Create, Listen, Taste, and Participate

Jump to:
CREATE: Sandy Frank’s Honey Brownies
LISTEN: Lupe Fiasco, “Lasers” out mid-March 2011
TASTE: Food events around the Bay Area
PARTICIPATE: Equality prevails with constitutionality dispute over DOMA

Don’t feel like leaving home to eat? Bake sweet treats of your own!

Frank shares with us the recipe for her infamous honey brownies. Try it out for yourself!

Honey Brownie Recipe
Ingredients:

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 dash of salt
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

This recipe yields 16 brownies.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly grease 8-inch square baking pan.
3. Melt chocolate chips and butter in a saucepan over low heat.
4. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and walnuts in small bowl.
5. Stir into chocolate mixture.
6. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
7. Bake 20-25 minutes or until center feels “springy.”
8. Let cool for 10-15 minutes.
9. Cut into 2-inch squares.

Bee healthy!
Using honey as a sweetener can be a healthy substitute to sugar and adds a sweet, unique kick to baking. However, be aware that the honey will alter the moisture of your recipes and may result in your treats being less fluffy than what you are normally used to.

Sandy Frank is President of the Bee Keeping Club, which spreads awareness of bees in nature. Join the weekly discussions, Fridays at lunch in room 156!

“Lasers are the opposite of losers. Lasers are shining beams of light that burn through the darkness of ignorance. Lasers shed light on injustice and inequality … Lasers stand for love and compassion. Lasers stand for peace. Lasers stand for progression. Lasers are revolutionary. Lasers are the future.” And thus states the Lasers Manifesto, the mission statement of Lupe Fiasco’s long-awaited album, Lasers, which is set to be released on March 18, 2011.

This month, Chicago-based rapper Lupe Fiasco returns from hiatus with his third studio album Lasers. The sequel to Fiasco’s second album The Cool, which has been certified Gold by the RIAA and was nominated for four Grammy’s in 2009, Lasers is reminiscent of the same insightful lyrics. The essence of Lasers is captured in the inspiring single “The Show Goes On,” which declares, “Never ever put them down / You just lift your arms higher / Raise ’em till your arms tired / Let ’em know you’re there / That you struggling and survivin’ / That you gonna persevere.” Fusing elements of electronic pop with honest and thought-provoking lyrics, Lasers is sure to take its listeners on an entertaining, yet sobering ride. Get excited.

Track Listing

1. Letting Go (4:26)
2. Words I Never Said (4:16)
3. Till I Get There (3:23)
4. I Don’t Wanna Care Right Now (4:15)
5. Out of My Head (3:24)
6. The Show Goes On (3:56)
7. Beautiful Lasers (2 Ways) (4:01)
8. Coming Up (3:58)
9. State Run Radio (3:57)
10. Break the Chain (4:21)
11. All Black Everything (3:40)
12. Never Forget You (4:04)

Listen to a sample: Out of My Head, Lupe Fiasco

Indian Cultural Festival, March 5, 2011 – 12345 El Monte Road in Los Altos Hills
Click for more event information
For $10-$20, celebrate traditional Indian music, food, and dancing!

Bay Area Cupcake Challenge, March 6, 2011 – 444 Jessie Street in San Francisco
Click for more event information
For $40, you can enjoy treats from dozens of local bakeries and have the opportunity to pick the best cupcake!

Rotation, March 18, 2011 – The Corner, 2199 Mission Street in San Francsico
Click for more event information
Enjoy a “rotation” of foods from six different restaurants at Rotation. Cost is $10-$20 per person.

Find out what’s going on in the world around you!

Equality Prevails: Obama Administration Declares Defense of Marriage Act Unconstitutional

On Wednesday, Feb. 24, the Obama Administration stated that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. This act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman, was condemned on the basis that “[t]he President has concluded that … classification based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny.” According to Attorney General Eric Holder, DOMA “fails to meet that standard.” As a result, the Department of Justice has been told to no longer defend cases under DOMA, a law which has been in place since the Clinton era.

Some question whether the Obama administration has the authority to pass this decision. Senior Mark Nguyen voices his concerns, stating, “It’s weird how the Obama administration can just tell the Department of Justice to enforce this.” However, Nguyen approves of Obama’s decision and believes that “even marriages between men and women are not always done out of love.”

Others, however, are glad that the Obama administration is taking steps towards an unprejudiced society. Junior Sophia Wienbar, who admits that she herself passes judgments of others, express, “People can pass judgment in their own homes, but the government cannot pass judgment on its people.”

Regardless, gay activists and allies celebrate the Obama administration’s decision. Wienbar applauds the President’s condemnation of DOMA, stating that the decision is “justified because [DOMA] is just not right.” Wienbar, who associates DOMA with homophobia, affirms that “homophobia is a different form of racism. It’s discrimination based on one’s lifestyle.”

Junior Mimi Lynde expands further, suggesting that ignorance is the source of homophobic laws such as DOMA. “Ignorance should be abolished!” Lynde exclaims. However, Lynde does not condemn the ignorant, explaining that “people have been conditioned by society and have not had the opportunity to be exposed to opinions other than their own.”

Others possess similar opinions. “Equality is very idealistic, but it’s not happening because of society’s biases,” voices senior Jasmine Huang.

In an attempt to promote equality, Junior Raquel Reed suggests that people adopt a more accepting mindset. “Just because somebody doesn’t agree with [something] doesn’t mean that others should be deprived of it.”

Although there is a long way to go until total equality is achieved, we can rest assured knowing that steps on this road are being taken.