The Maui community has reason to be worried after a shark bit a woman only four days after the previous Maui shark attack. The 56-year-old woman went for a morning swim and reported that she did not see the shark at all. A single bite reaching up from the middle of her spine to her neck, she is lucky to be alive.

She was approximately 30 feet offshore of Ulua Park Beach and the other Maui shark attack occurred off Oahu’s White Plains beach. The woman was snorkeling and her protective gear is the reason she is still alive. Although she was able to swim back to shore towards help, she is still hospitalized.

Nineteen-year-old Kiowa Gatewood was sitting on his surfboard in the water waiting for a good wave, when a shark came from nowhere and bit him on the leg. He too is lucky to have escaped with his life as he instinctively struck out at the shark in order to fend it off. He did see the shark however and reported it to be a tiger shark. After the first bite, the shark came back for a second attack, but fortunately for the young man he could paddle to shore in time.

Marine experts have a logical explanation for this sudden shark activity around Maui. They reason that the Tropical storm, Flossie is a contributor to the recent attacks. Lots of food is carried into the sea and with the murkiness of the water, the sharks bite into anything that seems like food.

Authorities have closed the beaches and reopening is expected after evaluation of the area. It is the ninth shark attack within the year, which is quite unacceptable. Marine experts advise people not to enter the sea after a tropical storm. Waters that are choppy and murky especially when a lot of debris is present should be avoided.

Food for Thought

The scandal began when 21-year-old Brandon Huber, an employee at the well-regarded restaurant, uploaded a video to YouTube called ‘all you can eat ribs’. In it, he gives the viewer a tour of the back of the Golden Corral restaurant, where the managers had prepared for a food inspection by putting their produce next to the dumpsters. “Look at all these flies,” he says in the video, focusing the camera on several specimens flying over the hamburger meat.

The video itself has gone viral, attracting over 2 million views in the space of nine days, with people in the comments section rallying with Brandon in calling this act sick and disgusting.

Proper Action Taken

The manager that gave the other for the Golden Corral dumpster scandal has since been fired by the restaurant’s owner, Eric Holm. “A video was recently posted showing an incident of improper food
handling at our Port Orange, Fla., location,” he said. “None of these items were served to a single customer. All were destroyed within the hour at the direction of management. Brandon Huber, the employee who made the video, participated in the disposal.”

Unfortunately, these actions appear to be too little too late, as it has already attracted the attention of Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation, claiming that an investigation is now in progress.

A Morale Hit

The story about the Golden Corral dumpster is yet another example of managers abusing the trust of their own customers. With the story of horse meat being passed off as beef in the UK, many people are now eyeing their local meat producer with suspicion. It’s clear that if the company’s still want to gain revenue in the future, they will have to first re-earn the trust of their now cautious consumer base.

Most people who have watched the news over the past few days have heard about the difficulty Paua Deen has gotten into regarding her corporate sponsors. Deen’s troubles started with a response she made about a racially insenstive remark she made as part of a legal deposition Despite attempts to mitigate the damage with a video protesting her innocence, and an interview with Matt Lauer on the Today show. Deen has gotten a great deal of criticism for her remarks. Unfortunately for Deen, she has lost a number of her corporate sponsors such as the Food Network and the Shopping channel who dropped her shows earlier this week. Smithfield Hams, also cut ties with the star. Walmart was the last to leave the pack. It is one of the things that has troubled Deen over the past few weeks. Walmart says it will place no new orders for Deen merchandise.

Deen’s use of the N word was in regard to a lawsuit filed by a former employee
Deen says she has not knowingly used “n” word for perhaps the past 30 yeas, however, she is under fire for having admitted to using this slur directed at blacks at all She also has admitted to wishing to have black people dressed up in white dinner jackets for a “plantation style” party she was having.

The celebrity chef’s representatives are distributing nice letters supporting the star. However, if this effort will prevent any more damage to the stars reputation, and sales remain to be seen. Deen says she is heartbroken over the incident but time will tell if she will be able to keep her remaining sponsors.

We are no stranger to hearing gross and disturbing happenings that occur at fast food restaurants, but this latest one might top the charts. A Wendy’s employee was caught filling his mouth up with ice cream from the Frosty machine directly into his mouth. He was not only caught on camera, but on video too which is now surfacing the internet like wildfire.

The customer that caught the employee in the act was just about to order a Frosty, but after seeing that display, she changed her mind. The photo was snapped by a fellow employee and then he let the internet run with it.

A spokesperson for Wendy’s had said that they do not think the photo or event is funny at all and is contacting that specific franchise in order to ensure that immediate action is taken upon this employee, meaning they want him fired. They cited his actions as being totally inexcusable.

The photo came at an awful time for the fast food king that currently is mass marketing its Frosty beverages due to the summer months ahead. It was also promoting its latest waffle cone for the charity, The Dave Thomas Foundation, happening on Father’s Day.
The company is going to continue with its charity promotion for Father’s Day on Saturday and Sunday. Wendy’s is planning on donating fifty cents for every Frosty beverage sold in order to support the effort of matching foster children with permanent homes.
Apparently, the Wendy’s employee did not catch the newsfeed of the Taco Bell employee earlier this month licking the taco shells. One has to wonder if this is becoming a trend and think twice about any fast food restaurant. So the moral of the story is, if you have a problem with licking things, seek help and do not enter the food chain business as a line of work.

She ultimately cursed on the establishment’s employees, calling them names that only made the matter worse. The workers, however, dealt with her in a very professional way and her intention of making the store look bad suddenly backfired on her. Her attitude and approach to the Dunkin’ Donuts employees caused an uproar from internet users who saw her video and gave her a lot of negative feedback instead of supporting her cause.

Moreover, Dunkin’ Donuts stated that they are proud to have them as employees and they will be recognized for their effort in guaranteeing customer satisfaction as well as being compliant with the company’s policy. Ms. Chapman did not expect that to happen and she took down her Facebook page after the feedback that was given to her had risen. Her video went viral on the internet due to the fact that there were a lot of people who were appalled by her lack of respect to others.

Neither her degree in education nor her boyfriend, whom she claims she is currently engaged to, can save her from the angry mob that she has clearly offended with her racist rants. It is always important to remember that the motto “the customer is always right” does not have to be taken to extremes. People are not tolerant of such things and she should learn from this mistake.

You may have thought that a new high calorie fast food combination could not be invented. Everything has been tested, tried and eaten! Just when you thought you may be safe from calories, here comes the new Krispy Kreme Sloppy Joe! The world has once again been introduced to a new combination, this one, a Donut and Sloppy Joe. Sloppy Joes have been around so long they have become a tradition. The ground beef, onion and sauce combination has been tried in every form and style that one can conceive of, but never, ever in a Krispy Kreme Donut.

Who would have thought you could blow so many people’s minds with the sophisticated Donut and Sloppy Joe combination? Well, in this case it happens to be an extremely enterprising chef from the San Diego County Fair. The Sloppy Joe bun is gone and has been replaced by the Krispy Kreme Donut. This is melt in your mouth delicious!

Someone was heard to say that if they must die, then this would be the way to go, declaring the sandwich to be a heart attack in waiting. Indulging in deep fried fair food has always been pure gluttony, but this new extreme sandwich is making people crazy. Given the most outrageous names like Frankenstein’s breakfast or Artery closing lunch, nothing seems to scare off the crowds. The Krispy Kreme Sloppy Joe is set to take over meal times, breakfast, lunch and dinner!

The pope has been in the news in the recent weeks, defending the poor people in the society. This latest development is just but a continuation of what he started immediately he was chosen to succeed Pope Benedict the 16th. It should be remembered that during his inauguration address, the pope had called for the protection of the poor and financial reform.

The pope, during his Wednesday catechesis which happens weekly, put his words in plain terms thus “wastage of food is like we had stolen it from the table of a poor man”. However, it remains to be seen if his statement will touch the hearts of the American businesses which are known to be throwing huge volumes of food daily. The pope called for a better management of food to reduce the amount that is wasted as this can help many who are suffering all over the world.

A report released by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization shows that approximately a third of the world’s food, 1.3 billion tons, is lost every year through wastage. This happens mostly when the food has been bought.
The Pope’s statement comes at a time when the United Nation has launched an anti-food wastage campaign which aims at sensitizing everyone to see how much they can change the world by just changing some few things, like food-waste management.

With all this rage about the ever increasing rate of obesity in America, it is no wonder that now even the youngest of children are questioning and criticizing the fast food chains and their unhealthy products.

“We don’t sell junk food,” claimed Don Thompson, the CEO of the McDonald’s food chain, in response to 9-year-old Hannah Robertson’s pointed criticism that McDonald’s tricks children into eating their food.

Hannah and her mother, Kia Robertson, are the proud owners of a popular blog promoting healthy eating known as ‘Today I ate a Rainbow!’ Their website is centered around a nutritional rainbow chart game they created themselves in order to get kids to eat the proper amount of servings of their vegetables and fruits. The website states that to be healthy, a kid has to eat five different colors every day: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green and Blue-Purple. The differing colors stand for the various phytonutrients that every fruit or vegetable holds. The rainbow colors are used as a guide to ensure that a child’s diet consists of a broad range of nutrients and phytonutrients.

Their website is also uploaded with fun and bubbly videos of healthy cooking made by Hannah and her mom. Their goal is to make it fun for kids to eat a rainbow of fruits and veggies.

In a recent shareholders meeting with her mom, 9-year-old Hannah from British Columbia confronted the CEO of the McDonald’s food chain. Hannah stated that she does not find it fair that big companies try to trick kids into eating unhealthy foods by exploiting cartoon characters and appealing toys. If the kids have no knowledge about healthy eating, then that child will most like fall prey to believing that junk food is good for them because they merely taste good. She claimed that she would appreciate if the CEO would stop trying to trick kids into wanting to eat food from McDonald’s.

Thompson allegedly attempted to convince Hannah that McDonald’s products are actually a part of this ‘healthy rainbow.’ While offering numerous toys, he claimed that the rainbow consists of various shades of brown with small amounts of red and green, much like the food that is sold in the fast food chain. Hannah remained unconvinced.

The crocodiles escaped from Rakwena Crocodile Farm, a tourist location some nine miles from the small town of Pontdrif, which borders Botswana.

The Guardian writes that “although ‘a few thousand’ have since been recaptured, including one at a school rugby ground 75 miles away, more than half of the reptiles are still at large.”

Zane Langman, the farm owner’s son-in-law, claims many of the crocodiles escaped into dense bush and then into the Limpopo River, the second largest river in South Africa.

“There used to be only a few crocodiles in the Limpopo River. Now there are a lot. We go to catch them as soon as farmers call us to inform us about the crocodiles,” said Langman. “I heard there were crocodiles in Musina [about 72 miles away] on the school’s rugby field.”

Langman added that he rescued some friends from a flooded house in the area by boat on Sunday, during the intense flood waters.

“When we reached them, the crocodiles were swimming around them. Praise the Lord, they were all alive,” said Langman.

Photos posted on the farm’s website show the crocodiles vary in size, though one is shown to be more than 18 feet long. Imagine that: an 18-foot crocodile, one of thousands, now roaming the area looking for food. Scary stuff, indeed.

At the time of writing, sources claim many crocodiles have been recaptured, though more than half are still on the loose.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland said Tuesday that 10 out of 27 hamburger products it analyzed in a study were found to contain horse DNA, and 23 of them tested positive for pig DNA.

“This raises concerns in relation to the traceability of meat ingredients and products entering the food chain,” it said, but noted that the findings posed no risk to public health.

Tesco responded by pulling from its shelves all products from the company that had supplied the dubious burgers.

“We understand that many of our customers will be concerned by this news, and we apologize sincerely for any distress,” Tesco said.

Wow, who know’s what’s going on with meat these days.  How do you know what is being ground up in your meat?  First it was the pink slime incident and now horse meat? This really makes you wonder what’s going on here.  I mean, I don’t think there are any health issues with horse meat but it’s surely not on most people’s minds when they are eating meat, especially when it should be pure beef!  There was an article in the past asking if you would eat horse meat because it was getting more popular as a food source.  Would you eat horse meat intentionally if you were offered to try it?

According to police, the flash mob consisted of over 200 juveniles meeting at the mall’s food court approximately at 6pm. Police were called when fights reportedly broke out between juveniles, and three separate police agencies responded to the scene.

“We think there was some sort of post on social media about a flash mob for tonight which drew such a large crowd of juveniles,” said Casey Rayborn Hicks, a spokeswoman for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office.

Although no one was injured due to the mall emptying after the flash mob turned ugly, video of the incident clearly show officers chasing juveniles throughout the mall, with ambulances waiting outside to cater to anyone injured.

“Never been that scared in my life,” said Juston D’Nea Millet on Facebook. “People were running everywhere. It was like a movie, but you were in it.”

Witnesses claim some flash mob participants flipped over tables, jumped over railings, and clogged escalators and elevators. Some even heard rumors of a juvenile carrying a gun, though police found no evidence backing this rumor.

“I grabbed my son and took off running, but all the doors to the stores were closed,” said a witness remaining anonymous. “I ran through a side door into the parking lot and ran around trying to find my car.”

Police closed down the mall and kept it closed for the rest of the night. Many juveniles were held in custody by the police, able to be picked up by their parents only when the situation was completely under control.

Up to 10 people are expected to face criminal charges for inciting a riot.

This was the worst experience I’ve had in Casper.  The Bourbon Chicken gave me travelers dysentery, and I willingly eat street vendor food in Peru, Mexico and Nicaragua and have never gotten this sick.  The point is, I know world class bad food and this is in the top 2 or 3 in el mundo!  The steaks looked OK, but I never got there.
The Chinese was aged, the Italian looked Chef Boy Ardee like, and getting ill on first dish was my only saving grace.  The chocolate fondue had berries and marshmallows dropped in it.  I can’t imagine the crew training they get there….maybe it was everyones first night.
So say grace and ask forgiveness before you go..

 

-Review From David M.

Some of the motorists located by police have been stranded for up to 24 hours without food or water and have walked long distances through dangerous terrain to get phone reception.

Police have contacted Apple but there hasn’t been any feedback from Apple when the issue will be fixed.

Payment Methods for Dunkin’ App

You can pay with PayPal or Credit Card.  After you’re done paying for your food you can share it with friends across social media websites.  On top of the new payment system you can even view calorie information and use a calorie meter, which is a very similar concept that Wendy’s already used.

The app is available on Android and iOS operating systems.

So what was so offensive that could get Voula kicked out of the Olympics? She mocked African migrants and expressed support for a far-right political party.

Voula Papachrtou’s “racist Tweet”

Voula Papachristou was kicked out of her national team for mocking African migrants and expressing support for a far-Right political party.

“With so many Africans in Greece, at least the West Nile mosquitoes will eat home made food!”

What do you think?  Was she really overboard or was she just trying to be funny?  I personally don’t think she meant it as a racial joke and don’t find the comment that racist to begin with.  I’m sure some would say that it was completely unnessessary and it was.  I mean, she shouldn’t be Tweeting anything that could be considered controversial.  Maybe this will teach athletes a lesson: Don’t Tweet Your Own Jokes.

The daring rescue involved special forces from the British SAS, United States Delta Force and Navy Seals as well as local Afghan troops. At least five insurgents were killed in the raid when the shock troops were helicoptered in to the cave complex. There were no serious injuries sustained by the rescuing forces from the international coalition ISAF.

All four freed hostages are in good health. Helen Johnston and Moragwa Oirere are being looked after by their respective embassies and the Afghan nationals are under observation in a Kabul hospital.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said “It was an extraordinarily brave, breath-taking even, operation that our troops had to carry out,” He added “Terrorists should know if they take British citizens as hostage we do not pay ransoms, we do not trade prisoners. They can expect a swift and brutal end.”

A spokesman for Ms Johnston’s family said: “We are delighted and hugely relieved by the wonderful news that Helen and all her colleagues have been freed. We are deeply grateful to everyone involved in her rescue, to those who worked tirelessly on her behalf, and to family and friends for their love, prayers and support over the last 12 days.”

Shams ul-Rahman, the deputy governor of Badakhshan province said that the rescue had taken place after negotiations between local Afghan elders and the kidnappers. When information came out as to the hostages location, this was passed on to ISAF troops who planned the daring raid.

ABC News emailed the top 10 grocery chains in America about Pink Slime and seven responded:

1. Safeway
“We rely on the federal government to help guide us on food safety issues. USDA has been clear in its judgment that Lean Finely Textured Ground Beef is a safe source of nutrition. However, we are reviewing the matter at this time.”

2. Ahold (Stop & Shop/Giant)
“Stores operated by the divisions of Ahold USA do carry ground beef made with Boneless Lean Beef Trimmings (BLBT), also called Finely Textured Beef (FTB). Boneless Lean Beef Trimmings (BLBT) is beef and is absolutely safe for consumption. To make the product, beef companies use beef trimmings, which are the small cuts of beef that remain when larger cuts are trimmed down. These trimmings are USDA-inspected, wholesome cuts of beef. This process has been an industry standard for almost 20 years. Alternatives to the conventional ground beef supply, in the form of Certified Angus Beef and Nature’s Promise ground beef products, are available to customers in stores across all of the divisions of Ahold USA. These products do not include the use of BLBT. Customers are being encouraged to ask any meat associate should they have any questions or would like to be directed to meat that does not include Boneless Lean Beef Trimmings. Our labeling is in compliance with USDA regulations. BLBT is USDA tested and approved ground beef and therefore does not require labeling.”

3. Costco
Does not use pink slime.
“Anything that we sell at Costco we want to explain it’s origins, and I personally don’t know how to explain trim treated with ammonia in our ground beef,” Craig Wilson, vice president of quality assurance for Costco, told ABC News. “I just don’t know how to explain that. I’m not that smart.”

4. Publix
“We have never allowed the use of LFTB (pink slime) in our meat. It’s 100 percent ground beef with no LFTB.”

5. H-E-B
“All our ground beef sold at H-E-B is 100% pure with no additives.”

6. Whole Foods
Does not use pink slime.

7. Kroger
“We do not use finely textured beef in our fresh ground beef. … We are routinely presented the finely textured beef as an option, but have always refused.”

This Pink Slime Food Additive (that reminds me of the pink slime in ghost busters) is actually called “lean finely textured beef”, and federal law allows it to take up as much as 15 percent of ground beef – “is a mixture of leftover trimmings, sinew, and other beef parts culled from a cow once the expensive and more recognizable cuts of meat have been harvested and sent to a butcher,” reported the Blaze. “The collection of leftovers is spun in a centrifuge to remove excess fat, washed in a disinfecting solution and then minced for use in various applications.”

Yes, absolutely disgusting isn’t it?  At least Jamie Oliver exposed the nasty pink beef slime during a segment from “Oliver’s Food Revolution” TV show.  Check out his video below:

Here’s the description:

On the Season Premiere of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution filmed in Los Angeles and aired on April 12, 2011, Jamie demonstrates how 70% of America’s ground beef contains leftover cow parts (a.k.a. “pink slime”) containing e.coli and salmonella that has been treated with ammonia. Ammonia treated meat can be found in virtually all conventional grocery stores, fast food restaurants, many national restaurant chains, and school cafeterias. The saddest part is that the USDA allows this ammonia treated meat to enter the marketplace and with no labeling requirement on the packaging to inform the consumer that the meat they’re about to buy contains ammonia, thus hiding the truth and pulling a wool over the consumer’s eye. This is certainly a rude awakening to the majority of Americans that don’t know where the meat in their fridge, the meat in their conventional local grocery store, the meat in their fast food hamburger, and the meat in their restaurant made hamburger comes from. How do you avoid this poison? Buy beef that has come from grass fed cows, which can be found at natural and organic grocery stores and your local farmers market. No matter the size of your town or city, grass fed beef (real beef) is not out of reach. Unlike ammonia treated beef, grass fed beef is clearly labeled and contains no ammonia.

Here’s a real picture of the pink slime:

So do you think McDonalds, Burger King, and Taco Bell all use pink slime?  I wouldn’t doubt it!

News Update: Apparently McDonald’s discontinued the use of the Pink Slime since August of last year:

Todd Bacon, McDonald’s senior supply chain officer, told the Daily Mail that the decision “was not related to any particular event, but rather to support our effort to align our global beef raw material standards.”

In a statement, McDonald’s clarified that it stopped using “select lean beef trimmings” — its preferred term for scrap meat soaked in ammonium hydroxide and ground into a pink meatlike paste — at the beginning of last year.

“This product has been out of our supply chain since August of last year,” it said.

There are now some stores in Virginia and Maryland who are offering Burger King Delivery as a possible marketing strategy to gain more sales.  This is surprising news to some, because it’s, well, fast food.  How long does it take to run to the BK drive through?  On the other hand, maybe it’s a good idea since most of the fast food eaters are typically lazy anyway.  Don’t get me wrong, I eat fast food, but I’m referring to the people who eat BK and McDonald’s day in and day out.  The service is available from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., deliveries cost $2 and there is a minimum order of $8 to $10.  The minimum order depends on the area you are living in.  When you think about it, it is a good idea.  Take out is fun and I think ordering BK Delivery Service would be interesting once in a while.  It would save me a 15 minute trip, but I think the idea itself of delivery is the best factor in my eyes.  Just don’t do it too often and you’ll be fine!  Everything in moderation, right?

“We are currently testing the service to bring this convenience to the U.S.,” Kristen Hauser, a spokeswoman for Burger King, said in an e-mail. The Miami-based chain will expand its test to 16 locations from four by Jan. 23, she said, declining to say whether the service will be offered nationwide.

Available from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., deliveries cost $2 and there is a minimum order of $8 to $10, depending on the market, according to Burger King’s website. The restaurant, whose rivals include McDonald’s Corp. and Wendy’s Co., is delivering meals such as 40-piece chicken tenders and two bottled drinks for $10.99 and four large sandwich combos for $23.99.

Customers can order online or via phone. Burger King doesn’t deliver fountain drinks, milkshakes, coffee and breakfast foods, Hauser said.

1. Before you status update, Tweet, Tumble or Instagram, pause and say to yourself, “is it entirely necessary that I share this morsel of thought with my entire social network?”and if the answer is not, “yes, I absolutely must,” then step away from the Internet.
2. Know which candidate you’re going to vote for in the upcoming presidential election, and know why.
3. Enough with the 14-day juice cleanses. If you want to lose a little weight quickly, eat less and exercise like crazy. If you want to lose a lot of weight slowly, do whatever Jennifer Hudson did.
4. If you really like the person you’re hooking up with and would like them to be your boyfriend/ girlfriend, find a way to tell them, and hope for the best. If you don’t and wouldn’t, stop.
5. Find a way to save approximately 300 dollars and spend it on a flight to see a friend or family member who lives far away.
6. Please stop liking the Kardashians, all of them. It’s not helping anyone, least of all the Kardashians.
7. Spend less than or equal to the money you earn each month.
8. Wear clothes that fit you, especially to work.
9. Call someone on the phone at least once a week, and speak to him or her for at least ten minutes.
10. Start preparing now to get over the fact that Facebook is probably going to change again in six months. You’re not going to deactivate your account. You don’t know how.
11. Wait 30 seconds before you look up a fact you can’t remember on your phone, and try to remember it using your brain. This is what the olden days were like.
12. Replace one terrible reality show you’re currently watching with one wonderful scripted show currently available on television.  Swap suggestion: Real Housewives of Anywhere for HBO’s Enlightened.
13. Try that food you think you don’t like but have never actually tried, unless it’s brussels sprouts. They really don’t need any more attention.
14. Cut one person out of your life who you truly do not like and add one person who you truly do. Note: not on Facebook, on Earth.
15. If you’re still blacking out regularly, you should stop.
16. Volunteer once over the next 90 days.  You’ll feel really good about it, and probably end up volunteering again over the next 275.
17.  Tell someone who you love that you love them on a more regular basis. To their face, not in a text.
18. Back up your entire online life onto an external hard drive, especially your photos.
19. Crap or get off the pot. This applies to whatever thing you’re not doing that you should just sack up and do already.
20.  And in the eternal words of Tom Haverford, “TREAT YO SELF!”

Happy 2012 everyone!

There’s a lot of political involvement in this decision.  Opponents tried to cut off funding for horse meat inspections, however Congress lifted the ban in a spending bill President Barack Obama signed into law Nov. 18 to keep the government afloat until mid-December.  This means there may be a slaughterhouse opening very soon.

Opponents also say  that if these horse slaughterhouses were to go live taxpayers would need to spend money since there is no allocated funding.

Of course many horse activists despise this decision, however there are some that feel the horses are being neglected due to the economy and a variety of other factors.

Cheri White Owl, founder of the nonprofit Horse Feathers Equine Rescue in Guthrie, Okla., said she’s seen more horse neglect during the recession. Her group is caring for 33 horses now and can’t accept more.

“A lot of the situation is due to the economy,” she said, “People deciding to pay their mortgage or keep their horse.”

Some also make the argument that slaughtering a horse is inhumane and a very cruel process.  I agree here, there’s no doubt that it is cruel, however what do you think happens when we slaughter cows, chickens or other animals we eat.  What do you think we did hundreds of years ago when we killed animals for food?  Do you think they worried so much about how the animals felt or did they just do what was necessary to survive?  I can’t imagine they had humane ways of slaughtering animals for food.

Letter from a Shelter Manager in North Carolina

I think our society needs a huge “Wake-up” call. As a shelter manager, I am going to share a little insight with you all…a view from the inside if you will.

First off, all of you breeders/sellers should be made to work in the “back” of an animal shelter for just one day. Maybe if you saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would change your mind about breeding and selling to people you don’t even know.

That puppy you just sold will most likely end up in my shelter when it’s not a cute little puppy anymore. So how would you feel if you knew that there’s about a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter it is going to be dumped at? Purebred or not! About 50% of all of the dogs that are “owner surrenders” or “strays”, that come into my shelter are purebred dogs.

The most common excuses I hear are; “We are moving and we can’t take our dog (or cat).” Really? Where are you moving too that doesn’t allow pets? Or they say “The dog got bigger than we thought it would”. How big did you think a German Shepherd would get? “We don’t have time for her”. Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs! “She’s tearing up our yard”. How about making her a part of your family? They always tell me “We just don’t want to have to stress about finding a place for her we know she’ll get adopted, she’s a good dog”.

Odds are your pet won’t get adopted & how stressful do you think being in a shelter is? Well, let me tell you, your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off. Sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn’t full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy. If it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel in a room with about 25 other barking or crying animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a walk. If I don’t, your pet won’t get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose. If your dog is big, black or any of the “Bully” breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door.

Those dogs just don’t get adopted. It doesn’t matter how ‘sweet’ or ‘well behaved’ they are.

If your dog doesn’t get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn’t full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable enough breed it may get a stay of execution, but not for long . Most dogs get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression. Even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment. If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed because shelters just don’t have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment.

Here’s a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being “put-down”.

First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash. They always look like they think they are going for a walk happy, wagging their tails. Until they get to “The Room”, every one of them freaks out and puts on the brakes when we get to the door. It must smell like death or they can feel the sad souls that are left in there, it’s strange, but it happens with every one of them. Your dog or cat will be restrained, held down by 1 or 2 vet techs depending on the size and how freaked out they are. Then a euthanasia tech or a vet will start the process. They will find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose of the “pink stuff”. Hopefully your pet doesn’t panic from being restrained and jerk. I’ve seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the resulting blood and been deafened by the yelps and screams. They all don’t just “go to sleep”, sometimes they spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves.

When it all ends, your pets corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were killed waiting to be picked up like garbage. What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food? You’ll never know and it probably won’t even cross your mind. It was just an animal and you can always buy another one, right?

I hope that those of you that have read this are bawling your eyes out and can’t get the pictures out of your head I deal with everyday on the way home from work.

I hate my job, I hate that it exists & I hate that it will always be there unless you people make some changes and realize that the lives you are affecting go much farther than the pets you dump at a shelter.

Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can stop it. I do my best to save every life I can but rescues are always full, and there are more animals coming in everyday than there are homes.

My point to all of this DON’T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE!

Hate me if you want to. The truth hurts and reality is what it is. I just hope I maybe changed one persons mind about breeding their dog, taking their loving pet to a shelter, or buying a dog. I hope that someone will walk into my shelter and say “I saw this and it made me want to adopt”. THAT WOULD MAKE IT WORTH IT

3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage… all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ….into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films…..

= a trip of a lifetime.

move, eat, learn

Move Vimeo Video

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

Share the move video!

The Plain Dumb Website posted a funny article that may go viral.  It’s about the new trend of Facebook users who have a problem of chain posting, like the old email chains.  They post status updates that show concern, care, or a particular interesting subject and ask everyone to re-post the status.  Little do they know that they are contributing to the making Facebook spam-like.   The solution?  Well there isn’t really one other than to share this post to help stop the madness!  It’s kind-of hypocritical of us to ask to re-post this, but maybe we can make them think before they attempt to make another Facebook Chain Status (Re-Post).

Here are some Stupid Facebook chains going around!

This year October has 5 Mondays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. This Happens once every 823years. This is called money bags So copy this to your status and money will arrive within 4days. Based on Chinese Feng Shui. The one who does not copy, will be without money.

The girl you just called fat? She’s overdosing on diet pills. The girl you just called ugly? She spends hours putting makeup on hoping people will like her. The boy you just tripped? He’s abused enough at home. See that man with the ugly scars? He fought for our country. That guy you just made fun of for crying…his mother is dying. If you’re against bullying, make this your status for an hour. National Suicide Prevention

FACEBOOK JUST RELEASED THEIR PRICE GRID FOR MEMBERSHIP. $9.99 PER MONTH FOR GOLD MEMBER SERVICES, $6.99 PER MONTH FOR SILVER MEMBER SERVICES, $3.99 PER MONTH FOR BRONZE MEMBER SERVICES, FREE IF YOU COPY AND PASTE THIS MESSAGE BEFORE MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. WHEN YOU SIGN ON TOMORROW MORNING YOU WILL BE PROMPTED FOR PAYMENT INFO…IT IS OFFICIAL IT WAS EVEN ON THE NEWS. FACEBOOK WILL START CHARGING DUE TO THE NEW PROFILE CHANGES. IF YOU COPY THIS ON YOUR WALL YOUR ICON WILL TURN BLUE AND FACEBOOK WILL BE FREE FOR YOU. PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ON IF NOT YOUR ACCOUNT WILL BE DELETED IF YOU DO NOT PAY

HAPPILY MARRIED WEEK: If your spouse is your best friend, works extremely hard, has been with you through triumphs and tragedies, loves you when you’re at your worst, and is someone you’re proud to be married to, post this as your status with the date you were married.

YOU…Hey You…yea I mean you if you have taken a minute to read this… God has seen YOU struggling with something. God says its over. A blessing is coming your way. If you believe in God send this message on, please dont ignore it, you are being tested. God is going to fix two things (BIG) tonight in your favor. If you believe in God… drop everything and repost. If you do not want to, it is up to you

BREAKING NEWS: We need to send money to the following country: United States Of America. There are many without food, shelter and clean drinking water. Residents are going without heat for the winter and no a/c in the summer. Thousands are without jobs, need healthcare for the sick. Stop sending our money over seas. We have people here that lack the basic human needs. Do you have the guts to re-post this? I just did! AMERICA FIRST

Think about this for a minute. If I showed up on your doorstep crying, would you care? If I called you and asked you to come pick me up because something happened, would you come? If I had one day left to live my life, would you be a part of it? If I needed a shoulder to cry on, would you loan me yours? Life is lonely without friends. It’s World’s Best Friend Week. If you agree repost

Share more in our comments and re-post this on Facebook to stop the madness!

Yesterday I got a glimpse at the influence smartphones have had in our lives up to this point, and their role in the future of our children.

My wife and I were having lunch with some friends yesterday and between our two families, there were six kids total (my wife and I have 4, our friends have 2).  The youngest of the six is 3 years old and the oldest is 11 years old.

Church had just let out about an hour earlier and everyone was hungry.  So our restaurant of choice was Shanes Rib Shack in Athens, Georgia.

The food was excellent, as always, and we occupied a back corner of the restaurant.  When their’s ten people total, to include six kids, you need some room to spread out, so the sprawling tablets in the corner were perfect.

So after we ate, we were just sitting back and hanging out trying to have a conversation.  And of course, as typical kids are, they get rambunctious just sitting at a table after you eat.  The little one is starting to climb all over the adults, and the older ones are trying to find ways to amuse themselves.

Between the six kids, there were only a couple of iPod Touches and one iPhone.  This was perfect for the ones who had the devices, but not so much for the kids who didn’t.

Pretty soon the kids who didn’t have any any devices to play on were asking the adults to borrow their smartphones.  Between the adults there were three iPhones and one Android smartphone (that was mine, I traded in my iPhone for an Galaxy S).

And then it happened, I got a glimpse into the impact of mobile phones not only in our lives right now, but the role mobile phones will play in the future.  All six kids had a smartphone and were playing games.  From the three year old to the 11 year old, every kid was holding a smartphone and intently engaged staring at their screens.

The adults were thinking, “wow… look at that.  All six kids lost in the world of a smartphone.”

It’s moments like this that Apple and Google would get excited about because here you have young kids actively engaged in smartphones.  This means, the future of smartphones are bright.  And even for today, regardless of age, smartphones are in high demand and have some utility in people’s lives.

Doing something wonderful for someone else without expecting anything in return is good for the soul.

It is extremely rewarding, grounding and will make someone else’s day.

So how do you go about doing a good deed?

1. Talk to people and actually listen. Most of the time, people will talk about things they need to do. Helping them to knock off a couple of things on that list like organizing the corporate booklet printing or business card printing for an overworked colleague might be just the way to help them out and to do your good deed. Helping them with their everyday chores like watering their gardens, cleaning their house, babysitting their children or walking their dog are great ways to help.
2. The alternative to helping someone you know is to help a complete stranger. This is the ultimate selfless deed and it could be as simple as buying lunch for a homeless person.
3. Another great way is to donate your time to a local charity – you can stock shelves at the local
4. food bank, walk dogs at the shelter, or serve meals to the homeless.  Make someone’s day and surprise them with an anonymous gift like a gift hamper or a charity hamper. Make sure you attach a gift tag to explain that this is your good deed for the day and that you hope they enjoy the special gift. By doing this, you might even inspire a revolution of anonymous giving.
5. Visit your local retirement house and offer to read to the elderly or to help out in some other way. The people that are cared for in these facilities have usually been active participants in your society and are pillars of the community so it’s nice to return the favour.
6. Take a load off someone’s deserving shoulders and cook a meal for them – this will be received extremely well by someone who has been ill or working long hours lately.
7. Host a fundraising event – it doesn’t have to be fancy or over the top, just invite your nearest and dearest – you’ll be surprised by how you can raise.
8. Participate in a charity event – get active and get involved in a fun run or grab a bunch of friends
9. and go to a charity dinner.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you give from your heart and remember that even the smallest deed can make a huge difference to someone else. So rewarding – a good deed should make you feel good about yourself and leave you with a permanent smile on your face all day.

50% off Food – $10 for $20 at The Flying Biscuit Cafe

The Flying Biscuit Cafe
3280 PEACHTREE RD.
Atlanta, Georgia 30305
(404) 477-0013

Use Today Between 6:30am – 4pm or we’ll automatically refund you

Value: 20
Discount: 50%
You Save: $10

The Fine Print

Must present between
6:30am – 4pm EDT on 08/18/2011
Limit 1 per person, per visit.
1 per table. Not valid with any other offers.
See the rules that apply to all deals.

As a local business owner, you don’t really care about ranking high in national or global search results.  If you own a sea food restaurant in downtown Atlanta, then you want to target those who are searching on Google Maps, or using keyword phrases such as “best seafood in atlanta” – which triggers local Google Maps search results.

So here are some tips to ranking higher in Google local search results.

1)  You need a Google Places page

I’m telling you right now, if you are a local business where your customers come to your location, then you need to have a Google Places page for your business.

Get your Google Places page here.

Do this for me – go to Google and search for something like “seafood in atlanta” and tell me what you get?

This is what I see when I search “seafood in atlanta” from Google:

Tell me what you see here as the top search results?

That’s right – it’s all about Google Maps listings.  Well guess what, these Google Maps listings are not appearing by accident – they are appearing because Google Maps is feeding off data from Google Places.

Same thing with Google Places via mobile phones

The same exact thing occurs when I search “seafood in atlanta” from my iPhone.

Check it out – here’s what I get when I open Google from my iPhone and search “seafood in atlanta”:

The search results you see above are, once again, being fed directly from Google Places.

So the whole point here is critically important – your local business MUST HAVE a Google Places page in order to have a shot of connecting to people in your local area searching for what you offer.

2)  Create full Google Places listing & pages

After you create your Google Places page for your business, you need to now fill it up with a lot of relevant information.

Two main areas I’m going to focus on here is “categories” and images”.

Categories:

With Google Places, you have 5 main categories that you use to define your business.  Let me just tell you this – if Google Places doesn’t have your main category listed as a one that pops up automatically, then create your own custom category.

There’s nothing wrong with that.

You HAVE TO, HAVE TO, HAVE TO make sure that your get highly relevant, and keyword targeted categories represented in your categories.

And also make sure you take advantage of all five (5) categories.  A lot of businesses only use two or three categories, and then wonder why they are being outranked by businesses who are using the full five (5) categories allocated to their profiles.

Images

This is one area that always amazes me when it comes to businesses using Google Places – they never upload their own images to their page!!!??

Why is that?

I don’t really know to be honest with you – perhaps they just don’t know any better.

But the majority of images I see on a Google Places pages are ones from third party websites – not ones the owner himself or herself uploaded.

Added your own images, and uploading them directly to your Google Places page gives that content exponentially higher value from an authoritative standpoint.

And there isn’t a limit – at least that I know of – to the number of images you can upload.

So get out your camera, start snapping images of your interior and exterior business, and get those images uploaded to your Google Places page – it’s really a big deal.

3)  Facebook Pages and Facebook Places

I’m not going to get into the full details of how to setup a Facebook fan page and Facebook places location for your local business, but I need to tell you that nothing is more important to have up and running in conjunction with your Google Places page than a Facebook fan page and Facebook places page for your local business.

With your Facebook fan page, you can actually create a page designed and templated specifically for local businesses.

With your Facebook places page, you can can do the exact same thing as with your Facebook fan page, but have the added benefit of showing your visitors – on both desktop and mobile devices – your map listings, specials, etc…

Best of all, the most fully developed Facebook fan pages and Facebook places pages you have for your business, the more information and relevance will feed back to your Google Places page and make it more authoritative to help it rank even higher in the search results.

If anyone needs helps with creating a Google Places page, Facebook fan page, and / or Facebook places page for their local business, feel free to give me a call – I’d be more than happy to help you out.

Robert Holland @ 706-363-0335

Or email me:  admin@socialmediaseo.net

Here’s a startup idea for you – how about buying a franchise in a Vegetable vending machine?

Sound bizarre?  I know… me too – but it’s true, a company from San Diego is revolutionizing the vending machine industry by selling vegetables directly out of their vending machines.

According to founders of Fresh Vending, “People have had enough of all the unhealthy food options. They really want something more nutritious, today… and until now, getting something healthier might not have included convenience, which is something else that people want. So we have paired the two in a perfect combination.

Get more info about the vegetable vending machine by visiting their website at www.FreshVending.com.

What do you think about this?

1)  priceline.com (NASDAQ:PCLN): Up 1.59% to $491.69. Priceline.com Incorporated enables consumers to use the Internet to save money on a variety of products and services. The Company’s product allows customers to name their own price on products or services and communicates that demand directly to participating sellers or to their private databases. Participants include domestic and international airlines, and hotel chains.

2)  Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ:WFMI): Up 1.56% to $64.35. Whole Foods Market, Inc. owns and operates a chain of natural food supermarkets in the United States. The Company’s stores provides full range of merchandise, featuring products that are free of artificial flavors, sweeteners, colors, preservatives, and added chemicals. Whole Foods also develops, produces, and markets nutriceuticals and nutritional supplements.