Panera Co. to open more pay-what-you-wish eateries -- Associated Press
Panera Co. has opened a nonprofit eatery in Clayton, Mo. The idea behind the restaurant is pay what you can. After you have placed your order the cashiers tell you a suggested price and you can pay a little more, pay a little less, or pay absolutely nothing at all. It is designed to help those in need; ones who can't afford a meal and the extra money goes to charities. To control those who might be tempted to take advantage they have posted signs saying "You're on our honor," and employees explain how the restaurant is supposed to work when customers first arrive. They say they have had a few take advantage, but after a month in to the test run they have found out that people aren't so bad and really do want to try and help.
I think this concept is a great idea. Not only can someone who is in need get a free meal, but people can also make a difference by donating and their money goes to someone else in need. Panera is really giving back to the community; in these hard economic times this could really make a difference in many peoples lives. If other restaurants decided to do things similar to this I think it would be outstanding. I just hope that people don't abuse this because that would be extremely unfortunate. In the article it said that a teenager had come in and purchased $40 worth of food and ended up paying just a couple dollars for it. People need to realize what this restaurant has been setup to do and respect that they are trying to take a difference; they can't make a difference in the community if they community doesn't want to pitch in a little themselves.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Asian carp.
Watching a news program this morning I heard something about Asian carp and how they had made an appearance in the Great Lakes and to be honest didn't think much of it. Then, this afternoon while skimming new articles on the Internet I saw Group: Congress must lead on Asian carp and decided to see what this was all about. The article is brief and says that it seems the fish have made it past the electric barriers set up to prevent it entering the Great Lakes and the group the Great Lakes Alliance does not seem thrilled. Then, it states why; the group is afraid (along with others) that the Asian carp could potentially ruin the $7 billion a year fishing industry of the Great Lakes.
Now I am extremely interested in these fish. How did they get here and what makes them so dangerous to the fishing industry?
The EPA website says Asian carp were imported to the United States around 1970 by catfish farmers. They imported the carp to help keep their ponds clean (algae, etc.). When floods occurred the ponds would overflow and the fish were introduced to the Mississippi River.
Now, exactly why they are so dangerous? Apparently they are so feared because of their tremendous size and appetite. An AP article (which has a picture of the carp caught that started this big new story) says they can grow to be 4 feet in length and weigh up to 100 pounds.
I think these groups and fishermen have great reason to fear these fish. A $7 billion a year fishing industry is no joke. If the fish can do as much harm as they think it can it could really sabotage an industry and tons of peoples lives. As Andy Buchsbaum says in the AP article (president of National Wildlife Federation's office of the Great Lakes), "If the capture of this live fish doesn't confirm the urgency of this problem, nothing will." This is a big deal to the people up there who make their living off of the Great Lakes in one way or another. Something definitely needs to be done about these fish to save an industry. Hopefully they find out the problem and the seriousness of the matter and can get it taken care of before it worsens.
Now I am extremely interested in these fish. How did they get here and what makes them so dangerous to the fishing industry?
The EPA website says Asian carp were imported to the United States around 1970 by catfish farmers. They imported the carp to help keep their ponds clean (algae, etc.). When floods occurred the ponds would overflow and the fish were introduced to the Mississippi River.
Now, exactly why they are so dangerous? Apparently they are so feared because of their tremendous size and appetite. An AP article (which has a picture of the carp caught that started this big new story) says they can grow to be 4 feet in length and weigh up to 100 pounds.
I think these groups and fishermen have great reason to fear these fish. A $7 billion a year fishing industry is no joke. If the fish can do as much harm as they think it can it could really sabotage an industry and tons of peoples lives. As Andy Buchsbaum says in the AP article (president of National Wildlife Federation's office of the Great Lakes), "If the capture of this live fish doesn't confirm the urgency of this problem, nothing will." This is a big deal to the people up there who make their living off of the Great Lakes in one way or another. Something definitely needs to be done about these fish to save an industry. Hopefully they find out the problem and the seriousness of the matter and can get it taken care of before it worsens.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Woman has goal to become word's fattest.
Woman aims to become world's fattest -- 9 News
A woman here in the U.S. wants to become the world's fattest. She hopes to weigh in at 1,000 pounds in the next two years. She says in the articles that this might be hard, "running after my daughter keeps my weight down." She already requires aid to get around, but continues to eat massive amounts of food in hopes of reaching her goal. She also tries to do as little as possible in hopes of packing on the pounds. Her partner Philippe, they met on a dating site for plus-size people, is really supportive of her plan. She will need to consume 12,000 calories in order to make the 1,000 pound mark. So, how does she pay to feed her enormous appetite, I thought you would never ask; she has a website that men pay to watch her eat fast food.
Wow.
I have to admit this article game a good chuckle, but at the same time it really frustrated me. Sure if you want to risk your health and put your life in danger to get attention fine with me, but when you have a baby you can no longer just think of yourself. There are plenty of other ways for this woman to get attention from the media besides gaining weight. She is risking losing her life and this means that her child would be without a mother. You should want to be able to be active and play with your child and play an active part in their life; she is missing out. She would rather do as little as possible so she can reach her goal. She is selfish. I hope she reconsiders this silly goal and starts thinking about her baby.
A woman here in the U.S. wants to become the world's fattest. She hopes to weigh in at 1,000 pounds in the next two years. She says in the articles that this might be hard, "running after my daughter keeps my weight down." She already requires aid to get around, but continues to eat massive amounts of food in hopes of reaching her goal. She also tries to do as little as possible in hopes of packing on the pounds. Her partner Philippe, they met on a dating site for plus-size people, is really supportive of her plan. She will need to consume 12,000 calories in order to make the 1,000 pound mark. So, how does she pay to feed her enormous appetite, I thought you would never ask; she has a website that men pay to watch her eat fast food.
Wow.
I have to admit this article game a good chuckle, but at the same time it really frustrated me. Sure if you want to risk your health and put your life in danger to get attention fine with me, but when you have a baby you can no longer just think of yourself. There are plenty of other ways for this woman to get attention from the media besides gaining weight. She is risking losing her life and this means that her child would be without a mother. You should want to be able to be active and play with your child and play an active part in their life; she is missing out. She would rather do as little as possible so she can reach her goal. She is selfish. I hope she reconsiders this silly goal and starts thinking about her baby.
Oil spill.
Allen: Oil collection rate from ruptured Gulf well increasing -- CNN
This pretty much sums up what has been taking place in the last 60 days in the Gulf. As of now they are estimating that the offshore well in the gulf could be leaking as much as 60,000 barrels a day. By midnight Thursday Adm. Allen said within the 24 hour period they had collected 24,000 barrels of oil and officials anticipate by July they should be able to collect a total of 80,000 barrels of oil per day. The two relief wells that are being drilled, viewed as the solution to the disaster in the gulf, is ahead of schedule. BP CEO Tony Hayward testified on Thursday at Capitol Hill but was extremely vague when it came to answering questions saying that he would he elaborate more later once investigations had been conducted. All in all both sides are pointing a lot of fingers at each other and not focusing on the urgency of the situation and what needs to be done now not later.
So could this tragedy have been prevented? Should we stop offshore drilling? What or who is to blame for this catastrophe?
These questions in my opinion can and should be figured out later. We need to work together. Devastating news about the spill seems to get worse everyday. They now know that along with the oil leaking methane gas is also leaking posing even more of a threat to oceanic life. Our government should focus on statistics and all that stuff later we need to clean up and take action worry; about numbers and all that jargon later. We need to take care of the people's whose lives have been dramatically altered by the spill. Let's worry about the energy plan and all that later; offshore drilling for now has been suspended and we need to focus on what is right in front of us. We can only take on so many things at once regarding this event and we need to take care of the most important and put off what can wait. Both sides need to come together for the greater good of the country and I bet they would be surprised at what could be accomplished.
The following link provides live footage of the oil leak and pictures.
This pretty much sums up what has been taking place in the last 60 days in the Gulf. As of now they are estimating that the offshore well in the gulf could be leaking as much as 60,000 barrels a day. By midnight Thursday Adm. Allen said within the 24 hour period they had collected 24,000 barrels of oil and officials anticipate by July they should be able to collect a total of 80,000 barrels of oil per day. The two relief wells that are being drilled, viewed as the solution to the disaster in the gulf, is ahead of schedule. BP CEO Tony Hayward testified on Thursday at Capitol Hill but was extremely vague when it came to answering questions saying that he would he elaborate more later once investigations had been conducted. All in all both sides are pointing a lot of fingers at each other and not focusing on the urgency of the situation and what needs to be done now not later.
So could this tragedy have been prevented? Should we stop offshore drilling? What or who is to blame for this catastrophe?
These questions in my opinion can and should be figured out later. We need to work together. Devastating news about the spill seems to get worse everyday. They now know that along with the oil leaking methane gas is also leaking posing even more of a threat to oceanic life. Our government should focus on statistics and all that stuff later we need to clean up and take action worry; about numbers and all that jargon later. We need to take care of the people's whose lives have been dramatically altered by the spill. Let's worry about the energy plan and all that later; offshore drilling for now has been suspended and we need to focus on what is right in front of us. We can only take on so many things at once regarding this event and we need to take care of the most important and put off what can wait. Both sides need to come together for the greater good of the country and I bet they would be surprised at what could be accomplished.
The following link provides live footage of the oil leak and pictures.
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