There’s not a lot of actual meat on ham hocks, but boy oh boy, do they add flavor! Throw one of these strange knobby looking things in a pot of beans or some braising greens, and your whole dish will take on new savory dimensions!

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We have entered serious holiday baking mode, but we’re still on the lookout for new recipes to add to our repertoire. The Washington Post’s Holiday Guide has some intriguing options. Two-Bite Gingerbread Whoopie Pies? Yes and yes. There are also savory Blue Cheese Walnut Cookies and a vegan cookie made with tahini and coconut oil.

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Randall Radic–

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, 50 new right-wing militia groups have been formed in the U.S. in the last two years.  More than a few of them are located in Alaskan cities.  For example, the Second Amendment Task Force in Fairbanks boasts 7,000 members.  All of who carry guns and rifles on Saturdays and Sundays.

More often than not, the words “right-wing militia group” is code for white supremacist fanatics.  These groups post speeches and combat exercise videos on YouTube.  The speeches promote fear and spread extremist propaganda, while the combat exercise videos advance violence as an alternative.

Most of these groups claim to be Christians.  Translation:  they are rigid fundamentalists, who believe in separating themselves from “the world.”  And many of them subscribe to the beliefs of Christian Identity, which teaches that white people are the true Israel – God’s chosen people.  In other words, it’s a religion based on bigotry and fear.  Everyone unlike them is perceived as an enemy.

The Department of Homeland Security has identified these groups as “the most dangerous domestic terrorist threat.”  The April murder of three police officers in Pittsburgh was perpetrated by a white supremacist.  The cop-killer was afraid he was going to lose his right to “keep and bear arms.”  And Political Research Associates – a Massachusetts think tank – states that right-wing extremists are responsible for nine murders since the election of President Obama.

The real question is this:  who is the real enemy here?   

Randall Radic is a former Old Catholic priest. After a midlife crisis, he spent time behind bars. Today, he has emerged a changed man.  As the author of  Gone To Hell: True Crimes of America’s Clergy (ECW Press/ Oct 2009), Radic aims to warn the public of the sins committed behind the walls of churches every day.  Randall Radic is also author of A Priest in Hell: Gangs, Murderers and Snitching in a California Jail.

Rastafarianism: Attractive To Men, Boasts 600K To 1 Million Members

 

Book Review: Gone To Hell>>Crime Cost In Catholic Church To Reach $65 Billion By 2025

 Copyright © 2006-2010, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

 

Google may be getting bigger and bigger, but it looks like it’s losing friends on the way. Its relationship with Apple has become very tense these days after years of being very close. Now it looks like Mozilla, another traditional partner for Google may be moving away from the company as well, albeit not officially. Now Asa Dotzle, a Mozilla veteran and one of the people behind the original Firefox project, is lashing out at Google for some comments its CEO Eric Schmidt made and suggesting that maybe people should switch to Bing instead.

The comments were made by Schmidt in a CNBC interview and have gotten a lot of people riled up claiming that it shows Google’s lack of interest in the privacy of its users. “I think judgment matters,” Schmidt said. “If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place. If you really need that kind of privacy, the reality is that search engines–including Google–do retain this information for some time and it’s important, for example, that we are all subject in the United States to the Patriot Act and it is possible that all that information could be made available to the authorities.”

The first part is what stirred up the most controversy, perhaps rightly so, as it would suggest that those wh… (read more)

As the summer was turning into a fall, there was a really brief period when it was super-cool to believe in the V-shaped recovery.

There were all kinds of op-eds written about this bravely optimistic idea.

But something happened.

The data from October and November has not been particularly strong.

The V-shaped recovery is beginning to look more U-shaped or – gasp – W-shaped.

See the evidence for yourself >>

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Morgan Stanley: Here Comes A Brutal 2010

 

Bridget Newberry posted this eBay ad recently, hoping someone would help her buy Christmas gifts for her children. 

Not every eBay.com auction listing offers something concrete for sale.  A new kind of listing that's appeared on the Web site seems be selling only Christmas hope.

Nestled in among the Holiday-themed eBay listings for items like Razor Scooters, Transformers and Webkinz, you'll find listings that ask users to buy Christmas presents for a stranger's children.

Perhaps it's a sign of the times, the predictable consequence of a nasty recession and the proliferation of technology. But eBay.com is now teeming with such auctions.  

“Donate for holidays to family of 4 in need," said one listing viewed by msnbc.com on Wednesday, one of several dozen similar auctions easily found.

Parents who use eBay.com at Christmas are generally engaged in a frantic search for this year's Beanie Baby or Tickle Me Elmo doll, but these families say they are scrambling to give their kids anything at all this holiday season.

"Our family is in need of some help this holiday. With both parents out of work and back in school, our kids may not have a Christmas this year," writes Bridget Newberry, a 28-year-old mother of two from Lawrenceburg, Ky.  The photo on the listing shows Bridget and her husband, Alan Rice, with their two children. "I will send you a hand-written thank you note for any donation, as long as you include your address & name. Thank you and God bless you."

Another “item” for sale came from a poster who said she is a single mother of two.

"I am a single mom with a 9-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy. I work part time at a gas station and I don’t get much for help. I usually plan everything ahead but this year has not left me with many options. My car broke down 4 weeks ago and the repairs are quite high," she writes. The ad includes a picture of a humbly decorated Christmas tree."Please contact me if you are willing to donate a present for my kids. If you do not have time, I made a ‘buy it now’ in another auction for presents. I would love to see them have a nice Christmas."

And still another from a man who’s asking for help in Chico, Calif., under the listing: “Help make Christmas Possible for two Children.” 

“Single dad raising two children. Just spent all our money to get an apartment. We are asking for a little help to make Christmas possible this year for my two children. I don’t work right now. My son was born premature with chronic lung disease and requires 24/7 care. We are asking for donations. Anything is appreciated.  Thank you.”

Because eBay’s system requires that something is listed for sale on every auction, many listings offer worthless electronic books or other digital items for sale at 1 cent or 99 cents, but encourage higher bids.

Others include more obvious listings for items the children want as gifts.

The ads have spurred a debate among eBay users that echoes the discussions you'll hear about real-world panhandling.

"eBay is a marketplace … not a place for someone to put up pictures of their family … and BEG for money," said one experienced eBay power seller who thinks "eBay panhandling" is bad for the site.  She complained that eBay had not removed the auctions when she notified the firm about them.  "It just cheapens the marketplace when such things are allowed to occur and takes away from some really good charity auctions that are sanctioned and within eBay guidelines."

Most of the “Christmas donation" auctions contain a smattering of critical comments from other eBay users, telling posters that they should look to local charities for help. And there's no way to verify the authenticity of a person who lists such an auction — scammers could easily post fake pictures and manufactured tales of woe.

Terms of service violation
The ads, meanwhile, appear to run afoul of more mundane concerns: eBay's terms of service, according to the firm.

"EBay does not allow listings that have no item or service for sale," the company said in a statement to msnbc.com.  "Additionally, while we do allow listings that will benefit a charity, sellers must be soliciting on behalf of recognized, tax-deductible charitable organization."

The firm also recommends that eBay users donate to recognized charities rather than individual eBay listers.

The eBay phenomenon appears to parallel another more direct form of cyberbegging. Numerous sites like CyberBeg.com and DonateMoney2Me.com allow users to post their stories and ask for help via PayPal. But those sites don’t attract nearly the audience that eBay does.

Newberry, a long-time eBay user, said she got the idea for her ad when she sorted all eBay auctions by lowest price, looking for inexpensive holiday presents.  When she did, she found many other families listing items for $0.01 so they could be found easily by people looking for bargains.

"So I figured it was worth a try," she said.

Both Newberry and her husband are currently in school, she said — he's studying fire science to become a firefighter while she is studying clerical and computer skills so she can get an office job. Newberry said she had worked at a nearby factory, while her husband washed dishes in a restaurant, but both lost their jobs in the past 15 months.  They moved last year from their apartment into a relative's basement apartment, she said.

"It's a really hard time, but that's life," she said.

Neither child "had much of a birthday," but Newberry is holding out hope for a better Christmas. Her daughter wants an iPod, but Newberry said she wouldn't oblige even if she had the money.  A giant stuffed horse they saw recently at a store is a more likely gift.

"But it's $50. Fifty dollars for a stuffed horse?  Incredible," she said.

Like many young boys, her son wants Bakugan Battle Brawlers accessories — so he can play the card/action figure game based on a Japanese cartoon show with friends.

But right now both gifts appear out of reach, she said. And her online pleas seem to be a dead end.  So far, she hasn’t gotten a penny from her eBay donation request.

"All that's happened is I'm out the 65 cent listing fee," she said.

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	Greenlings: PHEV? DSG? VMT? A guide to common green vehicle acronyms A chance to sort it all out.		Spy Shots: Aptera prototype spotted wearing peculiar modifications What’s all this then?
	PREDICTION: Shift to electric vehicles could create 1 million jobs by 2020 Sounds good, but is it realistic?	Other news: Think restarts production in Finland, first deliveries scheduled before Christmas Lotus’ Omnivore engine is already 10% more efficient, with more to come REPORT: Details, images about production Tata Nano Europa revealed

AutoblogGreen for 12.11.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 05:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We have some house guests arriving next week who are big coffee drinkers and will surely want a cup in the morning. We usually just use a single-cup filter to make our daily cup, so we’ll have to switch gears to avoid brewing endless single cups while our guests are here! Here’s our favorite no-machine method – what’s yours?

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Skype is finally able to breath easily and focus on the service, now that all its legal troubles are behind it. The company is doing alright in terms of revenue and great in terms of users, at around half a billion there’s nothing to complain, but with increased competition, especially from Google, it’s time to step up its game. Skype has now released a new beta version of its PC client for Windows which comes with a couple of interesting new features and a very nice surprise, support for Google Chrome.

One of the biggest ‘new’ features is call transfers which allows users to, well, transfer calls to any Skype contact or to external connections. The feature isn’t exactly new as it has been previously available, though it was removed at some point. Now call transfers are free between Skype users and are taxed at the standard rates for calls to mobiles or landlines.

Another new feature, if you can call it that, is Skype Access which allows users to connect to paid WiFi connections using Skype Credit. Skype says the feature is available with 100,000 hotspots worldwide. The main advantage of using Skype to pay rather than the usual route, besides not having to fill out all sorts of credit card data, is that you’ll pay by the minute for the access. It’s not going to be huge deal for most Skype users, but if yo… (read more)

Eco Factor: Fuel cell-powered concept boat.

Designed by Simon Gorski of Entwurfreich, ZEMBO (Zero Emission Boat) is a 12m long, motorized boat concept, settled in the premium day-cruiser segment. The extreme lightweight construction of the recyclable aluminum-mono hull has excellent gliding properties and reduces the weight substantially.

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This chart shows nine-month returns for the S&P 500 from Bespoke Investment Group.  It makes it pretty clear that we've just experienced the most spectacular periods for stocks since... yes... 1933.

 

Whether an idiot-maker, or idiot-made, equity holders made a ton of money, proving that, once again, when everyone is ultra-bearish, it's time to buy. Even if the world is full of massive uncertainty.

Bespoke: Also, the 9-month 62% gain was preceded by a 9-month decline of 51%. The only time that the index fell more over a 9-month period was in 1931/32 when it dropped 68%. It's easy to forget how crazy things were over the last 18 months, but stats like these provide a staggering refresher.

Yet at the same time, it's highly improbable that the next nine-months will be able to beat what we just experienced. Thus this chart provides fuel for today's bears as well -- it's obvious that after any huge run, there comes an inevitable correction.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• CHART OF THE DAY: The Idiot-Maker Rally
• Dubai Sheikh Calls International Investors A Bunch Of Suckers
• John Carney's An Idiot: You Must Vote Today

In the IEA’s latest oil market report, which just came out this morning, they devote some time to one nagging mystery. Why is China’s car market booming, but not its thirst for oil? Unfortunately, they don’t say anything definitive or satisfactory.

—–

Who’s (Not) Driving?

Chinese apparent demand data feature some odd trends.  The  most  glaring is the seeming mismatch 
between subdued gasoline demand and surging car sales, which we have highlighted over the past few 
months.  We have argued that this inconsistency is probably largely related to incomplete data (notably the 
lack of inventory figures and possibly missing or understated estimates from independent retailers), but 
other observers have proposed alternative explanations. 

Some contend that the reason behind subdued gasoline demand is simply due to a dramatic efficiency 
improvement, as small cars have accounted for over two‐thirds of total sales given higher sales taxes on 
bigger engines and rising retail gasoline prices.  A variant of this argument is that, since tax incentives on 
small cars are due to expire by year‐end, consumers are rushing to buy new cars or replace existing, less 
efficient ones even if they do not really intend to use them for the time being.  Along the same lines, other 
analysts suggest that local governments and state‐owned companies have been ordered to purchase cars in 
order to support local manufacturers, but that these vehicles are sitting idle in car parks. 

Some  behavioural  explanations  have  also  been  advanced.    One  posits  that  Chinese  motorists  drive 
intrinsically less than elsewhere.  Cars would serve primarily to enhance the social status of their owners, 
who typically would use them only during the weekend, preferring public transportation during the working 
week, notably in large urban areas (in Beijing, for example, all private vehicles are not allowed to circulate 
one day per week based on their number plates’ last digit).  Another explanation is that some sales reflect 
second‐car purchases by wealthy households, and these vehicles would also tend to be driven only on an 
occasional basis. 

However, as compelling as these explanations may be, they remain largely anecdotal, while some appear to 
be contradictory.  As much as efficiency may have improved, the sheer volume of car sales should arguably 
point towards much higher gasoline demand than currently inferred from official statistics.  Moreover, sales 
of big, gas‐guzzling imported cars have also increased strongly (albeit at a slightly lower pace than domestic 
ones), thus somewhat downplaying the alleged price sensitivity of Chinese consumers.  In addition, the 
central government has frozen expenditures of new cars and has strongly encouraged local governments to 
follow suit, thus casting doubts on its supposed willingness to support the local industry at all costs.  Finally, 
the behavioural explanations are virtually impossible to assess, although they may become retrospectively 
clearer in a few years.  Yet the mystery remains unsolved:  are the Chinese highly circumspect about driving, 
has the vehicle fleet become extremely efficient or is gasoline demand under‐reported?

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Oil’s Going To $225 By 2012, Says Analyst
• IEA: Developed World Oil Consumption Has Peaked, And Is In Permanent Decline
• Chinese Industrial Production Tears Higher

Eco Factor: Technique to extract lithium from geothermal wastewater.

California-based Simbol Mining has developed a new technique that can allow geothermal power plants to produce more than just renewable electricity. The technique could be used to extract lithium from geothermal waste water, a process that until now was considered impractical.

(more…)

Wir warten alle schon wie gespannt auf die neuen Monatslinsen von Ciba Vision. Angekündigt waren die neuen Night & Day bereits im Juli 2009. Wegen Produktionsengpässen wurde die ganze Lancierung

auf unbestimmte Zeit. In Deutschland wurde bereits angekündigt, dass die neue Air Optix Night & day per 1. Januar auf den Markt kommt. In der Schweiz rechne ich mit der Lancierung der neuen Monatslinsen im Mai 2010. Insgesamt 80 verschiedene Parameter wurden auf den 1. Mai angekündigt.

Diese neuartigen Kontaktlinsen lassen sich 30 Tage und 30 Nächte durchgehend tragen und das Auge atmet trotzdem weiter, alles ohne Nebenwirkungen. Lassen sie sich von Ihrem optiker oder Kontaktlinsen Spezialisten beraten.

Ukraine — one of the top 10 countries most likely to fault — will not be receiving a $3.5 billion, fourth-tranch of a loan it was slated to get from the IMF.

The issue, as the NYT reports, is the government’s inability to get spending under control.

In terms of the larger, global ramifications, Ukraine hasn’t been the concern of many folks — not like Greece, Dubai, Ireland, and Spain have, anyway. It won’t be ripping apart any currency unions if it defaults (thankfully).

But as we’ve recently noted, the world is divided right now between those countries whose government can spend and borrow (and where unemployment remains not that bad, for now) and governments without that luxury, where things have gone down the tubes (see: unemployment charts for Ireland and Spain).

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• The 10 Countries Most Likely To Default
• Ignore The Flu And The Russia Problem, And Keep Gambling On The Ukraine
• The Ongoing Carnage In Ireland And Spain Shows What Life Is Like For Countries That Can’t Print Like Crazy

Earlier this year, we noted that the Dutch Usenet community FTD was suing BREIN, the local “anti-piracy” group, for suggesting that FTD was a criminal operation. As the case moves forward, FTD is pointing out that as a Usenet group, all that it enables is discussions and doesn’t see how discussions — even if about file sharing — should be infringing themselves. In response, BREIN still insists that a Usenet provider can, in fact, be a criminal organization, and asked the court to fine FTD $70,000 per day if it doesn’t get people to stop talking about file sharing. But, no, copyright doesn’t conflict with free speech at all… right?

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Having been on the wrong side of the market in 2009, Gluskin Sheff's David Rosenberg is doubling down his bearish bet. It's the smartest course of action for him at this point -- so expect market volatility to double in 2010:

Bloomberg: “We’ll be in a year of heightened volatility,” Rosenberg, chief economist at Gluskin Sheff & Associates Inc. in Toronto, said in an interview. “We’ll see periods in 2010 where the VIX will be north of 30 in a period of risk aversion as the economy and earnings very likely fail to hold up to expectations. I see more of a 30 to 40 range in the VIX.”

Rosenberg, 49, the former chief North American economist at Merrill Lynch & Co., the brokerage bought by Bank of America Corp., says investors are underestimating risks to the global economy. “There’s just a general level of complacency in the marketplace right now,” he said.

“The cost of buying insurance to guard against a possible decline in equity valuations is currently very low. That’s very low because most investors don’t believe they need it.”

Read more here.

One would imagine that he's loading up on options. By his words, they're dirt cheap right now since they price-in only half the market volatility that will actually occur.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• David Rosenberg's Outlook For 2010
• Rosenberg: The Manufacturing Collapse Has Resumed
• Rosenberg: The Rally Has Stalled

Ready-to-use centrifugal systems. The patented Vetamat® system separates the metal chips from the metalworking fluids.

Wet chips are shaken into the funnel and fed automatically into the centrifuge from there. The delivery includes the centrifuge with hydraulics, chip conveyor with tank, base pan and controller.

The Vetamat® Plus system design also includes a chip crusher and a lift & tip device. Long chips are first filled into the lift & tip device by a chip transporter and then tipped into the chip crusher. The crushed chips fall into the funnel and land in the centrifuge.

Vetamat® systems achieve a throughput of 100 kg/h – 2,000 kg/h. Vetamat® systems are delivered ready to use.

Michell Instruments have been working with a leading energy company to develop a unique control solution for their natural gas storage site in the UK. The company required total security in their hydrocarbon dew-point readings, so Michell developed the Twin-Condumax II Sampling System to provide this with complete confidence.

Employing two Condumax II EExd Hydrocarbon dew-point analysers means that there is always the reassurance of a reference instrument to confirm readings. The other advantage to this system is that it can be used continually, with no interruption in measurements caused by routine maintenance or other potential disruptions.

The Michell System Engineering Division packaged the two analysers complete with their comprehensive sample conditioning systems into a single common enclosure, to satisfy the space limitations stipulated by the customer to suit their intended installation location.

Further customisation of the analyser package included temperature controlled trace heated sample line, and provision within the conditioning system of a sample taking point to enable the customer to carry out periodic laboratory analysis in support of the on-line measurement.

Condumax is recognised by many national and multinational companies involved in the production, storage and distribution of natural gas as the benchmark instrument with which to reliably record the hydrocarbon dew point of natural gas.

With all the cooking and entertaining we’ll be doing over the next few weeks, we’ve been regarding every new recipe with a critical eye. We don’t feel like taking a chance on a recipe that sounds delicious, but has a high risk potential — we just want the recipe to work the first time! How do you decide if a recipe is going to be worth it?

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