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PETA threatens rabbi
New York City police are investigating a rabbi's complaint that threatening e-mails were sent to try to stop a ritual involving the slaughter of chickens before a Jewish holy day.
Rabbi Shea Hecht of the National Committee for Furtherance of Jewish Education says the e-mails were sent by supporters of a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals campaign opposing the ritual, known as Kapparot.
He says some people added threatening and anti-Semitic comments to an online PETA form letter.
The ritual involves the slaughter of a chicken to atone for one's sins before Yom Kippur, which begins Wednesday.
The Brooklyn-based organization slaughters about 4,000 chickens.
A PETA spokesman says the ritual is abusive and unnecessary.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating. New York City police are investigating a rabbi's complaint that threatening e-mails were sent to try to stop a ritual involving t... more -
USDA Urges Consumers to Cook Frozen Chicken
The Department of Agriculture is urging consumers to cook frozen chicken dinners thoroughly. The agency said 32 people in 12 states have been sickened by Salmonella. The USDA warning deals with frozen dinners in which chicken is raw.
The USDA on Friday is urging consumers to follow cooking instructions for frozen stuffed chicken entrees. The agency said that 32 people in 12 states got Salmonella poisoning after using microwaves to prepare the meals.
While the package instructions identified the product as uncooked, people who were sick did not follow the instructions and used microwaves.
The agency said that all poultry products should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit or 74 degrees Celsius. The USDA also recommends a food thermometer.
Some of the entrees appear to be cooked because they were breaded or pre-browned. These chicken products are raw stuffed and labeled "chicken cordon bleu" or "chicken Kiev," as well as chicken breasts stuffed with cheese or vegetables.
Salmonella can be life-threatening for infants or the elderly and other people with weakened immune systems. The common symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight to 72 hours. However, people could also experience chills, headache, nausea and vomiting for up to a week. The Department of Agriculture is urging consumers to cook frozen chicken dinners thoroughly. The agency said 32 people in 12 states ha... more -
First McCain-Obama debate remains doubtful or: McCain Chickens Out of Debate
I like the second headline: McCain Chickens out of Debate. What a woos! (Maybe he is afraid of the CURRENT HACK THE DEBATE!!! How about his lie about not being able to make it on Letterman because he had to catch a flight to DC and then being filmed getting his makeup on for an interview on CBS...and then....well you know...its pretty embarrassing for Republicans to have such a transparant person. Thats what we need anyway. We see through you, McCain. Well, gotta go eat some KFC....Now, here's the stroy:
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The first presidential debate between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama remained in doubt Friday, the very day it was to be held, embroiled in the same partisan divisions that were holding up a Wall Street bailout plan.
Obama said he intended to travel to the University of Mississippi in Oxford, where the debate had long been scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. EDT. McCain, who had proposed delaying the contest so the two presidential hopefuls could help negotiate an economic rescue plan, wouldn't commit.
"I'm very hopeful that we'll get enough of an agreement tomorrow so we can make this debate," McCain said Thursday on NBC's "Nightly News."
Obama tried to press McCain into showing up for the first of three scheduled debates between them, saying they should be able to handle the 90-minute forum and the financial crisis at the same time.
"Senator McCain has no need to be fearful about a debate," Obama told reporters. "He's a person of strong opinions and he's been expressing them on the campaign trail."
Both McCain and Obama returned to Washington on Thursday at the urging of President Bush, who invited them to a meeting with congressional leaders at the White House. But a session aimed at showing unity in resolving the financial crisis broke up with conflicts in plain view. McCain would not commit to supporting a plan worked out by congressional negotiators, said people from both parties who were briefed on the exchange.
McCain's campaign said the meeting "devolved into a contentious shouting match" and implied that Obama was at fault — on a day when McCain said he was putting politics aside to focus on the nation's financial problems.
Democrats differed.
The effort stalled late Thursday, with talks set to resume Friday. McCain was returning to Capitol Hill on Friday, his campaign said.
Meanwhile, debate preparations continued in Oxford, with streets blocked off and big TV screens set up on campus and near City Hall for large debate-watching parties.---more at link I like the second headline: McCain Chickens out of Debate. What a woos! (Maybe he is afraid of the CURRENT HACK THE DEBATE!!! How a... more -
Hen wears jumper after losing feathers in battery farm
A hen that lost all its feathers after living in a cramped battery farm has been given a knitted jumper to keep it warm and healthy.
One-year-old Buffy was almost entirely bald and 2lbs underweight when the RSPCA took her in several weeks ago. Thanks to a volunteer, she now has a striped woollen sweater to wear and is on her way to recovery.
Deputy manager Emma Phillips has become Buffy's "foster mum" and keeps the hen in a luxury nestbox at the centre's chicken shed. She said: "Sadly, we occasionally find hens in this state when we rescue them and when Buffy arrived she looked like she was oven-ready But now she's bold enough to peck and scratch about and tries to join the other chickens sunbathing in the sunshine wearing her little jumper. Hopefully, with me acting as Buffy's foster parent she will be nursed back to health with a full set of feathers."
Buffy will be re-homed in the coming months when RSPCA vets give her the all clear. A hen that lost all its feathers after living in a cramped battery farm has been given a knitted jumper to keep it warm and healthy. ... more -
Genetically engineered meat could be on the table after U.S. review
After more than seven years of discussion, the Food and Drug Administration Thursday proposed regulations that would allow the commercial use of genetically engineered animals.
Such animals are genetically altered — their genes are either changed or genes from another animal are added — for a specific purpose. The FDA states that such animals either produce drugs; serve as models for human disease; produce industrial or consumer products, such as fiber; or have improved food-use qualities, such as being more nutritious.
The only genetically engineered creature available for sale in the USA is an aquarium fish that glows in the dark. Examples currently in the laboratory stage include:
•Salmon that grow more quickly and efficiently.
•Goats that produce drugs in their milk or blood.
•Chickens that produce drugs in the whites of their eggs.
•Cows that cannot get the brain-wasting mad cow disease.
•Pigs engineered to make their organs transplantable into humans without rejection.
•Hypoallergenic dogs and cats.
The proposed regulations would require FDA review of each application to ensure that any food sold for human consumption is safe and that the animal's health would not be damaged in the process.
Each use would have to be approved separately, so a goat that made insulin in its milk would be one application. That same goat engineered to also be resistant to udder infections would be another.
It's expected that once a company creates an animal with the exact right genetic makeup, more animals would be made by cloning to preserve the genetics.
While the potential is huge, the actual number of groups working on animals like this is small, says Jaydee Hanson from the non-profit Center for Food Safety. "You're talking maybe five or so companies and 10 or so universities."
The FDA will take public comment until Nov. 18, then finalize the regulations. After more than seven years of discussion, the Food and Drug Administration Thursday proposed regulations that would allow the commerc... more -
Secret KFC recipe moved
Colonel Harland Sanders' handwritten recipe of 11 herbs and spices was removed Tuesday from safekeeping at KFC's corporate offices for the first time in decades. The temporary relocation is allowing KFC to revamp security around a yellowing sheet of paper that contains one of the country's most famous corporate secrets. Colonel Harland Sanders' handwritten recipe of 11 herbs and spices was removed Tuesday from safekeeping at KFC's corporate o... more
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End chicken shackling, says welfare group
The live shackling of chickens in the slaughter of hundreds of millions of the birds in Britain each year should cease, say government advisers on the welfare of farm animals.
The practice, which sees chickens shackled upside down by the leg so they can be stunned in electrified water before their throats are sliced by mechanised blades, is the most common method used to kill the 850 million broilers processed annually.
The Farm Animal Welfare Council, an independent body advising the government, is to call on the poultry industry to 'vigorously' address live shackling. Details of its report on the slaughter of white meat species are to be revealed at a meeting tomorrow ahead of its publication later this year.
But council member David Henderson, retired head of the division of farms and clinical studies at the Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh, and past president of the Sheep Veterinary Society, said: 'Live shackling is something that concerns us greatly, but unfortunately it is a necessary process for water-bath electrical stunning. We would like to see the industry address this procedure more vigorously. We would like to see it done away with over a number of years.'
Peter Stephenson of Compassion in World Farming welcomed Henderson's comments. 'It is a pretty radical message. The council are an independent body. They are cautious and conservative with a small 'c'. So when they do say there is a serious problem, they should be taken very seriously.' The live shackling of chickens in the slaughter of hundreds of millions of the birds in Britain each year should cease, say government... more -
Chicken crosses the road, then abandoned by thief
"Why did the chicken cross the road? In the case of Jerry Sleater's 5-foot, 400-pound bright blue rooster, that's apparently as far as whoever was trying to steal it could get it.
When the 76-year-old Eastern Washington man went to get his newspaper Thursday morning, the big bird named Rudy was lying beside the road.
Sleater has kept the metal rooster perched on his property south of Kennewick for two years and says, "Rudy is a family pet. He doesn't go anywhere, but he's part of the family."
Sleater said he thinks that whoever was trying to steal Rudy got spooked after pushing the oversized rooster down a dirt embankment.
He said he purchased Rudy two years ago from a yard ornament store that was going out of business." "Why did the chicken cross the road? In the case of Jerry Sleater's 5-foot, 400-pound bright blue rooster, that's appar... more -
Wing Nuts
Some like it hot but what is hot enough? Stephanie takes the Roaring Red Hot challenge and finds it is still not hot enough.
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Scientist says feathers are future of Asia construction
A Filipino scientist says he has created a new composite building board made of chicken feathers that could be a major breakthrough for the construction industry in Asia.
The new material would be resistant to the region's armies of termites, and could also solve a major environment problem in the Philippines by providing a way to dispose of millions of kilos of waste feathers each year.
The research done by University of the Philippines Los Banos professor Menandro Acda, which is funded by the Ford Conservation and Environmental Grants programme, is being heralded as economically and environmentally sound.
In an interview with reporters, Prof Acda said the material, made of compressed cement and chicken feathers, could be widely used for housing, replacing boards now made with wood chips, which are easily ruined by hungry insects.
The composite boards are 'resistant to insect infestation such as termites because the feathers are inedible,' Prof Acda said.
'They are also not as flammable or combustible as conventional cement and wood-fibre composite boards,' he added.
Although more research needs to be done, he said the feather boards could be used for paneling, ceilings and as insulation but not for weight-bearing building components like walls or pillars.
The researcher said his work would also solve the significant problem of disposing of the 2.4 million tonnes of feathers produced each year by the Philippines poultry industry, while doing less damage to the environment.
'Conventional waste disposal methods, when applied to chicken feathers, are problematic,' he said, referring to burning, burial or recycling the feathers for use in low-quality animal feeds.
'Incineration releases greenhouse gases and the feathers take up a lot of space in landfills and take a long time to decay because of the keratin protein that make up the feathers,' Prof Acda noted.
'There is also the fear of bird flu, which makes converting chicken feathers into animal feeds undesirable.'
Prof Acda is hoping to perfect his feather board by year's end, at which point he will publish his findings. A Filipino scientist says he has created a new composite building board made of chicken feathers that could be a major breakthrough fo... more -
World record: Cuban chicken lays giant egg
Cuba's National Information agency announced that a Cuban hen has laid the world's heaviest chicken egg earlier this week. At 180 grams, the egg weighs 10 grams more than the current record holder laid at the Canary Islands. Cuba's National Information agency announced that a Cuban hen has laid the world's heaviest chicken egg earlier this week. A... more
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Naked protest arrests - but police not annoyed
Animal rights group PETA claims three of its activists have been arrested under new "annoyance" laws after a semi-naked protest at KFC in Sydney's CBD today.
The group believes the trio are the first to be arrested under the powers of causing annoyance or inconvenience to World Youth Day pilgrims.
However, a police spokesman said the arrest was due to offensive behaviour, an offence that existed prior to the new laws.
The three women, wearing only underwear and some tape to cover their nipples, were protesting inside a cage outside the KFC restaurant on George Street, at the corner of Bathurst Street.
They had a banner that read: "Chicks agree, boycott KFC", PETA Asia-Pacific's director Jason Baker said.
Police arrived and arrested the women - aged 20, 22 and 31 - and placed them inside a paddy wagon, Mr Baker said.
"One of the officers said: 'We have the new nuisance regulation this week for World Youth Day,'" he said.
"I said: 'Are you serious?' I thought it doesn't start until tomorrow, and was [being challenged in court] anyway."
However, a police spokesman said the women were arrested for protesting naked, "which is an offence".
"I don't think they were arrested under the new legislation, if that's what you are asking."
The women have not been charged yet and are being questioned at a police station, the police spokesman said.
Failure to comply with the new WYD laws can attract a penalty of up to $5500.
But Mr Baker said the group had conducted naked protests in the city before, and no members had been arrested.
"I'm shocked. We have protested many times in Sydney, and at this KFC before.
"We had 24 people naked in Pitt Street just six weeks ago ... we've never had problems." Animal rights group PETA claims three of its activists have been arrested under new "annoyance" laws after a semi-naked prot... more -
TV chef loses Tesco chicken vote
"Tesco shareholders have not backed proposals to improve welfare standards for chickens championed by TV cook Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. The chef wanted investors to adopt new standards for rearing birds, but the plan got fewer than 10% of votes at its annual general meeting in Solihull.
Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall and other chefs have highlighted what they say are appalling conditions in some farms. Tesco says it is sourcing more chicken from farms with the highest standards.
Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall called the backing he garnered for his proposals a "significant showing" and denied that his efforts had been wasted. For the plans to have been passed, Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall needed 75% of the shareholders' votes.
He and other celebrity chefs argue that conditions in such farms are unacceptable and that supermarkets are partly to blame for this for selling chickens too cheaply. He had urged shareholders to support his motion, which would have required Tesco to adopt higher minimum standards for chickens it purchases. Had the proposal been backed by shareholders, Tesco would have had to adopt the RSPCA's freedom farm standards on how birds are fed, exercised and transported.
Farms approved by the RSPCA for meeting "higher welfare" standards are able to carry the freedom farm logo on their products.
Tesco says it has adopted such standards on a growing number of its farms, but that to do so universally straight away would force up the price of chickens and that this would be unpopular with families already facing higher shopping bills.
Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall said he was "disappointed" that Tesco had chosen to "abdicate responsibility" on the issue of poultry welfare to the government and shoppers.
But he said he was encouraged that "significant changes" were taking place "behind the scenes" in Tesco's policies and called on the UK's largest supermarket chain to take the lead in establishing a forum to discuss general poultry welfare issues.
"The way chicken has been sold in this country has been a bit of a secret for some time," he said. "I would like to see some real change from Tesco in the coming months."
Tesco, which accounts for more than a fifth of all intensively reared chickens sold, was criticised earlier this year when it cut the retail price of its standard whole chicken to £1.99. Tesco said its welfare standards were "amongst the best in the world" and that the share of higher welfare chicken it sold had risen 70% in the past year.
"We have been working hard for a while to increase the amount of higher welfare chicken we sell and the recent debate over chickens in the media has helped raise awareness of the choice available to customers," a spokesman said. But it added: "A large number of our customers are on a tight budget and rely on lower cost foods to feed their families. We believe it would be wrong to remove these options for them."
Corporate governance firm PIRC, which backed Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall's resolution, said it had not expected to win the vote but that it had raised awareness of the issue. Higher standards would create a "more enriched environment" for chickens and would ultimately be healthier for customers, it added.
Other issues debated at the meeting ranged from calls for union recognition at its new US stores to allegations of low pay for workers employed by global suppliers, particularly in India." "Tesco shareholders have not backed proposals to improve welfare standards for chickens championed by TV cook Hugh Fearnley-Whitt... more -
Whole Chicken In A Can: A Video Review!
Here's a video review of what's perhaps the most intriguing food product we've ever seen...a whole chicken in a can! Words can't do this one justice, so just check it out. Here's a video review of what's perhaps the most intriguing food product we've ever seen...a whole chicken in a can! Wo... more
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Peter Griffin vs. Chicken
Peter Griffin beating the hell out of the chicken.
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This Chicken is the BOMB!
Looks like the war on terror has a new front - Connecticut police find pipe bomb stuffed inside chicken.
Authorities in Connecticut are wondering who stuffed a raw roasting chicken with a pipe bomb and left it on a roadside.
Simsbury police Capt. Matthew Catania says a motorist noticed the chicken Friday morning. He says the bomb was large enough to harm a person if it went off.
The road was closed while the Hartford Police Department's bomb squad came and blew up the chicken.
Nobody was injured. No arrests had been made Monday night. Looks like the war on terror has a new front - Connecticut police find pipe bomb stuffed inside chicken. ... more -
Chicken bomb almost brings town to a halt
Authorities in Connecticut are wondering who stuffed a raw roasting chicken with a pipe bomb and left it on a roadside. Simsbury police Capt. Matthew Catania says a motorist noticed the chicken Monday morning. He says the bomb was large enough to harm a person if it went off.
The road was closed while the Hartford Police Department's bomb squad came and blew up the chicken. Authorities in Connecticut are wondering who stuffed a raw roasting chicken with a pipe bomb and left it on a roadside. Simsbury polic... more -
What is a kosher chicken?
Halal confusion. As insults were traded among contestants on the losing team in this week's Apprentice, Sir Alan Sugar berated the contestants for not knowing what a kosher chicken was. For the Apprentices, the task of finding the right person to perform shechita would have been particularly difficult in a predominantly Muslim country like Morocco.
Credit: BBC Halal confusion. As insults were traded among contestants on the losing team in this week's Apprentice, Sir Alan Sugar berated th... more
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