The End of Two News Cycles and a Word about Mushrooms

 The Ames Free Library debuted its loanable e-readers yesterday and on May 18 will be hosting experts on the Nook e-reader. Over the weekend I upgraded the operating system of my Nook Color and now have a built in news reader that lets me check the news at bedtime. Here's what I learned at midnight last night. The right wing wants the credit for killing bin Laden-see torture actually works-to go to George W. Bush. Thank Bush they say. No word on whether we need to thank him for the debt, tax cuts for the rich, the financial collapse, or eight years of inaction on climate change. Think I'll just thank the Navy Seals and all our brave servicemen and women  and leave the politicians to squabble.

I also learned that a Pippa Middleton fan page on Facebook has 92,000 followers while a similar fan page for her derriére (based on that white dress, no doubt) has 44,000 followers. You can also trackdown a wonderful shot of Pip at a party wrapped in a toilet paper dress-apparently she didn't get the memo about cell phone cameras and friends posting pictures on the Interweb. And yes, I have no trouble posting links to fake photoshopped pictures of a dead bin Laden, but I won't do that to a lady! Trackdown, by the way, makes me seem like I actually went looking for it-there she was an inch tall in the entertainment section of the new news reader! Pippa by the way is short for Philippa which she apparently prefers-I expect to be doing extensive research on this and will keep you informed. Finally, the UK's Independent has a fun article about good girls using bad girl tactics comparing Kate Middleton and Anne Boleyn. No word from the right wing about forming a fan site for Bush's derriére, but it is doubtless coming now that Glenn Beck has time on his hands.

Last year the library sponsored two programs on mushroom hunting. The first was by an expert on wild mushrooms who convinced me, unintentionally,  never, ever to eat anything outside a grocery store. The other was a forager who noted that there are a few wild mushrooms even I couldn't mistake. Still, about 90% of wild fungi are either inedible or poisonous leaving me with the choices I find in the supermarket. Even there things can get confusing.

A recent visit to Hannafords found fresh button mushrooms, portabellos, baby bellas, criminis, oysters, and shitakes. There were also a few other varieties of dried mushrooms. What's the difference or more importantly why the difference in price? Oyster mushrooms and shitakes are tree fungi that are commonly grown by plugging holes in logs with mushroom spawn. The oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus, was first cultivated in Germany as a subsistence food during World War I. It prefers deciduous trees with beech trees a particular favorite. The flavor profile is a little like oysters although the  common name probably comes from its shape. It is most commonly used in stir-fries. I use it in a meatless stir fry with ginger, garlic or onion and either a mild Chinese cabbage or pea pods. Shiitake mushrooms, Lentinula edodes, favor oak trees. The stems of this mushrooms are edible, but can be hard or woody so they are seldom used. Shiitake's are favored in vegetarian dishes for their umami taste-the savory taste of cooked meat. I'm not a fan of this mushroom's flavor and seldom use it. Both these mushrooms are more complex to grow and slower than common mushrooms, hence the higher price.

Button mushrooms, portobellos, baby bellas, and criminis are all the same mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. Unlike oyster and shiitake mushrooms, these mushrooms favor grasslands. There are two color varieties the white and the brown. The white variety is the typical supermarket variety that we have been buying for years from button size through stuffing size. The brown ones are called baby bellas in the button stage, criminis in the small slicing stage, and portobellos in their mature stage where they are sold in sizes larger than their white cousins. In America this has become a wonderful marketing strategy. The brown variety usually costs more than the white and in the smaller sizes don't justify the added cost in flavor-any difference is all in our heads as we tend to associate brown with earthier flavor. Large members of the white variety generally have lighter gills than the brown making them ideal for cleaning out for stuffed mushroom appetizers while the larger brown ones are ideal for slicing and cooking as a meat substitute once again due to the umami taste. I find buying a large loose portobello for a sandwich the most economical way to enjoy these mushrooms unless packages are on sale.

A couple of things-there are some carcinogenic chemicals in these mushrooms that are reduced to very low levels by cooking. On the other hand they also contain a chemical that may reduce estrogen production in the body reducing the risks of certain cancers in women. No real reason to hope or fear in any case. Regarding cooking small sliced mushrooms, Jim Messinger of Loco believes that mushrooms as a side dish should be sauteed slowly in a little olive oil, red wine (or other liquid like broth or even water), with a pinch of salt and pepper and maybe a little garlic. To reach their best flavor they should be on the stove about as long as it takes to boil carrots-longer than we generally cook them-the trick is not to use too high a heat and to watch to add a little more liquid as needed.

Bin Laden Killed

Thought you might like to have some links with ideas you might not see on TV.

Here is an article from Al Jazeera, the Arab news agency, speculating on the impact of bin Laden's death on Al Qaeda.

Here's an article from the Daily Star of Lebanon about the guy in Pakistan who unwittingly tweeted the attack on bin Laden. Also from the Daily Star a surprising short article from the Palestinian Authority saying the death of bin Laden is good for the peace process with Israel.

The Wikipedia entry about Abbotabad, Pakistan has already been updated. Looks like another boost for the tourist industry in this community of colleges-kind of like if the FBI gunned down Whitey Bulger in Harvard Square. Here is a Google Satellite Map of Abbottabad. By the way the FBI's ten most wanted list has not been updated yet.

Here is coverage of our coverage of the story from the People's Daily in China. Caution this site shows postmortem pictures.


A BBC profile on remaining Al Qaeda leaders to remind us the battle with terrorism isn't over.

Finally, a Sky News (England) link to a video of a fire at the compound where the operation took place. This is the first (really lousy) picture of the site I've found.

Beautiful Things and Some Calendar Notes

Today at 2 the Easton Historical Society is having its annual meeting at Queset House, all are welcome to attend. Meanwhile, undisclosed people at an undisclosed location will be judging the 40 entries in the Hockomock Film Festival. The number of entries has set a record as media education takes off regionally. The winners will be announced at a gala event on May 14. More info on that later.

Interesting how the new electronic world works. Yesterday I updated the operating system on my Barnes and Noble NookColor and discovered it now supports a free newsreader as well as paid subscription to newspapers. I spent most of the day playing with the reader-I love being my own news editor. One special feature of the program is a top 25 story page for a number of areas including "Art and Design." There I found a blog entry about modern Japanese artist Ikenaga Yasunari. The blog was based on an article at koikoikoi.com. The artist, born in 1965, does a wonderful job of blending the contemporary and the traditional. You can see more at his website. His paintings done on linen cloth with traditional paints and brushes have the feel of old Japanese screen paintings. While each picture is a portrait of a woman, each also features beautiful Japanese textile designs (and some western ones). The composition as a whole also reflect Japanese traditions. Here's an example:

There's also an Art Nouveau feel which is no surprise since that late 19th century European movement was influenced by earlier Japanese art. While not considered an Art Nouveau artist compare this James Whistler painting that hangs in the Freer Gallery in Washington.

Or this from a true Art Nouveau master Alphonse Mucha:

I prefer the elegance and subtlety of Yasunari.