Mark Bittman ends 'The Minimalist'

The good news is, he's going to still be writing.

My growing conviction that the meat-heavy American diet and our increasing dependence on prepared and processed foods is detrimental not only to our personal health but to that of the planet has had an impact on my life and on that of the column. You can see this in dishes like stir-fried lettuce with shrimp, chickpea tagine with chicken, a number of bean dishes and the dozens of other meatless or less-meat recipes that have become dominant in the last five years.

In part, what I see as the continuing attack on good, sound eating and traditional farming in the United States is a political issue. I’ll be writing regularly about this in the opinion pages of The Times, and in a blog that begins next week. That’s one place to look for me from now on. The other is in The Times Magazine, where I’ll be writing a recipe column most Sundays beginning in March.

Part of my reasoning in going to the opinion section is to advocate, essentially, for eaters’ rights. But the response of good cooks, and those of us who write about cooking, must be to continue to look for ways to bring real food to all of our tables.

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The Church comes out against Keynes

Via Paul Krugman, we're alerted to this:

Current fiscal and monetary policies in the United States and Europe risk increasing government control over national economies, resulting in weakened political strength throughout “the whole of the western world,” the Vatican’s top banking expert said. … Writing in the Jan. 14 edition of the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, Tedeschi warned of the growing influence of “Keynesian” economic theory on both sides of the Atlantic.

Now it's Keynes? Really?

Is there any doubt that the modern Catholic Church is a deeply secular institution, and a highly conservative one at that? (Don't worry, as a Catholic I can use the s-word.)

If someone somewhere in the world is really serious about the Church returning to its spiritual purpose, they could give it a boost by removing its world-wide tax breaks until it does. Bet that would work. (And don't worry, as a spiritualist, I can use this s-word too.)

Not to mention making it subject to prosecution if institutional crimes were committed.

Just sayin'.

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Facebook to allow advertisers to republish user posts

Why do people accept this from Facebook? It has to be one of the more annoying and overdone companies out there. It's going to be enjoyable to see them hit their Myspace or Netscape moment when they become irrelevant.

Facebook users who check in to a store or click the "like" button for a brand may soon find those actions retransmitted on their friends' pages as a "Sponsored Story" paid for by advertisers.

Currently there is no way for users to decline this feature.

Facebook says this lets advertisers promote word-of-mouth recommendations that people already made on the site. They play up things people do on the site that might get lost in the mass of links, photos, status updates and other content users share on the world's largest social network.

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Maine's teabagger Governor plans to use state employees for his reelection

Gerald Weinand at DirigoBlue has posted a really damning document from a top aide to Maine's new teabagger Governor, Paul LePage. Sure sounds like the Governor's team is planning to use state workers -- and the staff of Olympia Snowe -- to build his political profile and work to elect Republicans. Hmm. Problem is, that's illegal.

Teabaggers, like LePage, are always trashing government. But, it sounds like LePage's aide, Dan DeMerritt, actually thinks government employees exist for their political benefit. How Tammany Hall of him. Might have worked in 1911, but it's not true in 2011:

I'd like to connect the week before Christmas with you and key staff. If you are not in town, we can hopefully get some of your staffs putting together some of the resources / information we are going to need to get rolling. Once we take office, Paul will put 11,000 bureaucrats to work getting Republicans re-elected.

These people are dirty. And, what a bunch of hypocrites. Read the rest of this post...

Boehner to be keynote speaker for insurance lobbyist summit

We already knew he was owned by rich special interests so it's not a complete surprise. As disgusting as this is, at least he doesn't pretend to be anything else than this as opposed to the many Democrats who talk about certain ideas of the left but then throw their support behind Big Finance, Big Insurance and Big Pharma. Boehner is sleazy, but at least predictable. It wouldn't be so bad to see some Democrats be a bit more predictable, in a good kind of way. Kicking the left and then promoting a center-right agenda isn't what we should expect from Democrats. Read the rest of this post...

Obama to name Jay Carney new press secretary

More from WSJ. Read the rest of this post...

Report: Goldman Sachs received billions for own account via AIG bailout

Goldman Sachs previously assured others that the billions received from the AIG bailout was not for their own accounts. It will be hard for people to see this as anything other than yet another bailout courtesy of former Goldman CEO Hank Paulson. More from Huffington Post:

Goldman Sachs collected $2.9 billion from the American International Group as payout on a speculative trade it placed for the benefit of its own account, receiving the bulk of those funds after AIG received an enormous taxpayer rescue, according to the final report of an investigative panel appointed by Congress.

The fact that a significant slice of the proceeds secured by Goldman through the AIG bailout landed in its own account--as opposed to those of its clients or business partners-- has not been previously disclosed. These details about the workings of the controversial AIG bailout, which eventually swelled to $182 billion, are among the more eye-catching revelations in the report to be released Thursday by the bipartisan Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission.

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Did Obama really just back down to the gun lobby?

If there's a right wing extremist that he hasn't backed down to yet, it has to be coming soon. Obama is always ready and willing to attack the left but the far right consistently gets a free ride. There's a media myth that Obama is somehow a centrist but looking at his policies towards finance and business and now guns suggest he's more center-right than center. NBC News:

The White House, facing fierce criticism from the gun lobby, has delayed approval of a proposed rule that federal law enforcement officials say could help them stanch the flow of U.S. assault rifles and other high-powered weapons to Mexico’s drug cartels.

The proposed rule, announced by Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms acting director Kenneth Melson on Dec. 20, would require U.S. firearms dealers in four southwest border states to report multiple sales of long guns, such as semi-automatic assault rifles which are frequently purchased by so-called “straw buyers” for the cartels. Melson had said he expected the proposed “emergency rule” would receive approval in early January 2011.

But the announced deadline date for White House approval, Jan. 5, has come and gone, leaving ATF officials bewildered and keenly disappointed. Some officials had expressed hopes that President Barack Obama might even address the issue during his State of the Union speech Tuesday night as a positive step the administration was taking to address the issue of gun violence.

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US Marshal harassing DADT protesters who were arrested at White House fence

The fun never ends. Read the rest of this post...

Utah House approves official state gun

Classy.

Utah has a state flower, a state fossil, a state cooking pot and 21 other official symbols. It might soon add a state gun.

The state House passed a measure Wednesday, by a 51-19 vote, that would make the Browning M1911 pistol - designed by Utah’s John Moses Browning in the early 20th century - the state firearm. The bill now goes to the state Senate.

The bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Carl Wimmer, has said the measure aims to honor Browning. His M1911 was used as a standard U.S. Army sidearm from 1911 to 1985, according to the Browning manufacturing company's website and Jane's Infantry Weapons.

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Obama admin. demanding gay servicemembers pay thousands for being discharged under DADT

When the President was bragging during the SOTU about repealing DADT (it wasn't repealed, it's still on the books) I don't believe he mentioned the fact that this administration is still charging gay soldiers thousands of dollars to recoup money the administration lost because the soldiers were discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

I know, it's unbelievable.

Surely this is the kind of thing the White House can make go away in an instant, if they so chose. Then why does it continue to happen? Read the rest of this post...

BP's oil dispersants not going away

Maybe BP can experiment with their chemicals on themselves before they ruin the environment elsewhere. How in the world was it even possible to dump tons of an untested chemical into the Gulf of Mexico?

When nearly 800,000 gallons of a chemical dispersant were injected into the oil gushing from the busted wellhead on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico during last year's Deepwater Horizon disaster, nobody knew for sure what would happen. Now, scientists are getting their first answers, and the results are mixed.

Tests for a key component of the chemical concoction reveal that the dispersant worked its way into the oil-laden plume in the deep ocean, and stayed in the deep ocean. But the chemical did not degrade as much as scientists thought it would.

"It is hard for me at this point to say whether or not it is bad or good that it stuck around," study lead author Elizabeth Kujawinski, a chemist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, told me today. She and colleagues were surprised that little or no biodegradation of the dispersant substance had occurred.

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GOP's anti-gay trifecta ensures marriage will be an issue in 2012

Opponents of same-sex marriage have created a three-pronged effort that insures the issue will be a key topic in the Presidential election. There are efforts underway by Republicans legislators in Iowa, the first caucus state, and New Hampshire, the first primary state, to end their existing marriage laws. In Iowa, the GOP-controlled House has begun the process of passing a bill to put a ban on the ballot. In New Hampshire, both the House and Senate are now GOP-led and they could try to repeal the law later this year or in 2012. In Congress, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) indicated that he's going to push legislation to block DC's marriage law.

It's like an anti-marriage perfect storm. These efforts guarantee that the GOP presidential candidates (except, of course, Fred Karger) who are traipsing through Iowa and New Hampshire will try to burnish their right-wing cred by engaging in the usual gay-bashing. And, the effort by GOPers in Congress adds fuel to the fire. We've already seen potential Republican candidates, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum, groveling before the haters. We can expect a lot more of that. And, just wait til the debates start. The GOP candidates will be doing contortions to show their base just how much they hate the gays.

Now, there's something different about all three of the anti-gay efforts in DC, NH and Iowa. In each, it isn't about preventing same-sex marriage. In those three jurisdictions, the homophobes are trying to take rights away from citizens. That should put these battles into a different light. If they can come for our rights, they can (and will) come for the rights of others.

In all three legislative bodies, Republicans vowed to create jobs and focus on the economy. But, they just can't control their homophobia.

On the Democratic side, Obama needs to fully evolve on his support for marriage equality (or evolve back to his 1996 pro-marriage position.) It's unclear if that will happen. As marriage becomes an issue for the GOP homophobes, Obama is going to have the chance to weigh in on efforts to strip away rights from citizens. Remember, despite repeated requests, Obama didn't really say much about the 2009 ballot measures in Maine and Washington. Obama should take a very strong stand against these insidious, hateful efforts (and vow to veto any legislation on DC) -- especially since it appears his Justice Department will still be defending DOMA in the courts. The President needs to stay true to what he said at the DADT bill signing, "We are a nation that says, 'Out of many, we are one.'" And, we can't be a nation that takes away rights. Period.

One thing is clear: Marriage will be an issue in 2012. There's no way to avoid it. The anti-gay forces and the GOP presidential candidates are insuring it. Read the rest of this post...

House ethics committee clears 3 representatives of conflict of interest

Only in Washington can you see such a CYA moment. Out in the real world most would accept that hosting a party with lobbyists and bankers the day before a vote would be a conflict of interest. It probably doesn't help that the new Speaker of the House John Boehner once handed out lobbyist checks from the tobacco industry on the House floor. How can Congress be so completely divorced from reality?

The House ethics committee, in one of its first official acts since the start of the new Congress, dismissed cases involving three members accused of creating an appearance of a conflict by holding fund-raising events with financial industry executives and lobbyists in the days before major votes on legislation revamping the nation’s financial regulations.

The decision came as a relief to lawmakers. If the ethics committee had found violations, ground rules for fund-raising would have radically changed in Washington, where popular restaurants and bars around Capitol Hill sometimes host two or three events each night.

The Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent investigative unit that serves as a prosecutor’s office, had assembled what it believed was compelling proof that the overlapping votes and financial industry fund-raising parties created the appearance of a conflict of interest, even if no deals were made to change votes as a result of the donations.

The three cleared members are: John Campbell (R-CA), Joseph Crowley (D-NY) and Tom Price (R-GA). Read the rest of this post...

Protests in Egypt head into second day as reformist leader returns

Mubarak has consistently pushed the religious extremists out of the political process, which to a degree is understandable when one looks at the state of neighboring governments dominated by extremists. At the same time though, Mubarak has also pushed everyone else out of the process. Each year Egypt receives billions in financial aid from the US (as part of the peace process) but it never manages to trickle down beyond the elite. Even when I was in Egypt a few years ago, people on the street complained of inflation and the inability to afford food for their family. There was also a lot of frustration with Mubarak's extended rule along with the alleged plans to transfer to his son. More protests tomorrow?

Protests took place across Egypt, with gatherings broken up by police outside a number of locations in the capital, including the supreme court, Nasser metro station and on Ramses Street.

Police continued to round up scores of people, including photographers and reporters covering the demonstrations. The latest clashes came on a day when officials announced that 860 people had been rounded up following mass protests against Mubarak on Tuesday, when at least four people died. Two people died yesterday in Cairo but security officials contradicted each other on the circumstances. One told reporters a protester and a policeman were killed in clashes. But another official later said they died in a traffic accident.

The crackdown by authorities brought harsh words from European leaders, who said the events underlined the need for democratisation and respect for human and civil rights. One of the toughest comments came from German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle, who said he was "extremely concerned" and called on all involved to show restraint. "We are seeing in the last few weeks that a country's stability is not endangered by granting civil rights. It is through the refusal of civil and human rights that societies become unstable," he said in a reference to Tunisia.

Meanwhile, Mohamed ElBaradei has returned to Egypt. ElBaradei is known around the world as the current Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Read the rest of this post...

Soros warns on double-dip in UK

Each day it sounds more and more likely. The fourth quarter economic contraction is being blamed on "bad weather" by the Tories, but that's not unlike a school child blaming the dog for eating their homework. Soros made his fortune betting against the Tory economic policies of the '90s so his warnings have to be making the current regime nervous. The Guardian:

Speaking in Davos, Switzerland, the hedge fund owner who famously wrecked the reputation for financial competence of the last Conservative administration on Black Wednesday said the mix of tax increases and spending cuts planned by the coalition was unsustainable.

Soros's suggestion that the UK needed a plan B came only hours after Cameron insisted in fierce Commons exchanges with the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, that there would be no change of government policy following the unexpected news yesterday that the economy contracted by 0.5% in the final three months of 2010.

"I think they may be right in embarking on it [the austerity programme] but I think they will probably have the sense that they will have to modify it when the effects are felt," Soros said. "I don't think it can possibly be implemented without pushing the economy into a recession." Noting that the initial market reaction to the government's tough stance had been positive, Soros added: "We will have to see it unfold. My expectation is that it will prove to be unsustainable."

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