Polls: How Did Obama Do for The Week?

   Very well, according to Rasmussen Reports as 45% of Americans approve of the President's job performance while 16% do not.

  45% of Americans also favor the $825 billion dollar stimulus plan put forth by Obama and the Democratic leaders. 34% oppose of the plan, and  40% think that the plan will become law within Obama's first 100 days in office.

   To my surprise, voters say that tax cuts ought to be part of any stimulus plan, but 59% are worried  that Obama and Congress will increase government spending in the next couple of years.

   I guess that the voters still haven't realized that massive spending is necessary, but it should be selectively targeted. Those tax cuts? All for them except for those given to business. They have enough cuts as it is. Business is not going to help with this economic mess, main street is where the action is and  main street should be getting most of those tax cuts. trickle down hasn't worked and it is not going to work this late in the game. Hey Obama. Try some trickle up for a change and while you are at it, tell the Republicans in Congress to go fuck themselves. Nobody cares about what they hell they want.

  A somewhat disappointing observation in the poll.

It looks like global warming may be sliding down the list of priorities for the new administration. Champions of the global warming theory appear to be losing the battle on the idea that humans are to blame. Forty-four percent (44%) of voters now say long-term planetary trends are the cause of global warming, compared to 41% who blame it on human activity.

  Some more poling stats for you.

Former President Bush has a way to go before he reaches those kinds of numbers. At least in his home state of Texas, he gets a little respect: 13% of Texas voters say Bush will be remembered as one of America’s five best presidents. Nationally, just six percent (6%) feel that way.

57% of voters think a foreign company will produce a car that uses alternative fuel before an American company does.

Fourteen percent (14%) of voters give Congress good or excellent marks, the legislature’s highest approval ratings since last February. But 47% say Congress is doing a poor job.

  I have a prediction that this Congress will get higher ratings once it stops worrying about what the GOP thinks, and then actually takes on the peoples business.

Technorati Tags: Polling,Rasmussen,President Obama,Congress,Tax Cuts,The Economy,Politics

Salmonella Outbreak: Update January 23,2009

  The latest report on this outbreak, as of 9 PM, January 22 from the CDC.

As of 9PM EDT, Wednesday, January 22, 2009, 491 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported from 43 states.

Among persons with available information, 22% reported being hospitalized. Infection may have contributed to seven deaths.

To clarify whether other peanut-butter containing foods are associated with the outbreak, CDC along with state partners conducted a second national case-control study. Between January 17 and 19 2009, telephone interviews were conducted with 75 persons who became ill with the outbreak strain and 399 well persons. Preliminary analysis of data received as of 9PM, Sunday, January 18, reveals an association between illness and consumption of pre-packaged peanut butter crackers, specifically with Austin and Keebler brands. 

Austin and Keebler brand peanut butter crackers are produced by the Kellogg Company in North Carolina, using peanut paste from the Peanut Corporation of America.  On January 14, 2009, the Kellogg Company put a precautionary hold on these peanut butter crackers, and on January 16 recalled these products. Other peanut butter containing products produced by a variety of companies may have been made with the ingredients recalled by PCA. CDC and state health departments continue to investigate the association of other brands and foods that contain peanut butter with illness.

Salmonella Typhimurium was isolated from Austin brand peanut butter crackers in Canada. Further tests are pending to determine if the Salmonella Typhimurium in these crackers are the outbreak strain.

More than 180 peanut butter-containing products produced by a variety of companies may have been made with the ingredients recalled by PCA.  The list of currently recalled products can be found on the FDA website*. FDA and the product manufacturers are working to determine the list of affected products, which may be extensive. Many companies have already announced whether their products include ingredients being recalled by Peanut Corporation of America, Georgia, and more companies are expected to make similar announcements. The current list of recall announcements from companies can be found at FDA website*.

  From the  FDA.

January 23, 2009:  A combination of epidemiological analysis and laboratory testing by state officials in Minnesota and Connecticut, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have enabled FDA to confirm that the sources of the outbreak of illnesses caused by Salmonella Typhimurium are peanut butter and peanut paste produced by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) at its Blakely, Georgia processing plant.

Peanut butter is sold by PCA in bulk containers ranging in size from five (5) to 1,700 pounds.  The peanut paste is sold in sizes ranging from 35-pound containers to product sold by the tanker container.  Neither of these products is sold directly to consumers.

However, through its investigation, FDA has determined that PCA distributed potentially contaminated product to more than 70 consignee firms, for use as an ingredient in hundreds of different products, such as cookies, crackers, cereal, candy and ice cream.  Companies all over the country that received product from PCA have issued voluntary recalls of their products.  FDA has created a searchable database for these products, which can be found at http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm, Identification of products subject to recall is continuing and this list is updated frequently.

Technorati Tags: Salmonella Outbreak,Peanut Butter,Peanut Corporation of America,Keebler,CDC,FDA,King Nut