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Thursday, July 31, 2008
Did you see the two-page Q&A in the current issue of Smart Money magazine conducted with Jim Skinner, CEO of McDonald’s? Here’s a bite:Q: …. If you wanted to shift eating habits more, you could.A: If the consumer wants it. We can sell anything we want, but people have to buy it. If you look at the quality of the products and balanced choices we have, we’ve done more than anybody in the industry. But if you can’t get your kids to eat vegetables, why is it my job?
Refresh » Blog Archive » Is Soy Bad for the Boy?
Refresh » Blog Archive » Is Soy Bad for the Boy? .... This is quite a strong article to appear in a mainstream trade newsletter....and the reason it ends with a whimper rather than a bang. RW
MorningNewsBeat
• Starbucks announced yesterday that it had a third quarter loss of $6.7 million, compared to a profit of $158.3 million during the same period a year ago. The company said that its Q3 sales were up nine percent to $2.57 billion, up from $2.36 billion a year ago.The beleaguered coffee retailer said that its US same-store sales were in the mid single-digits for the quarter.Note: it was the first loss Starbucks has had since it became a public company.MorningNewsBeat
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Stevia Update - The Food, Nutrition, & Science Newsletter with Phil Lempert! - Providing the latest information about food nutrition, science, technologies, news and trends.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Raw broccoli, cabbage slash bladder cancer risk by 40%; cooking destroys benefits
Raw broccoli, cabbage slash bladder cancer risk by 40%; cooking destroys benefitsEating as little as three small servings of raw cruciferous vegetables per month, such as broccoli and cabbage, has been found to decrease the risk of developing bladder cancer by an astonishing 40 percent. This was discovered by researchers from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo. The study is only one of several that have recently added to the evidence that raw fruits and vegetables dramatically lower cancer risk.In this study, researchers conducted a survey on the dietary habits of 1,100 people, 275 of whom had bladder cancer. They found that among both smokers and non-smokers, those who ate three or more servings of raw cruciferous vegetables each month had a 40 percent lower risk of developing bladder cancer. Compared with smokers who did not eat that amount, non-smokers who ate three or more servings of raw cruciferous vegetables per month had a 73 percent lower chance of developing bladder cancer.Keep in mind that this research only involved three small servings a month! That’s a ridiculously small amount of vegetable matter, and yet it had a profound anti-cancer effect.Raw broccoli, cabbage slash bladder cancer risk by 40%; cooking destroys benefits
Slow Food
Slow Food, Big Party, Ambitious AgendasThe New York Times this morning reports that “at the end of the summer, the gastronomic organization called Slow Food USA will host a little party for more than 50,000 people in San Francisco.“To get things ready, the mayor let the group dig up the lawn in front of City Hall and plant a quarter-acre garden. It will be the centerpiece of the festival, ambitiously named Slow Food Nation. Events will pop up all around the city over Labor Day weekend. Fifteen architects have volunteered to build elaborate pavilions dedicated to things like pickles, coffee and salami. Lecture halls have been booked, politicians invited and dinner parties planned. Nearly $2 million has been raised. And for the first time in its 10 year history, the notoriously finicky organization has embraced corporate partners like Whole Foods, Anolon cookware and the Food Network.“The Slow Food faithful say they want the festival to be the Woodstock of food, a profound event where a broad band of people will see that delicious, sustainably produced food can be a prism for social, ecological and political change. They also realize that it may be their best chance to prove that Slow Food, as a movement, is not just one big wine tasting with really hard to find cheeses that you weren’t invited to.”KC's View: It sounds like a great party…wish I could find a way to be in San Francisco to cover it.Part of the problem that the Slow Food movement seems to have, at least here in the US, is that there are people who perceive – perhaps with some justification – that its priorities are pro-hedonist, with a leftist political agenda that is anti-technology and anti-globalization.(It has not been my experience that most leftists are anti-technology and anti-globalization. They may indeed be pro-hedonism…though the headlines over the past few years would suggest that there are plenty of hedonists on both sides of the aisle.)The Times notes that Slow Food’s leadership would like people to perceive it as being interested in food as being more than just about cooking and eating….that there are environmental, cultural and economic benefits in looking at food through a broader, less mass-production focused prism. And I’m okay with that…there should be certainly room for that approach in a diverse food culture.Though I would have to admit that for me, the most important elements connected to food are, in fact, cooking and eating. Because that’s where all the pleasure is….and that’s what most important to me, even if it makes me a hedonist.MorningNewsBeat
Refresh » Blog Archive » Organic Interests
Organic InterestsJeff Wells July 22nd, 2008The organic community has always been of the opinion that organic food, particularly produce, is better for you than conventional. That position has been difficult to prove, but it’s been heartily defended by supporters.jf03_organic.jpgThen in March, the Organic Center released a study that could prove what had long been suspected (and hoped for): Organic was more nutritious than conventional. In fact, it was 25% more nutritious.We were waiting for the claim to be refuted. And now it has come, courtesy of the nonprofit American Council on Science and Health, which just released its own review of the OC study. It concludes that conventionally produced food is nutritionally superior to organic. A professor of food science at Rutgers University and scientific advisor to the ACSH, Joseph Rosen, re-crunched the same data that the OC used, in the end finding in favor of conventional — by 2%.So who’s to believe in all of this? Perhaps a bit of context is needed first. The ACSH has received funding in the past from corporations like Monsanto and Archer Daniels Midland that would have a keen interest in maintaining the staus quo, which currently favors conventional agriculture. Although they enlist 350 technical advisors and have for years come out swinging against big tobacco, the organization is nonetheless widely viewed as being very industry friendly. The ACSH website even has a tribute to Norman Borlaug, the father of industrial agriculture, in celebration of his 90th birthday a few years back.On the other hand, the OCs interest in promoting organic food makes it hard to tell if organic is truly 25% more nutritious than conventional produce. With all of the various agendas orbiting the food industry, it can be difficult for retailers and consumers to get unbiased information.But oftentimes it’s not the latest study or statistic that supermarkets need — it’s common sense. Organic agriculture, when practiced to the ideal, is a return to methods that have sustained us for centuries. Our ancestors certainly didn’t need pesticides and artificial fertilizers to survive, and to think that the lack of these chemicals would make us any less healthy today is just silly.Refresh » Blog Archive » Organic Interests
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Starbucks'
Starbucks’ Culver On Management & LeadershipThe Wall Street Journal has an interview with John Culver, president of Starbucks Asia Pacific – a region that is still growing for the retailer even as it revamps its management structure and closes up to 600 stores in the US.There were two quotes in the piece that stood out. They were not specific to Starbucks, but rather dealt with broader management issues…and seemed worth repeating here.• About managing in times of change... “In times of change, it is really important to keep employees well informed, to share a clear company vision and demonstrate how the changes support our core company values. Providing timely, consistent, open and honest communications via formal or informal meetings and open forums are the most effective, [giving workers] the opportunity to ask questions and give feedback.”• About various paths to leadership… “I believe it is more important to have a passion and be emotionally connected to whatever you choose to do, whether it is study or work. Starbucks has several individual success stories where partners have started as part-time baristas while in high school and have become key leaders for our organization and have built a long-term career. We also have the same stories where partners have come to work for us after completing their college education and M.B.A. The common characteristic here is that they love what they are doing and feel as though they are having a positive impact in a very personal way on people they work with or interact with on a daily basis.”MorningNewsBeat
Lazy Locavores
Catering To Lazy LocavoresEven locavores can be lazy or time-constrained…which is why there appears to be a new mini-industry emerging – people who will grow local food for other people who don't have the time or inclination to do it themselves.The New York Times this morning has a piece saying that San Francisco resident Trevor Paque will, for a fee, “build an organic garden in your backyard, weed it weekly and even harvest the bounty, gently placing a box of vegetables on the back porch when he leaves.”According to the paper, “As a result of interest in local food and rising grocery bills, backyard gardens have been enjoying a renaissance across the country, but what might be called the remote-control backyard garden — no planting, no weeding, no dirt under the fingernails — is a twist.”For example, there is the FruitGuys, “which has offices in San Francisco and Philadelphia, will deliver boxes of local, sustainably raised or organic fruit right to the cubicle.“In the mood for a meal that reeks of community but does not necessitate a communal activity? Three Stone Hearth in Berkeley, Calif., which describes itself as a community supported kitchen, offers its customers the opportunity to make friends while making food from local, sustainable farms, but the worker-owned company also offers online shopping for people who do not have the time to pick up orders or participate in educational activities. Customers 20 miles away in the affluent community of Mill Valley, for example, can pay $15 to have jars filled with Andalusian stew, made with pasture-raised pork, delivered to their door. The jars, of course, are returnable.”KC's View: As someone who has a brown thumb and absolutely no interest in gardening, I can't tell you what a good news story this is for me.It seems to me that one of the things this story points to is the kinds of opportunity that may be available to mainstream retailers…if they want to go beyond more conventional marketing approaches. I read that reference to locally sourced Andalusian stew, and I get hungry…and I wonder to what extent that kind of offering is expandable to a broader audience.MorningNewsBeat
Monday, July 21, 2008
Amazon.com: John Currin: Alison M. Gingeras, Dave Eggers, John Currin, Gagosian Gallery, Norman Bryson: Books
ahem.....noun...the utterance of a sound similar to clearing the throat; intended to get attention, express hesitancy, fill a pause, hide embarrassment, warn a friend, etc. [syn: hem]ahem - Definitions from Dictionary.com
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Circos - visualize genomes and genomic data
Although a great deal of differences between dogs and humans exist, such as, for example, the curious lack of dignity in the canine species (as anyone with a dog can attest), the genomes of human and dog show similiarity. This similarity, called synteny when comparison is made across species, is due to the fact that the dog and human share a distant common ancestor. Examination of the genomic sequence suggests that the dog and human diverged from a common ancestor about 90-100 million years ago (Springer MS, Murphy WJ, Eizirik E, O'Brien SJ: Placental mammal diversification and the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2003, 100:1056-1061) in the Cretaceous period.The magazine's cover image illustrates a distilled set of similarity relationships between the human genome, whose chromosomes are coded in blue, and the dog genome, whose chromosomes are coded in orange. Regions of synteny (sequence similarity) are linked using grey ribbons. To simplify the final image, neighbouring individual regions of synteny, which are relatively small (on the order of kb) are bundled to comprise one ribbon.Syntenic relationships between dog chromosome 15 and the human genome are highlighted in colour. This chromosome is of specific interest in the Ostrander lab (Ostrander EA, Wayne RK: The canine genome. Genome Res 2005, 15:1706-1716).Circos - visualize genomes and genomic data
The Art and Mystery of Food
Another very popular rendered fat in Andalusia is "manteca colorá" (coloured lard). Also a common choice as a spread for breakfast toast, it is sold in huge tubs in the local markets. From the flavour profile I would guess it is flavoured with bay leaves and marjoram. The colour I would like to think come from pimenton (paprika), maybe made from the excellent sweet nora peppers, but maybe not.The Art and Mystery of Food
The Art and Mystery of Food
In the 17th century the adventurer William Dampier describes a fermented fish product in Tonkin (now northern Vietnam)"To make it, they throw the mixture of shrimps and small fish into a sort of weak pickle, made with salt and water, and put it into a tight earthen vessel or jar. The pickle being thus weak, it keeps not the fish firm and hard, neither is it probably so designed, for the fish are never gutted. Therefore, in a short time they turn all to a mash in the vessel; and when they have lain thus a good while, so that the fish is reduced to a pap, they then draw off' the liquor into fresh jars, and preserve it for use. The masht fish that remains behind is called balachaun, and the liquor poured off is called nuke-mum"The Art and Mystery of Food
Friday, July 18, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Nothing like a great day on the water right Ian? I think there may be a career path strategy in this old chantey....Happy Birthday!!!
Love,
Rick
Love,
Rick
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
30 Most Incredible Abstract Satellite Images of Earth : Environmental News Blog | Environmental Graffiti
30 Most Incredible Abstract Satellite Images of Earth : Environmental News Blog | Environmental Graffiti
Scientist at Work - Edward O. Wilson - E.O Wilson Takes Cue From Ants in His Views on Human Social Evolution - NYTimes.com
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
MorningNewsBeat
Something Fishy About TilapiaHealthDay News reports that farm-raised tilapia, generally believed to be a healthy food especially for people with heart issues, may not be everything it is cracked up to be.According to the story, farm-raised tilapia has low levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids and high levels of unhealthy omega-6 fatty acids: “New research suggests the combination could be particularly bad for patients with heart disease, arthritis, asthma and other diseases involving overactive inflammatory responses.”The same goes for other farmed fish such as catfish. Wild fish is said to be much healthier; the story suggests that the farmed fish are not as healthy because they are not being fed in a healthy manner.“Several health groups, including the American Heart Association, recommend eating two servings of fish a week, preferably fatty fish such as salmon. The reason: primarily to increase omega-3 fatty acids,” HealthDay News writes. “But no one has really looked at the nutritional effect of an explosion in farmed fish (increasing at an annual rate of 9.2 percent, compared with 1.4 percent for wild fish). In particular, inexpensive tilapia is exploding in popularity.”MorningNewsBeat
Monday, July 14, 2008
MorningNewsBeat
Starbucks Looks For A New Whey To Build SalesThe Chicago Sun-Times reports this morning that Starbucks will look to re-energize its sales today with “a new line of made-to-order protein shakes called Vivanno. The product name, which Starbucks created, comes from the Italian word for life (‘viva’) and is intended to evoke a feeling of healthful vitality … The new Vivanno drinks will come in flavors such as Orange Mango Banana and Banana Chocolate and will be made with the same equipment used for Starbucks' trademark Frappuccino coffee drinks. The Vivannos will include ingredients such as whey protein and fiber powder, as well as fresh bananas. Customers can customize their Vivannos via the addition of a shot of espresso or green tea powder too. The drinks will retail in the U.S. for between $3.75 and $3.95.”The Sun-Times suggests that this new product could work against CEO Howard Schultz’s stated plan to return the company to its coffee-driven roots: “Not only does it infringe in a big way on Jamba Juice's well-defined turf, but it also seems to shift focus from the coffee drinks that are the heart and soul of the Starbucks brand. When he retook the reins as CEO of Starbucks last winter, Schultz suggested he was going to intently work on improving the brand's coffee and the whole coffeehouse experience. Now he seems to be veering from that course with this protein shake tactic.”MorningNewsBeat
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUSTINE!!
Thanks to you Justine, Our house is a very, very fine house....Happy Birthday To You....
Love,
Rick
Love,
Rick
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
A Private Dance? Four Million Web Fans Say No
There are no weekend box office charts for online videos. But if there were, near or at the very top of the list right now might well be a four-and-a-half-minute video called “Dancing.”
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
rick has sent you a SPACE.com Video -- Phoenix Speaks!
rick (richardaweinert@gmail.com) thought you might be interested in this video from SPACE.com.
(Email address has not been verified.)
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(Email address has not been verified.)
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Phoenix Speaks!
http://www.space.com/php/video/player.php?video_id=080528-phoenix-speaks
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Visit http://www.SPACE.com - Something Amazing Every Day
Sunday, July 6, 2008
A friend has sent you a video from The New York Times
 Some Like It Hot Angelo Vignara's Sidewalk Sunbathing Click to watch the video | |
 PERMALINK:For more New York Times video, go to nytimes.com/video This service is not intended to encourage spam. Your personal details have not been added to any database or mailing list, and the authenticity of the sender's email address has not been verified. The information was used for the sole purpose of facilitating this e-mail communication and has not been retained by New York Times. | |
The New York Times > Arts > Image >
The New York Times > Arts > Image >
The orange color was created by plucking the feathers of a parrot and them massaging the skin with frog secretions.... The feathers would then grow back in the beautiful orange.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Friday, July 4, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Why Poetry Matters - ChronicleReview.com
Every morning I begin the day with a book of poems open at the breakfast table. I read a poem, perhaps two. I think about the poetry. I often make notes in my journal. The reading of the poem informs my day, adds brightness to my step, creates shades of feeling that formerly had been unavailable to me. In many cases, I remember lines, whole passag
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Isn't It Funny? - The New York Review of Books
A royal personage was making a tour through his provinces and noticed a man in the crowd who bore a striking resemblance to his own exalted person. He beckoned to him and asked: "Was your mother at one time in service in the Palace?" "No, your Highness," was the reply, "but my father was."Isn't It Funny? - The New York Review of Books
Scientist at Work - David Pritchard - Scientist Studies Whether Hookworms Can Protect Against Allergies - NYTimes.com
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
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