the most difficult part is to do. Make the strudel dough as thin, so that you are able to read the newspaper through it.
Take a (approximately) 3 x 3 foot table cloth or other cloth and place it on the working table.
Dust it very thin with flour.
Place the dough in on the cloth and roll it with a pin until it is approximately the size of a dish.
Now take the dough and "pull it out" with the backs of your hands. Similar like a pizza baker does. Place the dough on the back of one hand and with the back of your other hand you pull it a little bit. But very carefully. The weight of the dough should be used to stretch the dough in small steps.
Place it on the cloth.
Then stretch the borders of the dough with your fingers very carefully until you have it as thin as in the center.
Now sprinkle the fully stretched dough with vegetable oil.
Place the roasted bread crumbs on 2/3 of the dough and keep boarders of 1 inch around uncovered.
Place the almond meal on top of the bread crumbs.
Fold in the side borders (the 1 inch boarders, which you kept uncovered) and brush with oil.
Roll up the strudel, beginning with the side where the filling is and roll it towards the uncovered 1/3 of the dough until you have rolled up the full strudel.
Lift the Strudel onto a baking sheet with the end of the dough on bottom side of the strudel.
Bake for approximately 40 minutes on 370 Farenheit in a convection oven. If you do not have a convetion oven, increase the temperature a little bit.
Remove the blueberry strudel from the oven and let cool.
Cut the strudel into 1.5 - 2 inch slices, dust with powdered sugar and serve with vanilla ice cream.
And if you think "wow that sounds delicious, but who in New York City has got time to prepare that elaborate pastry?", we can help you. Our handmade blueberry strudel is also available for catering and local delivery in New York City.
Just contact the 2 PENZ and let us know!
If you are wondering what to serve your guests for the FC Bayern München vs. Barcelona Champions League game, we have the answer.
A home made "Original Wies'n Händl" would be appropriate for your fastidious guests. Also is this traditional bavarian food quite simple to make.
Just add freshly boiled rice and/or fresh asparagus as a side and you have a great catering to feed the fans coming over to your VIP lounge. Properly made, this recipe for the original Bavarian rotisserie chicken, just as served at the traditional Oktoberfest in Munich, will definitely please your high maintenance guests.
IMPORTANT: Brush the chicken every 15 minutes with the melted butter/seasoning mixture from the bottom of the roasting pan. This is what makes the skin crispy!
After roasting this moist chicken, you have plenty of melted butter/paprika powder mixture in the pan, which makes a great gravy. Just strain through a fine mesh sieve and place in a sauciere on the table. This gravy is perfect for your sides such as rice but also for pieces like the breast.
Enjoy your original Oktoberfest rotisserie chicken and the FC Bayern - Barcelona game!
This year couldn't start any better for the 2 PENZ. Than with such a great media coverage about our Christmas cookie brand "Keksies". Thank you again to Alia, Jay and Michael! You've made us very proud! Because finally we received two copies of the latest issue of "Edilble Queens" by mail. We couldn't await to get these since we had the interview and the photo shoot in our kitchen, the Entrepreneur's Space in Long Island City.
Weeks later we can finally hold them in our hands and are very very proud! This was the first person to person interview we gave to our valued friend Alia and also our first photo shoot. We are talking about how everything started, our vision to make our Christmas cookie brand "Keksies Weihnachtsgebäck" the most famous Christmas cookie brand in the world and more.
If you are interested in the whole interview, please head over to the Edible Queens website and click the photo of the current issue to read it online. If you are in Queens, see if you can still grab one of the print copies like at our friends at the Entrepreneur's Space or the Food Cellar & Co. for example.


text:
One injured in Alabama Walmart shooting: Police
by: Logan Sparkman
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – The Huntsville Police Department (HPD) responded to a shooting at a local Walmart where one was injured on Sunday afternoon.
Officers responded to the Walmart on Sparkman Drive after HPD received reports of a shooting at 12:40 p.m. in the parking lot.
Witness recalls what he saw from shooting at Paparazzi Night Club
Officers believe the suspect and victim got into a verbal argument which led to the shooting.
Authorities say the victim's injuries are critical and they have been transported to the hospital.
HPD said officers were present on Hilltop Terrace around 4 p.m. Sunday as a part of a perimeter looking for a suspect in the case. The department said it could give no more information at this time.


This darling little snowman has a dear friend and will be finished just in time for Smellie Bloomers' Christmas Open House in Elizabethtown, NC. You don't want to miss this exciting event Sunday, November 4 from 2-6 pm.
Elizabethtown is a charming town, with a beautiful cutie pie flower and gift shop. Smellie Bloomers on Broad Street, hosts a bounty of unusual and beautiful gifts, I call it "eye candy". Next week I'll be offering Valentine paintings and cards, in the mean time I need to say good bye to my Christmas paintings. Take a look, everything is 25% off, but this sale will not last long.


text:
from django.shortcuts import render, get_object_or_404, redirect
from django.contrib import messages

from .models import Page
from .forms import PageForm, PageSearchForm

RECENT = 10

def index(request):
    recently_updated = Page.objects.order_by('-updated_at').all()[:RECENT]
    search_form = PageSearchForm()
    return render(request, 'mainstay_wiki/index.html',
                  {'recently_updated': recently_updated,
                   'search_form': search_form})

def search(request, terms=None):
    if request.method == 'POST':
        form = PageSearchForm(request.POST)
        if form.is_valid():
            return redirect('mainstay_wiki:search', form.cleaned_data['terms'])
        else:
            return redirect('mainstay_wiki:index')

    if terms:
        results = Page.objects.search(terms)
    else:
        results = []
    return render(request, 'mainstay_wiki/search.html',
                  {'results': results, 'terms': terms})

def page(request, title):
    page_ = get_object_or_404(Page, title=title)
    context = {'page': page_}
    return render(request, 'mainstay_wiki/page.html', context)

def add_page(request):
    if request.method == 'POST':
        form = PageForm(request.POST)
        if form.is_valid():
            form.save()
            messages.success(request, 'Page added')
            return redirect('mainstay_wiki:index')
        else:
            messages.error(request, 'Errors')
    else:
        form = PageForm()

    return render(request, 'mainstay_wiki/add.html', {'form': form})

def edit_page(request, title):
    page_ = get_object_or_404(Page, title=title)
    if request.method == 'POST':
        form = PageForm(request.POST, instance=page_)
        if form.is_valid():
            form.save()
            messages.success(request, 'Page editted')
            return redirect('mainstay_wiki:page', page_.title)
        else:
            messages.error(request, 'Errors')
    else:
        form = PageForm(instance=page_)

    return render(request, 'mainstay_wiki/edit.html', {'form': form})

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Oh, look. The circus is coming. Were you planning on going to that circus? You may have to cross a protest line to do so.
Now in its its 30th year of nomadic spectacle creation, the Culpepper and Merriweather Circus will again make the trek to Humboldt in an attempt to entice local eyeball owners into forking over a few dollars to enter its big tent. This coming weekend, the circus will drive stakes to soil in Benbow (Thursday and Friday), Eureka (Saturday) and Rio Dell (Sunday).
What kind of show is this? Culpepper and Merriweather produce what you'd probably consider to be the traditional circus fare. Click over to their website where, under the "Program" tab, you'll find current tour images of face-painted clowns, girls on unicycles, tightrope walkers and acrobats that bend in ways you can't.
Oh, but there are also animals — lions and tigers, dogs and ponies — and they are at issue.
Members of a Facebook group called Boycott Circus Cruelty in Humboldt have planned protests of the circus — specifically the dates in Eureka and Rio Dell — due, in part, to the numerous USDA violations incurred by Culpepper and Merriweather over the years related to the mistreatment of its animal stars.
If you'd like to take a gander at some of the grievances against Culpepper and Merriweather, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals provides a lengthy fact sheet here. One of the more egregious stains on the circus' record occurred back in 2008 when a female tiger, Delia, became pregnant by her male sibling (they're not supposed to be allowed to do that). According to PETA, court documents state that the circus was unaware Delia was with cubs until about 10 days before she gave birth. The mother later rejected the three cubs so the circus decided to raise them by hand. Two of the cubs died and the third was eventually confiscated after its living conditions were deemed inadequate. As a result of this and other charges, the circus had its USDA license suspended for six months in 2012.
Francis giving his trainer a little bit of attitude during the show.
In order to elicit the highly unnatural behaviors desired for circus performances, animal trainers employ a variety of frightening and painful tools and methods, including bullhooks, clubs, whips, and electric prods. Circus animals routinely travel for thousands of miles in uncomfortably cramped cages, sometimes chained, often enduring long days standing in their own waste, in vehicles lacking temperature control.
There's plenty more commentary on the circus culture over at the Boycott Circus Cruelty in Humboldt Facebook page. Earlier this year the San Francisco Board of Supervisor's voted to ban performances by wild or exotic animals for public entertainment. After getting their protest on, group members mention a desire to lobby for a similar ban here in Humboldt. Stay tuned.
Here's how the world works: In the mood to pick a side via Facebook "like"? More details about this weekend's Culpepper and Merriweather's performances here. More info on Boycott Circus Cruelty in Humboldt's coming protests here.


Democrat T.J. Cox overtook incumbent Republican Rep. David Valadao in California's 21st congressional district in late ballot counts Monday — nearly three weeks after Election Day.
Following the week after the midterm elections, ratings for left-wing MSNBC commentator Rachel Maddow and CNN have seen marked increases.
Blue wave? These damned meteorologists keep getting it wrong. Well, at least it is safe to come back out on the beach again.
The president called Democrat Speaker-in-waiting Nancy Pelosi, according to White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.
Welcome to the Breitbart News LiveWire of the 2018 midterm elections. Democrats need to pick up 23 seats to take back the House of Representatives but are less optimistic about taking back the Senate. All eyes will also be on key gubernatorial races in states (Georgia, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin) that will have huge 2020 ramifications. Stay tuned throughout the evening for live updates.
Democrats are reportedly divided over House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's attempt to have it both ways: to return as Speaker of the House if Democrats win in November, but to yield at some indefinite point in the future.
Just two weeks ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, President Donald Trump is enjoying an all-time high approval rating of 47 percent.
Republican voters are outpacing Democrat voters in key states such as Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Montana, Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas.
Former Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon said that a "blue wave of Democrats" in the 2018 midterms "could make history" in a video for MTV.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) said he feels "pretty good" about the Republicans hanging on to the majority in the House.
SANTA MONICA, California — Kimberly Guilfoyle, vice chair of America First Action and a popular former Fox News contributor, told Breitbart News in Beverly Hills on Monday night that California can be the Republican "red wall" to stop the Democrats' so-called "blue wave" in the November midterm elections.
The Trump economy is doing so well that even one-in-five Democrats say they are happy.
Campaign staffers for Tennessee Democrat Senate nominee Phil Bredesen say he lied on Friday when he released a statement saying he would have voted "yes" to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, according to a new undercover video released by Project Veritas Action on Wednesday night.
President Donald Trump will hold a rally in Mississippi on Tuesday evening as he barnstorms across the country this week trying to help Republicans keep the House and the Senate.
Trump held a rally in Tennessee on Monday and is expected to hold rallies in Minnesota and Kansas later in the week before heading to Iowa next week. Stay tuned to Breitbart News for live updates. All time eastern.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, Jr. (R-CA) retains an eight-point lead over challenger Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar in California's 50th congressional district in the latest Monmouth College poll.
A Texas Republican will represent the people of the 19th State Senate District for the first time in nearly 140 years. The seat became vacant following the conviction in federal court of Democrat Carlos Uresti earlier this year.
Republican congressional candidate Diane Harkey told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview last week that her Democrat opponent, Mike Levin, is a "solid resist" candidate who supports House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and would spread her left-wing policies nationwide.
California Democrats are feeling the heat from Republican efforts to repeal the state's new gas tax hike — so much so that candidates in key U.S. House races are supporting Proposition 6, the repeal referendum.
While the GOP still has a chance to hold onto the House there are five factors combining to create a "Blue Wave," and Republicans from President Donald Trump on down will have to focus and fight hard to stop it.
Live updates from Tuesday's elections in Ohio, Michigan, Kansas, Washington, and Missouri.
A Morning Consult poll revealed that Republican voters are more confident and hopeful than Democrats regarding the 2018 midterm elections.
President Trump's rally in Duluth, Minnesota Wednesday night marked the beginning of the Republican Party's campaign to win Minnesota in 2018 and 2020.