It's Not Your Fault

Thankful for Corn bellys! It’s Not Your Fault Guest Blog Series

admin — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 06:47:39 +0000

Every year on the Thanksgiving point property, Cornbelly’s sets up a large Halloween Corn Maze. This started about 10 years ago, and has grown (all puns intended, and yes, I know they are corny! Double PUN for the WIN!) into a rather large Halloween attraction. Every year since we have been here in Utah, save last year, we have gone together as a Family. Two years ago it was so freezing cold that all the kids were crying, in pain and miserable, even with three layers of coats and jackets. Last year weather was bad and money was tight and it just didn’t fit in. This year we were determined to not only make it there… but make it there when the weather was good enough that we could actually enjoy it. Well, long story short (too late) we did make it there, and it was not so bitterly cold that we were cursing our Halloween fate. All day the sky was dark and foreboding. The wind whipped around in gusts of 50 miles per hour in some spots. Rain dripped from the sky here and there teasing the world with a threat of gushing at any moment. We pointed to the sky and tried to talk the kids out of going… but looking at our schedule between then and Halloween, if we didn’t go that night; we were going to miss it for a second year in a row. So, we piled into Super Van (the official name of our super awesome 15 passenger van) and headed out to Cornbellys. Off to the West a few streaks of sunlight crept through giving us small amounts of hope that the weather might hold out. No matter how you spin it, with a family as large as ours, going to these types of attractions is not cheap. Busbyberkly had a coupon from school and as Thanksgiving Point members we got an additional 25% off… but still as Carrie and I handed over our debit card to pay for entrance we just saw the sky ready to mock our efforts and flush our money down a wet, cold and muddy disaster. Things started out great. The kids LOVED the giant rocking chair. They were determined to have a good time no matter what. In the year since we had visited Cornbelly’s they had added a number of new attractions and the kids were very excited to give them all a try. The First was the giant slide. The kids saw this as we pulled in and couldn’t wait to give it a go. Link and Cougar went down 5 times each. They were only stopped by the announcement that the Pig Races (yes, you read that correctly, PIG RACES) were about to start. We ran over to the Piggy Race track and found some seats. The races went well, and our pig won every time. While the weather was holding out, we wanted to do the kid’s corn maze. It is a much smaller and less “mazey” maze. In years past you would just wander through it and pretend to get lost a couple times. This year they added a fun twist that made it much more enjoyable. At each intersection, you were to spin a wheel and it gave you instructions for you to follow as you made your way to the next stop. Our first wheel instructed us to walk with our hands on our knees. After the Maze we decided that the weather just might hold out and wandered around to enjoy the rest of the attractions. The weather held up, and we ended up staying there until well after bedtime. As we marched back to super van, the kids declared it the best visit to Cornbelly’s ever.

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It’s Not Your Fault Guest Blog Series Presents Emily Hodgen’s Make a Difference Day!

admin — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 18:43:42 +0000

The other night I was walking down the road to a friend’s house to work on some homework, when I had the chance to meet a really neat person. Since I live in a neighborhood of predominantly college students, I couldn’t help but notice an older woman walking up ahead of me. She was carrying some grocery bags and appeared to be struggling with them. As I walked past I asked if she could use some help. It turned out that she lived not far from there, but had already been walking a long time and was very tired. I took over some of the bags and we chatted pleasantly for a couple blocks until she was comfortably settled in her home. It only took an extra 15 minutes, and I made a new friend. I’m not telling you this to brag about my good citizenship or my candidacy for the “Assisting the Elderly” merit badge, but because it made me realize something. I have lived in the same neighborhood for three years, and have never happened to see this woman before. It made me wonder how many other people go by every day, unnoticed, and in need of a friend or small service. I think I am usually too busy talking to others or frantically reading an assignment on my way to class to really notice what is going on outside of my sphere. Let’s make every day a Make a Difference Day. I want to challenge us all to take a look outside ourselves and our busy lives and see who could use our help. It could be as simple as smiling more at the people you walk past, or inviting someone over for a meal. You could organize a service project with friends or family, offer to help someone weather-proof their home, or give someone a ride to the grocery store. These can be great opportunities to become better acquainted with those around us and to teach children the importance of helping others. I know that in my past, simple things like a kind gesture or getting an unexpected ride during gross weather have made all the difference in the world to me, and having the chance to “pay it forward” is really exciting. We never know what those around us might be dealing with, but with the right attitude and willing hands, we can reach out and make a difference in one anothers lives, and bit by bit make the world a better place. Happy Make a Difference Day!

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Good News to Me By Haley Bateman

admin — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 17:57:36 +0000

I love watching the news. I always have. It makes me feel connected to the world outside my nine to five job and daily routine. When a disaster strikes, I become glued to the news. I can’t seem to stop watching because as a native of a landlocked southern state, I’ve never experienced a devastating hurricane. And for that, I feel fortunate. In the last week, nearly every news channel broadcasted heartbreaking pictures of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The super storm left extensive devastation in its wake, with fires, flooding, and a widespread loss of power. The videos and stories remind me of how much I have to be thankful for this holiday season and how I need to better prepare myself and my family for such a disaster. While I’ve never personally lived through a hurricane like Sandy, I do live in a part of the country that experiences frequent severe storm warnings and tornado watches. I live right in the heart of Tornado Alley—only hours from cities that have experienced some of the worst tornadoes in our nation’s history. These whirling monsters have the ability to destroy everything in their paths and they can strike when people least expect them. As I listen to the stories about the aftermath of Sandy, I’ve begun to think more seriously about my own emergency preparedness. As a newly married couple, my husband and I are purchasing our first home and trying to figure out how to protect ourselves from such a devastating situation. While our home will have insurance, we still need a relief system in place so that we have sufficient food and water if a disaster ever strikes. But food storage can be expensive. And as a young couple, food storage is often the last thing we want to pay for—especially bland food that’s just going to sit on our shelf for several decades. But fortunately, three months ago, I was introduced to a wonderful company that provided me with a way to stock my food storage and cook delicious meals for my family. eFoodsDirect has a wide variety of food items that are not only delicious; they are nutritious. Instead of paying top dollar for a product that I’ll hopefully never have to use and one that will just collect dust on my shelf, I can purchase eFoodsDirect products that I can either save as food storage or cook now for my family dinners. These products have a shelf life of 25 years, but they also make tasty dinner entrees now. eFoodsDirect gives me an economical way to feel prepared for disasters and to enjoy delicious products today. I feel better prepared, and in a world of somber news stories, eFoods is good news to me.

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eFoodsDirect Founder Steve Shenk on “It’s Not Your Fault”

admin — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 03:14:02 +0000

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Food Reserve Experts Steve Shenk and Barbara Rossberg will introduce eFoodsDirect in New York

admin — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 08:45:14 +0000

Food Reserve Experts Steve Shenk and Barbara Rossberg will introduce eFoodsDirect Gourmet Storable Meals at the Cooking and Entertaining Editor Showcase Event in New York Thursday. eFoodsDirect is a gourmet storable food company with a mission is to help all American families have healthy, easy-to-fix, affordable, delicious meals that are as good tonight as they will be in 25 years. Founders Steve Shenk and Barbara Rossberg will attend the Cooking and Entertaining Editor’s Showcase to introduce their meals to top tier media and press this Thursday. Salt Lake City, UT — Steve Shenk and Barbara Rossberge, food reserve experts and founders of eFoodsDirect, will be introducing their the gourmet storable food company and meals to industry editors, reporters and broadcast media at the Cooking and Entertaining Editor Showcase at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on Thursday, October 4, 2012. eFoodsDirect offers a wide array of gourmet storable meals that include family favorites like Beef Stroganoff, Cheesy Chicken Rice Casserole, White Cheddar Pasta, Almond Coconut Granola and many other mouth-watering choices. EFoodsDirect meals are made with quality ingredients that appeal to taste and health rather than the carb loaded back packer style meals many people associate with storable meals. Not only does eFoodsDirect provide delicious and affordable storable food options at an affordable price, its mission is to help all American families have healthy, easy-to-fix, affordable, delicious meals that are as good tonight as they will be in 25 years. eFoodsDirect Meals are designed with the cleanest and safest ingredients –no hydrogenated oils, no GMO, and no added MSG. eFoodsDirect is focused on helping families meet dietary needs and offers packages labeled with icons designating meals that meet specific dietary requirements. All eFoodsDirect meals are vegetarian, kosher, irradiation-free, have no added MSG, have no hydrogenated oils, and are not genetically modified (Non-GMO). Icons designate eFoodsDirect options that are lactose-free, gluten-free, soy-free, and much more. About eFoodsDirect: eFoodsDirect is a gourmet storable food company, founded by food-reserve experts Steve Shenk and Barbara Rossberg, whose mission is to help all American families have healthy, easy-to-fix, affordable, delicious meals that are as good tonight as they will be in 25 years. These are quality (not backpacker style) meals that come in delicious family favorites like Beef Stroganoff, White Cheddar Pasta, Corn Chowder and many others. Meals are designed with the cleanest and safest ingredients –no hydrogenated oils, no GMO, and no added MSG. To learn about this great food visit http://www.efoodsdirect.com. .

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Join the It’s Not Your Fault Seminar Group

admin — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 08:37:36 +0000

People are finding It’s Not Your Fault resonates with their lives and rapidly shape them for the better. Look for the It’s Not Your Fault conferences to show up in your area. To get a copy of the It’s Not Your Fault “Ask Steve” newsletter via email visiting www.itsnotyourfault.tv and subscribe free. To find out more details about the It’s Not Your Fault weekly talk show which airs on TV and the internet via the ROKU box and UStream please visit www.itsnotyourfault.TV or find us on facebook .

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eFoodsDirect provides delicious healthy meals that are storable for 25 years!

admin — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 08:24:41 +0000

Babs Rossberg and Steve Shenk, founders of eFoodsDirect

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Steve Shenk hosts weekly Tuesdays at 5 pm

admin — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 05:18:59 +0000

Steve Shenk, noted food expert, is an educator, corporate executive, and philosopher, with forty years as a successful entrepreneur in the food industry. Here is another article I like by Food Industry expert and author, Steve Shenk . . . America is quickly approaching a day of financial reckoning and the majority of Americans are completely unaware of what is happening. This pending catastrophe doesn’t have to do with home foreclosures or unemployment rates. While those items have and are causing discomfort for a majority of Americans, they are drops in the bucket compared to the impending financial collapse that is coming. The truth of the matter is that the rest of the world has lost its confidence in the U.S. dollar and for good reason. You see, the U.S. Government doesn’t use the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) to tally its debt, they use a cash-based accounting method which allows them to not talk about the trillions of dollars they have in unfunded liabilities. The U.S. Government has reported the official cash-based deficit as being around $1.3 trillion for last few years. However, based on GAAP, the amount is closer to $5 trillion with total obligations in excess of $80 trillion. Okay, so what does that mean? The total obligations—which includes the net-present value of the unfunded liabilities for Social Security and Medicare—is how much cash the U.S. Government would need today to cover what they owe. Now here’s the sobering part, there is no way this is sustainable. Period. The U.S. Government can’t raise taxes enough to cover it. If they wanted to cut every penny of spending besides Social Security and Medicare, they would still be in deficit. And to top it all off, despite the lip service it receives, there really isn’t anyone in Washington willing to do anything about it for fear of revealing to the American public just how messed up and hopeless the situation is. Evidence of this catastrophe is seen as the rest of the world is in a panicked flight away from the U.S. dollar. No one wants it. Countries see the writing on the wall and know that the U.S. dollar’s days are numbered. This is why the price of gold and other precious metals have reached record highs recently. Right now, the world is focused on the Euro crisis. But, it will be solved and attention will return to the plight of the U.S. dollar. As the Fed fires up the printing presses to prop up a failing economy, we’ll see hyperinflation the likes of which we’ve never seen. The dollar will become worthless and the chaos that will follow will first disrupt and then destroy the way of life we’re accustomed to because the U.S. Government doesn’t have a back-up system to the dollar. As hyperinflation reaches its height, you could see utility workers, garbage men, police officers, truck drivers, and other integral service workers simply “not show up to work” because their paychecks—paid in U.S. dollars—are worthless. This could all lead to civil unrest and the end of our normal way of life. Hyperinflation buys the U.S. Government time, but they don’t have a solution because there is none. In other words, your dollar will buy you less and less as time passes. If you wait until the eleventh hour to address this situation, you’re dollar won’t be worth enough to buy what you’ll need to protect your family. You need to do something today! Low-risk investments within the U.S. that will beat the rate of inflation aren’t available. By the time you factor in inflation to the rate of return for your treasure bills or money-market account, you’ve lost money. It is time to look seriously at buying food as an investment. Buying a supply of non-contaminable, high-quality, long-lasting food for you and your family is something that will increase in worth as the value of the dollar heads south. Unfortunately, it’s too late to do something about the dollar, but you still have time to wake up and take action to prepare for the fall. About Contributing Writer, Steve Shenk: Steve Shenk, noted food expert, is an educator, corporate executive, and philosopher, with forty years as a successful entrepreneur in the food industry. His expertise and leadership on food safety issues have positively impacted the lives of thousands with a prevention-based strategy to ensure the availability, price and safety of food. Steve is also presently heard almost any day of the week across multiple radio networks as a guest of some of America’s most notable talk show programs. For more information please visit, www.gofoodsfoundation.org.

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Read this article by Steve Shenk

admin — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 05:16:38 +0000

Host of It’s Not Your Fault is an avid writer and industry expert . . . read this article recently published by Steve Shenk Steve Shenk, noted food expert, is an educator, corporate executive, and philosopher, with forty years as a successful entrepreneur in the food industry. Recently McDonald’s, one of our largest fast-food restaurants in America, issued the following statement: “For a number of years prior to 2011, to assist with supply, McDonald’s USA used some lean beef trimmings treated with ammonia in our burgers. We were among other food retailers who used this safe product.” Let that sink in for a moment—“beef trimmings treated with ammonia.” That can’t be right can it? What does that actually mean? The beef trimmings referred to here are what is left over once all the cuts of beef have been removed from the cow. (These trimmings were once deemed unfit for human consumption and used for dog food). The trimmings are spun in a centrifuge to separate the “meat” from the fat and then the meat is treated with ammonium hydroxide in an attempt to kill all the harmful forms of bacteria present. You may have heard people refer to this “meat” as pink slime, a term coined by the British chef Jamie Oliver. Pink Slime is a name as appetizing as the process it went through to get on your table. Now, look at McDonald’s statement again. Does anything else standout to you? What about “[w]e were among other food retailers…”? In October 2011 it was reported that 68 people in 10 states were sickened by an outbreak of salmonella toed to a “Mexican-style fast food restaurant chain”. It was later determined that the chain was Taco Bell. Burger King also came out with a statement similar to the McDonald’s announcement. From this statement, one can safely assume that the use of pink slime is a widely accepted practice in the fast-food industry. It is estimated that 70% of fast-food hamburger could have included pink slime. Think back over the last year. How often have you eaten at a fast-food restaurant? Do you go out regularly with your co-workers for lunch? Do you stop by on the way home because you’re too tired to cook dinner? Or do you take the kids there for a reward or a family night out? The “why” isn’t as important as is knowing how many times you may have been fed pink slime. How do you feel about a trip through the drive-thru now? It is also interesting that pink slime is referred to as a “safe product.” It makes you wonder what other “safe products” they are feeding us. if it’s truly safe, why did McDonald’s and Burger King both come out with statements that they were no longer using the pink slime products AFTER the contamination at Taco Bell was revealed? The USDA has approved the use of ammoniated beef trimmings for human consumption. They argue that the beef’s ammonia treatment will kill any bacteria lingering in the beef. But, how much can we trust this process—or the government—when we hear of outbreaks of E. Coli and other harmful bacteria on a regular basis. So what can you do to protect you and your family? You’ve already taken the first step by beginning to educate yourself on where your food comes from and how it is made. Please continue to do so. With knowledge comes power and the ability to make informed decisions that ultimately lead to peace of mind. It is for this very reason that I am committed to providing you with this type of information on an ongoing basis. This is truly a frightening revelation that we here in the United States, as individuals and families, have to careful to protect ourselves from our own food. It is unfortunate indeed that agencies responsible for our protection can only be trusted to sell out our best interest to the economic pressures of special interest groups. If your personally held food supplies are dried or dehydrated, you are safe and can be fearless of these food-born contaminates. Very simply, these dangerous little critters can’t exist in a moisture-free environment. Remember, if you are apathetic and passive about your food choices, you leave not only your health but also your well-being in the hands of others. Stop playing “Russian roulette” with your future and take control.

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Prime Time Health Talk TV and Radio Show Series Announces New Talk Show “It’s Not Your Fault”

admin — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 05:13:06 +0000

Prime Time Health’s New talk TV and Radio show “It’s Not Your Fault”, based on the book by Steve Shenk, is a lively weekly talk show which invites viewers to explore paths to reclaiming their magnificence through philosophies Steve garnered over his 30 years as an entrepreneur.

The Prime Time Health Talk Radio and TV Series today announced the addition of “It’s Not Your Fault,” a new Tuesday show in their weekly line-up. “It’s Not Your Fault,” which airs live Tuesdays at 5 p.m. Mountain Time, is hosted by long-time radio columnist Steve Shenk and is syndicated to terrestrial and online stations including KHQN 1480 AM, Utah Valley Live, and UStream. Weekly show content ranges in topics including “The Riddle of Me,” “I like me best when I’m with you,” “Move over Cassnova,” “Don Juan . . . here comes Bob,” and “Distance is Disaster.” A fan favorite featured on Steve’s show is the “Ask the Guardian” section which delves into caller issues and shares suggestions and advice. As co-hosts of the show, food expert and long-time friend Babs Rossberg and talk show host veteran Kim Power Stilson provide a sounding board for Steve’s philosophies on life. The show sponsor is eFoodsDirect, a company that Steve and Babs founded to provide delicious, clean, healthy, and easy-to-fix storable gourmet meals for families to eat now or save for later. Steve also co-hosts the “Choose Surthrival” show on the Prime Time Health Talk TV and Radio Seires As a talk show host, author, and noted food expert, Steve Shenk is an educator, corporate executive, philosopher, and a forty-year entrepreneur in the food industry. His expertise and leadership on food safety issues have positively impacted the lives of thousands with a prevention-based strategy to ensure the availability, price, and safety of food. Steve is the host of “It’s Not Your Fault,” a syndicated talk show, and is presently heard almost any day of the week across multiple radio networks as a guest of some of America’s most notable talk show programs. Steve Shenk’s new book “It’s Not Your Fault”, which will be out this summer, is a compilation of his years of experience with people, families, and relationships. As a voice of reason on matters of food, energy, and money, Steve uniquely understands the forces that perpetuate the world’s food dependencies. His mission is to heighten the public’s awareness and offer possible courses of action to ensure food availability and freeze pricing to bring more security to an at-risk world. Steve has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in market analysis. Steve works closely and collaboratively with some of the world’s most knowledgeable experts preparing and educating the general public on topics ranging from assessment of current food program challenges to how the history of money has come full circle to make food the most important currency. Steve Shenk and his partner, Barbara Rossberg, are co-founders of several food companies including the eFoodsDirect and GOFoods Global companies, the GOFoods Foundation, and GO Forces, which donates one bag of food for every ten purchased to people and charities located around the country to feed and prosper the world. You can find him on Facebook at steveshenkfoodexpert, on his blog at www.steveshenk.me, and at www.itsnotyourfault.TV. Steve Shenk host of “It’s Not Your Fault” on the Prime Time Health TV and Talk Radio Series

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