What’s Happening?
Gun violence. That’s what’s happening.
Last week I promised to do some research so I could recommend an effective organization that addresses this issue. But first, take a look at the list of mass shootings compiled on Wikipedia. Very sobering. Very enraging. Very frightening:
Mass shootings to date in the USA in 2022
I think that providing this link is all I need to do here. Unfortunately.
The other big thing happening is the runoff election between Senator Raphael Warnock (GA) and Herschel Walker on December 6.
While the Democrats hold the Senate via the tie-breaking voting power held by Vice President Harris, having the majority would be even better:
If Warnock keeps his seat, Democrats won’t have to depend on Vice President Kamala Harris to cast a tie-breaking vote, and they would have more leverage over Sens. Joe Manchin (WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (AZ), the more conservative members of the party, in order to get legislation passed. 1
What to Do?
There are plenty of reputable and effective organizations working to curb gun violence in our country.
You will find an excellent list of such organizations here:
Advocacy Organizations - Gun Control and Gun Rights - Library at Shippensburg University Actually, if you scroll up and down the entire page, you will find a wealth of information pertaining to gun control issues. (Thank you for making this great resource public, Shippensburg University!)
If you already have a favorite gun control organization, go to their website right now and do something. 😊
Otherwise, I highly recommend The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
One of the oldest ongoing gun control organizations in the United States, “The Brady Campaign works to pass and enforce federal and state gun laws, regulations, and public policies through grassroots activism, electing public officials who support gun control legislation, and increasing public awareness of gun violence.” 2
Want to do something to help? Click the following link to contact your elected officials:
https://www.bradyunited.org/take-action
There is a lot of great info and even more actions you can take throughout The Brady Campaign website. I urge you to explore the entire site. And, you’ll see a donate button at the top right of every page. 😊
There are many people working hard right now to ensure that Senator Warnock retains his seat.
Here is how to join them:
Click HERE to donate money to Senator Warnock’s campaign:
Click HERE to make phone calls to Georgia voters:
Click HERE for several ways and times to text Georgia voters.
What’s the Use?
According to their 2021-in-review web page, "this was Brady Legal’s most active year in our 40-year legacy."
1. We Helped Move Landmark Gun Violence Prevention Legislation with Congress and the White House
We helped advance seven life-saving bills in the U.S. House and an entire slate of gun violence prevention executive orders with the Biden-Harris administration. In fact, the Biden-Harris administration enacted more gun violence executive orders in their first year compared to any other administration’s inaugural year.2. We Won Stronger Gun Laws in States Across the Country
At the state-level, we helped expand background checks, stop the flow of crime guns, prevent guns at polling places, and more. Already, these life-saving new laws serve as a federal blueprint for gun violence prevention on the national level.3. We Banned Untraceable “Ghost Guns” and Filed the Nation’s First Civil Lawsuits Against the Ghost Gun Industry
We banned ghost guns in New York and Nevada, passed local ghost gun bans in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley, and San Diego, and drove thousands of public comments in support of Biden's proposed federal rule to regulate these homemade firearms. 3
And these are just three examples from just one year.
While there is plenty of work to be done to repair and retain our democracy, voting works – just look at the recent mid-terms “not-red-wave.”
But, why volunteer to get others to vote? Especially via phone calls? While in-person canvassing remains the gold standard, phone calls have been shown to be effective, as well.
In recent years, this finding has proven to be robust. More recently, however, experiments of professional and volunteer phone calls (Nickerson 2006b; Arceneaux 2006; Arceneaux and Nickerson 2006) have suggested that personalized messages delivered in a conversational manner over the phone may be as effective (and cost-effective) as canvassing. 4
I have not yet found information citing the effectiveness of texting, but text banking is used by many organizations. My take is that it can’t hurt and it is a good option for those not comfortable calling people directly.
What to Read?
I know poetry is not for everyone, but even if you think you don’t like it, I highly recommend that you check out
Rattle’s mission is to promote the practice of poetry, doing so via their website, various social media, and their lovely print journal, self-described as “the most eclectic, ad-free, all-poetry journal on the planet” which, if you subscribe, will arrive via postal mail each March, June, September, and December.”
At Rattle, anything always goes. If a poem is accessible, interesting, moving, and memorable, if it makes you laugh or cry, then it’s the kind of poem that rattles around inside you for years, and it’s our kind of poem.
I spent the other evening curled up with Issue #75 – Librarians (Spring 2022) and I am so glad that I finally had a chance to do so. It’s my favorite issue yet.
What’s Cooking?
Do you need a recipe for a chilly gray day or any day you want a healthy soup that you can make in just an hour? Look no further!
Below is an edited version of a post I created for the Wakefield Farmers Market (MA) a few years ago when I was doing the cooking demonstrations each market day. It’s quick, easy, and really tasty! Note: you can scroll down to the recipe, but the text has some handy cooking tips and ideas.
With a chilly day predicted, I thought a hot soup would be a good choice, but I wondered how I could make a flavorful soup in an hour or so. I would have no time to make a separate vegetable stock and, in the spirit of our cooking demos, I did not want to go with a store-bought option. What to do?
I needed to figure out how to create a strong flavor that would not dissipate once water was added to make the soup. What came to mind were two things.
The first is a tip I learned from Mike Vrobel, of DadCooksDinner, that he uses to make his turkey stock: Be sure to include onion and carrot and slice them very thinly to let more of the flavor out into the liquid.
The second is that tomatoes are one of the vegetarian ingredients used to add an "umami" flavor.
Okay, three things, with the third being that dried herbs, when added early in the cooking process, can pack as much of, or an even better punch than their fresh counterparts.
Oh, okay, five things. Garlic (of course) and just the right amount of salt.
The instructions follow the list of ingredients, but the short story is: sauté thinly sliced onion and carrot on low for a few minutes in olive oil, (do not brown!) raise the temperature, add dried herbs, salt, and pepper, and cook for a minute or two, add thinly sliced garlic and cook until fragrant, add diced tomato, lower temperature, and cook down for 10-15 minutes. Then add water and veggies, cook for 15-20 minutes, and season with salt to taste.
Here is what I used and how I did it at the Market Kitchen Tent:
Quick and Easy Fresh Vegetable Soup
The Flavor Base
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, very thinly sliced/chopped
1 3 to 4-inch piece of a medium carrot, very thinly sliced
2 small clove garlic thinly sliced
4 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4+ tsp each salt and pepper
1 medium-sized tomato, diced
liquid scraped from the "de-kernelled" cob if using fresh corn (optional)
The Veggies
1 medium carrot, diced
1 small to medium potato, diced
1 3" or so chunk of daikon radish, diced (can also use two big red radishes)
15 or so green beans, in 1" pieces
kernels from one cob of fresh corn or 1/2 to 3/4 cups frozen kernels.
2 cup water to start, then, if needed, add more to cover by 1/2" or so
(I used three cups)1 tsp salt and then to taste
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the thinly-sliced onion and cook on low for a few minutes. Add the thinly sliced carrot and cook another few minutes, then raise the temperature to medium-high and add dried herbs, salt, and pepper. Cook for another minute or so, add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add tomatoes, and liquid scraped from corn cob if using a fresh ear of corn. Lower heat and cook for at least 10 minutes or so until thickened and very fragrant.
Next, add all the rest of the veggies and the water. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, adjust seasoning if desired, and you are done!
So easy and so good! You can use whatever veggies you like, but I'd recommend keeping the flavor base the same.
You might be wondering about the daikon radish in the ingredient list. I am a big fan of this vegetable, also called ice radish. I discovered it back when I followed a macrobiotic diet and have since learned that it is very good for the soil, making it an excellent rotation crop. Unfortunately, it is not one of the more familiar vegetables, so I always like to give it some PR when I can.
I found out that Farmer Dave's has been offering it in their current CSA, so I requested that they send some along to Wakefield this week. And they did! Along with using it in the soup, I also offered raw slices for people to try. I am happy to say that more than just a few people headed over to Farmer Dave's for a daikon radish when they left the Market Kitchen Tent.
Not everyone was a newbie, though. Here are some ideas for using daikon shared with me today: Slice it in rounds and serve with hummus or another dip in lieu of crackers. Julienne and include in a wrap. Or, the most fun-sounding one: slice thin or spiral and serve with a strong soft cheese on dark rye bread, accompanied by a good beer.
Of course, it is great in soups or stir-fries, any casserole dish, (use to complement or as a substitute for turnip, potato, or carrots) raw in a salad or veggie plate, or try it roasted, by it itself or in a veggie medley
Do a search online for daikon radish, and daikon radish recipes. You just might find out that you have a new favorite veggie.
Yes, I am still working on the cookbook. I am still hoping to have it out in time for your holiday shopping. 😊 Stay tuned!
What Else?
I’ll end with this picture I posted on Facebook of Gracie Rose with the most excellent caption provided by my friend Paul in the comments. 😆