Safe Shopping: Pistachio Co. Expands Recall
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Shoppers trying to steer clear of bad pistachios will soon have a longer list of foods to avoid after a major expansion of the nut recall.
Today, David Acheson, the Food and Drug Administration’s assistant commissioner for food safety, told ABC News that’s because the FDA has found positive salmonella tests on equipment at the plant Setton Pistachio.
The test results have prompted the company to voluntarily recall most of its products made in 2008, which were shipped out to dozens of food companies. The recall includes pistachios sent in bulk to 28 states and 14 countries outside of the United States.
The FDA cannot yet say how many additional products may be recalled, but explained that it is working with distributors and trying to get its recall list updated as quickly as possible.
Like the peanut recall, it could take months to figure out every pistachio product that might be unsafe to eat. More than 2 million pounds of pistachios were already recalled last week that came from Setton, the second largest pistachio producer in the country.
andreifan @ April 10, 2009
Wells Fargo Earnings Surprise Sends Market Surging
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Banks lead market higher after Wells Fargo says it will post $3 billion profit; Dow jumps 246
Stocks surged Thursday to their highest levels in two months after banking giant Wells Fargo & Co. surprised the market with an early profit report that blew past analysts’ expectations thanks to a strong pickup in its lending business.
The Dow Jones industrial average jumped nearly 250 points and major market indexes logged their fifth straight week of gains. Markets are closed for Good Friday.
Investors have been grasping at any sign of improvement in the crippled banking industry, and Wells Fargo’s report Thursday that it expects first-quarter earnings of $3 billion provided an encouraging sign that a deep freeze in borrowing activity may finally be thawing. Wells Fargo said it benefited from its January acquisition of Wachovia and an increase in mortgage applications.
“The fact that Wells Fargo can have record profits despite the troubles facing the banking system tells you something,” said Rick Campagna, chief investment officer at 300 North Capital in Pasadena, Calif. “It’s very good news.”
andreifan @ April 10, 2009
Obama to Seek $83.4 Billion for Iraq, Afghan Wars
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Obama to seek $83.4 billion for Iraq, Afghanistan wars as costs near $1 trillion
President Barack Obama is seeking $83.4 billion for U.S. military and diplomatic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, pressing for special troop funding that he opposed two years ago when he was senator and George W. Bush was president.
Obama’s request, including money to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan, would push the costs of the two wars to almost $1 trillion since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to the Congressional Research Service. The additional money would cover operations into the fall.
andreifan @ April 10, 2009
Million-Dollar Foreclosure Theft
Posted in: U.S. | Comments (0)
Recession Victim: A Vacant California Mansion Stripped of $1 Million in Fixtures
With foreclosure rates rising across the nation, more and more homes have stood empty for months, attracting thieves, vagrants and vandals, police report.
One high-profile California home, vacant for a few days, was hit particularly hard — stripped of nearly $1 million worth of fixtures, from antique doors to toilets.
It was once one of the most magnificent mansions in San Diego, with 15 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms. It was so spectacular it didn’t have only an address, it had a name: Vivienda.
The mansion is now in foreclosure, and it’s a shell of its former self — literally. Thieves have stripped the mansion bare. Fixtures, appliances, everything is gone.
“We have a very large high-end theft, almost a million dollars,” said Steven Ashkar, a detective with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
andreifan @ April 10, 2009
Iran President Says He’s Open to Nuclear Talks
Posted in: World | Comments (0)
Iran’s president said Thursday his country is open to talks with the U.S. and other countries over its nuclear program. But he insisted the talks must be based on respect for Iran’s rights, suggesting the West should not try to force Tehran to stop uranium enrichment.
Hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran would present a new proposal for negotiations, saying “conditions have changed” — an apparent reference to President Barack Obama’s election and Iran’s own progress in its nuclear program since previous talks with Iran were held last year. He did not elaborate on the proposal.
andreifan @ April 10, 2009
North Korea Parliament Renews Kim’s Leadership
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SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea re-elected Kim Jong-il as its supreme military leader at its newly seated parliament on Thursday, marking his return to center stage as the country celebrates what it calls a triumphant satellite launch.
The move came as the U.N. Security Council failed to agree on an action in response to Sunday’s launch, widely seen as a disguised missile test, prompting U.S. Senator John McCain to press China, the North’s key ally, to get tough on its reclusive, impoverished neighbor.
Kim, 67, has been conspicuously absent from major public events after a suspected stroke in August, which raised questions about his iron grip over Asia’s only communist dynasty and whether anyone was waiting in the wings to succeed him.
“The First Session of the 12th Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK held here elected leader Kim Jong-il chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission,” its KCNA news agency said, using the official name Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
The chairman of the National Defense Commission is the seat of power in North Korea, which named state founder and Kim’s father Kim Il-sung eternal president after his death in 1994.
The North lauded the launch as resulting from the state’s guiding ideals of self-reliance and military-first saying the rocket shot showed “the powerful strength of the DPRK, which has rushed forward like the wind toward the rich and powerful country.”
Analysts said the carefully choreographed session of the rubber-stamp Supreme People’s Assembly would give Kim a mandate that cements his legacy of building a military-first state and could pave the way to transfer power to one of his three sons.
It was unclear whether Kim has appeared at the meeting as he customarily does at the opening session of parliament.
North Korea’s propaganda machine has carefully managed the re-emergence of Kim from his illness through reports about his tours to factories and military bases, while only showing still photographs of the visits.
andreifan @ April 10, 2009