Food, Inc. is a Must-See Documentary - and You Can Watch it For Free

If you have Netflix, you can watch Food, Inc. anytime -- it's offered at no charge at their site.  If you don't subscribe to Netflix, then you can watch it (also at no charge) at TVDuck.

And I'm recommended that you do watch this documentary.  Not during dinner, or after any meal. It's not pretty, and it hasn't been made for entertainment.

But you NEED TO KNOW where all that stuff at the local grocery store comes from, and how different it is from the farms of yesteryear.  I remember visiting my aunt and uncle's place south of town, feeding chickens and playing with the cute, tiny piglets. 

It's not my uncle and aunt's farm anymore.  Food, Inc. is a must-see.  Please watch it.

Recipe for Kitchen Sink Corn Salad

Corn is great, who doesn't love corn?  It's one of those veggies that are great out of the can as well as fresh or frozen.  Handy - those old reliables that you can grab out of the pantry in a pinch.

I keep a bowl of basic corn salad in the fridge a lot of the time.  I consider it a base for lots of other things.  One big use -- I grab a cup or so and throw it into a bunch of romaine, add some onion and other goodies like avocado, dress it and there you go: fabulous salad, chock full of raw stuff in lots of colors.  Really healthy, really crunchy, really good. 

Basic Corn Salad

Here, combine only what will meld together well and hold up for awhile, on its own, in the fridge.  Right before serving, you add other things.  I usually double this, cuz I love to have this stuff around.

1 can corn - NOT creamed
1 stalk celery, chopped small enough so the celery bites aren't that much bigger than the corn kernels
cherry or grape tomatoes, uncut
1 cup olives, black or green or a combo of both, cut in half
1 bell pepper, chopped like the celery and whatever color you like

The Additions - aka the Kitchen Sink

Get a big bowl and put as many or as few of the following together as you'd like.  Sky's the limit.  Don't do everything on this list, some of this stuff is redundant (for example, canned jalapenos vs. fresh, pick one or skip 'em both). 

And remember, some of the best salads don't have any leafy greens (lettuce) in them! Then again, this stuff is great in a big leafy salad, too.  Can you tell I'm a big fan of corn salad?  LOL

After you've thrown your stuff together, dress it.  What salad dressing?  Use what you like.  Italian, Ranch, a simple oil-and-vinegar ... just remember, dressing is suppose to act like glue to hold this stuff together so it doesn't fall off the fork on the way to your mouth.  Don't over-glue. 


1 avocado, sliced
1 cup rice
1 can beans (drain them), whatever you've got - red kidney, white kidney, pintos, garbanzos, black, etc.
Couple of handfuls of crushed up tortilla chips
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 bunch scallions
1/2 red onion
1 small can sliced jalapeno peppers, drained
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, chopped small and seeded if you want to cut the heat
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Several shakes of that green canned Parmesan you have on hand for the kiddos
Red pepper flakes to taste
Big box of spring green mix (or bag, or handfuls)
Head of romaine, chopped
Bag of ready made cole slaw
1/2 head of cabbage, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 small can water chestnuts, chopped
1 small jicama, chopped
Asparagus, fresh, frozen, or canned, chopped into bite sized pieces
Artichoke hearts, cut into fourths
Hearts of palm, cut into bite sized pieces
Mushrooms, fresh, frozen, or canned, in bite sized pieces
4 radishes, sliced thinly

.. you get the idea.  Notice there's no meat here.  Although that can be added, too.  Go for it!

CitiGroup Warns It May Not Allow Withdrawals -- Do You Need a Stash of Cash?

This is shocking -- Citigroup has formally issued a notice that it may use its contract right (part of your bank account agreement) and not honor any request for a withdrawal. 

• This only applies to checking accounts.
• This only applies to Texas.
• This only applies for 7 days -- they're warning that they might not let you take cash out of your Citi account on demand -- you might have to wait seven days.
• It's effective beginning April 1, 2010. 

I'd think this was some sort of April Fools joke -- gotcha! -- except it's coming in mid-February and it's appearing on Citi bank statements across the country.  The error?  That everyone in the country got it, but by law they can't do it anywhere but Texas.  (Lucky us.)

According to the Motley Fool, here's the language of the notice:

Effective April 1, 2010, we reserve the right to require (7) days advance notice before permitting a withdrawal from all checking accounts. While we do not currently exercise this right and have not exercised it in the past, we are required by law to notify you of this change.

According to Ira Stoll at the blog Future of Capitalism, Citi has now issued an explanation:

Yadda yadda yadda.  With warstories of the Great Depression still family lore to many of us, coupled with the possibility of crippling natural disasters (tornado, hurricane, earthquake), this little warning brings home the question: should you have a stash of cash in the event of an emergency? 

When Citibank moved to unlimited FDIC coverage in 2009, we had to reclassify many checking accounts to allow for immediate withdrawals in order to ensure all customers qualified for the additional coverage. When we moved back to standard FDIC coverage with most major banks in 2010, Citibank decided to reclassify those accounts back to make them eligible again for promotional incentives. To do so, Federal Reserve Reg D requires these accounts, called NOW accounts, to reserve the right to require a 7-day notice of withdrawal. We recently communicated this technical requirement to our customers. However, we have never exercised this right and have no plans to do so in the future."

The answer is YES.  The real issue is HOW MUCH and WHERE TO KEEP IT. 

1.  The National Endowment for Financial Education, writing for those hard hit in California by the sudden fires and mudslides, points out that ATMs and bank buildings may not be operational in a disaster.  They then give information on how you can get emergency cash from the Red Cross and FEMA. 

2.  Equipped to Survive is a great source for emergency preparation and while they don't say anything more than "$100, more is better" they do have a great suggestion -- have some of this cash as rolled quarters.

3. At EHow.Com, they suggest different ways to build up that emergency cash supply, and then estimate that in the event of a major disaster (Katrina was an example), you should have at the ready enough cash to cover 3-6 mths of monthly expenses. 

4.  HRCCNC suggests a 6 month expenses reserve.

And, then, for the big question -- since you put your cash in a bank to keep it safe from theft, fire, or other dangers -- what are you to do with the cash stash, if you're worried about being able to get the cash out of the bank (because the ATM is underwater or whatever, or the bank itself is telling you no for 7 days)? 

5.  PracticalHacks gives you tips on where to hide that emergency cash stash.