November 1, 2007

Press Release.

National recall of frozen pizzas linked to E. coli O157 outbreak

Public health officials are urging consumers to throw away any Totino’s or Jeno’s brand frozen pizzas that contain pepperoni in the wake of a multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections.

The manufacturer, General Mills, has recalled all frozen pepperoni pizzas produced at their Wellston, Ohio, plant. More than 120 million of these pizzas have been distributed since the beginning of July.

Public health investigators in Tennessee and elsewhere have linked a growing number of people infected with E. coli O157:H7 to pizzas produced at the Ohio plant. The investigation is ongoing, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies are working with General Mills to identify the source of the problem.

To date, at least 21 lab-confirmed cases have been identified in 10 states — Tennessee, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin and South Dakota. At least 10 people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.

“If you have any of these pizzas in your freezer, we recommend you throw them out,” said William E. Keene, Ph.D., M.P.H., senior communicable disease epidemiologist at the Oregon Department of Human Services Public Health Division. “No cases have been reported in Oregon or other Western states, but this is a national recall. We don’t want anyone to risk serious illness.”

The specific products covered by the recall are as follows:
• Totino’s Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza, Pepperoni, 10.2 oz.
• Totino’s Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza, Classic Pepperoni, 10.2 oz.
• Totino’s Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza, Pepperoni Trio, 10.2 oz.
• Totino’s Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza, Three Meat Sausage, Canadian Style Bacon & Pepperoni, 10.5 oz.
• Totino’s Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza, Combination Sausage & Pepperoni, 10.7 oz.
• Totino’s Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza, Supreme Sausage & Pepperoni with Green Peppers & Onions, 10.9 oz.
• Jeno’s Crisp ‘n Tasty Pizza, Pepperoni, 6.8 oz.
• Jeno’s Crisp ‘n Tasty Pizza, Combination Sausage and Pepperoni, 7.0 oz.
• Jeno’s Crisp ‘n Tasty Pizza, Supreme Sausage and Pepperoni With Green Peppers and Onion, 7.2 oz.

Anyone wanting more information about the recall can call General Mills at 1-800-949-9055 or check the Web at http://www.generalmills.com.

E. coli O157 infections can cause mild to severe intestinal illness, including bloody diarrhea and stomach cramps. Some patients may suffer serious and potentially fatal kidney damage. Antibiotic therapy is of no value for most patients, and may increase the risk of complications, according to Keene.

Not sure I put a ton of stock in the crack Fox sports reporting team, but apparently Alex has opted out of his contract with the Yankees. It’s a bit surprising to me, and ya really don ‘t want to get into a pissin’ match with the Yankee Brass when it comes to these kinds of negotiations, so I think he’s really out….Wow. 54 Homers and 150+ Ribs is not easily replaced….even if you do have all the money in the world!

New Tool For Bloggers

This one is already making the rounds. John Reese has just released a tool for bloggers that everyone will have at some point. Although some are already misrepresenting that this sort of traffic generation tool specific to blogs has NEVER been done before (it has), the niche is never-the-less, quite open and bloggers will undoubtedly jump on this. I just joined and would welcome those interested to join my team.

‘Bacn,’ While Nicer than Spam, Still Clogs Inboxes

Coronary sandwich

The web has given birth to yet another word that defeats the laws of the English language.

“Bacn” refers to email that’s not quite spam, because users actually want to read the contents. These could be newsletters, bid notifications, niche product news or social networking updates. Nonetheless, the growing volume of this type of email significantly clogs inboxes.

Since the term was first used at a geek summit, blogs have quickly adopted it. It remains to be seen whether “bacn” will be a contender for next year’s Lulu Blooker Prize

This list courtesy of sixwise. Too funny!

Why is the media doing this?  They’re gone.  Why are we concerned about “livable space” when there’s no O2?  I’m no rocket scientist, but I don’t care how big your “space” is, if there’s no air in it….you’re pretty much done.  Rest in Peace.

 Blogtommy

BACK TO SCHOOL TIME!!

The Search BigDaddy School Sponsor Program is really kicking into full gear right now. I just signed up and have sponsored my first school. Although my take is to keep this about the local area and about the kids, there really aren’t any limits to what the astute person could do in this program. You’ve undoubtedly heard all the lines before about how “this is the program of all programs,” etc…so I’m going to spare you the details. However, I would highly encourage you to check it out nonetheless. This is a project like none that I’ve ever experienced in the “on-line community.”

Once you’ve done that, head to my Big Daddy Blog and check out the school sponsor program. I see folks purchasing 10 or more schools already and expect that this trend will only get bigger. The beauty here is once you’ve Sponsored Your School, It’s YOURS and you are benefiting from everyone else from there forward. Naturally, like any program, the more you put into it, the more you will likely get out of it, but just sit down and consider the program for a while. Have you ever seen anything like it? I’d be curious to know if someone has because this truly looks ingenious to me. As always………PEACE!

Well it took a little longer than I anticipated but the House on Saturday finally approved a 16 Billion dollar tax bill on oil companies. Whereas this may have people thinking “it’s about time,” don’t be too quick to celebrate. Although this bill does address some issues and moves us in the right direction, it still ignores some core Republican agenda items that may very well spurn a Presidential Veto should it get to Bush’s desk. Although the Oval office has hinted at a possible veto, the tone of the language coming from the President’s office is actually rather muted. Typically, this tone has lead to some of the few compromises during this President’s tenure. However, I have a difficult time believing that an administration this tied to big oil will sit idly by and let this bill live, but I guess we shall see. In any event, chalk up a little victory for the environment, at least for now.

Although I touched on this briefly while reviewing the first issue of the On-Line Marketing Monthly Magazine, more data and information continues to come out about the relative purchasing power of many different demographic groups, but here in particular, women.  Today, MarketingVOX writes about it in vivid detail and it ought to put some business type folks on notice.  Say no more.  The sexual revolution has nothing over what’s going on today according to this very interesting article in TrendWatching.  There are some significant niches available that remain largely untapped or at least under promoted which could mean millions in the right hands.  Oh Ladies……