Do Drinkers Really Outlive Non-Drinkers?

Could this possibly be true,  big drinkers outlive nondrinkers?

In the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that for reasons that no one really understands, not drinking alcohol actually increases one's risk of dying. 

The most surprising thing is, people who don't drink have mortality rates that are much higher than moderate drinkers.

Moderate drinking, meaning, one to three drinks per day, is the group with the lowest mortality rates in alcohol studies.

But why would not drinking alcohol lead to a shorter life?
Perhaps there is no definitive answer, but moderate alcohol use is thought to improve heart health and circulation.
Any other explanation is probably mere speculation.

Researchers found that over a 20-year period, mortality rates were highest for those who had never been drinkers, second-highest for heavy drinkers and lowest for moderate drinkers.

The 1,824 participants were followed for 20 years.

Almost 70% % of the never-drinkers died during those 20 years, 60% of the heavy drinkers died and only 41% of moderate drinkers died.

Even though heavy drinking is associated with higher health risks, heavy drinkers are less likely to die than people who have never drank alcohol.

The authors of the new paper are careful to point out that even though drinking is associated with longer life, it can also mess up your life.

When a person becomes dependent and addicted to alcohol, much of their longer life may be spent trying to get off the bottle.

What Do Mice, Maggots, Manure & Eggs Have in Common ?

Officials are sharing details of their discovery at the two egg farms in the middle of the salmonella recall.

They say the farms failed to “fully implement” measures to prevent contamination, but that doesn't even begin to explain the problem.

At the Wright County Egg farm, which produces eggs, officials noted:

- Manure pits 4 to 8 feet high, the weight of which had pushed open doors allowing wild animals like rodents in to the egg-laying area.

- Live and dead flies “too numerous to count” in the egg-laying houses.

- Live and dead maggots “too numerous to count” in the manure pits.

- A door blocked by “excessive manure.”

- Employees failing to change protective clothing when moving from chicken house to chicken house.

- Non-chicken feathers in the hen houses. Wild birds flying and nesting in the chicken houses.

- Unbaited and unsealed holes appearing to be rodent burrows.

- Exterior structure damage, allowing animals’ access to the hen houses.

- Chickens that had escaped their cages, climbing up the manure piles to re-enter the hen houses and have contact with the egg-laying birds.

- A dark liquid, which appeared to be manure, seeping through the concrete foundation to the outside of the hen houses.

- A board on the ground, under which eight frogs were living.

At the Hillandale operations, investigators noted:

- Unsealed rodent holes

- Live rodents

- Gaps in the structure allowing live rodents and others to enter and exit the hen houses.

- Liquid manure streaming out of manure pits and in some cases onto the main floor.

- Standing water adjacent to the manure pits.

Darrell Trample, a poultry specialist at the Iowa State University, said last week that rodents and the bacteria they spread likely would be at the cause of any salmonella outbreak.

(FDA) inspectors have once again found infected chicken feed. This contaminated feed is now being linked to the ongoing salmonella outbreak.

U.S. regulators would only say that they will consider the set of circumstances at the massive egg production operations and determine what action will be taken next.

Candidate Brenna Findley, Republican candidate for Iowa attorney general criticized the Democratic incumbent on Monday for accepting a $10,000 campaign contribution in 2005 from the family at the heart of a national egg recall.

After the criticism, Attorney General Tom Miller agreed to return the money.

Peter DeCoster, the son of Wright County Egg owner Austin "Jack" DeCoster, made the $10,000 donation to Miller on Dec. 28, 2005. The donation came after a 2000 agreement between the state and Jack DeCoster, in which he agreed to be labeled a "habitual offender," a designation intended to prevent him from opening any new farms for about four years. He earlier had been repeatedly fined for environmental violations, many of them involving hog waste.

Wright County Egg now is at the center of a recall of more than 550 million eggs that could contain salmonella. Some of the eggs were produced by another company, Hillandale Farms, that received feed from one of DeCoster's businesses.

"It is shocking that Miller would accept $10,000 from the DeCosters," Findley said. "Iowans deserve an open and transparent political process, free of backscratching and special deals."

A call to DeCoster wasn't returned.

Miller said he would return the money, but he defended his record of enforcing environmental laws against the DeCoster operations.

"In this state, no one was stronger on DeCoster than our office," Miller said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "We were the ones on the front lines prosecuting him."

Miller said his office effectively prosecuted DeCoster, making him the first and only person to be deemed a "habitual violator" in Iowa.

"We had a huge battle with Jack DeCoster in the '90s over the pollution issue at the hog lots," Miller said. "We got enough violations prosecuted that he saw it would be inevitable that we would get habitual violators status, so he agreed to that."

After that action in 2000, Miller said DeCoster complied with environmental rules and he saw no reason why he shouldn't accept the contribution. He conceded, though, that the egg recall changed everything.

"Had I known that they would have these problems five years later, I would not have accepted that contribution," he said. "I'm going to return the contribution."

Testicles Anyone?

 In Ozrem, Serbia, testicle delicacies are on the menu.
It's the seventh annual World Testicle Cooking Championship where visitors can be spectators and even  taste all kinds of testicles.
"This festival is all about fun, food and bravery," said Ljubomir Erovic, the Serbian chef and testicles gourmand specialist who organizes the festival and has even published a testicle cookery book.
The food also called "white kidneys" in Serbian are provided from a state-run slaughter house.
The festival includes dishes like testicle pizza and testicles in bechamel sauce flavored with a variety of herbs found in the region.
Visitors can eat the testicle dishes with all the beer and wine they can drink.

Six Indian factory workers drown in tomato sauce

Even though this happened last month, it's better late than never.
Here's what we know:

• A female worker drowns after falling into a tomato sauce vat.

• Five of her colleagues die trying to rescue her.

• The workers were overcome by the fumes of the vegetables.

So, a total of six workers drowned in a vat of tomato sauce at a factory in India,.

Investigators say the woman was scooping up fermented vegetables from the vat when she slipped off her ladder and plunged into the raw material used to make the sauce.

“When the woman fell in, the other workers jumped in to help her,”

When the five co-workers went in to save her, they overcome by fumes given off from fermenting vegetables and drowned right along with the woman.

This all happened at the Akansha Food Products in India.

Not only has he factory owner Ritesh Arora been accused of treating the laborers like slaves, he has also been taken into custody.
Family members of the deceased waned compensation from the factory owners and the owner
has decided to give them compensation of Rs 50,000 each to the relatives of six people who died when a gas leaked from the fermentation tank.

The compensation announced by the owner, Ritesh Arora, is in addition to the Rs 20,000 each announced by the district administration on Wednesday night.

Regardless of the compensation, Arora,  was booked by the police in a culpable homicide and negligence case and sent to jail.

Berlin's 'cannibal' restaurant wants diners to donate body parts

There is a website by Flime, in Berlin that is asking diners to "donate any part of their body."

They are also looking for an "open-minded surgeon".

Many are outraged and condemning the restaurant for its tasteless publicity stunt, but no one is sure where the restaurant is located or even if there is one.

Regardless Flime is asking "Members," who may be willing to participate in the cannibal "Wari-culture" to fill out a form.
After the medical check, you can decide which part of the body you want to donate.

They ask about medical fitness, Body Mass Index, do you exercise, are you pregnant?
You still have time to donate, Flimé, is scheduled to open September 8.

The restaurant is inspired by the "compassionate cannibalism" of the Brazilian Waricaca tribe.

The website states: "We see feasting as a spiritual act, in which the spirit and strength of the consumed creature is given to the guests."

We realize cannibalism is popular these days, but we wonder if this

"cannibal restaurant" in Berlin is nothing more than imaginary?

It's the Pizza Burger at Burger King

Step right up and ready yourself for Burger King's Pizza Burger with more than 2,500 delicious calories.

The unveiling will take place at King's Whopper Bar in Times Square, New York, next month.

The goodness begins with beef and a 9.5-inch sesame bun, topped with pepperoni, mozzarella, Tuscan pesto and marinara sauce.

It also comes in six slices, just like a pizza.

It has been called the "fat bomb" because, for $13 (£8.40), you get to enjoy 2,520 calories, the recommended daily intake is 2,500 calories for men and 2,000 for women, but we don't pay much attention to that.

One Pizza Burger contains 144g of fat - 59g of which is saturated, so we consider it kind of a health food.

John Schaufelberger, Burger King's vice president of global marketing, insisted the Pizza Burger is "intended to be shared" (yeah right).

The Success of Trader Joe's

Trader Joe’s market, owned by the Albrecht family of Germany is a fascinating grocery store

It is a privately, family-run operation that has a cult following, and speaking of private, let's just say they like to keep to themselves.

We do know a few things however:

We know that sales are around $8 billion yearly, giving Whole Foods a run for its money.

80% of the store’s products are the “Trader Joe’s” brand label.

Each store sells somewhere around $1,750 in merchandise per square foot, and that's more than double what Whole Foods does.

Trader Joe's has no debt.

Even though you may think their private label products are made at smaller, indie food manufactures,  some are really made by the giant food companies.

One of the secrecy commandments with suppliers is the vendor agreement which states, “Vendor shall not publicize its business relationship with TJ’s in any manner.”

Regardless of being secretive, one thing is for sure, Trader Joe's is among the hottest grocery stores in the U.S. 

There are 344 stores in 25 states and Washington, D.C.

Trader Joe's has a different feel to it, it's offbeat and kind of fun.

 

Right now, the fact that they offer cage-free eggs is a major concern.

Here's something else, Trader Joe's offers good jobs, great products and prices, and because it exists in your neighborhood, that says a lot about your neighborhood.

Wal-Mart - Grab and Go Sandwiches Recalled

It seems we are going recall crazy, and now, Zemco Industries from Buffalo, New York, has recalled 380,000 pounds of deli meat that just might be contaminated with bacteria that can cause a potentially fatal disease.  

The deli sandwiches were sent to Wal-Marts nationwide, and may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, which was discovered in a retail sample collected by inspectors in Georgia.

When Wal-Mart found out about this they immediately told its stores to remove the sandwiches from their shelves.

"Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease," according to the USDA. "Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea.

The products subject to recall are:

-- 25.5-pound cases of "Marketside Grab and Go Sandwiches BLACK FOREST HAM With Natural Juices Coated with Caramel Color" with the number 17800 1300.

-- 28.49-pound cases of "Marketside Grab and Go Sandwiches HOT HAM, HARD SALAMI, PEPPERONI, SANDWICH PEPPERS" with the number 17803 1300.

-- 32.67-pound cases of "Marketside Grab and Go Sandwiches VIRGINIA BRAND HAM With Natural Juices, MADE IN NEW YORK, FULLY COOKED BACON, SANDWICH PICKLES, SANDWICH PEPPERS" with the number 17804 1300.

-- 25.5-pound cases of "Marketside Grab and Go Sandwiches ANGUS ROAST BEEF Coated with Caramel Color" with the number 17805 1300.

The meats were produced on dates ranging from June 18 to July 2, 2010. The "Use By" dates range from August 20 to September 10, 2010.

Wal-Mart said the  recall involves Marketside Grab and Go sandwiches, but not individual packages of deli meat. "We encourage customers who recently purchased this item to return it for a full refund," a Wal-Mart statement said.

EGGS - We're from the government and we're here to help

The old joke goes something like this: "We're from the government and we're here to help."

The problem is, nobody's laughing.

Two federal agencies are downplaying not noticing anything with regards to the massive egg recall that so far has hit 22 states and pulled back the curtain on government officials.

So far there has been 1,300 cases of salmonella poisoning and 500 million eggs have been recalled from two Iowa egg distributors.

One supplier linked to the cases has a history of violations dating back to 1994 -- but the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture says it never had an inspector dedicated to food safety at the farms.

According to an FDA, the FDA has traditionally been responsible for monitoring egg safety after the eggs are processed and the USDA is responsible for egg safety at the processing facilities.

Translated, this means they have done nothing to assure safety.

A USDA official, said that USDA agencies have had no involvement in food safety regulations over shell eggs. There job was to inspect them for thickness and cracks and other quality assurance factors in order to give them a USDA seal of approval. That approval however, does not certify that an egg is salmonella-free.

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said  that the new rules that went into effect last month giving the FDA authority to test eggs for salmonella "very likely" would have enabled the FDA to find  the problem before the outbreak.

She said the FDA will conduct "hundreds" of inspections in the months ahead under its new authority.

President Clinton promised during a 1999 speech that there would be "extensive tests" at egg farms and said there would be an elimination of egg-based salmonella cases by 2010.

That never happen.

There are those who believe the FDA probably had some authority to inspect egg farms but just didn't do it.

The truth is, food safety has not been a major concern here.

We have this company repeatedly violating laws and no one was doing much about it.

We told you the egg counting will continue.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Monday more egg recalls most likely will be necessary in the face of salmonella outbreaks. The new recalls, if they are issued, would be the largest egg recall in recent history, more than half a billion eggs.

Walking down Bourbon Street

We are heading back home for the night, and we're walking down Bourbon Street to get there.

Here's a picture from a few moments ago.
It's still fun to watch the crowd, but we surrender!

Two Tone - The Giant Carp is Dead

Anglers are quite dismayed over the death of a giant carp found floating on a lake in Kent.

Known as Two Tone, weighed in at 67lb 14oz, becoming Britain's biggest native freshwater fish in 2001 when he tipped the scales at 59lbs and 12ozs.

The mirror carp, named Two Tone because of the skin colour, was at least 40-years-old and probably died from old age.

Chris Logsdon, manager of Mid Kent Fisheries, which runs Conningbrook Lake at Ashford, said: "A week last Thursday it was seen looking distressed. We searched the lake for it, then this Saturday it was found floating on the surface.

"I think the hard winter and the cold spring."

He said Two Tone was "the pinnacle of the angling world" because he was cunning and difficult to catch.

"Any carp angler worth their salt wanted to to catch him and a lot tried and failed. It's part of fishing history," he added.

Two Tone is going to have a proper burial,  next to the lake he swam in all these years,  with a plaque marking his grave.

"I think there may be 20 or 30 people there," Mr Logsdon said.

"Some of these guys have spent every minute of their time at this lake trying to catch this beast, a lot of friendships have been made by people on the banks - it's been an extraordinary, exceptional beast."

Two Tone - RIP

Egg Supplier has a history of violations

So far we have two Iowa farms that have recalled more than half a billion eggs.
Both farms have a relationship with the same suppliers of chickens and feed.

Both of these farms have businessman Austin "Jack" DeCoster in common, and he has been cited for numerous health, safety and employment violations over the years. DeCoster owns Wright County Egg, the first farm that recalled 380 million eggs.
That's when there were more than 1,000 reported cases of salmonella poisoning.

Another of Jacks companies, Quality Egg, supplies young chickens and feed to both Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, that's the second farm that recalled another 170 million eggs the following week.
People keep asking, "what happened?"
The cause of the outbreaks is still unknown, and the Food and Drug Administration investigators are still  at the farms trying to figure it out.

Here's a look at DeCoster and his food and farm operations:

— In 1997, DeCoster Egg Farms agreed to pay $2 million in fines to settle citations brought in 1996 for health and safety violations at DeCoster's farm in Turner, Maine. The conditions were "as dangerous and oppressive as any sweatshop." With unguarded machinery, electrical hazards, exposure to harmful bacteria and other unsanitary conditions.

— In 2000, Iowa designated DeCoster a "habitual violator" of environmental regulations for problems that included hog manure runoff into waterways. As a habitual violator he was subject to increased penalties and prohibited him from building new farms.

We're not saying DeCoster's company is responsible for the current salmonella outbreak, but having said that,  DeCoster's Wright County Egg is already facing at least two lawsuits related to the egg recall. One is from food distributor Dutch Farms, which says the company used unauthorized cartons to package and sell eggs under its brand without its knowledge.

The other is from a person who said they became ill after eating tainted eggs in a salad at a restaurant in Kenosha, Wis.

So yes, he's innocent until proven guilty, but, The CDC said investigations by 10 states since April have identified 26 cases where more than one person became ill. Preliminary information showed that DeCoster  was the supplier in at least 15 of those.

Jean-Francois Poinard: Missing French Chef Body Found in Freezer

She may have been his common-law wife or just his girlfriend, but either way, renowned French chef who was found dead in her freezer, and she is now under investigation for aggravated manslaughter.

Guylene Collober, 51, confessed to punching chef Jean Francois Poinard in the stomach during an argument.
She said he fell, hit his head and died.
Collober said she left the body in the bathroom (on ice) for three days before deciding to buy a freezer (see photo below) and she put his dead body in there.

During a night out, Collober told her daughter that “something unfortunate” had happened to him. Her daughter notified the police, who then raided her apartment  in Lyon, France.
When they arrived Collober burst into tears saying, “I think you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

The body of 71-year-old Poinard was curled up in a fetal position and covered with plastic bags inside a chest freezer.
“A full post-mortem examination will be carried out to discover the precise cause of death,” a police spokesperson said.
Collober is now suspected for aggravated manslaughter and, under French law, that could mean a harsher penalty for killing her common-law husband, which is treated as a more serious crime than killing another party. (we don't understand it either)

Earlier in the investigation Collober said that her boyfriend could have been murdered by the racketeers. But it needs to be noted that Collober was known to have pathological tendencies and was extremely possessive. She was narcissistic and given to violent episodes as well.

She had tried to keep the chef isolated from the world outside by not allowing him to interact with his family, friends or neighbors.

Collober is currently in custody and has confessed to keeping the body on ice until she could buy a freezer where she froze the body.

Lyon newspaper Le Progrès described Poinard as one of the city’s “great names” in gastronomy and said he represented the fourth generation of one of France’s “great cooking dynasties.”
“He was a passionate and exacting chef, but also a true ‘bon viveur’ who was as well liked out of the kitchen as he was respected inside it,” Le Progrès reported.

The Voodoo Kitchen in New Orleans

Keep checking our Facebook page for more comments and stories while we are in New Orleans this week.

We stopped by the House of Blues for dinner, and the food, atmosphere and attitudes were all exceptional.

We''ll keep you posted as the week progresses.

Lightning in a Bottle

In Culpeper, Va. Chuck Miller makes moonshine. He said it "gets you in a good mood quick."

As you will see in the video his legal moonshine begins right on a farm growing the corn that is turned into mash and mixed with yeast.


Businessman Jim Sinden came along and wanted to use Miller's Kopper Kettle whiskey in his barbeque sauce.

"He tilted the cowboy hat on the back of his head and he said nope. I wanna do moonshine. Moonshine sells," said Miller.

And that led to the birth of Virginia Lightning Moonshine BBQ Sauce. Sinden says the moonshine sauce is a hit in test marketing.

"I think it's just the mystique - a little bit of the naughtiness that's involved in the process," said Sinden.

By the way, the whole distillery is made out of wood from what used to be a church. As for the pastor, "he was concerned about the use of his building. I said, don't worry Father, there's still full of a lot of spirit," said Miller.

Now Chuck and Jim are hoping the spirit moves people to buy the sauce.

We looked around and it sells for around $9.00 a bottle.

288 Million Eggs Recalled

We posted a USA Today story this morning on Facebook, now here's the video.

Hundreds line up for McDonald's job fair

Whatever the new unemployment numbers will be in Nevada, thousands of Reno families are struggling to make ends meet.
Tuesday's job fair at a Reno McDonald's brought in  a huge crowd, and dome of those people people never thought they'd be in the position to apply for a fast food job.

"Everyone is looking for any sort of help they can get, we're all desperate," said one of  those attending the McDonald's job fair.
"They're hiring 100 people and I desperately need a job, I have three kids I have to take care of and anything i can get right now would be beautiful."
"It doesn't matter what they're hiring for - anything anybody is hiring for right now is a welcome sight,"

There were hundreds of others lined up at the McDonalds because of the a job fair, and there were  managers from 15 local McDonalds. They interviewed all 281 people who turned in an application.

Maybe fast food isn't their first choice of employment, but right now, it's employment.

Another person in line said, "Yeah, it's been rough,I was a warehouse worker... I've been out of work for four months now. It's been rough. There's not much out there. For every job, you can see here, there are hundreds of applicants."

A McDonald's official says business has been good this past yesar and that's why the restaurants are able to hire. He says in this economy, a lot of people are buying from the Dollar Menu which is creating more demand and more jobs.

We know it's popular to hate McDonald's, but at least they are offering jobs, not many can say that.

Leading scientists say artificial meat grown in vats may be necessary

We've been talking a lot about cloned meat lately, but scientist are thinking one step further out of the box.
They are suggesting that artificial meat grown in vats may be needed if the 9 billion people expected to be alive in 2050 are to be fed without destroying the earth.

To increase food production scientists believe conventional animal breeding may not be enough.

But Dr Philip Thornton, a scientist with the International Livestock Research Institute in Nairobi says, two "wild cards" could transform global meat and milk production. "One is artificial meat, which is made in a giant vat, and the other is nanotechnology, which is expected to become more important as a vehicle for delivering medication to livestock."

Others identify unexpected hindrances to producing more food. One of the gloomiest assessments comes from a team of British and South African economists who say that a vast effort must be made in agricultural research to create a new green revolution. 

Others believe a radical rethink of global food production is needed to reduce its dependence on oil. Up to 70% of the energy needed to grow and supply food at present is fossil-fuel based which in turn contributes to climate change.

"The need for action is urgent given the time required for investment in research to deliver new technologies to those that need them and for political and social change to take place," says another expert.

So, what started out to be a way to feed people has been turned into a green movement, to save us from climate change.
Food and politics is nothing new, but it's getting more transparent.

Gordon Ramsay has struck a lucrative deal

Gordon Ramsay has struck a lucrative deal that will earn the chef millions of dollars.
British production giant All3Media has announced a $60 million deal to acquire U.K. independent producer Optomen, which includes One Potato Two Potato -- the 50/50 joint production venture shared by Optomen and Gordon Ramsay,  responsible for such shows such as "The F Word" and "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares."

Ramsay will now be able to increase his visability in the United States and benefit from bigger distribution and licensing operations.

"I'm very happy to be joining All3Media and look forward to growing One Potato Two Potato in the U.K. and in America," said Ramsay, who has become one of the most recognizable faces of television on both sides of the Atlantic, thanks to such shows as "Hell's Kitchen" and "Masterchef."

"Twenty years of working in kitchens has taught me that success is always a team effort, and with the help of the team at All3Media I'm confident we can take things to the next level and soon reach three potato, four potato and more."

Gordon Ramsay and Croissants

Can this be true, Gordon Ramsay has trouble with croissants?
Ramsay says the French breakfast croissant is the most difficult thing he has ever tried to make.
“I lived in Paris for three years and had the most amazing time there,” says Gordon. “I got my a*** kicked across some of the best restaurants anywhere in the world and I had massive issues with making croissants."
“It sounds a little bit silly but honestly, the way they roll those croissants is hard. Actually only 10 per cent of patisseries in Paris actually make their own croissants and I think it is so sad."
“But two years ago with the F Word I got the chance to go back to Paris and make the perfect croissant and I was so proud of it I took a picture of it, took it home, dipped it in gelatine and froze it. Now it is at home in my freezer.”


Here's a great video all about croissants, from the talented people at http://www.videojug.com/

Tomb Sweeping Festival - and everyone can eat dirt

We know about Dirty Rice, but this something new for us.
As Chinese villagers gathered at the grave site to worship, they also to eat the soil of the shrine.
Yes, that's right, we're talking everybody eats the dirt, old people, children, middle aged people, even pregnant women are eating it.
Sick people eat the soil, and so do the healthy ones.

This is when people visit the graves of their forefathers, pray at a shrine for the Buddhist King of Remedies and eat the soil surrounding the holy temple. The festival is an outgrowth of Hanshi Day.

People believe the soil cures sickness, and this is a tradition that's been kept going for generations.

So many villagers eat this soil,  they even ate most of the soil covering the coffin of  the"King of Remedies."

This is the Tomb Sweeping Festival (also known as the Qingming festival) which dates back more than 2500 years and is always held on the 104th day after the winter solstice, which usually occurs around April 5th.

Resurrecting Dead Cattle for Cloning

Wasn't it just last week we were talking about cloning, well, here we go again.
Cloned cattle is being used in beef production in the US, and is created from the cells of dead animals, according to a US cloning company.
Farmers explain it's being done because it is the only way to know if an animal's meat is of exceptionally high quality.
So, by inspecting its carcass and assessing which animals have exceptional qualities, these exceptional animals are cloned to be used as breeding stock.

The concept of livestock cloning is to clone the most exceptional animals to produce the most exceptional beef.
That is why there are cloned bulls here that have been produced from the cells taken from the carcasses of dead animals that have special characteristics.

Brady Hicks of the JR Simplot company in Idaho said:
"The animals are hanging on a rail ready to go to the meat counter."
"We identify carcasses that have certain carcass characteristics that we want, but it's too late to reproduce the genetics of the animal. But through cloning we can resurrect that animal."

But this isn't for everyone, Whole Foods Market for example, has banned the sale of resurrected cattle.
According to its global vice-president, Margaret Wittenberg, although meat and milk from cloned animals has been allowed to go on sale in the US, most Americans have never heard of it.
"A lot of customers in the United States are oblivious of it," she said.
"You don't hear about it in the media. And when you do tell people about it they look at you and say 'you're kidding! They're not doing that are they? Why would they?'"

Cloning is not supposed to be practiced by livestock farmers in Europe, and there are moves by some members of the European Parliament to ban it totally.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided that meat and milk from cloned animals are safe to eat. That opened the door for products from the offspring of cloned animals to enter the food chain.

Currently, there are no laws to prevent meat and milk from these animals going into the food chain. And there is no legal requirement to label food from cloned offspring.

A survey of 25,000 consumers across the EU makes clear families are unhappy at what they call 'Frankenstein Food' farming.

Do you remember the real taste of Pepsi and Mountain Dew?

How many of you remember the real taste of Pepsi?
How about Mountain Dew?

We finally got around to that blast from the past, drinking the Pepsi and Mountain Dew throwback, and all we keep saying was, what were we waiting for?
It was better than we remembered it, not a thick syrupy taste, instead, light refreshing.

The bad news is that this outstanding beverage is for a limited time only.
We have no idea why they just don't keep the throwback, why for a limited time?

Pepsi, you expect us to go back to corn syrup after this?

It was all about the ice cream and Joey Chestnut

What's better than hot weather and ice cream?

At the Austin Ice Cream Festival out at Waterloo Park it was all about the ice cream eating contest.

And guess who was there, competing? None other than the current world eating champion Joey Chestnut.

“I've been doing these contests for about 5 years and I've just been having a blast,” Chestnut said. “I get to travel around the country and meet tons of great people and get to eat...that's a good deal!"

The contest lasted five minutes.

When it was all over, Chestnut ate more than one and a quarter gallons of ice cream.

Nobody else even came close.

Interesting shirt Joey!

Fruit Smoothies Responsible for Outbreak of Typhoid Fever in U.S.

An outbreak of typhoid fever in the U.S. has been linked to a frozen tropical fruit product used to make smoothies.

Seven cases have been reported and confirmed — three in California and four in Nevada. 

There are two more cases in California that  are being investigated.

Five people have been hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC said five of the victims drank smoothies made with frozen mamey fruit pulp.

Four of them used pulp sold by Goya Foods Inc. of Secaucus, N.J.

Mamey is a sweet, reddish tropical fruit grown mainly in Central and South America.

It is also known as zapote or sapote.

It is peeled and mashed to make pulp, the CDC said.

The company has recalled packages of the pulp, sold in mostly western states.

A sample from one package found in Las Vegas tested positive for the bacteria that causes typhoid, said the Food and Drug Administration.

Typhoid fever is a life-threatening illness caused by a type of bacteria called Salmonella typhi, most people catch it outside the United States.

Symptoms include a sustained fever as high as 103 to 104 degrees, along with headache. weakness, stomach pains or loss of appetite. Some patients have a rash of flat, rose-colored spots.

The good news is, it can be treated with antibiotics.

The bacteria travels through the intestinal tract and spreads to others through feces-tainted food or water. 

Freezing does not kill it.

The recalled mamey pulp was sold in 14-ounce plastic packages in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington.

Masterchef with Gordon Ramsay

If American Idol and Top chef had a baby, Fox's latest reality cooking show, Masterchef might be the outcome.

American amateur cooks are here competing for $250,000 prize and a chance to publish their very own cookbook.

Three celebrity judges: Joe Bastianich (owner of 20 of America's best restaurants"), Graham Eliot Bowles ("America's youngest four-star chef") and of course, head judge Gordon Ramsay.

In case you haven't watched or know next to nothing about it, here's a little peek.

Hell's Kitchen - And The Winner Is?

When the final dinner service on the season seven finale of Hell’s Kitchen came to an end, both teams managed tocomplete all of their dishes on time.
But there would only be one winner, as Chef Ramsay went through all the comments cards he made his decision.
After being counted down by Gordon Ramsay, the chef whose door opened and who would become the new executive chef of The Savoy restaurant in London is Holli.
We thought this might be the case as we mentioned on Facebook, she was throwing a party tonight, only the winner would do have reason to celebrate like that.
So, congratulations to Holli and all the best to Jay, you were great!

Season Eight of Hell’s Kitchen on FOX premieres on Wed, 9/22 at 8 pm EST,
Don't forget about Gordon Ramsay’s new show MasterChef  Tue, at 9 pm EST!

NY police find live cat 'marinating' in car trunk

Police stopped Gary Korkuc because of some traffic violation.

This led to police finding a live cat "marinating" in oil and peppers in the trunk of a car.
The cat wasn't dead, it was marinating alive.
Buffalo police say officers heard the cat meowing when they stopped 51-year-old creep.

They say they checked the trunk and found 4-year-old Navarro (above photo) in a cage, his fur covered with oil, crushed red peppers and chili peppers.

Korkuc said he did it because Navarro was ill-tempered.
Korkuc was charged with cruelty, but then released.
He said he was planning to cook Navarro.
But then he started rambling about the cat being neutered and pregnant at the same time.

Animal advocates have cleaned Navarro and put him up for adoption.

WATCH IT NOW-- woman's McNugget rage caught on video

Remember her?

It's Melodi Dushane, and the video is finally out

She's the person who was swinging and punching two restaurant employees and smashing a drive-thru window because she couldn't get Chicken McNuggets.

Now you can see the slugging of one employee and then another.

She then grabs a bottle out of her car and tosses it through the glass window before speeding off.

This all happened on New Year's Day.  

Dushane says she was drunk at the time, but she was still sentenced to 60 days in jail and ordered to pay McDonald's for the broken window.

WKRG.com News

Hell's Kitchen Season 7 Finale

Hell's Kitchen Season Finale

On Fox, Tuesday, 7pm

The Roar of the Lionfish and into the skillet

The ferocious, dangerous predator, who can deliver the most painful of stings with its venomous spines is of course, the Lionfish.

Word around town is that the Lionfish may be causing great harm reef ecosystems because it's right up there as a top competitor for food.

Scientists are afraid that the lionfish will also kill off helpful species, such as algae-eating parrotfish, allowing seaweed to overtake the reefs.

It's expected that in the United States, the lionfish population,  inhabiting the coast from North Carolina to South Florida, will greatly increase.

Lionfish are at the top of the ladder, with no known predators and they reproduce all year long long with two million eggs a year.

So what can be done?

NOAA scientists would like you to become their  predator, and eat them.

Once you get passed all the venomous spines,we are told the lionfish is a delicious meal, at least that's what NOAA scientists are saying.

To promote awareness of the lionfish as a good mate for one’s dinner plate, scientists developed the “Eat Lionfish” Campaign.

With all the promotion hoopla, we are told that the Lionfish is fast becoming the new culinary craze of Bahamian delicacies.

That may or may not be spin-speak but “People are opening up to eating lionfish and are realizing that they are not a health threat,” said Lakeshia Anderson, Assistant Fisheries Officer at the Department of Fisheries. “Once you cook it, the venom is not longer present.”

The Department of Fisheries took the lionfish show on the road to Potter’s Cay where fishermen and food vendors were shown how to safely handle, clean and cook lionfish.

How did the taste test go?

Bahamians were expecting something a little different, more bizarre, instead they compared lionfish meat to hogfish, grouper and even snapper.

A two legged lamb has been saved from the roasting pan

There's nothing we enjoy more than a roasted leg of lamb, but we have heart, yes, even here in the Voodoo Kitchen, we care.

A two legged lamb has been saved from the roasting pan after he showed determination to get up and walk.

This young lamb, was born with just two legs and usually would have been killed at birth.

But sheep farmer Cui Jinxiu was so moved by his struggle to survive she began to hand-rear him.

She said: "He was so determined to live he pulled himself up onto his own two feet and started drinking his mother's milk. I couldn't let him die."

Now this little lamb, who weighed in at just 11 lbs when he was born, and Cui are inseparable.

Cui added: "He may only have two legs but he gets around very quickly and is pretty steady on his feet. He follows me everywhere and I haven't got the heart to slaughter him. 

"He doesn't mind (having two legs). He has such a friendly personality and I don't think he even realises he's disabled."

Largest commercially available hamburger was a matter of patriotism

Steve Mallie, owner of Mallie's Sports Grill & Bar in Southgate, Michigan., said he decided to create a record holding burger when he read the current owner for the world's largest was held by Thailand.
Steve says going for a Guinness world record for the largest commercially available hamburger was a matter of patriotism.
"I said, 'Wait a minute. Hamburgers are American. Why should the record be in Thailand?' So I decided to try to break the record myself."
So, in case you are hungry and you want something filling, the largest commercially available hamburger is 185.8 lbs and is available for U.S. $499.

How Did Popcorn Become Popcorn?

Oh yes, the smell of fresh popped corn?
It makes everyone happy, just look at the people in the photo above, don't they look happy?

Well, it makes us happy and we eat a lot of popcorn, and that got us to thinking,  how did popcorn become popcorn?

Popcorn dates back over 5,000 years ago. 

Popcorn was originally grown in Mexico but it managed to find its way to India, China and Sumatra many years before European explorers arrived in North America.

Popcorn ears over 5,600 years old was found in a cave in New Mexico in 1948 and are the oldest ears of popcorn known.

Popcorn was popped by throwing it on blazing hot stones and presto, popcorn, going in all directions.

It became a game where the idea was to catch the popcorn and the prize was eating it.

Grains of popcorn over 1,000 years old have been discovered in Peru and the preservation methods of the Peruvian Indians was so advanced that 1,000 years later, this corn still pops.

The Indians of North and South America popped corn 2,000 years ago, Columbus wrote in his memoirs that Indians sold popcorn to his sailors.

Popcorn was very popular with Indian tribes of North and South America and when the Pilgrims arrived they brought popcorn to the first Thanksgiving.

 

Some of the first poppers were made of soapstone, pottery and metal and have been found in Indian excavation sites.

These poppers have legs and have lids and are set directly in the fire.

Some poppers have been found to be as large as eight feet across to for the extra large amounts.

The colonists loved popcorn so much they ate it for breakfast with sugar and cream for breakfast, this became the first puffed breakfast cereal.

Popcorn carts became quite the scene in 1885, with steam and gas poppers being used at fairs, carnivals and expositions.

Back in 1945 experiments with microwaves and popcorn took place and that is long before anyone really owned a microwave.
And now, microwave popcorn pops up over $250 billion yearly sales.

These days, in the United States alone, people eats over one billion pounds of popcorn per year.