by Jeffrey Strain
Little amounts can make a large difference to your finances. As gasoline and food prices continue to rise, the squeeze to make family budgets balance each month becomes more of a struggle. After the big savings have been found and taken, smaller savings have to be found to make ends meet.
This can be frustrating as it can feel like everyone is being nickled and dimed to death. That's why it's important to realize how these small amounts can make a huge difference in your overall financial health.
You've likely heard about the little ways to save money a million times. Money-saving advice includes standards like packing your lunch instead of buying it at work, skipping the Starbucks and making your coffee at home and watching videos at home instead of going out to the movies.
While you may have grown tired of hearing them, they are still as true as ever and even more important when the economy is struggling.
Click Here to Continue Reading “Spend $10 Today, Be Out $100K Tomorrow”
Saturday, May 31, 2008
The Next Economic Miracle
By Tim Hanson
Let's be honest: If you're just starting to think about investing in China, then you're way behind the curve. Yes, many Chinese stocks are more attractive today than they were a year ago because of the market's recent decline.
Yes, China's economy remains an emerging global power with many years of growth ahead of it. And yes, it's the "main event" of our upcoming Motley Fool Global Gains research trip to Asia.
But emerging bellwethers Baidu.com (Nasdaq: BIDU) and Ctrip.com (Nasdaq: CTRP) aren't up 333% and 137%, respectively, over the past two years because no one has been paying attention. In other words, we know about China. It's not the economy we're most excited to see in action.
Click Here to Continue Reading “The Next Economic Miracle”
Let's be honest: If you're just starting to think about investing in China, then you're way behind the curve. Yes, many Chinese stocks are more attractive today than they were a year ago because of the market's recent decline.
Yes, China's economy remains an emerging global power with many years of growth ahead of it. And yes, it's the "main event" of our upcoming Motley Fool Global Gains research trip to Asia.
But emerging bellwethers Baidu.com (Nasdaq: BIDU) and Ctrip.com (Nasdaq: CTRP) aren't up 333% and 137%, respectively, over the past two years because no one has been paying attention. In other words, we know about China. It's not the economy we're most excited to see in action.
Click Here to Continue Reading “The Next Economic Miracle”
A summer twist on pisco sour, caipirinha cocktails
By Jenn Garbee
Chefs and bartenders are getting into the festive spirit of the classic South American drinks with fresh ingredients that pack a fruity, fragrant panache.
You've stuffed dozens of Chilean empanadas de pino (savory wheat pastries with spiced beef and onions), scoured online for a clay pot to cook an authentic Brazilian moqueca (seafood and coconut milk stew), and downloaded enough bossa nova tracks to last until the wee hours.
All you need to get your guest's inner samba dancers moving is some off-the-beaten-path summer cocktails packed with fresh fruit and herbs. Aguardiente (fire water) to the rescue.
Variations on classic South American cocktails such as pisco sours (a frothy citrus cocktail) and caipirinhas (a potent Brazilian specialty) are appearing on cocktail menus all over town, and they're a cinch to make at home for a crowd.
Click Here to Continue Reading This Article
Chefs and bartenders are getting into the festive spirit of the classic South American drinks with fresh ingredients that pack a fruity, fragrant panache.
You've stuffed dozens of Chilean empanadas de pino (savory wheat pastries with spiced beef and onions), scoured online for a clay pot to cook an authentic Brazilian moqueca (seafood and coconut milk stew), and downloaded enough bossa nova tracks to last until the wee hours.
All you need to get your guest's inner samba dancers moving is some off-the-beaten-path summer cocktails packed with fresh fruit and herbs. Aguardiente (fire water) to the rescue.
Variations on classic South American cocktails such as pisco sours (a frothy citrus cocktail) and caipirinhas (a potent Brazilian specialty) are appearing on cocktail menus all over town, and they're a cinch to make at home for a crowd.
Click Here to Continue Reading This Article
Thursday, May 29, 2008
10 Ways to Save Energy and Money
Let's take a look at 10 painless ways to reduce consumption and cut your expenses.
More from Investopedia.com: • 5 Ways to Fund Your Retirement• Risk Tolerance Only Tells Half the Story• Fatten Up Your Take-Home in 4 Easy Steps
1. Use Your Thermostat
Turning up the temperature during the summer and turning it down during the winter are great strategies for putting your thermostat to work for your wallet.
The DOE recommends setting the air conditioner at 74 degrees and the furnace at 68 to keep your house comfortable while reducing your energy costs and decreasing the demand on the energy grid.
A programmable thermostat lets you make the house hotter or cooler during periods when you aren't home. This reduces the temperature difference between the exterior and interior of your house, which in turn reduces energy loss.
If you don't have a programmable thermostat, you can manually adjust your existing unit.
Click Here to Continue Reading “10 Ways to Save Energy and Money”
More from Investopedia.com: • 5 Ways to Fund Your Retirement• Risk Tolerance Only Tells Half the Story• Fatten Up Your Take-Home in 4 Easy Steps
1. Use Your Thermostat
Turning up the temperature during the summer and turning it down during the winter are great strategies for putting your thermostat to work for your wallet.
The DOE recommends setting the air conditioner at 74 degrees and the furnace at 68 to keep your house comfortable while reducing your energy costs and decreasing the demand on the energy grid.
A programmable thermostat lets you make the house hotter or cooler during periods when you aren't home. This reduces the temperature difference between the exterior and interior of your house, which in turn reduces energy loss.
If you don't have a programmable thermostat, you can manually adjust your existing unit.
Click Here to Continue Reading “10 Ways to Save Energy and Money”
Self-esteem Recovery
By Jewel Diamond Taylor
1. Are you suffering from emotional scars, shame, secrets and silent screams?
2. Do you hear yourself putting yourself down?
3. You can learn to believe in yourself.
4. You can learn to see a stronger self.
5. You can learn to boost your self-esteem and self-worth.
6. There was a time when I gave my power and peace of mind away to my husband, children, parents and friends because I suffered from the dis-ease to please. I now share with you some of the empowering and healing language and attitudes that helped me to heal.
Rehabbing the Whiskey Sour:
By Maggie Dutton
While everyone these days seems excited to order cocktails just like the ones drunk by dear old Granddad, there's one that has yet to make a comeback:
The whiskey sour was one of the main food groups of the Greatest Generation, drunk alongside the old-fashioned, the martini, and the highly esteemed Manhattan. The whiskey sour died because we bartenders killed it with crappy bottled sour mix.
But a tried-and-true whiskey sour, one like Granddad might have ordered, is one of the bar's simplest pleasures
Click Here to Continue Reading “Your House Can Pay You to Retire”
While everyone these days seems excited to order cocktails just like the ones drunk by dear old Granddad, there's one that has yet to make a comeback:
The whiskey sour was one of the main food groups of the Greatest Generation, drunk alongside the old-fashioned, the martini, and the highly esteemed Manhattan. The whiskey sour died because we bartenders killed it with crappy bottled sour mix.
But a tried-and-true whiskey sour, one like Granddad might have ordered, is one of the bar's simplest pleasures
Click Here to Continue Reading “Your House Can Pay You to Retire”
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Your House Can Pay You to Retire
By Dan Caplinger
Getting income for life and staying in your home as long as you want sounds like the perfect combination. If you're cash-strapped and having trouble making ends meet, a product that promised a deal like that would look like a life-saver.
For homeowners over 62, reverse mortgages offer exactly that promise. To seniors who struggle with ever-increasing costs of living and falling CD income, it sounds like the perfect solution -- they can supplement their cash flow without having to sell their home and move.
But before you or your loved ones decide on a reverse mortgage, make sure you understand its limitations and shortfalls as well as its promises.
Click Here to Continue Reading “Your House Can Pay You to Retire”
Getting income for life and staying in your home as long as you want sounds like the perfect combination. If you're cash-strapped and having trouble making ends meet, a product that promised a deal like that would look like a life-saver.
For homeowners over 62, reverse mortgages offer exactly that promise. To seniors who struggle with ever-increasing costs of living and falling CD income, it sounds like the perfect solution -- they can supplement their cash flow without having to sell their home and move.
But before you or your loved ones decide on a reverse mortgage, make sure you understand its limitations and shortfalls as well as its promises.
Click Here to Continue Reading “Your House Can Pay You to Retire”
Secrets of Enduring Love
By Jewel Diamond Taylor
- Make memories with your loved ones. Life is too short to work so hard without balance, joy and time for family and friends. Families that pray, play and plan together will stay together.
- Practice random acts of hugs, kisses, thoughtful gestures, special surprise activities, notes, etc.
- People are not yo-yos. Drop them, and they may not return. Hearts are fragile... handle with care.
- Not only cherish your mate, but support them in their goals and spiritual gifts.
Click Here to Continue Reading “Secrets of Enduring Love”
Rethink pink: After tasting 135 domestic rosés, here are our top picks
By Lynne Char Bennett
Rosé has finally shed its sweet label. But with so many wineries scrambling to make a dry rosé, are the new arrivals any good? Production of premium American rosés has dramatically increased (see the accompanying story).
Last year, The Chronicle Tasting Panel evaluated 81 domestic pink wines, 12 of which we recommended. This year the numbers were even higher, as U.S. wineries flooded us with 172 dry still rosés.
After excluding wines released more than a year ago and those not readily available at retail in the Bay Area, there were still more than 135 contenders to consider. We strapped in for a long ride.
Click Here to Continue Reading This Article
Rosé has finally shed its sweet label. But with so many wineries scrambling to make a dry rosé, are the new arrivals any good? Production of premium American rosés has dramatically increased (see the accompanying story).
Last year, The Chronicle Tasting Panel evaluated 81 domestic pink wines, 12 of which we recommended. This year the numbers were even higher, as U.S. wineries flooded us with 172 dry still rosés.
After excluding wines released more than a year ago and those not readily available at retail in the Bay Area, there were still more than 135 contenders to consider. We strapped in for a long ride.
Click Here to Continue Reading This Article
Monday, May 26, 2008
I Cannot Afford To Be Sick
Written by Gil Michel, MBA
There are a couple things that happened with me recently that made me think about medical costs within the Black community as it pertains to money (Hence, the title of this article.) The first instance occurred one Friday night as some family and friends watched Tyler Perry’s DVD, “Whats Done in the Dark”.
There is an undertone in the play that encourages the viewer to make sure they schedule regular check-ups with the doctor, incorporating a number of particular tests like prostate screenings and mammograms.
But there is a line in the play from Mr. Brown (still don’t know his first name) that had me cracking up (and thinking). He said, “Cora, we all know that Black men don’t go to the doctor because they need to be at work, making sure they’re making money.”
Click Here to Continue Reading “I Cannot Afford To Be Sick”
There are a couple things that happened with me recently that made me think about medical costs within the Black community as it pertains to money (Hence, the title of this article.) The first instance occurred one Friday night as some family and friends watched Tyler Perry’s DVD, “Whats Done in the Dark”.
There is an undertone in the play that encourages the viewer to make sure they schedule regular check-ups with the doctor, incorporating a number of particular tests like prostate screenings and mammograms.
But there is a line in the play from Mr. Brown (still don’t know his first name) that had me cracking up (and thinking). He said, “Cora, we all know that Black men don’t go to the doctor because they need to be at work, making sure they’re making money.”
Click Here to Continue Reading “I Cannot Afford To Be Sick”
America's Recession-Proof Cities
By Joshua Zumbrun
Nationally, home prices are falling, unemployment is on the rise and the economy is expected to grow slowly--or even contract--in the first half of the year.
But some cities are doing just fine.
Take Oklahoma City, Okla. With falling unemployment, one of the country's strongest housing markets, and solid growth in agriculture, energy and manufacturing, it looks best positioned among the nation's largest metropolitan areas to ride out the current crisis.
San Antonio is right behind. It also features solid employment figures and affordable home prices that continue to rise. Its industries are growing; it can't hurt that the new AT&T was formed when San Antonio-based SBC Communications swallowed the old AT&T Corp. and BellSouth.
The others holding steady or improving include Austin, Texas; Houston; Charlotte, N.C.; Dallas; San Jose, Calif.; Raleigh, N.C.; Salt Lake City; and Seattle.
Click Here to Continue Reading “America's Recession-Proof Cities”
Nationally, home prices are falling, unemployment is on the rise and the economy is expected to grow slowly--or even contract--in the first half of the year.
But some cities are doing just fine.
Take Oklahoma City, Okla. With falling unemployment, one of the country's strongest housing markets, and solid growth in agriculture, energy and manufacturing, it looks best positioned among the nation's largest metropolitan areas to ride out the current crisis.
San Antonio is right behind. It also features solid employment figures and affordable home prices that continue to rise. Its industries are growing; it can't hurt that the new AT&T was formed when San Antonio-based SBC Communications swallowed the old AT&T Corp. and BellSouth.
The others holding steady or improving include Austin, Texas; Houston; Charlotte, N.C.; Dallas; San Jose, Calif.; Raleigh, N.C.; Salt Lake City; and Seattle.
Click Here to Continue Reading “America's Recession-Proof Cities”
Sunday, May 25, 2008
You Too Can Yuzu in Cocktails
From The American Mixologist
Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together and help us welcome the newest citrus sensation from the Orient, the yuzu. It is a hybrid between the sour mandarin and the Ichang Lemon, a hardy, slow-growing variety native to East Asia.
In today’s cocktail culture where innovation is king and a premium is placed on incorporating cutting edge flavors, the yuzu is money in the bank. The yuzu is a fruit tailor-made for drink making.
It has a tart palate and tastes like a cross between grapefruit and Mandarin orange. The delectable citrus was the inspiration for the Dew Drop Cocktail, a sensation specialty at Scottsdale’s Jade Bar. Ensconced in the Sanctuary Resort on the slopes of Camelback Mountain, the Jade Bar is a sought after cocktail haven
Click Here to Continue Reading "You Too Can Yuzu in Cocktails”
Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together and help us welcome the newest citrus sensation from the Orient, the yuzu. It is a hybrid between the sour mandarin and the Ichang Lemon, a hardy, slow-growing variety native to East Asia.
In today’s cocktail culture where innovation is king and a premium is placed on incorporating cutting edge flavors, the yuzu is money in the bank. The yuzu is a fruit tailor-made for drink making.
It has a tart palate and tastes like a cross between grapefruit and Mandarin orange. The delectable citrus was the inspiration for the Dew Drop Cocktail, a sensation specialty at Scottsdale’s Jade Bar. Ensconced in the Sanctuary Resort on the slopes of Camelback Mountain, the Jade Bar is a sought after cocktail haven
Click Here to Continue Reading "You Too Can Yuzu in Cocktails”
Thursday, May 22, 2008
12 Things to Do With Money
From Dr. Kenneth Hammonds
1. Value It.
2. Make It. (Earn It.)
3. Place it in Proper Perspective.
4. Calculate It.
5. Find It.
6. Spend It.
7. Invest It.
8. Save It.
9. Protect It.
10. Share It. Give it away.
11. Pay Debts and Taxes with It.
12. Sell It.
1. Value It.
2. Make It. (Earn It.)
3. Place it in Proper Perspective.
4. Calculate It.
5. Find It.
6. Spend It.
7. Invest It.
8. Save It.
9. Protect It.
10. Share It. Give it away.
11. Pay Debts and Taxes with It.
12. Sell It.
Daily Pearls for Peace of Mind
By Jewel Diamond Taylor
There's one thing I really enjoy and work on maintaining in my life. What is it? It's having peace of mind in my life. Here's my secret. I keep the following 10 Positive Pearls of Wisdom in front me on my desk, in my car and in my purse.
I'm telling you...reminding myself of these success principles keeps me in peace instead of falling to pieces.
Patience
Prayer
Proactive planning vs. procrastination
Punctuality
Proper nutrition (see our health products)
People boundaries (to keep any negative crazy drama at a distance)
Promote and build my business, goals, dreams
Plenty of love and kindness (give it/ receive it /be it )
Pro$perity habits (saving, tithing, investing, personal development)
Perseverance...(endurance, faith and focus)
I'm not always able to do all of these things all of the time. But if they are out of sight, they are out of mind. Every day I know my inner peace and progress come from building on these critical attributes.
Any time I feel stressed or lacking in any area of my life, I can always trace the source back to failing to practice one or more of those success habits. I strongly recommend that you find ways to create more peace in your life.
Your health, wealth, family, faith, career and future depend on your daily habits and attitudes.
There's one thing I really enjoy and work on maintaining in my life. What is it? It's having peace of mind in my life. Here's my secret. I keep the following 10 Positive Pearls of Wisdom in front me on my desk, in my car and in my purse.
I'm telling you...reminding myself of these success principles keeps me in peace instead of falling to pieces.
Patience
Prayer
Proactive planning vs. procrastination
Punctuality
Proper nutrition (see our health products)
People boundaries (to keep any negative crazy drama at a distance)
Promote and build my business, goals, dreams
Plenty of love and kindness (give it/ receive it /be it )
Pro$perity habits (saving, tithing, investing, personal development)
Perseverance...(endurance, faith and focus)
I'm not always able to do all of these things all of the time. But if they are out of sight, they are out of mind. Every day I know my inner peace and progress come from building on these critical attributes.
Any time I feel stressed or lacking in any area of my life, I can always trace the source back to failing to practice one or more of those success habits. I strongly recommend that you find ways to create more peace in your life.
Your health, wealth, family, faith, career and future depend on your daily habits and attitudes.
Avoiding the Classic Bar Pitfalls
From The American Mixologist
Every great endeavor comes with its own unique set of problems and challenges. Why would life behind bars be any different? The reality is that working a busy bar is fraught with pitfalls ranging from popping champagne corks to slicing a finger on broken glass.
All the while sidestepping an array of shift ending calamities, one must maintain a smile, stay composed and always represent the best interests of the house.Well, as they say, that’s why bartenders get the big money.
Not just anyone can pull off this tight wire act. It takes steady nerves, a solid character and a heavy dose of experience. On the off chance that you are only lacking in the experience category, allow us to pass on a few well-intentioned pieces of advice.
Click Here to Continue Reading "Avoiding the Classic Bar Pitfalls"
Every great endeavor comes with its own unique set of problems and challenges. Why would life behind bars be any different? The reality is that working a busy bar is fraught with pitfalls ranging from popping champagne corks to slicing a finger on broken glass.
All the while sidestepping an array of shift ending calamities, one must maintain a smile, stay composed and always represent the best interests of the house.Well, as they say, that’s why bartenders get the big money.
Not just anyone can pull off this tight wire act. It takes steady nerves, a solid character and a heavy dose of experience. On the off chance that you are only lacking in the experience category, allow us to pass on a few well-intentioned pieces of advice.
Click Here to Continue Reading "Avoiding the Classic Bar Pitfalls"
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Get What You Really Want in Retirement
By John Rosevear
What do you really want in retirement? When I think about my retirement, I imagine a series of happy images: summer sun glinting on the water, traveling in my own sailboat or small airplane to faraway places I can explore leisurely, and lots of happy moments shared with friends and family.
I admit that's fuzzy. For me, right now, fuzzy is OK -- I'm 41, and retirement is a long way off. That vision will become sharper as I get closer to the day, but here and now my retirement planning consists of taking good care of my body and my portfolio.
So far, so good on both those fronts. But I know it won't be that simple when the time comes.
Click Here to Continue Reading “Get What You Really Want in Retirement”
What do you really want in retirement? When I think about my retirement, I imagine a series of happy images: summer sun glinting on the water, traveling in my own sailboat or small airplane to faraway places I can explore leisurely, and lots of happy moments shared with friends and family.
I admit that's fuzzy. For me, right now, fuzzy is OK -- I'm 41, and retirement is a long way off. That vision will become sharper as I get closer to the day, but here and now my retirement planning consists of taking good care of my body and my portfolio.
So far, so good on both those fronts. But I know it won't be that simple when the time comes.
Click Here to Continue Reading “Get What You Really Want in Retirement”
Simple Ways to Be Happy at Work
By Dr. Joseph Mercola
Two out of three people are dissatisfied with their jobs, according to a UK survey last year. If you belong to that two-thirds, I would urge you to do some serious reflections about your life.
Because time is too short here on earth for you to spend a good portion of it doing something that makes you unhappy.
Perhaps you gave up on finding your dream job once you realized that you would never be a professional football star or a ballerina. But that doesn’t mean you have to settle for a mundane career that doesn’t excite you.
Click Here to Continue Reading “Simple Ways to Be Happy at Work”
Two out of three people are dissatisfied with their jobs, according to a UK survey last year. If you belong to that two-thirds, I would urge you to do some serious reflections about your life.
Because time is too short here on earth for you to spend a good portion of it doing something that makes you unhappy.
Perhaps you gave up on finding your dream job once you realized that you would never be a professional football star or a ballerina. But that doesn’t mean you have to settle for a mundane career that doesn’t excite you.
Click Here to Continue Reading “Simple Ways to Be Happy at Work”
Spritiz Decision 2008
Adding a fine spritz in a drink is a marvelous thing, a centuries old practice. Today, however, mixologists and bar chefs no longer think in terms of committing a splash of club soda to a cocktail. Mere carbonation is passé, now it’s about adding quality effervescence.
Spritz helps achieve all-important balance between the various elements in a cocktail. It enhances a drink’s mouth feel and most importantly, effervescence energizes a libation, transforming it from flat and lifeless to teeming with vibrancy and pizzazz.
One thing you can do to immediately improve your drink making abilities is look beyond using carbonated water from the beverage gun.
Click Here to Continue Reading "Spritiz Decision 2008"
Spritz helps achieve all-important balance between the various elements in a cocktail. It enhances a drink’s mouth feel and most importantly, effervescence energizes a libation, transforming it from flat and lifeless to teeming with vibrancy and pizzazz.
One thing you can do to immediately improve your drink making abilities is look beyond using carbonated water from the beverage gun.
Click Here to Continue Reading "Spritiz Decision 2008"
Spritiz Decision 2008
From The American Mixologist
Adding a fine spritz in a drink is a marvelous thing, a centuries old practice. Today, however, mixologists and bar chefs no longer think in terms of committing a splash of club soda to a cocktail. Mere carbonation is passé, now it’s about adding quality effervescence.
Spritz helps achieve all-important balance between the various elements in a cocktail. It enhances a drink’s mouth feel and most importantly, effervescence energizes a libation, transforming it from flat and lifeless to teeming with vibrancy and pizzazz.
One thing you can do to immediately improve your drink making abilities is look beyond using carbonated water from the beverage gun.
Click Here to Continue Reading "Spritiz Decision 2008"
Adding a fine spritz in a drink is a marvelous thing, a centuries old practice. Today, however, mixologists and bar chefs no longer think in terms of committing a splash of club soda to a cocktail. Mere carbonation is passé, now it’s about adding quality effervescence.
Spritz helps achieve all-important balance between the various elements in a cocktail. It enhances a drink’s mouth feel and most importantly, effervescence energizes a libation, transforming it from flat and lifeless to teeming with vibrancy and pizzazz.
One thing you can do to immediately improve your drink making abilities is look beyond using carbonated water from the beverage gun.
Click Here to Continue Reading "Spritiz Decision 2008"
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Don't Buy Another Multivitamin Until You've Seen This One - Fortified With Premium Vitamins
By Dr. Joseph Mercola
For the longest time, I firmly believed that it was ideal to receive all your nutrition from whole, unprocessed organic foods.
I still maintain that philosophy, but have come to realize over time that a high-quality multivitamin could be a valuable complement to your diet, especially when the situations in your life make it challenging to eat consistently healthy meals.
But the key words here are: high-quality multivitamin…
Click Here to Continue Reading “Don't Buy Another Multivitamin Until”
For the longest time, I firmly believed that it was ideal to receive all your nutrition from whole, unprocessed organic foods.
I still maintain that philosophy, but have come to realize over time that a high-quality multivitamin could be a valuable complement to your diet, especially when the situations in your life make it challenging to eat consistently healthy meals.
But the key words here are: high-quality multivitamin…
Click Here to Continue Reading “Don't Buy Another Multivitamin Until”
Get your back up off the wall
By Jewel Diamond Taylor
Whenever I teach and speak to my audiences about empowerment and improving the quality of life, I feel I have done my job if someone tells me that I made them uncomfortable.
After facilitating recent conference workshops in Orlando, I started receiving feedback by e-mail from the participants. Apparently, I made some of them feel uncomfortable.
After hearing my message about how our success, health and happiness are hindered by procrastination, fear, worry and living a life without meaning, purpose or direction, they felt the discomfort and dissatisfaction in their lives.
Click Here to Continue Reading “Get your back up off the wall”
Whenever I teach and speak to my audiences about empowerment and improving the quality of life, I feel I have done my job if someone tells me that I made them uncomfortable.
After facilitating recent conference workshops in Orlando, I started receiving feedback by e-mail from the participants. Apparently, I made some of them feel uncomfortable.
After hearing my message about how our success, health and happiness are hindered by procrastination, fear, worry and living a life without meaning, purpose or direction, they felt the discomfort and dissatisfaction in their lives.
Click Here to Continue Reading “Get your back up off the wall”
Cabernet Franc wines from France, Napa and Columbia Valley
By Patrick Comiskey
Cabernet Franc has long been a blending wine in France. West Coast producers are exploring it now too. Sometimes the gallery of Bordeaux varieties resembles a dynamic trio of comic-book heroes: Cabernet Sauvignon is the beefy, muscle-bound brute -- Lord of the Medoc, as well as of Napa Valley and points beyond.
Merlot is rather willowy by comparison but pleasingly so, a relative lightweight that gets by on finesse, sometimes at the expense of character. Somewhere between Cabernet Sauvignon's intestinal fortitude and Merlot's all-purpose weeniness a third variety lurks, a tween called Cabernet Franc.
Click Here to Continue Reading This Article
Cabernet Franc has long been a blending wine in France. West Coast producers are exploring it now too. Sometimes the gallery of Bordeaux varieties resembles a dynamic trio of comic-book heroes: Cabernet Sauvignon is the beefy, muscle-bound brute -- Lord of the Medoc, as well as of Napa Valley and points beyond.
Merlot is rather willowy by comparison but pleasingly so, a relative lightweight that gets by on finesse, sometimes at the expense of character. Somewhere between Cabernet Sauvignon's intestinal fortitude and Merlot's all-purpose weeniness a third variety lurks, a tween called Cabernet Franc.
Click Here to Continue Reading This Article
Saturday, May 10, 2008
The Only Two Questions You Need to Ask
By Rick Aristotle Munarriz
I'm going to make investing really easy for you. Smash your calculator to bits. Rip your valuation tables to shreds. Laugh at your know-it-all accounting buddy. Successful investing really boils down to nailing the answers to the only two questions that matter.
Numbers, schmumbersI don't mean to belittle the metrics. You'll often find me leaning on ratios such as price-to-earnings, interest coverage, and return on equity.
Metrics are a great way to value a company relative to the market's other alternatives at the moment, but you're not going to unearth hidden treasure simply by crunching numbers. Sorry to burst your bubble, Indiana Jones.
Click Here to Continue Reading “The Only Two Questions You Need to Ask”
I'm going to make investing really easy for you. Smash your calculator to bits. Rip your valuation tables to shreds. Laugh at your know-it-all accounting buddy. Successful investing really boils down to nailing the answers to the only two questions that matter.
Numbers, schmumbersI don't mean to belittle the metrics. You'll often find me leaning on ratios such as price-to-earnings, interest coverage, and return on equity.
Metrics are a great way to value a company relative to the market's other alternatives at the moment, but you're not going to unearth hidden treasure simply by crunching numbers. Sorry to burst your bubble, Indiana Jones.
Click Here to Continue Reading “The Only Two Questions You Need to Ask”
How to Improve the Quality of Your Free Time
By Dr. Joseph Mercola
You may dream about having all the free time in the world. Yet, according to research by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, most people are actually happier when they’re at work than during their off-time.
This surprising revelation is not so surprising when you consider that unstructured leisure time can lead to boredom and apathy. And many people, when faced with a truly free day, feel like a fish out of water, not knowing quite how to make the most of their coveted day off.
Well, this article from Lifehack has got some great suggestions. My favorites include:
Click Here to Continue Reading “How to Improve the Quality of Your Free Time”
You may dream about having all the free time in the world. Yet, according to research by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, most people are actually happier when they’re at work than during their off-time.
This surprising revelation is not so surprising when you consider that unstructured leisure time can lead to boredom and apathy. And many people, when faced with a truly free day, feel like a fish out of water, not knowing quite how to make the most of their coveted day off.
Well, this article from Lifehack has got some great suggestions. My favorites include:
Click Here to Continue Reading “How to Improve the Quality of Your Free Time”
The Culinary Beauty of Belgium
By Stephen Beaumont
It has been said of the Belgians that they spend the morning contemplating what they had for breakfast and preparing for lunch, the afternoon reflecting upon lunch and readying for dinner, and the evening waxing poetic about what they enjoyed at dinnertime.
In other words, food is very important to them. As is beer. And given the intensity of these twin passions, it should come as no surprise that in Belgium, beer and cuisine frequently intertwine.
Enter any café in the land, be it in the centre of Brussels or lost in the Flemish countryside, and you will inevitably find, either on a page of the menu or chalked upon a slate hanging from the wall, a listing of the beers available to enjoy with your meal.
It may not be a lengthy list, but it will almost certainly be a diverse one, with flavours to enliven any item on the menu. And surprisingly often, the menu will also explain with which beer each item has been prepared, reminding you that these are the people who invented cuisine à la bière.
Belgian food and Belgian beer are not only complementary, they are also similar. With so many beers to choose from, there is quite literally a Belgian beer for every occasion, be it formal or informal, social or solitary, day or night.
And so, too, does their gastronomy run the full gamut of culinary possibilities, from haute cuisine – Belgian food critic Henri Lemaire once wrote: "I can state without foolish nationalism (that) we in Belgium eat better than the French" – to casual café fare.
Yet, while Belgium was once, and may still be, home to the greatest per capita number of Michelin-starred restaurants in the world, it is at the cafes and brasseries that the marriage of beer and cuisine reaches its sublime, almost spiritual peak.
In captivating boîtes like the ornate, art nouveau Le Cirio in central Brussels, or plain village bars like Schepdaal's In De Rare Vos – or beautiful temples of fine cuisine like 't Truffeltje in Dendermonde, where I recently relished in a spectacular, multi-course, Bosteels Brewery-themed lunch – the visitor truly begins to appreciate why Belgian chef Ruth Van Waerebeek chose as the title of her cookbook, Everybody Eats Well in Belgium.
One can scarcely speak of classic Belgian bistro dishes like carbonade Flamande (Flemish beef stew) or waterzooi (a creamy seafood soup/stew, sometimes made with chicken instead of fish) without mentioning beer in the same breath.
For surely the rich, beefy flavours of a carbonade will suffer without an equally rich, malty ale like the Trappist monastery-produced Chimay Blue or Westmalle Dubbel or Achel Extra, available as both ingredient and table accompaniment.
And even if you elect not to use beer in the creation of your waterzooi, it will most certainly be a lesser dish without a glass of strong, spicy golden ale such as Duvel or Tripel Karmeliet at its side.
Indeed, as much as the Belgians appreciate fine wine – they are the world's second largest per capita consumers of Bordeaux and other French wines – a good deal of their native cuisine is more harmoniously paired with a glass of the grain rather than one of the grape, hardy surprising insofar as Belgian beer and gastronomy have been raised side by side.
Among the many possibilities are guinea hen cooked with sour cherries and served with a fruit limbic like the Lou Pepe Kriek of Cantillon; beef or horse steak grilled medium-rare and accompanied by the uniquely sweet-sour-bitter Trappist ale, Orval; or sautéed cod or halibut served on a bed of endive and covered in a cream sauce made with a Belgian wheat beer, always spiced with coriander and orange peel, enjoyed alongside an ale of the same style, such as St. Bernardus Wit, or for something quite different, the methode champenoise beer, DeuS.
For arguably the definitive word in Belgian café fare, however, one must turn to the perennial favourite, moules frites, or mussels served with twice-cooked Belgian fries.
When the mollusks are in season, it is virtually impossible to enter any café in the land without being immediately engulfed by the sweet fragrance of freshly steamed mussels, perhaps cooked in limbic, perhaps in white wine, with the subtle aroma of the beer or wine adding to the air's perfume, or in a heavier broth concocted with a potent, spicy golden ale.
Enjoyed with mayonnaise for the frites and a glass of the beer used for the steaming, it may be the ultimate in Belgian food experiences. Even with desserts does Belgian beer shine.
It should come as no shock that a country as famed for its chocolate as Belgium is should also boast a diversity of complementary beverages, from sweet, fruit juice-charged lambics like Lindemans Kriek to malty Scotch ales like that of the Brasserie Silly – which, despite their Celtic provenance, seem to be enjoyed more in Belgium than in Scotland – to perhaps the ultimate in chocolate-friendly beers, Rochefort 8.
By now, you should be hungry, and thirsty, as I am typing these words. Given that, allow me to suggest that, in the short term, at least, you quench your hunger and your thirst at a local Belgian-style or Belgian-influenced café, bar or restaurant.
In the long term, however, you should start planning a trip to Belgium. Begin with a visit to www.visitflanders.us and whichever airline you favor, and follow up with the purchase of a train pass, since travel through this pint-sized country by rail is so easy and affordable, and you don’t want to be driving with all that great beer at your disposal.
Then get your bags packed, accept that you will gain weight, and go. Trust me, you won’t be sorry.
It has been said of the Belgians that they spend the morning contemplating what they had for breakfast and preparing for lunch, the afternoon reflecting upon lunch and readying for dinner, and the evening waxing poetic about what they enjoyed at dinnertime.
In other words, food is very important to them. As is beer. And given the intensity of these twin passions, it should come as no surprise that in Belgium, beer and cuisine frequently intertwine.
Enter any café in the land, be it in the centre of Brussels or lost in the Flemish countryside, and you will inevitably find, either on a page of the menu or chalked upon a slate hanging from the wall, a listing of the beers available to enjoy with your meal.
It may not be a lengthy list, but it will almost certainly be a diverse one, with flavours to enliven any item on the menu. And surprisingly often, the menu will also explain with which beer each item has been prepared, reminding you that these are the people who invented cuisine à la bière.
Belgian food and Belgian beer are not only complementary, they are also similar. With so many beers to choose from, there is quite literally a Belgian beer for every occasion, be it formal or informal, social or solitary, day or night.
And so, too, does their gastronomy run the full gamut of culinary possibilities, from haute cuisine – Belgian food critic Henri Lemaire once wrote: "I can state without foolish nationalism (that) we in Belgium eat better than the French" – to casual café fare.
Yet, while Belgium was once, and may still be, home to the greatest per capita number of Michelin-starred restaurants in the world, it is at the cafes and brasseries that the marriage of beer and cuisine reaches its sublime, almost spiritual peak.
In captivating boîtes like the ornate, art nouveau Le Cirio in central Brussels, or plain village bars like Schepdaal's In De Rare Vos – or beautiful temples of fine cuisine like 't Truffeltje in Dendermonde, where I recently relished in a spectacular, multi-course, Bosteels Brewery-themed lunch – the visitor truly begins to appreciate why Belgian chef Ruth Van Waerebeek chose as the title of her cookbook, Everybody Eats Well in Belgium.
One can scarcely speak of classic Belgian bistro dishes like carbonade Flamande (Flemish beef stew) or waterzooi (a creamy seafood soup/stew, sometimes made with chicken instead of fish) without mentioning beer in the same breath.
For surely the rich, beefy flavours of a carbonade will suffer without an equally rich, malty ale like the Trappist monastery-produced Chimay Blue or Westmalle Dubbel or Achel Extra, available as both ingredient and table accompaniment.
And even if you elect not to use beer in the creation of your waterzooi, it will most certainly be a lesser dish without a glass of strong, spicy golden ale such as Duvel or Tripel Karmeliet at its side.
Indeed, as much as the Belgians appreciate fine wine – they are the world's second largest per capita consumers of Bordeaux and other French wines – a good deal of their native cuisine is more harmoniously paired with a glass of the grain rather than one of the grape, hardy surprising insofar as Belgian beer and gastronomy have been raised side by side.
Among the many possibilities are guinea hen cooked with sour cherries and served with a fruit limbic like the Lou Pepe Kriek of Cantillon; beef or horse steak grilled medium-rare and accompanied by the uniquely sweet-sour-bitter Trappist ale, Orval; or sautéed cod or halibut served on a bed of endive and covered in a cream sauce made with a Belgian wheat beer, always spiced with coriander and orange peel, enjoyed alongside an ale of the same style, such as St. Bernardus Wit, or for something quite different, the methode champenoise beer, DeuS.
For arguably the definitive word in Belgian café fare, however, one must turn to the perennial favourite, moules frites, or mussels served with twice-cooked Belgian fries.
When the mollusks are in season, it is virtually impossible to enter any café in the land without being immediately engulfed by the sweet fragrance of freshly steamed mussels, perhaps cooked in limbic, perhaps in white wine, with the subtle aroma of the beer or wine adding to the air's perfume, or in a heavier broth concocted with a potent, spicy golden ale.
Enjoyed with mayonnaise for the frites and a glass of the beer used for the steaming, it may be the ultimate in Belgian food experiences. Even with desserts does Belgian beer shine.
It should come as no shock that a country as famed for its chocolate as Belgium is should also boast a diversity of complementary beverages, from sweet, fruit juice-charged lambics like Lindemans Kriek to malty Scotch ales like that of the Brasserie Silly – which, despite their Celtic provenance, seem to be enjoyed more in Belgium than in Scotland – to perhaps the ultimate in chocolate-friendly beers, Rochefort 8.
By now, you should be hungry, and thirsty, as I am typing these words. Given that, allow me to suggest that, in the short term, at least, you quench your hunger and your thirst at a local Belgian-style or Belgian-influenced café, bar or restaurant.
In the long term, however, you should start planning a trip to Belgium. Begin with a visit to www.visitflanders.us and whichever airline you favor, and follow up with the purchase of a train pass, since travel through this pint-sized country by rail is so easy and affordable, and you don’t want to be driving with all that great beer at your disposal.
Then get your bags packed, accept that you will gain weight, and go. Trust me, you won’t be sorry.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Get Your Retirement on Target
By Mary Dalrymple
We're certain that you're smart and capable (not to mention good-looking), and so we're confident that you're the best person to make your own investment decisions.
As such, we're not always fans of mutual funds that make your investment decisions for you, based on your target retirement date. These funds can sometimes be too conservative, too racy, too costly, or too simplistic for your needs.
However, that doesn't mean it's never a good idea to put your 401(k) savings into a target retirement fund. Here are three reasons to take aim.
Click Here to Continue Reading “Get Your Retirement on Target”
We're certain that you're smart and capable (not to mention good-looking), and so we're confident that you're the best person to make your own investment decisions.
As such, we're not always fans of mutual funds that make your investment decisions for you, based on your target retirement date. These funds can sometimes be too conservative, too racy, too costly, or too simplistic for your needs.
However, that doesn't mean it's never a good idea to put your 401(k) savings into a target retirement fund. Here are three reasons to take aim.
Click Here to Continue Reading “Get Your Retirement on Target”
Procrastination is a thief !
By Jewel Diamond Taylor
If you have unfinished tasks haunting you... that is a distraction. If you know you are dragging your feet on projects and paperwork...that is a distraction. If you avoid making decisions and dealing with unpleasant tasks... that is a major distraction.
Do you avoid the difficult tasks and only want to do what is fun or easy? That small issue you're ignoring today could be a bigger problem tomorrow. Once you break the habit of procrastination you can release more energy and focus to work on your dreams and goals.
Delaying doctor appointments, bills, paperwork, school work, taxes, exercising, finishing your creative projects, planning a vacation, starting your business, etc.
Click Here to Continue Reading “Procrastination is a thief !”
If you have unfinished tasks haunting you... that is a distraction. If you know you are dragging your feet on projects and paperwork...that is a distraction. If you avoid making decisions and dealing with unpleasant tasks... that is a major distraction.
Do you avoid the difficult tasks and only want to do what is fun or easy? That small issue you're ignoring today could be a bigger problem tomorrow. Once you break the habit of procrastination you can release more energy and focus to work on your dreams and goals.
Delaying doctor appointments, bills, paperwork, school work, taxes, exercising, finishing your creative projects, planning a vacation, starting your business, etc.
Click Here to Continue Reading “Procrastination is a thief !”
Beer takes seat at table as books, events drive interest in pairings with food
By Stephen Beaumont
Fifteen years ago, when the late beer writer Michael Jackson first devoted a chapter of his book, “Michael Jackson’s Beer Companion,” to the topic of beer and food, it’s safe to say that, to the overwhelming majority of North Americans, the topic was foreign territory.
Beer was then primarily for drinking on its own, or at best with pizza or a backyard barbecue. To invite ale or lager to an elegant dinner table would have been, in a word, crass. How times change.
While there do remain areas of stubborn opposition to the idea of partnering fine cuisine with appropriate styles of beer, for the most part, consumers and restaurateurs alike agree that where fine food is served, beer should be available as well, even if only as a backup to King Wine.
Click Here to Continue Reading This Article
Fifteen years ago, when the late beer writer Michael Jackson first devoted a chapter of his book, “Michael Jackson’s Beer Companion,” to the topic of beer and food, it’s safe to say that, to the overwhelming majority of North Americans, the topic was foreign territory.
Beer was then primarily for drinking on its own, or at best with pizza or a backyard barbecue. To invite ale or lager to an elegant dinner table would have been, in a word, crass. How times change.
While there do remain areas of stubborn opposition to the idea of partnering fine cuisine with appropriate styles of beer, for the most part, consumers and restaurateurs alike agree that where fine food is served, beer should be available as well, even if only as a backup to King Wine.
Click Here to Continue Reading This Article
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Is Your Happiness Set in Stone?
By Dr. Joseph Mercola
Two new studies suggest that happiness is out of your control. Rather, they found that genes and age impact your general well-being more than daily attempts to be happy.
In one study of nearly 1,000 pairs of adult twins, researchers at the University of Edinburgh suggested that genes account for about 50 percent of the variation in people's levels of happiness.
The underlying determinant was genetically caused personality traits, such as being sociable, active, stable, hardworking or conscientious.
Click Here to Continue Reading “Is Your Happiness Set in Stone?”
Two new studies suggest that happiness is out of your control. Rather, they found that genes and age impact your general well-being more than daily attempts to be happy.
In one study of nearly 1,000 pairs of adult twins, researchers at the University of Edinburgh suggested that genes account for about 50 percent of the variation in people's levels of happiness.
The underlying determinant was genetically caused personality traits, such as being sociable, active, stable, hardworking or conscientious.
Click Here to Continue Reading “Is Your Happiness Set in Stone?”
5 Investing Mistakes to Avoid
By Bruce Jackson
If you're a stock market investor, chances are your portfolio has been hammered over the past few months. Few sectors have been spared.
Big companies such as Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S), small companies such as VASCO Data Security International (Nasdaq: VDSI), banks such as Citigroup (NYSE: C), insurance companies such as American International Group (NYSE: AIG), and even technology companies such as RealNetworks (Nasdaq: RNWK) have all been taken to the cleaners.
The list could go on and on. Watching a lot of hard-fought gains being wiped out in a matter of days or weeks could turn anyone off the stock market for life.
A friend of mine is considering just that. He invested $3,000, and that investment is now worth just over a grand. He's waiting to sell until it reaches $1,500, and then he plans to retire from investing forever.
Click Here to Continue Reading “5 Investing Mistakes to Avoid”
If you're a stock market investor, chances are your portfolio has been hammered over the past few months. Few sectors have been spared.
Big companies such as Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S), small companies such as VASCO Data Security International (Nasdaq: VDSI), banks such as Citigroup (NYSE: C), insurance companies such as American International Group (NYSE: AIG), and even technology companies such as RealNetworks (Nasdaq: RNWK) have all been taken to the cleaners.
The list could go on and on. Watching a lot of hard-fought gains being wiped out in a matter of days or weeks could turn anyone off the stock market for life.
A friend of mine is considering just that. He invested $3,000, and that investment is now worth just over a grand. He's waiting to sell until it reaches $1,500, and then he plans to retire from investing forever.
Click Here to Continue Reading “5 Investing Mistakes to Avoid”
Older California Cabernets are within reach at auction
By Corie Brown
The global market for older wines is overheated, but if you skip the cult Cabs, some California Cabernets vintage 1985 and older are relatively affordable.
Beaulieu Vineyard, Inglenook, Chateau Montelena, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Heitz Wine Cellars: The online auction catalog reads like a who's who of Napa Valley pioneers, vintners who made the first world-class wines in California.
The list includes bottles from the region's legendary vintages of 1974, 1978 and 1985. The surprise? Most of these storied Cabernet Sauvignon wines are priced to sell for a relative pittance.
Click Here to Continue Reading This Article
The global market for older wines is overheated, but if you skip the cult Cabs, some California Cabernets vintage 1985 and older are relatively affordable.
Beaulieu Vineyard, Inglenook, Chateau Montelena, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Heitz Wine Cellars: The online auction catalog reads like a who's who of Napa Valley pioneers, vintners who made the first world-class wines in California.
The list includes bottles from the region's legendary vintages of 1974, 1978 and 1985. The surprise? Most of these storied Cabernet Sauvignon wines are priced to sell for a relative pittance.
Click Here to Continue Reading This Article
Sunday, May 04, 2008
7 Ills That Don’t Need Pills
In the April 2008 issue of the Harvard Health Letter, researchers explained how in many cases, the non-pharmacological approach can accomplish as much, or more, than pills.
In more recent years, a growing body of studies are showing that simple lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise are effective remedies for many ills.
These seven common conditions can be managed without medication:
Arthritis
Cholesterol
Cognitive decline
Depression
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Osteoporosis
Sources:
Live Science March 25, 2008
In more recent years, a growing body of studies are showing that simple lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise are effective remedies for many ills.
These seven common conditions can be managed without medication:
Arthritis
Cholesterol
Cognitive decline
Depression
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Osteoporosis
Sources:
Live Science March 25, 2008
7 Things That Will Block Your Growth
By Jewel Diamond Taylor
What do you know and believe? That is your guiding philosophy.
How do you feel? That is your attitude.
Who do you trust? That is where your faith resides.
Who adds to your life? They will expand your possibilities.
Who drains you? They can steal your joy, peace, health and success.
How do you spend your time? That is your activity.
Opportunities are driven by your attitude and actions.
Click Here to Continue Reading "7 Things That Will Block Your Growth”
What do you know and believe? That is your guiding philosophy.
How do you feel? That is your attitude.
Who do you trust? That is where your faith resides.
Who adds to your life? They will expand your possibilities.
Who drains you? They can steal your joy, peace, health and success.
How do you spend your time? That is your activity.
Opportunities are driven by your attitude and actions.
Click Here to Continue Reading "7 Things That Will Block Your Growth”
Considering Oysters & Beer
By Stephen Beaumont
Recently, a bivalve-o-phile by the name of Patrick McMurray, champion oyster shucker and proprietor of Toronto's Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill, released a highly attractive and informative book called "Consider the Oyster."
Since Patrick is a friend and World of Beer is principally about beverages rather than bivalves, I'll not embark here upon a review, save to suggest that it really is a book well worth buying. Instead, I'll use Patrick's efforts to kick start a topic close to my heart, specifically the pairing of oysters and beer.
It's a partnership that began quite organically. Back in the day, oysters were plentiful in the dockland pubs of London, England, where they were often served cheaply, or even as free bar snacks.
Since porter was the beer style of choice at the time, it's hardly surprising that many a pint of this roasty, ebony ale ended up being downed alongside teeming plates of oysters on the half-shell.
Happily, the relationship made gastronomic as well as economic sense. Roasted malt tends to have a slightly salty taste to it, which of course gives it a character complementary to the brininess of a raw oyster.
Further, the dry or off-dry and only mild to moderately bitter taste of a porter or dry stout provides a palate-cleansing counterpoint to the creamy, delicately fruity character of many bivalves.
The harmonies continue. It is suggested that, at one point, brewers used beds of crushed oyster shells as filtering agents, a practice that ultimately led to the addition of whole oysters and/or their liquid to the conditioning beer.
Although it might sound odd, the flavour impact is actually quite wonderful and produces a silken, vaguely briny and fruity-sweet delight, as anyone who has sampled Starfish's trademark Patrick's Oyster Stout will attest.
For those lacking a passion for stout, the Germanic black lager known as schwarzbier makes a perfectly acceptable substitute, although the light fruitiness of a stout or porter will be sacrificed.
And if you are, indeed, afraid of the dark, consider a lightly-hopped golden or amber ale, along the lines of a kölsch, a proper American-style cream ale, a light-bodied brown ale or dubbel, or one of the fruitier, less bitter versions of the tripel style.
And while we're on the subject of fruitiness in beer, I should add that some fruit beers can also work well with bivalves, but care must be taken to avoid overly sweet versions. Something like the children's cough syrup-sweet Belle-Vue Kriek, for example, will simply overwhelm the oyster and leave you wondering why you paid $2.50 apiece for your selections.
On the "what to avoid" front, I'd advise staying away from any beer that is overly hoppy and bitter, from German-style pilsners to pale ales and India pale ales. Bitterness can seriously conflict with the minerally taste of some oysters and turn their flavour metallic and off-putting in your mouth.
Finally, just for fun, it's worth venturing occasionally to the other side of this column's mandate and enjoying a whisk(e)y with a plate of oysters, sweeter Irish whiskeys with delicately-flavoured oysters of the species Crassostrea sikaema and salt air influenced Scottish malts with bolder, cold water Crassostrea virginica oysters.
And don't ask me what kinds of oysters are in those two families; it's all in Patrick's book.
Recently, a bivalve-o-phile by the name of Patrick McMurray, champion oyster shucker and proprietor of Toronto's Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill, released a highly attractive and informative book called "Consider the Oyster."
Since Patrick is a friend and World of Beer is principally about beverages rather than bivalves, I'll not embark here upon a review, save to suggest that it really is a book well worth buying. Instead, I'll use Patrick's efforts to kick start a topic close to my heart, specifically the pairing of oysters and beer.
It's a partnership that began quite organically. Back in the day, oysters were plentiful in the dockland pubs of London, England, where they were often served cheaply, or even as free bar snacks.
Since porter was the beer style of choice at the time, it's hardly surprising that many a pint of this roasty, ebony ale ended up being downed alongside teeming plates of oysters on the half-shell.
Happily, the relationship made gastronomic as well as economic sense. Roasted malt tends to have a slightly salty taste to it, which of course gives it a character complementary to the brininess of a raw oyster.
Further, the dry or off-dry and only mild to moderately bitter taste of a porter or dry stout provides a palate-cleansing counterpoint to the creamy, delicately fruity character of many bivalves.
The harmonies continue. It is suggested that, at one point, brewers used beds of crushed oyster shells as filtering agents, a practice that ultimately led to the addition of whole oysters and/or their liquid to the conditioning beer.
Although it might sound odd, the flavour impact is actually quite wonderful and produces a silken, vaguely briny and fruity-sweet delight, as anyone who has sampled Starfish's trademark Patrick's Oyster Stout will attest.
For those lacking a passion for stout, the Germanic black lager known as schwarzbier makes a perfectly acceptable substitute, although the light fruitiness of a stout or porter will be sacrificed.
And if you are, indeed, afraid of the dark, consider a lightly-hopped golden or amber ale, along the lines of a kölsch, a proper American-style cream ale, a light-bodied brown ale or dubbel, or one of the fruitier, less bitter versions of the tripel style.
And while we're on the subject of fruitiness in beer, I should add that some fruit beers can also work well with bivalves, but care must be taken to avoid overly sweet versions. Something like the children's cough syrup-sweet Belle-Vue Kriek, for example, will simply overwhelm the oyster and leave you wondering why you paid $2.50 apiece for your selections.
On the "what to avoid" front, I'd advise staying away from any beer that is overly hoppy and bitter, from German-style pilsners to pale ales and India pale ales. Bitterness can seriously conflict with the minerally taste of some oysters and turn their flavour metallic and off-putting in your mouth.
Finally, just for fun, it's worth venturing occasionally to the other side of this column's mandate and enjoying a whisk(e)y with a plate of oysters, sweeter Irish whiskeys with delicately-flavoured oysters of the species Crassostrea sikaema and salt air influenced Scottish malts with bolder, cold water Crassostrea virginica oysters.
And don't ask me what kinds of oysters are in those two families; it's all in Patrick's book.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Invest Where the Jobs Are
By Colleen Paulson
While trading stocks based on speculative employment figures doesn't make for a sound long-term Foolish investment strategy, paying attention to where jobs are being added and taken away can guide investors toward sectors that may stand strong during dismal economic times.
After all, rising unemployment is a key indicator of a recession, so keeping a close eye on industries that aren't rapidly losing jobs could provide a great starting point of where to invest when the economy isn't in its healthiest stage.
The March employment report was pretty grim, with 80,000 jobs lost during the month. As one would expect, job losses occurred in the construction, manufacturing, and employment services, while health care, food services, and mining continued hiring.
Click Here to Continue Reading "Invest Where the Jobs Are”
While trading stocks based on speculative employment figures doesn't make for a sound long-term Foolish investment strategy, paying attention to where jobs are being added and taken away can guide investors toward sectors that may stand strong during dismal economic times.
After all, rising unemployment is a key indicator of a recession, so keeping a close eye on industries that aren't rapidly losing jobs could provide a great starting point of where to invest when the economy isn't in its healthiest stage.
The March employment report was pretty grim, with 80,000 jobs lost during the month. As one would expect, job losses occurred in the construction, manufacturing, and employment services, while health care, food services, and mining continued hiring.
Click Here to Continue Reading "Invest Where the Jobs Are”
13 Random Health Facts You Never Knew
By Dr. Joseph Mercola
I love sharing lists like these that are both educational and entertaining. Well, some of these “health facts” are more like “un-health facts” (especially #6), but they’re interesting nonetheless.
1) Motorists who talk on cell phones are more impaired than drunk drivers with blood-alcohol levels exceeding .08.
2) Banging your head against a wall burns 150 calories an hour.
3) In some parts of the world, they protect their babies from disease by bathing them in beer.
4) The word ‘gymnasium’ comes from the Greek word gymnazein, which means ‘to exercise naked.’
5) There are more than 1,000 chemicals in a cup of coffee; of these, only 26 have been tested, and half caused cancer in rats.
Click Here to Continue Reading "13 Random Health Facts You Never Knew”
I love sharing lists like these that are both educational and entertaining. Well, some of these “health facts” are more like “un-health facts” (especially #6), but they’re interesting nonetheless.
1) Motorists who talk on cell phones are more impaired than drunk drivers with blood-alcohol levels exceeding .08.
2) Banging your head against a wall burns 150 calories an hour.
3) In some parts of the world, they protect their babies from disease by bathing them in beer.
4) The word ‘gymnasium’ comes from the Greek word gymnazein, which means ‘to exercise naked.’
5) There are more than 1,000 chemicals in a cup of coffee; of these, only 26 have been tested, and half caused cancer in rats.
Click Here to Continue Reading "13 Random Health Facts You Never Knew”
A Texas barkeep takes on the Manhattan
By Gary Regan
I was in Dallas recently, and although Cowboy Dave doesn't work on Wednesdays, I dropped by the Windmill Lounge anyway. The Windmill, for my money at least, is the best little cocktail house in Texas.
When I'd stopped by there on the previous evening, bartender "Cowboy" Dave Wright fixed me a couple of very special Manhattans, made according to a recipe that he'd fashioned for a Windmill customer, a man who goes by the name of Bookie Bob.
I thought it might be interesting to meet a man who could consume these high-test cocktails on a regular basis, so I was at the Windmill again in the hopes of a sighting.
Click Here to Continue Reading "A Texas barkeep takes on the Manhattan"
I was in Dallas recently, and although Cowboy Dave doesn't work on Wednesdays, I dropped by the Windmill Lounge anyway. The Windmill, for my money at least, is the best little cocktail house in Texas.
When I'd stopped by there on the previous evening, bartender "Cowboy" Dave Wright fixed me a couple of very special Manhattans, made according to a recipe that he'd fashioned for a Windmill customer, a man who goes by the name of Bookie Bob.
I thought it might be interesting to meet a man who could consume these high-test cocktails on a regular basis, so I was at the Windmill again in the hopes of a sighting.
Click Here to Continue Reading "A Texas barkeep takes on the Manhattan"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
