This is part one of eight that are available for you to watch for free on youtube.  This is a very important documentary by independent filmmaker Marie-Monique Robin about the greatest threat to mankind today, Monsanto.  You know how we have all seen movies about some mega powerful company wrought with evil and plummeting the world towards annihilation?  Watching those movies we all had the same thought in the back of our minds, “that makes for great story telling but no company is that insidious.”  Well, Monsanto just may be worse than any of those fictional movie corporations.

Keep in mind as you watch this that President George H. W. Bush appointed a Monsanto lobbyist, Michael Taylor, to head the FDA in the early 1990′s.  Bill Clinton also hired a Monsanto mole for his two terms.  Likewise Bush Jr. hired a Monsanto thug.  President Obama has hired no less than seven Monsanto puppets including USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and former FDA big wig Michael Taylor.  The devastation this unholy union has brought to our food system in the subsequent 20 years trumps anything Hollywood has ever dreamed up.  It begs this question – who actually runs the legislative branch of the government, the President or Monsanto?

Nearly 40 high school seniors from the U.S. and Canada came together for one day of nonstop cooking, all in pursuit of scholarships to The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes and the chance to be named Best Teen Chef 2010.

This year, Kristen Young of Yuma, Arizona emerged triumphant as a result of her unique menu of desert-painted, ginger and coconut-scented sweet potato soup with spiced yogurt and sautéed shrimp; and citrus and cumin-marinated chicken with roasted corn rice pilaf, sautéed spinach, and a mushroom tomato citrus sauce.

Kristen earned a full-tuition scholarship to study at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Phoenix and the opportunity to serve as “Intern for a Day” at Food Network Kitchens in New York City. She will also receive a tour of Food Network’s studios, dinner for two at a Food Network chef’s restaurant, and a library of Food Network Kitchens cookbooks. The annual event was held this year at The Art Institute of Houston.

Cheyenne Vallette of Henderson, Nevada earned second-place honors, receiving a half-tuition scholarship to study at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Las Vegas. Harrison Parish of Cumming, Georgia earned third-place honors, receiving a quarter-tuition scholarship to study at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Atlanta.

For more information on The Art Institutes Best Teen Chef Competition, click HERE.

I was, to put it mildly, apprehensive when I saw a commercial for Burger King’s new “Fire Grilled Ribs.”  I have survived the McRib, Hardee’s Fried Chicken, Popeye’s Chicken Pita, KFC’s Double Down, Taco Bell’s BLT Taco and the results of the “King’s” other atrocities from the Kitchen of Dr. Moreau, Chicken Fries and those infamous BK Tacos (a kid burger inside a half-cooked taco shell).

Last week, whilst in the throws of moving from my apartment to my new house, I decided I would give the BK Ribs a try.  I was hungry so I opted for the 8 piece combo over the 6 piece.  With tax I dropped $10 and with the service I also lost 30 minutes of my life waiting for the only other person in the drive-thru to get their Whopper Jr. combo meal.

Now clearly I was not expecting pork ribs to be healthy.  It’s called a splurge.  So once I was able to track down the carefully hidden nutritional information I was not surprised by the 12g of saturated fat (6 piece portion) nor the 66% of calories from fat.

However, I was surprised to find that though they looked a good deal like pork ribs they did not taste like pork ribs.  The texture was quite off-putting.  It was somewhere between a dry rib and those beef jerky steak bites.  They were gnaw off the bone tender.  They certainly were not smoked but rather roasted with a touch of liquid smoke and brown sugar but no detectable spices or rub.  They come dry (which has two different meanings in the case) with BBQ sauce dipping cups on the side.  Use as much sauce as possible as it is the only thing that makes these palatable.

It isn’t bad enough that these fast food ribs taste like, well fast food ribs, but they cost as much a REAL ribs.  I live in Alabama, there is no shortage of great barbecue and if I am going to plop down $10 for ribs I want great ribs.  But what should I expect from a company that professes to let you “have it your way” but that has never been the case.

I once walked into a Burger King and ordered a Whopper made my way, “Fresh ground grass-fed beef, a whole wheat bun free of High Fructose Corn Syrup and hydrogenated oil, vegetables that were allowed to fully ripen on the vine at a farm within 150 miles and REAL cheddar cheese.”  They looked at me like I had asked them to fix me something that wasn’t poisonous.

Have your tried BK Ribs?  Culinary revolution or porcine abomination?  Use the comments below to tell the world what you thought of them.

By PAUL ZIOBRO of the Wall Street Journal

Walt Disney Co. is closing five of its seven ESPN Zone locations, including its Times Square location, on June 16 as the company found it increasingly challenging to operate the sports-themed restaurants.

An ESPN spokesman said the company will be closing ESPN Zones in Baltimore, Chicago, New York, Las Vegas and Washington, while keeping the locations in Los Angeles and Anaheim open. The announcement followed media reports, including in the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, that some or all of the restaurant locations would be closed.

ESPN Zone, an arcade-style restaurant used as a brand extension for the popular sports network, becomes a victim of the economic downturn, where consumers increasingly cut back on visits to restaurants. The locations took up pricey real estate, like the high-profile Times Square spot at 42nd Street and Broadway, which make it difficult to operate the chains profitably.

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Last week the campus of Alabama A&M hosted what many are calling the “chicken summit.”  USAG Eric Holder and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack were joined by a gaggle of local politicians to hear the complaints of poultry farmers who labor under the iron thumb of poultry conglomerates like Pilgrim’s Pride and Tyson.

The purpose of the summit was to reach out to farmers as part of the 2008 Farm Bill signed into law by President George W. Bush that requires USDA investigations into unfair practices.  To date the USDA has yet to launch a formal investigation despite obvious anti-trust violations.

No wonder.  Secretary Vilsack has had a three-decade relationship with one of the corporations the Farm Bill was designed to reconnoiter, Monsanto.  Likewise, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has had a nefarious public relationship with Tyson that included allegations of insider trading, conflict of interest, and bribery.  Then US Attorney General Janet Reno refused to investigate her boss’s wife despite overwhelming evidence.  Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Ron Sparks, who was also in attendance, is embroiled in accusations of taking money from lobbyists to finance his election for governor.

Secretary Vilsack and AG Holder both acted surprised at the revelations of one-sided contracts and mafia-like transactions with poultry corporations.  Somehow they are the only two people that haven’t seen Food Inc. Remember Carole Morrison?  She was the chicken farmer who allowed the film makers to document the substandard practices of modern factory farming.  Her reward for her heroism was having her contract pulled out from under her.

Many poultry farmers have reported similar heavy-handed dealings with poultry companies including recent threats for attending the “chicken summit.”  One who ignored the extortion attempts, Alabama poultry farmer Garry Staples, stated he expected, “retaliation,” from his contractor.

Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney told Staples, “I fully expect you will not experience retaliation,” then handing him a piece of paper added, “But if you do, call me at that number.”  Her boss, AG Holder, was strangely quite throughout the proceedings saying that the issue was “a top priority.”  We’ll see, this administration has proven less than trustworthy.