Hasta La Gadget!

Craving a Toffee Crisp? That just got a lot harder if you live in the U.S.

In settling a lawsuit with The Hershey Company, Let’s Buy British Imports (LBB) — the company responsible for sending U.K.-made Cadbury chocolate overseas — has agreed to halt shipments to the U.S.

Hershey owns the rights to make and sell any chocolate products with the Cadbury name in the U.S., and will still do so in many cases. Cadbury eggs will still be around, for example — but now they’ll taste slightly different because British-made Cadbury chocolate is produced under a different recipe (the first ingredient in U.K. Cadbury chocolate is milk, while the first in American-made Cadbury chocolate is sugar, according to the New York Times). LBB is also halting their imports of British-made Kit Kats, but the American-made version will still be around.

Sadly, some classic British Cadbury favorites won’t be made available at all, because Hershey says they’re too easily confused with the company’s established U.S. products. CNN reports Cadbury’s Toffee Crisps are on the outs because their packaging too closely resembles that of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and Yorkie chocolate bars apparently sound a little too much like York Peppermint Patties.

Hershey’s spokesman Jeff Beckman told The Huffington Post that the agreement was necessary, saying, “It is important for Hershey to protect its trademark rights and to prevent consumers from being confused or misled when they see a product name or product package that is confusingly similar to a Hershey name or trade dress… Given the immeasurable value of our brands, we work hard to protect these important intellectual assets and defend them against infringement.”

Lovers of British-made Cadbury products are none too pleased with this new development, taking to Twitter to express their dismay:

Hey Hershey’s great job blocking import of all British Cadbury’s chocolate. Can’t wait to gnaw on your chalky filth while my wife leaves me!

— Dan Telfer (@dantelfer) January 26, 2015

So hang on. There will be no more real actual Cadbury’s chocolate allowed in the US? NOOOO! http://t.co/XSHfzlH7FQ

— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) January 26, 2015

Cadbury is no longer importing their chocolate across the pond to America?!! Unbelievable!! @CadburyUK #Hersheys #Cadbury

— Victoria Vartan (@Vsvartan) January 26, 2015

Because the deal was struck between The Hershey Company and LBB, Cadbury declined to comment.

H/T CNN

Strong voices speak out with persuasive arguments that the United States is in decline. It is obvious that the United States no longer has the unchallenged position it did immediately after the Cold War and its economy no longer dominates the world as it once did. Nevertheless other strong voices persuasively argue that the situation is not so much a decline of the United States as the rise of the rest, the appearance of more influential players on the world scene.

The United States is described as still the only nation capable of global leadership. China is a regional power and operates on a global scale but has no pretense of global hegemony as the Soviet Union once did. It looks to exploit the global system but not to run it. With the Soviet Union gone, Russia’s ambitions are clearly diminished. As with China, it focuses on regional domination. Both China and Russia face significant internal challenges, particularly since leadership legitimacy for both is heavily based on economic development and this is becoming increasingly difficult. The European Union is hobbled. Other large nations, such as India, Indonesia and Brazil, have enough challenges in their own regions and no pretense of global leadership. Nevertheless many nations are disinclined to follow the U.S. lead, and strong currents in U.S. politics stress domestic needs and question the wisdom and feasibility of a major global presence.

Yet, the newly shrunken world makes global leadership critical for the United States, in particular for the U.S. economy. The nation simply cannot prosper in a world of turmoil. This will be all the more so if economic pressures push the Chinese and/or the Russian leadership to increase repression and turn to strident nationalism and confrontational policies to bolster government legitimacy. Russia is already moving in this direction.

What sort of global leadership can the United States create?

Traditional U.S. leadership was ultimately based on fundamental ideals of freedom and equality. But the sense of U.S. exceptionalism was often seen as arrogance. Democracy promotion was rejected as an effort to promote parochial and self-serving U.S. values. Many nations have a strong sense of their own uniqueness. China’s lengthy history gives it a sense of superiority, while Russians have long spoken of a unique role for Mother Russia. Major Western countries, including Great Britain, France and Germany, have also promoted unique cultural values. What set the United States apart was that its values and ideals were not based on its own socio-economic or cultural history but on universal human aspirations. This led it to become the destination of choice for millions fleeing hunger and repression, welcomed by the words chiseled into the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” Not only did the United States welcome these huddled masses, but it integrated them, it made them Americans. Those who denigrated freedom and equality as parochial U.S. values were often repressive leaders concerned that U.S. ideals would resonate with their own populations.

Indeed, these values have had a broad appeal to people everywhere. U.S. leadership in World War II and after led to the historical integration of Europe, a sharp break from the World War I aftermath which simply set the stage for another conflict. The European nations transcended centuries of hostility and bitter rivalries, creating a model that can give a vision of a much larger global amity. And it was the United States that led this effort. Though seen by some as arrogant or imperious — a Colossus of the North, an overbearing commander entrenched in the senior position in NATO — the United States was still widely respected as the Leader of the Free World, speaking up for oppressed people everywhere, a Land of Opportunity that spread wealth widely among its own people.

But this sense of U.S. exceptionalism gradually faded. During the decades of Cold War, a real potential for subjugation, even annihilation, compelled a policy of realism that saw the United States supporting a range of unsavory regimes and increasing its own internal controls. The end of the Cold War failed to reverse these disturbing trends and resulted in a widening gap between U.S. ideals and reality, continuing support to repressive regimes, a failure to develop a society mirroring its high ideals. The shock of an unexpected Global War on Terror increased the gap between ideals and reality. Results in Iraq and Afghanistan showed the folly of believing U.S. approaches to supporting fundamental human values would be universally applicable, that superficial elections would transform countries into democracies, that centralized governments would protect the well being of all their citizens, and that military action could spur development of a civil economy. The focus on short term results combined with cultural insensitivity promoted sweeping skepticism in the Muslim world. The United States became widely viewed as supporting torture, defending the use of waterboarding even though it had executed Japanese prisoners after World War II for doing exactly the same thing. After 13 years of support to Afghanistan, people are still freezing to death and starving to death even as the United States prepares to once again abandon its efforts there.

Domestically, surveillance became much more intensive and secretive, as exposed by Edward Snowden’s leaks. Simultaneously, the drawdown in Afghanistan has militarized U.S. civil police with excess combat equipment. Most importantly, U.S. society has become increasingly disoriented and fractious. Of course some degree of wealth inequality is not only inevitable but desirable – a central motivator of the Land of Opportunity is the opportunity to be rich, to work hard and productively and so rise above the rest. But wealth inequality has become so extreme that it has undermined the American Dream, the idea that anyone can become a homeowner and lead a comfortable life. Instead, more and more families simply cannot afford a comfortable life: restaurants are luxuries; staycations have replaced vacations; music lessons, gym clubs and even movies are simply out of reach. Government services, including education and infrastructure, steadily deteriorate. Higher education results in huge debt loads. More and more people are frustrated, angry and ultimately violent; mental illness, racism and high prison populations compound the problems. Immigration has become a threat to the well being of millions of people who are themselves descended from immigrants.

Thanks to the internet, all of these international and domestic shortcomings are visible globally and spur rejections of the United States and its values.

In the middle of this, the Arab Spring exploded based on the core U.S. values of freedom and equality. Directing their anger at oppressive regimes, including ones supported by the United States, the protesters knew what they didn’t want — the existing regimes — but they didn’t know what they did want. They accepted U.S. ideals but not the U.S. model — noticeably absent was any demand to build a U.S.-style government. The movements had no sense of direction and foundered for lack of leadership. Libya, Yemen, Iraq and Syria are all rent by savage fighting.

And now there is the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). How can it be that a brutally medieval movement can attract hundreds of young people from Western countries? This is a dramatic demonstration that these young people do not see their own countries as building attractive societies. The U.S. model is failing. Europe has no cohesion, no sense of the importance of human values. Recently Pope Francis spoke of how, “The great ideas that once inspired Europe seem to have lost their attraction, only to be replaced by the bureaucratic technicalities of its institutions.” His words could apply just as well to the United States which has lost its reputation as a Beacon of Freedom, a Land of Opportunity. A simplistic application of U.S. values coupled with overconfidence in U.S. institutions and approaches has badly undermined U.S. credibility. Americans, proud of their country and its ideals, are slow to recognize how seriously these ideals have been tarnished, how the world sees American actions as speaking much louder than its professed values.

Of course it is inevitable that there will be a gap between ideals and reality. At the very founding of the nation, Thomas Jefferson, the author of the stirring words that all men are created equal, was himself a slave holder. It took almost a century to resolve the slavery issue, but residual racism still plagues the nation as vividly demonstrated by the recent events in Ferguson and their continuing aftermath. The decline in U.S. influence is rooted in the failure of its ideals to deliver the good life they promised. The situation has been exacerbated by the disappearance of the open frontier which gave the United States an ability to assimilate those who came. It is no surprise that a deterioration of the domestic situation should lead to a diminution of international influence.

The bottom line is that for its own well being, the United States needs to lead the world to a more stable and sustainable situation that does indeed embody the universal ideals it has long promoted. And the United States remains the only nation in a position to provide such global leadership. But such U.S. leadership is out of reach unless the nation reasserts its values of freedom and equality, reviving the American Dream and giving the world a real example of what its universal ideals can lead to.

The isolationists are right on one key point – the major challenges are domestic. But the United States cannot ignore the world, let it descend into turmoil, while it fixes the situation at home. Indeed, renewal at home and development globally are interactive. The United States needs to build a better America in order to build a better world. This is not something that can be fixed overnight. It has taken fifty years for the United States to work its way into a dead end of domestic decline and decreasing global relevance, and may well take another 50 years to reverse the situation.

This is our challenge for the 21s Century.

PEMBERTON, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey woman accused of dousing her newborn daughter with accelerant, setting her on fire and leaving her in the middle of a road repeatedly said “I’m sorry” as a man held her down, according to audiotape of a chaotic 911 call.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that a woman who called 911 from the scene told the suspect, 22-year-old Hyphernkemberly Dorvilier of Pemberton, that she was “disgusting.”

The newspaper obtained a copy of the 911 call through a public records request.

LISTEN TO THE CALL (WARNING: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC)

Dorvilier told the woman, “It’s not mine, it’s not mine,” then said, “I didn’t do it, I didn’t do it, I didn’t do it.”

Dorvilier is charged with murder in the Jan. 16 death of her daughter. She remains jailed on $500,000 bail.

Authorities say Dorvilier had given birth to the baby shortly before her death. They say she somehow hid the pregnancy from her family.

When the baby was found, she still had the umbilical cord and placenta attached, investigators said. Prosecutors haven’t specified a motive for the killing.

The Inquirer reported that it took police and paramedics more than seven minutes to arrive at the scene. A dispatcher was initially unable to interpret the correct address from a frantic 911 caller, while another neighbor also reported fighting and screaming in the street before discovering the infant.

“There’s a baby on fire,” the first 911 caller told dispatchers. In the background, a man could be heard telling Dorvilier to get down.

“You’re not going anywhere,” the man told her.

If you had a personal barista who could make coffee drinks from around the world, your life could look like this video.

BuzzFeed’s new clip shows java recipes from Portugal, Germany and elsewhere come to life.

Like your caffeine scrambled and sweetened? Have a visual sip of an Austrian Kaisermelange. It’s got egg yolk and honey.

Personally, we’d prefer a Ca Phe Sua Da, Vietnamese coffee made with sweetened condensed milk. Mmmm… coffee.

H/T Viral Viral Videos

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Let’s just jump right into the deep end of the pool and tackle a topic that produces fevered debate and deeply emotional responses: Is it possible to consume animal protein and still lay claim to a modicum of concern for animal welfare? I don’t propose to answer that question, merely to explore the opportunities in our current social construct to make the attempt.

Going straight to the elephant in the room — yes, without question, the inherently humane course that avoids harm to animals is vegetarianism, or even more strictly, veganism.

But going back thousands of years to our hunter-gatherer forbears, it can be argued that homo sapiens, like many other species, is inherently genetically designed, by dentition and digestion and desire, to be an omnivore. Early man, and primitive tribes throughout history, had a complex and intimate relationship with the animals they hunted for food, a compact as it were: The animal laid down its life for the benefit of the hunter and his family and tribe, and in return the community honored the animal for its sacrifice, saluted its spirit, and pledged to use every bit of it to sustain and enrich their existence.

Needless to say, in our overpopulated, mechanized, industrial society, such an arrangement is no longer even remotely feasible. So for those of us who are deeply appreciative of, and concerned for, our fellow species on the planet, but are still desirous of remaining omnivores, there is a profound dilemma to be faced. Short of retreating from society and living in the wilderness, living on forage and what we can hunt with a spear or bow and arrow, how do we remain omnivores and still respect our fellow creatures?

There is no tidy and facile answer. But I would suggest that the place to begin is in the marketplace, where it is now possible to educate ourselves about husbandry practices and subsequently to support those farmers who have shown themselves to be concerned with the physical and mental and, yes, even spiritual health of the animals they raise.

Key words: “pastured” (or “pasture-raised”) and “humane certified.” “Free range,” “cage-free,” “natural” — these designations are meaningless and deceptive. Poultry and livestock that have been permitted to live their lives on pastured land, free to engage in natural behaviors and treated respectfully, are infinitely preferable to factory-farmed creatures that live crowded, unnatural, unpleasant lives.

You’ll have to do your homework, and you’ll pay more — but worth it, don’t you agree?

Get as close to the source as you can. If you’re in a rural area, locate and get to know your local farmers who follow humane guidelines. In urban areas, it’s the farmers markets and Mom-and-Pop health food stores that will allow you to ask questions and learn about the origins of your foods.

And even in big cities and large supermarkets, there are tools available — organizations that do the research for you and certify for carefully-designated and verified humane practices. “Animal Welfare Approved” is one of the most respected and stringent certifications; look for their blue and green seal, which is given only to family-owned farms, never to commercial operations. And seek out the 5-Step Program of the Global Animal Partnership, which offers a rating from 1 to 5 for the level of humane husbandry involved; this system is especially visible at Whole Foods Markets, and is an incredibly useful tool.

Studies have indicated that animals raised humanely, on pasture with natural forage, may be arguably more nutritious, vitamin-rich and safer than their industrially-produced brethren. One thing that is inarguable, though, is that in supporting the farmers who strive to respect the animals they raise, we can feel that we are doing our small best to improve the quality of life in an often heedless and heartless world. Change begins with awareness and baby steps; let’s start walking.

Chicken Francese w/ Orange Gremolata

This fresh-tasting quick-to-prepare dish makes a perfect weeknight supper… and be sure to buy chickens with a “5” rating, like Mary’s California Bronze.

4 6-oz. chicken breast cutlets, pounded to 1/3″ thickness
1/2 cup organic flour
1 large egg + 1 teaspoon water, lightly beaten (I love Vital Farms pasture-raised)
2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1 meyer lemon, cut in half

3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
1 heaping teaspoon microplaned orange zest
1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Make gremolata: combine parsley, chives, orange zest, pepper and salt in a small bowl, set aside.

One at a time, dredge chicken breasts in flour, then in egg, then press into bread crumbs to coat evenly.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken breasts two at a time, about 3 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. After removing from pan, squeeze a little lemon over each and salt to taste, and keep warm.

Place chicken breasts on a platter or individual plates, scatter a tablespoon of the gremolata over each, and serve immediately.

Serves four.

Seared Filet Truffle Roll-ups

These elegant canapes are always a huge hit at winter-time cocktail parties.. and make sure you source humanely — Niman Ranch online is a good choice.

1 1/2 lbs. filet mignon “tails” (the narrow portions)
2 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lb. Manchego cheese, shaved into vertical strips with a vegetable peeler
2 ounces wild baby arugula
Truffle-infused olive oil
Coarse finishing salt, preferably Maldon or fleur de sel

Place cracked peppercorns on a flat plate and roll & press filet pieces in it.

Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sear peppered filet on all sides for about 3-4 minutes total, so outside is seared and inside is rare. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes.

Slice filet against the grain into small thin pieces. Lay out each piece, dribble on a drop or two of truffle oil, sprinkle a few grains of salt, lay on two leaves of arugula and one shaving of cheese; roll in both sides and secure with a toothpick. Repeat with all pieces. If not serving immediately, refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes about 16 pieces.

[A version of this post appears in my “Kitchen Matters” column in the January issue of Better Nutrition Magazine.]