Jeff Bezos's Master Plan by Franklin Foer  The Atlantic magazine  November 2019 issue  I first grew concerned about Amazon’s power five years ago.  I felt anxious about how the company bullied the book business, extracting ever more favorable terms from the publishers that had come to depend on it.  When the conglomerate Hachette, with which I’d once published a book, refused to accede to Amazon’s demands, it was punished.  Amazon delayed shipments of Hachette books; when consumers searched for some Hachette titles, it redirected them to similar books from other publishers.  In 2014, I wrote a cover story for The New Republic with a pugilistic title: “Amazon Must Be Stopped.”  Citing my article, the company subsequently terminated an advertising campaign for its political comedy, Alpha House, that had been running in the magazine.  In a way, Bezos has already created a prototype of a cylindrical tube inhabited by millions, and it’s called Amazon.com.  His creation is less a company than an encompassing system.  If it were merely a store that sold practically all salable goods—and delivered them within 48 hours—it would still be the most awe-inspiring creation in the history of American business.  But Amazon is both that tangible company and an abstraction far more powerful.  Bezos’s enterprise upends long-held precepts about the fundamental nature of capitalism—especially an idea enshrined by the great Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek.  As World War II drew to its close, Hayek wrote the essay “The Use of Knowledge in Society,” a seminal indictment of centralized planning.  Hayek argued that no bureaucracy could ever match the miracle of markets, which spontaneously and efficiently aggregate the knowledge of a society.  Relentless might be the most Amazonian word, but Bezos also talks about the virtues of wandering.  “Wandering is an essential counterbalance to efficiency,” he wrote in a letter to shareholders in 2019.  When I spoke with workers based at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters, they said what they appreciated most about their employer was the sense of intellectual autonomy it allowed.  Once they had clearly articulated a mission in an approved six-pager, they typically had wide latitude to make it happen, without having to fight through multiple layers of approval.  The wandering mentality has also helped Amazon continually expand into adjacent businesses—or businesses that seem, at first, unrelated.  Assisted by the ever growing consumer and supplier data it collects, and the insights into human needs and human behavior it is constantly uncovering, the company keeps finding new opportunities for growth.  In 2013, the CIA agreed to spend $600 million to place its data in Amazon’s cloud.  At the heart of Amazon’s growing relationship with government is a choking irony.  In 2018, Amazon didn’t pay a cent of federal tax.  The company has mastered the art of avoidance, by exploiting foreign tax havens and moonwalking through the seemingly infinite loopholes that accountants dream up.  Amazon may not contribute to the national coffers, but public funds pour into its own bank accounts.  Amazon has grown enormous, in part, by shirking tax responsibility.  The government rewards this failure with massive contracts, which will make the company even bigger.  Read much more and see pictures at https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/11/what-jeff-bezos-wants/598363/

Marcona almonds are a type of sweet, gourmet almond from Spain.  Their texture is closer to that of a macadamia nut, and they're rounder and plumper than the more common California almond we find at the supermarket.  These sweet almonds can be enjoyed on their own as a gourmet treat or used in any recipe that calls for almonds.  Nutritionally there is minimal difference between the more common almond and those from Marcona, but the flavor is another story.  A Marcona almond is far sweeter, moister, and softer than the classic almond variety with a buttery flavor and texture.  It has a delicate aroma and taste that is reminiscent of the almond essence used in baked goods.  The nuts are sold raw, roasted, and fried with or without seasonings such as rosemary, truffle, and smoked paprika.  Rebecca Franklin  
https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-a-marcona-almond-1375433



Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Marcona Almonds and Pecorino by Michael Chiarello    If you never thought you'd take to brussels sprouts, this will be better than the best coleslaw you've ever had.  Six dozen brussels sprouts seems like a lot to shave, but with a mandoline this goes quickly.  The full-flavored citrus vinaigrette ties it all together.  Marcona almonds from Spain add the crucial crunch to this salad.  You can fry your own blanched almonds in a few tablespoons of olive oil with a pinch of sea salt, but it's easier to buy these, which are already cooked in olive oil and salted.  This salad tastes best if the shaved brussels sprouts, egg, and vinaigrette are all well chilled before you start.  Find recipe at https://www.today.com/recipes/shaved-brussels-sprouts-salad-marcona-almonds-pecorino-t79446



The almond  (Prunus dulcis, syn. Prunus amygdalus) is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries but widely cultivated elsewhere.  The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree.  Within the genus Prunus, it is classified with the peach in the subgenus Amygdalus, distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the shell (endocarp) surrounding the seed.  The fruit of the almond is a drupe, consisting of an outer hull and a hard shell with the seed, which is not a true nut, inside.  Almonds are sold shelled or unshelled.  Blanched almonds are shelled almonds that have been treated with hot water to soften the seedcoat, which is then removed to reveal the white embryo.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almond



Leonardo da Vinci once said:  “Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears and never regrets.”  Toledo Zoo and the University of Findlay’s Mazza Museum are proud to present a new learning opportunity with Authors, Animals and Art, a meet-the-creative series at the Zoo.  The first event of this series will feature Steven Savage, illustrator of “Polar Bear Morning” on Sunday, November 10, 2019 from 1-3 p.m. in The Great Hall of the ProMedica Museum of Natural History at the Toledo Zoo.  The afternoon will begin with a short multimedia presentation from the illustrator, followed by Savage reading the book aloud and conclude with a book signing.  Copies of “Polar Bear Morning” will be available for purchase at the event.  “Polar Bear Morning” is a children’s book created for ages 3-5, authored by Lauren Thompson and illustrated by Steven Savage.  It tells the story of two polar bear cubs that venture from their dens to explore their Arctic habitat and form a new friendship.  The 32-page book was released in January of 2013 as a follow-up to the award-winning “Polar Bear Night” and has garnered rave reviews.  Authors, Animals and Art is open to all ages and free with Zoo admission.  Guests are encouraged to come early and explore the new Museum, including the Mazza Gallery on the second floor.  No pre-registration is required.  For more information, please visit mazzamuseum.org/events.

https://www.toledozoo.org/pressreleases/10-3-2019-press-release-a-new-family-series-at-the-toledo-zoo



A THOUGHT FOR TODAY  Your voice dries up if you don't use it. - Patti Page, singer (8 Nov 1927-2013)



WORD OF THE DAY   mentalese noun    (philosophy, psychology) A hypothetical non-verbal language in which concepts are represented in the mind   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mentalese#English



http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2179  November 8, 2019