Ronald McDonald, a Force for Good or a Pied Piper?

Will Ronald McDonald retire? 

According to McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner, "the answer is no."
"He is a force for good," Skinner said, adding that the 50-year Ronald is an ambassador for the McDonald's brand and its Ronald McDonald House Charities. "He communicates effectively with children and families around balanced, active lifestyles. He does not hawk food."
Shareholders applauded Skinner. And they wailed a shower of boos when representatives from the advocacy group Corporate Accountability International requested that Ronald McDonald be retired for good.
"Ronald McDonald is a pied piper drawing youngsters all over the world to food that is high in fat, sodium and calories," said Alfred David Klinger, a retired Chicago physician who volunteers with the organization. "On the surface, Ronald is there to give children enjoyment in all sorts of way with toys, games and food. But Ronald McDonald is dangerous, sending insidious messages to young people."

Cook like the professionals with Chef Masterclasses

If you love food and cooking, this may just the thing for you.

Chef Masterclasses is launching in mid-June 2010,  connecting food lovers everywhere to some of Australia’s best-known chefs.

Subscribers to their site will learn from online cooking masterclass videos taught by top Australian chefs.

Registration is completely free and they are now taking pre-registrations giving you the opportunity to cook like the professionals, with regular video masterclasses delivered to you to watch and learn in the comfort of your own home.

Click on, if you would like to REGISTER

Trout Meuniere - Cooking New Orleans Style

We are always searching for great tasting food and we came across Chef Frank Brigtsen of Brigtsen's in New Orleans making Trout Meuniere, even though he's is using Flounder.
We tried it with trout and love it.
Regardless of the fish you use, we think you may enjoy this New Orleans dish.

Cooking, New Orleans style! with Chef Frank Brigtsen of Brigtsen's

CAKE BOSS - Season 3

Buddy Valastro and the rest of his team from Carlo's City Hall Bakery Shop are back for season 3.
We love this show, it's the real deal, and we hope you watch "Cake Boss"on the TLC cable network at 9 p.m. on Memorial Day.

Here's a sneak peek:

The Cold Stone PB&C Milkshake

The Cold Stone PB&C Milkshake with a delightful 2,010 calories, the equivalent to  68 strips of bacon has become the target on a list of the 20 worst drinks in America compiled by Men's Health magazine.

Chef Jamie Oliver was speechless, (if that were only true) he recently waged war on obesity in a U. S. version of his Food Revolution show, read a magazine article about the shake and tweeted: ‘There are no words.’

This Cold Stone milkshake is made with peanut butter, chocolate ice cream and milk, contains 68 grams of saturated fat and 153 grams of sugar, according to nutritional details on the company's website.

"In terms of saturated fat, drinking this Cold Stone catastrophe is like slurping up 68 strips of bacon," the magazine said.

A spokesman from the Cold Stone Creamery pointed out that the company does also offer low-calorie, reduced-fat options for customers looking for "a lighter indulgence" such as its range of sinless smoothies with only 110 calories. (but nobody wants this one)

We want the Cold Stone PB&C Milkshake, it's on our must do list.

Can 'Otarian' save the planet?

We have already covered Australian billionaires Pankaj and Radhika Oswal and their veggie restaurant ‘Otarian’, but we wanted to give Radhika a chance to explain in her own words, 'Otarian' and it's mission.
While we doubt this or any restaurant can save a planet, or that it even needs saving, we want to present both sides.

It's Not a Tumor, It's a Brain Worm

Rosemary Alvarez of Phoenix thought she had a brain tumor. But on the operating table her doctor discovered something even more unsightly -- a parasitic worm eating her brain.



Want more information on this? ABC NEWS

Salmonella in alfalfa sprouts sickens 23 people in 10 states

There is an outbreak of salmonella in 10 states because of raw alfalfa sprouts distributed by a Los Angeles-based company.

The Caldwell Fresh Foods of Maywood, Los Angeles was responsible for distributing the tainted vegetable which has sickened at least 23 people in 10 states, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said.

The company has issued a voluntary recall of all alfalfa sprouts manufactured under the Caldwell Fresh Foods, Nature's Choice, and California Exotics brands, the department said.

After learning of the recall, the health department contacted food markets throughout the county to make sure that the sprouts had been removed from shelves and destroyed

The sprouts are sold at Wal-Mart, Trader Joe's stores, among other outlets, in 19 states.

So far, at least 23 people in 10 states have been sickened, 11 of them in California, including three in San Diego. No cases have been reported in the Los Angeles County.

Though some of those sickened have been hospitalized, no one has died.

Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps between 12 and 72 hours after infection. The illnessusually lasts four to seven days.

This is the 32th time since 1995 that alfalfa sprouts have caused an outbreak of food poisoning, prompting health officials to issue warnings.

The Camel Burger is Camelicious

"Don't miss yummy camel burger" reads a restaurant's sign in Dubai.
Yes, it's the camel burger.
Camel meat is popular throughout the Gulf, but the "Local House" restaurant is enticing visitors who may never eaten camel meat.
"Most of our guests are tourists from different parts of the world," says Ramesh, a 44-year-old Indian national who has managed the restaurant since it opened in 2004.
Camels, often called "ships of the desert", are a big part of culture in the Arabian Peninsula.
In the United Arab Emirates, there are camel races, camel beauty contests and competitions for the tastiest camel cuisine.
(We have yet to see PETA protest there)
"Local House" has an extensive camel-based menu.
"We have... camel soup, camel salad, then we have the camel burger, camel kebab, camel steak, then we have camel biryani -- that is a mixture of rice and camel meat," says Ramesh.
The restaurant also offers a camel curry dish, grilled camel ribs and the camel special, which are cooked in oyster sauce. Camel sausage, bacon and pizza are in the works, Ramesh says.

Out of all the restaurant's camel items, the camel burger is king. "The most popular is the burger, and (then) the camel special, then comes the steak," Ramesh says.The burger comes with onions, tomatoes, cheese, mayonnaise and ketchup, sandwiched between two pieces of khameer, thin, and round bread topped with sesame seeds.
The meat is similar in texture to beef, but a bit tougher. It has a slightly smoky flavour with a tangy aftertaste, but the ketchup-mayonnaise mix mostly obscures its taste. Camel meat, Ramesh says, generally has a sweet taste. The burger costs 35 dirhams (around nine dollars).

Life is Short - Eat Chocolate

This chocolate thing just gets better and better.
The world's largest chocolate makers says they may have a chocolate bar that could fight wrinkles and slow down  aging.
Eating 20 g (0.755 oz) of this specially developed chocolate which is packed with antioxidants, or flavanols, each day may help prevent wrinkles and make skin more radiant by boosting elasticity and improving hydration, studies carried out by Barry Callebaut showed.
We have already talked about dark chocolate and health benefits, such as helping to lower blood pressure and reducing the risk of strokes thanks to its high content of antioxidants.
But now, the Swiss group has developed a way of preserving the flavanols found in cocoa beans during the chocolate-making process, allowing them to produce a bar that is richer in flavanols.

We'll keep you posted.

The Twists and Turns of Juan-Carlos Cruz

We are already tired of this guy, and now we're growing weary of his wife.
But the twists and turns are in the news, and until we can't stand it anymore, here's the latest:

Calbee - the creepiest food commercial of the year

So far, this is the creepiest food commercial of the year.
We see a young Japanese boy walking home, looking sad, rejected, with a broken heart.
This is when the weird dog shows up.
This dog suddenly becomes almost human.
We aren't sure what's going on with it's head or why it's now walking and dancing on two feet.
We are afraid this kid may never be the same.

Suddenly, the the boy has made up with the girl, but now the dog seems despondent that he chose the girl over him.
But somehow it's really okay, because the dog now has the chips!

Calbee-brand cheddar cheese chips, you've done it, the creepiest food commercial of the year.

Child ill from eating 'bathtub cheese'

A Washoe County child became seriously ill after eating homemade batrhtub cheese that was sold door-to-door.
The foodborne illness campylobacter,causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, weakness, fever, nausea and vomiting, can also be fatal.
Health Department people said, "We were lucky enough to get a sample of the cheese, and that's rare because it's usually all been eaten," she said. "This time, we were able to confirm the cheese was the source of the illness," homemade bathtub cheese
This cheese, also known as "Mexican bathtub cheese," or queso fresco, is usually made in homes without the health standards we have come to expect.
Currently, this cheese is being sold door-to-door in the Truckee Meadows throughout Hispanic communities, health officials said.
Yes, it's called bathtub cheese because bathtub cheese, or Mexican-style soft cheese often is made in bathtubs.

Here's David Letterman and bathtub cheese:

Celebrity chef Juan-Carlos Cruz has gone to court

As a follow up to a celebrity chef we don't remember, Juan-Carlos Cruz has gone to court.
The story has even a stranger twist now...

Wendy's and the Drive-Thru Taser Incident

Have you heard the one about Wendy's and the stun gun?
Angry because the drive-thru workers at a Wendy's messed up her order, a Florida woman and her friend took the Wendy's by storm and tried to tase an employee with a stun gun.

Pictured above are the mean women, Reid (left) and Bryant (right)
Melanese Reid, 20  became really pissed off after the Wendy's employees didn't give her enough mustard and mayonnaise packets.
Reid tried to slap the employee at the drive up window, but she was able to deflect her hand.
At that point, Reid and Bryant got out of their their red PT Cruiser and went inside the Wendy's.
While inside, Reid, armed with a fashionable pink Cheetah brand stun gun, chased the employee around the kitchen area of the restaurant with the Taser turned on.
  Meanwhile, Bryant "cheered her friend [Reid] on while continuing the orginal argument using lots of bad words and discriminatory language."\
After the employee managed to get away, the women took off when the Wendy's manager said that she was calling police.
But all's well that ends well, Reid and Bryant were arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and yes, that is a felony.
The stun gun was recovered from one of the women's purses.
These two women had difficulty getting their story straight.
While Reid denied ever going inside Wendy's, Bryant contradicted her buddy's story.
Bryant told cops that Reid entered the restaurant and threatened the worker with the hand held stun gun.

If you require more information and a video: WATCH 

Bagged Lettuce Outbreak of E.coli

Bagged lettuce makes it easy, but it's also suspected of causing a multi-state outbreak of  E.coli and makes us wonder if pre-cut produce is very safe.
The outbreak  is romaine lettuce cut up and bagged, then distributed  to 23 states is the latest in a series of recent food poisoning cases involving pre-cut and bagged leafy greens.
Twenty-three people in four states have have become sick since March 1, with another seven probable cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Out of this a dozen people were hospitalized and three developed a life-threatening type of kidney failure.

The romaine here, was not sold directly to customers in the produce section but was used by food service companies and supermarkets in salad bars and "grab and go" meals. Some of the victims were students at colleges in Michigan, Ohio and New York who apparently ate the infected lettuce in dining halls.

You may remember the 2006 outbreak of  E.coli and the Dole bagged spinach that sickened 238 people and caused five deaths.
Most processors of fresh-cut produce remove the outer leaves and core the heads of lettuce in the field, but this is where equipment can come into contact with soil and spread contamination from the dirt to the lettuce.
The E.coli strain associated with human illness often comes from the bacteria spread from the equipment to heads of lettuce. Washing the cored lettuce with a chlorine spray, a standard step, did not kill enough of the bacteria, the researchers found.
Once the bacteria attach to a lettuce leaf, "it's very difficult to remove them," said Robert Gravani, a microbiologist at Cornell University. "We certainly want to increase our consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, but we really have to address some of these issues."
Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said cross-contamination is another danger. "The process of harvesting lettuce, chopping it or tearing it, washing and putting it in a bag is a process similar to mixing ground beef," she said. "You're taking lettuce that could be grown in different areas and batching it together. So if you've got one infected field, you're mixing it with lettuce that would otherwise be uninfected, and now the whole batch is contaminated."
This current outbreak with the romaine lettuce was contaminated with E.coli  strain primarily found in cattle and wildlife feces, and that has never before been linked to a food-borne illness, according to the CDC.

PETA continues push to rename fish as "Sea Kittens"

PETA continues to push to rename fish as "sea kittens."
According to PETA, "if fish were renamed 'sea kittens,' humans would be less likely to hook and maim the animals for sport or to imprison them in tanks. Sea kittens are intelligent, sensitive animals who deserve respect."
Tracy Reiman, the executive vice president has written a letter to Frederick C. Mish, editor in chief of Merriam-Webster, asking that "sea kitten" be included in the next edition of the company's dictionary.
In her letter, Reiman writes, "By adding 'sea kitten' to the dictionary as a compassionate alternative to the word 'fish,' Merriam-Webster would help turn the tide of prejudice against sea animals. After all, who could possibly want to put a hook through a sea kitten?" (we think the Chinese might)

That's the only photo of a Sea Kitten we could find.

RATS - That's What's For Dinner

The Chinese enjoy dog meat in outer space and we know cats are sometimes on the menu, we have even seen evidence of human embryo soup.
So, it comes as no surprise that Chinese people love to dine on rat.

Rat meat is in high demand, in fact  a restaurant can easily prepare 4oo boneless rat tenderloins in one day.
According to the China Daily news, many restaurants now have to make reservations for rat-meals.
Rat meat can be a BBQ, braised in soy sauce, cooked in soup, roasted or even stewed.

"A rat equals three chickens in term of nutrition," or so they say.
In addition, some believe that rat meat can turn back the clock and symptoms of old age.

Man in a critical condition after eating a slug

An Australian man is in a critical condition after eating a slug because of a dare.
The 21-year-old from Sydney now has contracted a disease called rat lungworm which is a rare form of meningitis.
So, once again, health officials are warning people about eating raw gastropods, or slugs and snails, which carry the parasitic worm.
This disease causes the brain and spinal cord to swell and can be fatal.
Dr Jeremy McAnulty from New South Wales Health said most people recover from the illness because the body's immune system can get rid of it.
The larvae of the parasite is only found in rodents' faeces, which many snails and slugs eat and then become infected.
The rat lungworm is mainly found in Asia and the Pacific Islands.
Dr McAnulty advises anyone planning to eat the slugs to wash them thoroughly first.
(our advice is to cook them, or better yet, don't eat them at all, how about that?)

The Juan-Carlos Cruz Recipe for Death

Do you remember Juan-Carlos Cruz, the one time television chef and Food Network host of "Calorie Commando?"
We don't either, but he's under arrest on suspicion of solicitation to commit murder.

The homeless people told the city's homeless liaison officers that Cruz asked them to kill someone, and they  agreed to help police investigate the murder-for-hire plot.

Detectives were able to find out where, when and how the targeted individual was to be killed and how much money Cruz was going to pay.
Police notified the intended victim (his wife) and the one time pastry chef was arrested.

Chinese astronauts eat dog meat to keep their strength

China's first man in space has said that Chinese astronauts eat dog meat to keep up their strength when they orbit around the earth.
"Many of my friends are curious about what we eat (in space) and think that the astronauts must have some expensive delicacies, like shark's fin or abalone," he wrote. "Actually we ate quite normal food, there is no need to keep it a secret," he added.
He listed a menu including braised chicken, steamed fish and dog meat, which is famed for its nutritional benefits in China.
A local proverb in the south of China is that "Huajiang dog is better for you than ginseng", referring to the medicinal root that plays a vital role in traditional Chinese medicine.
He also added that the diet had been specially designed by Chinese nutritionists and that dog is widely eaten in northern China, where it is believed to help battle the winter cold.

Chef Jason Santos on Hell's Kitchen

As a blue hair contestant on Hell's Kitchen you just know Chef Jason Santos likes adventure.
He prepares a liquid nitrogen salsa that smolders when it hits the plate and a orange gel that forms into noodles when it hits hot broth.
This is Chef Jason Santos.
The food preparations of Santos’dishes are called fun and inventive, and his customers keep coming back.  Jason’s cuisine blends Asian, French and traditional American flavors with lots of visuals and textural surprises  diners at Gargoyles in Davis Square.
Santos likes to challenge diners with various flavosr and texture combinations. “You have to systematically create complexity,” he says of his thought process. “It sets creativity free."
He teaches culinary courses at both Boston University and Cambridge Rindge and Latin’s culinary programs. He also appeared to a sold-out crowd at the James Beard House in 2005 and was invited to the Star Chefs Molecular Gastronomy conference in 2007.

So, with all this talent how can Santos miss top spot on “Hell’s Kitchen” when the new season begins June 1, 2010?

We'll see!

The Hell's Kitchen Season Begins Tuesday, June 1 on FOX

The Hell's Kitchen Season Begins 
Tuesday, June 1 on FOX

Chef Ramsay is back for season number 7 of Hell's Kitchen.

Once again, it's baptism by fire for 16 willing victims, all aspiring chefs to become the leader of one of Chef Ramsay's restaurant.

HELL’S KITCHEN begins Tuesday, June 1 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

The Pear from Hell

We have our suspicions about this, but here goes.
A woman has finally spoken of her horror after opening a can of pears only to find the depths of Hell.
She claims one slice looked like the devil.
New Zealander Wendy McMahon, was shocked by the frightening face staring back at her.
You can see two slits for eyes, a nose, and a mouth containing buck teeth.
She said: "I thought, Oh my God, is that a face? It really kind of shocked me."
Wendy, posted the satanic photos of the pear on the internet.
The pear's manufacturer, Safeway Traders Ltd, assured Mrs McMahon that the automated manufacturing process in China made it impossible for a tampered evil pear to slip through.

Want to lower cholesterol? It's Nuts

Eating a lot of nuts seems to be a great way to improve cholesterol levels, according to new research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
The study analyzed data from 25 clinical trials conducted around the world involving 583 women and men. All the studies looked at people with differing levels of cholesterol, that were not taking cholesterol medications.
Those who were asked to eat nuts ate about 2.4 ounces per day. The trials lasted between three and eight weeks.
Researchers discovered the nut eaters saw an average:

• 5.1 per cent reduction in total cholesterol concentration
• 7.4 per cent reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad" cholesterol)
• 8.3 per cent change in ratio of LDL cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or "good" cholesterol).

In addition, triglyceride levels went down by 10.2 per cent among those people who had high triglyceride levels.
And it didn't matter what kind of nuts they ate; the more they ate, the lower their cholesterol levels became.
Nuts are rich in plant sterols, natural compounds that might help lower cholesterol by interfering with cholesterol absorption. They're also rich in plant proteins, unsaturated fatty acids, dietary fibre, minerals, vitamins and other compounds, such as antioxidants. The researchers say their results suggest that eating nuts is an easy way to help improve blood cholesterol levels.
"Increasing the consumption of nuts as part of an otherwise prudent diet can be expected to favorably affect blood lipid levels and have the potential to lower coronary heart disease risk," they write in the study.
But, it gets better than that.
Eating more nuts provides more cardiovascular benefits than just lowering cholesterol.
"Nut consumption exerts beneficial effects by improving endothelial function, lowering oxidative stress, and reducing lipoprotein(a) level," they write.
"As well, nut consumption is linked with lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes and research has shown that frequent nut consumption does not lead to weight gain."

Pankaj and Radhika Oswal to open 'save the planet' restaurant in UK

Australian billionaires Pankaj and Radhika Oswal are opening a new worldwide veggie restaurant chain called ‘Otarian’.
“Meat eating is creating bad karma and you are also creating a vicious cycle.
It’s destroying us environmentally, economically and socially. I’m putting my money where my mouth is. I’ve always been a vegetarian so I have always felt strongly about it,” Radhika Oswal.
So she is going to open the world’s first restaurant that offers a menu that is going to save the planet,
New York already has theirs, you can see Radhika Oswal and Mary-Kate Olsen at the Grand opening of 'Otarian: The Planet's Most Sustainable Restaurant' in New York.
We just hope Mary-Kate isn't going to be a ‘Otarian’ spokesperson for healthy eating habits.

Otarian Restaurant, will open in London next month, will have carbon footprint published, in the veg menu, alongside the price and carbon cost of the meat equivalent.
This is fine and good but the Oswal family’s business still produces liquid ammonium, a pollutant which is used as a base ingredient for the production of fertilizers and explosives.
But having pointed that out, Radhika insists it is a positive effort.
She said: “It doesn’t mean that if you are doing something good that all parts of you have got to be good. I believe the world needs fertilisers to feed the population there is today.”

We aren't vegetarians, not even close, so we turn to a review, by a vegan who ate there:
READ THE REVIEW

Sharon Osbourne doesn't think she'll ever get her eating under control

Sharon Osbourne, she doesn't think she'll ever get her eating under control.
She says she will always be haunted by her food issues and still overeats, although she tries to hide it from her family.
She said: "Eating is my Achilles heel. I'm addicted to food and every day I wake up and think, 'Today is the day that I'm not going to overeat.' But that's my thing in life, and I'm overweight, I am, but.
"I still have my big binges. Just the other weekend I was hiding from Kelly in the cupboard eating Maltesers; I can eat things in ridiculous amounts. And then I have to hide the wrappers because I know my other daughter Aimee will find them."
She said in an interview with Glamour magazine: "Ozzy worries because of my health, (we thought it was Ozzy's health we were concerned about) but it's my kids who get really upset. For example, Aimee wouldn't even talk to me the other night because she was so upset about what I was eating.
"But nothing works for me. I have a very big self-destructive streak. Everybody has something, but I do everything to extremes.
This woman has been through a lot, married to Ozzy Osbourne, those kids, she has survived colon cancer, and has been suffered from bulimia for 35 years. "I've been able to conquer just about everything except bulimia." Even with the gastric bypass surgery she battles with her eating disorder.
Sharon spent $240,000 on stomach stapling, face lift, bum lift, liposuction and breast enhancement. When she was first fitted with a gastric band in her stomach, she lost weight and went from a size 22 to a 10.
But the battle continues in spite of all that.
"We'll be at the dinner table, and I'll go off and they'll say: 'Oh here we go again.' They hate it. "I've tried to stop it. I thought when I got my stomach done, it would 'cure' it. It hasn't. It just means I can't eat as much. I still binge.  "If I'm under stress, I hit the biscuits and the crisps and the bread. I cram it in - eat, eat, eat - until I physically can't get any more into my body. The food is piled up to my throat. Then I have to go and be sick. I don't even have to make myself sick. It's automatic."
She explains,"half the women on this bloody planet" have eating disorders, "but nobody bloody talks about it". Sharon's family have pleaded with her to get help, but she hasn't sought any help, except for the surgery.
"I've promised Jack I will get help, and I will."

Did Constipation Really Kill Elvis?

We always believed Elvis Presley (who died on the toilet in 1977) suffered from heart failure.
Instead it seems, he suffered from chronic constipation, and that's what killed him.
According to some new information, Elvis refused surgery which would have relieved him of the problem.
Doctor George 'Nick' Nichopoulos was with Elvis when he died, and believes his refusal to deal with the problem killed him.

He said: "We didn't realize until the autopsy that his constipation was as bad. We found stool in his colon which had been there for four or five months because of the poor mobility of the bowel.

"He would get embarrassed. He'd have accidents onstage. He'd have to change clothes and come back because of the way we were trying to treat his constipation."

According to Dr. Nichopoulos, Elvis suffered from a hereditary condition called bowel paralysis, and the autopsy revealed his colon was five to six inches in diameter, compared to the usual two to three inches.
"If they had done the colostomy then, he'd probably still be here."

The doctors new book is titled, 'The King and Doctor Nick.'

Two Russian men convicted for eating teenage girl

A Russian court has convicted two men of murdering, then eating a 16-year-old schoolgirl in January.
The Court sentenced a 21-year-old,  Maxim Golovatskikh, Goth-rock musician to 19 years in a maximum-security prison.
His 20-year-old accomplice was sentenced to 18 years in a maximum-security prison.
Karina Barduchian, (above photo) was in love with Golovatskikh.

The Gothic musician and his friend drowned Karina in a bathtub and cooked parts of her body with potatoes, in an oven.

The men said they had killed the woman because they "were hungry."

Maxim Golovatskikh, above, who Karina was in love with; and right, his friend Yury Mozhnov.

Concord, MA says "no more bottled water"

Concord, MA, has made a decision.
Voters at a town meeting have banned the sale of bottled water in Concord, starting Jan. 1, 2011.
The ban began with petitioner Jean Hill, who offered a slide presentation at the meeting about the environmental impact of plastic bottles.
"All these discarded bottles are damaging our planet," said Jean Hill, "causing clumps of garbage in the oceans that hurt fish, and are creating more pollution on our streets. This is a great achievement to be the first in the country to do this. This is about addressing an injustice."
Hill is an 82-year-old activist who has been working on this cause for years.

Is it legal? The attorney general will have to decide if a town meeting has the authority to ban a product from an entire town.

Many think this is a silly gesture, you can go to a neighboring town and buy all the bottled water you want.

Octopus - appearing live

PETA has complained that two New York restaurants are serving live octopus in their san-nakji dishes.PETA says restaurants Sik Gaek and East Seafood Restaurant have been serving san-nakji, without properly killing the octopus.
The group has been picketing (unfortunately, not in an octopus costume) and sent letters to the district attorney's office in the city's Queens borough seeking animal cruelty charges against the businesses.
San-nakji is primarily a Korean delicacy, prepared by chopping the tentacles into small pieces that continue to writhe while being served with garlic and jalapeno peppers.
Chefs who prear san-nakji say the tentacles keep moving because they are served quickly after the animal is killed by having its head split open and its brain removed.
Tim Carpenter, curator of fish and invertebrates at the Seattle Aquarium in Seattle, said the tentacles continue to move due to nerve activity.
"There is a lot of nerve activity that occurs in an octopus' tentacles. It doesn't matter if it's dead or alive," he said.
We have a video recorded of a birthday party, 
recorded at the Wassada restaurant, koreatown, Los Angeles.
377 N Western Ave
Los Angeles, CA

Pork - the other white meat test strips

As we know, the Muslim world doesn't eat pork and now there's a way to know if food has pork hidden somewhere within.
This instant test for the presence of pork in food is a plastic-stick test, it detects food molecules that are found only in pork, which is forbidden by Islam.
Apparently, some chefs add pork to beef to make the dish cheaper, and the practice has become widespread in Kazakhstan.
All you have to do is, is cut off a piece of the beef patty, drop them in a glass of water.
Stir, shake, put the test stick in, and presto, in a moment or so you'll have your result.