Food Police and Food Lawyers want to tell us what to do with our food.

In the UK, a government agency is going to be calling households to give them advice on what to do with their leftovers.

In a trial in six local authorities across Herefordshire and Worcestershire, the officials have been recruited on full-time contracts to visit an estimated 24,500 homes dispensing dietary advice and tips on how best to reduce the estimated one-third of all food bought which is thrown away.

Meanwhile, back in the U.S. of A., and with deference to my vegetarian friends, (who have enough else to think about, anyway), you can't get a burger cooked rare at Chili's restaurants. The corporate lawyers have deemed it too great a risk to serve under-coooked meats. In small, but unwavering print, their menu says:

We grill our burgers medium, medium-well or well done.

Also, you don't just get a bottle of, um, bottled water. You get Dasani® Purified Water with Minerals, lest we forget that the stuff in the pretty bottle comes from the local tap.

Hard times for the Finnish fur trade

Reports from Finland show that the global recession is hurting the Finnish fur business. "I think we’ll put some of the pelts into the feed freezer to wait for better times," remarked one farmer.
Not only is the domestic business constrained, but a little-known bit of out-sourcing is also came back to bite the Finnish farmers in the but. "At the beginning of the millennium the Chinese flew 10,000 live blue foxes from Finland to China to serve as stud animals." These stud animals led to a population boom of blue foxes in China, driving prices down further.
Oh, by the way, in case you need a bit of trivia to get you through the boring Super Bowl ads this weekend, the animal we call a mink derives its name from a Swedish word, menk, meaning a stinking animal in Finland.

Worcestershire Journal - It’s winter, people. : Real Worcester - Worcester News and Blogs

Worcestershire Journal - It’s winter, people. : Real Worcester - Worcester News and Blogs

Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):

Holden

Monday, Jan. 19

1:00 a.m. Report of vehicle crashed into utility pole; party now throwing beer bottles from vehicle; one person taken into protective custody for drunkenness
8:01 a.m. Vehicle out of gas, Main St.
10:33 a.m. Loose dog, Flagler Dr.
11:41 a.m. Solicitors on Village Green Ln.
1:35 p.m. Caller says motor vehicle struck by plow in her driveway
3:56 p.m. Man yelling at passenger and kicking vehicle at high school
6:30 p.m. Caller reports psychologist not present for appointment

Tuesday, Jan. 20

12:25 a.m. Loud noise in area of Beechwood/Nola Dr.; caller inquiring if there's a car accident
2:16 a.m. Report of truck idling on Quinapoxet St. and new pile at sand pit
7:46 a.m. Truck needs to be removed from pool parking area
8:22 a.m. Caller reports car just cut her off and turned down Holden St.
1:48 p.m. Two people caught shoplifting at Big Y
9:33 p.m. Van driving around Davis Hill School parking lot for 20 minutes

Wednesday, Jan. 21

12:34 a.m. Noise in basement, Raymond St.
3:43 p.m. Caller reports mother missing; then realized she's working different shift
6:35 p.m. Suspicious male behind senior center shoveling snow to the shed
6:44 p.m. Yellow lab found, Wachusett St.

Thursday, Jan. 22

10:28 a.m. Suspicious incident with tree company, Pinecroft Ave.; company's permits have been refused; not soliciting, just cutting for client
1:00 p.m. Car's mirror hit plow, Union St.
1:36 p.m. 911 Three dogs running loose, Brattle St.
5:20 p.m. 911 hang-up from Princeton St.; party using Fax machine
5:48 p.m. Truck took down power lines and didn't stop, Doyle Rd.; house damaged

Friday, Jan. 23

10:08 a.m. Loose small dog, Rte. 31
11:06 a.m. Caller checking with police; received flyer from tree removal company; advised to ask for permit
11:38 a.m. Caller complaining that library van parks in noparking and handicapped spots; advised to call when it's occurring
2:21 p.m. Suspicious person with trash bag outside Mountview School
8:05 p.m. Multiple calls regarding fireworks; Assumption College having celebration

Saturday, Jan. 24

12:00 a.m. Erratic motor vehicle hitting snow banks, Main St.
11:40 a.m. Princeton St. resident reports piece of siding loose on house and landlord won't fix it; advised it's a civil matter
12:35 p.m. Young woman ran out of store with shampoos and got into sedan
12:35 p.m. Complaint about roadway blocked due to motor vehicle accident
4:17 p.m. Truck towing vehicle with chain, Main St.

Sunday, Jan. 25

3:31 a.m. Motor vehicle idling in front of home, Red Barn Rd.; no one around
3:52 a.m. Two occupied vehicles at rear of Al Fresco restaurant, Main St.
12:05 p.m. Caller reporting large number of vehicles blocking traffic yesterday

Paxton

Monday, Jan. 19

4:42 p.m. Walk-in advising of dog running loose in town center; message left for owner

Tuesday, Jan. 20

4:20 p.m. Maryland company advising has hired a repo company to take car, Mountainview Dr.
9:36 p.m. Walk-in reporting silver sedan activated "wig wag" lights to move through traffic; car located at Anna Maria College

Wednesday, Jan. 21

8:49 p.m. Walk-in was just at her residence and it sounded like someone was slamming doors upstairs, Crocker Hill Dr.; officer checked, open bathroom window

Thursday, Jan. 22

8:27 p.m. Harassing telemarketers, Anna Maria College

Friday, Jan. 23

7:31 p.m. Disabled auto, on side of the road with hazards on. Called Huck's for tow, West St.

Princeton

Tuesday, Jan. 20

5:51 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Dowds Ln.
8:48 p.m. Request for animal control officer, Sharon Dr.

Thursday, Jan. 22

12:01 a.m. Assist animal control officer, Ball Hill Rd.

Rutland

Monday, Jan. 19

9:59 a.m. Caller's vehicle stolen in Worcester, Prouty Ln.
11:35 a.m. Department of Corrections detective looking for house record on possible new hire; will conduct interviews on Jackson Ave.
5:01 p.m. Person in station for fingerprinting, Main St.

Tuesday, Jan. 20

8:21 a.m. Mother requesting assistance with 13-year-old son who won't get on the school bus, Vista Cir.; went into woods behind house

Wednesday, Jan. 21

7:25 a.m. Caller found footprints in snow all the way around her house, Vista Cir.; requests officer to look at them
12:26 p.m. Loose horse running down Maple Ave.

Friday, Jan. 23

2:34 p.m. Attempt to serve summons, Main St.
8:15 p.m. Attempt to serve summons, Main St.
9:13 p.m. Attempt to serve summons, Main St.

Saturday, Jan. 24

12:25 p.m. Vehicle vandalized during night, peanut butter on door handles, eggs and cold meats all over vehicle, Main St.

Sunday, Jan. 25

3:12 a.m. Highly intoxicated female causing problems, Sumac Cir.

Sterling

Monday, Jan. 19

9:16 a.m. Resident claims that neighbor is placing snow in her driveway, Redstone Hill Rd.

Wednesday, Jan. 21

5:40 a.m. Suspicious vehicle parked on side of road with lights dimmed, Walnut/Oakwood Drs.

Thursday, Jan. 22

10:50 a.m. Animal complaint, Sherwood Dr.
6:32 a.m. Cows in road, Chace Hill Rd.
12:00 p.m. Frantic squirrel stuck in bird feeder, Chace Hill Rd.; animal control officer advised

Friday, Jan. 23

1:21 p.m. Missing German short-haired pointer, N. Row Rd.; neighbor caught dog
4:17 p.m. Large black steer in middle of road, Chace Hill Rd.
6:36 p.m. Dead deer in travel lane, Beaman Rd.
9:25 p.m. Dance chaperone requesting officer at Meetinghouse Hill Road where students are getting unruly

Saturday, Jan. 24

11:11 a.m. Large dead raccoon in roadway, Maple St.

Sunday, Jan. 25

7:45 a.m. Two bags of rubbish left beside driveway, Redstone Hill Rd.
11:15 a.m. Caller saw pointer dog walking down Rte. 12, Worcester Rd.

The gummint is going to buy its own debt. Wait, what?

According to the Wall Street Journal (subscription required for full article), the Federal Reserve is thinking about buying U.S. Treasury bonds as a way to lower interest rates. The government issues bonds because it has to borrow a triple gazillion dollars to bail out the banks, auto industry, and local pool hall. Investors who would normally buy these bonds aren't acting fast enough, so another part of the government will step in and purchase the bonds. In fact, "Disappointed that the central bank didn't take a more decisive step
toward buying government bonds, investors sold Treasury bonds Wednesday."
If we tried to do that, paying for our home mortgage with our credit cards or taking out a mortgage to pay our credit cards, for example, we'd be called irresponsible and just plain dumb.

Ready for some things, but not every thing

There are black dogs and black dogs: Steps forward don't come easily.

Some questions kinda answer themselves