The Luna Burger
Ohio may be well-known for its medical facilities (The Cleveland Clinic), museums (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Museum of Art), roller coasters (Cedar Point), presidents (8 of them were born here), athletes (Jess Owens, LeBron James), activists (Gloria Steinem, Edwin Stanton) but the Buckeye State is also the home of the Luna Burger: handcrafted organic non-GMO verified pure plant veggie burgers made with a foundation of black beans, spelt berries, brown rice, and oats grown on small family farms that utilize sustainable growing practices. Read more 
“The Men’s Club”
Brotherhood is exclusive, not universal.
35 years ago, men rarely sought out each other’s company outside of a sporting event, a bar, or a bachelor party. While women were leaning on each other and seeking camaraderie in Mommy & Me events, book clubs, and aerobic classes, men went to work, fulfilled family obligations, and briefly escaped to society sanctioned events which did not generally include meeting at one of their homes for a men’s club get together. So, when a group of seven men – a retired professional basketball player, a tax accountant, a lawyer, two psychotherapists, and two college professors – come together to form a men’s club – “a regular social possibility outside of our jobs and marriages,” there is curiosity and reluctance to take a road less traveled, as depicted in the fictional novel, The Men’s Club. Read more
Meru
You can’t just be a good ice climber. You can’t just be good at altitude. You can’t just be a good rock climber. It’s defeated so many good climbers and maybe will defeat everybody for all time. Meru isn’t Everest. On Everest you can hire Sherpas to take most of the risks. This is a whole different kind of climbing. ~John Krakauer, author of Into Thin Air
Meru is a documentary film (2015) that chronicles the journey of three of the world’s best climbers – Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk – in their pursuit of being the first climbers to ascend the Shark’s Fin, a 4,000 foot wall on the Meru Peak (see center of the photo below) in the Himalayas on the north side of India whose altitude is 6,660 meters. Read more
The War of Words on Facebook
I’d be willing to wager that no one has won an argument on Facebook. We have the Right to Lifers and Pro Choice defenders at each other’s throats with neither side giving an inch while the NRA and the citizens who support various types of gun control villainize each other. The animal rights activists are exposing the livestock industry for its cruel practices and trying to shame those who don’t care or think the industry’s practices are best ignored. And, the political supporters of both the Republican and Democratic parties polarize and tear each other apart on Facebook. Too many people are spewing vitriol at one another in a ping-pong game of words in which no one ever wins. Read more
Remembering Sharon Balkcom
Sharon Balkcom was 43 years old when she died on September 11, 2001 after American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 am. The plane hit the building between the 93rd and 99th floors, rendering all stairwells and elevators above the 92nd floor impassable. Balkcom worked as an Assistance Vice President of Technology at Marsh & McLennan, an insurance and brokerage firm that occupied eight floors of offices between the 93rd and 100th floors. All 294 employees of Marsh & McLennan present that day, including Sharon Balkcom perished. Read more
Penne Pesto with Green Beans and Tomatoes
Penne Pasta with Green Beans and Tomatoes is a high protein wholesome meal that takes about 20 minutes to make. Simple and delicious, this main dish contains pasta made with lentils – a legume packed with protein, thin French green beans, sweet tomatoes along with pesto and seasoning to bring all the ingredients together. Although Penne Pesto with Green Beans and Tomatoes is flavorful and nutritious, the dish is also beautiful to look at with the contrasting shades of green and red. Read more
“The Wife of Martin Guerre”
…when hate and love have together exhausted the soul, the body seldom endures for long.
While scouring the shelves described as “classics” in an independent bookstore (Mac’s Backs-Books on Coventry) in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, I discovered The Wife of Martin Guerre by Janet Lewis (a poet and writer who lived from 1899-1998). On the back cover of the book were the words: Read more
Vegan Dining in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio – named after General Moses Cleveland in 1796 – on the southern shore of Lake Erie was a melting pot for immigrants who brought their culinary traditions with them. More than 200 years later, those culinary influences are still evident in the restaurant scene in the Cleveland metropolitan area, and specifically in the vegan dining options (in no particular order) listed below: Read more
Organic, Natural, Veganic or Hydrophonic?
There are hundreds if not thousands of methods of growing food but the four most talked about farming methods and certifications include organic, natural, veganic and hydrophonic. Each of these methods is carefully defined by the processes and products used in the growing and making of our food.
Organic has been the food buzz word for years with many consumers blindly attaching credibility to any product that has the word “organic” stamped on it. For the record, organic farming is Read more
How to Make Muesli
Muesli is a breakfast cereal made up of raw rolled oats, grains, dried fruits, nuts, and seeds that is typically enjoyed with milk (cow, soy, hemp or nut-based) or yogurt (cow, soy, or nut-based). Some people say that muesli is just raw granola but that description doesn’t do the Swiss invention justice. While many of the ingredients are the same, muesli differs from granola in three ways: muesli is not baked, does not contain oil, and typically has no added sweeteners. Read more
Paddock Post 