Lamson & Goodnow Knives

My wife and I took a day trip over the holiday weekend and visited the factory of Lamson & Goodnow.  I love to cook and while my skills are not up to the level of my tools, I do love to use high-quality knives.  I've always used German or Japanese knives, but that may be changing.

Lamson is the oldest knife manufacturer in the United States.  Indeed, they provided cutlery to the White House for President Grant and they still manufacturer their wares in the same factories built in 1850.  Their knives are beautiful and I purchased two to test, a 6" utility knife and a 6" boning knife.  I chose their "Fire" line, which features acrylic handles instead of wood.  This allows the knives to be much more water resistant to the point that soaking in water is allowed, something I would never do with my fine wooden-handled knives.

I like them so much that I plan to purchase two others... to start!  :-)

Prices on their web site match suggested retail for merchants.  However, at the factory I paid 25% less.  Shelburne Falls is a lovely town in which to spend a day, so I recommend the drive.  You won't be disappointed.

31 May 2011

Fed Tax Rate Lowest in 60 Years

From William Alden of The Huffington Post:

Hearing some politicians talk about taxes, one might be convinced the United States has one of the highest tax rates in the world.




But the reality is the federal tax rate, broadly measured, is the lowest it has been in 60 years, Bruce Bartlett writes in a new column. A look at the effective tax rate, which expresses taxes as a share of the country's economic output, belies the stream of political rhetoric arguing that taxes are relatively high, says Bartlett, who was a senior policy analyst under President Ronald Reagan.

31 May 2011

NYC Hawks

In addition to the bald eagles in Iowa, I've been following a hawk nest in New York City.  The egg has hatched, so now there is a chick to watch, too!

26 May 2011

National Debt Causes

From TPM:

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has updated and refined a widely cited chart, laying out the origins of the country's current fiscal trajectory. And as before, the lion's share of the problem comes from ongoing George W. Bush-era policies -- particularly deficit-financed tax cuts, which eliminated Clinton-era surpluses and left the Treasury poised for a huge hit when the financial crisis and economic downturn further eroded federal revenues.

See the chart at the link above.

25 May 2011

A Bronco Setting a High Bar

My sister, who is a monster Broncos fan, passed this story along.  It is nice to hear something nice about a professional athlete for a change!

25 May 2011

Amazing Photograph

Check out this photograph from National Geographic.  Sure, the magazine always has wonderful photography on display, but this one is wonderful in a different fashion.

24 May 2011

Israel's Need for a Two-State Solution

Josh Marshall at TPM wrote a nice piece on why it is not just in Israel's best interests to follow a two-state solution with the Palestinians, but in the interest of its survival.  Check it out.

23 May 2011

27 May 2011 Addition: Susan Crabtree and Igor Bobic of TPM have written a great article laying out exactly why President Obama's statements regarding Israel's borders in relation to a two-state peace process do not constitute a shift in US policy.  It is actually quite the opposite.

14 Foods to Buy Organic

The Huffington Post has an article on 14 suggested foods to purchase organic.  Take a look.

20 May 2011

Amazing "Dilbert" Pranks

If you want to see just how crazy things can get in a modern office cubical environment, look no further.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuW9DKXiirw&NR=1



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27IOmm7zlCw


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaGE3hfvbqU&feature=related

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18 May 2011

Rent Apartment with 16 Cats

This is awesome.  And the fact that they named the Roombas is classic.  However, why would one want to keep the cats in another room?!?

18 May 2011

Osama bin Laden Raid: New Info

New information is emerging regarding the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.  This is the most complete account that I've thus far read.

18 May 2011

White House Poetry Controversy

As usual, Jon Stewart pops the bubble of babble that Fox News is blowing up.

11 May 2011