Who Are The Yazidis?

I'm in the process of reading a book called Last Girl by Nadia Murad.  It's about a Yazidi girl in Iraq who was captured by Isis, who raped and  tortured her.  She was a Yazidi, a religious minority in Iraq, living in near Mt. Sinjar.  I wanted to know more about the religion and understand how people can hate another group of people because of their beliefs so much.  I learned quite a bit about Yuzidis, but I'll never understand the hate that caused genocide of their people by Isis.

Globally, Yuzidis number about 700,000, with the vast majority of them concntrated in northern Iraq, in and around Sinjar.  They are an historically misunderstood group.  Ethnically, they are predominantly Kurdish, but they are not Muslim.  They have kept alive their syncretic religion for centuries, despite years of oppression and threatened extermination.  The religion is derived from Zoroastrianidm.  The religion takes elements from both Christianity and Islam.  They worship a fallen angel, Melek Tawwus.  Melek Tawwus was forgiven and returned to heaven by God.  Because of this, Yazidis have a reputation for being devil worshippers, which has turned life threatening.

Under Ottoman rule in the 18th and 19th centuries alone, Yazids were subject to 72 genocidal massacres.  In 2007, hundreds of Yazidis were killed as a spate of car bombs ripped through their stronghold in northern Iraq.  Al-Qaida denounced them as infidels, which was sanctioned indiscriminate killing.  Much of what Isis did to the Yazidi community is discussed in Last Girl.

Last Girl is interesting, yet difficult to read.  It's not for everyone.  I found the religion fascinating.  A little bit of  Judeo Christian philosophy mixed in with ideas I had never heard of.  I still can't come to grips with the hatred of one group for another because of their beliefs.  It's just another example of the many wars in history that have taken place over religion.

Buona Forchetta Comes To Encinitas

Buona Forchetta, a little family run Italian restaurant opened in 2011 in South Park.  It was an immediate hit.  So, several years later a second one opened in Liberty Station.  Now we have Buona Forchetta in Encinitas.  It's right on the coast, just a few blocks north of Encinitas Blvd.  It's a small restaurant with maybe 10 tables inside and another 10 tables on the outside, heated patio.  Reservations are only accepted for parties of 6 or more.  So, if you go, go early.  It's worth it.

Fran and I had lunch there in November after the restaurant had only been open for two weeks.  Service was friendly and efficient, and food was delicious.  Specials of the day are listed on a blackboard each day, and include heartier meals  like risotto and shrimp, several fish dishes with pasta, etc.  The regular menu is moderately priced.  Pizzas, which serve 2-3 people, range in price from $8-$16.  They must have a dozen or more varieties.  The dough is delicious.  Thin in the middle and puffed up and bubbly around the edges.  They have hand made pizza ovens where temperatures range from 700-1,000 degrees.

Starters are abundant and interesting.  Pizza in a jar, fried calamari, meatballs and octopus are just a few of the choices.  Salads are delicious.  Pastas are home made and several sauces are available.  We didn't eat dessert, but they have many home made desserts, including tiramisu.  Buona Forchetta is a great spot for lunch or dinner.  It's not expensive and the food is fantastico!

Simple Apple Tart

Count on Ina Garten when you're looking for a simple recipe that's delicious.  I followed her recipe for apple tart and was delighted with the result.  The best part was you can make the dough and keep it on hand in the refrigerator, then when you want to make your tart, it only takes about 10 minutes to put together.  Here's the recipe, and of course a picture of the finished product.

Crust

2c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 T. sugar
12 T. diced cold butter
1/2 c. ice water

Pulse first three ingredients in food processor until mixed.  Add the butter until mixture is crumbly, then slowly add ice water.  Remove mixture and knead for a few minutes until everything is incorporated.  Do not over mix. Form into a big disc, then wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate.  All it to rest for at least an hour.  I made the dough two days in advance, and it came out great.

When ready to assemble, roll dough on a floured board and cut into a large rectangle, then place on a cookie sheet.

Filling

4 large apples, peeled, cored and cut in 1/4inch slices
1/2 granulated sugar

Prepare apples and assemble them on the crust.  Fan them out so they overlap.  Sprinkle with granulated sugar, and 1/2 stick of cold butter, diced.  Cook in a hot, 450 degree oven, for 45 minutes.  That was Ina's recommendation, but I found the crust a little too cooked, so I would start to watch it at 35 minutes.  Allow tart to cool, then heat some apricot jam, add a little Calvados (if you have it).  If not, just thin the jam with a little water, paint the top of the tart with the apricot jam.

If you really want to be fancy, serve it with a dollop of creme fraiche, whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  This tart is delicious and so easy to make.  Enjoy!

Ending World Poverty

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Ending extreme poverty around the world has a deadline: 2030.  At least that is the date set by the World Bank, the main global organization that fights it. The World Bank recognizes that achieving this objective within 15 years will be difficult -- but not impossible -- despite the global economic slowdown, the end of the commodities boom and capital flight from emerging markets.
Reasons for optimism include the fact that this year, the percentage of people living in extreme poverty around the world will fall below 10%. In other words, people whose income falls below US$1.90 per day, according to the global poverty line recently adjusted by the World Bank.
According to the experts, the implementation of poverty reduction policies for more than a quarter century is responsible for this decline.

•  According to the most recent estimates, in 2013, 10.7 percent of the world’s population lived on less than US$1.90 a day, compared to 12.4 percent in 2012. That’s down from 35 percent in 1990. 
• Nearly 1.1 billion people have moved out of extreme poverty since 1990. In 2013, 767 million people lived on less than $1.90 a day, down from 1.85 billion in 1990. 

While poverty rates have declined in all regions, progress has been uneven:

• The reduction in extreme poverty between 2012 and 2013 was mainly driven by East Asia and Pacific (71 million fewer poor)—notably China and Indonesia—and South Asia (37 million fewer poor)—notably India. 
• Half of the extreme poor live in Sub-Saharan Africa. The number of poor in the region fell only by 4 million with 389 million people living on less than US$1.90 a day in 2013, more than all the other regions combined. 
• A vast majority of the global poor live in rural areas and are poorly educated, mostly employed in the agricultural sector, and over half are under 18 years of age.
• These statistics all concern extreme poverty.  You have probably noticed that the U.S. and Western Europe do not have extreme poverty.  The percentage of countries with extreme poverty has dropped from over 50% in 1981, to less than 10% in 2017.  The World Bank Group is leading the way on ending extreme poverty by 2030.  I hope  they can reach that goal.

Why Do Women Live Longer Than Men?

It's been a question we've asked for years, and there have been many scientific studies to determine the answer.  Is it hard work, X and Y chromosomes, lifestyle, lots of testerone and not much estrogen, or something else?  It's hardly likely that hard  work leads to a shorter life, but the biological makeup of men may have a lot to do with longevity.  Women have 2X chromosomes, which is helpful to them as cells age.  They have another cell that can take over for the aging cell.  This is not so for men, who have an X and a Y chromosome.

Studies have found that testosterone may be the culprit.  Studies with Korean monks (eunuchs) found that  castrated males lived significantly longer than other males.  On the other hand, estrogen works as an antioxident, meaning it mops up poisonous chemicals that cause cells stress.  So men, all that testosterone that creates a hairy chest, big muscles and a deep voice, may be hurting you in the long run.

Personally, I think that stress has a great deal to do with longevity, and women typically handle stress better than men.  I'm sure some will disagree with me, but studies show that this is true.  Stress can lead to disease, especially cardiovascular disease, and men have a higher rate of cardiovascular disease than women.  Stress also leads to an inability of the body to fight off other illnesses.  When do you get sick?  When you're run down and stressed.

So women, keep doing what you're doing.  Throughout the world, through the generations, women have had longer life expectancies, and that doesn't seem to change.  Men, well, I don't know what to say.  Getting rid of your testicles seems to be a little extreme.  Just keep your life balanced, learn to deal with stress, and stay healthy.  Here in Ocean Hills there are many men and women over 95, and if you ask each one of them, they'll each have a different recipe for longevity.  There is no simple answer.

Cheating: You Can Find It Everywhere

One of the main tenants of cardiology, is that the heart cannot regenerate.  So, years ago when Dr. Piero Anversa announced that his scientific research showed that the heart could grow new heart cells and replace those lost in heart attacks and heart failure  the medical community was very optimistic.  It now appears that data was falsified and the heart cannot regenerate

His studies took place at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital.  He falsified some data to obtain funding from the NIH.   It was discovered that over 30 of his scientific studies over a decade, contained falsified and fabricated data.

Corruption can obviously take place anywhere from Wall Street, to the President, to laboratories conducting scientific experiments at our most esteemed institutions of higher learning.  To think that someone would falsify data in order to better their own career is unthinkable, but in this day and age,  anything goes.

Dr. Anversa continues to deny he has done anything wrong.  He says a rogue colleague took his data and altered it.  Dr. Anversa is now 80 years old, and lives in disgrace in New York.  He says he spent a lifetime on this important work, and the allegations against him are untrue.  No one knows the truth, but it's sad to see criminal behavior at the highest levels of science.

Raising Cane's Comes To Vista

How can a restaurant survive serving just one thing?  Well, Raising Cane's has thrived, and all they serve is one thing:  chicken fingers.  I don't even like chicken fingers, but I had to go by the old Famous Dave's in Vista, which is now Raising Cane's.  I've been there once, driven by it several times, and found there always to be a long line waiting at the drive thru, and the inside and outside seating areas full.

Here's what you get:several chicken fingers, cooked to a nice golden brown, crinkle fries, cole slaw and Texas toast.  What is Texas toast you might ask?  It's a thick slice of bread, a nice spread of melted butter and garlic, then put on the grill for a few minutes.  Actually, it's pretty good.  The fries are cooked to order in canola order, so they're always fresh.  Let me just say that chicken fingers are not my thing, but obviously plenty of people like them.  There are several sauces to go with the chicken fingers, for dipping.  My grandkids love them, but adults must be eating them too.  It's a franchise, with locations in California and Arizona.  If you're looking for a change from Popeye's or KFC, Raising Cane's might be for you.

Reese's Stuffed Rice Crispies Treat

I love peanut butter, so when I saw this recipe for rice crispies treats adding Reese's peanut butter cups, I had to try them.  Wow, is all I can say.  If you're not making for yourself, you will surely want to make them for your grandchildren.  They're going to love them.

                        Reese's Stuffed Rice Crispies Treats


3T. melted butter
3T. melted peanut butter
1 package mini marshmallows
6cups rice crispies
Reese's peanut butter cups

Combine butter, peanut butter, marshmallows and rice crispies thoroughly.  Line 8X11 pan with wax paper, then spray with Pam.  Press 1/2 of rice crispies mix into the pan.  Then, place peanut butter cups on top of the mix, covering the whole pan.  Cover with the remaining rice crispies.  For an added touch, melt a little butter and peanut butter, and drizzle each on top of the mixture.  The heat from the rice crispies will melt the peanut butter cups.  When cool, cut into squares and enjoy.  These are a real decadent treat for those of us who love peanut butter.

Nobel Prize Controversies

I've been reading a book, The Demon Under the Microscope, which although a little too scientific for me, is quite interesting.  It's about the discovery of sulfa in the 1930's and how it changed medicine.  Many of the scientists featured in the book were German.  Germany, from the beginning of the 20th century, was a powerhouse in the field of medicine.  Chemistry and physics were their forte, and the training received in Germany was the best in the world, so many important discoveries came from Germany.

When Hitler came to power, this all changed.  Jewish scientists were rounded up and sent to concentration camps.  What caught my attention in the book, was that Germans who were awarded the Nobel Prize in the 1930's were not allowed to accept the award.

The prize of 1935 for chemistry was retroactively awarded one year later to Carl von Ossietzky, a German pacifist who had been convicted of high treason and espionage for exposing German re-armament. In an unprecedented move, King Haakon VII of Norway was absent from the award ceremony, two committee members resigned in protest, and the Norwegian conservative press, including leading daily Aftenposten, condemned giving the award to a convicted criminal. Ossietzky, interned in the concentration camp Esterwegen and severely ill with tuberculosis, accepted the award by letter but was prevented from traveling to Oslo. The award led to Adolf Hitler's forbidding any German to receive any of the Nobel Prizes in the future, and his prize was not allowed to be mentioned in the German press. In 1932, Gerhard Domagk discovered Prontosil, the first of the sulfa drugs.  He won the Nobel Prize for this discovery, but was not allowed to accept it.  It wasn't until 1947 that his discovery was finally acknowledged, when he traveled to Oslo to receive his prize.

The Nobel Prize was set up after the death of Alfred Nobel, and was first awarded in 1901 for service to humanity in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace.  (other categories were added later).  The prizes have occasionally engendered critici sm and controversy, mostly in the field of literature.  77% of physics prizes have been given for discoveries, not inventions, and the prize is often a reward for contributions over an lifetime, not just work from one year.

The reason that German scientists were not acknowledged as Nobel Prize winners during the 1930"s was that Carol vo Ossietzky outspoken rejection of Nazi dogma infuriated Hitler.  No Germans could accept the award during the 1930"s, in fact recipients of the award had to sign letters refusing to accept the award.  Germans made some amazing discoveries that helped humanity, but were not allowed world wide recognition.  The most ironic fact I discovered while researching this blog was that Adolf Hitler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1939.  They did not give an award that year for peace.

Carroll Spinney To Retire

The man behind the voice of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, Carroll Spinney, is retiring after 50 years.  Wow, he was the voice of two of the most iconic children's characters for decades.  Many children grew up with these characters.  A new voice will take his place and hopefully continue Sesame Street for many years to come.

The news of Spinney's retirement got me thinking about Sesame Street and its' impact on children.  My children grew up on Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers.  Every morning before the carpool arrived, David and Phil would be sitting in front of the TV, learning to count, sing, read, and be good members of their community.  Sesame Street helped kids learn their numbers and letters.  It also helped them understand the world around them, appreciate our differences and accept them.

Brian was two years old when Sesame Street first came on the air.  He had two working parents, so Sesame Street was part educator and part baby sitter.  David and Phil started watching Sesame Street regularly when they were around 2 1/2 years old.  It helped them learn their colors, count, numbers, letters, you name it.  Through the years, songs were written to help children through all kinds of tough situations.  Whatever would we do without Sesame Street?

Childrens television shows come and go, but Sesame Street has been around for more than 50 years.  Anyone who is anyone in the field of music, dance and film, has done an episode of Sesame Street.  The voice of Carroll Spinney is one we will not soon forget.  His characters will live on with someone else taking over the voices, but the voices Spinney created will live on forever.

Joseph Lister Discovered Listerine

Did you ever wonder how Listerine got its name?  It is named after Joseph Lister, who developed Listerine in 1879.  The slogan "Kills germs that cause bad breath " was used for decades.  Listerine was originally sold by Lambert Pharmacy.  Later, Listerine continued to be sold by Warner-Lambert, and today, by Johnson and Johnson.  Listerine made claims that eventually were found to be false.  They claimed that Listerine could help cure colds and sore throats.  Their advertising was changed to prevent the public from falsely believing that Listerine could cure colds. 

Listerine was invented in the nineteenth century as powerful a surgical antiseptic. It was later sold, in distilled form, as both a floor cleaner and a cure for gonorrhea. But it wasn't a runaway success until the 1920s, when it was pitched as a solution for "chronic halitosis" — a then obscure medical term for bad breath. Listerine's new ads featured forlorn young women and men, eager for marriage but turned off by their mate's rotten breath. "Can I be happy with him in spite of that?" one maiden asked herself. Until that time, bad breath was not conventionally considered such a catastrophe. But Listerine changed that. As the advertising scholar James B. Twitchell writes, "Listerine did not make mouthwash as much as it made halitosis." In just seven years, the company's revenues rose from $115,000 to more than $8 million.

Joseph Lister was a pioneer of antiseptic surgery.His discovery has helped kill germs for 140 years!  I doubt he was properly compensated for his contribution to the prevention of bad breath.

Betty Grissom Dies at 91

Betty Grissom, wife of Virgil (Gus)Grissom, recently passed away.  Her husband Gus, was killed by an electrical fire on the launchpad in 1967, at age 40.  She sued a NASA contractor for wrongful death, and ultimately received $350,000.  (over $2.2 million today)

Gus Grissom was one of seven Mercury astronauts.  He was the second man in space, behind Alan Shepard.  He was the command pilot of Apollo 1, and intended to test the Apollo for flights to the moon.  The electrical fire occurred during routine testing, killing all three astronauts on board.

Four years after the accident, Betty Grissom decided to sue North American Rockwell, since the government cannot be sued.  Although the two year statue of limitations on wrongful death had expired, the general negligence statue of four years had not expired.  She sued, and won.  Her lawyer said that the astronauts had a right to expect that their capsule would be properly designed, and it was not.  Betty's action brought considerable grief to her and her family, many friends and strangers calling her unpatriotic and shunning her.  However, she never regretted the lawsuit.  Her suit paved the way for the other two families to receive compensation without having to go to court.