Los Angeles Times, Feb 4, 2012

choi

(1) Blair Anthony Robertson, Blue Diamond Plant in Sacramento Is Almond Purveyor to the World.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-almond-plant-20120204,0,4359796.story
("Different cultures throughout the world have their own preferences regarding almonds. The almonds shipped to India, for instance, are still in the shell, as Indians tend to see them as more pristine. In China, it's 50-50. In North America, it is almost unheard-of to buy almonds in the shell")

Note:
(a) almond
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almond
(deciduous; The almond is a native to the Mediterranean climate region of the Middle East, eastward as far as the Indus [river]; domesticated almonds are not toxic but its wild ancestor (still present in Middle East) is;

Quote: "In botanical terms it [almond] is not a nut, but a drupe. The outer covering or exocarp [sic; should be "mesocarp"], fleshy in other members of Prunus such as the plum and cherry, is instead a thick leathery grey-green coat (with a downy exterior), called the hull. Inside the hull is a reticulated hard woody shell (like the outside of a peach pit) called the endocarp.

(i) niransab, Green Almonds. May 15, 2009 (in his blog "Incredible Visions").
http://niransab.wordpress.com/2009/05/15/green-almonds/
("at our local grocery store")
(ii) Bethia, Green Almonds. Apr 3, 2010 (in a blog "Columbus Food Adventures")
http://columbusfoodadventures.com/2010/blog/green-almonds
("at Salam Market and Bakery (in Columbus Square)" at Columbus, Ohio)
(iii) Drupe. HowSuffWorks.com, undated.
http://science.howstuffworks.com ... erms/drupe-info.htm

(b) The report says, "Some days, the bouquet is so true and intense that the flavors practically announce themselves. One day it might be the salt and vinegar almonds; another day it's a huge batch of honey-roasted almonds."

bouquet (n; Middle French, thicket, bunch of flowers):
"1a : flowers picked and fastened together in a bunch
* * *
3a : a distinctive and characteristic fragrance (as of wine)"
www.m-w.com
(c) Blue Diamond Growers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Diamond_Growers
(The cooperative is privately-held and does not disclose sales figures, although the Sacramento Bee has estimated it to have annual sales of about $709 million dollars in 2009; headquartered in Sacramento, California)
() Video clips:
(i) John Soares, Almond Harvesting 2010-Kico Lin (1 &2 ) Ranch, Chuck Almond, DLJ, DL8. YouTube.com, uploaded by cldaa on Oct 17, 2010 (length: 7:01)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDqNydPqodM
(ii) Model 2400 Cracker, Almond Hulling Shelling. YouTube.com, uploaded by GSHubbard1964 on Sept 2, 2009.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0Ayjfmbv8c
(from Jessee Equipment Manufacturing)
(iii) Almonds Processing on Optyx® 3000 Laser / Camera Sorter. YouTube.com, uploaded by KeyTechWW on Jul 5, 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp9pKHoXlDw


(2) Jonathan Kaiman and Barbara Demick, Name-Calling Feud Escalates Between Hong Kong and Mainland China.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nati ... ong-locust-20120204,0,1702902.story

(3) Shan Li, Counterfeit Gap Joins the Counterfeit Gucci. Lower-end knockoffs have become big business. The economy and the Internet are two major factors.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cheap-fakes-20120204,0,2118861.story
("'It's a business-expansion strategy for the bad guys,' said Tom Taylor, president of brand protection for OpSec Security, a Boston firm that monitors counterfeiters. 'The downturn left a lot of capacity open in factories in China and other parts of Asia, so they are coming up with ways to fill that capacity'")

My comment: This is the only mention of China. There is no need to read the rest.