HISTORY's 'Cinco De Mayo Foods: Tacos'

¡Feliz Cinco De Mayo! I'm being more light-hearted today than last year by taking advantage of the holiday falling on Taco Tuesday with History Channel's Cinco De Mayo Foods: Tacos.

Join Famous Fat Dave as he interviews a cook who knows how to make a great taco for Cinco de Mayo.

Yeah, I know combining Cinco De Mayo and Taco Tuesday is a bad dad joke, but I couldn't resist. Besides, I have lots of final exams to grade, so I'd better get to work. See you tomorrow for Revenge of the Sixth.

The history of the Irish in America for St. Patrick's Day and Irish American Heritage Month

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Instead of Tipsy Bartender drink recipes for St. Patrick's Day, I'm sharing educational content like 2021's PBS Digital's Storied tells the tale of leprechauns for St. Patrick's Day. I begin with the History Channel's Why America Loves/Hated the Irish.

Today, Irish traditions are seamlessly embedded in American culture. But once upon a time, the American people rejected—even hated—those immigrating from the Emerald Isle.

National Day Calendar featured more history in March is Irish American Heritage Month.

Criss-crossing the country, Irish-American Heritage holds rich traditions and an unmistakable can-do spirit. Their infectious character and indomitable personalities have brought us 22 presidents including Ulysses S. Grant, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Regan, and Barack Obama to name a few. From inventor and businessman, Henry Ford to journalist Nellie Bly, author F. Scott Fitzgerald and dancer Gene Kelly, their endless talents fill many roles.

As an Irish-American, I'm proud to be among this company.

I'm breaking with tradition by not embedding a drink recipe. Instead, I'm sharing a food video from National Day Calendar, as today is also National Corned Beef and Cabbage Day.

To “corn” something is simply to preserve it in a salty brine (the term corn refers to the coarse grains of salt used for curing).

Corned beef is a salt-cured beef product. Traditional Irish Corned Beef and Cabbage recipes used salt pork or a bacon joint instead of corned beef. However, sometime in the mid-1800s when the Irish immigrated to America, they found Jewish corned beef very similar in texture to the bacon joint (pork).

As a result, they used corned beef as a replacement for the bacon when preparing corned beef and cabbage meals. Soon after, Irish-Americans began having Corned Beef and Cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day.

Between watching that video and smelling the brisket cooking, I'm getting hungry. That means it's time to stop writing. I hope my readers enjoyed viewing this post as much as I did writing it. I also hope they learned something from it and share my sentiment that any day I learn something new is a good day.

The story of Loving vs. Virginia on Loving Day

Happy Loving Day!

Each year, National Loving Day on June 12th commemorates the anniversary of the 1967 United States Supreme Court decision Loving vs. Virginia. This decision struck down all anti-miscegenation laws remaining in sixteen U.S. states. The ruling cited, “There can be no doubt that restricting the freedom to marry solely because of racial classifications violates the central meaning of the equal protection clause.” In the United States, anti-miscegenation laws were U.S. state laws banning interracial marriage.
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Childhood friends, Mildred and Richard, met when she was 11, and he was 17. Over the years, they began courting. In 1958, when Mildred turned 18, the couple married in Washington and returned to their hometown north of Richmond. However, two weeks later, authorities arrested the couple. Mildred and Richard did not realize the state of Virginia viewed interracial marriage as illegal. The Lovings pleaded guilty, and to avoid jail time, they agreed to leave Virginia.

While living in Washington D.C., the Lovings started legal action by writing to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. Kennedy referred the case to the American Civil Liberties Union. The Warren Court unanimously ruled in their favor, and the Lovings returned to their Virginia home, where they resided with their three children.

The History Channel tells this story in How Loving v. Virginia Led to Legalized Interracial Marriage.

Learn about the landmark Supreme Court decision in Loving v. Virginia, which legalized interracial marriage in the United States.

This is the second consecutive day I've featured the 14th Amendment, Section 3 of which I quoted in Noah, Kimmel, and Maher on January 6th hearings yesterday.

The inspiring and aptly named story of the Lovings inspired several films listed on the case's Wikipedia page.

• The first, Mr. and Mrs. Loving (1996), was written and directed by Richard Friedenberg and starred Lela Rochon, Timothy Hutton, and Ruby Dee.[68] According to Mildred Loving, "not much of it was very true. The only part of it right was I had three children."[69][70]
• Nancy Buirski's documentary The Loving Story, premiered on HBO in February 2012[71][72] and won a Peabody Award that year.[73]
• Loving, a dramatized telling of the story based on Buirski's documentary, was released in 2016. It was directed by Jeff Nichols and starred Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton as the Lovings. Negga received an Academy Award nomination for her performance.

PBS NewsHour interviewed the director and stars of the most recent film In 'Loving,' an American story about a marriage worth fighting for five-and-one-half years ago.

A new movie, "Loving," tells the real-life story of Richard and Mildred Loving, a Virginia couple who were arrested because interracial marriage was illegal in their home state. They appealed their case and won a landmark civil rights ruling at the Supreme Court. Jeffrey Brown speaks with director Jeff Nichols and others about how they brought the love story to the screen.

As I wrote, inspiring and aptly named, and it happened only 55 years ago. Just the same, the case remains timely, as U.S. Senator from Indiana Mike Braun answered "yes" to being asked “You would be okay with the Supreme Court leaving the issue of interracial marriage to the states?” This was while Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearings were going on. At least Senator Braun walked his response back, telling NBC News “There is no question the Constitution prohibits discrimination of any kind based on race, that is not something that is even up for debate, and I condemn racism in any form...” At least he realized his mistake and tried to correct it. I hope he remembers his second statement for future reference.

That's it for today's Sunday entertainment feature that is also a history lesson. I hope my readers learned something. I know I did.

History Channel and Inside Edition explain Hanukkah

Happy Hanukkah 5780 (2019) from Michigan!  For this year's celebration, I am recycling the concept I used for 'What is Day of the Dead?' National Geographic and USA Today answer to explore the history and traditions of the holiday.

First, I'm sharing History of the Holidays: Hanunkah (sic) from History Channel.

History of the Holidays explores the traditions of Hanunkah.

Pity History Channel misspelled the holiday, as this is otherwise a well-done clip with professional production values.  I'll have to use a corrected version of the video description when I share it on social media.

Next, Inside Edition asked and answered What Is Hanukkah?

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that lasts eight days and the ways it’s celebrated vary widely, Rabbi Menachem Creditor, Scholar-in-Residence at UJA-Federation of New York, told InsideEdition.com. “The way that we observe Hanukkah has a lot of diversity, depending on what kind of Jew you are or where in the world you find yourself, but one of the commonalities is that it's a tradition to light the candles and to place them facing the outside world,” he said.

After summarizing the history, Rabbi Creditor did a good job of explaining modern practices, especially in America.  I'm glad Inside Edition, which is not the hardest news source, interviewed him for this video.  He made it not only more credible, but informative and entertaining.

Once again, Happy Hanukkah!

History Channel on the history of Labor Day

Happy Labor Day from metro Detroit!  Last year, I shared TED-Ed on the history of Labor Day.  This year, I recycle the theme with History Channel's History of the Holidays: Labor Day.

While you take your three day weekend, remember those who struggled to get Friday and Saturday off.

One of the points the video impressed on me was the Canadian origin of our Labor Day.  Thanksgiving isn't alone in originally being a Canadian holiday.

As my regular readers know, I like to celebrate my holidays with a drink.  For this year's celebration, I'm going deep into KCRA in Sacramento's archives for Star-Spangled Drinks For Labor Day.

Mackenzie Spurlock from Sofia Restaurant shares these Labor Day-themed cocktails.

Yum.  That first drink would also work for 4th of July.

Enjoy your Labor Day!  It's back to school tomorrow for many of us.

100th Anniversary of passage of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote

For Throwback Thursday, I am observing two historic anniversaries.  The first actually happened two days ago, the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing women the right to vote.  The History Channel has the story of the struggle for women's suffrage and the passage and ratification of the 19th Amendment in The 19th Amendment | History.

In 1920, women in the U.S. gained the right to vote - but only after a struggle that lasted more than 70 years! Learn how suffragists fought for the 19th amendment.

The History Channel outlined the timeline of the passage of the 19th Amendment on its website.

On May 21, 1919, U.S. Representative James R. Mann, a Republican from Illinois and chairman of the Suffrage Committee, proposed the House resolution to approve the Susan Anthony Amendment granting women the right to vote. The measure passed the House 304 to 89—a full 42 votes above the required two-thirds majority.

C-SPAN broadcast Speaker Pelosi Marks 100th Anniversary of 19th Amendment to commemorate the 100th anniversary of that event.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hosted a reception to mark the 100th anniversary of the House of Representatives passing the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guaranteed women the right to vote. "Women weren't given anything. Women earned, worked for, marched, fought, starved, were starved, sacrificed everything for expanding freedom in our country. Since the birth of our democracy women have not waited for change but have worked for change."

The History Channel described the next step.

Two weeks later, on June 4, 1919, the U.S. Senate passed the 19th Amendment by two votes over its two-thirds required majority, 56-25. The amendment was then sent to the states for ratification.

Here is Senator Mitch McConnell reciting the history of the passage in the Senate in McConnell Commemorates 100th Anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding the 100th anniversary of the Senate’s passage of the 19th Amendment, giving American women the right to vote.

There will be one more 100th anniversary to celebrate, August 26, 1920, when the 19th Amendment was certified by U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby.  I hope to remember that date as well.

Stay tuned for the next historic anniversary, the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

Celebrate the real reason for Cinco De Mayo, a Mexican victory over the French that may have helped save the Union

¡Feliz Cinco De Mayo!  I begin today's celebration with an excerpt from David Von Drehle of The Washington Post about American's misunderstanding of today — We get Cinco de Mayo wrong. But we’re not wrong to celebrate it.*

This annual celebration of Mexican culture gets bigger every year, fueled mainly by America’s love of a good party. Folks who aren’t from Mexico are often surprised to learn, as they quaff margaritas or savor tacos al carbon, that the holiday matters much less south of the border. Many mistakenly believe that May 5 is Mexican Independence Day, but that’s Sept. 16.

But it’s entirely appropriate that Cinco de Mayo matters more in the United States. The event commemorated on this holiday was a triumph of Mexican spirit and courage. For us, though, it just might have saved our nation.

I'll get to why the event the day celebrates is important to Americans later.  First, I'll let The History Channel explain the origin of the holiday in Cinco De Mayo: A Celebration of Mexican Heritage.

Cinco De Mayo commemorates the Mexican Army's successful defense of the city of Puebla against invading French forces in 1862.

The timing of all these events was important for the United States, as it took place during the American Civil War.  David Von Drehle makes that point clear as well.

As it happened, the tide of the Civil War was just about to swing away from the North. In the summer of 1862, a Union campaign against the Confederate capital of Richmond fell to pieces and the rebels advanced on all fronts. Pressure for European intervention reached the boiling point.

Had a triumphant French army been raising the flag in Mexico City that summer, it might have made all the difference. The wavering Napoleon might have been emboldened to recognize the Confederacy, pulling the British along with him. Instead, the French army was licking its wounds, mangled by a smaller force of Mexican irregulars, and the emperor was momentarily chastened. Though France managed to topple the Mexican government the following year, its brief reign there came too late to help the South. The North had regained its momentum, and Lincoln was on his way to saving the Union.

So the Mexican victory over the French, while it only delayed the conquest of the country, ended up being important in preventing European intervention in favor of the Confederacy.  That alone is reason for Americans to celebrate.

Follow over the jump for videos about the Detroit's Cinco De Mayo festivities and two drink recipes from Tipsy Bartender.

Challenger disaster remembered 30 years later

Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the Challenger disaster.  The History Channel looks back in Remembering the Challenger Disaster.

On January 28, 1986, the tenth mission of the space shuttle Challenger ended in tragic disaster. We remember the seven astronauts who lost their lives that day, including Christa McAuliffe, who was chosen by NASA to pioneer its Teacher in Space program.

NASA commemmorated the event, as The Telegraph showed in Astronauts mark Challenger disaster anniversary.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station lead a moment's silence with Nasa to mark 30 years since the Challenger space shuttle exploded upon launch, killing seven.

I mentioned one of my memories of the event in Twentieth anniversary of Northridge earthquake.

When I woke up, Regis and Cathy Lee were not on, as I expected, but news coverage.  I recognized immediately  that this was a bad thing.  The last time I saw news instead of the mid-morning show was when the Challenger exploded.

That was a shocker.  I had overslept and was upset with myself for missing the launch.  Instead, I got to see it over and over again.  The next time anything like that happened after the Northridge Earthquake was when 9-11 happened.  I slept through that, too, but got to see the events over and over again as well.  I still have to tell that story.  Here's to remembering to do so on the 15th anniversary of that disaster this September.

Three Mile Island: Student sustainability video festival 42

My students have managed to hit all three civilian nuclear reactor disasters in consecutive semesters.  Last December, a student produced her own video for Fukushima: student sustainability video festival 28.  This past May, Radioactive wolves: student sustainability video festival 35 looked back at Chernobyl.  Earlier this week, Three Mile Island Accident made an appearance.


Stay tuned for more in this continuing series.

'Prophets of Doom'

I opened U.S. home ownership rate and me with a warning of sorts:  "For those of my readers expecting an entertainment post, stay tuned; I'll get to it eventually."  After I wrote that, I went upstairs to clean the living and dining rooms for the real estate agent and turned on the television to entertain me while I straightened up.  While I was clicking through the channels, I came across "Prophets of Doom" on H2 (History Channel 2).  I read the description and wondered if any of the people I read were among those featured.  Sure enough, the first person I see interviewed was James Howard Kunstler.  Another was the late Michael Ruppert.  That was enough to keep me watching.

The rest of the subjects I didn't know, but David Ing listed them.

In the 94 minute show, investigative journalist Michael Ruppert, economist Dr. Nathan Hagens, author John Cronin, investigative journalist/author James Howard Kun[st]ler, computer scientist Dr. Hugo De Garis, and executive editor Robert Gleason came together to discuss some of the greatest threats to the future of the United States, including economic collapse, water shortages/contamination, peak oil, species dominance by self-aware robots, and nuclear terrorism.

Both Kunstler and Ruppert gave their familiar peak oil perspectives on the future.  Of the rest, the one who worried about the farthest off catastrophe was De Garis, whose fear was of The Singularity, the surpassing of human intelligence by artificial intelligence.  When he discussed his take on the future, I figured that Kunstler would likely have none of it.  Sure enough, he told De Garis that he thought that the resources and finances needed to support the research for artificial intelligence would dry up before the technology reached that point.  The result was that Kunstler didn't budge, but De Garis came away convinced that the other issues were fair more pressing than his particular worry.  In particular, he became most concerned about water shortages.

All in all, I found watching the documentary time well-spent.  If you want to see it, follow over the jump for the embedded video from YouTube.