Emile Zola

Today is the birthday of the French novelist and journalist Émile Zola (books by this author), born in Paris (1840). He invented a new style of fiction writing that he called Naturalism, which he defined as “nature seen through a temperament.” He had been inspired by Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1839), and he decided to try applying scientific principles of observation to the practice of writing fiction. The result was a 20-novel cycle, a kind of fictional documentary about the influence of heredity and environment on an extended family. It was called Les Rougon-Macquart. Some of the novels of the cycle include The Drunkard (1877), Nana (1880), and Germinal (1885).

Zola said, “The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.”

And, “If you ask me what I came into this life to do, I will tell you: I came to live out loud.”

-The Writer's Almanac

Capacity to Love

“The truth is, you cannot love yourself unless you have been loved and are loved. The capacity to love cannot be built in isolation.”
― Bruce D. Perry, The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog

Unfortunately

“Unfortunately, that basic sense of fairness and goodwill toward others is under threat in a society like ours that increasingly enriches the richest and abandons the rest to the vagaries of global competition. More and more our media and our school systems emphasize material success and the importance of triumphing over others both athletically and in the classroom. More and more, in an atmosphere of increased competitiveness, middle- and upper-class parents seem driven to greater and greater extremes to give their offspring whatever perceived “edge” they can find. This constant emphasis on competition drowns out the lessons of cooperation, empathy and altruism that are critical for human mental health and social cohesion.”
― Bruce D. Perry, The Boy Who Was Raised As a Dog

Emotional Carnage

“Surprisingly, it is often when wandering through the emotional carnage left by the worst of humankind that we find the best of humanity as well.”
― Bruce D. Perry, The Boy Who Was Raised As a Dog

Renaissance Mechanics

Auto Mechanics Recreate Renaissance Paintings

Photographer Freddy Fabris had always wanted to pay homage to the Renaissance masters with his photos in some way, but he wasn’t sure how until he stumbled upon an auto-mechanic shop in the Midwest. This led to a brilliant series of funny portraits with auto mechanics.

Stuff They Can Find at Home

Museum Asks People To Recreate Paintings With Stuff They Can Find at Home, Here Are The Results
https://www.sadanduseless.com/recreated-art/

Spinach & Cheese Sufganiot

Savory Spinach & Cheese Bite Size Donut Holes (Sufganiot)

2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups frozen spinach, thawed
1/8 tsp salt (or to taste)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1– 1/4oz pack active dry yeast (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or regular milk, slightly warm
2 1/4 cups self rising flour
1 egg
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 1/2 cups vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

In a large skillet, sauté spinach seasoned with salt, in 2 tablespoons of olive oil at medium heat, until most of the water has evaporated (about 10 minutes). Set aside
In a medium bowl, combine warm almond milk, sugar and yeast. Set aside for a few minutes until some bubbles start to form
Combine flour, egg, yeast mixture, spinach and shredded cheese in a standing mixer bowl with a dough hook attachment. Mix until all the ingredients are well combined. Slowly pour the melted coconut oil and keep mixing until well incorporated. If the dough feels too wet and, at a little more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean towel and let it rise for about an hour and a half*
Using your hands and working with about 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, form small balls (about 30 of them) and place them on a tray lined with parchment paper and slightly greased. Cover with a clean towel and let it rise for 30 minutes
In the meantime, heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan. You’ll know the oil is ready when you insert the bottom of a wooden spoon and small bubbles start to form. Reduce the heat to medium low
Drop about 4-5 donuts in the oil at a time, moving them around with a wooden spoon so they brown evenly. Cook until golden brown (about a minute) and place them on a tray lined with a few paper towels to absorb the excess oil
*Note: You can prepare the dough ahead of time and refrigerate it overnight after it rises for the first time. Take it out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before using

Healthy Mac

We made a healthy mac and cheese. We cooked the multigrain rotini and then put it in a dish in the oven with frozen spinach and grated asiago and buttermilk garlic and olive oil. It was even more amazing the next day!

how to sew a fashionable facemask from an old bra

how to sew a fashionable facemask from an old bra

Salad

Head of celery chopped, gigantic onion chopped, 2-3 large carrots grated, cooked chicken chopped, cup of mayo, sprinkles of Adobo, 1/2 cup Italian red wine vinegar, 2TB prepared mustard, sprinkles of kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, 1 cup raisins, 1 c buttermilk. Stir and enjoy.

The editorial board

Opinion
Coronavirus Doesn’t Care Where You Come From. Trump Still Does.

Hostility toward immigrants is hurting the fight against the pandemic.

By The Editorial Board

how to make up for lost time

Opinions
Bill Gates: Here’s how to make up for lost time on covid-19

By Bill Gates

Choices You Make

... not worry so much about tracking the frightening death toll and exponentially growing number of infections and to instead worry about the choices they’re making
source

Damien Barr

'That’s why I had to write a novel, not so much to answer my questions but to ask better questions and to be able to imagine the things it was not possible to find out for sure'
-@Damian_Barr
spoke to @ObserverUK

Nobody is Cancelling Spring

Get out and pedal around.

Daisies forsythia, so much in bloom today.

We use neighborhoods as empty "trails" since the nature trails are crowded.

I am not a nature bunny anyway.

I am an urban walker.

Broaden your horizons!

Think outside the box.

What box?

If you are alive there is no box!!

Atrocity

Yet, what if a president planned or ordered genocide, crimes against humanity, because this is where we are today.

Alan Watts

Stop measuring days by degree of productivity and start experiencing them by degree of presence.
Alan Watts

RESTAURANT WORKERS RELIEF PROGRAM

Due to the closure of restaurants across America, thousands of restaurant workers have an urgent need for assistance. Independent restaurants are at the center of the vibrant growth in America. For the past decade, we have relied on the convivial and dynamic hospitality of the independent restaurant scene to make this a city that we are incredibly proud of. Restaurant workers need your help more than ever. It is vital that we offer relief to those in need, so after this crisis restaurants can return to their full vibrancy.

In partnership with @makersmark and @leeinitiative @chefedwardlee we have turned restaurants across the country into relief centers with local chefs for any restaurant worker who has been laid off or has had a significant reduction in hours and/or pay. We are offering help for those in need of food and supplies. Each night, we will pack hundreds of to-go meals that people can come to pick up and take home.

https://leeinitiative.org/

Elect a Clown, Expect a Circus

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/31/opinion/futility-hate-watching-trumps-coronavirus-briefings/?event=event25
Renée Graham can be reached at renee.graham@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @reneeygraham.

Phil Rosenthal

https://www.pbs.org/video/ill-have-what-phil-having-sneak-peak/