In the News: Jan-30

Gov't launches criminal probe in peanut recall - 30 Jan 2009 at 3:47pm - WASHINGTON -- The government has opened a criminal investigation into the Georgia peanut-processing plant at the center of the national salmonella outbreak, federal officials said Friday. Stephen Sundlof, head of the Food and Drug Administration's food safety center, said the Justice Department will join FDA investigators in looking into possible criminal violations. The Peanut Corp. of America plant shipped allegedly tainted products to dozens of other food companies.

Peanuts tainted with metal fragments - 30 Jan 2009 at 2:51pm - WASHINGTON -- The government acknowledged Friday that a shipment of peanuts from the plant linked to a salmonella outbreak contained a "filthy, putrid or decomposed substance" later identified as metal fragments. The shipment was returned to the U.S. in April, months earlier than reflected in a federal tracking database.

Anthem ban 'political correctness run wild': Conservative MP - 30 Jan 2009 at 1:49pm - A decision to ban elementary school students from singing "O Canada" each morning is "political correctness run wild," according to a federal Conservative cabinet minister.

Well, it's not exactly a ban, is it? And where it says "my home & native land", isn't it automatically excluding a few folks? All in all, though, I don't see what's so offensive about it; it just seems a little excessively nationalistic to require its singing on a daily basis.

GDP sees biggest drop in 27 years - 30 Jan 2009 at 11:28am - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The economy shrank at its fastest pace in nearly 27 years in the fourth quarter, government data showed on Friday, sinking deeper into recession as consumers and business cut spending.

Thought for the day:
Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example. -Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)