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31 December 2008
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27 December 2008
Chinese Savings Helped Inflate American Bubble
Pool photo by Goh Chai Hin
American trade and budget deficits have grown worse and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Jr., with President Hu Jintao of China, has not been able to allay the problem.
21 December 2008
Learn the Sigalon way
Buzka - Sigalon - Everything is there
Buzka is a social web application that helps you share, save and organize all your favorites on the web with friends. Sharing with Buzka is so easy all you need is one button! We think that favorites are important. Sharing them with friends is a fun and rewarding way to express our personality and expertise. However, emailing links is disorganized and browser favorites are too hard to share. So we created Buzka as a better way to share and save our favorites with friends. We hope you'll enjoy using Buzka because good things are worth sharing.What is Buzka?
Why Use Buzka?
16 December 2008
The 25 Big Losers
The Worst Investments of 2008
This has been a punishing year for nearly all investors.
The S&P 500, the broad U.S. stock index, has tumbled more than 38% since the start of the year, and even so-called safe investments, such as municipal and corporate bonds, have fared poorly. But amid all these losses, some investments stand out for their terrible performance.
This slide show features 25 of the very worst choices investors could have made in 2008. They range from whole industries to individual companies. Some problems might have been easy to foresee: Newspaper companies and financial stocks already had suffered through a rocky 2007. Others were more unexpected, such as problems with auction-rate securities and the wild fluctuations of energy stocks.
But all of these investments were hit extra hard by the economic slowdown and credit crunch, and they face another tough year unless the economic and financial outlook improves soon.
2008 stock performance quoted is through Dec. 9.
12 December 2008
Une petite histoire bien gratinée à lire en imaginant la scène !!!!
NOËL - Le repas de famille.
La famille au grand complet est réunie pour le repas avant la messe de minuit.
La petite fille de 10 ans ne mange pas beaucoup, et elle garde le nez dans son assiette ....
Au bout d'un moment, elle dit:
- J'ai quelque chose à vous annoncer.
Le silence se fait et tous écoutent
- Je ne suis plus vierge, et elle se met à pleurer.
De nouveau un long silence .... et puis ....
Le père s'adresse à sa femme:
- C'est de ta faute, toujours habillée et maquillée comme une pute, tu crois que tu es un exemple pour ta fille ? Toujours à te vautrer sur le canapé, la chatte à l'air ... C'est lamentable, c'est comme ça que les problèmes arrivent !
À son tour, la femme s'adresse à son mari :
- Et toi, tu crois que tu es un exemple ?
À gaspiller ta paie avec des pétasses qui viennent parfois te raccompagner jusque devant la maison, tu crois que tu es un exemple pour ta fille de 10 ans ?
Et le père de continuer:
- Et sa grande sœur, cette bonne à rien, avec son copain chevelu et drogué, toujours en train de se tripoter et de baiser dans tous les recoins de la maison, tu crois que c'est un exemple ? Et ça continue comme ça ... tout le monde y a droit.
La grand-mère prend calmement sa petite fille par les épaules pour la consoler et lui demande:
- Alors ma petite fille, comment cela est-il arrivé ?
Et la petite de répondre en étouffant ses sanglots:
- C'est le curé ...
La grand-mère:
- Comment ça le curé ?
- Le curé a choisi une autre fille pour faire la Vierge dans la Crèche de Noël.
06 December 2008
The 5 best jobs Obama has yet to fill
Here's a look at the five best jobs left to be doled out by Obama. There isn't a lot here that would usually make big headlines, but they are jobs that could get a boost in stature given the economic meltdown and Obama's personal priorities.
QD Vision: A Quantum Leap in Lighting and Display Technology
Making an Immediate Impact on Consumer Electronics
The high efficiency, color purity, materials stability and reliability, and design flexibility of the Quantum Light product platform make it ideal for multiple consumer electronics applications. It will be used in next-generation user interfaces in mobile phones, mobile devices and personal computers, as well as in flat panel televisions. These initial applications alone represent an addressable market of more than $1 billion by 2012 for quantum dot-based components.
Future applications for QD Vision technology include architectural lighting and general white lighting, digital signage and logos, and solar cells, as well as emitters and detectors for national security applications.
Retirement Dinner
Retirement Dinner
A priest was being honoured at his retirement dinner after 25 years in the parish. A leading local politician and member of the congregation was chosen to make the presentation and to give a little speech at the dinner. However, he was delayed, so the priest decided to say his own few words while they waited . . .
'I got my first impression of the parish from the first confession I heard here. I thought I had been assigned to a terrible place. The very first person who entered my confessional told me he had stolen a television set and, when questioned by the police, was able to lie his way out of it. He had stolen money from his parents, embezzled from his employer, had an affair with his boss's wife, and taken illegal drugs. I was appalled. But as the days went on I learned that my people were not all like that and I had, indeed, come to a fine parish full of good and loving people.'
Just as the priest finished his talk, the politician arrived full of apologies at being late. He immediately began to make the presentation and gave his talk . . .
'I'll never forget the first day our parish priest arrived,' said the politician. 'In fact, I had the honour of being the first person to go to him for confession.'
Moral: Never, Never, Never Be Late
------------------------------------------
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems,
but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
03 December 2008
Fisker Automotive
Startup Fisker Automotive has unveiled the first production version of its plug-in hybrid, the Karma, and said the car would be on display at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Not much has changed from the prototypes seen since last year's event; according to the company, external design tweaks — such as the grill, now larger at the outside corners — have been minor. A bigger change, however, can be found in the base price, which is now set at $87,900, up from the $80,000 price tag touted at last year's show.
Fisker last month finalized plans for Valmet Automotive of Finland to assemble the Karma when it reaches full-scale production. Today the Irvine, Calif.-based startup slightly narrowed its window for entering the next phase, delivery to North American showrooms, saying it expects to begin that in November of 2009, compared with the fourth-quarter time line laid out in previous announcements.
02 December 2008
01 December 2008
Wholesome Banana Chocolate Breakfast Bars
- 200 grams (2 cups) rolled oats or mixed rolled grains
- 60 grams (2/3 cup) ground almonds, a.k.a. almond meal
- 30 grams (1/3 cup) dried, unsweetened grated coconut
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 120 grams (4 1/4 ounces) good-quality bittersweet chocolate
- 4 very ripe, medium bananas, about 400 grams (14 ounces) when peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) whole almond butter (substitute olive oil, or slightly warmed coconut oil)
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a medium baking dish with vegetable oil.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oats, ground almonds, coconut, and salt. Set aside. Chop the chocolate so the largest pieces are about the size of a chocolate chip. Set aside.
In another medium mixing bowl, combine the bananas, vanilla, and almond butter, and mash thoroughly using a potato masher. Add the oats mixture and mix well. Fold the chocolate in gently.
Pour into the prepared baking dish, level the surface, and slip into the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, until the top is set and golden-brown. Let cool completely before slicing into bars. If you're not serving all the bars at once, I suggest you cut out only what you need. Cover the rest with foil and keep at room temperature.
Adapted by Clotilde from Nikki's cookies on Heidi's 101 Cookbooks.
Ginkgo Biloba - A most remarkable tree
Ginkgos are very large trees, normally reaching a height of 20–35 m (66-115 feet), with some specimens in China being over 50 m (164 feet). The tree has an angular crown and long, somewhat erratic branches, and is usually deep rooted and resistant to wind and snow damage. Young trees are often tall and slender, and sparsely branched; the crown becomes broader as the tree ages. During autumn, the leaves turn a bright yellow, then fall, sometimes within a short space of time (1–15 days). A combination of resistance to disease, insect-resistant wood and the ability to form aerial roots and sprouts makes ginkgos very long-lived, with some specimens claimed to be more than 2,500 years old: One of the oldest Ginkgo trees is in Shanghai, within the Yuyuan Garden; it is four centuries old. A 3,000 year-old ginkgo has been reported in Shandong province in China.
The Ginkgo is a living fossil, with fossils recognisably related to modern Ginkgo from the Permian, dating back 270 million years. They diversified and spread throughout Laurasia during the middle Jurassic and Cretaceous, but became much rarer thereafter. By the Paleocene, Ginkgo adiantoides was the only Ginkgo species left in the Northern Hemisphere (but see below), while a markedly different (and poorly documented) form persisted in the Southern Hemisphere. At the end of the Pliocene, Ginkgo fossils disappeared from the fossil record everywhere except in a small area of central China where the modern species survived. It is doubtful whether the Northern Hemisphere fossil species of Ginkgo can be reliably distinguished; given the slow pace of evolution in the genus, there may have been only two in total; what is today called G. biloba (including G. adiantoides), and G. gardneri from the Paleocene of Scotland.
Extreme examples of the Ginkgo's tenacity may be seen in Hiroshima, Japan, where four trees growing between 1–2 km from the 1945 atom bomb explosion were among the few living things in the area to survive the blast (photos & details). While almost all other plants (and animals) in the area were destroyed, the ginkgos, though charred, survived and were soon healthy again. The trees are alive to this day.
Wikipedia
The Ginkgo is a living fossil, with fossils recognisably related to modern Ginkgo from the Permian, dating back 270 million years. They diversified and spread throughout Laurasia during the middle Jurassic and Cretaceous, but became much rarer thereafter. By the Paleocene, Ginkgo adiantoides was the only Ginkgo species left in the Northern Hemisphere (but see below), while a markedly different (and poorly documented) form persisted in the Southern Hemisphere. At the end of the Pliocene, Ginkgo fossils disappeared from the fossil record everywhere except in a small area of central China where the modern species survived. It is doubtful whether the Northern Hemisphere fossil species of Ginkgo can be reliably distinguished; given the slow pace of evolution in the genus, there may have been only two in total; what is today called G. biloba (including G. adiantoides), and G. gardneri from the Paleocene of Scotland.
Extreme examples of the Ginkgo's tenacity may be seen in Hiroshima, Japan, where four trees growing between 1–2 km from the 1945 atom bomb explosion were among the few living things in the area to survive the blast (photos & details). While almost all other plants (and animals) in the area were destroyed, the ginkgos, though charred, survived and were soon healthy again. The trees are alive to this day.
Wikipedia
- 1 Description
- 2 Distribution and habitat
- 3 Taxonomy and naming
- 4 Prehistory
- 5 Cultivation and uses
- 6 See also
- 7 References
- 8 External links
Ginkgo Biloba - A most remarkable tree
Ginkgos are very large trees, normally reaching a height of 20–35 m (66-115 feet), with some specimens in China being over 50 m (164 feet). The tree has an angular crown and long, somewhat erratic branches, and is usually deep rooted and resistant to wind and snow damage. Young trees are often tall and slender, and sparsely branched; the crown becomes broader as the tree ages. During autumn, the leaves turn a bright yellow, then fall, sometimes within a short space of time (1–15 days). A combination of resistance to disease, insect-resistant wood and the ability to form aerial roots and sprouts makes ginkgos very long-lived, with some specimens claimed to be more than 2,500 years old: One of the oldest Ginkgo trees is in Shanghai, within the Yuyuan Garden; it is four centuries old. A 3,000 year-old ginkgo has been reported in Shandong province in China.
The Ginkgo is a living fossil, with fossils recognisably related to modern Ginkgo from the Permian, dating back 270 million years. They diversified and spread throughout Laurasia during the middle Jurassic and Cretaceous, but became much rarer thereafter. By the Paleocene, Ginkgo adiantoides was the only Ginkgo species left in the Northern Hemisphere (but see below), while a markedly different (and poorly documented) form persisted in the Southern Hemisphere. At the end of the Pliocene, Ginkgo fossils disappeared from the fossil record everywhere except in a small area of central China where the modern species survived. It is doubtful whether the Northern Hemisphere fossil species of Ginkgo can be reliably distinguished; given the slow pace of evolution in the genus, there may have been only two in total; what is today called G. biloba (including G. adiantoides), and G. gardneri from the Paleocene of Scotland.
Extreme examples of the Ginkgo's tenacity may be seen in Hiroshima, Japan, where four trees growing between 1–2 km from the 1945 atom bomb explosion were among the few living things in the area to survive the blast (photos & details). While almost all other plants (and animals) in the area were destroyed, the ginkgos, though charred, survived and were soon healthy again. The trees are alive to this day.
Wikipedia
Steak bardé à la purée de pommes de terre et aux haricots verts
Love it! - Want to share?
Ingrédients pour 4 personnes:
4 tournedos de bœuf dans le filet (d'environ 200g)
4 tranches de bacon
Sel et poivre du moulin
½ cuill. à soupe de beurre
½ cuill. à soupe d'huile
150 ml de vin blanc sec
1 cuill. à soupe de poivre vert en bocal
500 g de haricots verts
1 kg de pommes de terre farineuses
125 ml de lait
75 g de crème fraîche
40 g de beurre
Une pincée de noix de muscade
2 cuill. à soupe de persil ciselé
Steak bardé à la purée de pommes de terre et aux haricots verts
Love it! - Want to share?
Ingrédients pour 4 personnes:
4 tournedos de bœuf dans le filet (d'environ 200g)
4 tranches de bacon
Sel et poivre du moulin
½ cuill. à soupe de beurre
½ cuill. à soupe d'huile
150 ml de vin blanc sec
1 cuill. à soupe de poivre vert en bocal
500 g de haricots verts
1 kg de pommes de terre farineuses
125 ml de lait
75 g de crème fraîche
40 g de beurre
Une pincée de noix de muscade
2 cuill. à soupe de persil ciselé
Préparation de la recette
Recoupez les tranches de bacon puis bardez-en les tournedos, fixez avec de la ficelle de cuisine.
Épluchez les pommes de terre, lavez-les puis faites-les cuire environ 25 minutes à l'eau bouillante salée.
Égouttez-les puis passez-les au presse-purée.
Mélangez les pommes de terre avec le lait, la crème fraîche et le beurre, salez, poivrez puis ajoutez la noix de muscade et incorporez finalement le persil.
Lavez les haricots et faites-les cuire environ 10 minutes à l'eau bouillante salée.
Faites chauffer la ½ cuillère à soupe de beurre et la ½ cuillère à soupe d'huile dans une poêle puis faites-y revenir les tournedos à feu vif pendant environ 1 minute sur chaque face.
Réduisez le feu et laissez cuire encore 2 à 4 minutes sur chaque face (selon la cuisson souhaitée : saignant, à point ou bien cuit).
Salez, poivrez, retirez du feu, enveloppez les tournedos dans du papier d'aluminium et réservez-les au chaud.
Jetez le gras de cuisson, augmentez le feu, déglacez les sucs de cuisson avec le vin, ajoutez le poivre vert, laissez réduire puis salez.
Au moment de servir, présentez les tournedos avec la purée de pommes de terre et les haricots verts sur des assiettes, arrosez de sauce au poivre vert.
30 November 2008
Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization
Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization
by Lester R. Brown
In this greatly revised edition, Brown outlines a survival strategy for our early twenty-first century civilization. The scale and complexity of the issues facing our fast-forward world have no precedent. Brown outlines an ambitious plan that includes cutting carbon emissions 80 percent by 2020, achievable with existing technologies. The choice is yours and mine.
Released 2008
Ceviche - a Sigalon favorite
Wikipedia Ceviche Recipes
Chilean Ceviche
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound halibut or sea bass fillet
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
1 whole grapefruit
1/2 teaspoon very finely minced garlic
2 tablespoons very finely minced red chiles
1 tablespoon very finely minced green chiles
1 packed tablespoon chiffonade of fresh mint
2 packed tablespoons chiffonade of cilantro
Garnish: Hot sauce, extra virgin olive oil
PREPARATION:
1. Cut the fish into strips 1 1/2 inches long by 1/4 inch wide. Soak the strips in lightly salted water for 1 hour to tenderize. Drain well.
2. Put the fish in a bowl and fold in the lime juice carefully. Add the salt, garlic, and aji and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Just before serving, mix in the parsley, cilantro, and onion.
Nyttan med Kon
Uppsatsen nedan är skriven av en okänd mellanstadieelev i Sverige.
Nyttan med Kon
Kon är ett husdjur... Men den finns också utanför huset. Och den lever ofta på landet, men den kommer också in till staden, men bara när den skall dö. Men det bestämmer den inte själv.
Kon har sju sidor... Den översta sidan - Den nedersta sidan - Den främre sidan - Den bakre sidan - Den ena sidan - Den andra sidan - Och den invändiga sidan.
På den främsta sidan sitter huvudet... Och det är för att hornen skall ha något att sitta fast på. Hornen är av horn och dom är bara till prydnad. Dom kan inte röra på sig, men det kan öronen. Dom sitter på sidan av hornen. Kon har två hål framme i huvudet. Dom kallas ko-ögon. Kons mun kallas mule. Det är nog för att den säger mu.
På den bakersta sidan sitter svansen... Den använder den för att jaga bort flugor med, så att dom inte ramlar ned i mjölken och drunknar.
På den översta sidan - Och den ena sidan - Och den andra sidan, är det bara hår.. Det heter ko-hår och har alltid samma färg som kon. Färgen på kon heter kulör.
Den nedersta sidan är den viktigaste för där hänger mjölken. Och när mjölkerskan öppnar kranarna så rinner mjölken ut. När det åskar så blir mjölken sur... men hur den blir det har jag inte lärt mig ännu.
Kon har fyraben... Dom heter ko-ben. Dom kan också användas till att dra ut spikar med.
Kon äter inte så mycket, men när den gör det äter den alltid två gånger. Dom feta korna ger helmjölk. När kon är dålig i magen ger den ost. I osten är det hål. Men hur den gör hålen har jag inte heller lärt mig ännu.
Kon har gott luktsinne... Vi kan känna lukten av den på långt håll. Kons valpar heter kalvar. Kalvens pappa heter tjur, och det gör kons man också. Tjuren ger inte mjölk och är därför inte ett däggdjur.
Den som kommer och hämtar kon när den blir gammal heter ko-fångare. Den sitter ofta framme på bilar. Så blir kon slaktad, man häller mjölken i tetror som vi kan köpa i affären. Kons fyra ben skickas till snickaren. Det kallas återanvändning.
Som man kan se är kon ett nyttigt djur. Och därför gillar jag kon väldigt mycket.
Lärarens kommentar: Jag har aldrig läst något liknande!
28 November 2008
27 November 2008
26 November 2008
HDTV Buying Guide
Here is your complete guide to buying and owning a new HDTV this holiday season and beyond.
Meet the Next Wave of Awesome Cell Phones
Next year is shaping up to be another banner year for cool cell phones. Here's a look at what you can expect in 2009.
Tesla 1.5 test drive
The Tesla Roadster is simple to drive, but very fast, with smoothly delivered torque.
Every automotive journalist who drives a Tesla comes away impressedwith the car's power, and I can say the same after taking the car outon a quick drive near the company's Menlo Park, Calif., Tesla store(they don't call it a showroom or dealership).In Performance mode, the car exhibits powerful and smoothtorque, even at speed. I had this little open top roadster at 65 mph onthe freeway, then mashed the accelerator (don't call it a gas pedal)and got another powerful push in the back that sent the car quickly upto 90. The Tesla's push is unique among sports cars though. Where ahigh-stepper such as the BMW M3makes you feel a kick in the back with every gear shift, the Tesladelivers a strong, steady push when you put your foot down on thepedal.
Aubry prend la tête du PS
Réuni à la Mutualité à Paris, le conseil national du partisocialiste a validé mardi soir les résultats du scrutin de vendredi etdésigné Martine Aubry comme nouveau premier secrétaire. Sansreconnaître sa défaite, Ségolène Royal appelle ses partisans à resterau PS.
Après quatre jours dequerelles qui ont plongé le Parti socialiste dans l'une des pirescrises de son histoire, Martine Aubry a été officiellement élue auposte de premier secrétaire.
Martine Aubry, lundi 24 novembre à la mairie deLille. Mardi soir, à la Mutualité, elle s'est déclarée "fière dedevenir la première femme premier secrétaire du parti socialiste".
L'ancienne ministre de l'Emploi, symbole de la gauche plurielle etdes 35 heures, l'emporte finalement de 102 voix sur Ségolène Royal, quia promis de poursuivre, de l'intérieur, la "bataille" de la rénovation.
Les deux rivales se sont embrassées après l'annonce de la validationde la victoire de la maire de Lille par le Conseil national, le "Parlement" du parti, réuni dans la salle de La Mutualité à Paris.
25 November 2008
Jamie Oliver
Photo by: David Loftus JamieOliver grew up in his parents' country pub in Essex, England, where hestarted cooking at the age of eight and has since worked with some ofthe world's top chefs. After attending catering college and studying inFrance, Jamie worked at The Neal Street Restaurant in London as thepastry chef before joining the staff of London's famed River Café,where he worked for three and a half years before filming his firsttelevision program, The Naked Chef about a young Brit who stripped foodto its bare essentials.
Jamie has starred in five television series and today owns Fifteenand Jamie's Italian, two restaurants with multiple locations in Londonand elsewhere around the world. He has also written a number oftop-selling cookbooks. Jamie's Fifteen Foundation provides training andmentoring for disadvantaged young people and now has programs andrestaurants in London, Cornwall, Amsterdam, and Melbourne.
Jamie lives in London with his wife, Jools, and their daughters, Poppy and Daisy.
L'ultimatum de Ségolène Royal à Martine Aubry
C'est toujours l'imbroglio sur l'élection du premier secrétaire. Lacommission de récolement doit livrer ses conclusions ce mardi à 18h.L'ex candidate à la présidentielle menace de saisir la justice etd'appeler à manifester devant Solferino. Le camp Aubry dénonce un"putsch médiatique".
More ...24 November 2008
23 November 2008
Yahoo! Glue
Yahoo! Glue - Get great images, videos, articles, and more all on one page. Glue topic pages help you get to all the information you want with just one click.
Maps Give Glimpse Of How The World Really Looks
The world is not flat. You knew that — but if you believemost maps of the world, we live on a neat, flat rectangle. Greenland?Huge. South America? Average. None of that is true, of course.It's the consequence of mapping a spherical globe onto a flat plane,and it's also a classic example of the way maps can be misleading.
More ...
Facebook activity visually and geographically
This video showcases a Hackathon project that visualizes all the data Facebook receives.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=37403547074&ref=nf
22 November 2008
360cities.net - IMPRESSIVE
"Bringing the world to a wide audience in a new way, 360cities.netis a guide that lets you step inside. We bring the full spectrum ofhigh-resolution immersive, virtual reality experience to the web. 360Cities brings you closer to the reality of a place than has ever beenpossible before and gives businesses the power to reach out and invitevisitors in. Whether doing travel research or simply exploring what'snew on one of our many city sites, we're sure you'll find something ofinterest on 360 Cities.
360 Cities is dedicated topromoting geo-mapped, VR panorama photography and VR photographersaround the world. We are a unique global network of members who arespecialists in VR photography and our platform is a highly developed,feature-rich system designed to display the finest quality panoramas toan audience of casual internet browsers, photography enthusiasts,tourists, and those involved in the tourist industry. If you'd like tojoin 360 Cities, please click here.
360 Cities is a limited company registered in the Netherlands with offices in Prague."
20 November 2008
The Sustainable Seafood Dilemma
About Chocolate & Zucchini
Chocolate & Zucchini is a blog written by Clotilde Dusoulier, a 24 25 26 27 2829-year-old Parisian woman who lives in Montmartre and shares herpassion for all things food-related -- thoughts, recipes, musings,cookbook acquisitions, quirky ingredients, nifty tools, restaurantexperiences, ideas, and inspirations.
The Sustainable Seafood Dilemma
I blame it all on my nephew.
Around the time that he was born, earlier this year, something clicked and I decided to take the whole sustainable seafoodthing seriously: if he and his unborn cousins are to enjoy a long lifefull of lobster tails and skate wings, it is up to me to make informedand responsible choices now.
I had heard of the depletion of the oceans before, but Idon't think I had quite realized how dire the situation is: fishpopulations the world over are threatened by overfishing,overconsumption, pollution, and fishing techniques that wreak havoc inlocal ecosystems. If we don't change our ways fast, major fish speciesmay become extinct as early as 2050.
Like all environmental problems, this is an abysmally complexone, with multitudinous causes, implications, side effects, andcollateral damages. And if you factor in other, equally pressingconcerns, such as levels of mercury, PCB, and other contaminants, aswell as the need to favor locally sourced ingredients, it all becomesrather overwhelming, befuddling, discouraging, check all that apply.Not everyone aspires to become an expert in marine matters, and noteveryone has the time or inclination to decode what the experts aresaying.
We just want to eat fish and be merry.
It is perhaps tempting then to sit on one's hands and say, well, I'm just the one consumer,I can't change the world, and that slab of red tuna on the fish stallor on the menu is already out of the water anyway, so I might as welleat it.
But no; it is best to let that slab of red tuna sit there, uneaten,for it is very much a chicken-or-egg (or rather, a fish-or-roe) matter.As much as we would want them to, restaurants and fish markets aren'tin the business of saving the planet; they're in the business of making their customers happy.
And if what makes you happy is to feel sure that the fish you buy has been fished or farmed sustainably-- that is to say, in a way that ensures that the fish population willbe maintained or increased, and that the ecosystem it belongs to isprotected -- then it will become financially profitable for fishvendors and restaurateurs to care.
So, what to do, what to do?
First of all, you can get a pocket seafood guidethat indicates the species you can eat, and those that you shouldavoid; the list varies depending on the region of the world where youlive, and where the fish you can buy comes from. These guidelines arelikely to change over time as seafood stocks evolve, so it's a goodidea to get the freshest edition available.
The WWF links to seafood guides for European countries, the Monteray Bay Aquarium offers several for the United States, and this site lists a few more.
I've printed a copy of the French version for my purse, to use at the restaurant and at the poissonnerie, and I keep another one on the fridge, to use as a cheat sheet when I'm considering recipes.
(In passing, one feature that would be handy to find in such guides is a substitution chartthat would say, "If your recipe calls for [species to avoid], considerusing [sustainable alternative] instead." The Environmental DefenseFund offers this seafood selector, but I've yet to see something similar for the French cook.)
The pocket guide is a good start but, as a black-and-white view of a situation that has many shades of grey, it is not the magic shieldone could hope for. Fish comes in so many varieties and under so manydifferent names that the list cannot possibly be exhaustive, andimprecise labelling -- when it is not intentional mislabelling -- is a frequent hurdle on the responsible eater's path.
The only option then is to ask questions, whether at the fish counter or at the restaurant: what kind of fish is it, where does it come from, how was it farmed/caught?
Admittedly, this is not the easiest thing to do -- especially in France, where vendors and waiters are known to get defensive, and where well-intentioned curiosity is occasionally met with a take-it-or-leave-it-mademoiselleattitude. The trick is to adopt just the right tone so as not to soundhigh-and-mighty, yet make it clear how important it is to you.
One can only hope that, if enough consumers show concern, fish vendors and restaurant owners will be just as inquisitive with their suppliers -- if only to get us to shut up.
Lastly, an important thing we can all do is spread the word.A small portion of the public is even aware that there is a problem inthe first place and, as eager cooks, as passionate eaters, we are in aposition to alert and inform our friends, family, coworkers, and, if wehappen to run a food blog*, our readers. I'm not suggesting the soapboxapproach -- has that ever worked for anyone? -- but rather gentlenudges and offhand remarks, at the restaurant and at the shop, in thekitchen and at the table.
What about you? How do you deal with the sustainable seafooddilemma? Do you have resources, strategies, or thoughts to share on howto make better choices?
Recommended reading and resources:
- A series of posts written by an Australian marine ecologist.
- Lia's post on sourcing sustainable seafood.
- A Chef's Guide to Sourcing Sustainable Seafood, available for download from Chefs Collaborative.
- An online compilation of international seafood guides.
- The Monteray Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch.
- The Oceans Today on the Marine Stewardship Council's website.
- The Marine Conservation Society's FishOnline website.
- The Environmental Defense Fund's seafood selector.
* If you have a food blog, consider participating in the upcoming edition of Teach a Man to Fish this October. Teach a Man to Fish is a food blogging event that promotes sustainable seafood; don't miss the wrap-up of last year's edition.
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Bar grillé au fenouil et flambé au Pastis
 | D'élevage ou Sauvage tu seras selon le cas : un Beau Bar ou un Loup-Bar 
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Wholesome Banana Chocolate Breakfast Bars
Chocolate & Zucchini
Wholesome Banana Chocolate Breakfast Bars
When Heidi posted about her friend Nikki's healthful cookies a couple of months ago, my curiosity was piqued, and the recipe firmly affixed to my mind's corkboard*.
And as soon as I had a few browning bananas on hand -- somemight accuse me of letting them overripen on purpose, but that's justlibel and they'll be hearing from my attorney -- I knew just how to putthem to use.
I made a few modifications to the original recipe: 1- I usedalmond butter rather than coconut oil, which I didn't have. 2- Idecreased the amount of chocolate -- completely out of character, Iknow, but I stopped when the chocolate-to-batter ratio felt right tome. 3- I didn't add the cinnamon because I'm not very fond of thebanana-cinnamon pairing. 4- I also omitted the baking powder: there isvirtually no gluten in the recipe**, so it didn't seem like a leavenerwould have much effect.
Oh, and instead of shaping bite-size cookies from the batter, Isimply poured and baked the whole thing in a rectangular dish, and cutit into squareish bars after the fact: it was just easier, andbecause I knew we'd need a few days to eat our way through them and thefat content in the recipe was not very high, cutting servings as wewent would help keep the texture fresh and moist.
And I'm happy to report it was a smashing success: these vegan oatmeal bars(or cookies) call for no sugar, and rely instead on the sweeteningpower of mashed bananas, and such flavor-bolstering ingredients as darkchocolate and grated coconut. The result is a discreetly sweet, buthighly tasty confection that feels like a treat, but can be eaten forbreakfast (it pairs well with clementines) without getting the dreadedsugar crash in mid-morning.
~~~
* Actually, I'm lying about the corkboard: to file and organize my digital notes, lists, and recipes, I use this handy Notebook tool for Mac OS X.
** Pure oats don't contain gluten, but there can be a smidgen incommercial oats that are processed along with other grains. If youcan't have gluten at all, make sure the oats you use are labeled asgluten-free.
Selma Lagerlöf 1858 - 1940
Författarinnan Selma Lagerlöf uppmärksammas särskilt i Sveriges Radiounder denna vecka i november då det är 150 år sedan hon föddes.
Reportage,musik, radioteater med mycket mera - ett flertal redaktioner har Selmasom tema och här kan du läsa om vad som händer i Sveriges Radio.
Sveriges Radio
TRUTHDIG
Drilling beneath the headlines DAILY.
>> TRUTHDIG ORIGINAL REPORTS:
Robert Scheer on Obama's Best Bet for Treasury
"Change We Can Bank On"-- This is not change we can believe in. Not if Robert Rubin or hisprotégé, Lawrence Summers, get to call the shots on the economy inPresident-elect Barack Obama's incoming administration.
Chris Hedges on War and American Empire
"America's Wars of Self-Destruction"-- War is a poison. It is a poison that nations and groups must attimes ingest to ensure their survival. But, like any poison, it cankill you just as surely as the disease it is meant to eradicate.
The National Prop. 8 Protests in Pictures
"Anti-Prop. 8 Protests Around the Country"-- On Saturday, people took to the streets all around the U.S. toprotest the passage of California's Proposition 8 and to show theirsupport for same-sex marriage. We've compiled 40 of our favorite photosfrom Spokane to Houston to New York City.
Andrew Gumbel Responds to Gore Vidal
"A Rejoinder to Gore Vidal"-- Let me describe what happened in my interview with Gore Vidal forVanity Fair's Spanish edition and why I felt compelled to report whatwas, in my experience, the single most shockingly racist line of the2008 presidential election campaign.
>> SPECIAL REPORTS:
Robert Fisk on the War in Afghanistan"No End to the Savagery in Afghanistan"-- Back in Afghanistan, the mind turns to the small matter of savagery.Not the routine cruelty of war, but the deliberate inhumanity withwhich we behave.
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