January, 8, 2005 archives

with large tragedies like the indian ocean tsunami, charities can get so deluged with donations that are earmarked for disaster relief for that incident that they say they’ve had enough. if you recall, the american red cross got in a bit of trouble after they said they were going to to put excess donations targeted for 9/11 relief towards their general disaster-relief fund. just to throw the number out there, the american red cross eventually raised over $1 billion for their 9/11 fund. they plan to raise no more than $400 million for tsunami victims, and have currently gotten $150 million pledged.

so although it is motivated by world events, my donation this month to médecins sans frontières (doctors without borders) is done just as a general donation, and not earmarked for anything specific. it’s an organization that does great stuff all over the world, and i’m happy to see them put my money towards the place they think needs it most. they certainly know far more about providing medical care all over the world than i do.

i’m also kicking in the daily-journal money that would have gone to reading is fundamental, a hefty $150. i really slacked off during the holidays.

• one pound black beans
• ½ tsp. cumin seeds
• two bay leaves
• salt and pepper (to taste)

rinse beans and soak overnight in water (six to eight cups). after soaking, bring beans to boil, remove any floating beans, and add spices. turn heat down and simmer until beans are tender (anywhere from one to two hours), adding water as necessary to keep beans submerged. remove bay leaves when finished.

makes six cups. (and they freeze very well. just measure beans and liquid into plastic bags, let cool to room temperature, and freeze.)