Thursday, December 3, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
RED BULL HIGH
HONG KONG (AFP) – Hong Kong officials say they have found traces of cocaine in cans of Red Bull, a few days after Taiwanese authorities confiscated close to 18,000 cases of the popular energy drink.
Officials at the Centre for Food Safety said a laboratory analysis found tiny amounts of the illegal drug in samples of "Red Bull Cola," "Red Bull Sugar-free" and "Red Bull Energy Drink", a spokesman said.
The drink has now been taken off the shelves of major supermarkets, the spokesman said in a statement issued late Monday. He added that the amount of cocaine found in the drinks posed little health danger.
Red Bull moved quickly to deny the findings and said independent tests on the same batch of drinks had found no traces of cocaine.
The Centre for Food Safety found traces of cocaine between 0.1 and 0.3 micrograms of the illegal drug per litre, the statement said.
Hong Kong's commissioner for narcotics, Sally Wong, said the government was now taking legal advice on any possible liability for importers and retailers.
"Cocaine is a dangerous drug... The possession and dealing in the drug is a criminal offence," she said in the statement.
Red Bull's Asia Pacific marketing director, Daniel Beatty, said the firm strongly disputed the findings.
"It would have been absolutely impossible for the Hong Kong or any other authorities to have found traces of cocaine in Red Bull Energy Drink," he said in a statement.
"We expect the Hong Kong authorities to recognize their error soon," he said, adding the firm's representatives were already meeting with Taiwanese authorities to point out the error.
Taiwan officials said Saturday they had confiscated nearly 18,000 cases of Red Bull imported from Austria after finding it contained traces of the drug.
Taiwanese authorities ordered the drinks to be removed from shelves pending further investigation.
Red Bull, whose advertising slogan is "Red Bull gives you wings," was founded by Austrian toothpaste salesman Dietrich Mateschitz in the 1980s.
It has since become one of the dominant players in the global energy drinks market.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Taco Bell X USA
In an effort to help the national debt, Taco Bell is pleased to announce that we have agreed to purchase the Liberty Bell, one of our country's most historic treasures. It will now be called the 'Taco Liberty Bell' and will still be accessible to the American public for viewing. While some may find this controversial, we hope our move will prompt other corporations to take similar action to do their part to reduce the country's debt."
Monday, March 16, 2009
X WishUponAHero.com X
Granting Wishes to Strangers
WishUponAHero.com Connects Thousands in Need With Those Willing to Give
Dave Girgenti is a marketing manager from New Jersey, and many would say that he sees the world through rose-colored glasses. "I think anyone would help anyone if they knew who to help and how to help them," he said.
Girgenti has found thousands of people whose generosity continues to prove him right.
A year-and-a-half ago, Girgenti launched WishUponAHero.com, what he calls a social "helping" site where anyone can post wishes, which in turn are answered by "heroes," who offer to help make those wishes come true.
"If you want to become a hero it's as easy as clicking on someone's wish that you are emotionally connected with," Girgenti said. "You never know what your super power is, meaning you never know what you can grant because it's as simple as advice or a birthday card. Anyone can be a hero."
Wish Upon a Hero was born out of Girgenti's desire to help people after tragedies like September 11th and Hurricane Katrina.
"The one thing that struck me with Sept. 11 was people hanging photos all over the city looking for lost loved ones, and I figured if there was an online site that people could post up that information, people could find people much faster," he said.
The site has grown from helping to reunite families to granting wishes big and small so far, more than 27,000 requests have been granted.
"The wishes range from very small things like cards &We had weddings granted. We sent wheelchairs. We get children eye glasses," Girgenti said.
Heroes have sent a World War II veteran back to Pearl Harbor for his 90th birthday. Several people chipped in to get a bike for a boy with Down syndrome. For a girl whose house burned down, heroes gave her a dress and shoes for her senior prom. A boy with terminal cancer got a chance to meet his basketball idols.
Ginny Winderman, who volunteers to help run the site, has been a hero 412 times.
"I could reach out to the people I wanted to reach out to. It wasn't like I was giving to one particular organization where I really didn't know where it was going to," Winderman said. "It was an individual -- someone who really needed something."
'No Wish Too Large, No Hero Too Small'
Many people on the site both ask for and grant wishes, playing the roles of giver and receiver through good times and bad -- call it "bartering karma." Nancy Mitchell has granted 21 wishes.
"You just start reading some of these wishes and your gut tells you, 'I've got to do something because that is the right thing to do,'" said Mitchell. "There are so many stories and you can see how people have it worse than you. No matter how bad you have it, there are people who have it worse than you."
After her husband lost one of his jobs, Mitchell reluctantly posted a wish. Their dryer had stopped working, their car needed $3,000 in repairs and then their refrigerator died.
"Honestly I don't know why I waited so long because I know how powerful the site can be. I've witnessed it. I've participated in it," she said. "Then there comes a pickup truck with a brand new refrigerator. I didn't know what to say. I was speechless."
Mitchell's hero was Ginny Winderman.
"I can't thank her enough. She gave me my holidays back. She have me traditions back with my family. It's not just an appliance," Mitchell said.
"I think she hugs it every day," Winderman said of the new refrigerator.
Both women are examples of how far simple acts of kindness can go -- especially in rough economic times.
"You can make a difference and it doesn't cost you a penny," Mitchell said. "It may be just a phone call. It may be just a kind word. But something as simple as that can make all the difference in the world to somebody in need."
To become a hero, you can visit their website,
WishUponAHero.com Connects Thousands in Need With Those Willing to Give
Dave Girgenti is a marketing manager from New Jersey, and many would say that he sees the world through rose-colored glasses. "I think anyone would help anyone if they knew who to help and how to help them," he said.
Girgenti has found thousands of people whose generosity continues to prove him right.
A year-and-a-half ago, Girgenti launched WishUponAHero.com, what he calls a social "helping" site where anyone can post wishes, which in turn are answered by "heroes," who offer to help make those wishes come true.
"If you want to become a hero it's as easy as clicking on someone's wish that you are emotionally connected with," Girgenti said. "You never know what your super power is, meaning you never know what you can grant because it's as simple as advice or a birthday card. Anyone can be a hero."
Wish Upon a Hero was born out of Girgenti's desire to help people after tragedies like September 11th and Hurricane Katrina.
"The one thing that struck me with Sept. 11 was people hanging photos all over the city looking for lost loved ones, and I figured if there was an online site that people could post up that information, people could find people much faster," he said.
The site has grown from helping to reunite families to granting wishes big and small so far, more than 27,000 requests have been granted.
"The wishes range from very small things like cards &We had weddings granted. We sent wheelchairs. We get children eye glasses," Girgenti said.
Heroes have sent a World War II veteran back to Pearl Harbor for his 90th birthday. Several people chipped in to get a bike for a boy with Down syndrome. For a girl whose house burned down, heroes gave her a dress and shoes for her senior prom. A boy with terminal cancer got a chance to meet his basketball idols.
Ginny Winderman, who volunteers to help run the site, has been a hero 412 times.
"I could reach out to the people I wanted to reach out to. It wasn't like I was giving to one particular organization where I really didn't know where it was going to," Winderman said. "It was an individual -- someone who really needed something."
'No Wish Too Large, No Hero Too Small'
Many people on the site both ask for and grant wishes, playing the roles of giver and receiver through good times and bad -- call it "bartering karma." Nancy Mitchell has granted 21 wishes.
"You just start reading some of these wishes and your gut tells you, 'I've got to do something because that is the right thing to do,'" said Mitchell. "There are so many stories and you can see how people have it worse than you. No matter how bad you have it, there are people who have it worse than you."
After her husband lost one of his jobs, Mitchell reluctantly posted a wish. Their dryer had stopped working, their car needed $3,000 in repairs and then their refrigerator died.
"Honestly I don't know why I waited so long because I know how powerful the site can be. I've witnessed it. I've participated in it," she said. "Then there comes a pickup truck with a brand new refrigerator. I didn't know what to say. I was speechless."
Mitchell's hero was Ginny Winderman.
"I can't thank her enough. She gave me my holidays back. She have me traditions back with my family. It's not just an appliance," Mitchell said.
"I think she hugs it every day," Winderman said of the new refrigerator.
Both women are examples of how far simple acts of kindness can go -- especially in rough economic times.
"You can make a difference and it doesn't cost you a penny," Mitchell said. "It may be just a phone call. It may be just a kind word. But something as simple as that can make all the difference in the world to somebody in need."
To become a hero, you can visit their website,
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Blackberry X Big Brother
Kind of creepy news trickling out of Research in Motion, the company that makes the phenomenally successful Blackberry. In an interview with ZDNet, the company's CIO, Robin Bienfait, said that RIM records, well, pretty much everything you do within its walls, including your personal phone calls.
Specifically, "all actions carried out on RIM's internal network" are logged, which means emails, web browsing, and phone calls, all recorded for posterity. "I record everything," said Bienfait, putting it bluntly.
Many office workers are accustomed to IT oversight of their computer habits -- email is backed up for legal and data security purposes (though it's rarely ever read) and many companies restrict employees from visiting certain websites -- not just gambling/gaming/porn but also career and sometimes even "gossip" sites. But recording every phone call? Even for die-hard "employer rights" advocates, that's a tough one to swallow.
Naturally Bienfait is concerned about leaks, as the company, like most of the current-era tech world, jealously guards the details about its upcoming product line. Should word get out about what RIM is working on, untold amounts of damage could be rained down on the company. Why, just imagine how many people would be knocking off the BlackBerry Storm and its mega-button design had they gotten wind of it in advance...
For the most part, employees seem to accept the Big Brother treatment, but things get dicey when employees have to deal with personal issues on work time -- say, a divorce proceeding or medical conversations -- things which they'd probably rather not have recorded permanently by Bienfait's crew. Her advice: Bring in a cell phone and take the call there instead.
Just don't do it on your corporate BlackBerry. Those are of course monitored too.
Specifically, "all actions carried out on RIM's internal network" are logged, which means emails, web browsing, and phone calls, all recorded for posterity. "I record everything," said Bienfait, putting it bluntly.
Many office workers are accustomed to IT oversight of their computer habits -- email is backed up for legal and data security purposes (though it's rarely ever read) and many companies restrict employees from visiting certain websites -- not just gambling/gaming/porn but also career and sometimes even "gossip" sites. But recording every phone call? Even for die-hard "employer rights" advocates, that's a tough one to swallow.
Naturally Bienfait is concerned about leaks, as the company, like most of the current-era tech world, jealously guards the details about its upcoming product line. Should word get out about what RIM is working on, untold amounts of damage could be rained down on the company. Why, just imagine how many people would be knocking off the BlackBerry Storm and its mega-button design had they gotten wind of it in advance...
For the most part, employees seem to accept the Big Brother treatment, but things get dicey when employees have to deal with personal issues on work time -- say, a divorce proceeding or medical conversations -- things which they'd probably rather not have recorded permanently by Bienfait's crew. Her advice: Bring in a cell phone and take the call there instead.
Just don't do it on your corporate BlackBerry. Those are of course monitored too.
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