Richmond Times Dispatch:
Late last year, Alisha Thompson was at a crossroad.
The cookie shop she’d been running for five years was changing, and she knew it would be tough — if not impossible — to keep going. Thompson could continue down the path and renew her expiring franchise agreement with Cookies by Design or reopen as [...]

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I’ll go on vacation to Florida or maybe colorado and i see they have all these fast food restaurants and franchise chains but when it comes to new york city and the 5 boroughs they don’t have any of them or if they do maybe they will have one. For instance they don’t have this buffet restaurant called Golden Corall which im sure are in other place sbesides florida. It’s he best place, lots of food good price, a ton of stuff to pick from. Cici’s pizza buffet place… a lot of states have them, awesome food. Even restaurants like Chili’s, Ruby Tuesdays, Olive Garden etc they are all out in long island far away from where I live in Queens NYC. It took over a year to get quiznos here when everyone else had them. So whats the deal? Even though we have privately owned food businesses it doesnt mean we have a lot of a certain kind of food nor does it mean that place is going to be good either. Mcdonalds, burger king taco bell do well here so why can’t the others? Does it have to do with licensing or something? is it difficult to get a license? I made a question like this before and no one really answere dmy question. They all kept saying why would you want fast food, and thats my business sometimes Im in the mood for it and everyone wants a bit of change from the norm, plus sometimes its just quicker and cheaper. I just want to know for a place that has a lot of people why we get jipped out of some pretty good restaurants that are of the fast food and franchised kind.
Yeah but we have places like White Castle (awesome by the way), Mcdonalds, Burger King, Subway, Quiznos, Wendy’s, Taco bell, KFC, but they have no room or wanting of the other restaurants i mentioned? Heck we don’t even have a dairy queen!!! how pathetic is that. But its ok for the rest of america to have it.

I’ll go on vacation to Florida or maybe colorado and i see they have all these fast food restaurants and franchise chains but when it comes to new york city and the 5 boroughs they don’t have any of them or if they do maybe they will have one. For instance they don’t have this buffet restaurant called Golden Corall which im sure are in other place sbesides florida. It’s he best place, lots of food good price, a ton of stuff to pick from. Cici’s pizza buffet place… a lot of states have them, awesome food. Even restaurants like Chili’s, Ruby Tuesdays, Olive Garden etc they are all out in long island far away from where I live in Queens NYC. It took over a year to get quiznos here when everyone else had them. So whats the deal? Even though we have privately owned food businesses it doesnt mean we have a lot of a certain kind of food nor does it mean that place is going to be good either. Mcdonalds, burger king taco bell do well here so why can’t the others? Does it have to do with licensing or something? is it difficult to get a license? I made a question like this before and no one really answere dmy question. They all kept saying why would you want fast food, and thats my business sometimes Im in the mood for it and everyone wants a bit of change from the norm, plus sometimes its just quicker and cheaper. I just want to know for a place that has a lot of people why we get jipped out of some pretty good restaurants that are of the fast food and franchised kind.
Yeah but we have places like White Castle (awesome by the way), Mcdonalds, Burger King, Subway, Quiznos, Wendy’s, Taco bell, KFC, but they have no room or wanting of the other restaurants i mentioned? Heck we don’t even have a dairy queen!!! how pathetic is that. But its ok for the rest of america to have it.

I’ll go on vacation to Florida or maybe colorado and i see they have all these fast food restaurants and franchise chains but when it comes to new york city and the 5 boroughs they don’t have any of them or if they do maybe they will have one. For instance they don’t have this buffet restaurant called Golden Corall which im sure are in other place sbesides florida. It’s he best place, lots of food good price, a ton of stuff to pick from. Cici’s pizza buffet place… a lot of states have them, awesome food. Even restaurants like Chili’s, Ruby Tuesdays, Olive Garden etc they are all out in long island far away from where I live in Queens NYC. It took over a year to get quiznos here when everyone else had them. So whats the deal? Even though we have privately owned food businesses it doesnt mean we have a lot of a certain kind of food nor does it mean that place is going to be good either. Mcdonalds, burger king taco bell do well here so why can’t the others? Does it have to do with licensing or something? is it difficult to get a license? I made a question like this before and no one really answere dmy question. They all kept saying why would you want fast food, and thats my business sometimes Im in the mood for it and everyone wants a bit of change from the norm, plus sometimes its just quicker and cheaper. I just want to know for a place that has a lot of people why we get jipped out of some pretty good restaurants that are of the fast food and franchised kind.
Yeah but we have places like White Castle (awesome by the way), Mcdonalds, Burger King, Subway, Quiznos, Wendy’s, Taco bell, KFC, but they have no room or wanting of the other restaurants i mentioned? Heck we don’t even have a dairy queen!!! how pathetic is that. But its ok for the rest of america to have it.

Soda fountains contained fecal bacteria, study found

(CNN) — It fizzes. It quenches. And it could also contain fecal bacteria.

Nearly half of the 90 beverages from soda fountain machines in one area in Virginia tested positive for coliform bacteria — which could indicate possible fecal contamination, according to a study published in the January issue of International Journal of Food Microbiology.

Researchers also detected antibiotic-resistant microbes and E.coli in the soda samples.

Certainly we come in contact with bacteria all the time, Renee Godard, lead author of the study and professor of biology and environmental studies at Hollins University, a private liberal arts college in Roanoke, Virginia. It’s simply that some bacteria may potentially cause some disease or gastrointestinal distress. One thing we hesitate with is that people get afraid of bacteria. Many of them are benign or helpful, but certainly, I don’t want E.coli in my beverage.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s drinking-water regulations require that all samples test negative for E.coli.

Many of the soda beverages from the dispensers fell below U.S. drinking-water standards, according to the findings.

The large number of beverages and soda fountain machines containing E. coli is still of considerable concern… and suggests that more pathogenic strains of bacteria could persist and thrive in soda fountain machines if introduced, the authors wrote.

Godard and her colleagues acquired 90 beverages of three types, (sugar soda, diet soda, water) from 30 fast food restaurants in a 22-mile area near Roanoke, in southern Virginia. They surveyed beverages from both self-service and employee-dispensed machines and the samples were tested.

There were no reported outbreaks of food-borne illness related in the Roanoke area at the time of the study.

They found that 48 percent of beverages obtained from soda fountains contained coliform bacteria, 11 percent contained E. coli (which are mostly harmless, but some can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia), and 17 percent had Chryseobacterium meningosepticum (which could sicken newborns or adults with weakened immune systems).

Dean Cliver, professor of food safety emeritus at University of California Davis, said it would be premature to draw broad conclusions about all soda fountains from a localized study.

How sanitation regulations are promulgated and enforced in a community are different, Cliver said. Some communities are more on to it than others. How much of a threat it represents? It’s probably limited. Once again, it’s a matter of what regulations are in place, who pays attention and whether it’s being followed.

The samples were contained in petri dishes and the bacteria multiplied within 48 hours, so much so that they became visible to the naked eye as 300 to 400 tiny dots, Godard said.

A Hollins undergraduate microbiology student accidentally discovered that water from a restaurant beverage dispenser contained bacteria while completing a homework assignment. When the results came back, this piqued the interest of faculty and students.

The researchers are uncertain how the bacteria got inside the beverage machines.

It could be from dispensing with a hand that wasn’t clean or using wet rags to wipe down the machine, Godard said. We haven’t done the work to really identify those potential sources and how these bacteria get established.

Manitowoc Foodservice, one of the leading manufacturers of ice and beverage equipment, did not have the opportunity to review the study, but released this statement in response to CNN.com’s questions: We emphasize in our product support material proper methods for and the importance of frequent, thorough cleaning and sanitizing of foodservice equipment. In food equipment as in any environment where microorganisms can occur naturally or be spread by contact, it is essential to follow proven steps for cleaning and sanitizing.

The National Restaurant Association, a business association for the restaurant industry, e-mailed this statement in response to the findings: While the results of this study are disconcerting, we feel that it isn’t representative of our industry and that our guests can safely enjoy beverages from dispensers and single-serve containers alike.

The American Beverage Association made this statement: Fountain beverages are safe. Consumers can rest assured that our industry’s fountain beverages pose no public health risk. The organization, which represents hundreds of beverage producers, distributors, and franchise companies stated that Importantly, our industry meets, and often exceeds, all government health standards in bringing its products to market.

Whether other outbreaks have occurred because of contaminated soda machines is difficult to determine, because food-related illnesses are notoriously challenging to

Soda fountains contained fecal bacteria, study found

(CNN) — It fizzes. It quenches. And it could also contain fecal bacteria.

Nearly half of the 90 beverages from soda fountain machines in one area in Virginia tested positive for coliform bacteria — which could indicate possible fecal contamination, according to a study published in the January issue of International Journal of Food Microbiology.

Researchers also detected antibiotic-resistant microbes and E.coli in the soda samples.

Certainly we come in contact with bacteria all the time, Renee Godard, lead author of the study and professor of biology and environmental studies at Hollins University, a private liberal arts college in Roanoke, Virginia. It’s simply that some bacteria may potentially cause some disease or gastrointestinal distress. One thing we hesitate with is that people get afraid of bacteria. Many of them are benign or helpful, but certainly, I don’t want E.coli in my beverage.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s drinking-water regulations require that all samples test negative for E.coli.

Many of the soda beverages from the dispensers fell below U.S. drinking-water standards, according to the findings.

The large number of beverages and soda fountain machines containing E. coli is still of considerable concern… and suggests that more pathogenic strains of bacteria could persist and thrive in soda fountain machines if introduced, the authors wrote.

Godard and her colleagues acquired 90 beverages of three types, (sugar soda, diet soda, water) from 30 fast food restaurants in a 22-mile area near Roanoke, in southern Virginia. They surveyed beverages from both self-service and employee-dispensed machines and the samples were tested.

There were no reported outbreaks of food-borne illness related in the Roanoke area at the time of the study.

They found that 48 percent of beverages obtained from soda fountains contained coliform bacteria, 11 percent contained E. coli (which are mostly harmless, but some can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia), and 17 percent had Chryseobacterium meningosepticum (which could sicken newborns or adults with weakened immune systems).

Dean Cliver, professor of food safety emeritus at University of California Davis, said it would be premature to draw broad conclusions about all soda fountains from a localized study.

How sanitation regulations are promulgated and enforced in a community are different, Cliver said. Some communities are more on to it than others. How much of a threat it represents? It’s probably limited. Once again, it’s a matter of what regulations are in place, who pays attention and whether it’s being followed.

The samples were contained in petri dishes and the bacteria multiplied within 48 hours, so much so that they became visible to the naked eye as 300 to 400 tiny dots, Godard said.

A Hollins undergraduate microbiology student accidentally discovered that water from a restaurant beverage dispenser contained bacteria while completing a homework assignment. When the results came back, this piqued the interest of faculty and students.

The researchers are uncertain how the bacteria got inside the beverage machines.

It could be from dispensing with a hand that wasn’t clean or using wet rags to wipe down the machine, Godard said. We haven’t done the work to really identify those potential sources and how these bacteria get established.

Manitowoc Foodservice, one of the leading manufacturers of ice and beverage equipment, did not have the opportunity to review the study, but released this statement in response to CNN.com’s questions: We emphasize in our product support material proper methods for and the importance of frequent, thorough cleaning and sanitizing of foodservice equipment. In food equipment as in any environment where microorganisms can occur naturally or be spread by contact, it is essential to follow proven steps for cleaning and sanitizing.

The National Restaurant Association, a business association for the restaurant industry, e-mailed this statement in response to the findings: While the results of this study are disconcerting, we feel that it isn’t representative of our industry and that our guests can safely enjoy beverages from dispensers and single-serve containers alike.

The American Beverage Association made this statement: Fountain beverages are safe. Consumers can rest assured that our industry’s fountain beverages pose no public health risk. The organization, which represents hundreds of beverage producers, distributors, and franchise companies stated that Importantly, our industry meets, and often exceeds, all government health standards in bringing its products to market.

Whether other outbreaks have occurred because of contaminated soda machines is difficult to determine, because food-related illnesses are notoriously challenging to

MyBangalore:
So, the New Year brings some good news for the sporting fiends in the city. Bangalore now has a one-of-its kind Sports Gear destination with SPORTXS inaugurated by Irfan Pathan.
Inaugurated by none other than the ace cricketer Irfan Pathan on January 9, SPORTXS, which is a part of XSIS Promotion India Pvt. Limited, is believed [...]

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SO WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT?

It’s an open world environment.
The loading times have significantly decreased.
The CAS studio sims look better than ever before.
The sims have more character traits that make them behave differently.
There are options to vary the characters voices so they don’t all sound the same.
You can customize most decorations in and around the house to allow for personal taste and diversity.

AND WHAT’S BAD ABOUT THE SIMS 3?

The create your own style has limitations as build objects like stairs, roof tiles and chimneys cannot be altered.
No longer is there a cinematic moment when your sim has first kiss, woo hoo, gets engaged, gets married or has a baby.
You can’t start with a blank neighbourhood and place empty lots of varying size to create your own world like in the Sims 2.
The create your own style is limited with such things as making a door the colour you want it but not being able to change the knob.
There are buildings that sims disappear into while working that cannot be decorated/rebuilt and are unmovable, these buildings have no contents.
Bad UV mapping on town roads shows the yellow lines dont match up at the bends, it’s quite obvious from a distance so it becomes annoying and unsightly.
You now have to pay for custom content as EA have made a ruling that sharing custom content for free is violating their rules and could lead to prosecution.
You can’t send your sim shopping, go out to a restaurant or nightclub and actually see the sims, as above they just disappear for a while, nor can you design any of these places in any degree.
Transferred CAS sims lose all their looks in the actual game, texture sizes seem to have been reduced from a 1024×1024 body and 512×512 face to a 256×256 body and a 128×128 face making sims look like dolls with NO realism whatsoever.
A serious problem with pc’s running windows vista makes the game freeze periodically and you have to reset or switch off your system which makes it very hard to feel any progression within the game and risks data loss of which some may be valuable.
The global lighting system in the Sims 3 is very poor, sim shadows are almost non existant, specular artifacts can be seen on objects and sims, due to this textures look too saturated which results in less blending and even more artifacts like colour banding.
One of the main reasons this franchise was so successful was the ability to create your own stuff, there are no options for custom content such as your own textures for floor tiles, walls, pictures or clothing let alone the possibility of an easy way to make new clothing like the TS2 body shop offered.
The patterns and materials that are available to create your own style are hideous and look as if they were made by amateurs or rushed out with no care taken, these things are mostly the only way of customising the game seeing as other previously open avenues have now been closed in order to provide this open world environment.
The available items to choose from in CAS, buy and build mode are pathetic compared to the Sims 2 base game, also the quality of meshes and textures has been dumbed down so much that objects look pixellated and blurry no matter the lod distance between camera and object. Basically the lod system has been overlooked and swept under the rug.
Missing animations like sims opening car doors and getting in, sims just slip in and out and not with grace either, the baby diapers and bottles now disappear and cannot be cleaned up, babies are not changed on a table anymore nor can they be washed in a sink, they magically get clean after a sim spins them in the air and the nappy falls off.
Very few of the textures supplied with the game are suitable for use in any context, it looks like EA games are buying their textures from DOSCH Textures and barely altering them, every decent cg artist knows these are not suitable for games and barely suitable for mental ray rendering. Spending some time on making nice textures would help overcome some major frustrations.

That’s my view after being a avid fan of the sims franchise for years ever since the first game.

What do you think?

Melbourne, Aug 11 (ANI): Parents are fuming over a new People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) campaign targeting McDonalds.

Parents say that the animal rights group’s ‘McCruelty Campaign’ is unfairly targeting their kids at restaurants across America with ‘Unhappy Meals’ featuring a knife-wielding Ronald McDonald and bloody rubber chickens

According to Fox News, parents say that they don’t want their kids
exposed to any throat-slitting chickens or pictures of slaughtered poultry. I don’t want my son to be around something like this. This is not fair for a child, News.com.au quoted Stephaine Gipson as saying.

Michelle Natale said: I think it’s unhappy that they target children.
However, PETA activists claim that children are jaded enough by television and video games to handle the carnographic images, and intend to continue their campaign pressuring McDonald’s to use more humane means of killing chickens. I think children and adults deserve to be told the truth - and that’s that behind Ronald McDonald’s smile is cruelty to animals, PETA spokeswoman Lindsay Rajt said.
Rajt said most parents are usually troubled by what PETA calls McDonald’s cruel treatment of chickens, and said that kids who naturally empathise with animals enjoy PETA’s presence outside the Golden Arches. Kids are usually very excited to see the free T-shirts and they like our person in the chicken costume, Rajt said.

A spokesman for McDonald defended the franchise, insisting it supports the use of a stunning technique that numbs its chickens before they are slaughtered. McDonald’s works with leading independent animal welfare experts and makes decisions based upon science to promote continuous improvement in animal welfare as part of our broader sustainable supply chain initiatives, said Bob Langert, McDonald’s vice president of corporate social responsibility. (ANI)

http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/20090811/900/twl-peta-s-bloody-unhappy-meals-leave-pa.html