Sloyer's notes

In the 1980s, there were two competing visions of wealth on TV: “Dallas” and “Dynasty.” People tend to lump the two nighttime soaps together, but aside from the characters’ habit of resolving major conflicts in the swimming pool, the two shows couldn’t be more different. “Dynasty” constructed a fantasy of domestic royalty and jet-setting escapism, offering a portrait of the rich as diamond-strewn, evening-gown-clad ghosts drifting from their private jets to their enormous mansions as servants rushed about carrying silver platters. “Dallas,” by contrast, stayed firmly rooted in middle-class American values, presenting a picture that was more Big Boy breakfast buffet than “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” With its cowboy hats and flocked wallpaper and Hatfields-versus-McCoys-style feuds, “Dallas” was as provincial and preglobal-economy as it gets. Even Southfork’s décor, with its dark paneling, garish paintings and low ceilings, mirrored the claustrophobia of the country club: cramped, wall-to-wall carpeted spaces packed with small-minded people lugging their gigantic egos around behind them like overstuffed golf bags.

JUST SAY CHEESE
Elaine Khosrova, editor of the specialty-cheese magazine Culture, talks about processed cheese.

Why were Kraft Singles so popular?
After World War II, food production was going industrial. Cheese was a part of that. If it came from a factory and was standardized, it was considered a high-quality food. I have a soft spot for Kraft Singles. I grew up on them in the 1960s. My mother made me bologna-and-cheese sandwiches.

What is the future of cheese?
You’re always going to need a brick of cheap Cheddar for your kids’ macaroni. But I think the demand for specialty and artisanal cheese will continue to grow steadily, because these foods are losing their elitist reputation; they’re becoming more mainstream.

Enfin, clin d’œil facétieux, Nomen a demandé aux Français de situer politiquement la marque de fromage Président. Quand ses concurrents au rayon camenbert Cœur de lion et Rustique sont placés dans la catégorie «ni droite ni gauche» (comme Danette et Nutella), Président, lui, est placé à droite.

En hausse : la consommation responsable
Cosmétiques écolo, marques alimentaires bio ou produits recyclés… Selon une récente étude menée par le site mescoursespourlaplanete.com, ce marché enregistre 25 % de croissance par an depuis 2005, malgré la crise. Marissa Meyer, 36 ans, première femme ingénieur à avoir intégré Google (en 1999), où elle dirigeait les activités de géolocalisation, vient d’être nommée administratrice de l’américain Wal-Mart, numéro un mondial de la distribution.

The Vernacular the of the web.
(…)
“It needs to feel more organic than strategic and tap into a human impulse,” he said. “If something catches on, it can translate to a human behavior that becomes part of the language of the Web.