Daily Roundup: November 16, 2009

Bait and Switch: After Chrysler took (and kept) $15.3 billion in taxpayer money for the purpose of producing electric vehicles, it scrapped its program to produce electric vehicles. About.com Bye-Bye Bluefin: A 40 percent decrease in bluefin tuna fishing was agreed upon in a deal brokered in Brazil. The move relieved Japan, which feared a complete trade ban, but upset environmentalists, who maintain that a complete trade ban is necessary to prevent the species from being fished to extinction.

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Daily Roundup: November 16, 2009

 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Tips

image from riptheskull Thanksgiving is technically about giving thanks and spending time with loved ones, but it’s really just an excuse to eat copious amounts of delicious food- depending on what you consider delicious. A holiday nicknamed “turkey day” certainly does not bode well for vegans and vegetarians, especially those spending the day in a crowd of meat-eaters. Annoying vegetarian jokes aside ( snappy comebacks here ), the day’s emphasis on poultry heightens the omnivore/herbivore rift

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Vegetarian Thanksgiving Tips

 Chocolate of the Week: The Raleigh Bar

A full bar of chocolate can be quite hazardous.  Shard by shard, they tend to disappear.  And so, while perusing the specialty chocolate section, as I always do when there is one, I was drawn to the Raleigh Bar, a mere two inches in length (stocking stuffer?) and just three dollars. Its creator is David Briggs of Xocolatl de David in Portland, Oregon.  Briggs, once the sous chef at the Park Kitchen in Portland, keeps his culinary skills fresh by incorporating savory flavors into his chocolate bars.  There’s the bar with Piment d’Espellete (a chili pepper from the Basque region), fried Marcona almonds and smoky paprika in the Almond and Pimenton bar, and a dark chocolate truffle filled with blue cheese. But the Raleigh bar is less molecular gastronomy and more common sense.  Few would argue that salted caramel and pecan chocolate nougat aren’t excellent partners.  The caramel truly is salty – bits of fleur de sel linger on your tongue – but with the sweet nougat and slightly bitter edge of the 72% chocolate holding the whole thing together, it’s a good thing the bar is so small.  Oh, and there’s also a bacon caramel version.

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Chocolate of the Week: The Raleigh Bar

 Genetically engineered heavy metal fans

The wastewater released from industry often contains high levels of toxic heavy metals, which can kill organisms, damage ecosystems, and accumulate in the foodchain. Electroplating, lead smelting, mining, and countless other processes produce enormous volumes of such wastewater. In a perfect world, remediation would be powered by a renewable energy supply, there would be no solid waste to dispose of, and the heavy metal contaminants could be recycled back into the industrial process with minimal losses.

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Genetically engineered heavy metal fans

 Obama Nominates Pesticide Lobbyist as Chief Agricultural Negotiator

Haven’t heard of Islam Siddiqui?  You should know him.  The Obama administration preferred if you didn’t, but you should know him.  Why?  Because he may soon have the power to directly influence the food you eat. President Obama recently nominated Islam Siddiqui to the role of Chief Agricultural Negotiator at the Trade Office.  He will be charged to lead an organization which represents our agricultural interests both here and abroad.  The problem is, Islam Siddiqui is a former pesticide lobbyist for CorpLife.  He is the same guy who openly chided Michelle Obama for not using “crop protection” (a.k.a.

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Obama Nominates Pesticide Lobbyist as Chief Agricultural Negotiator

 What to Wear to Your Next Dinner Party

It’s one of those simple ideas you wish you’d come up with yourself.  They may not be wearable and they may not be cheap (62 euros plus shipping), but bread shoes are selling like crazy.  Several of the styles offered at dadadastudio.com , a creative photography site, are already sold out. There’s no indication of the freshness or origin of the bread, but as they’ll be more of a conversation piece than anything, it probably doesn’t matter. Possibly Related Posts: Macarons are the new cupcakes The Importance of Pie Crust Remedies for Your Butternut Squash Addiction Eating Local in the Northwest 10 Fall Dishes We Cant Wait For

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What to Wear to Your Next Dinner Party

 Pork Lunch Bag

When I was a little girl, I sported a metal Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox with matching thermos (you know the one).  It was my pride and joy.  I took it with me everywhere .  Even back then, everything in my young life related to food. As an adult, carrying a Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox Circa 1981, to work might not go over too well.  Instead, this nifty Pork Lunch Bag serves as a good alternative.  There’s no matching thermos, but who cares, I’ll be too busy packing up homemade pulled pork sandwiches for lunch. Source:  Herobags Possibly Related Posts: Sci-Fi Toaster Perfect Scrambled Eggs 5 Ways to Get Out of a Food Rut Friday Fun Links The Government Wants to Help You Store More Bacon

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Pork Lunch Bag

 Double Glouchester, Cheddar’s Aristocratic Relative

Judging by the color, Double Gloucester (GLOSS-ter) could be just another cheddar.  Its flavor, however is all its own.  It’s rich, nutty, and smooth, and surprisingly creamy for all its firmness. The semi-hard, cheddar-style cheese has been made in Gloucestershire, England since the 16th century, once only made with milk from the (now almost extinct) Gloucester cow.  Made from the whole milk and cream of two milkings, it is then allowed to age for six to nine months.  Single Gloucester is also made, and is lighter and more crumbly than Double as it is made with mostly skimmed milk.  Both types are made in round shapes, though rounds of Double are larger. Double Gloucester also has the honor of being the cheese used in the Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling and Wake on Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire.  Competitors chase a wheel of cheese down the hillside.  Catching the 80-pound round is nearly impossible, though, as the cheese can move up to 70 mile per hour down the hill

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Double Glouchester, Cheddar’s Aristocratic Relative

 Magic Mushrooms

When you think of MSG, greasy Chinese take out might come to mind.  As an artificial flavor enhancer, it seems to make everything in its path taste unnaturally good, but unfortunately, is not necessarily good for you. In fact, artificial monosodium glutamate in large quantities has been linked to health issues such as brain damage and endocrine disorders.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have a natural and safe source of MSG?  Look no further.  Mushrooms are not only praised for their rich, meaty flavor, but also have a high content of free amino acids.  One in particular, glutamic acid, is a concentrated natural source of monosodium glutamate.  Go figure

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Magic Mushrooms

 Berlin Wall falls in Australia

Twenty years ago today, my girlfriend (now my wife) and I lay on a bed in a cramped backpackers’ hostel in the Katherine Gorge National Park (now Nitmiluk), in Australia’s Northern Territory, watching news of the fall of the Berlin Wall (now rubble). Outside insects were buzzing ferociously, the temperature was in the high 30s, and the hostel owner told us that he wouldn’t bother going in the (tiny, dirty) pool unless the temperature in the shade was at least 45 Celsius.

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Berlin Wall falls in Australia

 Don’t be such a scientist!

Don’t be such a scientist! It’s the kind of thing I’d expect my sister to say to my face if I’ve gone off on one of my lecture mode conversations about some great discovery, or something some of my artier friends might whisper about me behind my back. Sometimes it’s a personal wish…but then I think of everything those who choose to stifle their curiosity about the world around them miss out on: A rainbow is just as beautiful woven or unravelled, understanding the biochemistry of nectar or photosynthesis doesn’t make a rose smell any less sweet, and the beauty of a clear, night sky is all the more awesome (literally) when you’ve got a vague grasp of its true depths. Anyway, I suspect that’s what Randy Olson is getting at in his book Don’t be such a scientist .

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Don’t be such a scientist!

 Cheap duck baby shower

Kids need bathtub toys, and Sesame Street’s Ernie even sang a song about one of the classics, a tune called ‘Rubber Duckie You’re the One.’ It seemed like a longshot, but I checked to see if there were any duck baby shower available anyway, and I was pleasantly surprised. It was a lot simpler to put together such a baby shower than I anticipated it would be, especially with all of the outstanding input I gleaned from suring the Internet. All kinds of duck favors for baby showers or birthday parties for little ones are out there on the web, and they all look so cute.

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Cheap duck baby shower

 Bridal Jewelry – Don’t just wear it for the wedding

Selecting the most beautiful bridal jewelry to match your dream wedding gown is so important to finishing off your bridal look.  Most brides wear their bridal jewelry for the wedding day only and then store it in a jewelry box or chest, never to be worn again.  Wearing your bridal jewelry after the wedding can bring back all of the warm memories you shared with your groom on that special day.  The best part of owning your bridal jewelry is that it can be worn again, cherishing that day each and every time it is worn.  A great time to “dig out” the bridal jewelry you wore for your wedding is on your anniversaries.  Most couples dress up and do something special together each year to mark their wedding anniversary.  Why not accessorize your formal attire with the bridal jewelry you wore on your wedding day.  Most brides choose white, ivory, clear pearls or crystals.  These are great for the wedding, because traditionally a bride wears a white or ivory color and these colors of pearls and crystals match the wedding gown perfectly.  It happens that your crystals can be worn with any dressed up outfit, as clear crystals match everything you can wear.  White or ivory pearls and crystals are just as easily matched, they look great with every color.  Surprise your groom on your next or first anniversary by wearing the bridal jewelry that you wore for your wedding day.  Men don’t notice much, but the bridal jewelry that was worn for your wedding day will bring back special and treasured memories for him as well.  When you spent your allotted budget on your bridal jewelry, it didn’t mean that you had to put it away after the wedding.  Wearing your bridal jewelry over and over is a great idea to make your moments together a little bit more special.  Make the most of your bridal jewelry, go out and celebrate your love, wear your beautiful bridal jewelry.

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Bridal Jewelry – Don’t just wear it for the wedding

 Buying Children’s Clothing Online

Buying children’s clothing from the internet is becoming more and more common.  Not only is online shopping convenient, but it also offers an advantage over traditional shopping because of the wide variety of clothes that are readily available at your finger tips.  From new designer jeans to used vintage dresses, you’ll be able to find every type of clothing style imaginable on the internet. If you’re looking for name-brand apparel, you’ll discover that the web site’s of most major department stores sell children’s clothing.  If you visit the sites of large retailers such as JCPenney, Sears, Marshall Fields, Target or Wal-Mart, you’ll be able to browse for much of the same clothes that’s offered at their physical locations.  These internet sites also offer special clearance and sale items, just like you’ll find while shopping the traditional way. Convenience and variety are both good reasons to shop for children’s apparel online, but discount prices is what draws many people to the internet.  From the comfort of your own home, you can easily comparison shop for children’s clothing from two, three, or even ten retailers if you so choose.  In addition to saving money by finding the lowest priced clothing, you’ll also save money on gas and the wear and tear on your vehicle.

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Buying Children’s Clothing Online