Warm Stuffed Apples

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 3 to 4 hours (in the slow cooker)
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 large baking apples, such as Rome Beauty or Jonathan

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots

• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

• 3 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preparation:

• Scoop out core of each apple, leaving a 11/2-inch-wide cavity about 1/2 inch from bottom. Peel top of apple down about 1 inch. Brush peeled edges evenly with lemon juice.

Headlines:

Avowed Witch Hunters To Hold Harvard Conference

As reported today on MSNBC, a Wiccan TSA employee accused of witchcraft has been fired. As described below, listed apostles of a global evangelical movement that claims to fight witchcraft will, on April 1-2, be holding a conference at Harvard University.

While Salem has garnered all the attention, the real peak of the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s witch craze was in what is now North Andover, where two dogs were tried and executed for witchcraft. It’s been a few years now since witch hunting was in vogue in Massachusetts, but the upcoming Social Transformation Conference to be held at Harvard this April 1-2 could help rekindle the practice. Footage from a November 2009 evangelical conference held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village near Honolulu shows scheduled Social Transformation Conference speaker Dr. Pat Francis up onstage, her voice cracking with intensity, shouting out “In the name of Jesus we break the power, of witchcraft power, every witchcraft power, we drive you out!” Read full story from dailykos.com

Garlic

Botanical Name: Allium Sativum

Folk Names: Ajo, Clove Garlic, Poor Man’s Treacle, Stinkweed

Native to Central Asia, garlic is a species in the onion family Alliaceae.

The ancient Greeks placed garlic at cross-roads as a supper for the goddess Hecate, or for protection to ward off demons. Greek midwives would hang garlic cloves in birthing rooms to keep evil spirits away. Athletes would take large amounts of garlic before competition, and soldiers would consume garlic before going into battle. Roman soldiers ate garlic to inspire and give them courage. Egyptian slaves were fed garlic to keep up strength. Tibetan monks were forbidden from entering monasteries if they had eaten garlic. Nicholas Culpeper, (botanist/herbalist/astrologer) linked garlic with the planet Mars. A fiery planet also connected with blood. Dreaming that there is “garlic in the house” is known to mean you will discover hidden secrets.

Headlines:

Witchcraft accusations and human rights abuses in Africa
Witch‐hunts have become epidemic throughout Africa. Although witch‐hunts have historically been viewed as gender specific, with a large percentage of victims still identified as elderly and solitary women, recent reports show that victims of witch‐hunts include both women and men of all ages. read full story from paganrightsalliance.org3

Events:

“GhostFest: Paranormal & Horror Convention” - The heads in charge couldn’t have picked a better place than Salem for this weekend’s GhostFest: Paranormal & Horror Convention, which kicks off tonight.

Spelt

Native to Asia, Spelt is a grain and distant cousin to wheat. It is high in just about any nutrient, Vitamins B1, B2, B3,B6, E, iron, potassium, calcium as well as amino acids. It’s also highly water soluble and  much easier to digest than wheat.

Spelt is is useful for feebleness, brittle hair and nails, connective tissue weakness, general weakness, sluggish bowels, rheumatic illness and vitamin-B deficiency. (Spelt can be purchased in whole food stores)

Headlines:

Witchcraft accusations and human rights abuses in Africa
Witch‐hunts have become epidemic throughout Africa. Although witch‐hunts have historically been viewed as gender specific, with a large percentage of victims still identified as elderly and solitary women, recent reports show that victims of witch‐hunts include both women and men of all ages. read full story from paganrightsalliance.org3

Whistle-blowing witch grounded by TSA (Source msnbc)
Here’s a situation for all you aspiring managers: If you were the boss at a U.S. government agency and one of your employees complained that she was afraid of a co-worker’s religious practices, what would you do?

Szechwan Pepper Chicken Stir-Fry

Prep Time: 25 minutes (+ 2 hours marinating)
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 teaspoons Szechwan pepper

• 1 lb chicken thigh fillets, cut into strips

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

• 1 teaspoon cornflour

• 3 1/2 oz. dried thin egg noodles (oil for cooking)

• 1 onion , sliced

• 1 yellow capsicum, cut into thin strips

• 1 red capsicum, cut into thin strips

Headlines:

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS - Japan Disaster Relief (Click to Donate)

Events:

Pagicon - Friday, March 25th through Sunday, March 27th, 2011. Doubletree Park Place in St. Louis Park, MN.

Festival Invites Public to Stand With Japan - Beginning at 6:30pm on March 24, people will gather at Sylvan Theater (15th Street and Independence Avenue, SW) before walking the Tidal Basin. All donations received throughout the fundraising effort will go directly to the National Cherry Blossom Festival Red Cross Online Donation Site, benefiting the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami fund.

To break up all the monotony, I’ve done a little reformatting.I I hope this is more pleasing to the eye, the old format was bugging me. Be sure to check back daily, more changes are on the way. All comments and suggestions are welcome.

Headlines:

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS - Japan Disaster Relief (Click to Donate)

Events:

Festival Invites Public to Stand With Japan - Beginning at 6:30pm on March 24, people will gather at Sylvan Theater (15th Street and Independence Avenue, SW) before walking the Tidal Basin. All donations received throughout the fundraising effort will go directly to the National Cherry Blossom Festival Red Cross Online Donation Site, benefiting the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami fund.

My Take: Japanese New Religions’ big role in disaster response
Devastating images of human suffering have been pouring in from Japan for over a week now and many of us have wanted to help. When news reports showed store shelves in Tokyo were emptying, I felt the irrational urge to mail necessities like rice, toilet paper and batteries to relatives and friends there.

Ultimately, I knew that by the time my care packages would reach Tokyo, store shelves would have been restocked. An organized relief effort requires pre-existing networks. After the Kobe earthquake in 1995, yakuza - Japan’s organized crime cartels - efficiently distributed food and water.