Posts Tagged ‘Peter Molenaar’
Guacamole Dip
by Peter Molenaar With considerable frequency, the convenient Lake Street Latin food offerings prevail as the most satisfying answer as to what to eat next. A fat burrito with a side of guacamole does the trick. Invariably, it is observed, a corn chip with a lush dollop of the guacamole enters the mouth first. Savored with eyes closed, it is said to be a short cut to heaven. The naïve person will google guacamole for the recipe only to find hundreds of variations. The ripe avocado shall be extended with some ratio of mayonnaise, and or sour cream, cream cheese, or even yoghurt. For flavor bits, one might add diced tomatoes, chile peppers, onions, garlic, pimentos, black olives, grated cheese, or even a hard boiled egg. Lemon or lime juice? Cilantro, coriander, cumin, salt, sugar, red or black pepper? Okay. But what? During Superbowl 44, most of us were racing to the bottom of our guacamole dip while transcending “the grudge” to become Who-Dat-Nation fans. This [...]
Moment of Silence
By Peter Molenaar Even as these words are written, another beneath the rubble has given up the ghost. The remaining resistance is fading”¦ Flashback to 1803. Given a plague of wars, Napoleon Bonaparte”'s France is a financial wreck. Concurrently, measures to maintain order in the lucrative sugar colony of Haiti are in jeopardy. Hence, the sale of some 828,000 square miles of “French territory” appears to be prudent (our own neighborhood is but a small parcel of this Louisiana Purchase). Every Haitian child knows the story. Note: Following the logic of ancestral events, it appears that many of us owe our existence to the Haitian slave revolt! Now see January 12, 2010. Nearly 12,000 registered nurses have volunteered for Haiti disaster relief””some 300 from Minnesota. They stand ready as the largest contingent of RN volunteers in U.S. history. National Nurses United is working around the clock to find deployment locations. “Medical facilities [...]
Surge To Nowhere
by Peter Molenaar Anyone with a heart understands that President Obama is caught between a rock and a hard place on the question of Afghanistan””damned if he does, damned if he doesn”'t. As for the public”'s opinion, it is mixed, uncertain, and fluid. A significant poll released November 30 indicated that 47 percent of us favor some increase in troop levels, but this figure actually was down 5 points from the previous poll. So, the belief that homeland security is sustained by war abroad appears to be waning in the midst of local economic woes. “Too costly and destined to fail” is a commonly expressed view. The question remains: Did the president”'s December first speech muster the call for a ”˜just war”'? Truthfully, he invoked the security issue without reference to a moral imperative with regard to internationalist duty. The isolationist tendency remains strong. So, the answer is no. Yet, on the moral front, our peace [...]
