Scuttlebutt Pipeline

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Sept. 14, 2007 - Like most girls her age, 15-year-old Ashlee R. is into sports, clothes and current pop music. She’s a typical Midwestern teen—except that she’s looking for a husband. “She tells us none of the boys her own age are interesting to her because they ‘are still little kids’ and she is looking for an adult to start a life with,” say her parents, who’ve enrolled her on a new Web site—MarryOurDaughter.com—where they’ve set the “price” for her hand as $37,500.

Makayla S. is also 15, a traditional girl, a homebody who “cooks like a chef and decorates like Martha Stewart.” She has a cheerful, upbeat outlook on life and spends a lot of time laughing. Her bride price? $24,995.

Before you get too upset, stop: MarryOurDaughter.com isn’t real—it’s a hoax. Nonetheless, the site—which claims to be a matching service for followers of “the Biblical tradition” of arranged marriages—has managed to fool a whole lot of people. With profiles of young girls, outrageous testimonials and solicitations for proposals (as well as a sign-up page to have your own daughter listed) MarryOurDaughter.com has received 60 million hits since it launched last week—and, believe it or not, on top of angry letters, thousands of proposals.

(source)

We’ve had mail order Russian brides for so long that if this had been real it really wouldn’t have surprised me. Truth be told, somehow I don’t find this very offensive. Yes, had it been real it would have been kind of sad that these girls were being sold off, but that is a cultural view. Only a handful of countries and societies view marriage as a bond formed between a loving couple. Many view it as something that must be done to preserve the families or a matter of conveience. So before anybody gets their panties in a twist over this pleas estop and realize that one culture’s views do not necessarily reflect another’s, and certainly there is no one “superior” or right view.

…You may want to head on over to Soccer Goalz Inc which provides quality portable Soccer Goals at fairly reasonable prices. This easy on the eyes and fast loading website provides a variety of portable soccer goals, from pop up ones to backyard tournament designs, as well as soccer backstops and soccer rebounders. Many of the items listed can be used, not just for soccer, but other net-sports as well. Practicing hockey or lacrosse? These goals will suit your needs just fine. In fact, Soccer Goalz Inc also carry pvc and metal hockey goals too.

Soccer Goalz Inc using a secure shopping cart and checkout service provided by Yahoo! Stores for your ordering. If you are planning on buying more than one item and or wish to see the contents of your shopping cart the layout of the website makes it a bit difficult. There is no readily apparent link to view one’s cart on the navigation to at the top of the page or the left-hand column. I would strongly urge the creators and owners of this site to add that feature as it makes the shopping experiance much more easier and enjoyable. If I have to keep adding and then deleting items in order to just view my cart’s contents I would be inclined to give up and find another store. So this feature really should be added.

As for shipping and handling, they offer a flat shipping rate of $10 for ground mail. Since you know these items are not going to light that is a fairly good deal. Ground shipping can take five to seven business days and is available in the States only. For expedited shipping they also offer other options.

Now where have I heard this before:

SAN FRANCISCO - A package of Dole salad mix that tested positive for E. coli has triggered a recall in at least nine states, prompting new produce fears almost exactly a year after a nationwide spinach scare.

The tainted bag of Dole’s Hearts Delight salad mix was sold at a store in Canada, officials said. Neither Canadian health officials nor Dole Food Co. have received reports of anyone getting sick from the product.

The voluntary recall, issued Monday, affects all packages of Hearts Delight sold in the United States and Canada with a “best if used by” date of September 19, 2007, and a production code of “A24924A” or “A24924B,” the company said.

Last year, an E. coli outbreak traced to bagged baby spinach sold under the Dole brand was blamed for the deaths of three people and for sickening hundreds more across the U.S. Authorities eventually identified a central California cattle ranch next to spinach fields belonging to one of Dole’s suppliers as being the source of the bacteria.

A recent Associated Press investigation found that government regulators never acted on calls for stepped-up inspections of leafy greens after that outbreak, and regulations governing farms in the fertile central California region known as the nation’s “Salad Bowl” remain much as they were.

The latest recall affects packages sold in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces in Canada and in Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee starting around Sept. 8, said Marty Ordman, a Dole spokesman.

Eighty-eight cases — or 528 bags — were distributed in Canada, and 755 cases containing 4,530 bags were distributed in the U.S., he said. FDA spokesman Michael Herndon said the agency was talking with Westlake Village, Calif.-based Dole about the situation.

(Full Article)

Those who do not learn from past mistakes are doomed to repeat them. Perhaps Dole just hasn’t learned yet or maybe even doesn’t care? Whatever the case may be it doesn’t change the fact that there is some contaminated salad out there. Personally I don’t buy bagged lettuce, but obviously others out there do. So be sure to check your merchandise.

Bagged salad affected by the recall are Dole’s Hearts Delight with the best if used by date of September 19,2007 and have either A24924A or A24924B product codes.

Retail jobs are on the rise. Retail is one of the largest industry segments today, estimated to currently employ 12 percent of the workforce according to the US Census Bureau. Additionally the retail workforce is growing. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the retail workforce is expected to grow by 10 percent over a 10-year span to a total population of 11 million (2004 – 2014). This growth indicates vast opportunities in retail jobs, including retail management jobs, retail sales jobs, retail customer service jobs, retail loss prevention jobs and the list of retail jobs goes on. With all the growth in the retail industry, job seekers who are considering a retail job have the benefit of choice when it comes to the type of store to work in as well as the job. If you or someone you know are looking for a job in retail, check out www.RetailFit.com, an online job board focused exclusively on retail jobs ranging from management, hourly and part time positions from the nation’s top retailers.