Antonio spent Friday night (November 20th) in State care at the St. Joseph’s Place of Safety.

On Sunday afternoon about 1:00 pm, November 22, 2009, I met Allison under the big Guango Tree at Andrew’s Memorial Hospital. We then drove up to Red Hills to meet Michelle. Pretty soon we were on our way to another Mount Zion…Mount Zion again…I have been going there a lot in recent times.

Michele

Michele was full of energy when I met her on Sunday. She is a lawyer…a “down to earth” Jamaican young woman who was ready for the road in her mission jeans and her passion cap. As soon as she got in the car she wanted to know about my life and she did not hesitate to ask.

She noticed my manicured nails, my recently groomed locks, my grey wedding blouse and my Fossil leather purse.  Michele was serious.

We had a wonderful time driving up to Mount Zion. I told Michelle about “Seeds of Insight” and Allison listened intently. Michele was excited…so excited that she invited me to speak to her New Generation Rotary club members in early December. Michele seemed thrilled when I told her about how I was able to transform negative male energy into positive male energy. She understood what I was experiencing with my blog and she wanted to learn more.

St. Joseph’s

We arrived at St. Joseph’s around 2:30 pm…If my memory serves me right. The Place of Safety is located in one of the most beautiful hills of Jamaica. As we entered the unmanned gate-way, I noticed that the road was in need of repair. There was a playfield to the left and there were about twenty boys playing football (soccer). We then proceeded further up the hill, following the driveway to the right. Boys were everywhere.

The main building showed signs of fatigue. The walls were battered and worn with many gaping holes in the siding and at the foundation. It was an old house on an old property that stood tall on Mount Zion.

 I spotted Antonio first.

We parked and then exited the car. A young man who I recognized seeing that we were visitors met us by the concrete steps and smiled. He introduced himself as Mr. Grant (not his real name), the Duty Officer. He asked us if we had a permission to visit and we said no. I explained to him that we were there to visit Antonio who was brought in on Friday night and told him that I was in fact promised a letter by the authorities. Mr. Grant escorted us to the steps of the main building where we met Miss Versatile, the House Mother and social worker aide.

We learned that the capacity of the building was fifty (50) with a ninety percent occupancy; the man in charge at St. Joseph’s was Mr. Calmright.

Mr. Calmright

Mr. Calmright arrived in about half an hour. He was dressed in a comfortable business outfit sporting a light knitted vest over a crisp white shirt. He seemed to know why we were there and invited us into his office. As we climbed the stairs I noticed the commercial red oak dye on the floor; there were at least six patriotically painted columns supporting the roof over the veranda. I admired the black, green and gold spirals on the columns and was intrigued by the charcoal airbrushed design on the ceiling over the veranda.

St. Joseph’s is in need of a good facelift, maybe even a makeover or a total demolition and reconstruction. The man in charge knew that but he made the best of what he had to work with. We met in the main office which also serves as the counseling room. We learned that Food For the Poor, Digicel, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Red Cross, 4-H, and a few churches made contributions. UTECH students came recently too. The upcoming Christmas season promised to be a good time for St. Joseph’s – a time of giving that is always too short.

By this time I figured out that one of the main challenges was that “everybody mix up.” There were boys there with serious social and mental health needs mixed in with others who seemed generally adjusted to their living environment.

The duty officers are like fathers.

“Within a week they get a medical…”

Antonio knew Mr. Calmright. He was there before and he had a file safely locked away in the metal cabinet.

We confirmed that he had a court date in Kingston for Monday, November 23rd. We were told that the investigating officer would be visiting the family.

I was somewhat relieved to hear that Antonio had two parents.

Mr. Calmright slowly told us about St. Joseph’s history and the programmes offered there. We were impressed with the simple yet complex man.  He boasted about his high achievers who were now doing well for themselves. He shared stories that were like movies and we were enthralled. We realized that  he was a special man who found his calling twenty-one years ago as a National Youth Service Volunteer and had been at the head of the institution for the last twenty.

“Visits are allowed one day per week…any day from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.”

The average stay for the boys on paper is three months…complex cases stay longer…the longest he saw was eight months.

Michele asked how things had changed since Armadale and I got the impression that St. Joseph’s was not significantly impacted by Armadale.

St. Joseph’s was owned by a lawyer who sold it to Donald Sangster. The institution has been operating under the auspices of the Child Development Agency since 2004.

Enter Mr. Satisfaction

Mr. Satisfaction is “homegrown” and recently married. He lived at St. Joseph’s for many years. He is excellent at woodwork. Mr. Calmright smiled with satisfaction as he showed us the door that was recently rehabilitated, now standing with Mr. Satisfaction’s ”trademark of neatness.”

The Calmright’s Passion

Antonio sat in the room quietly as we listened to Mr. Calmright. He told us that he went to church earlier with the lady in full red…he told us at least two times that he went to church.  

Mr. Calmright also runs a “half-way-house” for six (6) eighteen plus year old men nearby but we did not get a tour. He is a man who has the interest of the boys at heart and partners with the likes of Mr. Radcliffe at Glenmuir to maintain the best education for the boys who have the aptitude for academics. He was humble enough to tell us about the ward (now an NCU lecturer) who assisted him with statistics when he was working on his bachelor’s degree.

Mr. Calmright uses the exit interview to get ideas for improvement from the boys. He also gets his ideas from his  overseas trips to places like the Hershey Home in Pennsylvania and Dunwoody Baptist in Atlanta, Georgia. He reflected on the resources available at these US institutions and I could tell that he had dreams for St. Joseph’s. He said that he was told that St. Josephs had better success stories than these US institutions, a conclusion made probably because of how the St. Joseph’s boys adjust.

Michele marveled at the man. “Where do I fit you? You are amazing!”

As Mr. Calmright spoke of his wife who he met at the neighbouring high school, I turned my head to admire the charcoal airbrushed ceiling over the veranda again. 

He told us that the building had to be aesthetically pleasing to the eyes and that’s why on Heroes day they painted the columns in black, green and gold. 

That is a Bottle Torch design; right there….fi real! The soot is perfect for the mildew…there is no way we could have known that the ceiling was covered with mildew…not when the Bottle Torch design stood out like a work of art. I wished that I had a camera but it really did not matter much because I knew that I would never forget that Bottle Torch design in my entire life…just like how Allison would never forget the silence she heard at Pegasus last Friday.      

Michele was right. Mr. Calmright was not an ordinary man. Michele and I looked at each other and we laughed out load. “Fi real!”

Behind me on the blackboard was written in chalk:

Steps in conflict resolution:

1.             Calm down

2.             Agree to talk it out (honesty)

3.            Points of view

4.            Solve the problem

After three hours of great conversation we knew we had to leave for Kingston. Allison had to pick up her children and it was getting dark. 

On our way down the steps, Mr. Calmright pointed to the bare windows covered by tarp in the Food Science Office/House Mother’s Room and told us that JMMB had donated new windows.

We then heard from Mr. Calmright about what happened on Friday night and I was not shocked at all. A leader will always be a leader. I do hope that in time there will be opportunities for him to exercise his leadership in constructive ways.

Like a woman on a mission

Michele drove back to the main town. She drove like a woman on a mission. We stopped at her office for a while and she collected her files. Allison contacted Audrey Budhi and the CDA officer who escorted Antonio down to St. Joseph’s regarding the court date on Monday.

We had many good laughs together. Allison, Michele and I. We were together for the first time on a mission for Antonio. In a jiffy with Michele at the wheel we were in Kingston.

It’s been a long week. I don’t talk much about my day job here, but I run a nonprofit, the Community Resource Center, in Nashville. We basically give really good stuff to other nonprofits for their clients. And the closer it gets to Christmas, the more stuff they need. This, unfortunately, has coincided with my son’s inability to keep out of the refrigerator for at least two minutes. So, about mid-week, the cupboard was bare. Or rather the refrigerator was empty (well, except for my wine!). Which forced me to buy lunch.

Normally, I take my lunch to work. This is partly due to the fact that I make really good lunches and partly because there aren’t a lot of places to eat around a warehouse district. I make turkey and arugula mayonnaise sandwiches. I make Chinese chicken salad. I make what Noah calls “green noodles” – thin spaghetti with pesto, toasted pine nuts and grated Asiago cheese.

But this week, I ended up eating a lot of fast food and I remembered why it is that I hate it so much. It’s not good. Not at all. Oh, you think it’s good while you’re eating it because it’s full of fat and who doesn’t like fat? But about an hour later you start to realize you just ate a bunch of processed junk that is rambling around in your body and won’t leave. For days.

So here’s my wall of shame. Wednesday it was KFC. I used to love KFC when I lived at home and my mother had never gotten within 100 yards of frying chicken. I did love it Wednesday at about 1:30 p.m. I regretted it bitterly about 5 p.m. No supper for me that night. The chicken had come home to roost.

Thursday: Junior Whopper and fries from Burger King. I actually have a story about Whoppers. When I was about ten, my mother became very agitated with excitement one day and announced that we were driving to Skokie, about 20 miles away, to visit this new and exotic restaurant called Burger King. Mom did love her burgers. Not to cook them, of course. Just to eat them. So I’ve always held the Whopper in high esteem as an essential food memory. I don’t know why, especially after I eat one. And Burger King fries? Not so much. If you’re going to visit fry-town, journey to Steak and Shake or Five Guys.

So, today, just to how much fat I could pack away, it was Krystal’s chili. I actually believed for a second that it would be healthier than a slider. For a moment.

I present this sad tableau to you because I haven’t had time to cook all week and I know you’ve been wondering where I’ve been for the last two days. I’ve been giving away shampoo and detergent and soap to nonprofit agencies who can’t afford to buy necessities like these for their clients. I’ve been driving a U-Haul to a major retailer to pick up the coolest donation ever that will make everyone’s Christmas brighter in my world of poor people who constantly do without a little sparkle in their lives. I’ve been unloading chairs for schools whose children have nowhere to sit. And I’ve been writing grants to get more moola to get more stuff.

This weekend, it’s back to homemade. It’s back to quality. I’m sleeping in tomorrow. And then I’m cooking.

Eben schrieb ich, dass sich die Diät nach uns richten soll und wir uns nicht nach der Diät.

Ich bin der Meinung, sie könnten auch nur mit Fast Food abnehmen. Ich will das nicht promoten, denn so gesund ist das essen bei McDonalds und Co nun wirklich nicht. Unser Leben besteht nun mal aus Fast Food Restaurant, aus Imbissburgen, aus Subways und aus Dönerständen. Sie können schon eine Zeit lang einen Bogen darum machen, vielleicht auch für eine sehr lange Zeit aber früher oder später werden sie doch bei irgend einem dieser Geschäfte landen und sei es nur die Bäckerei, die belegte Sandwiches kauft. Übrigens: Ein Tipp aus eigener Erfahrung. Wenn Sie geschäftlich unterwegs sind, dann seien sie bitte vorsichtig. Diese Dinger sind oft dick mit Remouladensoße beschmiert und das macht hässliche Flecken auf jeder Anzughose.

Ich will Ihnen nicht zureden jetzt zu McDonalds zu gehen, das schlechte Gewissen will ich Ihnen aber nehmen und Ihnen zeigen,wenn Sie es richtig machen, dann nehmen Sie auch bei McDonalds nicht zu. Sie können sogar abnehmen. Warum nicht?

Voilà une nouvelle qui devrait donner espoir aux millions de grolandais de coeur ! Le colonel Sanders, symbole de la chaine de fast-food KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) milite actuellement auprès des instances internationales pour la création d’un nouveau pays : Grilled Nation.

Après avoir adressé une lettre à Ban Ki-Moon (secrétaire général), le colonel a réussi à pénétrer dans le siège de l’ONU et serrer la pince du président de l’assemblée générale de l’ONU.

L’idée publicitaire ne manque pas de piquant. Dommage que Grilled Nation ne soit qu’un nouveau menu…

Que dire en outre des risques encourus par la marque au sein d’une instance luttant – entre autre – contre la faim dans le monde…

On espère que le colonel a parallèlement prévu de graisser la pattes des autorités via un large plan humanitaire.

Il est également frappant de noter à quel point les marques fortes ne se contentent plus de communiquer et fédérer des communautés on et offline. Elles veulent aller plus loin. Le média suprême : une patrie, un territoire de marque au sens propre (les analogies sémantiques entre terre et marque ne manquent pas, elles feront l’objet d’un post…).

Domino’s Pizza bâtit une ville catholique. KFC opte pour un pays. Burné.

Source : Quiet Glover

I think Payless shoes are a bargain for the shopper that needs to watch your wallet…like I try to do, or if you have some children that are growing out of their shoes.

Payless is offering 50 percent off all their shoes in their stores nationwide, and Oprah has teamed up with them to distribute the coupons on-line.Trick is, is that the offer is good only today, October 30th, by the end of their business day.

So…if you like their Christian Siriano collection, of simply need an extra pair of kicks at a ridiculous savings,…stop reading, go to Oprah’s site and download the coupon.

Time is running out….

I just love Oprah, she knows what we all need, and that’s a bargain.Payless is already inexpensive, so this means the shoes are almost free…but just almost.

You still have to print out that coupon to get your 5o percent, and hope Payless shoes is not running a sham on Oprah, like KFC did with that lie about free chicken…

http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20091016-tows-payless

Colonel Sanders in the UN (picture credit Eater.com)

I’ve told you about the hottest junk food in town, a popular dish in restaurants like Momofuku, Perry Street, The Redhead, and Locanda Verde, but this time the fried chicken obsession has gone too far. Eater NY reported that a man dressed as Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken sneaked into the United Nations today to promote the eatery’s grilled chicken. He dodged his way through restricted zones and actually posed with the president of the UN General Assembly. Before leaving, the faux-colonel even submitted a letter lobbying for the UN to recognize “Grilled Nation” as a member of state. 

So much for having confidence in national security. The UN stated, “It should not have happened– that I will stress, and very strongly… There was some lapse in security.”

-Caitlin

Well this is just what I’d suspect from the bunch in Washington, D.C.

Numbers don’t add up on insurance profit claims by Congress

Quick quiz: What do these enterprises have in common? Farm and construction machinery, Tupperware, the railroads, Hershey sweets, Yum food brands and Yahoo?

Answer: They’re all more profitable than the health insurance industry.

In the health care debate, Democrats and their allies have gone after insurance companies as rapacious profiteers making “immoral” and “obscene” returns while “the bodies pile up.”

Ledgers tell a different reality. Health insurance profit margins typically run about 6 percent, give or take a point or two. That’s anemic compared with other forms of insurance and a broad array of industries, even some beleaguered ones.

Profits barely exceeded 2 percent of revenues in the latest annual measure. This partly explains why the credit ratings of some of the largest insurers were downgraded to negative from stable heading into this year, as investors were warned of a stagnant if not shrinking market for private plans.

Insurers are an expedient target for leaders who want a government-run plan in the marketplace. Such a public option would force private insurers to trim profits and restrain premiums to compete, the argument goes. This would “keep insurance companies honest,” says President Barack Obama.

The debate is loaded with intimations that insurers are less than straight, when they are not flatly accused of malfeasance.

They may not have helped their case by commissioning a report that looked primarily at the elements of health care legislation that might drive consumer costs up while ignoring elements aimed at bringing costs down. Few in the debate seem interested in a true balance sheet.

But in pillorying insurers over profits, the critics are on shaky ground. A look at some claims, and the numbers:

The claims

“I’m very pleased that (Democratic leaders) will be talking, too, about the immoral profits being made by the insurance industry and how those profits have increased in the Bush years.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who also welcomed the attention being drawn to insurers’ “obscene profits.”

“Keeping the status quo may be what the insurance industry wants. Their premiums have more than doubled in the last decade, and their profits have skyrocketed.” Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, member of the Democratic leadership.

The numbers

Health insurers posted a 2.2 percent profit margin last year, placing them 35th on the Fortune 500 list of top industries. As is typical, other health sectors did much better – drugs and medical products and services were both in the top 10.

The railroads brought in a 12.6 percent profit margin. Leading the list: network and other communications equipment, at 20.4 percent.

HealthSpring, the best performer in the health insurance industry, posted 5.4 percent. That’s a less profitable margin than was achieved by the makers of Tupperware, Clorox bleach and Molson and Coors beers.

The star among the health insurance companies did, however, nose out Jack in the Box restaurants, which only achieved a 4 percent margin.

UnitedHealth Group, reporting third quarter results last week, saw fortunes improve. It managed a 5 percent profit margin on an 8 percent growth in revenue.

Van Hollen is right that premiums have more than doubled in a decade, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study that found a 131 percent increase.

But were the Bush years golden ones for health insurers?

Not judging by profit margins, profit growth or returns to shareholders. The industry’s overall profits grew only 8.8 percent from 2003 to 2008, and its margins year to year, from 2005 forward, never cracked 8 percent.

The latest annual profit margins of a selection of products, services and industries: Tupperware Brands, 7.5 percent; Yahoo, 5.9 percent; Hershey, 6.1 percent; Clorox, 8.7 percent; Molson Coors Brewing, 8.1 percent; construction and farm machinery, 5 percent; Yum Brands (think KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell), 8.5 percent.

JacksonSun.com

Today, Kentucky Fried Chicken is giving away a FREE piece of their Kentucky Grilled Chicken to anyone who asks for it at any of their 5,000+ locations across the country! Be sure to balance out their “healthy” grilled chicken with a nice ‘ol buttery biscuit, ok?

Find a KFC near you.

Expires: Today, 10/26/09

KFC offers free chicken – again.  Get your coupon for a free piece of Kentucky Grilled Chicken here.

Score 20% off ALL your SEPHORA.COM purchases! Find out how @ http://tinyurl.com/ykppz6p

La Madeleine congratulates the NTTA on the opening of the newest portion of the Sam Rayburn Tollway.   To celebrate, La Madeleine invites you to visit any of their Dallas/Fort Worth-area restaurants for a free petite salad or cup of soup. Just print this offer and present it on your next visit. 

Would you like to start receiving coupons to Lowe’s Home Improvement?  Call, text or email me and I will register you for the Realtor Rewards program!

For more information on building, buying, selling or leasing commercial or residential property anywhere in the world, contact Nicole Tucker, licensed agent with Keller Williams, Dallas Preston Road office at 972-992-8204 or visit my website at http://www.NicoleRE.com.
Nicole Tucker ~ Making Real Estate Real Easy!

Just say NO!! To KFC

KentuckyFriedCruelty

Today is October 23.  It is the 296th day of the year with 69 to go.

Today’s History

In 1983, 241 U.S. Service members, mostly Marines, were killed after a suicide bomber struck Beirut International Airport.
In 1995, Yolanda Saldivar was convicted of killing Tejano star Selena.

Today’s News

La-Z Drunk
A Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to drunk driven charges after he was caught driving under the influence in his motorized La-Z Boy chair.  The man left a bar after drinking eight or nine beers, climbed up into his La-Z Boy and took off before running into a parked car.  He had a blood alcohol content of more than three times the legal limit but there were no serious injuries.  The La-Z Boy chair comes equipped with a converted lawn mower engine, a stereo and cupholders.

Why do people do things like this?  Do you need a motorised La-Z Boy?  Who sits around and concocts these ideas?  Hmm, what if I shove an engine into the cushions?  Wonder what will happen, and then obviously he’s a drunk, so this is just a bad idea all around.

Hey, Look What I Got
Massachusetts police are looking for two men who robbed a woman after she flashed big bucks around in a bar.  The woman came into the bar and started bragging about how she got $27,000 from an insurance claim.  She then started flashing the money around.  Later that evening, when she and her friend were leaving the bar, two men came up and robbed her.  Surprise!

D’uh!  The police shouldn’t even take this seriously.  If I were one of the cops and she told me that she had been flinging the money around in the bar, I would have packed up and left.  In these troubling economic times, people are trying to get whatever they can by any means necessary and if you are foolish enough to walk up in a bar and start showing off, then you deserve everything that you get in life.  Sorry ’bout your luck, but that money is south of the border by now. 

We Know You Meant Well But…
A South Carolina man figured that the police would not want industrial grade explosives on the street, so he thought the best idea would be to turn them in.  The man’s uncle collected explosives as a hobby:  grenades, black powder, sticks of dynamite and other ordnance.  When the uncle died, the man decided that the explosives could fall into the wrong hands, so he drove from his home to his uncle’s home 80 miles away and loaded up his truck with the explosives.  He then turned around and drove the 80 miles back to his home county to give the explosives to the police in his area, instead of just going to the police in the uncle’s neighbourhood.  When the police discovered what was in the truck, they had to shut down several streets so the bomb squad could come in and destroy the items.

It sounded like a good idea at the time, but just in case you didn’t know, you don’t really drive up and down the street with unexploded ordnance and other volatile items.  Yeah, I know dynamite needs to be triggered, but what if this man was in an accident?  With a gas truck?  With a liquid nitrogen truck?  Yay!  Fourth of July in the middle of October.  I do not believe people actually think when they come up with a good idea.

I’d Rather Be In Jail
Instead of being excited to be finally getting out of prison, a man has requested to go back to prison rather than complete his jail term on house arrest.  The Italian man was sentenced to several years in jail for illegally dumping hazardous waste but was given house arrest because of his good behaviour.  As soon as he got home, the arguments with the wife began and he decided that it was better in jail.  He went up the street to the local police station and begged for them to put him back in jail.  They did ping him for violating the house arrest conditions but his sentence was to go back home and patch things up with his wife.  He and his wife were arguing because she claimed he wasn’t paying for the upkeep of their two children.

It is kind of difficult to hold down a job while one is in jail, and even more difficult to make money when you’re on house arrest, so not sure what she expects him to do.  Granted, he probably should not have been dumping hazardous waste and he would not even be in this situation.  But let the crime fit the punishment.

Finger-Licking Free
On Monday, KFC will once again attempt to give away a free grilled chicken to promote the new menu item.  It tried twice before, but both times they were so overwhelmed that websites crashed as customers flocked to download the coupons and restaurants were flooded with angry customers trying to get a piece of chicken.  Some restaurants even ran out causing riots.  KFC promises that they will have proper staffing and adequate supplies so that you can come get your free piece of greasy chicken.  Oh wait, this one is grilled, so there’s only half the grease.

I’ve heard mixed reviews.  Some people swear by it and have taken to worshipping it.  Others say that it’s only good for buffing scuff marks out the shoes.  But I like to let my readers know when something free is available.  I figure me and the kid will go get us a piece of chicken and nibble on it a little bit each day and that will be dinner for the week.

En 2009 à Maurice, le pays pratique ouvertement une politique de distinction entre les communautés : la Constitution reconnaît cette distinction, certes pour des raisons électorales. Dans la vie de tous les jours, lorsqu’on se côtoie, lorsqu’on se mélange le temps d’accomplir les activités économiques et commerciales du pays, entre nous, nous sommes « ene sel lepep, ene sel nation ». Et lorsqu’on fait face aux autres – les étrangers – on se dit fiers d’être un pays « multi-culturel ». Sauf que, en disant cela, nous reconnaissons immédiatement le fait d’être divisés, mais vivant tel un ensemble. Mais ensemble nous dialoguons, nous rions, nous mangeons et nous jurons mauricien.

Puis la politique a débarqué avec ses gros souliers. De ces communautés, il a dressé une hiérarchie. Et de cette hiérarchie il a créé le communalisme. Soit, l’art de frustrer une communauté par rapport à une autre, l’art de créer des clichés parmi ces communautés, l’art de dénigrer l’une par rapport à l’autre. La politique a tellement bien réussi dans sa tâche que, aujourd’hui, chaque parti politique s’est attaché les allégeances de pratiquement tous d’une ou de plusieurs communautés. Mais pire encore. Ces communautés ont fini par croire dans ces reflexes énumérés plus haut. Et ils perçoivent la société aujourd’hui uniquement selon ces reflexes.

En 2009 à Maurice, l’inspectorat sanitaire du ministère de la Santé verbalise un restaurant de Kentucky Fried Chicken pour avoir opéré alors qu’une canalisation de tout-à-égoût mélangait une odeur nauséabonde avec celle de la fameuse recette secrète. Il aura d’ailleurs fallu une plainte du public pour que l’inspectorat n’intervienne. Profitant de la situation, un employé de KFC dénonce, à travers une lettre anonyme, des pratiques qu’on n’associerait pas d’habitude à une telle enseigne internationale: servir des produits périmés.

Une descente dans la branche de Mahébourg de l’enseigne révèle un fond de vérité à la lettre: des packs de jus périmés sont saisis… et du poulet non-étiqueté découvert. Une offense selon la loi. Car on ne peut retracer l’origine du produit et on ne peut savoir s’il est périmé ou pas. Un Interdiction Order est servi, le temps de conduire des analyses sur le poulet. Entre temps, d’autres descentes dans d’autres restaurants de KFC sont effectuées avec le même résultat. Et puis, scandale ! La salmonelle est découverte dans les échantillons de poulet. La chaîne KFC est sommée de fermer ses restaurants.

En 2009 à Maurice, les relations publiques et la manipulation de l’opinion des consommateurs à des fins mercantiles sont devenues des disciplines rémunérées. Face à cette crise, le groupe Food and Allied Ltd. (FAIL) qui représente l’enseigne KFC déploie les gros moyens. Pendant une première semaine, silence radio. Pourtant, sous la fumée des premières déflagrations, la stratégie se dessine, les pions se mettent en place, les tireurs se positionnent. Ils attendent le mot d’ordre. KFC tente une première réplique, timidement, en défiant ouvertement les résultats des tests de l’inspectorat du ministère. Le ministère est l’instance régulatrice, le juge, le défenseur de la santé des citoyens mauriciens. Il n’est pas une entité rompue aux méthodes de messages subliminaux à des fins commerciaux.

Le Ministre, Rajesh Jeetah, réagit quand même à travers des interviews dans la presse. Trop timidement. Il ne convainc pas (là et là). Le match vient à peine de commencer et les spectateurs – la population mauricienne – commencent à douter. Qui croire dans cette histoire ? Dès ce moment, FAIL a l’avantage stratégique : aussitôt l’interdiction levée, le groupe lance une offensive PR rarement vue à Maurice. Poster, clips vidéos, micro-trottoir rapporté en texte, audio et vidéo. KFC is back! Mais aussi le marketing viral : clip sur Facebook, Youtube et des messages de propagande commerciale relayés en masse à travers e-mail. Le ministère est battu.

En 2009 à Maurice, pouvoir politique et pouvoir économique se conjuguent aux mêmes réflexes. Dans ce rapport, on est vindicatif : on n’explique aucune manœuvre sans y saupoudrer démagogie et communalisme. A partir de ce moment, il ne s’agit plus d’une affaire d’état contre une entreprise privée, mais d’un parti politique contre les supporteurs d’un autre parti. Par extension, une communauté contre une autre. Et quoi de mieux lorsque le ministre en question a, à son actif, un lourd passé de confrontations avec la communauté qui détient le plus de pouvoir économique ?

La stratégie de communication de FAIL est déjà en place et elle marche au niveau de la diffusion. Il faut juste y insuffler une nouvelle dimension : celle de la politicaillerie, démagogique et communaliste. Et le ministre de la santé, Rajesh Jeetah, s’y prête malgré lui. Dès le départ, des rumeurs circulent sur l’arrivée prochaine d’un compétiteur de KFC à Maurice: Nando’s. Cette opération du ministère de la santé est jugée trop suspecte dans ce contexte. D’autant plus que l’on associe à un proche de Rajesh Jeetah le titre de promoteur de Nando’s… L’équation est vite faite, les conclusions évidentes. Surtout, le reflexe démagogique et communaliste plus que jamais présent.

En 2009 à Maurice, le communalisme est si présent dans notre psyché, que notre jugement en est victime. Nous ne voyons rien, nous percevons. Nous n’écoutons rien, nous interprétons. Nous ne comprenons rien, nous sommes conditionnés par les idées des autres. Et là, on nous demande de faire un choix.

Ou nous choisissons que le rôle de KFC n’est pas de faire plaisir à la population en leur offrant un repas rapide sain, mais opère selon un modèle économique viable, trop meme, ce qui a mené l’enseigne à nous servir du poulet avarié infecté de la salmonelle. Ou nous choisissons que Rajesh Jeetah est animé d’un sentiment politique communaliste et en veut au « grand-capital », ceux qui détiennent le pouvoir économique.

En 2009 à Maurice, ce choix est régi par notre appartenance politique. Et par extension, notre appartenance à des communautés. Moi, ma communauté étant le journalisme, en tant qu’un des premiers à avoir annoncé la saisie des produits périmés de KFC, j’ai tendance à croire la version de l’Etat. J’ai vérifié mes informations, elles sont fiables. KFC a menti sur toute la ligne et manipule habilement l’opinion publique. Le passé et la communauté de Rajesh Jeetah constituent une vulnérabilité. Ce qui n’aide pas sa cause. Le groupe FAIL profite de cette perception démagogue et communaliste.

Mais on en déduira sans doute que 1132nd est de la même communauté que Rajesh Jeetah. Après tout, qui n’est pas communaliste à Maurice? Et vous? Qui croyez-vous? Ou plutôt, de quelle communauté êtes vous?

El fantasma del ambush marketing se cierne sobre la Olimpiada de Londes

En un “conversation starter” (1) de la Harvard Business Review encuentro un tema relacionado con los Juegos Olímpicos y el “ambush marketing”. El marketing de emboscada consiste en una campaña de marketing que se sitúa gratis (es decir sin pago de derechos de auspicio) alrededor de un evento por cuya organización y desarrollo otros han pagado. Es normal que en eventos de mucha importancia el patrocinador exclusivo sea una sola marca lo cual provoca a las demás a buscar una manera de estar en el evento, sin pagar derechos de auspicio pero, al mismo tiempo, sin quebrantar la ley. Dicen que es una táctica tan vieja como el paso de una avioneta con una banderola colgando, sobre una playa atestada. Porque aunque no hay realmente un auspiciador específico en la playa —como no sea el municipio— la avioneta se está aprovechando de un público cuya presencia no financió en forma alguna

En el texto (Why Olympic Sponsorships Aren’t Effective), la autora, Kim Skildum-Reid, gran especialista en el tema, se pregunta si hay manera de proteger de los intrusos a los sponsors de los Juegos Olímpicos, que han hecho importantes inversiones. McDonald’s, por ejemplo, que lleva 33 años de sponsor olímpico es uno de los nueve patrocinadores del programa TOP (The Olympic Partners) en el que nueve sponsors globales pagan entre $900 y $920 millones de dólares para cubrir el periodo 2012-2014 entre los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno de Vancouver y los Juegos Olímpicos de Londres. Y aún está por renovar su auspicio TOP de los Juegos de Invierno de Sochi en el 2014 y de los Olímpicos de Río en el 2016.

Kim Skildum-Reid ha escrito dos libros sobre el tema del ambush marketing

En el artículo del Harvard Business Review, la autora plantea defender los derechos de los sponsors de unos prácticamente inevitables practicantes del marketing de emboscada lo cual implicaría que se asumieran ciertas cuestiones clave.

• El ambushing es ante todo un desafío de marketing y no un problema legal. Por lo tanto los sponsors necesitan enfocar el tema de desarrollar la experiencia olímpica de manera más creativa y práctica.
• Auspiciar grandes premios (como los de la cadena de Hoteles Hilton, por ejemplo) quizás basados en lo singular de una medalla olímpica, no es la mejor manera de convencer al público, pues solo son significativos para un pequeño grupo: los ganadores. sería mejor crear premios mas que beneficiaran a millones de personas.
• Los mensajes auto-alabando su noble respaldo a los Juegos no venden nada, aunque sea una tentación hacer ostentación de las fuertes sumas que se aportan: no hay un mensaje de marketing en ello.
• La obediencia y el acatamiento a las autoridades olímpicas no puede tener una sola vía. Aunque hay un “ejecutivo de cuenta” que se ocupa de que cada sponsor lleve a cabo sus actividades en consonancia con los contratos firmados, habría que formar equipos de estrategas de alto nivel que trabajen desde muy pronto en las alternativas de utilización de los medios disponibles para levantar los niveles de creatividad en las propias autoridades olímpicas.
• Cada auspicio puede ser diferente. Un antiguo participante del patrocinio de los juegos dice que la experiencia resulta “como hacer gimnasia con una camisa de fuerza puesta”. Tratar de sacarle rendimiento a la inversión y hacer algo memorable pero encontrar resistencia en todas partes y terminar haciendo el mismo tipo de promociones que los demás sponsors.

Streacking como una manera de ambush marketing

Cree el autor que los sponsors deben meterse en las multitudes, cultivar contenidos generados por los propios fans y participar fuera de los confines de los Juegos, donde mucho de la acción se lleva a cabo. Y que los organizadores tienen que estar dispuestos a proporcionar a los sponsors los beneficios correspondientes. Yo me pregunto si ya es difícil manejar la participación dentro del marco de los juegos estricto, metódico y muy controlado, si no será más complicado hacerlo en el amplio espacio donde la supervisión y sobre todo la participación de los que practican el marketing de emboscada, es aún menos posible de controlar.

A fin de ilustrar la práctica del ambush marketing, me permito copiar aquí parte de lo que fueron dos correos a los “mercaderes”  originales, cuando este blog era un e-mail que circulaba entre un grupo pequeño y cerrado.

KFC y el Super Bowl XLII (Feb 2008, Phoenix, Arizona)

Kentucky Fried Chicken aprovecha su participación en el Super Bowl para exprimir la rentabilidad de una promoción para sus nuevas Hot Wings, usando las facilidades que le da la web para que la gente interactúe, haga vídeos y los cuelgue en la red. La promoción invita a bailar la danza del pollo, que ha sido relacionada con el nuevo producto.

Se supone que se  busca la mejor interpretación de la danza del pollo “the chicken dance“  a través de videos que el público cuelga en Youtube (donde ya el propio colonel Sanders, símbolo de KFC tiene su personal interpretación de la danza) y ofrece al ganador, una súper fiesta, para ver en casa y con los amigos el Super Bowl, valorada en $4,250. La fiesta incluye un menú variado de KFC (y en especial de las nuevas “Hot Wings”), una pantalla plana, una limusina para acompañar a los invitados, porristas para animar el evento y hasta servicio de limpieza posterior.

Pero la madre del cordero está en que KFC promete aportar $260,000, al fondo Colonel’s Scholars, que proporciona becas de estudios en nombre del jugador del Super Bowl que interprete el “chicken dance” en la zona final de la cancha (aquella en la que se anotan puntos con solo cruzarla y donde generalmente se celebran estos). Y ha retado a los jugadores a hacerlo. Una oferta difícil de rechazar en vista de que el premio es para una buena causa.

Como el tema ha corrido como pólvora por las redacciones y por la red, el público estará bien enterado y sin duda, puesto que en el Super Bowl la publicidad es quizás más importante que el juego en sí, interesado en ver la parte comercial con interés. Así que es probable que cada vez que un jugador de cualquiera de los equipos anote un punto, los ojos se centrarán en él para ver si empieza a batir “las alas” y caminar como un pollo. Y de una manera u otra, todo el mundo estará pensando en las nuevas  hot wings de KFC. Y si uno finalmente anota y baila, es probable que genere muchos  comentarios al respecto.

La idea me parece genial: tener un buen número de menciones “subliminales” por $260 mil, frente a los $2.7 millones de los 30″ y el interés pendiente casi permanentemente es un buen negocio se mire por donde se mire. Lo ético del tema es harina de otro costal.

No le ha gustado, sin embargo, nada a la NFL (la Liga Nacional de Fútbol Americano) que lo ha llamado “ Ambush marketing”(1), que es como se denomina a cualquier campaña que se desarrolle alrededor de un evento pero sin ningún pago por el patrocinio del mismo. A mi me parece estupenda y además altamente eficaz desde el punto de vista de la inversión,  difícilmente se pueda considerar ilegal. (El partido fue muy defensivo y se anotaron muy pocos puntos y finalmente ningún jugador se animó a hace el baile del pollo después de la anotación).

Li Ning "volando" hacia el techo del estadio antes de encender la llama olímpica

Li Ning y la XXIX de China 2008

He visto el nombre de Li Ning por aquí y por allá en días recientes sin registrar que se trataba del más importante atleta de la historia china: seis medallas olímpicas y el honor de haber llevado a cabo la carrera aérea que culminó con el encendido de la llama olímpica que la noche de la inauguración de la XXIX Olimpiada. Li Ning vestía esa noche la ropa atlética de Adidas, auspiciador del evento, aunque tiene su propia y próspera empresa competencia de Adidas y Nike sobre todo en China.

Es además, según Ad Age, el rey del ambush marketing. No dice el artículo por qué, pero es fácil de adivinar que ha sido por cosas como tratar de que el personal de la cadena china de tv CCTV5, usase un uniforme con el logo de su marca muy visible. Además, es evidente que el logo de Li Ning está más que inspirado en el swash de Nike (ver foto en el artículo de AP) y que su slogan “Anything is possible” es tan parecido al “Impossible nothing” de Adidas que simplemente es… exactamente lo mismo.

Pero lo que ha hecho noticia en estos días, y hoy lo trae Ad. Age, es una foto del equipo de basketball de España, usando un uniforme con la marca de Li Ning posando para un aviso de Seur (un courrier local) “haciéndose los chinos”, es decir, jalándose los ojos con los índices.

La foto la publicó The Guardian asumiendo que podría ser tomada por el país anfitrión como un gesto de desprecio hacia China y recordando que no es este el primer caso de racismo en el deporte español. Se refieren a los comentarios de Luis Aragonés a José Antonio Reyes, sobre Thierry Henry, en un entrenamiento de la selección española de fútbol o los insultos al piloto de Fórmula 1 Lewis Hamilton en el circuito de Montmeló durante unos entrenamientos previos al comienzo del Mundial de 2008. Además de algunos gritos imitando a los monos cuando juega un negro en el equipo contrario en algunos estadios.

La noticia fue repercutida rápidamente por The New York Times, incluso agregando que tal foto podía ser negativa para el objetivo de Madrid de acoger los Juegos Olímpicos de 2016 (otra de las candidatas es Chicago). Y algunos medios españoles afirman que la “preocupación” del NYT tiene que ver más bien con ensombrecer la imagen de Madrid como posible sede del 2016 a fin de favorecer a Chicago. (A la postre no fue elegida ninguna de las dos)

Li Ning ha sonreído y le ha quitado toda importancia a la foto asegurando que ni hubo intención ni se entiende como agravio el gesto de los jugadores. Otros personajes han opinado al respecto y la embajada de China en Madrid ha emitido una declaración formal declarado que el aviso publicitario “no es ni racista, ni ofensivo”.-

Mucho ruido, buzzing puro y muy barato. Con gran concentración en España —exculpada por el dueño de la marca y las autoridades chinas— de cualquier mala intención y ya auspiciada por Li Ning. Estupendo para que gente como yo, que no había oído ni del atleta, ni de su compañía, se entere de su existencia. Y mejor aún si como se dice en alguno de los comentarios los planes de la marca son lanzarse pronto en Europa empezando por… ¡adivinen! Sí. Justamente España, de cuya selección de basket tiene el auspicio de las camisetas.

Zapatilla de Li Ning, el swash es casi idéntico al de Nike

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(1). Behind the breaking business news is often a management idea gone right or wrong. That’s where the Conversation Starter comes in. With this blog, we hope to shed new light on major events and trends in the business world by helping unearth the bigger ideas at work and discussing how those ideas are shaping our lives every day. We hope you’ll join the conversation.

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Eggs
Vienna Sausage(She’ll go crazy even at the sight of the can or the word vienna sausage)
Kentucky Fried Chicken esp the skin
Pizza Hut Pizza
Oatmeal
Anything with chicken..

Harland Sanders Cafe & Museum

The astounding image of Chinese tourists standing in front of a statue of Colonel Sanders at the Great Wall of China for a photo is indelibly etched on my memory! Legendary Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken was as important as  – possibly more important than – the amazing, centuries-old  Great Wall of China, which astronauts can actually see while in orbit.

In light of the role of franchising in modern business practices, his success at franchising his chicken recipe in the 1940s is indeed worthy of acclaim. Before his franchises, he established the Harland Sanders Café and Court in Corbin, KY, where travelers could enjoy a hearty meal of Kentucky fried chicken and a night’s stay in his motel. 

When Interstate 75 bypassed Corbin, his business went belly up. Using a Social Security check, he started franchising his Kentucky fried chicken recipe, which grew into KFC’s acclaim around the world.

On a rainy day in Corbin, KY, we broke our “no franchise food on the road” rule and enjoyed a lunch of grilled chicken while exploring the memorabilia at the Harland Sanders Cafe & Museum. The exhibits include his innovative open kitchen and model motel room for patrons to inspect.

 And I got to have my photo taken with the Colonel.

Colonel Sanders and me at the Harland Sanders Cafe & Museum

Escucha 3

Solo eso explica que el nuevo single de la ex-novia loca de América lleve en e #1 de itunes desde que se lanzó. Porque a) tan solo sus fans saben que existe, b) no hay video, c) no hay promo y d) no nos engañemos, no hay expectación alguna ante el lanzamiento, que Britney no es Sade y lleva lanzando singles clónicos dos años sin parar. Se rumorea que esta semana sale el video, lo cual al menos demostrará que Britney esta vez sí está al corriente de que está lanzando un single. Al fin y al cabo no nos extrañaría nada que el productor de la canción (un dios llamado Max Martin) hubiera utilizado las maquinitas más modernas para convertir trocitos de otras canciones de Brit en una nueva. Total, tampoco es que la chica se caracterice por implicarse en exceso en sus propias producciones.

La canción es una chorrada, ciertamente pegadiza, en la que la voz de Britney empieza a ser irritante, tiene mucho autotune y mucha voz de pato. Suena a mil veces oída ya, y si temazos como Radar o If you seek Amy fueron ignorados por el público, no tiene sentido que de repente esta tontería sea #1. Pero así es la vida y así es el pop. Quizá la que le escribe las canciones Britney ha acertado con el rollo provocador de hacer una canción sobre un trío (“cuantos más mejor”, “juguemos al twister”… si es que nunca dejará de ser una locuela ingenua). Algún día sus hijos escucharán a su mamá desde los camiones de demolición en los que trabajen y se sentirán orgullosos de su lírica.

Hasta entonces, Britney demuestra una vez más que no hace falta esforzarse lo más mínimo para tener éxito en la música. No estaría mal que aprendiera a bailar otra vez, claro que bastante que se tiene en pie. Mientras tanto ahí tienes a otras dándolo todo como Lady Gaga (cuya re-edición incluirá 8 temas nuevos, cifra que probablemente haría que Britney sufriera un ataque de ansiedad) o Shakira, que se ha debido dislocar la cadera y la dignidad 10 veces desde que empezó a promocionar Loba. Claro que al menos a Lady Gaga la gente le hace caso, Shakira no ha aprendido que cuando se la chupas a todo el equipo de fútbol dejas de ser novedad.

Te gustará si… nunca maduraste y/o crees que Christina Aguilera es la inventora de la rima asonante.

I’m sure you guys enjoy some Kentucky Fried Chicken everynow and then right? Solid hangover food.

So earlier today  im in the mood for some comfort food and im walking down Claremont Main Road (Cape Town) when a KFC appears. I head on in and wait in line. I look up at the board to choose what i want and a NEW deal catches my eye. A rounder, some chips and mash and gravy. Keep in mind its raining so the deal i see looks pretty tempting. Take a look at what i was seeing:

I pay and the lady hands me a rounder, some chips and………wait for it……….a cup of vanilla and chocolate ice cream. I casually exclaim:

 ”Sorry ma’m ,but i didn’t order any ice cream..i got the deal with mash and gravy.”

 I swear she looked at me and said :

“Can’t you see in the picture that its ice cream”.

…the f**k????????? Does that look like icecream to anyone? Come now…what kind of dodgy underhanded  kak advertising is this. The lady then pointed out that it says its icecream at the bottom in fine print. You need binoculars to see that  sh*t i swear.

 I then give in and order a seperate mash and gravy which was R6.90. I stand there..still dazed waiting for my change while she serves the next customer. I ask for my change and she gives me a dirty look like im being unreasonable for asking for my 10 cents. Dont you hate that? The nerve.

This is just not on. Shame on you KFC. False advertising and kak service.

Now I’ve seen my share of people in lame ass animal uniforms having dance battles, but this one is just plain pathetic. First off… the REAL Jollibee would fuck up that douche bag “Chuckie” the KFC Chicken’s ass. WHO THE FUCK IS “CHUCKIE” ANYWAY?! For the most part it looks like these two have a choreographed dance routine and aren’t really battling. But when the show is over, their short lived “DANCE BATTLE” is L-A-M-E. A little weird head bob thing by the Jollibee and Chuckie got served… hopefully deep fried in 11 herbs and spices. And leave it to the Filipinos to have a (fried) chicken (restaurant) fight in the driveway of someone’s house.

There has been a lot of traffic lately to this blog based on searches using “KFC”.  To make it easier to find what you’re looking for, try these easy links:

• All Links:
• http://trebord.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/kentucky-free-coupons/
• http://trebord.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/kentucky-fradulent-chicken/
• http://trebord.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/wheres-the-chicken/
• http://trebord.wordpress.com/2009/05/11/kentucky-fiasco-chicken/
• http://trebord.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/kentucky-free-chicken/

 11:59 pm

KFC: Your Order Fast or Jump the Counter and Kick  Some Ass – NORWELL, MASSACHUSETTS – Boy, the nerve of these companies who give you a warranty or promise on their products then don’t back it up, particulary since our enconomy is slowing getting flushed down the global toilet.  Take for instance those lying sons-a-bitches at Dominoes.  They promise delivery under 30 minutes or there’s no charge, but they’re always late and you sure as hell ain’t getting it free.  Same with those bastards at Burger King.  They tell you to have it your way but the minute you say no onions and tomatoes on your Whopper, you get both, and extra, extra “special” sauce.  On the other hand, Kentucky Fried Chicken is living up to it’s promise and if they don’t come through somebody’s getting their ass kicked the Colonel’s way.

After becoming irate for having to wait 10 minutes for their Kentucky Fried Chicken order, a man and his wife stomped a nosey man who stuck his nose in their business.  When arguing with a KFC employee over the late order a man who was waiting in line intervened and told the couple to keep it down and wait like everyone else.  After the confrontation the two troublemakers took their orders outside, then waited for the man who yelled at them.  As he walked out of the restaurant into the parking lot, the trouble making husbund, who was hiding behind a car,  ran up and kicked him in the nuts, then punched him several times in the face while the wife beat him repeatedly with a bucket of chicken.  The couple was arrested shortly thereafter by police who used a tazer to subdue both in front of a crowd of nearly 60 people. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091003/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_kfc_assault)

The husband has been charged with assault and battery, stalking, and retail bullying, his second offense after beating up a guy at Chili’s over beans in the nachos platter.   The wife , though not originally charged because her instrument of punishment was a bucket of chicken, was later ordered to appear in court on assault and battery charges and assault with a dead animal.  Both were fined $1500 and had to pay the victim’s medical bills.  They were also sentenced to 3 months hard labor on Colonel Sander’s chicken farm chain gang.  Rumor has it the work there isn’t exactly finger licking good, but what do you expect from a chicken farm that feeds it’s chickens enough steroids to run around for an after their heads were chopped off?

MSG – A slow poison The food additive MSG (Mono-Sodium Glutamate) is a slow poison. MSG hides behind 25 or more names, such as Natural Flavoring.” MSG is even in your favorite coffee from Tim Horton’s and Starbucks coffee shops! I wondered if there could be an actual chemical causing the massive obesity epidemic, and so did a friend of mine, John Erb.

He was a research assistant at the University of Waterloo in Ontario,Canada, and spent years working for the government. He made an amazing discovery while going through scientific journals for a book he was writing called The Slow Poisoning of America .

In hundreds of studies around the world, scientists were creating obese mice and rats to use in diet or diabetes test studies. No strain of rat or mice is naturally obese, so scientists have to create them. They make these creatures morbidly obese by injecting them with MSG when they are first born.

The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates, causing rats(and perhaps humans) to become obese.

They even have a name for the fat rodents they create: “MSG-Treated Rats.” When I heard this, I was shocked. I went into my kitchen and checked the cupboards and the refrigerator. MSG was in everything — the Campbell’s soups, the Hostess Doritos, the Lays flavored potato chips, Top Ramen,Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper, Heinz canned gravy, Swanson frozen prepared meals, and Kraft salad dressings, especially the “healthy low-fat” ones.

The items that didn’t have MSG marked on the product label had something called “Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein,” which is just another name for Monosodium Glutamate. It was shocking to see just how many of the foods we feed our children everyday are filled with this stuff. MSG is hidden under many different names in order to fool those who read the ingredient list, so that they don’t catch on.

(Other names for MSG are “Accent, “Aginomoto,” “Natural Meat Tenderizer,” etc.) But it didn’t stop there. When our family went out to eat, we started asking at the restaurants what menu items contained MSG. Many employees, even the managers, swore they didn’t use MSG. But when we ask for the ingredient list, which they grudgingly provided, sure enough, MSG and Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein were everywhere.

Burger King, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, every restaurant — even the sit-down eateries like TGIF, Chili’s, Applebee’s, and Denny’s — use MSG in abundance. Kentucky Fried Chicken seemed to be the WORST offender: MSG was in every chicken dish, salad dressing. and gravy.

No wonder I loved to eat that coating on the skin — their secret spice was MSG! So why is MSG in so many of the foods we eat? Is it a preservative, or a vitamin?

Not according to my friend John Erb. In his book The Slow Poisoning of America , he said that MSG is added to food for the addictive effect it has on the human body. Even the propaganda website sponsored by the food manufacturers lobby group supporting MSG explains that the reason they add it to food is to make people eat more.

A study of the elderly showed that older people eat more of the foods that it is added to. The Glutamate Association lobbying group says eating more is a benefit to the elderly, but what does it do to the rest of us? “Betcha can’t eat [just] one,” takes on a whole new meaning where MSG is concerned!

And we wonder why the nation is overweight! MSG manufacturers themselves admit that it addicts people to their products. It makes people choose their product over others, and makes people eat more of it than they would if MSG wasn’t added. Not only is MSG scientifically proven to cause obesity, it is an addictive substance.

Since its introduction into the American food supply fifty years ago, MSG has been added in larger and larger doses to the pre-packaged meals,soups, snacks, and fast foods we are tempted to eat everyday. The FDA has set no limits on how much of it can be added to food.

 They claim it’s safe to eat in any amount. But how can they claim it’s safe when there are hundreds of scientific studies with titles like these: “The monosodium glutamate (MSG) obese rat as a model for the study of exercise in obesity.”

Gobatto CA, Mello MA, Souza CT, Ribeiro IA. Res Commun Mol Pathol Pharmacol. 2002. “Adrenalectomy abolishes the food-induced hypothalamic serotonin release in both normal and monosodium glutamate-obese rats.” Guimaraes RB, Telles MM, Coelho VB, Mori C, Nascimento CM, Ribeiro. Brain Res Bull. 2002 Aug. “Obesity induced by neonatal monosodium glutamate treatment in spontaneously hypertensive rats: An animal model of multiple risk factors.” Iwase M, Yamamoto M, Iino K, Ichikawa K, Shinohara N, Yoshinari Fujishima. Hypertens Res. 1998 Mar.

 ”Hypothalamic lesion induced by injection of monosodium glutamate in suckling period and subsequent development of obesity.” Tanaka K, Shimada M, Nakao K Kusunoki. Exp Neurol. 1978 Oct. No, the date of that last study was not a typo; it was published in 1978. Both the “medical research community” and “food manufacturers” have known about the side effects of MSG for decades.

Many more of the studies mentioned in John Erb’s book link MSG to diabetes, migraines and headaches, autism, ADHD, and even Alzheimer’s.

So what can we do to stop the food manufactures from dumping this fattening and addictive MSG into our food supply and causing the obesity epidemic we now see? Several months ago, John Erb took his book and his concerns to one of the highest government health officials in Canada .

While he was sitting in the go vernment office, the official told him, “Sure, I know how bad MSG is. I wouldn’t touch the stuff.” But this top-level government official refuses to tell the public what he knows. The big media doesn’t want to tell the public either, fearing issues with their advertisers. It seems that the fallout on the fast food industry may hurt their profit margin.

The food producers and restaurants have been addicting us to their products for years, and now we are paying the price for it. Our children should not be cursed with obesity caused by an addictive food additive. But what can I do about it?

I’m just one voice!

What can I do to stop the poisoning of our children, while our governments are insuring financial protection for the industry that is poisoning us?

This message is going out to everyone I know in an attempt to tell you the truth that the corporate-owned politicians and media won’t tell you. The best way you can help to save yourself and your children from this drug-induced epidemic is to forward this article to everyone.

 With any luck, it will circle the globe before politicians can pass the legislation protecting those who are poisoning us.

The food industry learned a lot from the tobacco industry. Imagine if big tobacco had a bill like this in place before someone blew the whistle on nicotine? If you are one of the few who can still believe that MSG is good for us and you don’t believe what John Erb has to say, see for yourself. Go to the National Library of Medicine at www.pubmed.com .

Type in the words “MSG Obese” and read a few of the 115 medical studies that appear.

We the public do not want to be rats in one giant experiment, and we do not approve of food that makes us into a nation of obese, lethargic, addicted sheep, feeding the food industry’s bottom line while waiting for the heart transplant, the diabetic-induced amputation, blindness, or other obesity-induced, life-threatening disorders. With your help we can put an end to this poison.

Do your part in sending this message out by word of mouth, e-mail, or by distribution of this printout to your friends all over the world and stop this “Slow Poisoning of Mankind” by the packaged food industry.

Blowing the whistle on MSG is our responsibility , so get the word out.

Is KFC following the low carb trend?

It seems like it with their latest high-calorie creation, the Double Down Chicken Sandwich: it’s bacon, swiss cheese, pepper jack cheese and the “Colonel’s special sauce” sandwiched between two fried breaded chicken fillets instead of buns.

Clearly, there is no nutrition benefit in replacing two buns, which are equivalent to 2 grams of fat and 160 calories, with two fried chicken fillets. The KFC Double Down sandwich has an astounding 590 calories, 31 grams of total fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 190 mg of cholesterol and an unknown amount of sodium. Instead of cutting down the carbs, KFC should be reducing the fat.

With over 60% of Americans suffering from obesity, how can we save money in health care if we are creating more problems? A recent national study estimates that obesity costs $147 billion a year. Obesity has been linked to common chronic diseases such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease and cancer. We need a sound and evidence-based message to combat the obesity epidemic in America and, seriously, KFC is not helping.

Click here for a video of the “sandwich”