Not specific to the holidays, but certainly related to the pandemic of obesity spreading across North America and Europe, NPR reports on a study that seems to indicate that imagining that you’re eating something before you in fact do eat it may help you eat less of it.
I wouldn’t have been a good subject for the study, though: I don’t care about M&Ms at all.
Now, if we’d been talking truffles, here…
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Just (holiday) desserts
In case you’re stumped for caloric excess this holiday season, the WSJ has a story on Christmas-centric desserts out of Europe.
The one I’m most familiar with is panettone, which is pretty easy to find in the US. & I happen to like the candied fruit concept. Although I don’t particularly think of it as a dessert—I like it toasted with tea in the afternoon.
The plum pudding—well, the only example of that I’ve ever had was at the holiday lunch at the company canteen in Maidenhead. (Maidenhead is right next to Bray, where the Fat Duck mentioned in the article is located; but it’s a world away from any kind of Michelin recognition.) Like pretty much everything that came out of that kitchen, it was revolting. I was so looking forward to it because of Mrs. Cratchit’s success in A Christmas Carol; but that one time kind of put me off.
& I haven’t noticed plum pudding being “obligatory” everywhere, or even everywhere in the English-speaking nations, as claimed by the UK food writer. Even my friends in Britain don’t make it, they make Christmas cake, which is a form of fruitcake covered with marzipan & icing.
I do like mince pie, which is also huge in Britain. Only there it’s not “pie”, but “pies”—little tarts, really. Which you pick up with your fingers & eat without bothering with a fork, & let the crust crumbs be damned.
This was commented upon by the Navy Chaplain at the US Embassy during the Thanksgiving service held for Americans at St. Paul’s cathedral. He was letting the newbies know what to expect from Christmas (the Brits don’t bother with any other winter holidays; it’s all Christmas, all the time), & he was absolutely spot on.
At any rate, I pass this story on as a public service to holiday makers everywhere.
The one I’m most familiar with is panettone, which is pretty easy to find in the US. & I happen to like the candied fruit concept. Although I don’t particularly think of it as a dessert—I like it toasted with tea in the afternoon.
The plum pudding—well, the only example of that I’ve ever had was at the holiday lunch at the company canteen in Maidenhead. (Maidenhead is right next to Bray, where the Fat Duck mentioned in the article is located; but it’s a world away from any kind of Michelin recognition.) Like pretty much everything that came out of that kitchen, it was revolting. I was so looking forward to it because of Mrs. Cratchit’s success in A Christmas Carol; but that one time kind of put me off.
& I haven’t noticed plum pudding being “obligatory” everywhere, or even everywhere in the English-speaking nations, as claimed by the UK food writer. Even my friends in Britain don’t make it, they make Christmas cake, which is a form of fruitcake covered with marzipan & icing.
I do like mince pie, which is also huge in Britain. Only there it’s not “pie”, but “pies”—little tarts, really. Which you pick up with your fingers & eat without bothering with a fork, & let the crust crumbs be damned.
This was commented upon by the Navy Chaplain at the US Embassy during the Thanksgiving service held for Americans at St. Paul’s cathedral. He was letting the newbies know what to expect from Christmas (the Brits don’t bother with any other winter holidays; it’s all Christmas, all the time), & he was absolutely spot on.
At any rate, I pass this story on as a public service to holiday makers everywhere.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Ready for a change
I can’t think that this comes as a surprise to anyone, but the world is becoming increasingly corrupt. So says a report by Transparency International, an organization that’s been tracking corruption since 1993.
At least 56% of people interviewed by TI globally believe their country is more corrupt now than in the past. And more than 50% of those in India, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Iraq say they’ve paid bribes, with the police being frequent recipients of the baksheesh.
Political parties top the list of perceived corruption: 80% think they’re rotten. Only surprise there is that the percentage isn’t above 95%. Religious groups don’t fare well, either—53% think they’re corrupt. Not what Buddha, Jesus or Mohammed probably had in mind—being poster boys for dishonesty and fraud.
The bribery factor is interesting: one in four surveyed reported having paid a bribe in the past year, many of which were to speed up the workings of government or to get services the citizens were already legally entitled to.
In the US, of course, most bribes are likely not to appear in this survey, as they are paid in the form of campaign contributions to elected officials, who’ve made the payments deductible from business taxes so as to ensure the money keeps flowing in.
That would probably explain why only 5% in the US report having paid a bribe.
Frankly, while not surprising, this news of the institutionalizing of corruption in the 21st Century is discouraging. Mankind certainly isn’t living up to its hype of working towards perfection.
At least 56% of people interviewed by TI globally believe their country is more corrupt now than in the past. And more than 50% of those in India, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Iraq say they’ve paid bribes, with the police being frequent recipients of the baksheesh.
Political parties top the list of perceived corruption: 80% think they’re rotten. Only surprise there is that the percentage isn’t above 95%. Religious groups don’t fare well, either—53% think they’re corrupt. Not what Buddha, Jesus or Mohammed probably had in mind—being poster boys for dishonesty and fraud.
The bribery factor is interesting: one in four surveyed reported having paid a bribe in the past year, many of which were to speed up the workings of government or to get services the citizens were already legally entitled to.
In the US, of course, most bribes are likely not to appear in this survey, as they are paid in the form of campaign contributions to elected officials, who’ve made the payments deductible from business taxes so as to ensure the money keeps flowing in.
That would probably explain why only 5% in the US report having paid a bribe.
Frankly, while not surprising, this news of the institutionalizing of corruption in the 21st Century is discouraging. Mankind certainly isn’t living up to its hype of working towards perfection.
What the ho? Part 2
This seasonal story is so San Francisco: the Macy’s downtown store fired its Santa after 20 years of service because “an older couple” complained about a joke he told.
That’s the PC part of the affair—that someone (apparently not there with young ‘uns; also very California) is offended, bitches and management haul out the axe. Neither Macy’s nor the pair have had any comment since the weekend when Santa was tossed from his sleigh.
I suppose the “older couple” doesn’t want word getting out that they’re the poker-sitters who got not just a store employee, but Santa Bleeding Claus, fired three weeks before Christmas.
It would be interesting to know what process Macy’s went through, too, before walking John Toomey out the door after his apparently spotless employment record of two decades—if there was any process at all besides throwing up their hands in horror at a single complaint.
But here’s the genuine, totally SF, part of the story: Toomey starts work tomorrow as the house Santa for Lefty O’Doul’s, a bar that serves food. Kids can talk to Santa while their parents toss back a couple beers or tequila shots. Really—the perfect solution for the holiday hamster wheel.
I just love the California version of the classics…
That’s the PC part of the affair—that someone (apparently not there with young ‘uns; also very California) is offended, bitches and management haul out the axe. Neither Macy’s nor the pair have had any comment since the weekend when Santa was tossed from his sleigh.
I suppose the “older couple” doesn’t want word getting out that they’re the poker-sitters who got not just a store employee, but Santa Bleeding Claus, fired three weeks before Christmas.
It would be interesting to know what process Macy’s went through, too, before walking John Toomey out the door after his apparently spotless employment record of two decades—if there was any process at all besides throwing up their hands in horror at a single complaint.
But here’s the genuine, totally SF, part of the story: Toomey starts work tomorrow as the house Santa for Lefty O’Doul’s, a bar that serves food. Kids can talk to Santa while their parents toss back a couple beers or tequila shots. Really—the perfect solution for the holiday hamster wheel.
I just love the California version of the classics…
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
What the ho?
You know, you can always count on California for something goofy.
It’s not just that there’s a SantaCon in San Francisco; there are SantaCons in other places, too. Or even that there are rules to the SF SantaCon (mostly to do with not being a red-suited jerk).
It’s that someone here went to extraordinary lengths to be a desaturated Santa—suit, makeup, hair all in grey-tones, looking like she was PhotoShopped into the pictures of the event.
California—goniff!
It’s not just that there’s a SantaCon in San Francisco; there are SantaCons in other places, too. Or even that there are rules to the SF SantaCon (mostly to do with not being a red-suited jerk).
It’s that someone here went to extraordinary lengths to be a desaturated Santa—suit, makeup, hair all in grey-tones, looking like she was PhotoShopped into the pictures of the event.
California—goniff!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Weighty matters
Uh, oh—the Europeans appear to be doing their best to catch up with the US in the obesity stakes. The BBC reports that more than half of adults living in Europe are overweight or obese, with the UK leading the pack.
I suppose we have the same root causes to blame: sedentary life style & increasingly crap diet. Sad to think that Romania currently appears to have the lowest percentage of lardbutts; & I don’t really want to explore why that would be. But I hope they learn from our experience & take steps to reverse the trend before it starts costing them what we've had to pay in healthcare costs & lost productivity.
I suppose we have the same root causes to blame: sedentary life style & increasingly crap diet. Sad to think that Romania currently appears to have the lowest percentage of lardbutts; & I don’t really want to explore why that would be. But I hope they learn from our experience & take steps to reverse the trend before it starts costing them what we've had to pay in healthcare costs & lost productivity.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Recruiters 4
Ah, recruiters—really, the one fixed point in a changing age. I had encounters with three of them late last week that reinforce my query: how is it that they stay employed?
The first, from CyberCoders, a tech job shop I’ve dealt with marginally before, popped up on the email account that appears on my résumé, chirping that she has a product manager position for a client in San Mateo & would like to know my interest.
Actually, here’s exactly what she said: “I am a recruiter here at CyberCoders who specializes in finding Product Manager candidates as well as similar positions in San Mateo, CA and other locations nationwide.
“I thought you may be interested in hearing more about the job below. Please check out the link and apply if you are interested in hearing more about the job. :)”
The job description in her email looked fine—the usual requirements for web apps PMs. But when I went to her site I saw that the position is slotted an entry-level salary. Out of courtesy I replied that the pay was lower than I’ll accept, but asked her to keep me in mind for other positions.
Her response: “Thank you for your response. It’s possible that I have an older version of your resume.”
Uh, no “older version” of my CV would indicate that I live in the Bay Area & I thus wouldn't have popped up on her database search, so she was either trying to snow me or she hadn’t bothered to read beyond the words “product” & “manager” on it.
Turns out it was probably the latter, as the next day, sent to the email account I use on Dice.com, I got this:
“As you may already know, I am a recruiter who specializes in finding Product Manager candidates as well as similar positions in San Mateo, CA and other locations nationwide.
“Your background may be a fit for the position below. Please check out the link and apply if you are interested in hearing more about the job.”
Now, my name is somewhat distinctive, so I find it hard to imagine that even a recruiter didn’t catch the same name on her two sources. Which leads me to believe that she really didn’t read anything on my CV besides “product” & “manager”. If she read anything—it may just be her key word search algorithm just kicks out the CV & she queues up the auto email.
Second bizarrity was someone claiming to be an executive recruiter, based in New York state. Here’s his email: “I tried calling but the number is disconnected.
“You had sent me a resume in March. I am working on a new search for a Director of Product Management in New Jersey. Are you still interested in hearing about opportunities?”
I replied that since I’ve moved from Seattle to the Bay Area, the number I had in March was indeed disconnected. But if he’d send me the JD I’d see if it was something I wanted to discuss.
He sent it to me, but added, “At this point the client is only considering people who live in Northern New Jersey or the Metro NYC area.
“Might you know someone?”
Well, since my previous location was also across the continent from his client, you have to wonder why he contacted me at all.
Except that he wanted the referral.
Finally, a job shop I’ve spoken with a few times since getting here—they claim to represent a lot of clients, but all they ever send me is contract work for PayPal & eBay. Yet another position has come up, would I be interested?
It’s product marketing, so, yes. But first I had to jump through hoops—send over “bullet points” on how my experience matches the requirements not stated in the JD. I did, but then got calls from the recruiter & the account manager asking if I was okay with them sending the bullets to the client, or did I want to change anything?
Uh, no—I wrote them specifically for the client…
Well, as to rate—the AM hasn’t worked with this group yet, but typically they pay less for marketing than for “the other positions we’ve discussed”.
Since we’ve “discussed” product management, project management, program management & marketing positions—& each one for a lower rate than the last—I didn’t know what to say. This company is really big on demanding all sorts of experience & senior capabilities (their descriptions often enjoin the candidate to “own” the product), but don’t seem to want to either hire someone permanently to do a job that’s by definition ongoing (& not project-based), or pay rates commensurate with the capabilities.
So, I’m not holding out any hopes for any of these, & all I can do is appreciate the amusement value of the high-tech pimp industry.
The first, from CyberCoders, a tech job shop I’ve dealt with marginally before, popped up on the email account that appears on my résumé, chirping that she has a product manager position for a client in San Mateo & would like to know my interest.
Actually, here’s exactly what she said: “I am a recruiter here at CyberCoders who specializes in finding Product Manager candidates as well as similar positions in San Mateo, CA and other locations nationwide.
“I thought you may be interested in hearing more about the job below. Please check out the link and apply if you are interested in hearing more about the job. :)”
The job description in her email looked fine—the usual requirements for web apps PMs. But when I went to her site I saw that the position is slotted an entry-level salary. Out of courtesy I replied that the pay was lower than I’ll accept, but asked her to keep me in mind for other positions.
Her response: “Thank you for your response. It’s possible that I have an older version of your resume.”
Uh, no “older version” of my CV would indicate that I live in the Bay Area & I thus wouldn't have popped up on her database search, so she was either trying to snow me or she hadn’t bothered to read beyond the words “product” & “manager” on it.
Turns out it was probably the latter, as the next day, sent to the email account I use on Dice.com, I got this:
“As you may already know, I am a recruiter who specializes in finding Product Manager candidates as well as similar positions in San Mateo, CA and other locations nationwide.
“Your background may be a fit for the position below. Please check out the link and apply if you are interested in hearing more about the job.”
Now, my name is somewhat distinctive, so I find it hard to imagine that even a recruiter didn’t catch the same name on her two sources. Which leads me to believe that she really didn’t read anything on my CV besides “product” & “manager”. If she read anything—it may just be her key word search algorithm just kicks out the CV & she queues up the auto email.
Second bizarrity was someone claiming to be an executive recruiter, based in New York state. Here’s his email: “I tried calling but the number is disconnected.
“You had sent me a resume in March. I am working on a new search for a Director of Product Management in New Jersey. Are you still interested in hearing about opportunities?”
I replied that since I’ve moved from Seattle to the Bay Area, the number I had in March was indeed disconnected. But if he’d send me the JD I’d see if it was something I wanted to discuss.
He sent it to me, but added, “At this point the client is only considering people who live in Northern New Jersey or the Metro NYC area.
“Might you know someone?”
Well, since my previous location was also across the continent from his client, you have to wonder why he contacted me at all.
Except that he wanted the referral.
Finally, a job shop I’ve spoken with a few times since getting here—they claim to represent a lot of clients, but all they ever send me is contract work for PayPal & eBay. Yet another position has come up, would I be interested?
It’s product marketing, so, yes. But first I had to jump through hoops—send over “bullet points” on how my experience matches the requirements not stated in the JD. I did, but then got calls from the recruiter & the account manager asking if I was okay with them sending the bullets to the client, or did I want to change anything?
Uh, no—I wrote them specifically for the client…
Well, as to rate—the AM hasn’t worked with this group yet, but typically they pay less for marketing than for “the other positions we’ve discussed”.
Since we’ve “discussed” product management, project management, program management & marketing positions—& each one for a lower rate than the last—I didn’t know what to say. This company is really big on demanding all sorts of experience & senior capabilities (their descriptions often enjoin the candidate to “own” the product), but don’t seem to want to either hire someone permanently to do a job that’s by definition ongoing (& not project-based), or pay rates commensurate with the capabilities.
So, I’m not holding out any hopes for any of these, & all I can do is appreciate the amusement value of the high-tech pimp industry.
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