2008 is really shaping out to be a good year for the French macaroon. I mean, does it really get much better than Chocolate Macaroons with Caramel Cream?
Last Friday the Bush administration asked a federal appeals court to stop allowing meatpackers to test all animals for mad cow disease. That's right, the government wants companies to test fewer animals.
Currently, under Agriculture Department guidelines, less than 1 percent of slaughtered cows are tested for the disease. Yet due to a lower court ruling, Kansas-based Creekstone Farms Premium Beef has been granted the ability to more comprehensively test their beef. The government is hoping to stop Creekstone Farms by having the ruling overturned. They argue that widespread testing does not guarantee safety, and that companies are trying to create false assurances. They also stated that a false positive could scare consumers, and that testing would result in increased food prices.
Creekstone attorney Rusell Frye is not buying it and believes the government doesn't have the authority to stop companies from testing. He said:
This is the government telling the consumers, "You're not entitled to this information."
Call me crazy, but doesn't it seem like the more testing you do, the more likely you are to catch something wrong? The folks at Creekstone were supposed to begin testing last June, but because of this appeal the new testing process has been delayed.
So tell me, do you think companies should be allowed to test more cows? Or do you agree with the government and think that it causes false assurances?
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Isn't it fabulous how many parties are associated with a wedding? For my girlfriend Elena, I've already planned an engagement party and the reception. This week I'm planning her bridal shower. All week long I'll be featuring my tips and ideas for the most memorable bridal shower. To get things started, we have to send invitations.
Since many of you are planning bridal showers, I asked our designer to create a set of gorgeous downloadable party invites! The invites are free, all you have to do is download, print, and fill them in. They're pretty, sophisticated, and come in three — blue, green, and pink — lovely colors.
To take a look at all of our wedding coverage go to IDoSugar. To download and print the bridal shower invite seen here, read more
Should serving non-seasonal food be outlawed? Gordon Ramsay thinks so. He recently spoke to the BBC News and told them his opinion. During the interview he said:
Chefs should be fined if they haven't got ingredients in season on their menu. I don't want to see asparagus on in the middle of December, I don't want to see strawberries from Kenya in the middle of March. I want to see it home grown.
He's so passionate about this, he's actually brought the issue to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
However something tells me that England won't be seeing a ban anytime soon. There's big business in the food import industry, and shouldn't people have the right to choose what they want to eat? Sorry Gordon, but I disagree with you on this one. Also, do you think everything on his restaurants' menus are grown locally? The Guardian says they're not.
To watch the interview where Gordon speaks his mind, just read more