Random notes: October 17, 2012.

This is just breaking, and I’ll probably have more to say about it later: Lance Armstrong is leaving his position as chairman of the Livestrong charity.

(I still haven’t had time to go through the USADA report. Sorry.)

Meanwhile, we have a couple of interesting things from the NYT:

There’s a longish piece about the “Rebecca” case, focusing on Ben Sprecher and how he claims he got taken.

Mr. Sprecher, 58, said he had done a cursory Google search of Mr. Hotton’s name before they first met in February, found that he had worked at a well-known brokerage house and noticed nothing else.
The Internet reflects a host of civil fraud lawsuits against Mr. Hotton, and the federal authorities say Mr. Sprecher is one in a long line of people from California, from Alaska, and from Mr. Hotton’s own neighborhood who say they have been swindled by him.

More:

Nor did he consider it unusual, he said, that he had never met or spoken with Abrams or that the investor’s passing was not marked by any obituary or death record. Indeed, federal authorities say Mr. Hotton mistakenly sent e-mails supposedly from one fake investor via an address he had already associated with another of his inventions.

Somebody really wanted to believe. Either that, or there’s more going on here than meets the eye.

Have you ever wondered where escargot come from? If you order them in many restaurants, they were probably imported from France in a can. But if you order them in a higher-end restaurant…

…the NYT has a profile of Mary Stewart, snail rancher.

Mary “the snail lady” as we like to call her, is passionate about her mollusk’s. She forages & collects these wild snails in the Sierra Nevada mountains, then feeds them a strict diet of basil before blanching and packing them in basil water for shipping. When cooked, they become tender and infused with the flavor of the herb and are unlike any mollusk you’ve ever tried. Although they are pre-cooked, for best results they should be simmered for 30 to 45 minutes in a stock or wine of your choice, It’s often best to finish the snails by sautéing them with butter and fresh herbs.

J. Peterman, call your office, please.

($39.75 a pound.)

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