- There
are a few precious topics over which the typically kind, genial people of the
Badger State will put down their politeness and throw hands. Beer is one, fried
cheese curds are another and the Green Bay Packers also make the list, but
apparently so does maple syrup. The state churns out approximately 14 percent
of America’s maple syrup products and those responsible for that mass of
sticky, sugary goodness are in a foul mood. Maple syrup season will soon begin,
but it fires up with members of the industry claiming that some among them are using
the word "maple" in items that don't contain the real thing. These
dissenters sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration last week in which
they named eight products they say are using the maple name, without any maple
syrup listed in the ingredients. Yes, maple syrup fraud and worse still, it’s
being perpetuated on illiterate people with no way of reading a label and
determining that there is no maple syrup in what they’re consuming. The list
includes entries such as oatmeal and waffles, alongside maple walnut ice cream,
made by HP Hood, a dairy company based in Boston."The maple flavor in our
ice cream product is derived from a maple, and all-natural maple flavor," HP
Hood spokesperson Lynne Bohan said. "We don't see any need to change the
label at this time. Again, because we believe the label claim is in compliance
with the regulations. This syrup slickster admitted that maple is not listed in
the ingredients, but said the recipe would remain the same. Meanwhile, the FDA
is reviewing the syrup industry's letter, but even those waging this fight
understand that there is no timeline for an answer from the FDA……….
- Has
No Doubt finally done it? It, of course, being expunging their pop princess
lead singer from their ranks and finding someone to front their sad, wildly
overrated musical outfit and make it a legitimate rock band. That lead singer
would be reality karaoke judge and wannabe fashionista Gwen Stefani, whose No
Doubt bandmates have formed a new band with AFI frontman Davey Havok, having
signed a record deal and completed work on an album. It’s the sort of news that
you would want to know, even if you’re a rock and roll poseur with no actual
rock credibility, but apparently No Doubt members Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal and
Adrian Young didn’t feel the need to pick up the phone and bother their band’s
previous leading lady on the set as she mentored the aspiring karaoke-ers of “The
Voice” on NBC. According to Stefani, she received the news in a rather unusual
and awkward way. "I actually first heard about [the news] on the Internet,”
Stefani said. However, she insisted that the band is just "a side
project" and that she hasn't been replaced in No Doubt. "They want to
be in a punk band. It's not No Doubt," she added. "All the guys from
No Doubt are doing a new band, just to do new music." Oh, is that what
they told you? Go ahead and keep believing that if you want, G. What really
matters here is that the world never has to experience the ugliness to which it
was subjected last year when No Doubt reformed to play a series of live shows,
or the pain of 2012, when the band released its most recent album, “Push and
Shove.” Just stay in separate locations and never, ever make music together
again……….
- Hey
America, Uganda would like to try to match the sheer insanity and chaos of your
presidential election process, even if no one in its race is orange, insane or
hatefully jingoistic like a certain pompadour-rocking Republican candidate. The
mayhem is a little different down in Africa, where a Ugandan presidential
candidate who called the country’s leader a dictator was arrested during a
hectic and harried shutdown of social media sites and fights at polling
stations. According to Shawn Muburi, who is in charge of communications for
Kizza Besigye's Forum for Democratic Change party, Besigye was arrested late in
the day in the Kampala suburb of Naguru, where he had gone to investigate
alleged ballot stuffing in a house run by the intelligence agencies. That was a
bold, yet foolish step by a candidate who was allegedly arrested and taken to
an unknown location, after which police did not respond to requests for
comment. In a shocking coincidence, Besigye is Ugandan President Yoweri
Museveni's main challenger in the polls. The day of decision was a messy one
overall, as the tardy delivery of voting materials made life difficult for Ugandans
trying to cast ballots in presidential and parliamentary elections, with
tempers sometimes boiling over. International observers expressed concern over the
problems, but opposition party leaders went a step further, calling the delays
deliberate and aimed at favoring Museveni. Voting was supposed to start at 7
a.m., but noon rolled around and some polling stations in the capital,
including a major one, still had not received any voting papers. Long lines
formed, the ballots remained AWOL and madness ensued. Despite the chicanery, Museveni faces a strong challenge from
Besigye, who forecasted the troubles when he called Museveni a dictator and
said he doubts that voting will be free or fair. Some voters, when informed
that there were no ballots for the vote for president, strong-armed police, grabbed
the ballot boxes and threw them all over the field at the polling station. Police
responded with tear gas and another memorable election day in Africa was off
and running and/or burning………..
- How
seriously does Canada take its favorite sport/unofficial religion? Seriously
enough that if you’re thought to be recklessly operating something as seemingly
innocuous as a minor-league hockey team, there is going to be a price to pay.
Just ask Flint Firebirds owner Rolf Nilsen, who has been suspended by the
Ontario Hockey League a day after he fired his team’s coaching staff for the
second time this season. This time, the ax fell on head coach and general
manager John Gruden and assistant coach Dave Karpa, who received their walking
papers this week. In the wake of that carnage, director of hockey operations
Sergei Kharin was named interim head coach and assistant coach Petr Jonak was
retained. This came three months after the Firebirds fired Gruden, Karpa and
Jonak, taking the first half of their team nickname a bit too literally. The
three men were reinstated the next day
after the players, including the owner's son, responded in a unified protest.
"The recent actions by the owner of the Flint Firebirds, Rolf Nilsen, and
his representatives on the management team and coaching staff is of great concern
as they pose a serious threat to our commitment to our players and their
families," the OHL said in a statement. Not only did the league ban Nilsen,
but it also suspended his appointees on the management and coaching staff,
including Kharin, until further notice. The environment within the organization
is apparently so toxic that the Firebirds also have been ordered to provide counseling
services for players under the direction of the league. All of this is on the
plate of players currently sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference
with a 16-31-6 record and losses in eight of their last 10 games………..
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