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Friday, November 9, 2012
Jeff Lewis: Still Flipping Out
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
SIZE: 2,368 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
YOUR MAMAS NOTES: On the currently airing sixth season of the reality program Flipping Out, sometimes temperamental house flipper and sassy-pants Bravolebrity Jeff Lewis bought a 1940s traditional on Spring Oak Drive in Los Angeles, CA without telling his much younger and punctiliously primped live-in man-friend—and employee—Gage Edward who at least acted for the cameras as if he were none too pleased with the behind-his-back acquisition.*
Property records show the Spring Oak Drive domicile, located on narrow cul-de-sac in the Bronson Canyon area of Los Angeles, was acquired by Mister Lewis—and only Mister Lewis—in April (2012) for $1,350,000. Yesterday—sixth months and an extensive and expensive renovation later—the property is back on the open market with an only slightly higher asking price of $1,450,000.
Current listing information shows the stucco-sided house—set hard up on the narrow street like many houses in the canyons that twist up out of the L.A. and now painted an au courant shade of cement—has three bedrooms and three bathrooms in 2,368 square feet of fully renovated and systems-upgraded interior space. The house sits atop a tight but coveted by canyon dwellers street level two-car garage.
The open plan main living/dining/cooking space has putty-colored walls set off against gleaming white trim work, milk chocolate hued hardwood floors and a thick cluster of quasi-masculine chocolate brown leather sofas and armchairs. Both the bay window in the living area and the double bank of French doors that open to a Juliet balcony in the dining area have a minor city view broken—as seen on recent episodes of Flipping Out—by an unfortunate, eye-level lace of telephone wires and power lines. There's also a surprising amount of track lighting.
The Shaker style cabinets in the center island kitchen appear in listing photographs to be two shades darker than the walls and the slab counter tops—of unknown material—several more shades darker yet. The well-equipped has two sinks, a four-burner commercial-style range and convenient access to the backyard.
The master bedroom—the brown and beige and a little bit blue one—has an all-new attached bathroom with his and his sinks, a sizable soaking tub and a separate glassed-in shower stall.** There's also, according to listing information, a "walk in diva closet"—a term that, quite frankly, makes Your Mama squirm with discomfort at our fragile core. A hall bathroom is shared by two more bedrooms including what we think is Zoila's bedroom, the one with denim-colored walls, direct backyard access and a deep brown faux-fur blanket draped over the end of the bed. The last bedroom, with French doored access to a hedged patio on the front-side of the house, was used by Misters Lewis and Edward and office space.
Also used as office space is a spacious lower level area with separate side entrance, custom-built floor-to-ceiling storage cabinets—dee-voon!—and a large room with gray walls, gray wall to wall carpeting, white trimwork and a chunky brick fireplace that Mister Lewis doused in high gloss black paint. Listing information suggest this might make a nice media room and it probably would.
Just as he did with the house, Mister Lewis waved his house flipping wand over the terraced outdoor living areas that include a spacious concrete patio that wraps around the back of the house with separate dining area and lounging areas. A wide, gated stairway climbs up to the next level where there's a newly installed swimming pool and sunbathing terrace. A few more steps on either end of the pool curve up to a narrow but flat and grassy are and elevated spa with lovely if hardly spectacular view over Bronson Canyon.
Presumably Misters Lewis and Edward—and Zoila too—have finally moved to their big new house in Los Feliz , bought July 2011 for $1,625,000, where there may or may not soon be the and incessant wailing of a small child to go along with the onslaught of barbs and jabs for which Mister Lewis has become (in)famous.
*A little back story for those who don't watch the program: Mister Edward has made it clear he wants to make babies with Mister Lewis and was—so the story line went—under the impression they would move from their cramped West Hollywood rental to a much larger, family-sized house in the Los Feliz area that they were in the process of renovating at significant effort and expense.
Besides Mister Lewis buying a million dollar plus house without consulting him, Mister Edward's primary concern with the Spring Oak residence was that it's simply not large enough to accommodate three full-time human residents (Misters Lewis and Edward and house maid Zoila), five pets (three dogs and two cats), two part-time domestic workers (Lupe and Nancy) and three full-time employees of Mister Lewis' design firm (Jenni, Vanina and that hot mess Andrew) plus a baby and—presumably—a live-in nanny because you know these two busy, high-maintenance queens will get a live-in nanny.
**Question for Mister Lewis: Why not a steam-equipped shower here? Do you not care for them? Too costly to install and maintain? Just curious because if Your Mama and The Dr. Cooter had your dough—and we don't—we'd most certainly have a steam situation in the master bedroom.
***We've never actually heard that. Just a a little, harmless literary license.
listing photos: Sotheby's International Realty
35 comments:
I had a dream about Jeff Lewis's lips last night. They were chasing me up and down La Cienega. Ugh.
Nice remodel and surprisingly un-greedy pricetag. - November 9, 2012 at 11:23 AM
I have always liked the taste of Jeff Lewis and the former Mr. Jeff Lewis. (Perhaps that wasn't phrased correctly.)
I especially liked the layered decorating technique of Ryan and Jeff's sense of style and proportion.
And I also liked how Jeff decorated with Trace and Jett. hubba hubba. - November 9, 2012 at 11:33 AM
after RE commission, carrying costs and transfer taxes this flip is a loser
- November 9, 2012 at 12:01 PM
I seriously dont know what is less believable..that Jeff Lewis is 42 or that Gage is in his early 20's. Both look well beyond those years. I can only asssume the last episode will be Jeff on bended knee with stroller behind him handing Gage a key (not a ring) to the Los Feliz property (and probably a big property rights contract off camera).
- November 9, 2012 at 12:02 PM
- WrteStufLA said...
Any theories as to why Lewis invested 6 months of his own and his staff's time and Lord knows how much out-of-pocket $ into a reno, only to price it just at $100K above what he paid for the pre-reno property? It's not like he's trying to unload a property he bought at the height of the bubble.
- November 9, 2012 at 12:08 PM
There is NO way that guy is in his early 20s.
- November 9, 2012 at 12:23 PM
This house was mostly reno'd when Jeff bought it. He decorated in mostly but not an extensive renovation.
- November 9, 2012 at 12:43 PM
I'm pretty sure Jeff was renovating this house for a client whom decided to sell. Jeff then purchased and completed finishing touches. However, the purchase price was the home pretty much how it is.
- November 9, 2012 at 12:46 PM
Gage is supposedly 26yo. As far as Jeffs taste..Mr Lewis is a one trick pony. His taste level has not evolved since the first episode. It is not horrid, just predictable.
- November 9, 2012 at 12:57 PM
I watch the show and I think he had done the remodel for a client before he purchased for $1,350K. The client decided to sell and he purchased and is now selling some months later.
- November 9, 2012 at 1:01 PM
although i believe Gage to be a bit persnickity, i am happy that he's getting his way and will be moving into Tara, i mean, Gramercy... xo
- November 9, 2012 at 6:13 PM
Big pile of blah. Nothing really wrong with it, too much grey I guess.
- November 9, 2012 at 7:49 PM
I'd like to see Jeff without his wig on.
- November 9, 2012 at 10:05 PM
I'd also like to see Andy Cohen tug on that dead squirrel during a WWHL cat fight...
- November 9, 2012 at 10:08 PM
Well, I tried not to, hoping that at some point he would just go bankrupt and dissapear and we wouldn't see a Mr. Lewis home anymore, or one that her has on the market for like a year.
Mr. Lewis, as you can see by his track record is not really a house flipper. He is reality t.v. personality. So, he can *lose* money on these houses and still bag 50k an ep on his show.
So, as long as he gets the ratings and all this free promotion--he will continue to be forced by the network to do his version of a flip. Or, just an unload at whatever price when the season is over.
If his "career" was just based on his houses--he would be gone. He really has no distinct talent for decorating, remodeling, or re-doing. Or, maybe he does, just a little, but his Pink Toyota lady needs to go!
Sorry Momma. He just makes for some good trainwreck t.v.
Okay, I better just stop hating now (or telling too much of the truth) but I think the reason I am being so hurtful with this, is that no one is calling this what it is--a failed career in home decor and remodel--and a successful career in tragic t.v.
Mr. Lewis is a house stepper--not house flipper. 100k price increase 6 months later on a nearly 1.5 million dollar house is not a flip. That's like flipping a quarter. Really, his decorating is horible. Cheap looking. Tacky. The colors don't work--in or out.
As they say on Wall Street: The market (price) has spoken.
Mama's Black Sheep in Weho,
Still here. - November 9, 2012 at 11:01 PM
One more thing:
Are you serious!!! Look at the "fireplace" room with the two desks, or whatever they are, in front of them. Side by side. With a few chairs randomly placed.
Jeff, dear, PLEASE google Feng Shwui. Definition: Feng Shui (spoken as Fung Shway) is the ancient Chinese knowledge of bringing peace and harmony to one's life.
It's an innate talent some have and some don't. Jeff, your homes are out of balance and let me guess--you are somewhat off kilter yourself??
Mama, stop sniffin' Mr. Lewis' panty drawer. I am going to tell the Cooter to give you some smelling salts to straighten you out again!! You can't be trusted on Mr. Lewis' critiques. I let it go--but I am calling you out in front of the fam! And, don't be going upside my head at the Thanksgiving table with a wooden spoon from your collection.
Mama's black sheep in Weho.
And, remember, you can never start Mamma's Christmas shopping too soon. Hanging pot racks and ivy for the top of cabinets are on sale at Big Lots right now!!
I think personally, I am going to have some pea gravel spread in her drive way. Every time she hears that "crunching" sound she loves, that will be an I love you from me--her black sheep in Weho.
- November 9, 2012 at 11:13 PM
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- November 9, 2012 at 11:21 PM
Love it! Let the truth be told!
- November 10, 2012 at 8:26 AM
Petra..Honey!!?? Seriously? Even if this was spot on gorgeous, I would never live in a home that this man and his negativity occupied.
- November 10, 2012 at 3:24 PM
- Aunt Gina said...
Jeff Lewis, secret love child of Leona Helmsley.
- November 10, 2012 at 5:00 PM
Confidential to Black Sheep (Mama, please don't read)
Hey, we were thinking of regifting the pot rack we received to Mama, along with a brand new blooming orchid!
Studly and Rodney
Teenton NJ - November 10, 2012 at 7:08 PM
Teenton? Subconscious sexual desires for young men showing up there?
- November 10, 2012 at 7:22 PM
I don't mind Jeff Lewis. Even though he is a flipper, he does good quality work and he is not greedy with his asking prices. I would have no problem buying one of his houses. This one is priced well.
- November 10, 2012 at 8:10 PM
Why hath the Rabbi LaTess not deigned to bestow her anointed words of wisdom upon Mr. Lewis's abode?
- November 11, 2012 at 7:07 AM
Aunt Gina I so love you! I laughed for 10 minutes non stop about the Helmsley comment.
- November 11, 2012 at 8:46 AM
Dear Michael in WeHo and Kinderlach,
The Rabbi refrained from comment as she doesn't know from Mr. Lewis and Mr. Edward. (And suspects that they don't know from the Rabbi.). Also, the Rabbi experienced their home as pleasant while unremarkable. The Rabbi respectfully suggests that couple's counseling might enhance communication between Mr. Lewis and Mr. Edward, and accordingly create a more loving and functional mIleau in which to raise a child together. And the Rabbi discovered, purchased, and put away a precious pair of antique ceramic roosters to gift to Mama and the Dr. Cooter. (Kinderlach, please don't tell.)
Rabbi Hedda LaCasa
Bergdorf Goodman
Tabletop and Collectables - November 11, 2012 at 11:39 AM
Damn, I was counting on those Roosters for Chanukha so I could regift them to relatives at Christmas. Jeff Lewis was a riot but that bulb is about burned out. Did I miss how the 19 million Versace cottage got up to 100 million? Mama, please splain.
- November 11, 2012 at 6:33 PM
A friend lives at the end of this street. Jeff's house is a very short walk away.
This street is a NIGHTMARE for parking and any more than 2 cars at a time.
There's no privacy, houses above on the hill look right down over you.
The good thing is the GENERAL location. You are a quick ride away from Frankiln and the trendy spots of Los Feliz. - November 12, 2012 at 3:02 PM
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- November 13, 2012 at 9:44 PM
Sold already
- November 19, 2012 at 10:38 AM
If you watch the show Jeff bought the house from a client after it was completely redone. It didn't need a thing. He lived in it for one year and is making 100,000.
- November 21, 2012 at 10:44 AM
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- April 30, 2013 at 8:47 PM
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Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The Closest I'll Come To Making A Prediction About This Weekend
This is all on the surface though. Below the surface there are 2 major differences between this one and Western States. The largest of these being that it still remains to be seen how many of these "Big 4" actually toe the line on race day. Rumors are flying and it's seeming more and more likely that it will be fewer than 4. The other major difference is the strength of the runners behind these four. To take nothing away from any of the top level runners that ran Western States this year, it was much more clear at Western States that one of "the 4" was almost certain to win the race.
This weekend is much different than that though. Even if these four that are being talked about the most all show up it's not a given that one of us will walk away with the $10k. Mackey, Skaggs, Lundstrom, Heras, Mallarde, Bragg (to name just a few) could all contend for the win.
In my mind Dave should be included with Tony, Uli, Jonathan, and I as part of a big 5. He has probably won more 50 mile trail races than the rest of us combined and has more experience/knowledge on the trails in Marin than any of us. I think some people are uncertain as to what kind of shape he is in right now since he hasn't raced much in the past 18 months. I've run with Dave enough in the past two months to know that his current fitness is not at all in question.
Beyond these guys I've named there are at least a dozen other runners who could have a good day and claw their way onto a podium spot (especially if some of the front guys don't start or don't finish).
Western States was a very competitive race for sure but the depth of the elite runner's in this race is (in my mind) at least double what it was at WS. Many of the top runners will not finish, but there are so many strong runners toeing the line that there are likely to be guys finishing out of the top 10 who are used to battling for the win in most every race they run. It doesn't get any more exciting than that. I just hope that none of the rumors I'm hearing are true and everyone is there and ready to race Saturday.
36 comments:
- Bryon Powell said...
Best of luck out in the Headlands, Geoff. I look forward to seeing you out there.
As for rumors, I can confirm that Jonathan Wyatt won't be running. (I've got a list of some confirmed withdrawals on iRunFar.) As for the race, there'll definitely be a good crowd running with you, Tony, and Uli... at least early in the race.
Have fun with the competition. I know you do. - November 30, 2010 at 12:18 PM
- KovasP said...
Best of luck - should be a great race if the field is as stacked as promised. I'm hoping to run this race next year, so looking forward to reading your views post-race.
- November 30, 2010 at 1:02 PM
- Speedgoat Karl said...
Good luck this weekend man! I'd love to be there to watch it all shake down. I'm rooting for ya, then we'll see if you can run another 50 the next day..:-)
Have fun out there, run smart! - November 30, 2010 at 1:37 PM
- Jeff said...
Also, a lot of those top runners that might have DNF'd Western States are far more likely to finish a 50 miler strong. It's sure to be an exciting last 10 miles or so.
Good luck out there, Geoff! - November 30, 2010 at 3:49 PM
- GZ said...
Saw you today coming off Green. Damn it was windy up there. All the best this weekend.
- November 30, 2010 at 5:26 PM
- Billy said...
Good luck Geoff. Will be surprised if you, tony, Killian or Uli doesn't grab top honors. But hey - anything can happen come race day.
- November 30, 2010 at 8:06 PM
- Andrew said...
you probably already knew this but Anton just dropped.
he just posted it in his latest blog entry. - November 30, 2010 at 8:48 PM
- Dominic Grossman said...
and wyatt..
http://www.facebook.com/notes/salomon-running/interview-with-jonathan-wyatt-and-kasia-zajac-before-the-north-face-endurance-ch/465076916673 - November 30, 2010 at 9:52 PM
- Collin said...
I think it's down to you and Mackey now that Tony is out. Uli doesn't seem to be in top shape, but Mackey does. I'm really curious to see how it turns out with you guys! I just wish they had some better coverage. :(
- November 30, 2010 at 11:55 PM
I'm surprised that you quote Mallarde as a contender but do not include Lorblanchet in the list...
- December 1, 2010 at 12:32 AM
- Gaz said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- December 1, 2010 at 1:00 AM
- Gaz said...
Good luck Geoff. I'll be following closely from over here in the UK; therefore my money's on Jez. Good running!
- December 1, 2010 at 1:03 AM
Hi Geoff. First of all good luck and run for you this weekend.
Just tell the guys that Miguel Heras is running too. He´s having a great year and is really fit.... keep an eye on him!!!!!
DavidP - December 1, 2010 at 4:58 AM
- Unknown said...
And lets not forget about Dakota Jones in the picture. This "kid" may only be 19 but he will be in the mix.
- December 1, 2010 at 4:58 AM
Geoff, wish I was going to be out there for this with dad. You always have a way of rising to the occasion when the competition is tough. Run a smart race and best of luck.
Also I heard Lepinski is coming out for the race... I wish I was coming just to see what kind of trouble we could get into. GOOD LUCK BRO!!! - December 1, 2010 at 5:10 AM
Best of luck this weekend! I so wish I was there with you and Dad. Try to go get some Sol Food while you're there. That was an awesome place. Tell Trish and Uli I said hello and Brian too! Love you freak! - December 1, 2010 at 6:23 AM
I hope Heras does a better performance than Real Madrid did two days ago against Barcelona.
Barcelona 5-Madrid 0
Best of luck to M Heras.
For Geoff: Gas a Tope!!!
Girona, Spain. - December 1, 2010 at 7:59 AM
- footfeathers said...
Have a solid and fun day out there Saturday. I have a feeling you and Dave will be running alone over the last 10 miles to the finish. Either one of you could nab the win and both of you deserve it.
Tim - December 1, 2010 at 9:23 AM
- Eric B said...
Good Luck Geoff !!
- December 2, 2010 at 10:04 AM
Good luck Geoff... As your other siblings have said- I also wish I was going to be there. Glad Dad is going to be there... wish you the best of luck, and have fun. Love ya.
- December 3, 2010 at 11:40 AM
- Collin said...
Good luck tomorrow. I'm curious to see how it plays out with you and the recently superhuman Mackey. Also, make sure you don't let Chris Lundstrom get too close near the finish. The guy has some mean speed and the extra year of trails will make him dangerous. :) For anyone that wants to follow the race live, Solomon Footwear said on their facebook page that they'll be covering things tomorrow (presumably by FB, but probably also twitter).
- December 3, 2010 at 3:29 PM
- Footfeathers said...
"recently super human"?
Mackey's been dominating ultras and trails for 8 years. - December 3, 2010 at 5:25 PM
So, how can we follow the race live? If anyone has a link please post. Thank you.
- December 4, 2010 at 5:08 AM
There are twitter feeds on the right side of the page. - December 4, 2010 at 7:05 AM
If you go directly to http://twitter.com/#!/iRunFar you get a more up to the minute version.
Thank you Bryon Powell!
Fantastic job - December 4, 2010 at 7:28 AM
To Bryon Powell - you did a wonderful job updating this race - North Face should be ashamed of their coverage. It really would be nice if they at least tried to cover the race. I am sure thankful for you - it is rough sitting at home wondering what your loved one is doing. My husband is at the race and I still follow your updates during the whole race.
Thanks again - December 4, 2010 at 10:19 AM
Congrats on a great race Geoff. You had the world on the edge of their seats yet again! The iRunFar tweets kept me biting my nails and Mom stuttering the whole time.
- December 4, 2010 at 12:46 PM
Congrats on a great race Geoff. You had the world on the edge of their seats yet again! The iRunFar tweets kept me biting my nails and Mom stuttering the whole time.
- December 4, 2010 at 12:46 PM
Congratulations for Mr. Heras.
As I said he´s really fit, amazing year and getting better and better every dat.
Lot of hard work and high class runner. He really deserve it.
And for Girona´s anonymous.... fortunately Heras is much better than any football club, including Barcelona jajajaja!!!!
Enjoy it!! It´s just football!!!
Saludos from Spain
David - December 4, 2010 at 1:16 PM
Congratulations to #1 in my book - you are a first class son and I am very proud of you - you ran a great race and had us on pins and needles - I can't take too many of these races - tell Bryon Powell thanks for another wonderful day of coverage. Have fun with dad the rest of the time he is there and drive safely back to Colorado - I love you -
Mom - December 4, 2010 at 1:20 PM
Great race Geoff! There is a cool pic of you and Dakota running across a narrow bridge not too long before he fell back a bit.
Here's hoping the rest of the 6(!!)Juneau-ites have great races today, too! This ultra-running thing is starting to be a down-right trend around here...due in no small part to you. - December 4, 2010 at 1:42 PM
Oh..the picture is on the Salomon facebook page. Check it out.
- December 4, 2010 at 1:43 PM
Amazing year Geoff.
Congratulations for this awesome race.
I agree with your mom. Drive care and enjoy the trip.
DavidP - December 4, 2010 at 1:49 PM
si desde luego tiene mas merito Miguel que todo el F.C Bacelona juntos.
Good job Geof!
Eres una locomotora Miguel! Vapor a tope!!!
Un saludo desde USA!!
Girona, Spain. - December 4, 2010 at 3:37 PM
- Collin said...
Footfeathers, yeah, he's been dominant for awhile, but hsi Firetrails performance is head and shoulders above anything else he's done. In any case, congrats to Geoff for a great race! This will probably go down as the only time that Geoff (with his exceptional closing speed) got beat out in the last few miles. In any case, great run, and the $4000 is still really nice I'm sure.
- December 4, 2010 at 3:50 PM
- Betsy Fischer said...
Congratulations on another exciting race, Geoff. I kept tabs on you this morning instead of going skiing (actually it's blowing 30 mph and raining so not a hard decision). We are so proud of you - not only your running ability but your attitude towards ultra racing and competition. You are a class act.
- December 4, 2010 at 6:45 PM


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Erm anyway
Oh and all runway photos are style.com unless otherwise noted.
I can't remember the photo sources for a LOT of these so if you know please tell me so I can add it!
Clockwise from upper left corner: Joseph Cornell box, Sasha Pivovarova as an awesome bag lady, Prada SS08, Jessica Stam as an awesome bag lady in Pop (same ed my new header is from,) Miu Miu AW09, Anna Sui collection from 1994 via this MTV video, this editorial, that epic chick at FW with gold eyebrows via The Sartorialist, Japanese street style, Lynn Yaeger, that model that is literally a doll in some editorial involving sweaters, Marni SS10, Karlie Kloss by Craig McDean, Peter Jensen girls in the new Lula, weird sheep GIF, Tommy Ton for Style.com, more Miu Miu AW09, more Jessica Stam bag lady, more 1994 Anna Sui, Vivienne Westwood with somebody I should probably know about (edit: ohhh her HUSBAND! of course!), Taylor Tomasi on Jak and Jil, and another picture from the new Lula.
Blue, green, teal, turquoise, peacock...
L to R row by row starting at top: Prada SS08, Nicole Miller ss10, a picture I saw on Yui's blog, Hanneli, Katie Shillingford on Jak and Jil, ", can't remember what magazine this one is, his/her dressing in V Magazine, Miu Miu AW09, a 1994 Karl Lagerfeld collection from the MTV video previously linked, the bottom half of a photo on Jak and Jil, Drew Barrymore and Courtney Love, Leigh Lezark in an amazing peacock coat on Jak and Jil (this was what inspired the collage), amazing futuristic Tim Walker Vogue UK editorial, still from Alexander McQueen SS10, Kate Moss by Ryan McGinley, Jak and Jil, and Prada SS08.
Again, if you have any photo sources gimme gimme gimme! What's inspiring you at the moment? I really want to know. More to come when I'm not falling asleep. Night all.


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This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Jennifer Ludden in Washington. More than a week has passed since Olympic athlete and South African sports hero Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. He faces charges of premeditated murder. On Friday he was granted bail and left jail.
Pistorius' sponsorships have been placed on hold. His future remains uncertain. Sports writers, tabloids and the court of public opinion are all taking a closer look at what we do and don't know about Oscar Pistorius. So many eyes are fixated on this story, is it more heat than light, or is there something to learn from how different media outlets are covering it?
If you're following the Pistorius case, what are the best pieces you've heard or read about? Tell us what you learned. Our number is 800-989-8255. Our email address, email@example.com, and you can join the conversation at our website. Go to npr.org, and click on TALK OF THE NATION.
Later in the program, NPR's White House correspondent Scott Horsley tells us what to expect in the upcoming sequestration battle. But first media coverage of the Pistorius case around the world. Edward Schumacher-Matos is an NPR ombudsman and blogs about questions of ethics on NPR's blog. He joins us here in Studio 3A. Welcome.
EDWARD SCHUMACHER-MATOS, BYLINE: Hello, Jennifer, how are you?
LUDDEN: Good. So tell us: How has - we'll start with ourselves. How's NPR been covering this story?
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: Well, you know, there have been 14 segments on this story, not counting the half-hour and the hourly reports...
LUDDEN: So in one week that's two a day. We got it covered.
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: Two a day, and we've gotten lots of complaints coming in about that, into my office and really across NPR, that it's too much. There's a wonderful quote here, like Ed Nicholas(ph) from Fort Lauderdale says: I'm over it. I don't care if he shot her. It doesn't matter. I never want to hear about it again.
Or Rodney Knight(ph), you know, writing in from Santa Monica says: The most important event in the world today is Oscar Pistorius, not sequestration, not Syria, immigration, Mali, et cetera? I have to admit that it's not really an ombudsman issue. You know, I'm really concerned about...
LUDDEN: They're not questioning the fairness of the coverage.
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: No, not at all.
LUDDEN: They're just saying enough already.
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: Yes, enough already. And I have to admit that I kind of agree with them. And I say this as a listener because it's not an ombudsman matter. I really think...
LUDDEN: So we can talk about it for another hour about how we've over-covered it.
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: We can talk about that. Though that said, there is a lot to talk about here. I mean, I think there are some serious things that surround this issue.
LUDDEN: Well, the question becomes why are we and the world covering it so much?
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: Well, I think everybody's just fascinated with this case, of a - you know, one, we become fascinated with sports heroes and what's happened to them or any kind of a celebrity, right. But secondly, this is a very peculiar sort of sports hero because here was one who was disabled, you know, who sort of overcame all these odds to become an Olympic athlete and performed very well, you know, kind of almost a bionic man. This is an unusual guy, right.
LUDDEN: Blade Runner, as he was called.
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: Right, right, Blade Runner. And then, you know, he kills his girlfriend, who happens to be a beautiful model.
LUDDEN: On Valentine's Day, no less.
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: On Valentine's Day no less. So, you know, clearly it's got the, you know, the elements of an interesting human interest story without a doubt.
LUDDEN: So, I mean, a fallen hero case, is - we've had so many of these. Is that - we build him up. Was there something we're discovering that we missed in the interim between the Olympics and now?
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: Well, I wouldn't want to, you know, prejudice Oscar Pistorius. So I don't know if we're discovering anything new about him. I do know that we're discovering a lot of new things about disabled people. We're discovering a lot of new things about violence against women in South Africa.
We're discovering a lot of new things about the way the global media handles issues as opposed to national media.
LUDDEN: For example?
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: Well, I mean, I think the curious thing, one of the curious things about this story is imagine, we're so in focus on the story of something happening in South Africa. It just goes to show how we're becoming a smaller world, that this may be the first case of a sports figure who's been tried in the global media.
So as much as the South African legal system or the South African courts, you know, might have their own kind of controls on media coverage and so forth, it makes no difference. He's - as you pointed out, you know, Nike and Oakley are either cutting him off, or they're reconsidering their sponsorships of him because of something that happened in South Africa.
They know that about here, and everybody here knows about it. No one - local news is global news now.
LUDDEN: Right. Let's bring a caller into the conversation. Robin(ph) is in Louisville, Kentucky. Welcome to TALK OF THE NATION. Hi Robin.
ROBIN: Hey, how are you doing? I was calling because I heard on Marketplace the other day, one of the journalists was saying that O.J. - the O.J. case had turned cases like this into somewhat of a cottage industry for marketers. And they were realizing that people were so fixated on these cases that they were able to sell, I guess, better advertising with more thorough evaluations or examinations of the information.
So what I'm curious about is: Where the heck is the equity? I mean, why are we not hearing more about the story, not because I have any sort of bloodlust or anything, I'm certainly not personally interested in it, but I don't see the same level of scrutiny going on about who this man really is. You know, what do his exes say? Does he have a history of violence? And also, his teammates.
Everybody's just talking about - they seem to just be interviewing the folks who he has good reviews from, and I'm sure there's somebody else out here. So I'd love to hear your thoughts on that.
LUDDEN: Thanks Robin. Edward, someone who wants more coverage.
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: Sounds to me like you want to really try him in the press and learn all his dirty secrets. I mean, there has been a lot of that type of coverage. The responsible press is concerned about how much you go into that kind of thing because you find information that may, you know, implicate him in ways that are unfair.
So you have to be very careful when you do things like does he have a history of violence or not. Does that automatically mean he is indeed violent or that he did commit this heinous act? We don't know. It's one that you have to careful - now the South African press really went to town on this case in the original - in the first days afterwards with all kinds of reports, many of them very lurid, about him.
Then he shows up in court, and he's crying. And he's crying, and suddenly the South African press turns, and there's a great sympathy for Pistorius himself. So - go ahead.
LUDDEN: Let's bring in someone from the - sort of the South African press; a South African. Sean Jacobs is an assistant professor of international affairs at The New School, and he's founder of the blog Africa is a Country. And he's in our New York bureau. Welcome to you.
SEAN JACOBS: Hi, good morning.
LUDDEN: So what can you add here about the - how South Africa press, South Africa's press has been covering the Oscar Pistorius story?
JACOBS: I think it's - in a number of ways, I think just in terms of the content, I think Edward kind of alluded to that already, which is at first I think there was sort of a bewilderment and shock that it was this kind of hero that was held in high esteem. Within South Africa, we can debate, you know, the extent of that hero worship.
That was followed by sort of let's, you know, look into his dark past. That then becomes sympathy while he's in court when he starts sobbing. Then it becomes a story about police incompetence. And now it's mired by the fact that his brother, I think, is also - has a case against him of capital homicide dating back to 2008.
I think the second thing is this question of what - the free-for-all within the South African media, and Edward again alluded to that, the sort of lurid, you know, reporting about anything goes, stuff that can't be confirmed or later has to be retracted.
The - while that's happening, though, the South African court system works in a very different way. So, you know, all this chatter is out there, but it may not have an impact on what's being done in court.
LUDDEN: Why is that?
JACOBS: And then finally, I think, is the role of social media in the way that it's being covered in South Africa. Like it broke - a newspaper broke it, then while it wasn't even confirmed, and, you know, it just broke, it went on Twitter. People started debating, commenting on it. And the story just ran. And so in a way the South African media had to respond to it.
LUDDEN: You said that all the information and sensationalism out there may not actually affect the court in ways we in America would think. Tell me about the different way the law works there.
JACOBS: So the difference is that firstly, there is a rule in South Africa that until somebody pleads in court, then these matters are sub judice, which means that, you know, it's subject to the courts, so you can't really talk about it. The difference is, of course, now, is that there's Twitter; that changes this. The second thing is we don't have jury trials in South Africa. It's a judge, who is assisted often by two experienced people that are noted as assessors, and they decide over the guilt or otherwise of the accused.
So whatever is entered in court, that has an effect on it. So, all the chatter around the court doesn't really affect the case.
LUDDEN: That's interesting. Let's take another phone call here. Dane(ph) is in Boulder, Colorado. Welcome, Dane.
DANE: Hi, thanks for having me.
LUDDEN: Go right ahead.
DANE: Sure, I just wanted to comment about the culture, the media culture in South Africa. I've been fortunate enough to travel there quite a few times. And one thing I noticed last time I was there is that you do hear, often, cases in the news there about home robberies, about people having to defend themselves and defend their property. So this is something that was very much in the news, I believe, even before the Pistorius case happened there.
So the fact that the South African media would run with this case so - you know, on such a grand scale, it's not surprising in one bit.
LUDDEN: All right, Dane, thank you so much. Sean Jacobs, is this reported more as a security story in South Africa than just a - you know, in the...?
JACOBS: I mean, Dane is right, there is a high - there are high levels of crime affecting, you know, people's personal space. So in the beginning, when it happened, the first sort of reporting was that somebody had broken into Oscar Pistorius' house, and, you know, therefore he shot his girlfriend. And then secondly his family, through the spokesperson, I think it was his uncle, also said this, that he would be justified in shooting, you know, whoever was the intruder. So he mistook his girlfriend for an intruder. The problem with that kind of story is that he lives in a heavily fortified, gated community, and I think I saw some statistics for crime in that area. It's probably less than 10 percent of all the crime happening in the surrounding area, where Oscar Pistorius lives, happens inside the place where he lives.
So when we talk about crime in South Africa - and again, these are - people have perceptions, you know, their personal safety, they fear about it, and there is somewhat also hysteria about it. But the real victims of crime in South Africa are often black South Africans, poor South Africans mostly.
Unfortunately it's easy to, in a sort of heightened way of talking about crime, to make - to use a race-crime panic to explain away or justify domestic violence. I think what's interesting about this case is even the - a minister in the South African government I saw yesterday saying this not a general kind of violence, this is some kind of special violence.
But I think - and Edward I think alluded again to this at the beginning, which is there's something about South African and you know, domestic violence or violence against women, a lot of public figures in South Africa, whether - there's a government minister currently engaged in...
LUDDEN: You know what? We have to cut you off right there, but we are going to get on that very topic in just a moment. We're talking about the Oscar Pistorius case, specifically how the media is covering it. What's the most informative piece you've heard? 800-989-8255, or email@example.com. I'm Jennifer Ludden. It's TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News.
LUDDEN: This is TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News. I'm Jennifer Ludden. Today we're talking about the Oscar Pistorius case, the story of the so-called Blade Runner, his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp now dead and the events that unfolded in the early hours of Valentine's Day.
It's provided fodder for countless news cycles, but what's also interesting is how the media is covering it around the world and for different audiences. If you're following the case, what's the best piece you've read or heard about? Tell us about it and why you liked it. Give us a call at 800-989-8255. Or send us an email, email@example.com. And you can share your story on our website. Go to npr.org, and click on TALK OF THE NATION.
We're joined by NPR ombudsman Edward Schumacher-Matos; and Sean Jacobs, assistant professor of international affairs at The New School. We're also going to get the view of a sports reporter. First let's get a caller on the line, Marjorie(ph) in Charlottesville. Hi, welcome to the show.
MARJORIE: Hi thanks, yes. You all had touched on what I was calling about. Ray Suarez interviewed Charlayne Hunter-Gault this week, I think it was, and Charlayne, who's one of my heroes, talked about the rampant and widespread domestic violence and violence against women in the country - not to pick on South Africa, but that seems to be the issue that's become the most important and prominent to me with this story.
And Charlayne said - also made the point that some of the women from the ANC were coming down to the courthouse and holding up signs saying, you know, we will watch this, and we will get justice for our sister. And these are black women who are in the ANC coming out to pay attention to this.
But also, Charlayne said that there are countless numbers of women who are poor and non-white, poor and/or non-white, whose violence and deaths never get reported or covered.
LUDDEN: Right, thank you so - that's a great point. Thank you so much for the call, Marjorie. Edward?
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: Marjorie, you raise a very good point, and Sean was alluding to it, as well. The South African press, as a matter of fact, has been reporting a lot about this issue in recent days. I mean, there seems to be a tremendous amount of reflection about violence against women going on in South Africa these days and for good reason.
I have a report here from the South African Medical Research Council that says 40 percent of men in South Africa admitted to hitting their partner, their wife or their girlfriend. And a quarter, a quarter of men have raped a woman sometime in their lives.
LUDDEN: Wow.
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: Now, you know, I'm citing this thing, I've not had a chance to do any independent reporting separate from that, but this is a very reputable group in South Africa, the Medical Research Council. That's really stunning. And some of the stories that I've been seeing coming out, and we all know the case that happened in India, but these kinds of things in South Africa, they're - I've seen story after story of similar sort of incidences going on.
LUDDEN: A new twist there that - yeah, I don't think a lot of that is making it to the American press.
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: No, it's not making it to the international press like it's made it to the South African press.
LUDDEN: Let's get another perspective here. Malcolm Moran is director of the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana University. He joins us from member station WFIU at Indiana University. Welcome to you.
MALCOLM MORAN: Thank you, good afternoon.
LUDDEN: So how has this been covered in the sports media?
MORAN: Well, one of the complications of this kind of global story is that in the United States in the last 10-plus years, there are fewer and fewer reporters in sports departments that are devoted to so-called Olympic sports and cover the Olympics. And there are fewer general sports columnists. I mean, that genre is disappearing.
And so if this had happened to a high-profile global figure from an earlier Olympiad, somebody like a George Vecsey from the New York Times, for instance, would be in a perfect position to analyze this case and connect it to similar tragedies involving other high-profile athletes. It's much more difficult to do that now. And it's more difficult to find reporters that have had some personal connection in their coverage with somebody who became a global figure in London.
LUDDEN: So are you saying we're probably getting less coverage than we would have? I mean, are they just sticking - did they kind of cover it as the sports hero and drop it there, or they...
MORAN: Well not less coverage in terms of volume but in terms of the kind of understanding that a question raised earlier, as far as we know what this person achieved, and we know the global inspiration that came from it, but clearly, regardless of how the criminal justice system plays out, we didn't know that much about who he really is. And that becomes more and more of a theme in this era with high-profile sports figures.
LUDDEN: All right, let's get another caller. Jim(ph) is in Reno, Carson City, Nevada. Hi Jim.
JIM: Yeah hi, thanks. I just wanted to make the comment that, you know, there - perhaps the reason we're getting such a flood of news coverage on this from South Africa is because of the gun control issue here in our country. You know, I would have no problem protecting my home, either. You know, if somebody comes into my home, there's a home invasion, I'd have no problem shooting somebody. But I would never fire through a closed door without knowing what's behind there regardless of, you know, what I thought, whether it's a burglar or whatever. But it is my understanding that he yelled out to whomever it was behind the closed door and got no response.
Now, you know, if it's his girlfriend in there, first of all I don't understand that line of defense, but be that as it may, you know, he'll have his day in court, and I certainly don't want to try this in the - you know, in public opinion.
LUDDEN: All right, well, it's a good topic you bring up, though. We'll - let's put it to - thanks, Jim for the call. Sean Jacobs, is the South African press focusing on the gun question?
JACOBS: I mean, gun control isn't really this - it doesn't have the same - you know, the debate is not the same. South Africa has really strict rules about the ownership of firearms. It's not as - you know, there's - the way the people here talk about it, I think it's the First or Second Amendment. It's a very different debate. So that hasn't come up that much.
It is true, though, that you have a generation particularly of white men, maybe some who are older than Oscar, who had served in the army and who are, you know, very familiar with firearms and know how to use that. So - but that's usually discussed in a kind of political context. It very rarely gets discussed in how people talk about domestic violence and the use of, you know, firearms to kill like a relative.
In fact, police statistics show that eight out of 10 murders in South Africa are people are shot by somebody they know.
LUDDEN: Edward, what about in the U.S. coverage? We are having this debate here. Is it reflected in this coverage, do you think?
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: I don't think we've seen much. It could be. It's a good question. It's a good point. That was a good point, that the gun debate here has something to do with this though I don't think that much. I do think that - I do find it interesting that the South African press is much more concerned about the race issue than what we see here.
And, you know, you see many comments in the South African press that if Oscar Pistorius was black, for example, he never would have gotten bail.
LUDDEN: OK, what about the race issue there in South Africa, Sean Jacobs? We heard someone saying that black and white women are joining together to say, you know, this is violence against women, and we're going to stand together.
JACOBS: I mean, that's true that there is a sense that domestic violence does not make any exception for somebody's race or class. I mean, as I was trying to say before the break, a South African government minister is currently being accused by his estranged wife of physically abusing her, and there - you know, almost every week there's a story of some or other celebrity, woman usually accusing her male partner of, you know, repeatedly attacking her.
At the same time, it is true that somebody - a white woman has a better, you know, chance of getting justice, if you want, or attention in courts or revisti(ph) income. I mean, a lot of the focus initially was on she's blonde, focused on, you know, her body, her hair. And this is - it's quite interesting.
At the same time, a week before she was murdered, there was a murder of a very - it was a big story in South Africa at least, of a woman called Anene Booysen, a black working-class woman, who was murdered by her boyfriend. She was raped, gang-raped and then murdered. And that case has not got the same kind of attention or urgency in public debate in South Africa as this case has had.
But on the other hand, I think it's quite exciting, or it's a good sign that you have a mostly - an organization of black women, you know, making connections and saying this is a problem that affects all kinds of women in South Africa.
LUDDEN: Similar to things we hear in the U.S. sometimes when things like this happen. Edward, I want to ask about yet another area of coverage, the disability press.
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: You know, that part has fascinated me. And I've learned a lot myself, frankly. It's been an eye-opener for me reading some of the blogs and the advocacy press from the disability side. Oscar Pistorius - and I didn't realize this - is a hero to non-disabled people, not to disabled people.
And the criticisms that I've been reading in all these blogs is that non-disabled people see him as someone who overcame adversity to become like normal. And, you know, the disabled press and the advocates say that's not what we want to be. We don't want to be like normal. We are who we are, and we want our rights. And they can be very strong about that.
LUDDEN: And there was that contention. At the Paralympics he got into a bit of a tuffle there over his competitor, who said his blades were - his artificial legs were longer, and it wasn't fair.
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: Right, that's right.
LUDDEN: Huh.
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: So for us there's been this bionic man kind of a thing and this debate that you're just raising, which is fascinating. But there's a total different angle, take on this from the disabled community, and it kind of opened my eyes, and I think it should open a lot of other people's eyes if more of us know about it.
LUDDEN: Malcolm Moran, in the sports press, have you seen that reflected?
MORAN: Somewhat. But I think what we're going to continue to see is that since the digital side of things does not present any space limitations, and so you have demands for more angles to be studied. You've got global press and local press that sometimes operate under different codes of ethics, and yet in a global atmosphere, they're all competing against one another.
So I think we need to remember that this is in the very early stages of the criminal justice part of this, and we're going to see a lot of things developing, both locally in South Africa and globally.
LUDDEN: Let's get a caller on the line. Steven is in Windham, Connecticut. Welcome to TALK OF THE NATION.
STEVEN: Hi. I read a Reuters piece, and it was a riff on the comment from the chief of police whenever it said that, you know, where are these reporters getting these stories from? Saying - basically saying a lot of this is not matching up to his evidence.
LUDDEN: Gee, we never hear that here, do we?
LUDDEN: All right. Thank you so much. Sean Jacobs, what about the quality of the reporting there, and are officials disputing it?
JACOBS: I mean, one of the stories that's emerged is that we get a sense of the quality of South African police work. People have often complained about, you know, shoddy police work that lets criminals off. So what this reporting has done - and, I mean, maybe it's - you know, we can blame reporters easily. But it turns out that the police had done really bad work, so they replaced the investigating officer.
I just want to make one other quick point that I don't want to pass, which is about it's not that all reporters were immune to, if you want, Oscar Pistorius' dark side. There was a piece about a year ago in The New York Times Magazine by one of their writers, Michael Sokolove, that did write a little bit about Oscar Pistorius' fascination with guns, his temper, et cetera.
So it's - it may - maybe because of the way we talk and write about sports, you know, the sort of like tropes, different kinds of heroes, you know, overcoming things, all-American hero, et cetera. So there wasn't much about that, but there are - there was some reporters that at least tried to write about or report about the most sort of unsavory aspects, if you want, of his character.
LUDDEN: All right. You're listening to TALK OF THE NATION, from NPR News.
And Mike is in Maryville, Missouri. Hi, there, Mike.
MIKE: Hi. How are you doing?
LUDDEN: Good.
MIKE: You know, with the media, if the media would grab stories that they can - that can be solved, it'd make a big difference, you know? We talk about homosexuals and talk about the debt, but we can't solve those problems. We really can't. Now talk about something that can be solved. Like I said, there's family services. Family services goes into a home and takes the children out the home, put them in foster and then put them up for adoption.
LUDDEN: So you're saying what's the point of covering all this? The victim is dead. That's that, and there's nothing to be learned here? Is that your point?
MIKE: Not saying nothing to be learned. Pick the part that you can work with, that the people can solve that problem. You know, this guy shot his wife, or his girlfriend. What are we going to do about it? That should be the first question. What are we going to do about it? Ain't nothing we can do about it. OK, give it a story, put it out there and leave it alone. Go find something we can do something about.
LUDDEN: All right. Thank you for the phone call, Mike. Edward.
SCHUMACHER-MATOS: Well, I think Mike is parroting a point of view of a lot of our listeners, actually, and he said it from the gut. You know, this doesn't - we really can't do much about this, so why do we need to know so much more? It's a good point.
LUDDEN: We have a comment from Jim, who emails: Here's my interest in Oscar Pistorius' story. I just turned my radio off.
LUDDEN: Sean Jacobs, are there complaints in South Africa that this is being over-covered?
JACOBS: I saw a blog post earlier today by a journalist who covers, you know, sort of monitors the media that said that there may be fatigue with Pistorius covers, but then - coverage. But then when I went on Twitter afterwards, I think there's very much still an appetite for all kinds of, you know, whether gossip or what the police are going to do next. So there's definitely still an interest.
In fact, he's trying to continue practicing while he's on bail. So I think there's fatigue by some people, but other people are interested. I just want to make a quick point. I don't know how homosexuality is a problem, but anyway.
LUDDEN: Let's squeeze a very quick last call in here, Desmond in Cleveland, Ohio. We've got just a couple minutes left. If you can go right ahead, briefly. Thank you.
DESMOND: No, very quickly. Interesting perspective. I have a - I'm from South Africa. I was a former police officer, detective, internal affairs. So I'm quite familiar with the court systems down there. But I'm going to comment on the media and the press. As far as the press - and I live in Canada, but I'm in the U.S. right now on business.
And what we see right now in the world is very simple. I think it was mentioned right earlier in the call. You know, it's got all the makings of a great story in terms of a press story, you know, boyfriend, a hero, sporting hero overcomes adversity, kills girlfriend with a gun in - on Valentine's Day. So that's the reason for the interest worldwide.
Now, in South Africa, very quickly, historically, South African people are a very, very proud people, and what's happened is they really identify with their sports heroes. So they love sports heroes until - and I think this goes for most of the world, as well. So what's happened with Oscar, he's had a fall from grace. And what's happening now is not only in the press, but also from Facebook and social media - to which I'm very connected to friends in South Africa - is that they want to disconnect themselves from Oscar Pistorius.
I'm getting asked every single day: Desmond, what's going on? You know, what's going on in South Africa? Is there nobody there that's not accused of murder? And my answer was, well, is there no one in U.S. that hasn't shot up a school lately? I mean, it's one of those things that hit the press, and everyone's just trying to disassociate themselves with Oscar. And what I've found is, I would say, nine of the 10 people (technical difficulties) him from a South African perspective (unintelligible)...
LUDDEN: All right. We're going to have to drop it there. I'm so sorry, but there will be much more coverage to come. So they'll have more time to complain about this. Edward Schumacher-Matos is ombudsman for NPR. He was here in Studio 3A. Sean Jacobs, assistant professor of international affairs at the New School joined us, and also Malcolm Moran, director of the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana University. Thanks, everyone. Coming up next, a preview of the sequester. Is it really going to happen? NPR's Scott Horsley joins us. It's TALK OF THE NATION, from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Paayesh | Khejur Gur er Payesh| Bengali Rice Pudding
Payesh is a rice and milk based dessert, unique to Bengal, very similar to Kheer in the Indian subcontinent. It is usually made by boiling and thickening milk, sugar or jaggery, and rice. During the winter months, the Paayesh is sweetened with fragrant Khejur Gur - Date palm Jaggery, and takes on a very special taste.
Jump to Recipe
Kabir the great poet saint had said about this tree
Whoever had Hindi as their second language in school in India must be familiar with Kabir's dohas or couplets. They were short and so profound I used to love them and still remember some.
The above doha or couplet means "Even though the Palm tree is big, it's bigness is of no use, as it does not provide cool shade to weary travelers and it's fruits are too high to be picked up", the essence being your greatness lies not in your stature but in how you serve others.
However Kabir had missed a point, he had underestimated our endeavor for good food, to get the Khajur and Khajur ka Ras (the sweet sap from the Date Palm Tree) we can climb all the way up. I have never had Khejur Ras but the Khejur Gur, mmmmmmmm, not enough words to describe it. It has much more flavor and tastes way better than cane jaggery.
Khejur Gur (liquid date palm jaggery -- made from boiling the sap from date palms) is very popular in Bengal during the winter months. It is also commonly called "Notun Gur" ( literally, "new jaggery") or "Nolen Gur". I think the sap of the date palms is best during the winter months and that is the reason we get this gur or jaggery around this time. Also during the summer, night temperatures are high and sap harvested ferments by morning, rendering the product fit only as an alcoholic drink.
The liquid Khejur Gur is delicious, tastes better than Maple Syrup and we used to have it poured on our Luchi (Puri) or Roti for dinner or breakfast. It is also used to make a variety of sweets in Bengal. This article explains the process of making Khejur-Gur here. Khejur Gur in solid form is sold in the shape of oval discs and is also known as "Patali Gur"
But I have never mustered the courage to smuggle liquid Khejur Gur (liquid Palm Date Jaggery) to the US, though I do carry the the solid khejur gur which is also called "Patali Gur" in Bengali, from Kolkata, if I am visiting during winter.
But I have to ration my khejur gur as I have only one patali to last a year or more and I use it only for special occasions to make Paayesh or paramanna during my husband D's and my daughter's B'Day, as Bengalis consider having payesh on one's Birthday as auspicious. Paayesh can also be made with sugar but Khejur Gur er paayesh is just heavenly.
This is how my Ma makes Payesh and she makes the best payesh in the world. Only recently I have learned to make Khejur Gur-er Payesh from her and so here is my attempt. I made this for D's B'day earlier this month but am posting it now in time for JFI
What You need
Whole Milk ~1 and ½ liter
Half & Half Milk ~ ½ liter
Note: My Ma uses 2 liter of Whole Milk only. I use the Half & Half as it reduces my effort to thicken the Milk
GobindoBhog Rice or KalaJeera Rice ~ a little less than 2/3 of a cup
Ghee ~ enough to smear the rice with, maybe 1/2 tsp
Raisins ~ a fistful soaked in water
TejPata or BayLeaves ~ 3 or 4
Sugar ~ 1 cup
Khejur Gur or Palm Date jaggery ~ I added depending on my sweetness level
Note: The Sugar + Khejur Gur amounts to almost 2 cups. This is sweet enough for me, not enough for my Dad and just right for my hubby, friends, Mom etc. Between the sugar & gur you can increase one and decrease the other, but the gur has to be added only after the paayesh is taken off the heat as mentioned in the recipe
How I Do It
Wash the rice, drain the water and then smear the rice with a little ghee
Pour Milk in a boiling pan, usually a deep heavy bottomed pan. I use a deep non-stick one.
Add 3 or 4 Bay leaves
When the Milk come to a boil add the rice. Be careful so that milk does not boil over.
Stir well
Stir intermittently and check if the rice is done. You kind of have to keep stirring frequently else the milk might scald the bottom of the pan as it thickens.
When the rice is cooked add sugar. Tip: Adding sugar before the rice has boiled hinders it getting cooked properly
Now stir the milk continuously so that the milk does not burn or scald the bottom of the container and the rice does not stick.
When the Milk has thickened to the right consistency, to check this take a spoonful of liquid and pour it on a flat plate, the viscosity of the milk should be such that it does not flow. By this time the milk would have also reduced from it's original volume. Approx. time to reach this stage is almost an hour or so at a medium flame setting on my gas range.
Take the Paayesh off heat and add the Khejur Gur after 5 mins and stir well. Add Gur depending on your desired sweetness level. Tip: If your gur or jagery has been refrigerated put it in the microwave til it turns soft.
Savor the sweet smell of khejur gur, pure bliss
Add Kishmis or Raisins.
Serve hot or cold, I like cold better
This is my entry for December JFI hosted by Kay.
Congaratulations to the new Mom and kudos to her for hosting this inspite of her new motherhood.
You can get Palm Date Jaggery from Indian store. So check your local Bangladeshi or Indian store for this jaggery, my neighbourhood Indian store doesn't carry the Khejur Gur I crave for and I haven't tried any Khejur Gur outside Bengal yet.
I just saw from Mandira's & Asha's blog (I get to know all about events from this wonderful blogger friends) that there is a festive fair at Anna's of Morsels & Musings . Since Paayesh is a "special occasion" recipe I am sending this out to her too.
Trivia: Muzaffarnagar District in Uttar Pradesh has the largest Jaggery Market in India followed by Anakapalli of Visakhapatnam District in Andhra Pradesh. Both are termed to be the biggest and second biggest in the entire world.


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"looking for ppl to make games with or hire someone(dont have enough money to hire ppl yet)".
I kept archiving mails in that thread everytime it popped up in my gmail inbox since morning.
And just now when I was about to go sleep, I saw that post had quiet a lot of replies and decided to check out how people were reacting. And came across a reply, which had this link : http://positionrelative.wordpress.com/2007/01/23/craigs-pissed/. A discussion that looked so silly till then looked turned so informative, just with one link!
The link above points to a blog post, which quotes another 'flagged and removed ' post from craigslist (author unknown). If the original author ever happens to read it here, - you deserve a warm applause man! ( and like the author of the post at position : relative mentions, "Designers everywhere owe him a hot coffee and a big hug." )
I thought I'd cross post the content of the original post in here, for a quicker reference. Hope guys at position : relative, or the actual author won't mind!
Post from CraigsList
Every day, there are more and more Craigs List posts seeking "artists" for everything from auto graphics to comic books to corporate logo designs. More people are finding themselves in need of some form of illustrative service.
But what they're NOT doing, unfortunately, is realizing how rare someone with these particular talents can be.
To those who are "seeking artists", let me ask you; How many people do you know, personally, with the talent and skill to perform the services you need? A dozen? Five? One? …none?
More than likely, you don't know any. Otherwise, you wouldn't be posting on craigslist to find them.
And this is not really a surprise.
In this country, there are almost twice as many neurosurgeons as there are professional illustrators. There are eleven times as many certified mechanics. There are SEVENTY times as many people in the IT field.
So, given that they are less rare, and therefore less in demand, would it make sense to ask your mechanic to work on your car for free? Would you look him in the eye, with a straight face, and tell him that his compensation would be the ability to have his work shown to others as you drive down the street?
Would you offer a neurosurgeon the "opportunity" to add your name to his resume as payment for removing that pesky tumor? (Maybe you could offer him "a few bucks" for "materials". What a deal!)
Would you be able to seriously even CONSIDER offering your web hosting service the chance to have people see their work, by viewing your website, as their payment for hosting you?
If you answered "yes" to ANY of the above, you're obviously insane. If you answered "no", then kudos to you for living in the real world.
But then tell me… why would you think it is okay to live out the same, delusional, ridiculous fantasy when seeking someone whose abilities are even less in supply than these folks?
Graphic artists, illustrators, painters, etc., are skilled tradesmen. As such, to consider them as, or deal with them as, anything less than professionals fully deserving of your respect is both insulting and a bad reflection on you as a sane, reasonable person. In short, it makes you look like a twit.
A few things you need to know;
1. It is not a "great opportunity" for an artist to have his work seen on your car/'zine/website/bedroom wall, etc. It IS a "great opportunity" for YOU to have their work there.
2. It is not clever to seek a "student" or "beginner" in an attempt to get work for free. It's ignorant and insulting. They may be "students", but that does not mean they don't deserve to be paid for their hard work. You were a "student" once, too. Would you have taken that job at McDonalds with no pay, because you were learning essential job skills for the real world? Yes, your proposition it JUST as stupid.
3. The chance to have their name on something that is going to be seen by other people, whether it's one or one million, is NOT a valid enticement. Neither is the right to add that work to their "portfolio". They get to do those things ANYWAY, after being paid as they should. It's not compensation. It's their right, and it's a given.
4. Stop thinking that you're giving them some great chance to work. Once they skip over your silly ad, as they should, the next ad is usually for someone who lives in the real world, and as such, will pay them. There are far more jobs needing these skills than there are people who possess these skills.
5. Students DO need "experience". But they do NOT need to get it by giving their work away. In fact, this does not even offer them the experience they need. Anyone who will not/can not pay them is obviously the type of person or business they should be ashamed to have on their resume anyway. Do you think professional contractors list the "experience" they got while nailing down a loose step at their grandmother's house when they were seventeen?
If you your company or gig was worth listing as desired experience, it would be able to pay for the services it received. The only experience they will get doing free work for you is a lesson learned in what kinds of scrubs they should not lower themselves to deal with.
6. (This one is FOR the artists out there, please pay attention.) Some will ask you to "submit work for consideration". They may even be posing as some sort of "contest". These are almost always scams. They will take the work submitted by many artists seeking to win the "contest", or be "chosen" for the gig, and find what they like most. They will then usually have someone who works for them, or someone who works incredibly cheap because they have no originality or talent of their own, reproduce that same work, or even just make slight modifications to it, and claim it as their own. You will NOT be paid, you will NOT win the contest. The only people who win, here, are the underhanded folks who run these ads. This is speculative, or "spec", work. It's risky at best, and a complete scam at worst. I urge you to avoid it, completely. For more information on this subject, please visit www.no-spec.com.
So to artists/designers/illustrators looking for work, do everyone a favor, ESPECIALLY yourselves, and avoid people who do not intend to pay you. Whether they are "spec" gigs, or just some guy who wants a free mural on his living room walls. They need you. You do NOT need them.
And for those who are looking for someone to do work for free… please wake up and join the real world. The only thing you're accomplishing is to insult those with the skills you need. Get a clue.
Though the post talks more about illustrators and graphics people, I guess the same happens to almost every young professional at the beginning of their career.
When one of the commentors at position : relative said, "this should be taught in colleges around the world", I couldn't agree more!


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by Mary Lou Greenberg
Several older women stood on the sidewalk a few feet from the entrance to Choices Women's Medical Center in Queens, New York. They aggressively approached every woman who walked towards the door, literally getting in their faces with rosaries and anti-abortion literature in hand.
"Don't kill your baby," they implored, planting themselves between the woman and the clinic entrance. "We can help you."
I had come to Choices to interview head counselor Sophia McCoy, and the first thing I asked was what she thought about the protestors.
"I walk in past them every day. I can't be up in arms about them all the time or I couldn't do my job. But they really upset some of the women."
McCoy has headed up counseling services at Choices for five years, training other counselors and, herself, talking to dozens of women each day who come to the clinic for abortions, both first and second trimester. "I discuss the abortion procedure with them," she said, "and make sure they are sure and feel secure about their decision."
"By the time a woman arrives at Choices," McCoy said, "she has already thought a lot about her pregnancy and what to do next. A woman's decision depends a lot on how well she knows her partner, relations with her family, what's going on in her life…her age, her school, work, health. Most have tried to talk to a close friend or relative. Making that first phone call to the clinic for an appointment can be very scary. And then they get here and run into the protestors.
"Most women are very firm in their decision. They are generally confident about what they want to do with their lives and often have good support for their decision to have an abortion. It's not easy for protestors to approach these women. I've seen women say, 'get away from me,' and walk right up to the door. But I've also seen women go back and forth, inside to the waiting room and outside to the protestors, sometimes for an hour. These women are generally more ambivalent to begin with, and the protestors have an easier time talking to them. Some are affected by the offers of free baby showers and financial help for diapers. But this often doesn't last long. The protestors also tell a lot of lies."
In fact, much of McCoy's job is to educate women, something that she accomplishes by bringing to bear both her medical training and her own personal experience. She is on the front lines, addressing a gauntlet of lies and a vacuum of accurate information daily.
After a woman comes into the clinic and registers at the front desk, she has a sonogram and blood work. Then she sees a counselor. "If a woman expresses doubts," McCoy said, "I try to explore her feelings with her, what the pros and cons are of having the procedure, based on who she is, and help her resolve any questions. If she feels sad, I tell her it's okay to be sad, but the main thing is for her to be sure that this is the right thing for her to do at this time. And it has to be her decision, her choice. It's only after I'm confident this is the case that she has the procedure."
"The protestors tell women that we don't care about them. They say that ambulances come and take women away once or twice a day here, that women have to have hysterectomies after an abortion, that we throw away 'the baby' (that's what they call it) in the garbage afterwards. All of these are just lies. And many women don't know how their own body functions or about the reproductive process.
"I talk to the women about all this. When a patient comes in and she's upset, I explain to her the importance of being able to come here and what women went through before abortion was legal. I tell them, 'Today, abortion is very safe, but it wasn't always that way.'
"Women are not aware of the history of abortion, that women had to be driven long distances to find a doctor who would do one. Or women would get an illegal and unsafe procedure. I tell them this is why we have to fight to keep abortion legal and a woman's right."
The Impact of a Photo – And a Teenager's Death
When she was about 11 or 12 growing up in Queens, McCoy heard her mother and grandmother talking at home about how difficult it had been to get an abortion before it was legal. She read about it in the pioneering women's health care book, Our Bodies, Ourselves, and saw a photo that she could never forget. It was of a woman lying on a motel room floor who had died from an illegal abortion (now known to be a picture of Gerri Santoro.) After high school when McCoy was an accounting student, she heard about a fellow student who had tried to use a bottle to terminate her pregnancy.
"The topic just kept coming up," McCoy recalled. "You know how you hear a lot of stories growing up, and some things jump out at you and eventually it all takes shape. Well, these stories stayed with me, and I knew I needed to be part of not letting this happen again."
"I discovered that accounting really wasn't for me; I wanted to work with people more. I studied forensic psychology for three years, but then I saw an advertisement for a school for medical and dental assistants and I thought, 'maybe that's for me.' By that time, I was a single mother with three young children. As part of my medical assistant training, I did an internship at Choices specifically to learn about second trimester abortions. And then it happened that I needed a second trimester procedure myself. Shortly afterwards, I applied for a medical assistant job at Choices and was asked to become a counselor because I had worked in every area of the clinic and knew the procedure so well, including through my own personal experience. During my interview, the social worker showed me the exact same photo that had made such an impression on me earlier…I knew this was where I needed to be."
Another thing that had a big impact on McCoy was the story of 17-year-old Becky Bell, who died from an illegal abortion in 1988 in Indiana, a state that required minors to get parental notification or a judge's waiver. But word on the street was that the judge was anti-choice and hardly ever said yes. Becky couldn't bear to "disappoint" her parents, so, it turned out, she got an illegal abortion. A few days later she ended up in a hospital where she died of a massive infection caused by whatever was done to her.
"I have three children, including a 17-year-old daughter," McCoy said, "and when we first talked about sex, all I could think about was Becky Bell. Young people get the wrong information on the streets or from boyfriends – so I knew what I had to do…even if it meant getting her birth control at a young age. I want my daughter alive and healthy."
"A parent's views on sex may differ from her child's, but I am so happy there is a place like Choices where my children can go if they need to. Teenagers, like Becky Bell, can become desperate to avoid hearing those words, 'You disappoint me.'"
In fact, McCoy encourages her daughter's friends to come over to her home to talk, and this has developed into a regular weekly session about what's going on in their lives, their thoughts and feelings, including about sex, contraception and other reproductive health matters.
Getting Patients to Open Up
"I have to keep asking the patients, 'how do you feel?'"
"What gets to me most in counseling at the clinic," McCoy said, "is the lack of self-esteem the women have. I try to get the woman to focus back on herself, her own life, and what she wants."
This isn't easy. "Often," McCoy continued, "a woman will talk about how everyone else feels about the pregnancy but herself. It's never about them, and I have to keep asking, 'how do you feel about becoming a mother, what do you want?' I worry most about the 15-16-17-year olds. They have such low self-esteem, and they think that having a baby would make them more of a person… They also think that a baby would give them the love they often don't feel from anyone or anywhere else."
I have to keep asking, 'how do you feel about becoming a mother?' |
"It gets to me sometimes," McCoy said. "Some women think that having the baby would make their boyfriends stay with them, even though they really don't want to have a child right now. Their need for someone else's approval takes over everything else. It comes from an empty space that needs to be filled; until you look in the mirror and like the person you see in it, you're always going to be seeking approval from someone else. They've got to learn to stand up for what's right for them, and sometimes that means simply saying 'no'."
She sees this lack of self-esteem among her daughter's friends, as well. "The message they get from music videos and TV is it's okay to run around naked and have sex with multiple partners, that this is the way to get attention, to get love." McCoy cited one young woman who got her tongue pierced. "I asked her why, and she said she did it because men liked that when women gave them oral sex. Now, I could see it if she said she liked the way it looked or the way it felt," McCoy continued, "but this was to please a man, not herself!"
"Sex is sometimes not really consensual, with girls just going along with it because their boyfriends want it. This is really just another form of abuse," she said. "Adult women find themselves in this situation so how could teens be different?"
McCoy said her experience at the clinic as well as with her daughter's friends shows "there's a great need for programs in schools and other places where teens can come and talk about these things. When you give them a chance to say what's on their minds, they really open up, and in a group, they encourage each other to talk. They can see that what they're thinking and going through is similar to what's happening to others."
Until that time comes, Sophia McCoy will be on the frontlines, offering her experience, wisdom and reality-based information to help women make informed decisions that are truly right for them.
Mary Lou Greenberg is an activist in New York City who writes for Revolution Newspaper.
Also see Sharing the Joy of Resistance Through Radio by Fran Luck in this edition of On The Issues Magazine.
Also see Women's Liberation Consciousness-Raising: Then and Now by Carol Hanisch in this edition of On The Issues Magazine.
Visit The Café of On The Issues Magazine for new stories


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(June 4, 2008) While the threat of climate change and the urgent need for action become ever clearer, air transport and other polluting industries are expanding on a massive scale. Supposed green pioneers such as Germany are supporting the trade with public money it hands out through its...
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So, why is it that I attempted to make this 18cm tart? Well, simply because I fell in love with the photo in a baking book. I would usually skip the part on tarts and pies whenever I browse thru baking books...but the picture of this beautiful pear tart really caught my eye and it doesn't have any glaze on top of the fruits! I couldn't wait any longer to try it out.
It requires some time to make this tart though...as you need to chill the pastry for 20 mins before baking, bake it for another 12mins or so...then let it cool completely, before you can add in the fillings (otherwise the fillings will melt away)..then it's another 35mins of baking time.
The step-by-step instructions and photos in the book are really useful. I was able to make the pastry base easily. I like reading these Japanese to Chinese translated cookbooks as they are always very detailed in their instructions. For this recipe, it's not necessary to use any baking weights or uncooked rice over the pastry when baking...hmmm, but I don't know the reason why?
The filling was spread evenly all over the base before lining the peaches (we prefer peaches over pears). Off it went into the oven.
Ok, here's my finished product...it's a far cry from the one in the cookbook right? I guess I should have pressed the peaches slightly further into the filling...the tart surface was rather flat...unlike the one illustrated in the cookbook...the filling is all beautifully puffed up, well above the pear slices. At first glance, I even thought it was made with a pastry covered on top.
The tart tasted really very good...I'll certainly recommend my baking friend to try it. This tart is full of this buttery flavour...and except for the edges and the rim, the pastry was not hard at all. I could even taste the ground almonds, which was added to both the pastry base and filling. After eating one slice...I was so tempted to reach out for another one!
I left the pie sitting on my kitchen table while I prepared dinner. When I was done cooking, I took a look at the pie and this was what I saw:
The sun was setting then...and the light was shinning all over the tart. It looked so lovely! It took me only less than 5 mins to snap at least 30 shots! With the long afternoon rays...the lights casted shadows all over the tart...making the surface looked really 3 dimensional.
This is my favourite shot! It makes the tart 'almost' comparable to the one shown in the cookbook :)
(make one 18cm tart)
80g cake flour (or plain flour)
20g grounded almond powder
30g caster sugar
40g unsalted butter , soften at room temperature
1 tablespoon (15g) lightly beaten egg
10g cake flour (or plain flour)
80g grounded almond powder
50g brown sugar
60g unsalted butter, soften at room temperature
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoon Rum (I omitted this)
some canned peach slices, well drained
icing sugar for dusting
Pastry base:
- Lightly grease an 18cm tart pan, set aside.
- Toast almond powder at 100 degC for 10 mins. Stirring in between. Let cool.
- Sieve flour and almond meal. (The grounded almond powder I used are too huge to pass thru the sieve...so I simply threw them back into the sieved flour!)
- With a manual whisk, cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
- Add in the egg, very gradually, whisking the batter till well mixed each time the egg is added.
- Sieve over the flour/almond meal mixture in 2 to 3 additions into the batter. Fold the mixture gently with a spatula.
- Form and shape the pastry into a round ball. Roll out the pastry in between 2 sheets of cling wrap or baking paper (I used two sheets of cut-out plastic bags) to about 23cm in diameter.
- Remove one side of the cling wrap or baking paper. Place it over the prepared tart pan. Mould the pastry into the tart pan, smoothing the edges and the rim carefully...if the pastry is too soft to handle, chill it in the fridge for 10~15 mins. (I didn't have any problem with it.)
- Chill the pastry in the fridge for 20mins.
- Use a fork to poke holes on the pastry. Brush the top of the rim with egg wash. (I did this with my fingers.) Bake in pre-heated oven at 180 deg C for 10 ~12mins until the edges are slightly browned. Let cool completely.
filling: - With a whisk, cream butter and brown sugar till the mixture turns fluffy. Add in the egg gradually, mix well each time the egg is added.
- Add in grounded almond powder. Fold with a spatula till well incorporated. Sieve over the flour onto the mixture. Mix with a spatula. Add in rum and mix well.
- Spread the filling onto the cooled pastry base. Ensure that the edges are filled up. Line with peach (or pear) slices. Make sure the slices are well drained. Bake in pre-heated oven at 170 deg C for 30 ~ 35 mins, until the edges and filling turn golden brown. Let cool, and dust with some icing sugar.
Recipe Source: Delicious!! Baked Cakes, Ikuko Omori