Halloween is here! Let's keep EVERYONE safe!

Ok, I know that officially it won't be here until tomorrow but, in most places in the United States, Halloween is being observed tonight!


I decided today that I would post some safety reminders for you. Let's keep EVERYONE safe tonight!

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Keep your babies safe this Halloween

No, I'm not talking about your children. I'm talking about your dog. Dogs have a hard time at Halloween for many reasons. I got my daily Dog Crazy Newsletter from PetPlace.com and I think they summed it up very nicely. Read on.

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PCA is no more

Back on January 8 I began talking about the salmonella outbreak that has since been linked back to the Peanut Corp. of America (PCA) and specifically to their Blakely Georgia plant. As of this past Friday, February 13, the PCA is no more.

They officially filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Virginia on Friday. Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidates all of the company’s assets and distributes that money to the company’s creditors. That’s good news for the creditors and in my opinion good news for us. We won’t have to worry about any more food coming from PCA.

In a story I read this morning it was reported that officials had also shut down the Texas plant this week because products tested there had positive results for salmonella too. When health officials went in that plant they found rodents, feces and feathers in the ceiling above the production area. Because no inspections had been made by the state there previously, ALL products ever produced there have been recalled and are being destroyed.

To date the salmonella outbreak that has been traced back to the Georgia plant has sickened over 630 people and possibly caused nine deaths. There are over 2000 products on the recall list.

I’m once again left wondering.

How many plants are producing food but not being inspected by states?
How many foods have I eaten since March of 2005 (the date the Texas PCA plant opened) that could have possibly contained peanuts or peanut products?
How lucky am I to have not gotten ill?
How many illnesses were actually salmonella but never treated so they haven’t been documented?
How many people work in plants that are nasty?
Don’t they know people are eating that food?
Don’t they care?
Why don’t they do anything to change it?
Why?

FDA Product Recall List

Caution: Thin ice

I’m moving slow this morning. I haven’t done much other than read my morning news. It was quite the night last night. I’ll write about that on my Happy At Home site though.

The story I wanted to talk about today involves ice. It’s been really warm here. As a matter of fact it’s already 62 degrees outside and it’s only 8:30 a.m. I almost forgot it was still wintertime in many places.

In Oak Harbor Ohio it’s definitely still winter. Lake Erie is frozen over in many places. People go out on that ice and fish. I personally think those people are a little crazy but whatever makes you happy.

Apparently there was a crack in the ice that fishermen had built a sort of bridge out of wooden pallets to cross. The ice shifted; the pallets fell into the water. There were a total of 135 people now trapped on the ice. Several people panicked trying to find a way back to shore, two of which fell into the freezing water. One of those men died from a heart attack after he had been pulled out of the water. 134 people were rescued.

I repeat, I think those people are a little crazy. But I guess the fishermen agree with me. One of them was quoted as saying “I thought we could get away with it for today. When you’re crazy for fishin’ I guess, and the fish are biting, I just couldn’t resist it.” Yep, crazy.

On another note the rare 1937 Bugatti that I told you about went to auction in Paris yesterday. It did indeed bring in a fortune like they thought it would. The Type 57S Atalante sold for $4.4 million. Now that’s a good day!

In case you missed it

I’ve been ranting now for a couple of weeks about the Peanut Corp. of America (PCA) and their Blakely Georgia plant. I’m sorry to tell you that I’m not done ranting yet. And now Washington has joined me on my rant.

Lawmakers met today to discuss the issue and they are upset. They wanted to know how food makers and state health inspectors are allowed to keep negative test results to themselves. And yes, that’s true. Federal laws do not require companies or state officials to report their findings to the federal government. They don’t have to say one word. They have even gotten away with operating a plant that the government is unaware exists. Right here in Texas the PCA owned a plant that was not licensed, registered or inspected for four years. They only discovered that plant after this outbreak.

One senator (Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democrat-Vermont) was quoted in the AP story as saying he’d “like to see some people go to jail”. Well welcome to my world. Why are you so late?

The list of recalled products is growing. According to the AP story it has passed 1000 products now. I couldn’t possibly list them here, but if you’d like to check it (I know I did) you can click here.

Thanks to the Electronic Freedom of Information Act we are entitled to view the records from the inspections that were made by the FDA after the discovery of salmonella in PCA products. I read every word of it. If you’d like to read it yourself you can click here but I’ll give you a summary. (Note that it’s a PDF file and Adobe Reader will be required to view it.)

Let me start out by saying it’s disgusting. The way that this plant was run and maintained, or rather not maintained, is just pathetic.

Salmonella was found and documented in 12 different instances. But that’s actually not the worst part of the report.

The line that the Salmonella Typhimurium (the strain of salmonella that is making everyone ill right now) was found on was not cleaned after the discovery of the bacteria. To make that worse the company continued to manufacture peanut products using that line all the way up until the FDA came in to inspect the plant on January 9. After people had died.

The roaster that was supposed to wipe out any microbiological contamination was set up improperly. The temperature was not set hot enough to kill the salmonella and the belt that moved the peanuts through the roaster was set to the wrong speed not allowing the roaster enough time to kill the salmonella. Oh but it gets worse.

Raw product was stored next to product that was ready to be packed up. There were 2000 pound containers sitting next to each other that were impossible to tell apart. Plus those containers were within 15 feet of a crack in the floor where salmonella was found.

Salmonella was also found on the cooler floor just 3 feet away from finished products and mold was found on the cooler’s walls and ceiling. They said the fans in the cooler were leaking water and pallets of finished product were sitting directly underneath that unit. The ceiling in the entire plant leaked either air conditioner ‘water’ or rain water and products were below all the places leaks occurred.

Worst of all it says that the day they first went into the plant there was a build up of product residue on all of the equipment (grinders, hoppers, and the line) that was allowed to remain there and product continued being produced around it. That there was a “slimy black-brown residue” on a conveyer belt and that pieces of a yellow & black caution sign were flaking off into products.

It also mentions several other things (holes in the ceiling and roaches for two) but honestly I’m just way too grossed out now to continue telling you about it. I’m just stunned. I’m almost stunned speechless. That’s hard to do.

I’m glad the PCA and their dirty ways have been brought to the attention of Washington legislators. I hope they are able to find PCA guilty of something criminal. I know they are criminals. I’m not actually as worried about that part of it as much now. Now what I’m worried about is how many other plants are out there doing business in the exact same way PCA was; especially food manufacturers. Just what am I supposed to eat? Is any of it safe?

Who’s in charge here?

Since the beginning of the present salmonella outbreak, I’ve been bringing you news on it. I’ve provided you with links to information on the outbreak. I’ve provided you with lists of recalled products. I’ve done this for two reasons. One, it’s important. And two, I’m mad.

My anger has tripled this morning. Maybe even quadrupled. I’m pretty mad. If you were someone that saw me in person, you would probably turn around and move away from me as fast as possible once you saw the look on my face. I’m truly that angry today.

Reading my morning news stories I came across yet another story on the Peanut Corp. of America (PCA). Imagine that. The story said that federal health officials have now officially opened a criminal investigation of the plant. Yesterday. Well, it’s about time.

I’m not just mad at the PCA. I’m also mad at the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). It has now been revealed that the FDA hasn’t been to the Blakely Georgia plant since 2001. Yes, I am aware that it’s presently 2009. Maybe now you see what my anger is based on.

To make matters worse, the FDA did not go into the plant because of the salmonella. They went because a shipment of peanuts that originated at the PCA plant were stopped and refused at the Canadian border because it contained metal shavings. That’s when they thought they might need to go into the plant. Don’t worry that it’s been 8 years since any federal inspectors were in the plant. The PCA had their own inspectors, they should be fine. No need to worry about them. Yeah, right.

Then when the FDA finally did go into the plant they didn’t check for anything except metal. No check for salmonella. Why would they worry about that? It’s not like there was JUST ANOTHER CASE OF PEANUT BUTTER SALMONELLA POISONING A COUPLE YEARS AGO. That doesn’t matter.

My main problem is why did the FDA allow a company that sold food products for the general public’s consumption to use their own inspectors? Why didn’t they insist on making regular inspections? I worked in restaurants for 25 years and I can’t tell you how many health inspectors I saw. They popped in unannounced and checked everything under the roof at least once every month. All those individual restaurants were feeding was whatever town I happened to be living in at the time. We weren’t shipping food out all over the country. But we had to meet certain standards and if we didn’t we were closed immediately and not allowed to reopen until the problem was fixed. How was this plant that now has over 430 products on the recall list allowed to continue producing those products and worse yet, shipping them out for us to eat? For us to feed to our children.

According to PCA company documents the original lab they hired to test their products found at least 12 cases of salmonella in the plant. PCA then turned around and hired another company that tested the products and found no salmonella so they shipped the products out. I’m sorry but that’s just crap. If the first test was positive, in my mind there is no need for a second test. And by using a different company to ensure a different result makes me think they were acting in a criminal manner.

In a PCA media statement they said “It is because of our commitment to our customers and consumers that PCA has taken extraordinary measures to identify and recall all products that have been identified as presenting a potential risk.”

I think the only thing PCA is committed to is making money. They haven’t taken any extraordinary measures. The only reason they are doing anything now is because people have died. They blatantly sent out products that they had been told were a danger to people. They chose to ignore basic food handling procedures. They didn’t even bother to clean their plant. When FDA inspectors recently visited the plant they found roaches, mold, a leaking roof and “numerous other sanitation problems.” Commitment to our customers. What a joke.

My hope is PCA will now go out of business. I want them to never again produce anything for us to eat. I also hope the people that worked at that plant are thoroughly educated in food safety and any of them that made the decisions as to whether or not sell those contaminated products should receive jail time. What they did was criminal; they should be treated as such.

I.C.E. on your cell phone

I received an email a few minutes ago with that same title: I.C.E. on your cell phone. It doesn't have anything to do with the current weather outside though.

I.C.E. stands for In Case of Emergency. It is standard procedure for all paramedics to check your cell phone for an I.C.E. message in cases of accidents or emergencies. I was already aware of this but by the way the email was worded I realized some people were NOT aware of it.

I placed the 'Contact' in my phone over a year ago after I had a heart attack. If you are unable to respond to paramedics because of an auto accident or, as in my case, a physical emergency, the I.C.E. message let's them know all about you.

I have mine in my contacts as I said. I named it: ...IN CASE OF EMERGENCY. Notice the dots in front of it? That's so it's the FIRST contact on my list. No need to go searching for my I.C.E. message. It's right at the top. Luckily my heart attack was minor but it could have been worse; I could have been unresponsive. I have over 100 phone numbers in my phone and I just couldn't live with the idea of someone trying to figure out who to call if I was in trouble.

I have the phone number set as 911. Just in case again. Maybe a friend found me and was trying to figure out who to call to help me. Maybe they were too panicked to remember 911. It could happen. I've been that upset before.

My cell allows me to add notes to my contact details. I wrote the following:

Contact Tim Brakhage @ ***-***-**** (you didn't think I was going to publish his phone number here did you? Not a good idea.). I have a heart condition, allergic to penicillin and sulfa drugs and have Graves Disease.

There are actually many other things I could have added to that note, but I thought those were the most important things to convey in the event of an emergency.

Do you have an I.C.E. message on your cell phone? Did you know paramedics automatically checked cell phones for an I.C.E. message? I think it's a smart thing to do and I think it's smart of paramedics to implement it into their life saving job.

In the event that you don't have a cell phone (And just where have you been?), you should have some sort of I.C.E. message somewhere on your person (in your wallet, in a notebook, in your shoe...it doesn't matter where; just somewhere). Even if you don't have any medical situations to report, allergies or special care needs I think it would be a good idea to have some important phone numbers noted somewhere. Who do you want them to call if something happens to you?

Better safe than sorry I always say.

(Thank you Vickie for forwarding the email to me.)

Little Debbie snacks now added to list of recalled products

From the Little Debbie website:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 18, 2009 — 7 p.m. EST

MCKEE FOODS CORPORATION ANNOUNCES VOLUNTARY NATIONWIDE RECALL OF LITTLE DEBBIE® PEANUT BUTTER TOASTY AND PEANUT BUTTER CHEESE SANDWICH CRACKERS BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE HEALTH RISK

COLLEGEDALE, Tenn. – McKee Foods Corporation today announced a voluntary recall of two varieties of peanut butter sandwich crackers because the products have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The two sandwich crackers are:

• Little Debbie® Peanut Butter Toasty sandwich crackers — all sizes.

• Little Debbie® Peanut Butter Cheese sandwich crackers — all sizes.

Products impacted by the recall were produced on or after July 1, 2008, and include all sizes, weights and packages.

The Little Debbie® Cheddar on Cheese sandwich cracker is not affected by this action. No other Little Debbie® products are involved in this recall.

McKee Foods does not purchase peanut paste or peanut butter from PCA (Peanut Corp. of America), and therefore, no other Little Debbie® products containing peanut butter are affected by this action.

Consumers who have purchased the recalled products are urged to discard the crackers but retain the freshness code and contact Consumer Affairs.

Little Debbie Consumer Services:

1-800-522-4499

Tragedy at monster truck show

I’m an empathetic person. I feel things deeply that don’t really affect my life in any way except that I found out about whatever it was. I just can’t help it. This story out of Tacoma Washington is a perfect example. It touched me deeply. I cried for the child and his family. It truly broke my heart.

I’ve been to monster truck shows. I even took my kids to a monster truck show once. It was a really good time if you could get past how LOUD the trucks were and the awful smell of all that exhaust in one place.

And I did see those enormous trucks break apart occasionally. If they hit a big dip, boom!, a chunk of something would roll off in the mud. I saw one flip six times across the dirt floor of the Expo Center and things were flying off of it like crazy. I never imagined those pieces hitting anyone though.

I’m sure I knew somewhere deep in my mind that it was a possibility. I just never let it surface enough to grasp it as a coherent thought. Then this morning I read the story that made those fears a reality.

In a matter of seconds a six year old lost his life. A piece of metal flew off a truck that was doing doughnuts during a freestyle competition portion of the truck show. It flew into the stands striking the 6 year old in the head. Horrified witnesses said one second the boy and his family were watching the show, the next second the boy was in his mothers arms with blood everywhere.

In a heartbreaking twist, the monster truck show did NOT end. Some spectators were unaware that anything had even happened. Others that were aware of the situation either watched in shock or grabbed their own families and left.

I’m including a link to the news video of this story. I’d like to warn you that it contains graphic spoken details and may not be appropriate for all people to watch.

My heart goes out to the family of this child. Most stories interest me. Few stories touch me the way this one did. I’m so sorry for their loss.

King5 news video

Updated list of recalled Kellogg products

I've had several people contact me today worried about the products that are affected by the recent salmonella outbreak. Kellogg has voluntarily recalled the following products and are advising consumers to destroy them:

Austin® Quality Foods Cheese Crackers with Peanut Butter - all sizes

Austin® Quality Foods Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers - all sizes

Austin® Quality Foods Mega Stuffed Cheese Crackers with Peanut Butter - all sizes

Austin® Quality Foods PB & J Cracker Sandwiches - all sizes

Austin® Quality Foods Super Snack Pack Sandwich Crackers

Austin® Quality Foods Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers - all sizes

Austin® Quality Foods Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter - all sizes

Austin® Quality Foods Reduced Fat Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers

Austin® Quality Foods Reduced Fat Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers

Austin® Quality Foods Cookie/Cracker Pack

Austin® Quality Foods Variety Pack

Keebler® Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers - all sizes

Keebler® Toast & PB'n J Flavored Sandwich Crackers - all sizes

Keebler® Toast & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers - all sizes

Famous Amos® Peanut Butter Cookies (2- and 3-ounce)

Keebler® Soft Batch Homestyle Peanut Butter Cookies (2.5-ounce)

The Kellogg website states "The actions we are taking today are in keeping with our more than 100- year commitment to providing consumers with safe, high-quality products," said David Mackay, president and CEO, Kellogg Company. "We apologize for this unfortunate situation."

If you have any questions about Kellogg products or would like a refund you can call the Kellogg Consumer Response Center at 877-869-5633.

FDA urges people to avoid peanut butter products

Not my cookies too?!?

I wrote about a week ago about the peanut butter salmonella outbreak that is causing illness all over the country. That has now been expanded to include all peanut products. Officials have tracked the salmonella back to a Georgia plant that provides peanuts to 85 food companies including Kellogg.

Keebler cookies have been pulled from shelves as a precaution and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it is no longer just a bulk peanut butter issue. They are now looking at all products that contain peanuts and peanut paste including baked goods containing peanuts.

The Blakely Georgia plant is owned by Peanut Corp. of America and provides peanuts to 85 different companies. Peanut Corp. has recalled 21 lots of peanut butter that they believe to be the culprit but some companies, such as Kellogg’s, have pulled all their products that contain peanuts from store shelves. Kellogg also pulled their Austin peanut butter sandwich crackers in addition to the Keebler cookies.

Officially there have been over 450 cases of salmonella illness and six deaths from this outbreak. An elderly North Carolina man died yesterday from the same strain of salmonella that has been found in the offending foods.

Four people have died in Minnesota and Virginia (two in each state) and one person has died in Idaho. Four of those five people were elderly. Food borne illnesses are generally worse in the elderly, young, pregnant and people who have reduced immune systems.

I personally am glad I haven’t had anything with peanuts in it for a while now. At the beginning of the outbreak, it was just coincidental that I hadn’t eaten peanut products but now that it’s been in the news, I’ve purposely avoided them. I suffer from Graves Disease which is an autoimmune disease. I just can’t take that chance.

While I don’t expect people to cut all peanut products out of their lives, I do think at this time it would be prudent to check all your packages for peanut products and specifically for who produced those peanuts and if it was the Peanut Corp. of America. 85 companies produce a lot of products. And many products either contain peanuts or were cooked in peanut oil and people are unaware of it unless they have a peanut allergy.

I have been known to enjoy a Keebler cookie on occasion however and knowing that Kellogg was worried enough to pull them from the shelves has me scared. The only upside that I can see from this outbreak is the companies will be more aware of the situation and hopefully do more to test their products BEFORE they are sent out to the public.

Deep freeze can lead to serious issues

The bitter cold that is sweeping across the North and Mideast sections of the country can be very dangerous. Frostbite and hypothermia are real dangers that can be life threatening.

Frostbite can occur in 15 minutes or less. It causes a loss of feeling in your extremities (fingers, toes, ears, nose) and can lead to the loss of limbs. The affected area appears white or pale, sometimes even gray. When the temperature is at or below zero, your blood vessels that are closest to the skin constrict causing the blood flow to dramatically slow in these areas and the tissue freezes.

Hypothermia develops when your body temperature drops below 95 degrees. There are three stages to hypothermia. In the first stage your hands become numb, you experience mild to strong shivering and your breathing becomes quick and shallow. In the second stage, shivering becomes stronger, your muscles no longer cooperate with what you want them to do and your skin turns pale. And in the third and final stage, your body shuts down. Shivering usually stops, thinking is impaired and your muscle coordination is gone. You have noticeable trouble walking or performing simple tasks (such as picking up and holding a cup). Death will occur if medical help is not obtained.

If you or someone you love are experiencing any of the above signs, seek medical attention immediately. In these extreme temperatures that our country is experiencing numerous issues can develop quickly.

Helpful links:

National Weather Service's Warnings

The CDC's article Extreme Cold: A Prevention Guide to Promote Your Personal Health and Safety

Government agencies that can help

Bad day on our highways

Everyday is a news day for me but today is a local news day. It seems like all the stories that caught my eye this morning were from in or around Houston. And most of them involved cars and speed.

A 22 year old man was reported to have been driving in excess of 100 mph when he crashed his Chevy Cobalt carrying himself and his 18 year old girlfriend into a van with five family members in it. All but the driver of the speeding Cobalt and a 59 year old female passenger in the van were killed in the accident. The driver that caused the accident is unaware that these deaths occurred yet. Killed in the accident were the 18 year old girlfriend, a 78 year old man who’s birthday is today, his brother and sister-in-law who were both 83 and his 60 year old nephew. The family members had traveled to celebrate the 78 year olds birthday.

In the second accident, a 17 year old stole a pickup truck and was spotted by police. He ran from the officers and subsequently crashed into a SUV in the intersection of South 79th and Elwood in Houston. The accident killed a 23 year old man that was driving the SUV. The 17 year old has no license and claimed to have ‘found’ the car.

A third accident occurred when a ladies vehicle was carjacked. Thankfully the carjacker allowed her to remove her children from the vehicle before he took off in it. The police chased him until he crashed into a gas meter. No one was hurt in this accident but a nearby restaurant had to be evacuated because of the leaking gas.

And finally, at a Low Rider car show one of the vehicles carrying a family involved in the celebration burst into flames. A three year old was in a car seat in the back of the car. The father managed to get his son out of the burning vehicle, but they both suffered burns and are being treated at the Medical Center.

I hate to drive. It’s a true story. I would rather be a passenger than a driver. Accidents like these make that feeling even stronger in me. Tim is an excellent driver and I would rather put my faith in him. Not that I’m a bad driver. I just get nervous and I know I shouldn’t be in control of a vehicle when I’m nervous.

I also know that accidents happen in a split second and sometimes even the most experienced and confident drivers are still involved in them. My heart goes out to the families of the victims in the accidents I’ve talked about this morning. I pray they find peace in whatever way they can. I know that’s easier said than done.

It could have been SO much worse

When my daughter was in her infant and toddler years, her father and I lived basically in the middle of nowhere. We were surrounded by woods and a wonky, practically straight down hill that had a twisting road cut through the middle of it. There was a lot of wildlife. You could watch whole groups of animals cross that road if you were quiet and sat in just the right spot. There were bears, wolves, even a panther that stayed on top of that hill and screamed like a murder victim in the middle of the night. I thought they were beautiful creatures but I’m no fool, they were dangerous too.

So we kept guns. I loathe guns. I grew up with military parents and was made to learn how to shoot. Our father would take us out to our Uncle Alfred’s ranch and set up targets and we’d all take a turn. If we didn’t do well, we’d take three or four turns. Perfection was a big thing in my family growing up. But I learned and I can handle a gun if it’s required of me.

There were many weeks that I sat alone in that log cabin with a young baby as my only company. I had to protect her as much as I had to protect myself. So the guns were there. Luckily I never had to shoot anything although one time I did fire it into the air because a brown bear was on the hill directly next to the house. I could see it out the kitchen window! And I really didn’t want it to get comfortable there.

I don’t consider myself anti-gun even though I hate them. I believe there are times that a gun is the only answer. And I don’t consider myself pro-gun either. I’d rather not have one in my house and do not have one now that I live somewhere that all the animals are either in peoples houses or behind cages in the zoo.

I saw in the news where a four year old in Ohio shot his 18 year old babysitter because he stepped on his foot. The fact that he shot someone out of anger at four years old is a whole different story but for him to be able to get to a gun and actually shoot someone is shocking. Why wasn’t it locked up? We always kept the guns in a gun cabinet behind bulletproof glass (yes, I know) and two locks with the keys being kept in different very out of reach places. I just can’t imagine leaving open access to a weapon that causes death to any child of any age but especially with a four year old in the house.

They said in the story that no charges were being filed against the four year old. Well duh is all I can think of to say. At least in the video they suggested that the parents may be charged with something. Negligence maybe? I would think so. I know I’m not perfect, far from it actually. But I also know not to leave a gun sitting around LOADED just waiting for the accident that’s sure to follow. I’m glad the babysitter is ok and I hope these parents have learned a valuable lesson.