March 14
Albert Einstein's Birthday
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist, best known for his
theory of relativity and specifically mass-energy equivalence,
E = mc. He received the 1921 Nobel
Prize in Physics "for his services to Theoretical Physics."
In January 1933, Adolph Hitler was
appointed Chancellor of Germany. One of the first actions of Hitler's
administration was the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service
which removed Jews and politically suspect government employees (including
university professors) from their jobs, unless they had demonstrated their
loyalty to Germany by serving in World War I. In December 1932, in response to
this growing threat, Einstein migrated to the United States.
Einstein's theory of relativity ideas helped usher in the atomic age.
The Nobel Prize
winner became the ultimate symbol of theoretical physics and one of the most
vocal advocates of human rights and world peace. Einstein's contributions to
theoretical physics are commemorated by the bizarre retention of his brain at
the University of Missouri.
His contributions
to world peace are commemorated by the FBI's bizarre 1500 page file compiled
under the direction of Edgar J. Hoover which conected Einstein with hundreds of
communist-front organizations.
The idiocy of the FBI files was reported by Richard Schwartz in an article in
the September 1983 Nation magazine. The files which were released under
the Freedom of Information Act included such allegations that (1) Einstein was
an Russian spy; (2) Einstein framed Bruno Hauptman for the Lindbergh kidnapping;
(3) Einstein had invented a robot that could read human thoughts; and (4)
Einstein was taking control of all the major Hollywood studies. There were also
reports of Einstein's alleged efforts to curb nuclear proliferation and the
threat of nuclear war, these being the most dangerous accusations in Hoover's
opinion.
Einstein has been portrayed in opera (Phillip
Glass' s 1976 opera Einstein on the Beach),
theater: (Ed Metzger's one-man
play Albert Einstein: The Practical Bohemian and Steve Martin’s
Picasso at the Lapin Agile),
and film: IQ
(1994) where he
was portrayed by Walter Matthau, and Insignificance (1985) where he
was played by Michael Emil.
So lets celebrate Albert's birthday with some Deviled Brains and a DVD of
IQ. |
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Deviled Brains |
Ingredients
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3 calf brains,
about 10 oz each
1 TB white vinegar
2 TB salt
2 TB lemon juice
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
several sprigs parsley
2 cups vegetable oil
*See Appendix A
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dash of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup brown glace de viande*
1/2 cup white wine
¼ cup butter
3 TB Dijon mustard
2 eggs mixed with 2 TB water
6 TB breadcrumbs
lemon wedges for garnish
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Instructions |
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