I came across the above photo at the Facebook page of Car-Free America. It is–as it’s description says–the Oriten, a ten-seat bike made by the Orient Bicycle company. I had never heard of such a thing, but after Googling it I was surprised to see that it was quite popular around the time it was manufactured (1896); there were even races designed specifically for bikes with ten seats. When I look at the photo(s) a few things come to mind. One is I’m wondering if there was any frame flex with ten grown men sitting on it. Another is, I wonder how fast they could go with ten men pedaling (and that’s a lot of responsibility for the guy steering). And lastly, and this is just a personal one I suppose (but aren’t all opinions)…it just looks a little…well…a bit too close for comfort being sandwiched in there like that. At any rate, it would likely be a fun night out with the guys…having a few pints and not worrying about who’s driving home (I also wonder if you could ride it with just two or three guys…the thing must have weighed a ton). Anyhow, here’s a few more photos I came across.
Well, if you are an American reading this blog, or an expat living abroad, you likely celebrated Thanksgiving dinner yesterday with a traditional turkey dinner. I personally love this holiday–it’s not so gift-centered and commercialized as Christmas has become–it’s more about getting together with family, being thankful, and eating a really good meal. Unfortunately the day after has become known as “Black Friday,” but with me–while all the lunatics are out at pre-dawn trying to save a few dollars–I usually lounge around the house while turkey broth simmers on the stove from yesterdays carcass…the left-overs, to me, are as good as the meal proper, and making broth from the carcasses is yet another perk. I’ll make a large batch of it, strain it, then cool it (that’s it below occupying the an entire bottom half of my apartment-sized fridge), and then package it in increments of quarts and pints. Afterwards, I’ll freeze it and have super-delicious broth for the next couple months (it’s great not only for soup, but is especially suited for rice dishes). And while broth is about as simple as it gets when it comes to cooking, there are a few rules to follow. There’s a simple recipe below, but if you’d like a more in-depth look at it, with additional recipes, click this link: Broth, Bouillon, Brodo.
Turkey Broth
1 cooked turkey carcass, and anyscraps, juices, and pan scrapings
1 onion, quartered
1 carrot, cut into thirds
4 ribs celery, cut into thirds
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
10 whole black peppercorns
Combine the ingredients in aheavy-bottomed stockpot and cover with enough cold water to coverthem by two inches. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a slowsimmer. Cook for a few hours, skimming the surface as necessary.Strain and refrigerate until needed.
Well, if you are an American reading this blog, or an expat living abroad, you likely celebrated Thanksgiving dinner yesterday with a traditional turkey dinner. I personally love this holiday–it’s not so gift-centered and commercialized as Christmas has become–it’s more about getting together with family, being thankful, and eating a really good meal. Unfortunately the day after has become known as “Black Friday,” but with me–while all the lunatics are out at pre-dawn trying to save a few dollars–I usually lounge around the house while turkey broth simmers on the stove from yesterdays carcass…the left-overs, to me, are as good as the meal proper, and making broth from the carcasses is yet another perk. I’ll make a large batch of it, strain it, then cool it (that’s it below occupying the an entire bottom half of my apartment-sized fridge), and then package it in increments of quarts and pints. Afterwards, I’ll freeze it and have super-delicious broth for the next couple months (it’s great not only for soup, but is especially suited for rice dishes). And while broth is about as simple as it gets when it comes to cooking, there are a few rules to follow. There’s a simple recipe below, but if you’d like a more in-depth look at it, with additional recipes, click this link: Broth, Bouillon, Brodo.
Turkey Broth
1 cooked turkey carcass, and anyscraps, juices, and pan scrapings
1 onion, quartered
1 carrot, cut into thirds
4 ribs celery, cut into thirds
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
10 whole black peppercorns
Combine the ingredients in aheavy-bottomed stockpot and cover with enough cold water to coverthem by two inches. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a slowsimmer. Cook for a few hours, skimming the surface as necessary.Strain and refrigerate until needed.
I love old photos of people on bikes, especially when they are being used for utilitarian purposes (OK, the one with the guy sitting on the stack of papers may be stretching it a bit…but I love the one with the delivery guy using his bike as a chair). Anyhow, I came across these at Keirin Berlin and felt like sharing them. It’s an interesting blog and worth taking a look.
I love old photos of people on bikes, especially when they are being used for utilitarian purposes (OK, the one with the guy sitting on the stack of papers may be stretching it a bit…but I love the one with the delivery guy using his bike as a chair). Anyhow, I came across these at Keirin Berlin and felt like sharing them. It’s an interesting blog and worth taking a look.
I find the above painting very moving. It is “The Thankful Poor” by Henry Ossawa Tanner. On this day, the American holiday of Thanksgiving, I think it is especially poignant…though most of us (especially myself) have more than they need–food, clothing, shelter, family, etc.–we still desire more, and sometimes we (again, I’m mostly speaking of myself here) forget to stop and be thankful for all that we have in our lives…and that we not only have everything we need we actually have more than we need. I personally should be more aware of all the grace and gifts that I have in my life, and the above painting is a good reminder for me.
The next couple paragraphs is an excerpt from an article regarding Tanner and his work. I came across it at the Washington Post (written by Jabari Asim), click here to read the full story.
Tanner did his best work in Paris after arriving there in 1891. The son of escaped slaves, he had studied for six years with Thomas Eakins, the dean of the American Naturalist school, at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Tanner was grateful for Eakins’ tutelage as well as for the generous financial support of Bishop and Mrs. Joseph Hartzell of Philadelphia, who paid for his journey overseas. But his benefactors were enlightened exceptions to the American racism of that period. In search of a less encumbered lifestyle, Tanner settled in the City of Light and eventually won widespread acclaim.
In 1894 Tanner painted “The Thankful Poor,” an oil-on-canvas portrait of an elderly black man sitting down to supper with a young boy. Their heads are bowed in prayer. The man’s rough hands and the boy’s bedraggled clothes suggest that they are no strangers to privation and toil. The table is plain and sparse, but Tanner has endowed the humble pair with an aura of hard-earned dignity — even a rough-edged beauty.
“The Thankful Poor” is slowly becoming a familiar image. After lingering in a school closet for 75 years, it was rediscovered and auctioned at Sotheby’s in 1981. Bill and Camille Cosby purchased it for $250,000, at the time the most ever spent for a painting by an African-American artist.
“Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.” — Robert C. Linter
“If thank you is the only prayer you say, that will be enough.” — Meister Eckhart
“Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.” — W.J. Cameron
“Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.” –Theodore Roosevelt
“A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.” — Cicero
I find the above painting very moving. It is “The Thankful Poor” by Henry Ossawa Tanner. On this day, the American holiday of Thanksgiving, I think it is especially poignant…though most of us (especially myself) have more than they need–food, clothing, shelter, family, etc.–we still desire more, and sometimes we (again, I’m mostly speaking of myself here) forget to stop and be thankful for all that we have in our lives…and that we not only have everything we need we actually have more than we need. I personally should be more aware of all the grace and gifts that I have in my life, and the above painting is a good reminder for me.
The next couple paragraphs is an excerpt from an article regarding Tanner and his work. I came across it at the Washington Post (written by Jabari Asim), click here to read the full story.
Tanner did his best work in Paris after arriving there in 1891. The son of escaped slaves, he had studied for six years with Thomas Eakins, the dean of the American Naturalist school, at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Tanner was grateful for Eakins’ tutelage as well as for the generous financial support of Bishop and Mrs. Joseph Hartzell of Philadelphia, who paid for his journey overseas. But his benefactors were enlightened exceptions to the American racism of that period. In search of a less encumbered lifestyle, Tanner settled in the City of Light and eventually won widespread acclaim.
In 1894 Tanner painted “The Thankful Poor,” an oil-on-canvas portrait of an elderly black man sitting down to supper with a young boy. Their heads are bowed in prayer. The man’s rough hands and the boy’s bedraggled clothes suggest that they are no strangers to privation and toil. The table is plain and sparse, but Tanner has endowed the humble pair with an aura of hard-earned dignity — even a rough-edged beauty.
“The Thankful Poor” is slowly becoming a familiar image. After lingering in a school closet for 75 years, it was rediscovered and auctioned at Sotheby’s in 1981. Bill and Camille Cosby purchased it for $250,000, at the time the most ever spent for a painting by an African-American artist.
“Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.” — Robert C. Linter
“If thank you is the only prayer you say, that will be enough.” — Meister Eckhart
“Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.” — W.J. Cameron
“Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.” –Theodore Roosevelt
“A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.” — Cicero
It’s that time of year again…when the stores and media bombards us with adverts attempting to convince us that we have to buy stuff we don’t really need. Whatever your beliefs (or non-beliefs, for that matter), let’s usher in the holiday season (not the “shopping season) and celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice (or even Festivus, if that’s your thing) for what they were originally intended…family, friends, food, and looking inward. Happy Holidays!
It’s that time of year again…when the stores and media bombards us with adverts attempting to convince us that we have to buy stuff we don’t really need. Whatever your beliefs (or non-beliefs, for that matter), let’s usher in the holiday season (not the “shopping season) and celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice (or even Festivus, if that’s your thing) for what they were originally intended…family, friends, food, and looking inward. Happy Holidays!
For many years I have enjoyed taking pictures. First with a 35mm camera (never did learn to develop them myself) and more recently with digital. What is truly awesome about digital cameras is that–because there is no developing involved–you are able to take multiple pictures of the same thing, upload them, and pick-and-choose which you like or do not like…an example is the photo above (titled, red berry on moss); that is one of 5 or 6 photos but that’s the one I liked best. Anyhow, I’m getting off topic…as I often do. Taking photos, for me, can be a sense of heightened awareness of the everyday beauty around me…and the internet is an easy and great way for me, or anyone, to share what I see. In many ways I’ve often thought of photography as (with the risk of sounding cliche or hokey) a form of meditation in motion…which you are then able to freeze-frame. And like many things, I incorporate it into my life; I usually carry my little Sony Cybershot with me…someone I know recently said to me that they wished they themselves had time to ride a bike and take photos. I didn’t understand that comment and I still don’t…that to me is like saying I wish I had time to live life; it’s not as if it is something extra in my life, it is part of my everyday pattern. Anyhow, I was reading the magazine Yoga International yesterday and saw and article titled, Contemplative Photography. That’s it, I thought! It was like a light bulb lighting over my head….I can finally name it. I had never heard the term before but it describes it (to me) completely. Apparently it is a style of photography that began with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and he based it on the Tibetan word, Miksang, meaning “good eye.” He also founded the Miksang Institute of Contemplative Photography. Click any image for a larger view.
For many years I have enjoyed taking pictures. First with a 35mm camera (never did learn to develop them myself) and more recently with digital. What is truly awesome about digital cameras is that–because there is no developing involved–you are able to take multiple pictures of the same thing, upload them, and pick-and-choose which you like or do not like…an example is the photo above (titled, red berry on moss); that is one of 5 or 6 photos but that’s the one I liked best. Anyhow, I’m getting off topic…as I often do. Taking photos, for me, can be a sense of heightened awareness of the everyday beauty around me…and the internet is an easy and great way for me, or anyone, to share what I see. In many ways I’ve often thought of photography as (with the risk of sounding cliche or hokey) a form of meditation in motion…which you are then able to freeze-frame. And like many things, I incorporate it into my life; I usually carry my little Sony Cybershot with me…someone I know recently said to me that they wished they themselves had time to ride a bike and take photos. I didn’t understand that comment and I still don’t…that to me is like saying I wish I had time to live life; it’s not as if it is something extra in my life, it is part of my everyday pattern. Anyhow, I was reading the magazine Yoga International yesterday and saw and article titled, Contemplative Photography. That’s it, I thought! It was like a light bulb lighting over my head….I can finally name it. I had never heard the term before but it describes it (to me) completely. Apparently it is a style of photography that began with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and he based it on the Tibetan word, Miksang, meaning “good eye.” He also founded the Miksang Institute of Contemplative Photography. Click any image for a larger view.
Front Rack: A canvas bag containing a few books and writing implements; a cardboard box containing a dozen or so over-sized glass Christmas tree ornaments wrapped in paper.
Rear Carrier: A 15lb/6.8kg capacity all-steel, hand-crank sausage stuffer; a cardboard box containing two pints of homemade turkey gravy, 5lbs/2.2kgs of bread flour, and three homemade cheese balls.
Front Rack: A canvas bag containing a few books and writing implements; a cardboard box containing a dozen or so over-sized glass Christmas tree ornaments wrapped in paper.
Rear Carrier: A 15lb/6.8kg capacity all-steel, hand-crank sausage stuffer; a cardboard box containing two pints of homemade turkey gravy, 5lbs/2.2kgs of bread flour, and three homemade cheese balls.
I was going to post a few recipes for the Thanksgiving holiday but after I thought about it it would be just as easy (and likely more informative) simply to link previous articles that I’ve written and are still floating around the Internet (not to mention a bit of shameless self-promotion…I’m getting better at this).
Anyhow, if you want to read all about gravy click the following link.
To read how to roast things–including turkey–follow this link (this was the very first article I wrote for Buffalo Spree Magazine about 15 years ago…I could not find it at their site but did find it at ChefTalk).
I was going to post a few recipes for the Thanksgiving holiday but after I thought about it it would be just as easy (and likely more informative) simply to link previous articles that I’ve written and are still floating around the Internet (not to mention a bit of shameless self-promotion…I’m getting better at this).
Anyhow, if you want to read all about gravy click the following link.
To read how to roast things–including turkey–follow this link (this was the very first article I wrote for Buffalo Spree Magazine about 15 years ago…I could not find it at their site but did find it at ChefTalk).
That’s just fun to say isn’t it…clay pot pork. Anyhow, I made this small pork roast for dinner tonight for my son and I (delicious). Cooking in clay is not only super-healthy it is exceedingly easy; fool-proof…clay is the original crock pot. If you want to learn more about clay cookers or where to buy them click here or here. To see a recipe from an earlier post (chicken), which also contains step-by-step photos, click here.
That’s just fun to say isn’t it…clay pot pork. Anyhow, I made this small pork roast for dinner tonight for my son and I (delicious). Cooking in clay is not only super-healthy it is exceedingly easy; fool-proof…clay is the original crock pot. If you want to learn more about clay cookers or where to buy them click here or here. To see a recipe from an earlier post (chicken), which also contains step-by-step photos, click here.
(To read about Sister Karen Klimczak, the originator of the peaceprints signs, click here.)
This is in response to the horrific incident that happened at the University of California at Davis very recently (to see videos and photos, click here or here). It is inconceivable to me that this actually happened. Whatever side of the fence you may sit in the Occupy Movement these protesters were non-violent, unarmed, and showing no aggression. Some people, I believe, are truly terrified of non-violent and non-resistant behavior. I also believe that it is ingrained in everyone of us, from pre-birth, that we are all connected and when you hurt one another you hurt each of us…the original truth. I really find it difficult to believe that these police who did this to these students had a good night’s sleep last night. What has attracted me to the Occupy Movement from the very start is that it is a non-violent movement. Needing to clear my head this evening I walked down to the Occupy Buffalo site with my son (that’s him pictured in the lower left). I was glad to see they are still there, and thought to myself as I snapped a few photos what a wonderful scene it was…these people so dedicated to a cause that they are basically living here–in the cold (snow will come soon enough)–and doing it peacefully.
We who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators oftension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that isalready alive.
Some reading this may be a bit too young to remember the Tank Man of Tienanmen Square in 1989. He had the courage to stand before a line of moving tanks…unarmed, by himself, and looking to be carrying only a few groceries; he is pictured in the video below. It’s rumored that the people talking to him, just before the video ends and before he left the square, were government officials. It’s also rumored that he was executed shortly thereafter.
It’s interesting–and sad–that three of the people from the above quotes were killed;’ they are not alone, of course…some are so threatened by others who have the courage to stand their ground and not use violence as a method. To just stand knowing what is true. These to me are the real heroes we should look up to–not athletes who make way too much money, or other so-called celebrities–but people like this. And today, to me, the people who are occupying cities still–with the threat of violence from their own cities yet show no violence in return–these are real and living heroes.
Urban Simplicty 