A Really Important Subject

That is FOOD. I love food ! I think I still have a high school poem that I wrote about the wonders of food - I received an "A" !

So as the news provides little stimulation for more erudite posts, I intend to write about some of my favorite foods and recipes. See below.

First, the markets. Nothing is happening. News is necessary relating to the "bottom" of the housing markets for a trend to form. Some data later this week might help.

Second, the world. It's a mess. Bush is shown to be a fool in trusting Putin. I remember that meeting of those two in Texas, thinking at the time that Putin really did not seem to be a friendly person. Bush was delusional about seeing into his soul. McCain was right, he looked into his eyes and saw KGB.

Here's a YouTube link to an interview of Zbigniev Brzezinski about the Russia-Georgia crisis. He's been a mostly reliable interpreter of international events for 30 years and speaks clearly with no BS. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCVq7EwZL0U

Food

The Perfect Fried Egg

I prefer my fried eggs cooked "over medium" with the yolk thickened by cooking but not solid - just on the verge of solidifying. When I mash the fried eggs with my fork, the thick yolk sticks to the white for a tasty mix.

Start with either farm fresh eggs or some good organic eggs, preferably raised cage-free with sunlit porches or free-range - i., e., happy chickens ! My favorite local brand is "Country Hen".

Put a good bit of olive oil in a frying pan. I suppose butter tastes better, but I have to toss a bone to health once in a while. Heat the oil at medium [i., e., "6" on 1-10 scale on my electric stove] until a drop of water sizzles. Crack 2 or 3 eggs into the pan. Sprinkle a bit of black pepper onto them. Cook until the white is … “white” with just a bit of transparency on top. Flip over. Now count to 35. This is really 30-35 seconds as my count is a bit fast and varies a little. Remove at once and put onto your plate.

Accompaniments: whole wheat toast or toasted whole grain bagel with pumpkin butter or marmalade; fried Spam; organic banana or small bowl of raspberries/strawberries.

Word of the Day

"Quacksalver" - noun [$100] (from writings of H. L. Mencken)
Quacksalver means 1. a quack doctor; 2. a charlatan. I guess quacksalver is a close synonym for mountebank.
Sentence: Obama seems to be the quacksalver de jour for the Democratic party, as his prescription for renewed prosperity is high taxes on their designated whipping boys - those earning high amounts in a year. Of course the truly wealthy get a free ride, as usual, with their freeloading municipal bond income.