#196 - tracks & snacks 2011.

for the past two years, when this time of year rolled around & i sat down to compile my top ten tracks & snacks of the year, it's been a relatively painless process. not so this year. in the past, i've always been able to open up itunes, take a look at my list of most played tunes & easily compile a list. this summer, my computer finally decided to kick the bucket for good, taking all the precious "most played" info with it & forcing me to rely on my memory, a task which is a dicey proposition at best. 

...so there's inevitably something i'm forgetting but i have to give nods to das racist, st vincent, cut copy, adele, shabazz palaces, los campesinos, atlas sound, pj harvey, destroyer, girls, anvil hands & cities aviv who, if this was a top 22 list, all had songs worthy of being on it. in the end, each artist on this year's list has never been in my top ten before although three songs from the albums on my mid-year top five list made it into the 2011 top ten.

...so if you're the type who's looking for a shiny new band to call your own, there are ten great candidates below & links to videos for eight of the songs & "listen" links for the other two. ALSO, since spotify has finally made its way to america, i've tossed up a playlist of the nine top ten tracks that are available on it, so if you swing that way, have at it here. BRING ON THE TRACKS! BRING ON 2012! SMELL YA LATER 2011!

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nosh nook #156 - monday, october 19, 2009

peanut producers thriving after safety scare (link)
10.18.09 - msnbc - from a.p.

at the beginning of this year, because of a salmonella outbreak that eventually killed nine people, the FDA started announcing recall after recall of peanut products. peanut butter? tainted. crackers & peanut butter? tainted. that crunchy peanut candy bar? also tainted. taint taint taint. as a result of the salmonella scare, the peanut industry went into a serious tailspin, as a frightened public avoided peanut products & sales dropped. the peanut industry's PR people tried to counter the effects of the outbreak, but were initially unsuccessful. the peanut-buying public was just too frightened.

despite all the trouble the peanut industry was having, at the moment, things are actually looking pretty good for them. according to msnbc's article from the a.p., "food makers processed more peanuts over the past year than nearly any other time on record." salmonella be damned! according to the department of agriculture's figures, the amount of "peanuts used for peanut butter set an all-time record at 1.1 billion pounds." the peanut industry's a bit surprised by the good news. after the outbreak was announced, they had a crappy january & february, but by march, things were pretty much back to normal. overall, it's an abnormally fast comeback.

stanley fletcher isn't so surprised & he's a "peanut economist" at UGA, so he knows peanuts. "there's an old adage in the industry that you can almost track the economy by consumption of peanut butter. it's basically the cheapest source of protein." it could have something to do with that, but it also could have something to do with the fact that, once their fears subsided, everybody who panicked & tossed out their peanut butter eventually had to go get more peanut butter. anyway, you don't have to worry about the peanut farmer anymore. they may never put another of their kind in the white house, but americans are basically addicted to peanut butter & need the cheap protein to survive, so they'll be just fine. don't waste your tears on them. waste them on that chick from the hills instead.

nosh nook #6 - monday, march 23, 2009

what next for the beloved, beleaguered peanut? (link)
03.22.09 - houston chronicle - by ted anthony (a.p.)

man, people have been friggin' freaking out over the peanut recall for a good while now. my mom's allergic to peanuts & i know salmonella's some pretty serious stuff when it's all up in yo belly, but does it really deserve this much of a panic? the legumes are out to get us! i'm not usually one to say "trust the government," but this time, all you've got to do is pay attention to the f.d.a.'s recall list. something's on there, don't put it in your mouth. something isn't on there, go ahead & eat it. you probably won't get salmonella. i mean, the folks at the f.d.a. even took time to make a peanut recall widget! i tested it out & learned that there is actually a candy called "bear poop." it's on the recall list.

because everyone's freaking out, the industry's suffering & is forced to work extra hard to convince people to chill the f out. as ap writer ted anthony notes in his article, earlier this month was "peanut farmer appreciation day" at a nascar event in atlanta (where half the u.s. peanut crop comes from). at the event, they handed out 64,000 bags of peanuts. he goes on to talk about the uphill battle the peanut industry has had to fight, even before the recall. it's ridiculous how people freak out over the peanut. as an example, the seattle mariners declared a "peanut-free baseball-watching zone" at two of their home games. i'm pretty sure that qualifies as overkill.

i've seen that same sort of "peanut farmer appreciation day" spin on the new york subways. the peanut council is a regular advertiser on the trains, but there's a new series of ads up in the cars, reminding you that peanuts are actually good for you in a lot of ways. i bet the ad sales dude who has the peanut council account was ready to pop cristal within minutes of the first panicked cnn announcement of the peanut recall. lucky stiff. as anthony hints at in his article about the beleaguered peanut, unfortunately for ad sales dude (& luckily for the peanut industry), america has a short attention span & will eventually chill out about peanuts & move onto something else to panic about. i vote for snuggies...before it's too late.