PETA wants sign to memorialize fish killed in crash

PETA is requesting that the city of Irvine place the sign recognizing the suffering of hundreds of saltwater bass that died at the location of the crash.

They want the city install the sign to memorialize the hundreds of fish killed in a traffic crash in early October as they were being transported to Irvine Ranch Market.

Even though the fish were going to die (and be eaten) anyway, PETA still wants all 1,600 pounds of fish honored and memorialize.

Happy Halloween

Halloween or Hallow-Even is the last night of October, the eve or vigil of All-Hallow’s or All Saint's Day.

On this night we eat, drink and be scary.

 From all of us here in the Voodoo kitchen,

Happy All Hallows' Eve.

The Looting of Hurricane Sandy

As Hurricane Sandy makes landfall looters are already making plans using Twitter.
As a result the New York National Guard announced it would put troops on duty in Long Island to prevent such activity.

1,175 New York National Guard troops have been mobilized to “provide command and control and logistical support” in New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley and the Southern Tier. According to NBC New York, the troops will also be on hand to “protect against looting.”

We think back to the disaster in Japan where looting was practically non-existent.
As we told you last year, "Japan looks like World War Two all over again and with all this devastation, death and adversity we see a social strength that humbles us.
Supermarkets are cutting prices and vending machine owners giving out free drinks as people work side by side, together in order to survive."

But of the 129 retailers surveyed by the National Retail Federation, nearly 95 percent said they were victimized by organized criminals in the past year and 85 percent said the problem has worsened over the past three years.

You might remember the rioting and looting which shook England last year was also organized and coordinated using Twitter.
At one point, Prime Minister David Cameron considered placing a ban on the social network.

As we look back at the looting in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina, Irene, Isaac, we are not surprised to learn of the tweets from individuals planning to start looting as soon as they can.

Here are some examples:

“Bout to do some looting when this hurricane finally hits….gonna get a new laptop and tv…this hurricane might be the best thing to happen.”

“If this hurricane gets real bad I’m looting stores ! i always wanted to do that.”

“I’m gonna go looting once this hurricane hits Utica.”

“Has #HurricaneSandy made landfall yet? My bitch ass is ready to go looting!”

“helllll yeah I’m gonna go looting after the storm hits.”

“Who wants to go looting with me when Sandy hits?! I need some new shit! 

Here's even more:

Is this what we've become?

What an embarrassing shame.

Heston Blumenthal and the Tampon

Heston Blumenthal: I use tampons to soak up juices in my mouth so I can enjoy food more

Yes, Heston says,

'If you drain the moisture you experience richness and sweetness.'

'If you drain the moisture in your mouth you experience richness, creaminess and sweetness more intensely and there is really nothing more absorbing than a tampon.

'If you have a spoonful of ice-cream then put a tampon on the tongue for a couple of minutes when you eat the ice-cream again the taste will be richer.'

One of his favorites is yogurt with tampon.

Okay then...

Hurricane Sandy

(Atlantic City Boardwalk)

(Southampton, New York)

ATLANTIC CITY UNDER WATER

(A woman wades through the water in New York with cars submerged in the floods)

(Collapse: The face fell off an apartment building)

Halloween Pumpkins

These terrifying pumpkins have been hand-carved by master carver Ray Villafane.

So, if you need a little inspiration, here's a video that may do the trick.

Foods that don't belong in the refrigerator

Some food items do their best when stored at room temperature.

HOT SAUCE

It is quite content in your pantry for up to three years.

POTATOES

Refrigeration ruins  their flavor.

Instead, store in the pantry in paper bags (not plastic bags)

They should last around three weeks.

BREAD

The refrigerator really dries bread fast. 

Eat what you can within four days at room temperature and then freeze the rest. (Bread freezes just fine)

ONIONS

They like air circulation like when you buy them in the mesh bag.

But keep them away from potatoes, potatoes release moisture and gases that can encourage onions to rot.

GARLIC

Refrigeration is not needed with garlic, they'll store perfectly for two months in the pantry. Store them loose, so air can move around the garlic.

TOMATOES

They can get pithy and mealy when refrigerated, so leave them on a counter, not in plastic bags. 

Once ripe, they’ll last for around three days.

COFFEE

Ideally, beans should be kept whole and ground on an as-needed basis, and used within two weeks of roasting, for the best results. However, this is not always possible, so what to do?

Keeping ground coffee tasting fresh is a matter of keeping the beans' oils, which are necessary to the coffee's flavor, from degrading over time.

This means reducing coffee's exposure to air.

But the beans still need to breath. 

Many coffees are sold in special packaging with a one-way air valve, allowing the coffee to breathe without letting any additional air into the bag. Coffee is best stored in these bags or another specially-designed container, and should be stored in a cool, dry place.

Storing coffee beans in the refrigerator or freezer is not good for the coffee beans and their oils. Storing the beans at low temperatures will dry them out. Heat, light, and moisture also contribute to degrading the oils in coffee beans. The best place to store coffee is in a cupboard or pantry, in an airtight container.

Disneyland Halloween 2012

Maybe Seattle schools struggle with Halloween, Disneyland however does not:

The Death of Halloween in Seattle

It's one thing when the self afflicted, high and mighty want to eliminate Halloween candy, but it's another thing when they want to take Halloween away.

The Lafayette Elementary School in Seattle has banned students from celebrating Halloween.

They have decided to forbid students from dressing up in costume for Halloween this year because of Halloween costumes could offend and upset students who come from other cultures.

Parents have complained to the school over the ruling, demanding a explanation.

Lafayette’s principal, Shauna Heath,(photo above) e-mailed media outlets, including The West Seattle Blog, arguing the decision was made because of the limited instructional time that falls on Halloween this year. Seattle Public Schools observe a half-day of instruction on Wednesday, October 31.

“This decision was made by the entire staff after two deep and detailed discussions. The initial conversation was initiated by staff members who suggested that since Halloween falls this year on a half day of school, we not allow costumes. It takes students a while to change into their costumes, and students are distracted taking away from the already limited instructional time.

Many parents believe the decision was based on concerns about cultural sensitivity. Why the school would want to offend the majority of kids who celebrate Halloween, than it is for a handful of students who do not is anybody's guess.

We seriously doubt the decision has anything to do with costumes changing times, otherwise just have the kids come to school already in costume.

We believe the Seattle school system has been trying to end Halloween for years, even wanting to change the name to “Harvest Day”

7-Eleven staff stops, struggles, strips and bites candy thief

This candy thief was stripped naked in a wild struggle with store employees at a Brooklyn 7-Eleven who tried to steal a box of candy bars.

The thief man was chased around the store by two employees, knocking things off the shelves as the chance continued.

The employees took hold of him as he fought to escape through the front door with such intention, that he drags them out with him.

 

As the struggle continued, they managed to pull him back inside through the door.

They grab him by his shirt, then they grab hold of his vest, tearing it as they do.

The thief kept saying,'I ain't got nothing' over and over, before changing his story to 'it's only one box', confessing to be a thief after all.

One of the employees attempts a tried and true method, he bites the thief.

The candy thief was getting his clothes torn piece by thief as he desperately tries to escape.

Eventually the thief is stripped down only to his underwear and

his arms are wrapped around his waist while it appears another employee is biting his back.

The struggle continues in the doorway, and the thief's hand gets caught between the door and the frame.

Finally, the 7-Eleven manage to get the man into the back of the store.

So, what have we learned from this story?

Well, this individual probably won't shoplift from this store again. As such, it appears to be a successful way to deal with shoplifting 

If all thieves thought this beating could happen to them, maybe fewer of them would do it.

Red & Black Candy Apples

8-10 medium sized Red Delicious or Honey Crisp apples

8-10 wooden twigs, trimmed and cleaned

3 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 cup of waterseveral drops of cinnamon flavored oil

1/4 teaspoon of red food coloring

1/4 teaspoon of black food coloring

Clean and dry the apples. 

Remove any stems or leaves and insert a twig into the end of each apple. To make things easier, you can carefully sharpen the end of the twig or use a candy stick to create a guide hole.

Set apples aside.

Heat and stir sugar, corn syrup and water in a saucepan until sugar has dissolved.

Boil until the syrup reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer. 

Don’t go over 310 degrees or your candy will burn.

Remove from heat and stir in flavored oil and food coloring.

Dip one apple completely in the syrup and swirl it so that it becomes coated with the melted sugar candy.

Hold the apple above the saucepan to drain off excess. 

Place apple, with the stick facing up, onto a baking sheet with parchment paper or non stick-foil.

 

Repeat the process with all the remaining apples. 

If your syrup thickens or cools too much, simply reheat briefly before proceeding. 

Let the apples cool completely before serving.

Regarding the black apples: darker apples like red delicious help the black candy appear as dark as possible.

The world's most expensive cocktail - £5,500

Salvatore Calabrese has broken the record for the world's most expensive cocktail (£5,500 - that's 8884.15 US Dollars) with his 'Salvatore's Legacy' drink,  made up of ingredients more than 200 years old.

Salvatore, whose nickname is 'The Maestro', made the drink with 1778 Clos de Griffier Vieux Cognac, 1770 Kummel Liqueur, Dubb Orange Curacao circa 1860 and two dashes of Angostura Bitters circa 1900s.

Salvatore said, 'In front of a crowd, I needed very steady hands to open the vintage bottles and pour these precious ingredients into my own mixing glass, which I have had for 40 years.'

If you happen to have these ingredients sitting on a shelf somewhere, here's how you make it:

40ml 1778 Clos de Griffier Vieux Cognac

20ml 1770 Kummel Liqueur

20ml 1860 Dubb Orange Curacao

Two dashes of 1900s Angostura Bitters

... pour into a mixing glass, only add the purest and best ice and stir gently.

Restaurant owner and his cook open fires on customer who refused to pay for his $19 dinner

  

Two diners who complained about the food and walked out of the restaurant were shot at by the owner.

The customers said as they drove away from the Wazzabi restaurant they heard a shot being fired.

One of the customers said he saw a muzzle flashes and heard the 'pop' sound as a gun was fired.

(Restaurant owner Quoc Tran)

(The cook Hoai Tran)

The action took place after the two customers complained about the quality of their food and service during their meal.

 

One of the unhappy guests said he paid his $13 bill while the other refused to pay his $19 tab because he had only taken a few bites of the food before sending it back to the kitchen.

The diners said as they left the restaurant to drive away they were followed out by Tran, a server and the restaurant cook Hoai Tran.

'I come here to get in the car and the guy comes and just rips the door open, the manager, you know,' said one of customers.

'We didn't get like maybe ten feet before the manager started harassing us, chasing us, yelling at us,' they said.

'The bigger gentleman that came out with him, the boss, kicks in that huge dent here and here (pointing to the car).'

'They immediately, "Boom!" start pounding on the back, there's dents all here.'

The two said they tried to drive away when they heard a gunshot.

'I looked at these guys in the rear view as they're coming at us and I saw a flash and I heard it, "Pop!" you know.'

Police said Tran fired a single bullet that lodged into The bumper. 

Both customers said,'They could probably shoot and kill us over $19.'

The New Orleans Witches Ball

The Dead Head

With a face mold you can create this great Halloween dish.

Line the inside of the mold with plastic wrap and line the inside completely with Prosciutto.

Shread the Prosciutto into small pieces first, it's easier to eat that way.

You’ll need probably a double recipe to fill up the face mold.

Press your cheese ball mixture into the mold, and chill. Remove from mold onto a plate, add eyes using olives. 

 

Surround the face with your favorite crackers.

Face Molds can be found at an art supply store, but if you can't find a mold, you could make this with a hard plastic halloween mask--just line the inside of the mold with plastic wrap to cover the eyeholes.  

Use your favorite cheese ball recipe that features cream cheese and will hold it's shape.  

If you don't have a favorite one, here's a quick and simple one:

2 - 8 oz pkgs cream cheese, softened 

2-  3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese 

3 Tablespoons mayonnaise 

1 Tablespoons of horseradish

GRAVEYARD PUDDING

Because Graveyard Pudding is one of our most requested recipes, for you, we'll dig it up again.

It's perfect for parties, to celebrate Halloween at home, school or work. 

We post this recipe every year because you seem to like it.

Here's what you need:

Oreo type cookies crumbled, 1 whole box (we use Trader Joe's chocolate and vanilla JoeJoe's cookies)

Pirouline Chocolate Hazelnut Cream wafers broken (not crumbled)

Vanilla Pudding 16 oz prepared

Chocolate Pudding 16oz prepared

Heavy Whipped Cream ( we beg you, please, not from the can) 

You will need 1 pint of high-quality cream 

Simply whip the cream with your mixer until the cream looks like soft butter.

You wont be adding sugar, vanilla or anything, just plain whipped cream. 

Here’s a little tip, room-temperature cream won't incorporate air, 

so use well-chilled cream straight from the refrigerator. 

Here's how you make it:

First, layer the bottom of your bowl or pan with chocolate pudding.

Next comes a layer of whipped cream.

Layer some of ther crumbled Oreo type cookies on the top of the whipped cream.

Next comes the vanilla pudding, the whipped cream and more cookies.

Keep repeating this process until you run out of pudding and cream.

Now sprinkle the rest of your Oreo type cookies on top (so it looks like dirt)

Next add the broken Pirouline wafers on top (they are suppose to look like bones)

Employee is COOKED alive in oven at Bumble Bee tuna plant

Bumble Bee officials are calling this a 'horrendous tragedy.'

Plant worker Jose Melena died Thursday when he was cooked in the Bumble Bee industrial oven. (oven photo below with red arrow)

No one is really sure how Melena, 62, ended up in the plant's oven, but the coroner's documents called it a 'steamer machine',

where he was cooked to death.

Death of cockroach-eating contest winner may have been an allergic reaction

Remember Edward Archbold?

He collapsed right after winning the contest in South Florida, competing with 30 contestants eating ate live cockroaches and well worms at the competition in Deerfield Beach

  

Even though it will be weeks before an autopsy reveals what killed Eddie Archbold, experts have said that eating the roaches and other insects should not have been the cause.

While participating in the Midnight Madness bug-eating contest at Ben Siegel Reptiles, Eddie was eating so many live roaches he had to cover his mouth to keep them from crawling out, swallowing some of them whole while still alive.

He ate meal worms, 35 three-inch-long 'super worms' and a bucket of roaches, but soon after he started vomiting and collapsed in front of the store.

Dr Bill Kern, a professor of entomology at the University of Florida, said it could have been an allergic reaction to the large amount of foreign protein that killed the 32-year-old.

 

He told the Herald: 'We know cockroaches shed a lot of allergens, but they’re not toxic in and of themselves. 

'Very few [human] cultures tend to eat cockroaches because they store large amounts of uric acid and nitrogenous waste. And they tend to be scavengers and feed on things most people wouldn’t consider to be desirable.'

None of the other 30 competitors fell ill after the contest and store manager Ben Siegel's attorney said the roaches were all raised in sterile conditions and were perfectly safe to eat. 

Safe or not, all competitors were asked to sign waivers acknowledging the risks of gastrointestinal illness, adverse allergic reactions - especially in those with shellfish allergies - and injury or pain associated with consuming live insects as they pass through the esophagus.

Matthew Karwacki, was standing next to Eddie as they both ate the meal worms in the first round. But he said when he tasted his first cockroach, he was done.

'I just had one roach and tapped out after that,' he said. 'The taste did not suit me, but the texture for sure was the worst part.

'If you could look inside a dirty gutter and scoop up what’s in there, that’s what went through my head. All the other contestants kept eating roaches, but I had to look away.'

'We feel terribly awful,' said store owner Ben Siegel, who added that Archbold did not appear to be sick before the contest. 

'He looked like he just wanted to show off and was very nice,' Siegel said, adding that Archbold was 'the life of the party.'

Woman 'hits girl, 10, because she wouldn’t share ice cream with her four-year-old daughter'

Talysa Herron, (photo below) 29, has been arrested because she she hit a ten-year-old girl who refused to share an ice cream with her daughter.

Talysa chased the girl down and hit her in the face, then allegedly followed the girl home in her car and began a brutal attack on the girl's mother until the police arrived on the scene.

The ten-year-old had bought the ice cream, and the four-year-old asked her for her ice cream, she slapped the girl's hand away as she tried to grab it.

The 10 year old girl started walking home but the crazed Herron caught up with her and hit her in the face.

According to police, she then followed her home in her car.

 

The ten-year-old's mother, Cyndi Lafontaine, confronted Herron but was punched and beaten until police were able to stop the beating.

In reaction to her arrest Friday, David Russell, Amanda’s dad, said he was cursed and threatened by Herron and her boyfriend. 

Asked for her side of the story, Herron would not come to the front door, but did say she would not respond to false accusations.

According to public records, Herron was charged with resisting arrest and interfering with a public servant in February, as well as earlier prior arrests including misdemeanor drug charges and criminal mischief.

Speaking of ice cream, here's one crazy tattoo.

Pics of Gucci (some rap guy) and his ice cream cone face (with lightning bolts) tattoo.