They aren't just going to be hot in your mouth

What cute jalapeno peppers, oh why do you cause salmonella? The FDA has found that the recent out break of salmonella can be traced to a strain of salmonella that came from Mexican jalapeno peppers. Lou Dobbs must either have a shit eating grin or be very very angry tonight. So avoid Mexican jalapeno peppers for a while, and lay off the jarred salsa for a while too.

And the tomato industry is now claiming that the salmonella scare cost the industry approximately $100 million. Glad the CDC and FDA are staffed well enough to handle these outbreaks. Republicans again proving that when they run the government that the government is indeed a problem. That idea of small (and crony) government is also working out well, isn't it...Republicans? Conservatives? Anyone? Can't wait to bail out the tomato industry. Money for every industry!


_John

image: jalapeno peppers from flickr Alec Saunders

Food Alert

Reuters is reporting that the CDC has lifted the salmonella warning on tomatoes. Go, eat, and enjoy. Oh yeah, the CDC still has no idea what is causing the outbreak (and it is ongoing), it just ain't the tomatoes anymore. I'll let you know if they pick another vegetable. For now, I will continue my usual avoidance of all vegetables that aren't starchy, lettuce, or tomatoes from the farmers market.


_John

images: tomatoes from flickr Oz Baby

Thoughts before bed

Today was the run-off election for president in Zimbabwe, and tomorrow the results will be released. Wonder who is going to win? And just in time to make a difference the African Union is holding a special session focusing on Zimbabwe on...wait for it...Monday. Not much they can do after the election since economic pressures really can't do anything because Zimbabwe's economy is already ruined, and it is too late to put peace keeping troops in place to make sure the election is fair and legitimate. Here's to failed states. I will try to find the reaction of Bush, Obama, and McCain, as well as Mandela and other notable heads of state concerning the election results tomorrow.


I watched and listened to majority of David Addington and John Yoo giving testimony on the Hill yesterday. Crazy stuff from, let's face it, people with crazy ideas about law and the U.S. Constitution. The best headline that I read is from Andrew Sullivan, who quotes from Dana Milbank's piece in the Post. Both are short and very much worth a read if you want a thumbnail sketch of how the Bush administration came up with legal justifications for torture and other seemingly mind numbing Executive branch legal dictates. Good quote from Addington's testimony here.


Oh and keep an eye on the goings on with the salmonella outbreak. With more people getting ill, the CDC ain't so sure it's the tomatoes that are doing it. LA Times has the latest on the story.

Sweet dreams.


_John


images: Addington and Yoo by Melina Mara – The Washington Post; tomatoes from flickr Oz Baby

28-1-3

Number are numbers. Sometimes they mean alot and some times they are as meaningless as silent whispers in the dark. In this case they do mean something.

28. The number that the mighty "W" is polling at these days. In his quiet moments I am sure that his mind must drift to Bubba's worst poll numbers (36% approval in 1993) and sigh. In fact Bill's lowest approval rating during his second term was 56%. Monica damaged the presidential image, but The Decider is destroying confidence in the office.

One. It's the loneliest number, isn't it? It's also the number of times that the name Bush was invoked by one of the ten presidential candidates at last Thursday's Republican debate - or whatever that rapid-fire 90 minute question barrage was.

Three. The number of candidates at the Republican debate raised their hand in response to the question: "Do you believe in evolution?" Congratulations Senator Brownback, Governor Huckabee, and Representative Tancredo, you may return to seats to the upright position, get up, walk to the local high school, and then sit through a year of biology and geology because you all lack the fundamental understanding of science. After than you may then join the rest of us at the grown up table. (or as Gary Schandling said on Real Time with Bill Maher "..and it was the three least evolved guys.")

UPDATE: See the devolution here via Crooks and Liars.

Corn ethanol = Boondoggle

If you want to know why our ethanol production is a mess and there is little hope of getting better in the near term, blame corn. Here is why. (free subscription required*)

A fascinating article on how corn ethanol in this country is a horrendous idea because it does little good for the environment and can have a dramatic effect on our economy unless we move to a different source. As odd as it seemed at the time, President Bush was actually correct in his 2006 State of the Union address -- switch grass may just be our solution in this country. As an added bonus is that the cultivating of high-diversity indigenous prairie plant mixtures may keep away GM plant designers and hopefully ag subsidies (there isn't a prairie grass lobby yet, is there?), not to mention the itty-bitty carbon footprint that would be left.

We need to let the sun set on our singular dependence on corn for everything we need. It just isn't up to some of the tasks we try to force it to do no matter how much we manipulate it or the enzymes used to convert it into other substances. The renewable energy source we keep looking for has been here since the native Americans roamed the prairies. No foreign plants, genetic modifications, pesticides, or subsides needed.


*The Post really needs to catch up to what is going on in web news.

Looks like one got away

Not sure how Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-1st-Md) survived the Zombie attack when they feasted on Republican brains and left scientifically blind humans behind, but he did.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) wasn't so lucky. More on how ridiculous his statement is soon.