Curiously Awesome

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Approximately one in seven U.S. residents cannot get enough food to eat while the nation’s supermarkets throw away tons of food products every year.

About 63 percent of the average supermarket’s waste is food. This is 3,000 pounds per store per year.

Most of this food is safe for consumption and includes foods that are less visually appealing, such as bananas with brown spots or green potatoes. This food is thrown away to make room for a new shipment.

To stop supermarkets from wasting food while people go hungry, the Bill Emerson Federal Good Samaritan Food Donation Act protects supermarkets from litigation in the event that someone gets sick from donated food.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of USC. All opinions are 100% mine.

Need a degree? What could be better than earning one online?

The USC Rossier School of Education offers teachers and aspiring teachers the option to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from this research university with the convenience of studying online.

Enjoy an online learning experience that combines independent work with field-based experience. If you are motivated, you might even be able to finish in as little as one year.

As an online student, you have the opportunity to be a member of the USC Trojan Family. Enjoy their helpful tuition reimbursement and scholarship programs, too.

Rossier earned awards for innovative use of technology in their educational programs.

Online students get full USC student status and benefits. They also will participate fully in commencement ceremonies and they receive free lifetime Alumni Association membership as well.

Sound interesting? If you are wanting to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from an internationally renowned institution with a century-long history of educating teachers, request a program information to learn more.

A Michigan dairy has been illegally selling antibiotic-ridden dairy cows to be processed for human consumption–for past eight years.

Scenic View Dairy of Hamilton, Michigan, is the subject of a complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the FDA for selling beef that tested positive for illegal levels of neomycin, penicillin and sulfadimethoxine. The FDA is seeking a permanent injunction against the dairy.

The FDA has warned the dairy at least eight times about unsafe levels of antibiotics in its beef.

It remains unknown to what extent the tainted meat has affected the public.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hampton Hotels. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you have enough friends and family to fill a hotel? Think so? How about entering this cool contest–Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes–and finding out?

Get this…the grand prize winner of this contest will receive a free stay for themselves and 100 friends at a Hampton hotel for one weekend. There’s more, though! The winner also gets $5000 to put towards the room tax for the weekend! How cool is that?!?

What would you do with your best friends and family all under one roof for an entire weekend? Me? I’d swim, hang out in the hot tub, sit in the hotel bar and visit, enjoy a couple of great meals, and just kick back with everyone I love the most. It sounds like a wonderful treat to have everyone there with no where to go and everything you need under one roof.

Visit the website to enter the sweepstakes. Anyone can enter! You don’t have to be a Hilton Honors member or even have stayed in a Hilton or Hampton hotel ever in your life! Have I encouraged you to enter? You have absolutely nothing to lose and you stand to win a great weekend!

The USDA does not regulate the safety of eggs. USDA “graders” observe eggs at egg packing plants to ensure they are the proper size and color.

The FDA is in charge of ensuring the quality and safety of eggs. In light of the massive egg recall, the FDA has not been performing its job.

The “Grade A” seal on egg cartons is optional. Many companies do not even participate in this program. Others do participate in order to sell their eggs for more money.

Basically, the seal is a meaningless ploy that tricks consumers into thinking that these eggs are superior to other eggs without the seal.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of NMEDA. All opinions are 100% mine.

The National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) is a non-profit association that can help disabled people regain their independence.

Whether you suffer a disability yourself or you are a caregiver, NMEDA may be the extra assistance you need to find equipment that will enable mobility.

This is the only association that promotes safe driving and equipment for the disabled. NMEDA dealers sell handicap vans and vehicle modifications for the disabled.

NMEDA has both regular dealers and Quality Assurance Program (QAP) Dealers.

The QAP is a nationally recognized accreditation program within the Adaptive Mobility Equipment industry. The fundamental belief that motivates these QAP dealers is the belief that satisfying customers consistently requires a calculated approach to quality.

I was curious about how close I am to a qualified dealer. I visited the home page and entered my zip code into the dealers locator. I found that a dealer is approximately 45 miles away from me. Try it yourself! Enter your own zip code and see how close you are. Leave a comment here to share what you find!

Charring meat by heavily cooking it can lead to the development of cancer-causing chemicals in the meat.

People who eat well-done meat double their risk of developing bladder cancer compared to people who eat rarer meat. This is due to the heterocyclic amines (HCAs) that form when meat is cooked at very high heat.

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has identified 17 different HCAs that contribute to cancer. Other research has also established that these chemicals increase pancreatic cancer.

Keeping meat away from direct flames when grilling it will help to reduce the development of HCAs. Slow-cooking meat is another way to reduce HCA formation.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Ramblers Way. All opinions are 100% mine.

Don’t you love a good shopping spree? How about one where you spend something other than your own money…even better, right? What if you had $200 to spend on wool products from American Comfortwear?

I personally would have a blast doing this. I wandered around this site and easily found many things I’d love.

Isn’t this lovely?

Before you react to the idea of a wool camisole…you need to understand this is not your Grandma’s itchy wool. No…the folks at Rambler’s Way have figured out how to make their wool soft and comfortable. Even better…this is not hot and heavy wool…it’s breathable and completely comfortable to enable you to wear it every month of the year.

I’m an animal lover, so I was happy to read their humane animal-handling practices. They breed their sheep naturally and they graze rotationally.They use humane handling systems to shear and sort. They use trained animals to protect and move their flocks also.

Visit this beautiful website and browse their plentiful selection of soft worsted wool apparel. Everything you will find is made sustainably right here on American soil, too.

Much of the fluoride added to municipal water supplies is imported from China and is contaminated with heavy metals.

Fluoride tested in Boulder, CO was found to contain lead levels of 40 milligrams per bag and arsenic levels of 50 milligrams per bag. The bags were imported from China under no regulatory monitoring.

Heavy metal contamination is only one concern over the practice of water fluoridation. Fluoride is a well-known toxic chemical.

Fluoride toothpaste shows a warning that anyone who consumes more than a pea-size amount must contact a poison control center. This amount of toothpaste contains as much fluoride as just eight ounces of fluoridated water.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of USC. All opinions are 100% mine.

Music lovers wanting a music career…have you ever seriously considered the benefits of earning your degree online?

Imagine earning a Master of Arts in Teaching degree online…and not from a questionable no-name online school. No, I’m talking about a degree from an internationally renowned institution with a century-long history of educating teachers. In fact, US News and World Report ranked this school #22 in the US and #9 among all private universities.

As a student, you will combine interactive online learning with actual experiences in your own area. You also have the opportunity to learn from a teaching faculty recognized for their exemplary contributions to modern education. You also have the unique opportunity to become part of the special USC Trojan Family.

Enjoy full USC student status and benefits…the same status you’d have as a regular student…even participation in commencement ceremonies and free lifetime Alumni Association memberships as well!

Need financial help? Don’t worry…you can utilize a tuition reimbursement program designed exclusively for USC graduates.

Honestly…I can’t think of even one good reason NOT to seriously consider this educational opportunity! What are you waiting for? Read the program information to get all the details.