Maria X’s Neighborhood

A Critique of Lee Daniels Film PRECIOUS: Colorism, Poverty Porn as a Filmic Narrative of Passive Et

http://tedfellows.posterous.com/a-cri...

Last night I went to see the film "PRECIOUS" directed by Lee Daniels at the BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) Rose Cinemas with my U of Mich friend & mentee Aja Wood (@alwaysaja). Twitter mate @JessieNYC asked me to share my critique. Really love the community of intellectuals tweeting about race, racial justice and social inequities. It's a richer community than on FB imho.

BBC News - The man who smuggled himself into Auschwitz

SerenityLife
2 days ago

BBC News - The man who smuggled himself into Auschwitz

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/ma...

Denis Avey is a remarkable man by any measure. A courageous and determined soldier in World War II, he was captured by the Germans and imprisoned in a camp connected to the Germans' largest concentration camp, Auschwitz.

BBC News - Peru apologises for abuse of African-origin citizens

SerenityLife
2 days ago

BBC News - Peru apologises for abuse of African-origin citizens

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8...

Women's and Social Development Minister Nidia Vilchez said the government wanted the apology to promote the "true integration of all Peru's multicultural population," Associated Press news agency reported.

Good responses to common justifications

Elisa
2 days ago
1 comment

Recently the NY Times published an Op-ed by Gary Steiner from a truly vegan point of view, not the sort of half-assery usually published by folks like Michael Pollan and Mark Bittman.

Then they published some letters to the editor about the Op-ed, most of which made the usual excuses. I read them and moved on, not having the wherewithal to push back on these most common excuses.

Luckily, Eccentric Vegan, from Vegan Soapbox, has the wherewithal I did not! She responds to many of the comments in this great post: Backlash.

Book Reviews: Two hot vegan cookbooks

Elisa
3 days ago
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The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet

Alicia Silverstone

Check out my personal blog where I did a very comprehensive review of Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet and a mini-review of Tal Ronnen's The Conscious Cook.

Now, bear in mind: I didn't actually cook from either book yet. With Silverstone's book, that's not so much of a big deal, since half the book is about the what, why and how, not the actual cooking.

Ronnen's book is a more traditional cookbook.

But as i say in my reviews: I own 20 vegan cookbooks already. I have no time. My reviews are really about whether a cookbook inspires me to want to take the next step, buy the unusual ingredients and spend an hour int he kitchen experimenting.

So, with that in mind: Read my reviews.

(Mostly) Vegan beauty products featured in LA Times

Elisa
3 days ago
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Sigh.

While I'm glad that the LA Times is featuring vegan beauty products, and that it's becoming more mainstream to talk about things like carmine (the crushed up beetles that provide the red color to many beauty products) and collagen (comes from cows), I do wish that when they say it's going to be a feature on vegan beauty products they wouldn't include a brand that is self-described as "mostly vegan." Or feature Origins which, again, is mostly vegan except their use of (self-described) "cruelty-free beeswax and honey".

I mean, there are lots of brands that say they're vegan and are vegan, not just mostly vegan. Alternative Outfitters is one source.

It reminds me when they had a feature on awesome vegan accessories/clothes, but one of the items was cashmere, I think.

I just think that sometimes "vegan" should just mean "vegan". Is that so wrong?

Two Photos of Awesome Food, nom nom nom

Elisa
4 days ago
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No, not yesterday's Thanksgiving meal, but some great vegan meals I've had lately, sometimes in unexpected places.

Like in the bar of some random hotel in NYC. We had stepped in for a drink. (I honestly don't even remember what street we were on or what hotel it was.) Eventually, getting hungry, we looked at the menu. Typical hotel steakhouse fare. But I asked the waiter if the chef could whip up something fabulous and vegan, using my favorite vegetables on the menu: Brussels Sprouts, Mushrooms, Spinach. This is what I got:

Hotel Pub Vegan Fare

A couple of weeks later we took a good friend to dinner at Amber India in Santana Row. Upscale Indian Food, and yes, veggie choices are always abundant at Indian restaurants. But most places don't present a salad quite this lovely:

DSC00684

3 comments

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I try to remember to take pictures of the creative, tasty vegan food restaurants come up with for me. (Or have on their menu already.)

Enjoy :)

Gasp, minor heart attack, tries to breathe - Sade - February 8, 2010

I AM FLOORED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Source of Picture: News | The Official Sade Site

Sade's new album debuts on February 8, 2010. A NEWWWWWW ALBUM. You know she goes on sabbatical and makes you salivate wanting more more and more. The power of Sade is not just her voice, her image of calmness and seduction but her outstanding band is that OUTSTANDING (like The Gap Band used to sing!).

I've been a huge goof ball over Sweetback's (Sade's band) 1st album and 2nd album. I cannot get enough of their grooves for Sweetback's 1st album, Sweetback, features my favorite singer, AMEL LARRIEUX and hmm the panty eater (oops I mean Maxwell. My Mom calls Maxwell the panty eater! :/) who sings, Softly Softly. Makes you go googly moogla, eyes go back in your head, you think you are blind for a second then reality strikes back after you sprinkle some water on your face.

Then, Stuart Matthewman aka Cottonbelly, who is one of the producers of Sade who is in her band, has produced a few film scores that are an auditory delight. My ears smile, gasp, and ask for more when I listen to Stuart Matthewman's solo work. Lawd, my toes hurt from curling from smiling so hard. I hope my lips haven't cracked too much from smiling too. I'm so so so so HAPPY.

I feel the angels are calming me for this year I lost my friend Wandra, my cousin and Michael Jackson. However, now anticipating Sade's new music for 2010 makes me joyous!! AHH. AHH. Okay, I think I've screamed enough. LMAO!

The White House goes veg

Elisa
7 days ago
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For one night anyway.

The Prime Minister of India is the guest of honor, and is also a vegetarian, so I love it that everyone will follow suit, per this piece on ecorazzi.

The menu does sound yummy (if not 100% vegan):

First

Potato and Eggplant Salad
White House Arugula with Onion Seed Vinaigrette

Red Lentil Soup with Fresh Cheese

Entree

Roasted Potato Dumplings with Tomato Chutney, Chick Peas and Okra

or

Green Curry Prawns, Caramelized Salsify with smoked Collard Greens and Coconut Aged Basmati

Dessert

Pumpkin Pie Tart
Pear Tatin
Whipped Cream and Caramel Sauce

Petis Fours and Coffee

Cashew Brittle
Pecan Pralines
Passion Fruit and Vanilla Glaces
Chocolate-Dipped Fruit

My recipe for vegan gravy

Elisa
7 days ago
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BlogHer contributing editor Alanna Kellogg has posted about making gravy this Thanksgiving, and asked for recipes. This finally motivated me to post my favorite gravy recipe...vegan of course...so I could link to it in the comments of Alanna's post.

So, here's it is:

Golden Gravy

Attribution: This recipe came from PETA, in one of their regular periodicals in the snail mail. Yes, I've had this recipe so long I got it via snail mail and have an actual little perforated recipe card I tore out of the mailer. I've since looked on the PETA site to see if they have this exact recipe posted, and I've never found it. I love this gravy so much, I have become a nutritional yeast addict, and I gravy up just about everything I cook up in a pan with it.

Ingredients:

¼ c. flour (I use soy flour typically)

½ c. nutritional yeast flakes (Available at Whole Foods. Make sure to use nutritional yeast, not brewer's yeast)

1/3 c. oil or margarine (Oil works better.)

1 ½ c. water (You can use vegetable stock for part of this, but I find it gets too savory for my taste)

2 to 3 TB soy sauce or tamari

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Toast the flour and nutritional yeast flakes in a pan, until the mixture gives off a nutty aroma.
Add oil and stir until bubbly.
Add water and cook until mixture begins to thicken, stirring constantly.
Add soy sauce, salt and pepper. Makes approx. 2 c. of gravy.

Nom nom nom!

I will even confess that I've made this right in the pan over vegetables and seitan I've already stir-fried...just dump some yeast in the pan, add a little liquid, it stirs up great!

Enjoy!