Latest news with #Ganz
Daily Record
05-05-2025
- General
- Daily Record
People are adding 1 'divisive' ingredient to their baked beans and say it's a 'game changer'
Baked beans are a staple in British households and are a firm favourite when it comes to a cooked breakfast, but some home cooks have a secret ingredient that they swear by. Adding just one extra ingredient can transform baked beans into a richer and tastier dish, and it's something you might not have thought of before. Baked beans are a quintessential part of a British breakfast, typically served in a sweet tomato sauce. While they're often enjoyed straight from the tin, there are ways to enhance their flavour. The combination of taste and convenience has made baked beans a beloved staple in the UK, cherished across generations. Many folks like to season their beans with salt, pepper, paprika, or even chili flakes for an added kick. But some savvy home chefs have been letting others in on their secret weapon – a sauce that tends to divide opinion. Worcestershire sauce is commonly used in various recipes, but it's not traditionally mixed into baked beans. Despite this, some enthusiasts insist it's a game-changer. Beans have been a family-favourite for generations of Brits, offering a cheap, quick and easy meal or snack on the go, but one home cook has set out to elevate the dish. the Express. "Worcestershire sauce gives my baked beans a certain je ne sais quoi that makes them sing," she explained in a 2024 post. "Worcestershire sauce is a fantastic kitchen-sink condiment for building layers of flavour in savoury dishes, especially beans." For her special baked beans recipe, Ganz combines Worcestershire sauce with ketchup and brown sugar, creating a sauce akin to the familiar supermarket canned variety. Worcestershire sauce, known for its unique blend of anchovies, shallots, garlic, soy sauce, tamarind, salt, and vinegar, is traditionally used in recipes for marinades, dressings, and as a condiment for dishes like steak and burgers. A Reddit user recently shared a culinary hack involving this beloved sauce that attracted numerous comments. They said: "This is God tier beans on toast! Yum!" Another chimed in, advising: "The lunch of true scholars. Next time, try mixing Reggae reggae sauce into the bean sauce, it makes it deliciously spicy." One other person recommended: "Try it with sriracha sauce next time." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Baked beans are at home as part of a delicious fry up, served on some toast or even straight from the tin. But that's a long way away from their origins. They were originally a staple of the Native American's diet. The tasty snack was then adapted by English colonists in the 17th century and were soon . The original Native American recipe included maple syrup to give it a kick of sweetness, but the colosinists later used brown sugar in their recipe.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump will let us annex West Bank, says Israel's settler leader
Israel Ganz exudes the quiet confidence of a man who believes his time has come. Three months ago, the US ambassador to Israel was refusing to take his calls. But now? 'Mike Huckabee [the new ambassador] of course is a great friend. I texted him last night. Most of the new administration have visited here in the last year. They're very connected to the place.' Mr Ganz, 47, is no ordinary politician. As head of the Yesha Council, he is the political leader of Israel's settler movement in the West Bank. For much of the international community, and for some in Israel, this is an illegal and, in part, racist movement that forms one of the single biggest obstacles to peace. But for Mr Ganz and his supporters, including many in the United States, it represents the justified return of the Jewish people to their ancient lands of Judea and Samaria to the west of the Jordan River. Under Joe Biden, the US amplified its traditional official opposition to West Bank settlements; indeed, it sanctioned individual settlers accused of violence against Palestinians. But with the re-election of Donald Trump, the atmosphere changed overnight. Not only did the 47th president cancel those sanctions within days, but his return to the White House has inspired the settler movement to believe that he will finally give Israel the diplomatic cover it needs to annex the West Bank – in other words, to establish legal sovereignty over the territory it seized during the Six Day War of 1967. Perhaps nothing symbolises the settlers' change in fortune better than Mr Ganz's invitation to the inauguration in January. In his office, in a modern industrial estate between Jerusalem and Ramallah, there are special edition 'President Trump' bottles of wine on the shelf, a baseball bat, a seal of the president medallion above the keyboard on his desk, among other Americana. However, Mr Trump had four years to green-light West Bank annexation during his first term, but never did. Why will this time be different? 'He's more experienced, he's much stronger, he understands the situation better,' Mr Ganz replies. 'This term, what I see is that he wants to stabilise the world… he gets into crises and he wants to solve them.' 'I think we have a very big opportunity here.' For much of the international community, it is precisely the expansion of settlements that is worsening the crisis. This is because it is often accompanied by violence towards local Palestinians – activists have documented an increase since Mr Trump's re-election – combined with restrictive housing rules in the military-controlled rural areas that makes life unviable for existing communities. More fundamentally, the settlements create Israeli footprints in what would otherwise be a coherent body of Arab-inhabited land, making a potential Palestinian state – still the policy of most western governments – far more difficult to envisage. Along with the plight of civilians in Gaza, the alleged injustice in the West Bank is also one of the sticking points holding up normalisation between Israel and other Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, a key goal of Mr Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. However, there are signs that, despite the situation, attitudes in the more modern-leaning sections of the Sunni Muslim world might be softening. In March, Mr Ganz led a delegation of settlers to Abu Dhabi, where he met government officials. Although, as part of the UAE, the oil-rich kingdom already signed a normalisation deal with Israel in Mr Trump's first term – the Abraham Accords – the trip still marked an unprecedented first formal visit to a Muslim country by the Yesha Council. 'I was happy to meet the leaders there,' said Mr Ganz. 'They want a better future and they are very brave. When you put hate aside you can do a lot together.' Opponents of settler expansionism, in Israel and elsewhere, would argue that 'hate' is more likely to come from the project itself, pointing to the drumbeat of violence emanating – often under the protection of the IDF and police – from the largely segregated Israeli communities. Only this week a Palestinian man named Wael Rarabi died after his home was set on fire during a settler attack and, according to eyewitnesses, he was then beaten by soldiers in a village north of Ramallah. Meanwhile, earlier this month The Telegraph revealed that serious attacks in the symbolic village of Susya, south of Hebron, have escalated to a rate of one every two days. Mr Ganz contends this narrative, which he says is propagated 'by people connected to terror – and we can prove it easily'. He claims there were 6,000 'terror events' in the West Bank in the last year, 'Arabs to Jews', but 'dozens, I don't know, hundreds, Jews against Arabs'. Palestinians say the police often make it practically impossible for them to lodge formal complaints. For most, the imposition of full Israeli law, rather than the military governance currently in place in the West Bank's mainly rural Area C, would be a catastrophe for their hopes of self-government. However, Mr Ganz argues that by providing 'clarity' to the situation, it would unlock economic opportunity for both communities. 'The situation here holds everyone hostage,' he said. 'When I go to Prime Minister Netanyahu and tell him I want to invest billions of dollars to improve roads here, water, electricity…the state of Israel will say 'Israeli law doesn't apply here. We don't want to invest big money when we don't know where it will belong in the future'.' 'If we build more industrial zones, more healthcare, it will be for everyone,' he adds. Mr Ganz said Israel should not seek actively to govern Palestinian areas, which should be free to elect municipal leaders. 'I will not manage Ramallah,' he says. 'I don't understand the culture, the language – they have to vote for their own people.' In short, he envisages a benign future for the West Bank where, under a stable umbrella of Israeli sovereignty and economic growth, the two communities manage their own affairs. Opponents argue that this vision leaves the crucial facts unsaid. Namely, that annexation would, in practice, allow Israeli settlers to continue expanding in the fertile, open areas, while confining the Palestinians to increasingly crumbling and crowded cities. Mr Trump's failed attempt at an Israel-Palestine settlement in his first term – the so-called 'deal of the century' – was accused of risking more or less that outcome. With Mr Huckabee, arguably the most pro-Zionist ambassador in US history, recently confirmed by the Senate, but no presidential visit to Israel yet in diary, it remains to be seen whether Trump 2.0 will justify Mr Ganz's dreams. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Trump will let us annex West Bank, says Israel's settler leader
Israel Ganz exudes the quiet confidence of a man who believes his time has come. Three months ago, the US ambassador to Israel was refusing to take his calls. But now? ' Mike Huckabee [the new ambassador] of course is a great friend. I texted him last night. Most of the new administration have visited here in the last year. They're very connected to the place.' Mr Ganz, 47, is no ordinary politician. As head of the Yesha Council, he is the political leader of Israel's settler movement in the West Bank. For much of the international community, and for some in Israel, this is an illegal and, in part, racist movement that forms one of the single biggest obstacles to peace. But for Mr Ganz and his supporters, including many in the United States, it represents the justified return of the Jewish people to their ancient lands of Judea and Samaria, to the west of the Jordan River. Under Joe Biden, the US amplified its traditional official opposition to West Bank settlements; indeed, it sanctioned individual settlers accused of violence against Palestinians. With the re-election of Donald Trump, however, the atmosphere changed overnight. Not only did the 47th president cancel those sanctions within days, but his return to the White House has inspired the settler movement to believe that he will finally give Israel the diplomatic cover it needs to annex the West Bank – in other words, to establish legal sovereignty over the territory it seized during the Six-Day War of 1967. Perhaps nothing symbolises the settlers' change in fortune better than Mr Ganz's invitation to the inauguration in January. In his office, in a modern industrial estate between Jerusalem and Ramallah, there are special edition 'President Trump' bottles of wine on the shelf, a baseball bat, and a presidential seal above the keyboard on his desk, among other Americana. However, Mr Trump had four years to green-light West Bank annexation during his first term, but never did. Why will this time be different? 'He's more experienced, he's much stronger, he understands the situation better,' Mr Ganz replies. 'This term, what I see is that he wants to stabilise the world… He gets into crises and he wants to solve them. I think we have a very big opportunity here.' For much of the international community, it is precisely the expansion of settlements that is worsening the crisis. This is because it is often accompanied by violence towards local Palestinians – activists have documented an increase since Mr Trump's re-election – combined with restrictive housing rules in the military-controlled rural areas that makes life unviable for existing communities. More fundamentally, the settlements create Israeli footprints in what would otherwise be a coherent body of Arab-inhabited land, making a potential Palestinian state – still the policy of most western governments – far more difficult to envisage. Along with the plight of civilians in Gaza, the alleged injustice in the West Bank is also one of the sticking points holding up normalisation between Israel and other Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, a key goal of Mr Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. However, there are signs that, despite the situation, attitudes in the more modern-leaning sections of the Sunni Muslim world might be softening. In March, Mr Ganz led a delegation of settlers to Abu Dhabi, where he met government officials. Although, as part of the UAE, the oil-rich kingdom already signed a normalisation deal with Israel in Mr Trump's first term – the Abraham Accords – the trip still marked an unprecedented first formal visit to a Muslim country by the Yesha Council. 'I was happy to meet the leaders there,' said Mr Ganz. 'They want a better future and they are very brave. When you put hate aside you can do a lot together.' Opponents of settler expansionism, in Israel and elsewhere, would argue that 'hate' is more likely to come from the project itself, pointing to the drumbeat of violence emanating – often under the protection of the Israeli army and police – from the largely segregated Israeli communities. Only this week a Palestinian man named Wael Rarabi died after his home was set on fire during a settler attack and, according to eyewitnesses, he was then beaten by soldiers in a village north of Ramallah. Meanwhile, earlier this month The Telegraph revealed that serious attacks in the symbolic village of Susya, south of Hebron, have escalated to a rate of one every two days. Mr Ganz contests this narrative, which he says is promulgated 'by people connected to terror – and we can prove it easily'. He claims there were 6,000 'terror events' in the West Bank in the last year, 'Arabs to Jews', but 'dozens, I don't know, hundreds, Jews against Arabs'. Palestinians say the police often make it practically impossible for them to lodge formal complaints. For most, the imposition of full Israeli law, rather than the military governance currently in place in the West Bank's mainly rural Area C, would be a catastrophe for their hopes of self-government. However, Mr Ganz argues that by providing 'clarity' to the situation, it would unlock economic opportunity for both communities. 'The situation here holds everyone hostage,' he said. 'When I go to Prime Minister Netanyahu and tell him I want to invest billions of dollars to improve roads here, water, electricity… the state of Israel will say: 'Israeli law doesn't apply here. We don't want to invest big money when we don't know where it will belong in the future.'' 'If we build more industrial zones, more healthcare, it will be for everyone,' he adds. Mr Ganz said Israel should not seek actively to govern Palestinian areas, which should be free to elect municipal leaders. 'I will not manage Ramallah,' he says. 'I don't understand the culture, the language – they have to vote for their own people.' In short, he envisages a benign future for the West Bank where, under a stable umbrella of Israeli sovereignty and economic growth, the two communities manage their own affairs. Opponents argue that this vision leaves the crucial facts unsaid. Namely, that annexation would, in practice, allow Israeli settlers to continue expanding in the fertile, open areas, while confining the Palestinians to increasingly crumbling and crowded cities. Mr Trump's failed attempt at an Israel-Palestine settlement in his first term – the so-called 'deal of the century' – was accused of risking more or less that outcome. With Mr Huckabee, arguably the most pro-Zionist ambassador in US history, recently confirmed by the Senate, but no presidential visit to Israel yet in the diary, it remains to be seen whether Trump 2.0 will justify Mr Ganz's dreams.
Middle East Eye
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israeli settler leaders hail cooperation with UAE in first trip to Abu Dhabi
A group of Israeli settler leaders visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and met senior government officials earlier this week, according to Israeli media. The settler delegation discussed opportunities for economic, security, and diplomatic cooperation, Israeli news website 0404 News reported on Thursday. The delegation included Israel Ganz, chairman of the Yesha Council (an umbrella group of municipal councils of settlements in the occupied West Bank), Eliram Azoulay, Hebron Hills settlements regional council, and Yesha Council CEO Omer Rahamim. Settler leaders participated in an Iftar dinner at the official residence of Dr Ali Rashid al-Nuaimi, a senior member of the UAE National Council. Around 700,000 Israeli settlers live in roughly 300 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, all of which have been built since Israel occupied the territories in 1967. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Under international law, settlement construction in an occupied territory is illegal. Ganz hailed cooperation with the UAE as a key factor in strengthening settlement. "The visit to the UAE is a testimony to regional change and the need for new thinking,' Ganz said, according to 0404 News. 'Cooperation between nations, based on mutual respect and recognition of reality, is the way to strengthen settlement and ensure a strong future for both countries." 'Gracious hospitality' Ganz also thanked al-Nuaimi for his 'warm and personal invitation' and the 'gracious hospitality'. Azoulay described the trip as a 'significant step in strengthening settlement'. Palestinian Authority fears being sidelined in Gaza by Trump and UAE Read More » 'It is incredible to see that there are courageous leaders who want to hear firsthand about our communities, towns and the development of the West Bank,' Azoulay said, according to the Jewish Chronicle. He said he met leaders in the UAE who shared his fight against Hamas, Hezbollah, the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran. The leaders also expressed support for fighting the Palestinian Authority's education system, which 'promotes evil and hatred of Jews,' according to Azoulay. Israeli criticism of Palestinian textbooks often refers to lessons that teach and promote Palestinian statehood and patriotism.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A youth theater production rises from the ashes of the Los Angeles fires
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The day after her house burned down, Lara Ganz sent a group message to the youth theater troupe she runs: They would not let the Los Angeles firestorm stop their upcoming show. 'So many of our castmates have lost everything,' wrote Ganz, the director of youth theater at a beloved playhouse in the Pacific Palisades. 'We will continue with rehearsals. I am confident we will find a stage.' The devastating Jan. 7 fire gutted every inch of the 125-seat Pierson Playhouse, from the basement to the roof, leaving behind only a mangled steel skeleton. Many of the young actors watched it burn on live TV. About half of the show's 45 cast members, aged 8 to 17, lost their homes or can't yet return because of severe damage. Many also lost their schools to the fire. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. But the show did go on. A two-week run of the musical 'Crazy for You' opened last weekend, in a nearby school auditorium, marking a triumphant return to the stage for a community determined to see its theater rise from the ashes. Five more shows are scheduled for this weekend. The experience lifted the young performers of Theatre Palisades Youth from an unfathomable low point, teaching them the healing power of art in the face of disaster. 'The first time I felt happy after the fire was when I walked into that first rehearsal,' said Callum Ganz, 17, the director's son, who plays a tap-dancing cowboy in the show. 'When I'm singing or dancing, I forget about everything else. I don't think about the fire. All I feel is happiness.' 'It's always a shock,' he said, 'when it comes back to me and I remember, 'Oh, right. My house is gone.'' More than 6,800 homes and other structures were flattened in the Palisades fire. Places of worship, shops and schools were destroyed, along with favorite student hangouts downtown — the local skate shop, a pizza place, the Yogurt Shoppe, where the young performers would walk after shows for a celebratory treat. The idea of rebuilding is still a distant dream. The fire destroyed the theater's performance space and everything else — hundreds of costumes and shoes in the downstairs wardrobe department, vintage and new props, their piano and other musical instruments, lights and sound equipment. Parents took to social media, posting pleas for donations. They were met with an outpouring of generosity from the artistic community, stretching from Hollywood to Broadway. Emmy-award winning hairstylist Joy Zapata saw one of the posts, emailed the mother who wrote it to make sure it wasn't a scam, and then put out a call to friends in the business. 'I have done horror films with 100 extras running down the Pacific Coast Highway. But this time, the story was real, and it blew me away,' Zapata said. She held a tutorial for the cast during dress rehearsals and then returned for opening night with a team of seven Hollywood hair and makeup artists. 'I wanted these kids to walk away feeling beautiful,' Zapata said, as she curled and sprayed the hair of showgirls into upswept buns. Cowgirls got braided pigtails. A few weeks earlier, Broadway actress Kerry Butler, a Tony-nominated star of 'Beetlejuice,' had invited the kids to sing with her during a concert in Orange County, south of Los Angeles. Then, she spent a day leading them in a master class on character development and vocal technique. 'I will never forget my time with them,' Butler wrote on Instagram. 'I met people who lost their homes, schools. But they told me when they heard the theatre was gone — that was when they felt the deepest loss.' The group also received wireless mics from Guitar Center and costumes from neighboring schools. The Paul Revere Charter Middle School, for now, has become the troupe's home. 'Home' is a charged word in a community where so many have lost theirs. Yet for these young actors and their families, it fits. 'I'm learning that a home is not a physical thing. It's the people,' said Scarlett Shelton, a 16-year-old from nearby Culver City who has been part of the theater since middle school. It's the type of small-town playhouse that no longer exists in many parts of the country. Kids join young and stay until high school, often leaving with dreams of Broadway. About half of the kids in the cast lived nearby in Pacific Palisades, and the rest come from all over the Los Angeles area. On opening night in a new venue, much of the pre-show jitters and rituals felt the same. The big kids helped calm the nerves of 'the littles,' as the young actors are affectionately called. Before the show, the entire cast circled up behind the curtain and took turns giving inspirational pep talks. 'Knock their socks off!' said one child. Another stepped up to say: 'Everyone, dance the night away!' Putting on the show was not the primary goal when Ganz sent out her group text, as her own family evacuated and then learned their home was gone. 'That day of the fires, her whole life was destroyed in a few hours. But it wasn't, 'Woe is me, I lost everything,'' said choreographer Rebecca Barragan. 'She said: 'We need to have rehearsal right away and get these kids back on their feet. And let them know that life isn't over.'' The original cast of 58 kids dwindled to 45, as families scattered to new homes. Many are mired in a post-wildfire bureaucracy of insurance and government assistance and still figuring out where to go next. 'To be with the other kids and create something and have a purpose has been the most healing thing for all of us,' said Wendy Levine, whose sixth grader, Tyler, is in the show. 'It's been a light in the darkness,' said her husband, Eric Levine. The family had just finished remodeling their home and was unpacking boxes mid-morning Jan. 7, when they were ordered to evacuate. They learned that night the home was gone. Ironically, 'Crazy for You' is about a small-town theater struggling to survive, set to the music of George and Ira Gershwin. As the story goes, the townsfolk are energized by coming together to create a show after their hometown is hit with hard times. That's what real life felt like these past few weeks, said Sebastian Florido, 14, who plays the lead character and loved getting to perform one number in particular — 'I Can't Be Bothered Now,' which is about the power of song and dance to chase away bad news. 'One of the lines is, 'I'm dancing and I can't be bothered now,'' the teen said. 'It's really relatable. All this bad stuff was happening, but I'm tap dancing with my best friends. It was like a getaway to a little paradise.' ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
