Conrad Black media hack

Former newspaper mogul and Canadian native Conrad Black is now a convicted criminal.The United States District Court in Chicago , Illinois and Judge Amy J. St. Eve felt that Mister Black's and his insider gang that committed a thirty two million dollar fraudulent heist of the assets of Hollinger International, was worthy of a six and one half year term for his part , six and one half million , in the plunder. Yet another case of corporate evil in America? Wait a minute , this scoundrel Black is not even an American citizen. Shades of the NatWest Three , see previous post NatWest Three. Fraud and obstructing justice. The obstructing justice part of his conviction resulted from Mister Black's removal of boxes of documents from his Toronto , Ontario office. This caper resulted in the capture of Mister Black on videotape , smile felon! , and resulted in a mere fine of $125,000. Prosecutors had hoped for a sentence of 24 to 30 years for the crimes committed by Mister Black , who will of course appeal this decision. At one time Mister Black's newspaper holdings were the third largest in the world. Moral of this story is trust your local newspaper and it's contents as if a convicted felon was at the helm. In this case Mister Black was , and his felonious behavior gives an already suspect news source a larger ethical black eye. Now Mister Black the media hack will be kept in check by a variety of prison guards referred to in common prison slang as "hacks". .........Might as well enjoy those fine meals that lavish dining via the expense account now provides while you still can. Look for massive layoffs in the financial centers of commerce after the disastrous earnings and under performance of the banks and associated industries. Trim the fat from the fickle corpse of a dying nation of debtors. My pal Slim has the right idea downstate when it comes to setting a table. Pick a long table , set your clients down , and after forging about locally for some prime and affordable victuals , provide them at an affordable price point and prepared just right. The only business that open and close quicker than book stores are restaurants. Put on your thinking cap and let your mind roll back a few years , and you will not be surprised to find that many of your previous favorite nosh spots are caput. This is not news as much as a sad fact of life. Tastes change , and one either adapts to change and survives or perishes while holding forth in an obdurate fashion to the old ways. I will list some old deceased favorites at a later time. Send me yours...... Simple is best , and I will give you a great antidote for the winter blahs that rapidly approach. A unique recipe for split pea soup. Take six quarts of water , and bring to a boil , while adding three pared and cut into pieces of carrots , a hand full of peeled fresh garlic , a few onions peeled and whole , tops of a bunch of celery , fresh parsley , black and white peppercorns and a dried red chili pepper are optional, leeks if available , and some chicken bouillon or Minor's ham or chicken concentrate. If you have fresh stock replace the six quarts of water with the stock. Add two pounds of washed and sorted split peas and one piece of ham hock or smoked pork to the liquid and vegetables and reduce to a strong simmer. The top of the water should ripple about it's contents. Cook this for about two hours or until the peas are cooked , skimming the top of the water and stirring the pot so the peas do not stick. When done , remove from heat and remove the cooked vegetables and ham hock to a bowl. Take the cooked peas and strain them through a fine sieve until you have the essence of legume captured in a bowl or dish. You may wish to chop the carrots fine and add them back to the soup. I usually discard them with the spent vegetables , preferring to add fresh cooked carrots diced fine , and finely chopped well cured Parma style ham along with croutons as garnish. You can use potatoe water and even add a cooked potatoe when putting the peas through the sieve if you care for a richer and denser soup. Feed the scraps of ham hock to your favorite quadraped , a bit strong for bipeds. A sure cure for the cold weather blues. Turn those blues split pea green. Book Selling Time! A nifty volume on fine cooking on the cheap is our offering for the day. ECONOMY GASTRONOMY , A First of its Kind Collection ; A Gourmet Cookbook for the Budget Minded by Sylvia Vaughn Thompson. Not to mention the introduction by Slim's old pal M.F. K. Fisher. Plus the books title closely resembles an early Pink Floyd song if you pronounce it quickly. A free volume of our choice to the first client who can name this Pink Floyd tune correctly and send it via email. Good luck! Best wishes to all my Family and freinds at this festive time of year.

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