WEST COAST SETTLED ??

Labor News gives a bit of depth to the never easy contract talks between the PMA and the Longshoreman's Union which will be before the Division Caucus not until August 18th...

At least slow downs should be finished.

Trans Fats ... What's the Problem ?

Reported in the Science News is some interesting contradictions to the political scene across much of the country...

TRANSFATS GOOD OR BAD

Do we got that?

WHFoods: Olives

WHFoods: Olives

This is a great site for glancing at the greater consequences of what we eat. This week it is OLIVES... What a coincidence as the market outlook for this fall is good supply of Oil making Olives (Hojiblancas) as well as Manzanillas... But for Queens... Well, look out!

Forex Outlook ... Getting into late July

Fried Green Tomatoes Benedict

 

Gotta have buttermilk but...

Recipe:

Sliced Green Tomatoes (solid slices)...
Buttermilk, Salt and Pepper in bowl...
Bathe the slices of Green Tomatoes...

Mix Plain Regular ol'Bread Crumbs w/ Salt, Pepper and a bit of Cayenne...

Dredge the bathed Slices....

In a medium hot saute (to get the Sizzle, then turn down a tad) cook em for a solid piece of time flipping regularly so that the are cooked clear through but with a good lightly crisped crust! Drain em on paper towels and set aside.

Take a slice of (ur pick thickness, But Gooper insists they be thin) Canadian Bacon, already quickly cooked and set aside.

Fry an egg (in Olive Oil... Almost all we do is OLIVE OIL...)

Plate a slice of the Fried Green Tomato, and start piling up a slice of Canadian Bacon the Fried Egg, topped with another slice of the Fried Green Tomato...

Now you dress 'em like the photo with some scallions, red pepper and cilantro (or I'd grab a jalapeno!)...

(OR you can get fancy and really round em up)...



Hmmmm

Bundle Wrapping, Illustrated

Bundle Wrapping, Illustrated

Olives New Season Approaches

Good Day from the world of Olives:

 

New season 1st forecast:

 

Queens:

 

-2007 : short stocks available; vendors holding their open quantities for usual buyers.

 

-2008/09 : less quantity than 2007 /prices about the same or slightly higher. Higher average temp along Winter 2008 implies less yield per tree. Official forecast (COAG) call for drop from 35 mill kgs -07 to 20 million 08; though we all believe the 35 mill kilos in 2007 is a "mental abstraction" of the guy who made the figure.

 

Shortage of queens as rule is helping brokers to sell some other varieties (Spanish or non Spanish) labeled "gordal"-

Hailstorms reported recently in prime Queen Growing areas (Dos Hermanas, Utrera and Mairena) with unknown (but not positive) impact on potential harvest. Damages for sure.

 

 Manzanilla

 

Not too many problems but QT forecasted at less 10% then last season; same for hojiblanca.

 

In my opinion (MRU) drastic fall on sales in the domestic market (and other major markets as well) plus very large stocks unsold from 2007 (and I am talking about manz/hoji) will hold prices in the "low side"...The 10% reduction of the crop COAG (Coordinadora de Organizaciones Agricultores y Ganaderos) is talking about means nothing compared to :

 

poor sales

large inventory

terrible domestic situation

 

 

Best regards

 MRU

--
AEW

Tin Plate COSTS RISE

I received news today that TIN PLATE costs are up 40% to canners...

This is due to the increase in raw tin costs by over 50% to date (2008 vs 2007).

INFLATION, what inflation?

Juan Cole

If you read "Informed Comment" by Professor Cole you'll get a more accurate read of what is going on in the Middle East. With emphasis on Iraq, there is plenty of global connections to observe here...

Far better a source then Main Stream.

From today's about Afghanistan where my son served and may go back (he re-enlisted)...

"Afghan tribes are fractious. They feud. Their territory is vast and rugged, and they know it like the back of their hands. Afghans are Jeffersonians in the sense that they want a light touch from the central government, and heavy handedness drives them into rebellion. Stand up Karzai's army and air force and give him some billions to bribe the tribal chiefs, and let him apply carrot and stick himself. We need to get out of there. "Al-Qaeda" was always Bin Laden's hype. He wanted to get us on the ground there so that the Mujahideen could bleed us the way they did the Soviets. It is a trap."

We'd be wise to listen to the intellectuals who actually speak the languages of those that we think we know from time to time...

The Problem in the US Democracy

Are we "Whiners" here in the USA (or anywhere else on the globe for that matter)?

People want better health care but lower health care costs.

They want independence from foreign oil but lower gas prices.

They want more government services but lower taxes.

They want a solvent social security system but without cutting benefits or raising social security taxes.

The list goes on.

So nothing happens because a politician's job is to get re-elected. The few that are doing more, are no longer RED vs BLUE...

There has to be a change... and the electorate is obliged to take the lead in this.

It IS NOT Just China...

The suspected salmonella product sources grow! And here's a little piece from AP regarding CAVIAR from the USA as well... PADDLEFISH RAISES HEALTH CONCERNS
Bet you didn't think of this one! It seems my premise remains the same... Good people doing professional jobs, known personally are better than unknown unspec'd names and numbers on a bid sheet...

And if you go with only large corporations (Enron leaps to mind)to do the job for you, well, bend over!



There are few ways in this complex world to be 100% sure of anything, right? We count on the pilot not being drunk when he flies, we hope that the doctor knows what he's doing before the first slice... We are INTER DEPENDENT to a greater extent then ever. But that premise only works when all of us are using good common sense and communicating as clearly as possible.

We're doing our best and good luck to us all!

Happy Post 4th of July

Happy Birthday USA.

The delays in posting are due to my not being sure how best to communicate with my clients, associates and friends in this blog...

Do I give what to many of us is redundancy in the news (currency, etc) and how much interest is there in the markets for our products. The current rises and we're all carried along on days too chock filled with events and busy work trying to stay with our noses above the water line...

Well, I guess I'll just keep up this shouting into the wind on the off chance it is helpful to some one...