Obama to push immigration issue and other shockers

Drudge leads this morning with a report from the New York Times stating that "Obama to push immigration reform bill despite risks." From the NYT, quoting a senior Administration aide:

He said then that comprehensive immigration legislation, including a plan to make legal status possible for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, would be a priority in his first year in office. Latino voters turned out strongly for Mr. Obama in the election.

TK: This is certainly an ambitious plan, and if there success to be had on this issue, I suppose it must start early. But if Obama becomes mired in the passions of this issue, his whole presidency could be at risk. Ag employers will benefit from this resolve if he is successful, no doubt.


Other headlines this morning....

Sharfstein urges FDA staff to reshape agency Bloomberg
“From day one, the FDA gave consumers advice to stop eating pistachios while they figured out where the contamination was,” said Mary Pendergast, a deputy commissioner at the FDA from 1990 to 1998, in a telephone interview. “This is the exact opposite of how they handled peanuts, which took them weeks, if not months, to warn the public.”


Eating fresh in the last frontier ABC
Although Orso and many other hot spots in Alaska thrive on local produce they have to make do with receiving shipments of produce from elsewhere, such as California and Florida, during the winter months.
Bill Webb of Webb's Consulting Management Services says, "We do eat a lot more in the summer there's no question. When its fresh and you've got the fresher taste to it by far there's no question you'll eat more of it. But I buy fresh vegetables year round and I think most Alaskans do."

Lack of Vitamin C, fruits and vegetable linked to high blood pressure Examiner.com
My take on this? I would like to see time, effort, and money dedicated to teaching Americans to eat right and to giving them the facts about the connection between diet and health. Past research has not supported multi-vitamins as a means of dodging heart disease or cancer. Teaching people to eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables diet supports cardiovascular health and significantly reduces the risk for cancer.

Stockton farmers' market expects big year Recordnet

EU tree nuts semi annual USDA FAS

Ask Joe Weider Ordinary fruits just as good as "super" fruits Bend Weekly
Q: What are your thoughts on all the "super foods" that are being advertised today? I'm talking about acai, goji, noni and mangosteen, among others. These are all supposed to be nutritional miracles, able to cure anything and everything that ails you. Do you know anything about them, Joe?
Joe: In short, I'm not convinced that any of these much-hyped products are any better than all of the wonderful fruits commonly available, and for much less money, at your local grocer.
I did a little research on these exotic fruits, and while they certainly do have healthful nutrients, they are not the wonder foods marketers would make them out to be. If you have the money and want to take them, that's fine — no harm done to anything but your pocketbook.
My advice, however, would be for you to simply buy fruits like blueberries, strawberries, apples, oranges, pears, bananas and a variety of other "common" fruits at the supermarket and enjoy similar benefits and their taste, while saving a whole lot of money.