Six Rarely-Asked Questions About The Meltdown: Could Someone Answer? [The Panic Of '08]

Sur le même thème que "Six Rarely-Asked Questions About The Meltdown: Could Someone Answer? [The Panic Of '08]"

delicious days, the book - many questions, some answers

I guess it was symptomatic, that I had just submerged my fingers in a gooey meass that was supposed to become an elastic, smooth and speckled pasta dough with poppy-seeds (basic recipe: 275g all-purpose flour, 25g ground poppy-seeds, a pinch of salt, a pinch of cinnamon, 3 medium eggs, 1 tbsp sunflower oil, 1 tbsp water, if necessary), when the door bell rang. With a sigh, I hastily cleaned my fingers and answered the door: "Hello? ... Hello? ... Helloooho???" Silence. I despise when that happens. With another sigh, this time a little louder and a tad frustrated I returned to the kitchen and continued kneading the pasta dough. But the door bell rang again. This time twice and seemingly with more emphasis. Don't you just hate that? Since I couldn't think of any outstanding orders I had made the previous days and wasn't expecting any friends - for a moment - I simply thought about ignoring it. But I'm glad my never ceasing curiosity forced me back to the door. I wiped my fingers clean again and I guess my voice wasn't as friendly as the first time when I answered the door: "HEEELLLLLOOO???!!" (as in 'dude, you better get your act together'). Finally somebody answered with a calm and gentle voice: "Where do you live?" What?!? Was there somebody playing a trick on me? It took me a second to realize that the person downstairs was referring to the actual floor we live on and his next sentence made me forget all the annoyance and made my heart jump for joy: "I'm delivering a parcel from Gräfe und Unzer." Could this be the delivery of the first bound copies of my book? It indeed was. ***sigh of utter felicity*** I spent the next hour reading and completely forgot about my semi-finished pasta dough. But don't worry, it turned out fine anyway (cooked in vanilla milk and served with browned butter and cherry compote, thank you for asking). And I started thinking about an appropriate way to introduce the book to my dear readers. Why not with a little Q and A? Over the last year I received numerous emails from readers who where interested in the whole process of writing a cookbook, some wanted advice, others had specific questions. Same with neighbors, friends & colleagues. Listed below you'll find some of them, and my very personal answers, garnished with visual appetizers from the book. delicious days - the book is now available on amazon.de German version - English version ,at the Gräfe & Unzer online-shop German or English version or in bookstores throughout Germany......and will become available on amazon.com shortly. English version How does it feel to hold the finished book in your hands? (Probably THE question these days. Everybody wants to know, my neighbors, the customers at my friend Kristin's coffee bar, my family, my friends, colleagues ... And I still haven't come up with a witty answer.) Weird. Great. Unreal. Proud. Happy. Did I mention UNREAL? How do I get published? How can I land a book deal? (Probably the most frequent question I received via email.) There's no simple answer to this one. Almost every step from the very first contact with my publishing house to signing the contract was very untypical compared to other cookbook author's experiences. I never wrote a book proposal, I never talked to an agent. On the other hand I had to deliver various concept presentations, convince skeptical editors as well as board directors and negotiate my contracts all by myself (ok, my pre-blog-pre-design law studies might have helped here a bit). While I was scared as hell in the beginning, I quickly learned that a compelling concept gives you enough confidence to fight for it, which - luckily - worked out in the end. How do I know, if it's the right publishing house for my book? Of course you're flattered when a publishing house shows interest in a book deal with you. But there's no need to hurry. Just like when applying for a new job, you should try to get a closer view on the people you would have to work with (sometimes on a daily basis, sometimes under stressful conditions). Don't let yourself be talked into something you really don't want to do, trust your gut feel. I've spoken to other publishing houses before I signed my contract, some of them had a completely different idea about "my book". Besides, I was lucky to not only have my publishing house within walking distance, even my editors do live in the same neighborhood. A benefit that couldn't be rated high enough, as spontaneous meetings were never much of a deal. How did you come up with your own concept? In the beginning it was less of a concept, more an idea, a potpourri of different features I enjoy in other cookbooks. I wanted to write a book I myself would be dying to buy when spotting it in a bookstore. Beautiful and mouthwatering - yet down to earth with realistic photography, and lots thereof. I mean LOTS OF IT. Because cooking and eating occupies such an important part in my life, I connect every recipe to a certain moment, a little story or experience. Hence personal anecdotes to recipes, just like I write them for my blog, were a must. But there is so much more to tell!? That's when we decided to have the main recipe part take turns with little, inserted chapters about friends, traveling and such, which - naturally - would be accompanied by related recipes and more photography. All in all it took at least three months of continuous adaptation until the final concept was carved in stone. How did you chose your recipes? My top requirement: I must be able to go into raptures about a particular dish. Even better: guests, test cooks and eaters must do as well. The recipe itself must be doable for a reasonably experienced cook, not rocket-science. Furthermore I wanted to present a broad selection of dishes and cuisine styles. Of course a few favorites from the blog made it in there as well... Best and worst moments of the whole writing experience? Worst: I don't have one worst moment, but I recall the nights before deadlines as particularly exhausting. While I felt extremely tired when I went to bed late at night, it was hard to fall asleep, because my mind was still in "writing-mode". Best: We had agreed, that I would send each finished chapter separately to my copy editor and I was pretty nervous when I hit the "Send-Button" for the very first time. Would she like it? Was it good enough for a book ? I'm not sure if she sensed my desire to panic, but within minutes I had an email in my mailbox, saying she didn't recall any author before who had delivered such well prepared material and couldn't wait for the next chapters. What a huge relief for me, coming from somebody who has edited some hundred cookbooks before. Maybe food-blogging is not the worst way to prepare for writing a cookbook? Pitfalls, lessons you have learned, any advice you would give aspiring cookbook authors? Backup everything, all the time. An extra external hard-disk is a good idea. Don't hesitate to fight for your conviction, but - on the other hand - don't forget, that the contracting party (publishing house, editors, etc.) knows the tricks of the trade by heart. Sometimes everybody profits from a compromise. Writing a cookbook sounds like a lot of fun, but hands down it's a considerable amount of hard work. You should already have developed a working routine (especially for recipe testing and writing, or your food photography) before signing a contract. Would you do it again? No. Just kidding... Absolutely, the last year may have been the most stressful I can remember in a very long time, but it was well worth it in the end. And I never ate that good and that much, and neither did Oliver ;) [lien] [EN]

Ethan Winner Speaks Out, Answering The Tough Questions, If By “The Tough Questions” You Mean “Pretty Much Nothing Anyone Is Interested In”

As I reported last night, Rusty at the Jawa Report has accused Ethan Winner of being the guy who uploaded that anti-Palin smear video. I said this morning: “The connection to the Winners and their PR firm is solid. The evidence tying in Axelrod and Obama is circumstantial but suggestive.” Well, we now have an admission of the former and a denial of the latter. September 22, 2008 1:30 pm PDT Statement of Ethan Winner The following is in response to questions I have received regarding the post on the Jawa Report website. I produced and posted on the Internet the video entitled “Sarah Palin: A Heartbeat Away.” The idea for the video was mine. No one paid me to produce it. The only out-of-pocket cost will be the fee for the voice-over narrator, which I will pay personally when I receive an invoice. Contrary to the allegation in the Jawa Report, the voice-over artist has never done any work for the Obama campaign. I retained her through a talent agency based solely on the quality of her voice. Neither the Obama campaign nor any independent political action committee has had a connection with the making and/or posting of this video. Just like the thousands of Americans who have posted videos on the Internet regarding the current Presidential campaign, I produced this video as an expression of my right to free speech, which is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. I believe the American people have a right and a need to know information about candidates for political office and their views. I made this video because I think it is important for the public to be aware of the association between Sarah and Todd Palin and the Alaskan Independence Party. The New York Times has reported that the Alaskan Independence Party website describes the party as seeking, in the words of the party, “a range of solutions to the conflicts between federal and local authority,” including “advocacy for state's rights, through a return to territorial status, all the way to complete independence and nationhood status for Alaska.” While a number of media outlets have said that reports that Sarah Palin was a member of the Alaskan Independence Party may have been erroneous, her attendance at the party's 1994 convention, her video speech to the 2008 convention and her husband's membership in the Alaskan Independence Party have not been called into question. Some people have asked why I have pulled the video from the Internet. The reason is simple. Following the posting of personal information about me by the Jawa Report, my family began to receive threatening and abusive phone calls and emails. In jury trials, juries often assess the credibility of one assertion by testing the credibility of other assertions by the same witness. For example, if Ethan Winner tells you that “the voice-over artist has never done any work for the Obama campaign,” you are entitled to listen to a comparison of his voice-over artist to that used by the Obama campaign to see if his assertion rings true. Winner says the two voices in that clip belong to different people. Make your own determination on that point. He doesn’t name the artist, and claims that “the voice-over artist has never done any work for the Obama campaign.” How does he know? He doesn’t answer Ace’s question of why the videos and profiles came down so quickly, when the only thing teased in advance was that there would be a post tying phony grassroots activity to David Axelrod. Are we to presume that there was no such tie, yet Winner and family were simply monitoring Ace of Spades and Jawa Report and Patterico, so that they were ready to pull everything down within an hour of our posts going up?? He says that the idea for the video was his — but he pointedly doesn’t deny that one of the people working for his PR firm was involved in promoting it. And he doesn’t explain why that person refused to answer a simple question from the Weekly Standard regarding whether he had posted the video to Democratic Underground. If there was nothing nefarious going on, why did Jared Liu-Klein tell the Weekly Standard that he’d have to get back to them on that very simple question?? And he sidesteps the issue of the video’s blatantly false claims. Remember what Rusty told us in his original post: The New York Times was forced to retract their earlier claim that Palin was a member of the party, blaming the error on the party’s chair. That retraction was published Sept. 3rd, 8 days before the video was first made publicly available. And he doesn’t explain why Daily Kos suddenly killed their post promoting the smear — just like they killed their post promoting the “Trig Trutherism” smear. Something tells me that Ethan Winner has a lot of ’splainin’ to do. As Treacher says: “Winners Fake All.” P.S. I will say this: all arguments that this video was an “in kind” contribution to Obama are bordering on fascism. This guy has a First Amendment right to say whatever he wants — and I think he retains that right even if he is doing Barack Obama’s explicit bidding. To reach any other conclusion is to deny the First Amendment. But we have the right to question what is going on here. And we might as well exercise that right, because the brave souls in our so-called free press couldn’t care less about keeping Obama and his crew honest. UPDATE: What do you know? We have a direct connection between Axelrod and the Winners. Thanks to daleyrocks. [lien] [EN]

So Why Wouldn’t Joe Answer The Question?

So Why Wouldn’t Joe Answer The Question? TV Reporter Barbara West talking to Larry King about asking Joe Biden tough questions: King: All right, Barbara, what were you getting to, since generally the redistribution of the wealth is a graduated income tax? West: Well, Larry, no, I don’t believe that it is just a graduated income tax. I think a lot of people who are talking to me out on the street are saying they are very, very concerned that this idea of redistributing the wealth means taking it out of somebody’s pocket who is a wage earner and putting it in somebody’s pocket who refuses to work. And they’re asking about. That’s what they don’t want. That is what they want to know, what does this really mean? My job as a journalist is to ask those questions and get those answers, and I don’t believe I got answers at all. King: Was the implication in the question that Barack Obama is a Marxist? West: I was asking him to tell us about how Barack Obama’s redistribution of wealth was different from that quote by Karl Marx, that’s all I wanted to know. This underscores a forgotten point here. When asked a question that required Biden to make a meaningful distinction between Obama’s policies and the theories of Karl Marx, Biden couldn’t do it. On one level, this could be viewed simply as a “gaffe,” but the sheer amount of outrage generated by the Biden and the Obama camp doesn’t support this view. Indeed, this question is a very legitimate follow-up to the “Joe the plumber” episode, and if the Obama camp was on the ball they would have had a canned answer ready. The meme being trotted out by the Obama camp and the media (i.e. that the “graduated income tax” equals “redistribution of wealth” so we are all little Marxists already) is so obviously inadequate they fell back on their next best solution; rely on the lap dog media to ignore the issue. Luckily, some reporters aren’t completely in the bag. [lien] [EN]

Just Answer The Fucking Question, Jonathan Franzen [Authors]

Here's a video clip in which the interviewer had two very simple and specific question for Corrections author Jonathan Franzen, who famously got himself disinvited from the Oprah Book Club for being too ungrateful: Do you regret your run-in with Oprah? And would you be part of the book club if you could do it over again? To these simple questions, Franzen stares at the floor and says things like "What does regret mean?" and then remarks on the magnitude of dividing the world's opinion in two. Maybe this is the nuance necessary to be a literary titan; check out this quote of his at the time of the dispute: "To find myself being in the position of giving offense to someone who's a hero — not a hero of mine per se, but a hero in general — I feel bad in a public-spirited way." No, that's just mealy-mouthed. Yes or no question, Jonathan Franzen. The full clip, after the jump. [lien] [EN]

Understanding The Panic Of 2008 In 15 Easy Steps []

If you're wondering how we got into the big money mess, Kiplinger has a nice and easy 15 step guide to the market meltdown. They trace the origins back to 2000, when the Federal Reserve made the federal funds rate, the interest rate banks charge each other for short term loans, very low. Then we go through the speculative bullshit of the subprime mortgage market, the various imaginary castles built on top of it, and then just how everything went to pot once the naked emperor was revealed. No blame-casting, just the straight up facts. 15 Things You Need to Know About the Panic of 2008 [Kiplinger] (Photo: Getty) Read More: But How How Does The Bailout Affect Me? , New Super Agency Proposed To Buy Up All The Very Bad Loans And Save Our Financial System , Personal Finance Roundup , What To Do In These Uncertain Financial Times [lien] [EN]

Questions, questions… and answers?

Every team enters training camp with questions. It’s an annual rite of the Dog Days. Whether it’s a former player picking players for you on national TV, four QBs and no real starter, or you’ve got this guy running your team, there’s always questions to be answered over the four weeks the precede Labor Day. So what are the questions facing your beloved New York Jets? And are there any answers? I’m so glad you asked! Really! I’m tickled! (Ed. note - This is not a comprehensive list. If you’ve got a question I didn’t answer, hit me at TJBWeekends@gmail.com.) Question #: To Kellen, or not to Kellen, THAT is the question. Is fifth overall pick Mark Sanchez the first real hope the Jets have had at QB since the -version of Chad Pennington? Or is Kellen Clemens really the shoulda-been-picked-in-the-first-round wunderkind Schotty and Co. would have you believe? Answer: Sadly, or proudly for some of you (here’s looking at you Sack), I don’t believe we’ll ever find out if Kellen is worth his jockstrap. As has been forecast since the Jets moved up to grab Sir Sanchez, the Golden Child is likely to get the first, second and 7th chances at being Gang Green’s starter — if not right off the bat, then surely by the bye week. I believe Kellen, at worst, could be a very solid backup and mentor to Sanchez, but I’m also sad he never got a real shot. Then again, you could argue he got one last summer and squandered it so poorly the Jets maneuvered for some crazy old man with a bum shoulder. So, really, it’s Kellen’s fault the Jets collapsed down the stretch. Sanchez by Week . Question #: Is anyone gonna pay these guys? Leon Washington and Thomas Jones want their money — each for their own, understandable reasons. TJ is seeking likely his last final contract, and Leon wants to get his first big deal before the CBA expires. The Jets have held firm on both. Will they hold out? And who will get paid? Answer: Both have “well-known” agents, Drew Rosenhaus (Jones) and the now-infamous Alvin Keels (LW), known as heavy negotiators who often overreach for their clients. The difference is we’ve seen Rosenhaus relent, but Keels doesn’t seem to be in the business of backing down. He may also be huffing paint and sniffing dry erase markers. Keels recently tweeted that it was “crunch time”, but if he doesn’t get a job soon, it may be time to run and hide as angry Jets fans bombard him. TJ already got $3 million in his deal and is entering the downside of his career — for RBs especially. Leon, however, is the only playmaker the Jets have on the offensive side of the ball and a weapon in the truest sense. Bottom line? Both probably will hold out, but expect Jones to return before Leon. He knows he’s not going to be rostered past this year and has one year to prove he deserves a new deal and not end up in the Edgerrin James-Shaun Alexander FA scrap heap. Leon, well, who knows at this point? The man pushing his buttons is seemingly deranged. Jets fans could be in for a long summer. Neither gets paid, both show eventually, and Leon drives his price way up with another Pro Bowl year. More questions and answers after the jump…. Question #: A rebuilt house isn’t necessarily a strong house. It was easy to see as a Jets fan last year that the secondary was one of the largest holes on the team. Mangini’s unceremonious dumping of FS Erik Coleman hurt more than he let on and the uncertainty opposite and behind Darrelle Revis left the team so thin they reached out for an aging Ty Law midstream. So can the new secondary with Jim Leonhard, Lito Sheppard and Donald Strickland fix the Jets’ pass-defense deficiencies? Answer: In a word: maybe? Look, it’s hard to tell how these pieces are going to fit together. Yes, Revis is Revis and he’s going to lock down the other team’s top receiver (most of the time), but the Jets also face some teams with exceptional second, and sometimes third wide recievers — not to mention tight ends. Lee Evans, Wes Welker, Tony Gonzalez, Dallas Clark and Devery Henderson are on the schedule, just to name a few. Sheppard is immensely talented, but a gambler. He takes chances, which fits Ryan’s D, but he also gets burned a fair share, which feeds into his detractors. Leonhard will take over as playcaller — something Kerry Rhodes admits is much-needed — and he’s likely to do an excellent job at it. But, was his play a factor of the phenomenal HoF-level talent around him in Baltimore? Can he duplicate it in the same system now with the Jets? I believe so, but color me skeptical (I think skeptical is like a peach color). The key to this secondary isn’t even starting — yet. Dwight Lowery is the key to this season. As Jets fans saw last year, Lowery doesn’t just make big plays, he can break up passes and defend in tight coverage. That is, until Mangini shattered his confidence. If Ryan has/can rebuild Lowery’s confidence and develop him further, the Jets can push Strickland, James Ihedigbo, and Drew Coleman one step further down the depth chart. Yes, the secondary will be better, but Lowery, not Sheppard will be starting opposite Revis by season’s end. Question #: The Green Lantern, not Mr. Irvin, should have a show about underdogs trying to make it. Every year there’s one underdog player that seems to capture the hearts, minds and souls of Jets fans. Where is he on this year’s training camp roster? Let me just be clear that I am an unabashed fan of Wayne Chrebet. He’s been one of my favorites since year one. His story is both amazing and heartbreak, and one every undrafted free agent should know by heart. In his honor, I’m creating an unofficial “Chrebet spot” for the underdogs that I’ll try to track over the summer. Some favorites this year for the unofficial Chrebet Spot: Danny Woodhead, J’Nathan Bullock, Matt Slauson, Marcus Henry, Jamaal Westerman, and Mario Urrutia. If you have any other nominations, e-mail me. So who’s the favorite? Fan sentiment would seem to be tied between “The diminuative dasher” Woodhead and “The Scarlet slasher” Westerman. Both have high hills to climb, behind a mountain of depth and talent. Woodhead seemingly has the bigger hill to mount, but he’s someone that could have more of an immediate impact. Westermann likely will need time to learn and develop the way Marques Murrell and Jason Trusnik had. We’ve seen rookie running backs burst onto the scene via special teams and a handful of offensive plays. Obviously, the potential holdouts of TJ and LW and Calvin Pace’s suspension play strongly into both players hands. Urrutia, Henry and Bullock also seem to have an in due to the lack of proven depth and general all-out competition for their respective spots. Early favorite: Westerman. I like Woodhead, but between TJ, Leon, Shonn Greene, Caulcrick, and T-Rich, he’s odd-man out. Like I said, this isn’t a conclusive list of questions and answers. Just something to get the blood flowing. If you’ve got a question for me or anyone at TJB, you know what to do. Filed under: Opinion 4 Responses to “Questions, questions… and answers?”: Harlan Lachman, on July 5th9 at 1 pm Said: [lien] [EN]

The Panic of ‘08

Gee, it must be the second coming of the Great Depression if the sales of Apple are up 35%. I apologize for that attempt at snark. But let us get real about this imaginary recession the press and the politicians are trying their darnedest to conjure up: The American economy grew by 4.9% in the latest quarter for which we have data. Far from worrying about where their next meal is coming from, Americans are overweight and buying crap they don’t need. Consider Apple, the peddler of the Betamax of the computer world and iPods. (Yes, I know: Macs are so superior to PCs. Don’t go all Ron Paulian on me, but most people buy PCs.) Apple’s net profits for the final quarter of 2007 was a shade under $1.6 billion. When’s Hillary going to hold hearings on how the iPod cartel is holding American consumers hostage? Those profits were 57% higher than in the final quarter of 2006 when Apple made only $1 billion. Poor Apple. Apple sales in the final quarter of 2007 were 35% higher than in the final quarter of 2006. If we were in a recession would people have the bucks to buy iPods, iPhones and Macs? AP reported: Steve “Jobs said during the Macworld Conference & Expo this month that Apple has sold 4 million iPhones since they went on sale June 29 in the United States. Subsequent launches in Britain, Germany and France have boosted sales while sparking legal fights over Apple’s strategy of striking exclusive deals with mobile operators in each region. Apple is also in talks to bring the device to China and Japan.” 4 million overpriced telephones in 6 months? If you buy that we are in a recession, I have a million-dollar beach house here in Poca, W.Va., that I am willing to part with for only $850,000. The AP story in full: SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — As investors pummeled Apple Inc.’s stock over a disappointing financial outlook, a key question remained about the results: just how badly will the company be hurt by slowing economic activity in the United States and fears of a recession? Wall Street interpreted the Cupertino-based company’s guidance for the current quarter, released after the market closed Tuesday, as a sign that weakening consumer spending will hurt Apple in 2008 and that even a hot company like Apple isn’t immune from the broader economic pressures weighing on the stock market. Apple executives noted, however, that its forecast for the fiscal second quarter calls for sales growth of 29 percent, which is faster than in previous years, even if it is slower than Wall Street was expecting. The company said that because of booming holiday sales, Apple notched the highest quarterly revenue and earnings in its history. “Our business performed very well in the December quarter, and we remain very confident in our products and our strategy,” said Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer. Still, disappointed investors punished Apple, sending its shares down $17.71, or more than 11 percent, to $137.93 in after-hours trading Tuesday. Apple’s stock, seen as a refuge from the market’s turmoil during the second half of 2007, has declined sharply, wiping out more than $40 billion in shareholder wealth since the end of December, when shares hit their 52-week high of $202.96. Shareholders had hoped Apple’s first-quarter results, which cover the last three months of the year, would be a high point in a market otherwise marred by bad news. Instead, the company became emblematic of Tuesday’s broader market tumble, which saw the tech-laden Nasdaq composite index fall 2 percent. Some analysts said fear about slowing consumer spending was overblown in response to Apple’s results and the company may have been a victim of its own past successes. “I think it’s more of the whisper numbers on Apple just got incredibly high,” said Jane Snorek, senior analyst of technology stocks for First American Funds. “(There were rumors) of $10 billion in sales and $2 per share in earnings and that they might raise their guidance. And when they kind of report in line and guide down like they’re supposed to, like they should be doing, it’s a big letdown.” Apple forecast profit in the second fiscal quarter of 94 cents per share, far short of the $1.09 per share that analysts were expecting. Revenue is also expected to be lower, coming in around $6.8 billion, compared with the $6.99 billion forecast by analysts. Apple’s guidance has historically been conservative, but such a divergence from Wall Street’s estimate rattled investors already skittish about the economy. Tuesday’s stock plunge was likely worsened, Snorek said, by the exodus of a large number of investors who had hoped Apple’s stock would be a refuge from the economic pressures hurting the overall stock market. “There was a lot of money hiding in this stock,” she said. Still, Apple blew past Wall Street’s bullish expectations in the first fiscal quarter, aided by soaring sales of Macintosh computers and continued rising sales of iPod digital music players. Its net profit was $1.58 billion, or $1.76 per share, for the three months ended Dec. 29. That was 14 cents higher than the average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Financial and a 57 percent improvement over last year. Net income during the same period a year earlier was $1 billion, or $1.14 per share. At $9.61 billion, sales in the first quarter also beat Wall Street’s expectation of $9.47 billion, and they were 35 percent higher than the $7.1 billion of the year-ago period. Apple is profiting from sharply accelerating gains in the personal computer market in the U.S., where the company’s market share had hovered for years in the range of 2 percent to 3 percent. By the end of 2007, Apple had scooped out a share of more than 6 percent, according to market researcher Gartner Inc. Those gains were reflected in the latest quarter with a 59 percent jump in sales of desktop Macintosh computers to $1.51 billion, and a 40 percent jump in laptop sales to $2.04 billion. Still, iPod sales eclipsed both of those categories, underscoring Apple’s expansion from purely a personal computer maker and into a delivery vehicle for all forms of digital entertainment, from music to television shows to movies. Earlier this month, the company dove into online movie rentals through its iTunes service and upgraded its Apple TV device to allow consumers to download and play movies without involving a computer. In the first quarter, iPod sales jumped 17 percent over last year to $3.99 billion. Total personal computer sales were $3.55 billion. Apple executives declined to comment on economic factors such as sluggish consumer spending that may have weighed on second-quarter guidance. Instead, the company pointed to bustling Apple retail stores, which saw more than 10 million more people come through their doors in the first quarter than during the same period last year. The iPhone, Apple’s combination iPod-cell phone-wireless Internet browser, also remains a closely watched indicator of Apple’s success. More than 2.3 million of the devices and accessories were sold during the latest quarter. Jobs said during the Macworld Conference & Expo this month that Apple has sold 4 million iPhones since they went on sale June 29 in the United States. Subsequent launches in Britain, Germany and France have boosted sales while sparking legal fights over Apple’s strategy of striking exclusive deals with mobile operators in each region. Apple is also in talks to bring the device to China and Japan. Company executives said Tuesday that Apple remains on track to sell 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008, which would give the device roughly 1 percent of the worldwide market for new cell phones. The Apple press release is here. By the way, I like Apple. Neat company. It just does not sell essentials. This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 at 4:30 pm and is filed under The economy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. [lien] [EN]

Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Answer the Phone

NAPLES, Fla. — In the last remaining hours until the Florida primary, residents in the state are being bombarded with phone calls and pre-recorded messages supporting one candidate or another. Over the course of six hours this weekend, one home in the predominantly Republican city of Naples received no less than eight phone calls from various presidential campaigns. Here's a sample: Sheriff Joseph Arpaio Calling on Behalf of Mitt Romney [lien] [EN]

Phantom Planet, 'Do the Panic' - Video Premiere

Filed under: Video, Exclusive, Video of the DaySpinner.com: For their new video, 'Do the Panic,' Phantom Planet take to an eerie secluded cabin, appropriately, only to disappear while playing this hook-laden scorcher and return as limbs. That's right. Limbs. Nevertheless, the music doesn't suffer from... Read more [lien] [EN]

Weekend Question: Sox at the trade deadline

I wanted to post this question later in the season, but with injuries popping up left and right, this may be a good time to pop it: If you could make any (realistic) trade for the Sox before the trade deadline, what would it be and why? Mull on it and reply in the comments section. I figure we can get some good, interesting responses. I've got two: John Lackey and Omar Vizquel. It'd take a lot to get Lackey, a free agent (Angels hold an option), but he'd probably be the best arm to acquire if the Angels were to really drop out of the race (really, really drop out of the race). It'd probably take some primo prospects as well. As for Vizquel, the Giants like him but there's always a price for an old shortstop. I think we could get a trade done if we traded a prospect like Kris Johnson plus a lower level prospect or two. [lien] [EN]

Jennifer Aniston Answers the Call to Fight Cancer (E! Online)

Jennifer Aniston Answers the Call to Fight Cancer (E! Online) E! Online - Jennifer Aniston is ready to take your call. Online - Jennifer Aniston is ready to take your call. This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 at 4:02 am and is filed under Jennifer Aniston. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. [lien] [EN]

Déjà Vu: the Panic of 1873 [Freakoutnomics]

A Wall Street panicmeltdown? We've been through this before. Tired of 1930s breadline comparisons, Jennifer 8. Lee takes us back to the Panic of 1873 on the NYT's City Room. Some historians think it's eerily comparable to the current situation: it "came after a building boom created by easily obtainable mortgages and an ensuing banking crisis." The Stock Exchange had to close for the first time ever to control the crisis, and a four-year depression ensued. What did the Times headlines look like at the time? Panic, although not quite as hysterical as the Post and the Daily News's "You're gonna need a bigger mattress!" and "Your $$ Burned." Even in 1873, they were using the phrase "fine-ass." This cartoon refers to "inflationary proposals" formed as a response to the panic. . September 19, 1873 September 20, 1873 September 21, 1873 September 22, 1873 An October 1873 cartoon from Harper's showing President Grant helping America—embodied by a lady—out of the "wreckage of Wall Street." It's captioned, "I am glad to see that you are not seriously hurt. The houses in this 'Street' have been shaky and on false bases for a long time'.” [Sherman Square] Home forclosures followed. From the Brooklyn Eagle, 1873. [Brownstoner] Finally, here's how the Times explained the Panic of 1873, thirty-four years later, in 1907. They were so interested in exploring the causes of the 1873 panic that year because another one occurred: Read More: Pets or Meat?, Books Will Teach You How to Manage the Money That Wall Street Will Piss Away Anyway, The First Media Mogul Casualty, A Guide to Your Recession-Weekend Oblivion [lien] [EN]

Is the Media Partially Responsible For the Panic?

Tyler McKinna submits: Is it just me, or does it seem like the media is playing a large part in the widespread financial panic that has consumed the globe? I know the media is in the business of selling “papers” but still, I wonder why they always seem to play up the negative. This only serves to feed the panic and thus make an already irrational market further disconnect from the fundamentals.Complete Story » [lien] [EN]

Beyonce & Governor Patterson: Answer The Call!

Beyonce Knowles and Governor David Patterson attend a press conference for her husband Jay-Z ’s “Answer The Call” charity concert at NYC’s Madison Square Garden on Monday morning (August 1). In celebration of his Blueprint 3 album, Jay-Z is hosting a benefit concert at Madison Square Garden on Sept1 to benefit the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund. As many as 0 artists will perform. Tickets will be $0 each and will go on sale Sept. Yesterday, Beyonce and Jay-Z attended the Grizzly Beart concert at the JellyNYC Pool Party series in Brooklyn, New York. 0+ pictures inside of Beyonce and Governor Patterson answering the call… [lien] [EN]

Jetpack Inventor Answers the Hard Questions (and One Fun One) [Martin Jetpack]

There's more than a little skepticism surrounding the new Martin Jetpack. Promising a new era of ultralight flight, many of the claims (altitude capabilities and safety, especially) sound too good to be true. Before we took our test flight, we asked Glenn Martin, inventor, some of the tougher questions that we hadn't seen asked anywhere else. Being a good sport, he actually answered them: What's with all the videos showing people just a few feet from the ground? Can this thing actually go higher or not? newVideoPlayer("/FlightHeightLimits_gawkerSM.flv", 506, 423,""); Have you ever had an accident? newVideoPlayer("/FlightAccidents_gawkerSMALL.flv", 506, 423,""); OK, what's it feel like to fly? newVideoPlayer("/FlightExperience_gawkerSMAL.flv", 506, 423,""); Links for the rest of our Martin Jetpack coverage: Hands-on Impressions Flight Video [lien] [EN]

Who's Dying To Read A Book On The Meltdown? [The Panic Of '08]

That was fast. Four of the business writers said last week to be hunting for Wall Street crisis book deals have found publishers — the same publisher. Penguin Group swears it wasn't bumbling when it hired the authors in rapid succession, at a cost of more than $2 million, to basically compete with one other. What does Penguin look like, some kind of investment bank? "I would rather be publishing all three of the best books on the economic crisis than to be competing against any one of them," Penguin's president told the Observer. OK, but who's going to buy these tomes? Aren't troubled economic times usually marked by a flight to escapist entertainment, like James Bond films or cable shows about gangsters? And don't the best-selling business books tend to be bought by people looking to turn a profit, like say from the insights and life of Warren Buffett, now hitting shelves after the writer was already paid a $7 million advance? The number of freelance speculators tends to fall dramatically during a downturn. And if there's a miraculous economic recovery, no one's going to want to read about the bad old days. The economic panic has been well timed, at least, for ink-stained wretches able to take some more profits before the slow-motion meltdown in their own industry is complete. The winners, per the Observer: · Cocky Joe Nocera of the Times and Bethany McLean of Vanity Fair (formerly Fortune) got the $1 million advance they dreamed of over wine, plus "a few bits" more. And they're going to take their merry time, publishing sometime in 2010. · Andrew Ross Sorkin of the Times (pictured) — who called out those nasty rumors about trouble at Lehman Brothers not three months ago — topped both Nocera and McLean, individually, with his $700,000 advance for an insidery "Woodward-style" account of the panic. · Roger Lowenstein of the Times magazine, will focus on the week Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy, AIG took a federal bailout and Merrill Lynch sold itself to Bank of America. Read More: Newspapers Soft-Pedal $700 Billion Bailout, "We Don't Want To Think About It Today, And It's Actually Happening!", Cuckold's Internet Revenge Against Top Banker, Why The Times Should Abandon The News-Opinion Divide [lien] [EN]

The Early Word: Sequels, Classics and Indie Hits

MANCHESTER, N.H. — As Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton tries to shoot “The Comeback Kid: The Sequel,” her chief rival in New Hampshire is trying to make sure his debut feature actually makes it to the big screen. The Times’s Michael Powell is on the trail with Senator Barack Obama: But most of all he seems almost haunted by the potentially fleeting nature of his moment. Vote for me now, he urges, because who knows, tomorrow or the day after this could all slip away. He pokes at those who say he is precocious. “They say I need to be seasoned; they say I need to be stewed,” he says. “They say, ‘We need to boil all the hope out of him — like us — and then he’ll be ready.’” Diane Cardwell has reaction from black residents around the country to Mr. Obama’s initial success, which many said makes him seem like a viable crossover candidate. The Los Angeles Times’s Janet Hook has more on the challenges for the Iowa winners, writing that Mr. Obama and Mike Huckabee could “suffer the fate of past insurgents who soared in early tests only to fizzle in late primaries.” On the Clinton team, internal debate appears to be brewing about whether the star of the original is overshadowing the new candidate. From Patrick Healy and John M. Broder of The Times: Advisers said that both Clintons had miscalculated the endurance and depth of what they called “the Obama phenomenon.” They both believed that, in the final months of 2007, more voters would question whether Mr. Obama was ready to be president and more reporters would pick apart his political record and personal character. Now anger inside the campaign at the news media has hardened; Mr. Clinton, in particular, believes reporters will be complicit if Mr. Obama becomes the nominee and loses to a Republican. Mr. Clinton’s role in the campaign has also become fodder for debate in her camp. Some advisers laud him as a vote-getter and crowd-builder bar none, and Mrs. Clinton’s best character witness. But others increasingly look at him with a jaundiced eye, saying that some of his off-message remarks have proved a distraction, and that his looming presence has undercut her promises to make a break with the politics of the past. Bill Clinton’s legacy could suffer if Mrs. Clinton doesn’t win, writes John F. Harris at Politico.com. (Chelsea Clinton, offering mostly “silent support,” seems less controversial.) But hey, if you can’t beat ‘em in Iowa, you can at least block their motorcade. Or you can offer a new stump speech. From The Boston Globe’s Michael Kranish: Yet her speech, delivered less than 13 hours after the caucus, was remarkable for the number of new elements introduced in it - including an explicit reference to the possibility of another terrorist attack. The 40-minute speech touched on so many themes that it seemed as if Clinton had not yet settled on her fundamental argument on why New Hampshire voters should disregard her resounding Iowa defeat. Now that she is the underdog and he is the front-runner, writes Carrie Budoff of Politico.com. “While Clinton dove into a long question-and-answer sessions Friday with voters and the media, Obama kept the unpredictable to a minimum.” John Edwards, struggling to stay relevant after his second-place finish in Iowa, is also channeling a figure of recent movie fame—“Seabiscuit,” the 1930s racehorse. Though he won Iowa’s Republican caucuses, and thus must be considered a “serious contender” for the G.O.P. nod, Mike Huckabee is struggling to be part of the main act in New Hampshire. He has been trying to drum up attention with the “Huck and Chuck Show,” featuring the action star Chuck Norris. (The Los Angeles Times looks to his movies to distill his political views.) The Washington Post’s Dan Balz and Shailagh Murray write that Mr. Huckabee “will probably be content to look ahead to the Jan. 19 G.O.P. primary in South Carolina to build on his Iowa victory and to allow McCain and Romney to bloody each other in New Hampshire.” But for now, the person who benefits most from Mr. Huckabee’s Iowa victory could be Senator John McCain, whose duel with Mitt Romney is taking center stage in the first primary state. Adam Nagourney and Carl Hulse write: Mr. Romney’s defeat in Iowa only underlined concerns that many Republicans had expressed about him, while the success of Mr. Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, gave rise to new worries among the Republican establishment. “Among the intelligentsia of the party, there is definitely a deep concern about Huckabee getting the nomination because a lot of them think he can’t win,” said John Feehery, a former senior House Republican aide and party operative. “Part of it is self-interested panic since they have their own horses in the race, and none of them are riding Huckabee.” Michael Kranish of The Globe notes that Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain are also competing for independent voters’ support in New Hampshire. Meanwhile, Mr. Romney is trying to jump on the change bandwagon, Michael Luo reports. Matthew Mosk of The Washington Post that momentum often means mo’ money as the Iowa victors call their rivals’ donors. Louise Kennedy of The Globe compares the rhetorical stylings of Mr. Obama and Mr. Huckabee, finding “that they reach the same end in two nearly opposite styles.” “Barack Obama is very much an orator in the classic, eloquent style,” said LeeAundra Temescu, a Los Angeles-based nonpartisan communications coach who studies political rhetoric. “Huckabee is also a great speaker, but he does it on a level that is so folksy, low-key and colloquial that you don’t recognize him as a great speaker even though he is.” Both candidates, she noted, “are playing to their strengths. Both of them are very, very smart, and both of those styles are extremely effective.” Voting In the Sunday Times magazine, Clive Thompson examines the potential pitfalls of electronic voting machines. [lien] [EN]

The Early Word: Obama on Race

Days after Senator Barack Obama became embroiled in a controversy involving comments made by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., his longtime church pastor, Mr. Obama will give a “major address” on race and politics today in Philadelphia. He’s expected to begin at 10:15 a.m. Jodi Kantor and Jeff Zeleny of The New York Times write that Senator Obama, who was still writing the speech on Monday night, believes it “could be one of the most important of his presidential candidacy.” Mr. Obama said Monday that in his speech, to be given at the National Constitution Center, he would “talk a little bit about how some of these issues are perceived from within the black church community, for example, which I think views this very differently.” After removing Mr. Wright from a religious advisory committee on his campaign on Friday, Mr. Obama concluded over the weekend that he had not sufficiently explained his association with the pastor. He told several aides he was worried that if voters did not hear directly from him — in the setting of a major speech — doubts and questions about him might grow. Mike Dorning of The Chicago Tribune writes that Mr. Obama is uncharacteristically addressing racial issues because he's created an image of himself as the politician “who can move beyond America’s racial divisions, and the controversy over Wright has challenged that image.” Obama has been struggling to deal with the comments of Rev. Jeremiah Wright for several days, since videotaped sermons surfaced in which Wright said, among other things, that African-Americans should sing “God Damn America” instead of “God Bless America.” Obama pointedly ended a speech at a community college in western Pennsylvania Monday morning with the words “God Bless America”—an uncharacteristic closing for him. By the way, Bill Clinton said in a recent CNN interview that his remarks back in January comparing Mr. Obama with Rev. Jesse Jackson weren't meant to be racist. Interpreting them as such is “a total myth and a mugging,” the former president said. The Obama speech puts race back in the media spotlight after a day focused on Iraq and Wall Street. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, spent Monday in Baghdad with other members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Also, Mrs. Clinton used this week's five-year anniversary of the Iraq invasion as an opportunity to distinguish her Iraq policy from her rivals' plans. During a speech in Washington on Monday, she again stated her intent to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq within 60 days of becoming commander in chief. Adam Nagourney of The Times reports that Mrs. Clinton criticized Mr. McCain for insisting American troops continue their work in Iraq. She also went after Mr. Obama for what she called inconsistencies between what he and his advisers say about his Iraq policy. Mr. McCain, the Arizona Republican who has championed the war and was long an advocate of the eventual policy of increasing the American troop presence in Iraq, was in Baghdad to mark the anniversary. The senator, who has long said his candidacy could rise or fall on what happens in Iraq, declared in an interview there that Mrs. Clinton's approach was a prescription for defeat at the hands of Al Qaeda. And Mr. Obama, Democrat of Illinois, eagerly engaged Mrs. Clinton for challenging the depth of his opposition to the war. He talked again of having spoken out against it from the outset, a distinction that has served him well in the primaries. Mr. Obama has been parrying criticism from both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. McCain, who, though offering starkly different views of what should be done in Iraq, have similarly questioned his credentials to be commander in chief. The Wall Street Journal also reports that yesterday Mr. McCain again stated that he would deploy more U.S. troops to Iraq if necessary. “I would much rather lose a political campaign than lose a war…so I will do what is necessary,” he said. During the question-and-answer session following Mrs. Clinton's speech, reporters mostly grilled her about the credit and housing crisis that had Wall Street in a panic on Monday morning. Both she and Mr. Obama, from a rally in Pennsylvania, criticized the Bush administration for not doing enough to prevent the mess. However, if you look at the Senate records of the two Democratic candidates, they haven't done much to correct the situation, write Jonathan Weisman and Shailagh Murray of The Washington Post. The housing crisis has been the subject of a simmering dispute between Clinton and Obama for weeks. Obama has criticized Clinton’s proposal to freeze foreclosures for 90 days and subprime mortgage rates for five years, saying her plan would send interest rates for new and refinanced mortgages skyrocketing. But to the surprise of many Democratic campaign strategists, neither candidate has consistently sustained a focus on the economy — despite a barrage of polling data showing it has vaulted over the Iraq war in the past four months as the most pressing concern of voters. Last Thursday, both Obama and Clinton were on Capitol Hill when Dodd and Frank unveiled their legislation that would expand the government’s intervention in the crumbling housing market. Neither of them showed up at the news conference, nor have they come forward with new proposals since the contagion in the mortgage market spread to Wall Street. Florida/Michigan Delegates: Florida's Democratic Party put the kibosh on the idea to hold a mail-in primary re-vote, saying the people weren't enthusiastic about it. Now, if the state's delegates are to be seated at the national committee, it's up to the national party and the candidates to work out a deal. The Miami Herald reports: “While your reasons vary widely, the consensus is clear: Florida doesn’t want to vote again. So we won’t,'’ Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman said late Monday in a letter to Florida Democrats. The move came as Michigan Democrats inched closer to resolving their outsider status by staging a privately funded, state-administered primary revote, leaving Florida as possibly the only state that will not weigh in on the most competitive campaign in decades. The Times's John M. Broder says taking the mail-in vote off the table in Florida “leaves the fate of the state's 211 Democratic convention delegates in limbo,” and “Ms. Thurman said the matter would now go back to the national party's Rules and Bylaws Committee — the same body that stripped Florida and Michigan of delegates in the first place.” The Michigan election could happen June 3, and state officials would push local school elections from May to that date so Michiganders would only have to make it to the polls once, says the Detroit Free Press. Republican state Sen. Cameron Brown, R-Sturgis, issued a statement calling it a ‘’waste of time, money and more than half a million votes.'’ And one of the Michigan leaders of the Obama campaign, state Sen. Tupac Hunter, D-Detroit, said the idea was developed haphazardly, resulting in a plan that leaves unanswered serious questions about the financing and administration of a second election. ‘’We’ve already had one debacle,'’ he said. “We can’t afford to have another.'’ Adds The Times's Mr. Broder: Mrs. Clinton, of New York, has agreed to the plan; aides to Mr. Obama, of Illinois, have refused to commit to it. It is more uncertain than ever that he will: The party's rules may disqualify anyone who voted in Michigan's Republican primary from voting in the Democratic primary — including those who may be Obama supporters who voted Republican because his name was not on the Democratic ballot. Michigan Democratic officials said the plan for a revote could not move forward unless both campaigns agreed to the proposal in the next day or so. Campaign trail roundup: * Hillary Rodham Clinton gives a speech on Iraq at Philadelphia City Hall, and holds a town hall meeting in Millersville, Pa. Bill Clinton holds rallies in Lawrenceburg, Richmond and Fort Wayne, Ind. * John McCain continues his tour of Iraq as part of a congressional delegation. * Barack Obama gives a speech on race and politics in Philadelphia, where he will be joined by his wife, Michelle. [lien] [EN]

"Ask Allison"--where all your cupcake questions get answered!

Allison outside of Coco's Cupcakes, Pittsburgh, PA Originally uploaded by alizinha/CrossFitNYC. Hey everybody, this is my first installment of "Ask Allison," a weekly column where I choose a reader-submitted question about cupcakes to answer. As the resident baker of the three of us cupcake bloggers, and as someone with way too many baking cookbooks on her bookshelf, I am hoping to be able to give our readers the answers they're looking for. Please submit questions to me care of Allison AT crossfitnyc DOT com rather than submitting them to our general email address for the cupcake blog. Most importantly, please write "ASK ALLISON" in the title of your email in order to help me separate these emails from other email I receive. And now on to our first question: Q: This may seem odd, but I have a friend who was wondering how you get the icing on the cupcakes so smooth – like all of the ones with ‘applique’ looking designs. Would you please share? Thanks. --Mariah A: Chances are, the type of frosting you're referring to is fondant. Fondant is a sugar-based frosting that is actually a soft "candy" that can be rolled out to a 1/4-inch thickness and they laid atop a cake or cupcake, where it then can be molded and shaped to fit just right. Fondant can come in any color (but people often love using it in a pristine, pure white--especially on wedding cakes--as there are no ingredients in it that give it any color besides food coloring). Making fondant from scratch requires major candy-making skills, so to the novice cupcake baker, I suggest purchasing pre-made fondant instead. Fondant can be layered for the appliqued look you speak of, and can bring a much more professional look to your cupcakes. (Personally I generally prefer a more homemade style cupcake, so I have little experience with working with fondant myself.) To see a gallery of fondant photos, click here. Fondant can be a bit difficult to work with, so before you attempt it, be sure to read more on how to do so, such as at [lien] [EN]