Another day, another outbreak
Federal health officials have linked another legume to an outbreak of salmonella, which can cause fever, nausea and abdominal pain.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are warning people not to eat raw alfalfa sprouts, according to a news release issued Sunday.
Alfalfa sprouts have been linked to this latest salmonella outbreak, which has sickened 31 people in six states. Oklahoma is not one of them.
The illnesses began in mid-March. Cases are still being reported, and possible cases are in various stages of laboratory testing, so illnesses may appear in other states. No deaths have been reported. The number of infected people may be higher than currently reported because some illnesses have not yet been confirmed with laboratory testing, according to health officials.
This is the third legume-related salmonella outbreak since September.
More than 3,900 peanut products have been recalled since authorities linked a fatal salmonella outbreak to two plants operated by the Peanut Corporation of America.
Another strain of salmonella has been linked to pistachios from a California company that has recalled its entire 2008 harvest. Close to 600 products are now on the recall list.
Smoking or non?
cigarette smoking in apartments
What do you think about banning smoking in rented apartments or homes with shared walls or ventilation?
Several public housing authorities across the country have voluntarily gone smoke free, and cities in California require that landlords designate all or most of their properties as non-smoking.
Does this amount to too much government intrusion or do you think that renters should be protected from inadvertently being exposed to second-hand smoke?
Stillwater company promises laptop security
Dan Yost insists he could eliminate the worry that comes with news of a stolen laptop containing personal information of about 1 million Oklahoma residents.
Yost, who heads Stillwater-based MyLaptopGPS, said his company could have recovered that sensitive data as soon as it was discovered a state Department of Human Services-owned computer had been stolen.
Had our technology been in place on the stolen DHS laptop, it is quite likely that we would already have the thief in custody and the data recovered–if not simply deleted remotely,” Yost wrote in his blog on the company’s Web site.
Yost said the company can track stolen laptops via the Internet then return important files to their owners.
The company claims a 99.6 percent success rate, but Yost said he has been unable to sell its services to state officials despite repeated attempts.
For more information on the company’s services, click here.
Do you think this is a worthwhile investment? Is such protection something you would consider for your own laptop computer?
Wal-Mart shoe recall
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled approximately 200,000 high-heel shoes sold in Wal-Mart stores across the U.S.
The shoes were sold from June to December 2008 for around $13, according to the commission.
The commission and Wal-Mart said the sling-back shoes, sold under the George brand name, have heels that can easily detach. This could cause people to stumble and fall.
Though no incidents have been reported, Wal-Mart advises people to stop wearing the shoes and return them for a refund.
Read the voluntary recall here.
Pistachios still a concern
Peanut problems have gotten most of the attention over the past six months of so, but another crop of nuts is getting an increasing amount of scrutiny.
Close to 300 products made with pistachios have been recalled as state and federal health officials in California investigate salmonella contamination at one of the nation’s largest pistachio farms.
Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc. has expanded its voluntary recall of roasted pistachios to include all lots of roasted in-shell pistachios and roasted shelled pistachios that were produced from nuts harvested in 2008, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Have all of these recalls made you think twice about eating nuts?
Peanut probe getting contentious
U.S. marshals have joined the search for contaminated peanuts linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened nearly 700 people.
Marshals served an inspection warrantWednesday at New Jersey-based Westco Fruit and Nuts Inc. after the company failed to allow U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials access to its records.
The company also resisted an FDA recall request, according to a news release from the agency.
Westco received peanut shipments from the Peanut Corporation of America, the company blamed for the outbreak, according to a Reuters report.
FDA cannot compel companies to recall products, but the peanut-related salmonella outbreak has resulted in the recall of nearly 4,000 products ranging from peanut butter crackers to ice cream to dog treats.
Grandma, It’s Me
Audio Interview with Dorothy Doelger: \”Grandma it\’s me\” scam
Read full story.
More cons and con artists
As the economy sinks, some say that crime increases. Here are a few other media outlets that contend this is the case (so you don’t have to take my word for it).
More scamming stories to come. As more con artists and scammers find ways to swindle the helpless out of money, the best thing to do is to prepare yourself with knowledge.
