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2009 January 21 — Why Now?
On-line Opinion Magazine…OK, it's a blog
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Some Good News

Well, for at least one reader: Girl Scout Cookies Not Affected By Peanut Butter Warning.

The Girl Scouts investigated and determined that the two companies that are involved in the manufacture of their cookies do not use anything from the Peanut Corporation of America.

I assume there will be more of this type of announcement as people backtrack their suppliers.

Update: Not good news for Nutrisystems snack bars, but the FDA finally has a searchable list.

January 21, 2009   8 Comments

It’s Not Just People

CNN reports that Pet treats recalled because they may be contaminated:

(CNN) — PetSmart is recalling seven of its Grreat Choice dog biscuit products because they contain peanut products made by a company that has been linked to a salmonella outbreak in 43 states and Canada, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.

If you handle the treats, you can be contaminated and pass the infection to your family.

This is what happens when everything gets centralized for the sake of efficiency and cost cutting – problems at a single plant can have a huge impact on the food supply. We are nickel and diming ourselves to death.

January 21, 2009   4 Comments

I’m Not Making This Up

To avoid any questions, Chief Justice Roberts went to the White House today and again administered the oath of office to President Obama. This time Justice Roberts did it right, and it was witnessed by pool reporters among others.

Update: Caroline Kennedy has made the rumor a fact. [I guess I’ll get the blame for opposing her.]

The “breaking news” is that someone has said that Caroline Kennedy has called Governor Paterson of New York and asked that her named be withdrawn from consideration.

I would note that unlike a lot of people, Governor Paterson doesn’t run off at the mouth, and hasn’t given any indication of who he is considering for the office, although there are rumors that he is getting tired of being lobbied on the issue. The two people most actively lobbying for the position have been Caroline Kennedy and Andrew Cuomo.

The Senate seat became vacant today as Hillary Clinton was confirmed as Secretary of State, so the governor will probably make a decision soon. I would hope, as much as I like his father, that the governor could find someone other than another white guy, like Andrew Cuomo, but a Sino-Puertorican transsexual atheist would probably be overreaching, even for New York.

January 21, 2009   2 Comments

Issues

It would appear that fashion is one of the more important items to be considered when judging the success of an inauguration as many are commenting on two hats.

Obviously the most important is Aretha Franklin’s hat. The LA Times says “The $179 hat, customized with Swarovski crystals, came from Mr. Song Millinery in Detroit where Luke Song has been making ladies dress hats for 25 years.”

I saw a wool felt cloche hat with a decorative ribbon that would keep her head warm and stop the wind. The design, popular during the 1920s and ’30s, also keeps the hair over the ears. This combined with a matching wool scarf and gloves, and a high collar coat with narrow double-breasted detailing kept her warm, and shows the wisdom of someone from Detroit dealing with a cold windy day outside. Anyone who doesn’t understand the hat should put “church hat” into a search engine and be prepared for the flood.

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January 21, 2009   7 Comments