Pink slime -- that ammonia-treated meat in a bright Pepto-bismol shade -- may have been rejected by fast food joints like McDonald's, Taco Bell and Burger King, but is being brought in by the tons for the nation's school lunch program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is purchasing 7 million pounds of the "slime" for school lunches. Officially termed "Lean Beef Trimmings," the product is a ground-up combination of beef scraps, cow connective tissues and other beef trimmings that are treated with ammonium hydroxide to kill pathogens like salmonella and E. coli. It's then blended into traditional meat products like ground beef and hamburger patties. "We originally called it soylent pink," microbiologist Carl Custer, who worked at the Food Safety Inspection Service for 35 years, told The Daily. "We looked at the product and we objected to it because it used connective tissues instead of muscle. It was simply not nutritionally equivalent [to ground beef]. Custer and microbiologist Gerald Zernstein concluded in a study that the trimmings are a "high risk product," but Zernstein tells The Daily that "scientists in D.C. were pressured to approve this stuff with minimal safety approval" under President George H.W. Bush's administration. The USDA asserts that its ground beef purchases "meet the highest standard for food safety." Controversy surrounding "pink slime" stems from various safety concerns, particularly dangers associated with ammonium hydroxide, which can both be harmful to eat and has potential to turn into ammonium nitrate -- a common component in homemade bombs, according to MSNBC. It's also used in household cleaners and fertilizers. In 2009, The New York Times reported that despite the added ammonia, tests of Lean Beef Trimmings of schools across the country revealed dozens of instances of E. coli and salmonella pathogens. Between 2005 and 2009, E. coli was found three times and salmonella 48 times, according to the Times, including two contaminated batches of 27,000 pounds of meat.

RUSH IS HELPING DUMMING DOWN AMERICA WITH FALSE INFORMATION AND AND HIS DISTAIN FOR THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Super pacs are running elections now and their money is determining who is in office and running our country . The average American vote will not count anymore if this money keeps interfering and controlling us. People deserve to know who is behind Super Pacs, what's their agenda and how far are they willing to go and how much are they spending??

Research shows that VMAs do not improve student achievement. Yet, teachers are being blackballed and placed under duress to approve an evaluation that includes the value-added test score ratings of their students' performances on standardized tests. Ignoring the research, NYS will spend millions of dollars on an inaccurate and inequitable system.

We see it every summer. Gentleman from the road construction companies just standing around doing nothing. Lanes are closed for three months with no one working on the area. I am unsure why we as taxpayers pay them to stand around.

Petition to remove Rush Limbaugh from Clear Channel Radio Rush's comments last week deserve to be punished in a major way. His lack of respect for this woman and women in general was inexcusable and he should be reprimanded in the most sever way

This is a simple plea to the casting directors of CBS, to give Kelly Miller a chance to fulfill her lifelong dream of being on SURVIVOR.

Rush has crossed the line and now is the time for him to go for good. It is obvious how so many are outraged by his vitriolic nature and unrelenting hatred and it is perfect timing to join forces and be rid of him forever. All who are outraged by his recent comments need to ban together and boycott any sponsors and stations who continue to support him. The time to act is NOW!

Joseph Kony lives in Central Africa. What Joseph does is, he abducts African kids. He takes them and he keeps them. He makes the boys killers, usually they have to kill their families. When girls are abducted they are turned into sex slaves and are raped. There is no way out of his group: Lord’s Resistance Army, AKA the LRA. He has adbucted over 30,000 children and had made them child soldiers. he won’t stop what he is doing until he is caught, he found out that the US is now on a making to look for him making him harder to find. Right now, Kony is invisible because no one knows about him.. no one. Tell as many people about Kony as you can and make him visible and know. Donate money if you can. Make him visible. we need change, and we need difference. We need Kony to be famous so we can stop the harm of innocent children. By signing this petition, and sending it to our school board, our high school can become a "sponsor" and spread this news to other school that can spread this idea to other schools as well..making everyone be aware of what this man is doing to children. All we need is a BUNCH of signs so I can personally print them out and bring them to my school board of education, and then they will allow us to go on from there! Thank you to everyone that has signed.

Our elected leaders have abandoned public education. They have made significant and ever increasing funding cuts over the passed five years. Their financial priorities reflect their values. I still believe that an education that truly prepares you is a basic right and should be available to all. In order to meet the ever increasing needs of society educators need to have a manageable amount of resources available to them. Please allow our schools to be successful by providing us: enough teachers, enough time to plan, enough supplies, and a realistic curriculum.

THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA SHOULD START A SINGLE PAYER HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

Stuart Shaw of Bonner Carrington is proposing an "Affordable Multi Family" 244 unit complex off 290W between Ledge Stone Dr. and Four Star Blvd. To complete this project he will be requesting a tax abatement from Hays County. A tax abatement will unnecessarily burden the citizens of the Dripping Springs area.