First Couple of Weeks Research

fog harvesting:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8297276.stm


Chile Fog Tower

http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/04/02/coastal-fog-tower/


Nuclear rabbit poo:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/science/earth/15rabbit.html?partner=rss&emc=rss


Prostate Cancer:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/health/20case.html?partner=rss&emc=rss


LifeCam:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17992-new-camera-promises-to-capture-your-whole-life.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news


Sea anemone sting:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17985-sea-anemone­-stings-make-a-hypodermic-skin-cream.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news


VR mice:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/mouse-virtual-reality/


Auto Steer Farming

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/precisionfarming/


Swedes burning rabbits

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8309156.stm


Swedes burning rabbits – scientific american

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=burning-bunnies-for-biofuel-2009-10-14

water worries cloud future for U.S biofuel

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE53D00A20090414


Rabbits threaten Mandela Island

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/02/robben-island-rabbits



Paula Rego

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/aug/22/paula-rego-art-interview



Pet-Children Relationships

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/health/06pets.html?partner=rss&emc=rss


Social games to change the world?

http://blogs.ft.com/techblog/2009/10/social-games-to-change-the-world/

Proposed Water Plant Raises Growth Issues in Marin County

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/science/earth/23sfdesal.html?partner=rss&emc=rss


Submarines for Everyone!

http://www.wired.com/cars/coolwheels/news/2009/07/personal_subs


The nocebo effect

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327247.100-13-more-things-the-nocebo-effect.html


Growing Vertical Skyscraper Farming

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-rise-of-vertical-farms


The idling mind is the mother of invention

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/10/st_thompson/


More cluck for your buck - Will Self

http://www.newstatesman.com/food/2009/10/fried-chicken-kfc-8220-known


Donate animal carcasses to Vet School

http://newsok.com/city-might-donate-animal-carcasses/article/3408788


Understanding the Anxious mind

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/magazine/04anxiety-t.html?partner=rss&emc=rss


Pet Economy

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_32/b4045001.htm


while my android gently weeps

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/mar/02/robots-usa

Paro Baby Seal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkjLZdSQpfg&NR=1


Realistic Einstein head

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1156985/Introducing-scarily-realistic-Einstein-robot-tell-feel.html


Review of 'Life' BBC documentary

http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/7573/


You can catch schizophrenia from Cat Phaeces

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427301.600-3-schizophrenia.html


Toxoplasma Gondii

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg17623665.200-all-in-the-mind.html


Your pet has a bigger carbon footprint that your car

http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/10/26/your-pet-has-a-bigger-carbon-footprint-than-your-car/


armageddon worthy cloud

http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/magazine/17-10/st_clouds


Thereapeutic powers of pets

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=is-animal-assisted-therapy&sc=rss


Research 30/10/2009


Elixir - An elixir (Arabic: الإكسير, Al-Ikseer‎, Greek: ξήριον, medical powder, Greek: ξηρός, dry) is a sweet flavored liquid (usually containing alcohol) used in compounding medicines to be taken orally in order to mask an unpleasant taste and intended to cure one's ills.


will self quote: how can anything that tastes this awful be quite so popular?

recherché

1. Sought out with care; choice. Hence: of rare quality, elegance, or attractiveness; peculiar and refined in kind — especially with an artificial or pretentious effect.



Biodiesel Makes Haste With Waste
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2006/12/biodiesel_makes/


While today biodiesel relies on agricultural crops or waste vegetable oil for raw material, a heaping portion of the fuel could come from plant waste and animal fat that would not take resources from the food supply.



Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's largest restaurant company in terms of system restaurants with more than 36,000 restaurants in over 110 countries and territories and more than 1 million associates. Yum! is ranked #239 on the Fortune 500 List, with revenues in excess of $11 billion in 2008. Four of our restaurant brands – KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Long John Silver's – are the global leaders of the chicken, pizza, Mexican-style food and quick-service seafood categories.

http://www.yum.com/company/ourbrands.asp


Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's largest restaurant company in terms of system restaurants with more than 36,000 restaurants in over 110 countries and territories and more than 1 million associates. Yum! is ranked #239 on the Fortune 500 List, with revenues in excess of $11 billion in 2008. Four of our restaurant brands – KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Long John Silver's – are the global leaders of the chicken, pizza, Mexican-style food and quick-service seafood categories.

At Yum! we're building a vibrant global business by focusing on four key business strategies:

* Build leading brands across China in every significant category
* Drive aggressive international expansion and build strong brands everywhere
* Dramatically improve U.S. brand positions, consistency and returns
* Drive industry-leading, long-term shareholder and franchisee value

David C. Novak became Chairman of the Board on January 1, 2001, and Chief Executive Officer of Yum! on January 1, 2000. He also serves as President of Yum!, a position he has held since October 21, 1997. He previously served as Group President and Chief Executive Officer, KFC and Pizza Hut from August 1996 to July 1997, at which time he became acting Vice Chairman of Yum!. He also held senior management positions at Pepsi-Cola Company, including Chief Operating Officer, and Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales.

With more than 36,000 restaurants in over 110 countries and territories, Yum! Brands international growth sees no signs of stopping as we continue to enter international markets, introducing people around the world to our winning brands.


Statement from Yum! regarding External Consultation on animal Welfare:

While our standards for animal welfare are high, we always seek knowledge from external sources to improve our practices where appropriate. In the U.S., KFC has enlisted the assistance of the American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP) in an effort to clarify and further define poultry welfare criteria, policy and audit points. Yum! serves on two AAAP Welfare subcommittees, exploring questions concerning poultry welfare. We were also a prominent player in the joint effort conducted by the National Council of Chain Restaurants and the Food Marketing Institute to develop comprehensive guidelines for all species of farm animals. We also have a veterinarian on staff in the U.S. who provides oversight on animal welfare practices.

Supplier Audits

Our goal is to work with suppliers who maintain our high standards and share our commitment to animal welfare. We monitor our suppliers on a continuous basis through audits to determine whether they are using procedures that ensure respectful caring for, and handling of, animals they supply to us. Audits are conducted at two levels:

* Farm level - In the U.S., KFC manages a farm-level audit program for the breeding, hatching and raising of poultry. The program exceeds the standards set by the U.S. Chicken Council and the Food Marketing Institute. Beginning in 2005, all of our suppliers completed farm-level audits. This marked the beginning of a continuous, bi-annual audit program for all supplier locations in the U.S. based on standards developed by leading animal welfare experts at the direction of the National Council of Chain Restaurants and the Food Marketing Institute.
* Processing level - In 2000, KFC adopted specific, comprehensive welfare performance standards for processing chickens and audits its suppliers against those standards. The processing guidelines and audits are designed to monitor and manage each step of the process to determine whether the birds supplied to us are handled humanely and their suffering is minimized. KFC audits its suppliers for compliance, with non-compliance potentially resulting in termination of the supplier's contract. We have engaged the Professional Animal Auditors Certification Organization (PAACO) to enhance our auditing standards systemwide in our processing facilities. It is our goal to conduct 100-percent external PAACO audits of our poultry processing facilities in the U.S. in 2008.




World Food Programme (WFP) is the food aid arm of the United Nations system. Food aid is one of the many instruments that can help to promote food security, which is defined as access of all people at all times to the food needed for an active and healthy life.



KFC publicity stunt ends in international incident

http://www.qsrweb.com/article.php?id=16287&prc=52&page=56


KFC's latest publicity stunt involving the United Nations is just another example of the outrageous means Yum! Brands chains will take to get attention.

Last year, it was a public letter to rapper 50 Cent from Taco Bell asking him to change his name to 79, 89 or 99 Cent for a day to promote the chain's value menu. The rapper was not amused and filed a $4 million lawsuit for trademark infringement.

This spring, fellow Yum! Brands chain KFC paired up with Oprah Winfrey to promote its new grilled chicken, a public relations fiasco that overwhelmed under-prepared operators as consumers flocked to stores with a downloadable coupon for a free two-piece meal. The chain also wrote letters to select U.S. mayors offering to fill the cities' potholes in exchange for the opportunity to temporarily brand the streets. The offer drew critics' scorn and was turned down by several cities.

Last week, KFC sent a tongue-in-cheek letter to the U.N. asking for acceptance of the company's Grilled Nation — representing the 60 million people who have purchased its Kentucky Grilled Chicken — as its 193rd member country. The company also offered free samples of the grilled chicken across the street from U.N. headquarters to promote Monday's in-store free piece of grilled chicken event. The brand's Colonel Sanders' impersonator was on hand to greet visitors.

The promotion might have ended there, with the U.N. chastising the company for inappropriate use of its name for commercial purposes. But a U.N. security guard invited Bob Thompson, the Colonel's impersonator, inside for a tour and then allowed him access to Ali A. Treki of Libya, the General Assembly’s president, according to a story by The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky.




http://www.ottawacitizen.com/finger+licking+free+Canada+this+weekend/2157228/story.html


KFC's finger-licking free in Canada this weekend
Fried chicken giant vows not to repeat U.S. fiasco when buckets went empty

October 29, 2009

KFC is promising to spice things up this weekend by offering free chicken at more than 700 of its restaurants across Canada.

But it also promises to avoid any repeat of the near-riots that broke out at some U.S. outlets after they ran out of chicken during a similar promotion in May.

"They got in a little over their heads in the U.S. We set it up so consumers will not be disappointed," said Steve Langford, president of Priszm Income Fund, the largest KFC Canada franchisee. "We hope that there are long lineups and lots of people; we want to get this product into the most mouths as possible."



Farmers are still hungry for change

Rose Prince

Reviving UK food production is impossible without undoing policies and laws hostile to producers

http://www.newstatesman.com/food/2009/08/fish-production-british



Dog Sex Toy

http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html