MONKEY MUSINGS DAILY OPEN DISCUSSION #53 11/24/09 - 1/21/10

[Bearlyhere]

Bearly.....the next one is 10,000.....!   How great is that....!

Bearly is holding out on us.....her next post ought to be 'sumptin'......

Fell asleep, I think...sumpin' all right...

 

[Bearlyhere]

Bearly.....the next one is 10,000.....!   How great is that....!

Bearly is holding out on us.....her next post ought to be 'sumptin'......

"Anticipation" (Carly Simon)     

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/odcJ-vS22rI&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/odcJ-vS22rI&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;</a>

[Bearlyhere]

For those that may use Slim Fast products and don't get over to our recall threads:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20091204/all-slim-fast-cans-recalled

All Slim-Fast Cans Recalled
Possible Bacterial Contamination Spurs Recall of All Ready-to-Drink Slim-Fast Canned Products
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Dec. 4, 2009 -- All Slim-Fast ready-to-drink canned products are being recalled because of possible contamination with Bacillus cereus, a bacterium that may cause diarrhea and possibly nausea and/or vomiting.

Unilever United States, Inc. issued the voluntary recall in cooperation with the FDA.

"The probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote," states a Unilever news release. Unilever says it issued the recall "out of an abundance of caution" based on its quality testing of Slim-Fast ready-to-drink (RTD) products in cans.

The recall involves all ready-to-drink Slim-Fast products sold in cans, regardless of flavor, "Best-By" date, lot code, or UPC number.

The recall doesn't include any other Slim-Fast products, such as powdered shakes, meal bars, or snack bars.

The recalled cans are sold individually or packaged in paperboard cartons containing four, six, or 12 steel cans that are marked "11 FL OZ (325 mL)" each.

Unilever urges people to immediately discard Slim-Fast ready-to-drink products in cans and call the company at 800-896-9479 for a full refund. Unilever's Consumer Services Center is open Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time. A recorded message is available around the clock, every day.

Unilever states that it "is in the process of identifying and correcting the production issue, and will resume production and shipping of the product when the issue has been addressed and corrected."

 

Well, that will make someone slim even faster.

 

[Bearlyhere]

http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/dog-in-a-bp-shirt-greets-customers-at-clearwater-store/1054216
Dog in a BP shirt greets customers at Clearwater store     

By Dominick Tao, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Wednesday, November 25, 2009

At the gas station-convenience store at the intersection of Nursery Road and U.S. 19 in Clearwater, clerk Cody, the chocolate Lab wearing a shirt with a BP tag, greets the customers.
 CLEARWATER

The sequence of events happens dozens of times every day at the BP gas station/convenience store at U.S. 19 at Nursery Road.

An unsuspecting customer pulls up to the drive-through window. But instead of a store clerk, up pops two paws, deep brown eyes and the tongue-flapping grin of a happy chocolate Labrador retriever named Cody.

Kids in the back seats of minivans often squeal with joy.

Even the usually stony faces of gruff construction worker-types can't help but crack a smile under the dog's unpretentious greeting.

"He hears the bell and goes running. When he pops up, that sets it off," said Karim Mansour, the store's and dog's owner. "Uncontrollable giggling."

The only thing that tops Cody's enthusiasm for a customer, is a customer who has a dog with him.

It all started one day five months ago when Mansour decided to bring his dog to work. He didn't think much of it at the time — he just wanted to have his best friend with him while he worked the sometimes slow, and occasionally, dangerous, early morning shift. The dog was given free rein of the store, and as a joke, Mansour put a shirt with a BP logo on the dog, and gave him a name tag.

"While he's here, he's an employee. My rule is, 'all employees need to wear the shirt,' " Mansour said.
 Without trying, Cody, always eager to greet any friendly stranger, quickly became a celebrity among store regulars.

"The first time I saw him, he had his tail just waggin' and waggin'," said Richard Mealey, who comes in a few times a week. "I love dogs. He's great."

But the best part might be the double-takes the dog elicits at the drive-through window.

"Oh, he's adorable," said customer Candy Thompson when greeted at the window by Cody. "Oh, he's such a big lover."

Photo shoots with cell phone cameras from the drive-through window are commonplace.

But the BP station is also like most other convenience stores — a sometimes strange melting pot of people from every class and creed, who at any given time could be going through some rough emotion. For those customers, Cody is the solution. He can do what the normal gas station clerk usually cannot.

"Convenience stores are so unpredictable. People come in drunk, stoned, angry, you name it," Mansour said. "He calms them down. Animals have the ability to soothe the human soul."

Earlier this year, a woman who had been fighting with her husband came into the station.
She came in all sorts of bawling and crying," Mansour said.

Cody, sensing something wasn't right, went to the woman. She put her face next to his, and sat on the floor with him. After several minutes talking to Cody, the woman pulled herself together.

"By the time she was done petting him, she'd stopped crying and seemed a lot better. 'Finally,' she must have thought, 'someone who listens and doesn't talk back,' " Mansour said.

Ironically, Mansour acquired Cody three years ago when an acquaintance, who was going through a divorce, could no longer take care of him.

Since Cody's following has grown, Mansour said, he has also seen a slight uptick in customer retention — a boon, considering his business has seen a slump in recent months.

"That Hess down the street is a superstore. It wipes me down. But people might come the extra half mile or so to get the more personal service — or just to see the dog, he said.

"In a dog-eat-dog world, when our economy sucks and business is hard, you've got to find a way to stand out."

Cody, the chocolate Lab wearing a shirt with a BP tag, greets customer Margaret Theis on Tuesday with his usual pleasantry that evokes a smile from those who drive in to the Clearwater store.


[Last modified: Dec 03, 2009 01:30 PM]

Good thing he is the store's owner, he might have gotten let go and Cody moved up to his spot.  In this economy, any boss would love an employee who would work for dog biscuits and a pat on the back!

 

[Bearlyhere]

Bearly.....the next one is 10,000.....!   How great is that....!

Bearly is holding out on us.....her next post ought to be 'sumptin'......

"Anticipation" (Carly Simon)     

I'm 14 posts behind but just wanted to say...

 

Congratulations Sis aka Bearlyhere!   

Thanks, Sis, aka TM!

 

[Bearlyhere]

good morning Monkeys!

OS....lovely picture!
we had some snow over night...not much...but they are calling for a winter storm tomorrow night...It is beautiful to see but I would rather have hot and sunny weather anyday!

TY,

Here in the mountains of Western MD, we can get lots of snow, mostly in Jan & Feb. I love the snow but enjoy summer too. It's the ice I can't handle.

OS

Nice snow picture, OS!  Great picture of your Grandson!

 

[texasmom]

Hiya Sis!   

I hope you had a good day!  Headed to the monkeybunkey!  Niters! 

 

[Bearlyhere]

Scared Monkeys 2009 Christmas Mug

http://www.cafepress.com/scaredmonkeys.419017322

 

[Bearlyhere]

We did this and got our first letter......he was thrilled and so are we!!


http://soldiersangels.org/index.php?page=adopting-a-soldier

Signing up to adopt a Soldier, Sailor, Airmen or Marine is simple and takes only a few minutes.  It is a commitment to send at least a letter each week and a care package each month throughout the service member's deployment.

    If You Are Already A Soldiers' Angel:  Just visit ApprovedAngels.com, sign in, and click on "Adopt a Soldier."

    If You Are Not Yet an Official Member of Soldiers' Angels:

    Join Soldiers' Angels through the "Verified Angel" option and select to adopt.  If you do not select auto-verification by donation, Soldiers' Angels will take the time to manually verify your information.

    Once your membership has been approved (automatically through auto-verification, or manually up to a week later), you will receive an email titled "Welcome to Soldiers' Angels" and filled with FAQs and all sorts of good information to help you get started. Information on your soldier will arrive in a second email.

What Next?:  The next step is writing your first letter and preparing your first care package for your soldier. Each Angel who adopts a soldier commits to sending at least one letter a week and at least one care package a month. You may or may not hear back from your soldier, so do not be disappointed if your soldier does not reply. Our troops are very busy (they are in a war zone!), but you can be sure that your letters and care packages are treasured by your soldier!  Some Angels have experienced writing to a soldier an entire deployment without getting a reply until the soldier returns home and tells the Angel how much the letters and packages meant during deployment.

What was in the care package you sent?

[Bearlyhere]

<a href="http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=yPlI3KftK6WpIt9n&amp;service=sendables.jibjab.com&amp;partnerID=JibJab" target="_blank">http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=yPlI3KftK6WpIt9n&amp;service=sendables.jibjab.com&amp;partnerID=JibJab</a>

Thanks , Klaas!!!

My son loved this, we watched it earlier on Sea's Christmas thread.

 

[Bearlyhere]

Hiya Sis!   

I hope you had a good day!  Headed to the monkeybunkey!  Niters! 

 

Yup!  Thanks!  Nite!

 

[SunnyinTX]

<a href="http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=yPlI3KftK6WpIt9n&amp;service=sendables.jibjab.com&amp;partnerID=JibJab" target="_blank">http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=yPlI3KftK6WpIt9n&amp;service=sendables.jibjab.com&amp;partnerID=JibJab</a>

    Thanks Klaas!!!

[SunnyinTX]

We did this and got our first letter......he was thrilled and so are we!!


http://soldiersangels.org/index.php?page=adopting-a-soldier

Signing up to adopt a Soldier, Sailor, Airmen or Marine is simple and takes only a few minutes.  It is a commitment to send at least a letter each week and a care package each month throughout the service member's deployment.

    If You Are Already A Soldiers' Angel:  Just visit ApprovedAngels.com, sign in, and click on "Adopt a Soldier."

    If You Are Not Yet an Official Member of Soldiers' Angels:

    Join Soldiers' Angels through the "Verified Angel" option and select to adopt.  If you do not select auto-verification by donation, Soldiers' Angels will take the time to manually verify your information.

    Once your membership has been approved (automatically through auto-verification, or manually up to a week later), you will receive an email titled "Welcome to Soldiers' Angels" and filled with FAQs and all sorts of good information to help you get started. Information on your soldier will arrive in a second email.

What Next?:  The next step is writing your first letter and preparing your first care package for your soldier. Each Angel who adopts a soldier commits to sending at least one letter a week and at least one care package a month. You may or may not hear back from your soldier, so do not be disappointed if your soldier does not reply. Our troops are very busy (they are in a war zone!), but you can be sure that your letters and care packages are treasured by your soldier!  Some Angels have experienced writing to a soldier an entire deployment without getting a reply until the soldier returns home and tells the Angel how much the letters and packages meant during deployment.

What was in the care package you sent?

baby wipes, gum, chap stick, stick deodorant, gel insoles, foot powder, dental floss, crystal light individual packs, cheese and cracker snacks and peanut butter and cracker individually packaged, nuts, batteries, top ramen soup, beef jerky...there was more but I can't remember right now.  I am getting another package ready now....

[crazybabyborg]

Has anyone noticed that Bearly is on Never Never Land time? That clock doesn't exist in the real world. Just sayin'.......   

Sunny!! What a great thing to do! Thanks for the link! I'm going to check it out!   

[crazybabyborg]

You're never too old to look! Merry Christmas girls.


<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/UnxGdzyPHJg&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/UnxGdzyPHJg&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0</a>

I want that in my stocking. I'll even wear the garter belt, if that will just get IN my stocking!   

[crazybabyborg]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/ngy3dHz24zk&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/ngy3dHz24zk&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;</a>

[trimmonthelake]

Hey Monken. 

[Searching]

Can any of the monkey family help me out here. Here is where I am at....

My daughter has again came home to mom, only this time she is preggers and so far everything is going good with the pregnancy, for the most part with her diabetes and all, we did spend one night in the hospital the other day with a small issue, but so far so good.... anyway, the father finally returned her call and at first accused her of lying about being preggers (I have shared with monks her propensity to lie) but after finding out she is preggers beyond a shadow of doubt, he ordered her to either abort or put the baby up, I have told her I will help her with the baby since she was set on keeping him/her, so now the guy is saying he is moving to Australia where he will not have to pay child support, anyone know the laws on that? can he be made to support the baby if he does go to Australia? I doubt he is going anywhere and feel he told her that thinking she would buy the line, but want to know what type of fight is ahead just in case. He did say he wants nothing at all to do with the child and does not even want to see the child after he/she is born, not that he deserves to anyway. anyone know what we need to do here??

[SunnyinTX]

Has anyone noticed that Bearly is on Never Never Land time? That clock doesn't exist in the real world. Just sayin'.......   

Sunny!! What a great thing to do! Thanks for the link! I'm going to check it out!   

You are welcome.......several of my friends have signed up as well

[SunnyinTX]

Can any of the monkey family help me out here. Here is where I am at....

My daughter has again came home to mom, only this time she is preggers and so far everything is going good with the pregnancy, for the most part with her diabetes and all, we did spend one night in the hospital the other day with a small issue, but so far so good.... anyway, the father finally returned her call and at first accused her of lying about being preggers (I have shared with monks her propensity to lie) but after finding out she is preggers beyond a shadow of doubt, he ordered her to either abort or put the baby up, I have told her I will help her with the baby since she was set on keeping him/her, so now the guy is saying he is moving to Australia where he will not have to pay child support, anyone know the laws on that? can he be made to support the baby if he does go to Australia? I doubt he is going anywhere and feel he told her that thinking she would buy the line, but want to know what type of fight is ahead just in case. He did say he wants nothing at all to do with the child and does not even want to see the child after he/she is born, not that he deserves to anyway. anyone know what we need to do here??

WOW Searching I am sad to read this....he is a real loser isn't he. I would imagine paternity would have to be established before anything could be done.  But I think you might be able to call an Australian Embassy to get your answers regarding if he fled to avoid child support.