Officials did not release the name of the manufacturer but confirmed the rat was discovered in January and tests performed indicated it had gone through the canning process, The Independent reported Friday.

The health official in charge of the inquiry said the incident revealed “severe failings somewhere in the food production process,” the British newspaper said.

From: Whole rat found in can of beans

I think it may be time for them to update their labelling. I found this can in our cupboard.

Artist's conception

Prosecutors said Kim Stokes … claimed to be a single mother who was separated from her husband, but pictures and statements on Facebook revealed the couple were still together, The Sun reported Wednesday.

“I’ve been with my hubby for 16 years and we are still very much in love,” Stokes wrote in her Facebook “About Me” section.

From: Benefits violation discovered on Facebook

What’s that? You share ALL your information publicly and openly* on facebook? I can’t see the harm in that at all. I mean, who would actually be paying any attention at all?

Except maybe Big Brother.

*Don’t ask me – after all, I’m just paranoid.

About 6 weeks ago, our microwave oven died.

Well, maybe died is too strong a word. I’ll just put it this way – when you use the microwave and it makes sparks, ozone-smells and very loud buzzing noises, you might feel uncomfortable continuing to use it. I know we did. Your mileage may vary.

Out in the workshop, we have a dino-wave oven that is approximately the size of the old console TV your grandmother had in her living room – you know, the one that made a 1980s VCR look “compact” – so we weren’t completely without the ability to thaw things quickly. The problem was, putting on the radiation suit, going out to the workshop to thaw your pork chops, and then having a Silkwood-style decontamination shower afterwards was starting to become really inconvenient.

For a couple of weeks, we’d discussed trying to make room in the budget to buy a $50-60 microwave if one went on sale. It is difficult for us to keep money in reserve sometimes, and we were worried a sale opportunity might pass us by when we were low on funds, so we hoped to find something BEFORE the next thing breaks on the van. We considered buying used ones, searching places like Value Village or Goodwill, but we were worried about getting another microwave that would require the operator to wear a lead apron.

Wal-Mart had a sale starting Friday: $49 for a Danby .7 cu. ft., 700 watt box. We decided that we’d pick one up while doing our rounds of the city that we do at the end of each month. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s been this research reported today that suggests big meat-eaters will gain MORE weight over a 5 year period than those who eat less meat. It seems to be the death-knell of the madness that was the Atkins diet fad. However, I have a problem when reading this story: some critical parts of it don’t make a lot of sense.

I can’t be sure if it is something faulty in the research itself, or just very bad reporting by someone who doesn’t understand what they’re writing about. What I know is that this is one of the conclusions it claims to reach:

Because meat is “energy-dense” (meaning it packs more calories by weight than veggies or fruits, for example), it could influence appetite control, they add. However, the researchers did attempt to take overall dietary pattern into account, as well as education, physical activity level, whether or not people smoked, and their total calorie intake.

Based on the findings, a person who cut their meat consumption by 250 grams daily (about a half-pound) could conceivably reduce their 5-year weight gain by around 4 pounds.

From: Meat lovers may pack on the pounds over time.

Because of that statement, it’s getting a lot of press right now – and that’s a pretty serious concern if the researchers’ math or the reporter’s summary is wrong. Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve got it, let’s use it.

Brought to you by the Workmen’s Compensation Board of Ontario.