Two all Beef Patties and a Catalytic Converter HD-DVD

MOOvin to a Recall
This weekend, the largest beef recall in history was announced by the USDA. The recall is for 143 Million pounds (~65 million Kilograms) of beef from a southern California beef packing facility.

There were clear inspection violations and complete disregard for humane treatment of the animals, as undercover video has shown. The animals, not able to walk, were shown being shoved with a forklift into the facility. The reason for the recall is the video showed violations of the "Downer" rule (as I'll call it) that stipulates that animals unable to walk on their own are not to be used for human consumption. The inability of an animal to walk could mean the presence of the dangerous Mad Cow disease or many other ailments that inflict cows in Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO's).

I posted earlier about the impact that CAFO's have on the environment and the cows themselves. It just reinforces the fact that we are addicted to meat and cheap food and will sacrifice the health of an animal for the bottom line. There are clearly lapses in our food safety that are disturbing. Where were the health inspectors that are supposed to be present at the time of slaughter? We should feel obligated to know where and how are food is processed...farm to plate type mentality. Unfortunately though, with the industrial food machine its becoming more and more blurred each and every day.

Gold Mine Car
Every time I got to the supermarket it seems that the shopping carts turn on their homing device and somehow "manage" to find their way into my parking spot. It seems like wherever my car is parked it soon becomes one of those stalls that are open for depositing the carts when you are finished. Now, I have another worry on my hands; someone swiping my Catalytic Converter right out from under me!

That’s right, the standard emissions control apparatus that is mandatory on every vehicle made since 1975 is now hot commodity on the metals market. You didn't know you were sitting on a little gold mine did you? The converter contains trace amounts of the highly precious metals platinum, rhodium, and palladium. This means that thieves are cashing in on the easy grab from a plethora of opportune locations. In most cases, a thief can snag one in less than 60 seconds and turn the converter in for a net profit of $200 (US). Not bad money for 60 seconds of work and a heck of a lot of trouble for those hit by this ordeal.

This is the result of the drastic increase in commodity prices on the global markets and metal thieves are making pay dirt. The rate of of converter thefts are following the trend of copper theft from new and existing homes. If this were to happen to me and my car the theft would cost me about $250 (US) or more just in parts and labor to fix this 60 second grab. Can these guys still the shopping carts that bang into my car instead? (Editors Note: I do not advocate stealing of shopping carts!)

HD DVD Death Blow
Finally, just finally the Hi-Def DVD format war may be coming to a close. After a spate of bad news of movie studios, rental outlets, and electronics dealers putting their allegiance in BluRay, is appears that HD DVD may be nearing its end. No official word has come from the Toshiba camp to discredit or confirm the reports, but it may just be about time to throw in the hat! Finally, we can start adopting a new technology (make sure to dispose of your e-waste properly) and get on with our lives of solving the problems that matter most...Does a BluRay look better on 52 or 60 inch Plasma HDTV?
Cheers!