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Sunday Brunch 03/10/2019
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GM
Mar 10, 2019, 11:46:57 AM3/10/19
to
Yup...my Western omelet, fresh fruit "medley", free - trade coffee and V-8 juice were made possible by CAPITALISM...viz:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/08/opinion/hickenlooper-capitalism-democrats.html
"John Hickenlooper ought to be a poster child for American capitalism. After being laid off from his job as a geologist during the oil bust of the 1980s, he and his business partners turned an empty warehouse into a thriving brewery. It launched his political career, first as a problem-solving two-term mayor of Denver, then as a pragmatic two-term governor of Colorado, and now as a centrist candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Yet there he was on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” squirming in his seat as Joe Scarborough asked if he would call himself “a proud capitalist.” Hickenlooper protested the divisiveness of labels. He refused to reject the term “socialism.” He tried, like a vegetarian who still wants his bacon, to have it both ways: “There are parts of socialism, parts of capitalism, in everything.”
But Hickenlooper did allow this: “We worked 70, 80, 90 hours a week to build the business; and we worked with the other business owners in [Lower Downtown Denver] to help them build their business. Is that capitalism? I guess.”
He guessed right.
Today, despite Friday’s disappointing jobs report, unemployment in the United States clocks in at a rock-bottom 3.8 percent. Wage growth, at 3.4 percent, is at a 10-year high. The median household income is as high as it has ever been. The United States is the world’s most competitive economy, as well as the wealthiest once you exclude small countries like Qatar.
None of this should be difficult to celebrate. An economy in which private property is protected, private enterprise is rewarded, markets set prices and profits provide incentives will, over time, generate more wealth, innovation and charity — and distribute each far more widely — than any form of central planning.
This is not a theory. It’s as true in Nordic countries like Denmark (often mislabeled “socialist”) as it is in hyper-capitalist Singapore. It’s the empirically verifiable conclusion from the 20th century’s bitter contest between capitalist and socialist states. It’s not a race we should have to run twice.
Nor should it be hard for someone like Hickenlooper to acknowledge as much — while also insisting on the distinction between unrestrained and regulated capitalism, market prices and moral values. One of the reasons why the right-wing charge of “socialism” against the Democratic Party rarely stuck was that it was generally untrue. To smooth the edges of capitalism, even to save it from itself, doesn’t mean to disdain and disavow it.
There’s a difference between taming a horse and shooting it.
Until about, oh, a year ago, few Democrats would have disagreed. Not anymore. Moderate Democrats are by no means an endangered species, but increasingly they act like a hunted one. Watching Hickenlooper, you could read his mind as if it were a chyron at the foot of the screen. Don’t say “proud capitalist,” John. Don’t say it. Twitter will kill me if I do. Death by Twitter mob — or pre-emptive surrender to it — is how politics is largely conducted these days.
Is this good politics? I doubt it. As Geoffrey Kabaservice noted in the Guardian last November, “Nearly all of the Democrats who flipped the seats of moderate Republicans are themselves moderate. Few support the socialist agenda of Senator Bernie Sanders.” Progressive favorites like Andrew Gillum lost his race against a weak Republican opponent. And Joe Biden tops most Democratic primary polls by a wide margin.
It’s also especially bad politics for someone like Hickenlooper, who can’t get away with filibustering about the merits of capitalism if he hopes to get near the nomination. To the extent that Sanders’s concept of democratic socialism has gained traction, it’s not because capitalism has failed the masses. It’s because Sanders, beyond any of his peers, has consistent convictions and an authentic persona.
To prevail, a moderate Democrat will need to behave likewise. The message can go like this: Capitalism has worked for millions of Americans. It worked for me. We need to reform it so it can work for everyone.
Is Hickenlooper the guy to do this? Doubtful. Then again, Donald Trump is gearing up to run a campaign based on a thriving economy (check), a country at peace (check), a mess of congressional investigations that will quickly confuse and bore the public (check), Democrats who want to turn Silicon Valley into a giant utility (check), an inconclusive Mueller report (likely check), and a Democratic Party that can neither bring itself to censure an anti-Semitic congresswoman nor publicly embrace the free-market system (check, check).
Democrats still seem to think 2020 is going to be a referendum on the president. It’s not. It’s going to be a choice. Right now, the Trump campaign could hardly ask for a bigger favor from its overconfident opponents..."
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/08/opinion/hickenlooper-capitalism-democrats.html
"John Hickenlooper ought to be a poster child for American capitalism. After being laid off from his job as a geologist during the oil bust of the 1980s, he and his business partners turned an empty warehouse into a thriving brewery. It launched his political career, first as a problem-solving two-term mayor of Denver, then as a pragmatic two-term governor of Colorado, and now as a centrist candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Yet there he was on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” squirming in his seat as Joe Scarborough asked if he would call himself “a proud capitalist.” Hickenlooper protested the divisiveness of labels. He refused to reject the term “socialism.” He tried, like a vegetarian who still wants his bacon, to have it both ways: “There are parts of socialism, parts of capitalism, in everything.”
But Hickenlooper did allow this: “We worked 70, 80, 90 hours a week to build the business; and we worked with the other business owners in [Lower Downtown Denver] to help them build their business. Is that capitalism? I guess.”
He guessed right.
Today, despite Friday’s disappointing jobs report, unemployment in the United States clocks in at a rock-bottom 3.8 percent. Wage growth, at 3.4 percent, is at a 10-year high. The median household income is as high as it has ever been. The United States is the world’s most competitive economy, as well as the wealthiest once you exclude small countries like Qatar.
None of this should be difficult to celebrate. An economy in which private property is protected, private enterprise is rewarded, markets set prices and profits provide incentives will, over time, generate more wealth, innovation and charity — and distribute each far more widely — than any form of central planning.
This is not a theory. It’s as true in Nordic countries like Denmark (often mislabeled “socialist”) as it is in hyper-capitalist Singapore. It’s the empirically verifiable conclusion from the 20th century’s bitter contest between capitalist and socialist states. It’s not a race we should have to run twice.
Nor should it be hard for someone like Hickenlooper to acknowledge as much — while also insisting on the distinction between unrestrained and regulated capitalism, market prices and moral values. One of the reasons why the right-wing charge of “socialism” against the Democratic Party rarely stuck was that it was generally untrue. To smooth the edges of capitalism, even to save it from itself, doesn’t mean to disdain and disavow it.
There’s a difference between taming a horse and shooting it.
Until about, oh, a year ago, few Democrats would have disagreed. Not anymore. Moderate Democrats are by no means an endangered species, but increasingly they act like a hunted one. Watching Hickenlooper, you could read his mind as if it were a chyron at the foot of the screen. Don’t say “proud capitalist,” John. Don’t say it. Twitter will kill me if I do. Death by Twitter mob — or pre-emptive surrender to it — is how politics is largely conducted these days.
Is this good politics? I doubt it. As Geoffrey Kabaservice noted in the Guardian last November, “Nearly all of the Democrats who flipped the seats of moderate Republicans are themselves moderate. Few support the socialist agenda of Senator Bernie Sanders.” Progressive favorites like Andrew Gillum lost his race against a weak Republican opponent. And Joe Biden tops most Democratic primary polls by a wide margin.
It’s also especially bad politics for someone like Hickenlooper, who can’t get away with filibustering about the merits of capitalism if he hopes to get near the nomination. To the extent that Sanders’s concept of democratic socialism has gained traction, it’s not because capitalism has failed the masses. It’s because Sanders, beyond any of his peers, has consistent convictions and an authentic persona.
To prevail, a moderate Democrat will need to behave likewise. The message can go like this: Capitalism has worked for millions of Americans. It worked for me. We need to reform it so it can work for everyone.
Is Hickenlooper the guy to do this? Doubtful. Then again, Donald Trump is gearing up to run a campaign based on a thriving economy (check), a country at peace (check), a mess of congressional investigations that will quickly confuse and bore the public (check), Democrats who want to turn Silicon Valley into a giant utility (check), an inconclusive Mueller report (likely check), and a Democratic Party that can neither bring itself to censure an anti-Semitic congresswoman nor publicly embrace the free-market system (check, check).
Democrats still seem to think 2020 is going to be a referendum on the president. It’s not. It’s going to be a choice. Right now, the Trump campaign could hardly ask for a bigger favor from its overconfident opponents..."
Cindy Hamilton
Mar 10, 2019, 12:41:28 PM3/10/19
to
On Sunday, March 10, 2019 at 11:46:57 AM UTC-4, GM wrote:
> Yup...my Western omelet, fresh fruit "medley", free - trade coffee and V-8 juice were made possible by CAPITALISM...viz:
<boring political screed snipped>
> Yup...my Western omelet, fresh fruit "medley", free - trade coffee and V-8 juice were made possible by CAPITALISM...viz:
I just finished lunch: a sandwich of sturdy rye bread, kielbasa, onions,
and sauerkraut.
Cindy Hamilton
Gary
Mar 10, 2019, 12:48:45 PM3/10/19
to
Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>
> I just finished lunch: a sandwich of sturdy rye bread,
"sturdy rye bread?" LOL WTH drug are YOU on this morning? ;)
>
> I just finished lunch: a sandwich of sturdy rye bread,
GM
Mar 10, 2019, 12:52:03 PM3/10/19
to
;-)
--
Best
Greg
Cindy Hamilton
Mar 10, 2019, 12:56:28 PM3/10/19
to
Beefsteak brand rye bread, for example, is white bread with just
enough rye for a little flavor.
Real rye bread can stand up to hot sauerkraut without disintegrating.
Cindy Hamilton
GM
Mar 10, 2019, 1:02:56 PM3/10/19
to
http://www.delba.de/produkte_korb_e.php
https://www.google.com/search?q=delba+bread&rlz=1C1AVNA_enUS589US589&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_2bnnhPjgAhVB74MKHdXKAoMQ_AUIDygC&biw=1093&bih=500#spd=6846518055307556192
"German bread is not your usual breed of breads.
It is neither white nor starchy, a common characteristic associated with the better known European bread varieties of countries like Italy and France.
Rather, it is coarse and unrefined, composed mainly of whole grains, such as rye, spelt, millet, and wheat - usually in pure form giving it a density that far outweighs any fluffy focaccia, oily ciabatta, or slender French baguette.
It is unique and unlike any other bread variety known to Europe, distinguishing it as a significant aspect of German food culture.
It is no exaggeration to say that bread is the stuff of life in Germany, and although the recent organic health food renaissance may make whole grain bread seem like a recent phenomenon, for Germans it clearly is not.
This wholesome, dense bread dates back to the time of the Gauls and Visigoths and has withstood repeated modern efforts to refine it.
In the late 19th century for example, the introduction of industrialized white rolls and their widespread consumption contributed to a backlash known as the "life reform" movement which sought to return this dense unrefined bread to the table and reinstate its place in German life.
Interestingly, and more significantly, German bread, for the most part, has remained in Germany.
"You can't really find German style bread in the states," said Samuel Fromartz, an American food writer who worked at Weichardt Bakery in Berlin as part of his research on his book about breads.
I was drawn to German breads mainly because of their distinct whole grain composition and complex fermenting processes — specifically associated with sourdough (Sauerteig). Plus, you can't find this kind of bread in the U.S. Yes, we have Jewish Rye, which comes close, but the coarse, thick German bread is really non-existent. Instead, we have imported the starchier varieties—say from the Italians, who immigrated here along with the French baguette. The East European immigrants came the closest to recreating such loaves but soon succumbed to consumer demand for starchier white breads. German bread is really the exception and very hard to find outside of Germany - the big reason why I came to Berlin. These breads are basically 90% rye or spelt, which is crazy given how much sugar, salts, and god knows what goes into them. You have a slice of this for breakfast and you are set for a long time.
Although Fromartz aims to offer a global perspective on bread, he is mainly interested in its cultivation practices, specifically the evolution of different varieties in relation to their dependence on certain types of grains.
"The proliferation of wheat-based breads did not occur until the 20th century. Rather, the harvest dictated what grains could be used," Fromartz says.
"Given its northern latitude, Berlin's climate was not conducive to wheat production. Grains, such as rye and spelt, tended to thrive better here and subsequently produced breads, such as Roggenbrot (rye) and Volkornbrot (whole-grain) that are still consumed today. The wheat-based breads like Weißbrot remained in the South in cities like Munich and Stuttgart."
Today, bread culture still reigns supreme in Germany, and sophisticated Berlin is no exception. The traditional evening meal, Abendbrot, bread smeared with butter, cheese, and cold meats is still very common.
Dining with Berliners, I have had the pleasure of this simple but satisfying fare. Normally, a cold sandwich would not suffice as dinner for me, but here I was delighted in both the texture and the novelty of this traditional gastronomical treat.
It is certainly unlike any loaf of bread in the world, demonstrating that Germany's food culture is more than just sauerkraut and sausages. Rather, it is the bread that sustains this culture.
Berlin bakeries worth visiting:
Soluna
Gneisenaustr. 58
10961 Berlin
030 6167119
Weichardt Bakery
10715 Berlin
Tel. 030 / 873 80 99
Fax: 030 / 861 16 99
www.weichardt.de
in...@weichardt.de "
</>
A Moose in Love
Mar 10, 2019, 1:09:36 PM3/10/19
to
On Sunday, March 10, 2019 at 1:02:56 PM UTC-4, GM wrote:
> Gary wrote:
>
> > Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> > >
> > > I just finished lunch: a sandwich of sturdy rye bread,
> >
> > "sturdy rye bread?" LOL WTH drug are YOU on this morning? ;)
>
>
> I like a German brand called Delba, very dense and flavorful, and widely avaiable in - store and online, very reasonably priced:
>
i purchase (in the toronto vicinity) dimpfelmeier breads. their flaxseed bread is very good; it's old style; very dense. also their schinkenbrot(literally ham bread) is also good. it's meant to eat with ham and other stuff. i also like the rudolf rye breads such as their multi grain bread. not as dense as the previous, but good for toast.
> Gary wrote:
>
> > Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> > >
> > > I just finished lunch: a sandwich of sturdy rye bread,
> >
> > "sturdy rye bread?" LOL WTH drug are YOU on this morning? ;)
>
>
> I like a German brand called Delba, very dense and flavorful, and widely avaiable in - store and online, very reasonably priced:
>
Ed Pawlowski
Mar 10, 2019, 1:38:29 PM3/10/19
to
with a decent crust, good flavor, but it is just not as dense as a good
European style that I grew up with. You won't find it at a supermarket
and very few bakeries exist outside of some big cities that make it.
Bruce
Mar 10, 2019, 2:58:07 PM3/10/19
to
Dave Smith
Mar 10, 2019, 4:19:05 PM3/10/19
to
was a bakery but the most exotic bread was whole wheat. My best friend
was German and another good friend was Czech and I had lots of rye bread
over the years. It was not until I was in my 20s that I had some nice,
fresh, quality rye bread. I was impressed.
Cindy Hamilton
Mar 10, 2019, 4:20:17 PM3/10/19
to
WW I, there were several German-language newspapers and churches held
services in German.
Cindy Hamilton
Gary
Mar 12, 2019, 9:52:23 AM3/12/19
to
Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>
> On Sunday, March 10, 2019 at 12:48:45 PM UTC-4, Gary wrote:
> > Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> > >
> > > I just finished lunch: a sandwich of sturdy rye bread,
> >
> > "sturdy rye bread?" LOL WTH drug are YOU on this morning? ;)
>
> There's rye bread, and then there's rye bread.
>
> Beefsteak brand rye bread, for example, is white bread with just
> enough rye for a little flavor.
Last grocery trip I bought Cobblestone rye. Mostly white bread so
>
> On Sunday, March 10, 2019 at 12:48:45 PM UTC-4, Gary wrote:
> > Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> > >
> > > I just finished lunch: a sandwich of sturdy rye bread,
> >
> > "sturdy rye bread?" LOL WTH drug are YOU on this morning? ;)
>
> There's rye bread, and then there's rye bread.
>
> Beefsteak brand rye bread, for example, is white bread with just
> enough rye for a little flavor.
I know what you're talking about. It's not very good at all.
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