Day: August 28, 2015

Food News For All

Enough with the politics of everything……why not lighten up the posts a bit?  After all the relaxation of the weekend is approaching…..

We Americans love our fads……fads in politics, entertainment, clothing and especially in our food….Kale comes to mind.

I use to have a food blog but it got no traffic and it was a waste of time so from time to time I will post on food…..I would give recipes but Americans would not know good food if it bit them in the ass…..Kale comes mind.

Me….I am a meat eater….I was born a predator…….and high on my list is steak…..a filet is best….no waste….and then second is a really good burger….meat bread little mayo and brown mustard….period.  The greens are for a salad…..Kale comes to mind.

But I read an article that made me step back and go eeewwww……..

A close look at ground beef reveals some pretty disturbing stuff, a Consumer Reports investigation found. Some 300 packages containing 458 pounds of ground beef were bought at stores of all kinds in 26 cities, and every single one “contained bacteria that signified fecal contamination,” per Consumer Reports. That’s more than just gross: It can cause serious illness when beef isn’t cooked to the recommended 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Any meat can make you sick if not cooked properly, Consumer Reports notes, but ground beef is especially risky because cows raised on crowded feedlots tend to have manure on their skin, which contains bacteria that can end up in the meat during processing—and bacteria from one cow can end up mixed with that of many other cows.

The testing also revealed antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” in some of the meat, though they were a lot less prevalent in beef labeled “grass-fed organic,” which tended to have less bacteria overall. Experts advise consumers to buy sustainably raised beef when they can—and always make sure it’s cooked all the way through. “Remember, when it’s ground beef, you’re taking it and grinding the bacteria from the surface of the beef into it,” Consumer Reports‘ director for food safety tells CBS. “So unlike a steak, you’re really moving all that bacteria all around the beef. So it’s especially important for ground beef, to cook it to 160 degrees to be absolutely safe.”

EEEEEWWWW maybe….but will it stop me from my burger……NOT A CHANCE!  I cannot say the same for…….Kale.

Next up….are you a ketchup person?  Some people will put ketchup on just about everything….but it is not made for that….Kale comes to mind.

But there seems to be a controversy brewing in Israel…..and it has nothing to do with the Palestinians…..or even Kale for that matter……

The iconic Heinz tomato ketchup will no longer be called ketchup in Israel after the Ministry of Health there ruled that the product did not contain enough tomato solids to be classified as ketchup.

Instead, it will move a step lower and be sold as tomato seasoning, Ynet News reported, according to the Times of Israel. The ruling however will only affect the Hebrew label version, the newspaper said.

Israeli trade standards require ketchup products to have at least 41% tomato concentrate. Heinz’s competitor in Israel, Osem tested its ketchup and alleged that it contained only 21% concentrate.

The newspaper said the ruling by the ministry was the result of a lobbying campaign by Osem, which controls about two-thirds of the market for ketchup in the country.

In a letter sent to retailers in January, Osem claimed that tests of Heinz ketchup found it only contained 21% tomato concentrate instead of the 61% advertised.

I think it is more to this than the paste content.

I think it is a shot at the Obama administration because it is not as warm to Israel as they would like them to be.

Why do I think this?

You see Obama’s SecState is John Kerry whose wife is a Heinz from the family that the ketchup is named for……come one….Israel could not be that petty, right?  If you think that then you do not know as much as you think about Israel.

So the next time you are in Israel and want some fries (chips) do not forget to ask for “tomato seasoning” if you want the good stuff.

A final thought….is it ketchup or catsup?

Bon Apetite!

Now go and enjoy the start of your weekend….

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With Friends Like These…..We Are Screwed!

The big international news is that of Turkey and its lousy foreign policy and that of Saudi Arabia and its decimation of Yemen, al in the name of religion…..

We are fighting war after war….and we have friends that are lending a hand……countries like Saudi Arabia and Turkey……and with friends like these we are so screwed!

For instance, our good friend Saudi Arabia…..their domestic policies are in line with the Taleban, Al-Qaeda and ISIS…..fundamentalist extremism and it is rumored that they are secretly funding these organizations…..even 9/11 was said to have been a Saudi operation  (with little actual proof)……

Their biggest concern is Iran…..since the Iranians are Shia and the Saudis are Sunni there is a battle going on for the hearts and minds of the faithful…..and while they are spreading the extremism the US and its allies are spreading their cash and weapons among the Saudis like peanut butter on a waffle….

And all that aid is going into the destruction of their neighbor, Yemen…..all the death and destruction and violence that a good war brings to the table.

Let’s move on to our next “friend” Turkey……just like Saudi we supply Turkey with cash and weapons to keep them on our side in any conflict….but is our trust in their friendship misplaced?

For instance, the US big plan to deal with ISIS a well trained moderate militia may be a group that Turkey breaks with the US……according to McClatchy…….

GAZIANTEP, Turkey

The kidnapping of a group of U.S.-trained moderate Syrians moments after they entered Syria last month to confront the Islamic State was orchestrated by Turkish intelligence, multiple rebel sources have told McClatchy.

The rebels say that the tipoff to al Qaida’s Nusra Front enabled Nusra to snatch many of the 54 graduates of the $500 million program on July 29 as soon as they entered Syria, dealing a humiliating blow to the Obama administration’s plans for confronting the Islamic State.

Rebels familiar with the events said they believe the arrival plans were leaked because Turkish officials were worried that while the group’s intended target was the Islamic State, the U.S.-trained Syrians would form a vanguard for attacking Islamist fighters that Turkey is close to, including Nusra and another major Islamist force, Ahrar al Sham.

Is this any way for a NATO ally to behave?
Is the US so desparate for friends that we will pay them to betray that trust?  What price will Turkey pay for this betrayal?  Turkey is becoming a waste…..wasted time, wasted money and wasted trust!

 

The Civilian Toll From the War Against ISIS Is Huge. Why Isn’t the Press Covering It?

Some may think that I dost protest too much…..about our foreign policy.

Maybe I do…….but we have proven time and time again that we are not capable of acting in a rational way toward situations on the international stage.

With the 2016 election we will be electing a prez that will be ass deep into diplomatic nightmares and so far the best any of the candidates can do is give the American people slogans and bumper sticker solutions to the problems.

T avoid any more war maybe we, the voter, should pay attention and educate ourselves on the basics of foreign policy……that could go a long way in keeping the US out of situations that we must use force to settle…..

Whatcha think?

 

The Civilian Toll From the War Against ISIS Is Huge. Why Isn’t the Press Covering It?.

What everyone gets wrong about “anchor babies” – Vox

The last week has been a wonderful week….the internet went batcrap crazy with immigration again but this time it was about the use of the term “anchor babies”….

There was a back and forth that was ….well…..amusing.

I know we all have our opinions on immigrants both documented and undocumented……..and it is vogue to despise one or the other….but some are taking it too far….like a supporter of Trump that told Jorge Ramos to go back to his country….the problem is he is an American citizen!

It appears that it is getting to the point that if you speak Spanish (for now…..I am sure that will change in the near future…..we will always have someone to mistrust) you are here illegally.

Okay will all that said now I ask….just how much damage do “anchor babies” do to this country?

 

 

Source: What everyone gets wrong about “anchor babies” – Vox