Even if I'm not hungry, the image of a hot, juicy burger with all the proper accoutrement (lettuce, onions, ketchup, etc.) will make me question where my next meal is coming from. I don't consider myself a gourmet whatsoever (considering I eat cereal for dinner a lot) but even I have standards.

This is precisely why I (and work neighbor Cora) were flabbergasted to find a German website (compliments of Consumerist) which compares perfectly poised package ads and the actual contents of said food item right next to each other! The DIFFerence is a quite appalling....and gross. Some of the items aren't very commonly found here in America, but it's still easy to see we're all being somewhat tricked when it comes to the intricate art of food photography.

The site and images are making the rounds in the blogosphere and I can't help but share - check it out for yourself!

After you work with a company, what do you do? Forget about them; maybe tell a friend if you had a good experience? Do they ever offer you discounts, free advice, educational materials, news, magazine or anything just for being a client? Probably not.

Well, that’s not how we do it here at Quicken Loans. We love our clients and now we have an amazing new way of showing it - Quicken Loans Qtopia! It’s a new, interactive site where all Quicken Loans clients can "live" after they’ve closed on their loan.

We've created a virtual community (you know we're always utilizing our cutting-edge technology) with a ton of different "places" you can visit and use:

Great article from Salon.com exposes all the energy sucking appliances that live in your home and cost consumers a reported $7 billion annually to live in stand-by mode.

Microwaves, computers, TV’s and video devices are among the guiltiest culprits. When you leave your computer at the end of a day’s work, do you shut down the computer and monitor? Probably not. When you power off your TV after you’ve reached your reality show fill, is it really off? No. According to Salon, a typical house hosts around 50 electronic devices that could be quelled instead of sneaking dollars out of your wallet.

Instead of waiting for manufacturers to make “greener” devices, start cutting back with what you have now. You can buy smarter outlets and surge protectors that power all your stuff off, even if you forget. Unplug your microwave when you take your food out. Cut back on the number of cable boxes in your home. Even reducing the brightness of your TV or computer monitor can save some serious kilowatts.

Making the habits is the key to saving real energy and money. Like with most worthwhile “green” efforts, the combined effort of all the conscientious consumers is what will begin to make a significant DIFFerence.

The age-old question for growing any company is: what do our customers want?

While Starbucks isn't exactly in the developmental stage, there's always room for growth. Sometimes growth, when you're that big, is ignoring the executives and hitting the streets – or the message boards.

MyStarbucksIdea.com is Starbucks' newest venture into the minds of people like me – the enticing scent of decent coffee beans makes me check the time to see if I'm ready for another fix. Don't get me wrong, I stray from time to time – but the green circle logo gets me giddy like no other.

by Tim Pulice

Spring has arrived, not only because the calendar says so, but also because my 4-year-old daughter Zoë says she’s ready once again to “help Mommy plant flowers.” Her enthusiasm reminds me that it’s the perfect time of year to support a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving lives and communities through gardening.

Based in Washtenaw County, Michigan, Growing Hope  works diligently in the area - collaborating with neighborhoods and community groups, schools and families, and primarily serves under-resourced and disadvantaged populations.

The DIFF loves it when companies do the right thing!

According to CNN, on Wednesday, Best Buy announced they would send $50 gift cards to all customers who purchased an HD-DVD player prior to February 23 at one of their stores. If you're not up on your electronic news, HD-DVD officially surrendered the format war to Blu-Ray after a meeting of the minds: the top studios vowed to support Blu-Ray. Case closed.

Best Buy is anticipating identifying the affected consumers through it's Reward Zone program and service plans. If you bought one and want to make sure you get your gift card, grab your receipt and call Best Buy yourself.

This seemingly small move could lead to up to $10 million in gift cards from Best Buy in the US. But doing the right thing for their customers will reap them immeasurable profits for years to come.

The "former" Diff Ninja sent me an interesting article today on abcnews.com about an injured Iraq War veteran whose recovery has been greatly helped by a service dog donated to him by the nonprofit Puppies Behind Bars (an organization that trains non-violent prison inmates how to raise service dogs, which in turn are donated to disabled folks in need of a service dog).

Sgt. Bill Campbell was severely injured by shrapnel and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and found himself unable to leave his home. Sgt. Campbell also has a debilitating fear of someone sneaking up on him from behind, which made his "everyday life virtually unbearable."

Then Pax, a 17-month old Golden Labrador, who was brought up by Puppies Behind Bars and actually trained to help those suffering from PTSD, came into Campbell's life and things began to change for the better.

The $5 bill has a new look! Issued just yesterday by the US Treasury, it's sporting a new design and security features to prevent fraud and counterfeit bills. According to Wikipedia (my info bible), here's how to spot the new models:

Watermarks: There are now two watermarks on the redesigned $5 bill. A large number "5" watermark is located in a blank space to the right of the portrait replacing the previous watermark portrait of President Lincoln found on the older design $5 bills. A second watermark—a new column of three smaller "5"s—has been added to the new $5 bill design and is positioned to the left of the portrait.

Security Thread: The embedded security thread runs vertically and is now located to the right of the portrait on the redesigned $5 bill. The letters "USA" followed by the number "5" in an alternating pattern are visible along the thread from both sides of the bill. The thread glows blue (the previous bills glowed white) when held under ultraviolet light.

The Detroit Adventure Pass couldn't be more aptly named - through October 2008, it will allow you free admission to several fantastic Metro Detroit Museums from your participating public libraries.

Included on the list of museums are: the renovated Detroit Institute of Arts, Ford Rouge Factory Tour & Henry Ford Estate, Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit and Motown Historical Museum. The list of museums is actually quite extensive.

Visit the Detroit Adventure Pass site, which is sponsored by Library of Michigan Foundation, Macy's, and the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan, to find the participating libraries and museums.

It works like this: you check out passes from the libraries with your library card. The pass is good for 7 days, after which you must return it for some other lucky patron. Some museums allow 4 free admissions, some allow 2. But hey, it's still free! Seems like a good idea for when school gets out this summer! 

2 years ago, on my way to Vegas with my friends, I had my first issue with an "overweight suitcase." I’m not sure how I managed to pack more than 50lbs worth of stuff into my suitcase, but I did it – it was just over 52lbs.

In an effort to avoid charging me a fee for the weight of my luggage, the woman at a the Spirit check-in counter was nice enough to suggest I move a couple things (ended up being some shoes) to one of my friends’ suitcases and that ended the debacle.

The last trip (to Boston), I was slightly perturbed by the fact I had to pay to actually check my luggage (which followed all the size/weight rules). But I found solace in the fact that I saved myself $5 by paying for it online prior to my flight. Somehow, I felt I was getting a bargain.

Some might say community theatre is a dying American institution. I’m here today to tell you it is alive and well.

My Sunday afternoon was spent at the North Rosedale Park Community House enjoying an ice cream social and DIFF Master Clay C in a lively performance of Smokey Joe’s Café. It was a musical revue with nearly 50 songs including: Jailhouse Rock, Don Juan, Stand by Me and Love Potion #9. The video above showcases Clay in all his glory as he adeptly demonstrates that he can both sing and clap on beat.

Whopee!!! All our voting for the Colgate-Palmolive and Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation paid off! Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit won the 2 fun centers - by a very close margin of just over 1%!

Our last post was a little misinformed, but in a good way. All contending hospitals actually receive a fun center. The one who wins the voting gets 2 fun centers. So this really is a win-win situation! An awesome, DIFF-worthy move by Colgate-Palmolive and Starlight Startbright Children's Foundation.Thanks for all your clicks, loyal DIFF readers - you rock!

Someone forgot to tell Airborne to do their homework.

Though they aren’t actually admitting any wrongdoing, Airborne is settling a class-action lawsuit to refund the purchase price of their products sold from May 1, 2001 through November 29, 2007.

David Schardt, a senior nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest has led the lawsuit trying to show that Airborne has used false advertising. Over the course of the lawsuit, it became clear that there is no proof, no glaring scientific studies that show the supplement does what it says it does – boosts your immune system to ward of sickness.

Does it work or doesn’t it? No one is totally sure – I’ve used it and so have many people I know. I haven’t gotten sick after using it, but it doesn’t show that Airborne has anymore of an effect than a standard placebo.

Move over knife and fork, the knork is here.

The Washington Post reports today in "A Knork In the Road" about a really new and funky utensil that is destined to change the way we eat.

The knork.

Will it change us forever?

Maybe. Or maybe not.

Is a knork the DIFF? I'll let you decide.

Go figure - I thought I was joining these social networks to share pictures & get "poked" by people I knew in kindergarten and now can't remember for the life of me. Sure, let's be "friends!"

As reported by ABC News, Facebook was recently the catalyst for a life saving event - two former schoolmates found each other and one found another chance at a healthy life. Karl Celestin is donating a kidney to a friend he lost touch with over a decade ago - Ricardo Manier.

While being hospitalized recently when his kidneys virtually stopped working, Manier reconnected to his old friend through the social networking site. The men became fast friends again and Celestin offered to donate a kidney when he learned of Manier's health. The two are also now planning to attend med school together in the fall.

That's certainly social networking at it's best. I wonder if I could count on my Facebook buds for the same compassion should I need it - any takers?

The last time I got a salad from Whole Foods, it confused me a bit. Gone were the traditional plastic containers I was used to filling up at $6.99 a pound.

Instead, 2 strangely colored vessels awaited which I could only compare to a very soft cardboard. Cardboard. Eating out of cardboard?  Whatever. I was in a hurry and hungry. Tried not to give it too much thought.

Then, a couple weeks ago, I read an article in Detroit's Metromode which talked about the companies 'round town changing up their carry-out containers from traditional Styrofoam to something a little more earth friendly. They listed a few restaurants that had made the change and linked to a local company that was providing the "green" containers. I obligingly clicked through to find  Michigan Green Safe and those quirky little brown bowls again.