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WASHINGTON — Federal health officials failed to force a recall of peanut butter and almond products for three months after advanced DNA testing confirmed salmonella contamination, government investigators reported Thursday.
Despite new legal powers to compel recalls and sophisticated technology to fingerprint pathogens, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed some food-safety investigations to drag on, placing consumers in jeopardy of death or serious illness, according to the inspector general’s office at the Department of Health and Human Services.
In an unusual urgent warning called an “early alert,” the internal watchdog said the FDA needs to pay “immediate attention” to the problem and follow clear procedures to get manufacturers to promptly recall tainted foods.
Responding to the findings, the FDA’s top food safety official said the cases singled out by investigators were “outliers,” a “very selective sample” in which recalls did not proceed quickly and efficiently in a matter of days.
Nonetheless, Deputy Commissioner Stephen Ostroff said the FDA has set up a group of food safety officials to review cases on a weekly basis that don’t seem to be moving. “That way we will be able to take action much more quickly in circumstances where there seems to be some reluctance at the firm,” he said.
Food safety has long been a weakness for the FDA, an agency thinly stretched to oversee about 80% of the nation’s food supply, including seafood, dairy, fruits and vegetables.
The FDA traditionally has relied on voluntary recalls to remove tainted products from the market, saying that’s the fastest route. But a 2011 law gave FDA power to order recalls in cases that have the potential for serious harm. More recently, the government rolled out whole genome sequencing — precise DNA mapping — to link bugs from people who got sick with samples from products or manufacturing facilities.
The inspector general said one case involved peanut butter and almond products voluntarily recalled by nSpired Natural Foods Inc. on Aug. 19, 2014. That recall came 165 days after the FDA first discovered salmonella in samples from a company manufacturing plant, and a little more than three months after DNA mapping concluded that the salmonella from the facility was “indistinguishable” from samples taken from patients.
Ostroff said it was the first time FDA had used DNA mapping in an investigation, and “it just isn't accurate” to suggest that the agency did nothing for three months after making a definitive link.
The final recall came 81 days after Virginia’s agriculture department first notified the FDA that it had discovered listeria in one of the company’s cheese products.
The FDA inspected the company’s manufacturing operation twice during the 81 days, and found listeria both times.
Nedder said the problem was that the first two recalls didn’t get all the products that were potentially contaminated. That only happened with the final recall on Oct. 17, 2014.
The inspector general’s office is not prescribing a particular timetable for FDA investigations, but Nedder said the agency needs to spell out concrete steps that will lead to faster action.
TOKYO — Trying to reassure allies and rivals, President Barack Obama billed himself Saturday as "America’s first Pacific president," promising the nations of Asia "a new era of engagement with the world based on mutual interests and mutual respect."
Turning tough, Obama also said that the U.S. "will not be cowed by threats" from North Korea, which he said for decades "has chosen a path of confrontation and provocation, including the pursuit of nuclear weapons."
In a slap at President George W. Bush, Obama spoke of the importance of "multilateral organizations [that] can advance the security and prosperity of this region."
"I know that the United States has been disengaged from these organizations in recent years. So let me be clear: those days have passed,” Obama said during the first major address of a four-country Far East swing, which will continue from Japan to Singapore, China and South Korea. “As an Asia Pacific nation, the United States expects to be involved in the discussions that shape the future of this region, and to participate fully in appropriate organizations as they are established and evolve," Obama said.
The White House wants to signal U.S. re-engagement with Asia, and the speech was designed to provide an overture to Asia similar to the outreach to the Arab world in the president's famous Cairo address.
Obama spoke extensively of his own roots in the region – his birth in Hawaii, living in Indonesia as a boy, his mother spending nearly a decade working in the villages of Southeast Asia. “The Pacific rim has helped shape my view of the world,” Obama said, speaking in front of 14 alternating U.S. and Japanese flags.
On China, the region's emerging economic power, Obama made clear that "the United States does not seek to contain China, nor does a deeper relationship with China mean a weakening of our bilateral alliances."
"On the contrary, the rise of a strong, prosperous China can be a source of strength for the community of nations," he added. "And so in Beijing and beyond, we will work to deepen our Strategic and Economic Dialogue, and improve communication between our militaries."
He sought to strike a balanced tone, saying, "We will not agree on every issue, and the United States will never waver in speaking up for the fundamental values that we hold dear – and that includes respect for the religion and cultures of all people. Because support for human rights and human dignity is ingrained in America. But we can move these discussions forward in a spirit of partnership rather than rancor."
Obama told his Japanese audience that he was beginning his journey there in part because of "our common values — a belief in the democratic right of free people to choose their own leaders and realize their own dreams; a belief that made possible the election of both Prime Minister Hatoyama and myself on the promise of change."
"Since taking office, I have worked to renew American leadership and pursue a new era of engagement with the world based on mutual interests and mutual respect," he said. "And our efforts in the Asia Pacific will be rooted, in no small measure, through an enduring and revitalized alliance between the United States and Japan."
Obama appeared before a respectful, formally clad audience in the elegant Main Concert Hall of Suntory Hall. He was preceded on the stage by the white-tied Japanese Philharmonic, which played Mozart and Haydn.
"When I was a young boy," he recalled, "my mother brought me to Kamakura, where I looked up at that centuries-old symbol of peace and tranquility – the great bronze Amida Buddha. As a child, I was more focused on the matcha ice cream. But I have never forgotten the warmth and hospitality that the Japanese people showed a young American far from home."
"From my first days in office, we have worked to strengthen the ties that bind our nations," he said. "The first foreign leader that I welcomed to the White House was the prime minister of Japan, and for the first time in nearly fifty years, the first foreign trip by an American secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, was to Asia, starting in Japan."
Obama concluded by declaring a "moment of renewal."
"There must be no doubt," he said. "As America’s first Pacific president, I promise you that this Pacific nation will strengthen and sustain our leadership in this vitally important part of the world."
It’s been a year since UT launched its first massive open online courses, or MOOCs, and, despite low completion rates, Steven Mintz, executive director of the UT System’s Institute for Transformational Learning, said they are part of building a learning platform for the future.
After looking at data from the University’s first eight MOOCs from the fall 2013 and spring 2014 semesters, Mintz said a total of about 281,000 people from all over the world enrolled in the courses. Of this number, only about 1-13 percent complete the MOOCs.
Mintz, who is also a history professor at the University, said there might be several reasons for the low completion rates, including the age of MOOC students and their motives for taking the free online courses.
In 2012, the UT System invested $5 million into edX, an online learning platform and provider of MOOCs and allocated an additional $5 million to be used for course development. Only $1.5 million of the additional funds have been used for course development. Founded in 2012, edX first offered MOOCs created by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before expanding to offer content from other universities.
Mintz said UT is increasing the spread of its international image, and its ability to compete with other top colleges by being one of the first universities to use MOOC technology.
Engineering associate professor Michael Webber, who taught the “Energy 101” MOOC, said teaching these free courses is beneficial for the University because professors become better at teaching through learning how to internationalize their content and prepare it for a digital format.
“It forced me to think about how the course I taught works around the world,” Webber said.
While University students don’t directly benefit from MOOCs unless they take the online course, Mintz said materials are currently being developed for MOOCs that can be used in UT classrooms.
Mintz said there is also potential in the future for MOOCs to be offered for credit, but Harrison Keller, vice provost for higher education policy and research, said there are still problems to be worked out before this can happen.
In addition to making sure the person who registers for the MOOC is the same person taking their exams, Webber said MOOCs are bad at being able to see whether students have mastered the material.
Editor's note: Mintz's comments and the amount the UT System has dedicated to the program have been updated for accuracy.
Recently the London based weekly magazine, the Economist, initiated a debate and conducted an analysis on the theories propounded by different economists and philosophers as well as social reformers who were influential in the course of history. These social reformists and philosophers included John Stuart Mill, John Maynard Keynes, Rousseau, Nietzsche and many other eminent thinkers.
The series of debates ended with the critical analysis of Karl Marx’s theory. His theory shed’s light on the exploitation of the capitalist system where profit is the ultimate objective of entrepreneurs. Marx issued a warning to the entire world that in case the capitalist system only focuses on profits at the expense of welfare policies, then in such a society the revolt by common masses cannot be ruled out.
Even Rousseau and Nietzsche shared similar views and both of them severely criticised the economic structure based on liberalisation policies and capitalism. Marx was not only a philosopher but he was also a social reformist who expressed his resentment of the capitalistic system, which is based on the exploitation of the masses. Moreover, Marxism is still relevant today when we witness regimes being toppled by the common man.
The Economist severely criticised Marxist theory by highlighting that the capitalistic system promotes free market principles where free flow of goods and services take place. Policies based on liberalisation, free markets and political economy are based on democratic principles that ultimately bring prosperity; which in turn leads to an increase in national income entails advancement in science and technology. However, such development is always at risk where the entire economic structure has a trickle down effect that engenders exploitation, inequality and a wide disparity of income between the rich and the poor.
Marx and Frederick Engels in the ‘Communist Manifesto’ appreciated the effects heralded by capitalism in the form of industrial revolution, new discoveries and inventions. The theory of Marxism itself supports the fact that without advancement in science and technology, the objectives of socialism cannot be realised.
Furthermore, Marxist theory elaborates that social stagnation can be brought to an end by the struggle of the proletariat and if major changes have to be brought in the political and economic system then social revolution by the people is essential. It is only through the socialist revolution that the upheaval of despotic regimes takes place; hence it is necessary to understand that prevailing injustices jolt the struggling classes, making them aware of their deteriorating conditions.
The difference between Marxism and liberal theory is that liberal theorists emphasize on altruistic approach in the form of charities or welfare projects through which society can become a better place; whereas according to Marxist philosophy such an approach is not enough to bring harmony or equality in a society or to eliminate the exploitation of the proletariat.
The Economist highlighted that 40 percent of people who lived under Marxist regimes for much of the twentieth century endured famines and party dictatorships. Moreover, Marx’s presumption that his new dialectical science would allow him to predict the future as well as understand the present; failed to anticipate two of the biggest developments of the twentieth century—the rise of fascism and the welfare state. He wrongly believed that communism would take root in the most advanced economies. According to the Economist,today’s only successful self-styled Marxist regime is an enthusiastic practitioner of capitalism (or‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’). The Economist magazine’s cynicism of Marxism’s failure to understand the strength of capitalism is an erroneous assumption. sHe further claimed that the point of philosophy was not just to understand the world but also to improve it through socialist principles.
Even Marxism is of paramount significance; as we see the influence of big corporations on the government. The welfare interests of the poor class are at present under a threat and are being overshadowed by the ‘corporatocracy’ (corporate interests), which not only dominates the political sphere but also the economicas well. Hence today, where free flow of goods and services rule economic decisions,the only threat capitalism faces is from Marxism, as itis still significant in a world beset with class-conflict.
Published in Daily Times, September 18th 2018.
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The National Weather Service is forecasting a historic snowfall this weekend in parts of the Upstate and North Carolina.
A potentially historic winter storm is rolling into the Upstate this weekend, with forecasters now predicting as much as a foot of snow in northern Greenville County and parts of North Carolina.
Greenville's weekend forecast depends on what a storm thousands of miles away does over the next few days – but freezing rain, sleet or even snow are likely. On Thursday morning, forecasts showed more snow and less ice than previously expected. Winter weather is expected to begin late Saturday evening and linger through Monday.
"This storm could be historic for some areas, but we're not sure what areas yet. Any time you're talking about a portion of our area outside the mountains seeing a foot of snow, that's a once in a generation event," said Trisha Palmer, meteorologist with the National Weather Service at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. She said precipitation totals and locations of snow will change as the low pressure system progresses.
The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook for Upstate South Carolina, Western North Carolina, Northeast Georgia and Piedmont North Carolina.
"Confidence is high we'll see a significant storm with significant weather for the mountains and foothills of mainly N.C. and close to the border," said Robbie Munroe, meteorologist with the National Weather Service at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport Wednesday. "As you head down our direction, we're kind of on the borderline between snow and rain."
Forecasts for Greenville show a back and forth between rain and snow or sleet throughout the weekend.
Changes in the strength or track of that system could make a big difference in how it affects Greenville, Munroe said.
"Since this will be a powerful coastal storm, one thing we are confident in is we'll likely see fairly significant precipitation across the region," Munroe said.
Saturday: Rain likely after 4 p.m. 60 percent chance of precipitation. High near 40.
Saturday night: Rain likely before 10 p.m. then snow and sleet likely between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. Low around 30. 80 percent chance of precipitation.
Sunday: Snow and sleet, becoming all sleet after 10 a.m., High near 33. 80 percent chance of precipitation.
Sunday night: Snow and sleet, becoming all snow after 8 p.m. Low around 31. 80 percent chance of precipitation.
Monday: Snow likely before 10 a.m. followed by rain and snow between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. then rain after 1 p.m. High near 38. 60 percent chance of precipitation.
Monday night: A chance of rain and snow before midnight, then a chance of snow between midnight and 1 a.m. Low around 30. 30 percent chance of precipitation.
When professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong, this site exposes them in all their terrible glory. Readers submit photos of unintentionally sad, silly, creepy or inappropriate cakes, which then appear on the site. Some of the cakes are risqué, so parents be aware.
Jan. 24, 1984: The first Apple Macintosh goes on sale.
2002--Billy Taylor becomes the first African-American head coach in Lehigh University history when he is hired to take charge of the men's basketball program. The 28-year-old Taylor comes to Lehigh from UNC-Greensboro, where he was an assistant to former Lehigh coach Fran McCaffrey.
1992--Salisbury junior Antoine Hubbard, who averaged 27.1 points a game during the just-completed season, is named to first team of the AP's All-State squad, the first Falcon to earn first-team honors.
1982--The Automobile Club de l'Quest announces that the father-son team of Mario and 19-year-old Michael Andretti are one of 65 teams invited to the 50th running of the Le Mans 24-hour Endurance race in June.
1977--Freedom defeats Easton 15-10, 15-10 to capture its seventh straight District 11 boys volleyball championship and ninth in 10 years.
1957--Cincinnati selects Lafayette's Stu Murray and Philadelphia picks Leopard teammate Jim Radcliff in the fifth round of the NBA college draft.
1972--Northampton's Mark Schlaffer ties the Lehigh Valley League record with a 65 at Willow Brook in the Konkrete Kids' 12-6 Lehigh Valley League golf victory over Palmerton. Schlaffer ties the mark set by Emmaus' Bill Peet.
1997--Northampton graduate Jim Druckenmiller, who led Virginia Tech to back-to-back 10-win seasons, is selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 26th pick of the first round in the NFL draft. He is the first quarterback selected in the first round by the 49ers since Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier in 1967.
1982--Budd Coates, the 25-year-old physical director at Rodale Press in Emmaus, finishes 21st in the Boston Marathon with a career-best time of 2:19.48, breaking the "national-class" barrier of 2:20. Coates finishes just over 13 minutes behind Alberto Salazar's winning time of 2:08.51, the fourth-fastest winning time in the race's history.
1972--Freedom defeats Easton and Liberty twice to win its fourth District 11 boys volleyball title in five years, although the Hurricanes end the Patriots' 27-game win streak by extending them to three games in the championship round before falling 5-15, 15-8, 6-15.
2002--Heading for certain victory in the Firestone Indy 225 race at Nazareth, Gil de Ferran runs out of fuel on the backstretch of the final lap, allowing Scott Sharp to slip past him and take the victory in the first IRL race held at the track.
1992--Keith Siegfried's single delivers the go-ahead run in a three-run seventh inning, and Freedom uses a seven-run fifth inning to overcome Emmaus 10-7 and present baseball coach Ray Salabsky his 300th coaching victory.
1982--Linda Atiyeh and Lori Kresge each collect two hits and Dieruff snaps a 29-game losing streak with a 5-4 East Penn Conference softball victory over crosstown rival Allen.
1977--Rick Piger and Glenn Troxell each hit two-run home runs to help Lehigh beat Kutztown 9-4 and set a school record for baseball wins in a season (17-6-1).
2002--Justin Graf belts two hits, including a home run, and Muhlenberg (20-14) sets a school record for wins in a season with a 6-4 non-conference baseball win over visiting Lebanon Valley.
1992--Jen Hummel's five-hitter leads Northampton to a 5-0 East Penn Conference softball victory over Parkland, the 200th coaching win by Konkrete Kids coach Jim Kinter.
1982--Whitehall senior Scott Coval, who earned first-team all-state honors while leading the Zephyrs to the PIAA Class 3A basketball championship, announces he will attend William & Mary.
Contributions, subject to verification in Morning Call archives, can be submitted to sports@mcall.com, or by mail to the Morning Call's sports department, marked to the attention of "Flashback.' To be included in the list, items must be submitted three weeks before publication date.
The chemistry between senior quarterback L'Ravien Elia and his top wide receivers, along with the continued support of injured senior wide receiver Damon Ward Jr., can be looked at as one of the key pieces in West Brook's state championship run.
In the state semifinals, junior receiver Thaddeaus Johnson and senior receiver Deonte Simpson made their presence known against Austin Westlake. Johnson had more than 200 yards receiving while Simpson showed his versatility with a 46-yard passing touchdown and 54-yards receiving.
"It's huge because we can stretch the football from sideline to sideline," West Brook head coach Eric Peevey said about his receiving corps. "We can take the top off the defense and that just opens up our running game."
The two-headed monster of Johnson and Simpson use to be a three-headed monster before Ward Jr., a star receiver and North Texas commit, tore his ACL, LCL, PCL, MCL, and meniscus against Beaumont United on October 5th.
Despite Ward Jr.'s injury, his faithfulness to the program never wavered. Ward Jr. is at most of West Brook's practices and all of their games.
"He's been a positive role model," Simpson said about Ward Jr. "He always tells us to keep the last play in the past and just play the next play."
Peevey also spoke highly of the way that Ward Jr. has stuck around after going through a horrific injury. He called him the "glue" that kept the receiving corps together ,and that he's built up the guys around him. Peevey believes that he makes this West Brook team better even though he is on the sideline.
Despite his injury, Ward Jr.'s support has meant a lot to Johnson during his breakout season.
Johnson led West Brook in receiving this year with 1,181 yards, and is a big play threat whenever he touches the ball. He averaged more than 20 yards per reception, and used his versatility to play defensive back when necessary.
Simpson can do whatever is asked of him. He's had 839 receiving yards with 10 touchdowns. He's also had 215 rushing yards and a 156 passing yards. He has been utilized on special teams in both punt and kickoff return.
"He is only going to get better," Peevey said about Johnson. "He is definitely a jack of all trades. It's the same thing with Deonte (Simpson). He can throw the ball. He can run the ball, and we can use him in different spots. This year, we needed him to focus on the receiver side. We wanted him to make the big play and he's definitely done that."
The versatility and play of West Brook's receivers have made life easier for Elia behind center. He improvised and made plays when needed. He can throw jump balls to Johnson, and have faith that his guy is going to come down with the ball. He also has the ability to throw a screen to Simpson and he'll make a few men miss for a 70-yard touchdown.

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