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This commercial cracks me up everytime it comes on the TV...It is a hoot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCKgCkubGc0

Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community. The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71.

Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The grave site was piled high with flours.

Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded. Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was considered a very smart cookie, but wasted much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, he still was a crusty old man and was considered a positive roll model for millions.......

Doughboy is survived by his wife Play Dough, three children: John Dough, Jane Dough and Dosey Dough, plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly father, Pop Tart.

The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.

Cantaloupe Listeria Outbreak Is The Deadliest In A Decade; 16 Dead So Far

WASHINGTON -- Health officials say as many as 16 people have died from possible listeria illnesses traced to Colorado cantaloupes, the deadliest food outbreak in more than a decade.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that 72 illnesses, including 13 deaths, are linked to the tainted fruit. State and local officials say they are investigating three additional deaths that may be connected.

The death toll released by the CDC Tuesday – including newly confirmed deaths in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas – surpassed the number of deaths linked to an outbreak of salmonella in peanuts almost three years ago. Nine people died in that outbreak.

The CDC said Tuesday that they have confirmed two deaths in Texas and one death each in in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Last week the CDC reported two deaths in Colorado, four deaths in New Mexico, one in Oklahoma and one in Maryland.

New Mexico officials said Tuesday they are investigating a fifth death, while health authorities in Kansas and Wyoming said they too are investigating additional deaths possibly linked to the tainted fruit.

Listeria is more deadly than well-known pathogens like salmonella and E. coli, though those outbreaks generally cause many more illnesses. Twenty-one people died in an outbreak of listeria poisoning in 1998 traced to contaminated hot dogs and possibly deli meats made by Bil Mar Foods, a subsidiary of Sara Lee Corp. Another large listeria outbreak in 1985 killed 52 people and was linked to Mexican-style soft cheese.

Listeria generally only sickens the elderly, pregnant women and others with compromised immune systems. The CDC said the median age of those sickened is 78 and that one in five who contract the disease can die.

Dr. Robert Tauxe of the CDC says the number of illnesses and deaths will probably grow in coming weeks because the symptoms of listeria don't always show up right away. It can take four weeks or more for a person to fall ill after eating food contaminated with listeria.

"That long incubation period is a real problem," Tauxe said. "People who ate a contaminated food two weeks ago or even a week ago could still be falling sick weeks later."

CDC reported the 72 illnesses and deaths in 18 states. Cases of listeria were reported in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The most illnesses were reported in Colorado, which has seen 15 sickened. Fourteen illnesses were reported in Texas, 10 in New Mexico and eight in Oklahoma.

The outbreak has been traced to Jensen Farms in Holly, Colo., which recalled the tainted cantaloupes earlier this month. The Food and Drug Administration said state health officials had found listeria in cantaloupes taken from grocery stores in the state and from a victim's home that were grown at Jensen Farms. Matching strains of the disease were found on equipment and cantaloupe samples at Jensen Farms' packing facility in Granada, Colo.

FDA, which investigates the cause of foodborne outbreaks, has not released any additional details on how the contamination may have happened. The agency says its investigation is ongoing.

The Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes from Jensen Farms were shipped from July 29 through Sept. 10 to Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.

The recalled cantaloupe may be labeled "Colorado Grown," `'Distributed by Frontera Produce," `'Jensenfarms.com" or "Sweet Rocky Fords." Not all of the recalled cantaloupes are labeled with a sticker, the FDA said.

Unlike many pathogens, listeria bacteria can grow at room temperatures and even refrigerator temperatures. The FDA and CDC recommend anyone who may have one of the contaminated cantaloupes throw it out immediately and clean and sanitize any surfaces it may have touched.

About 800 cases of listeria are found in the United States each year, according to CDC, and there usually are three or four outbreaks. Most of these are traced to deli meat and soft cheeses, where listeria is most common.

Produce has rarely been the culprit, but federal investigators say they have seen more produce-related listeria illnesses in the past two years. It was found in sprouts in 2009 and celery in 2010.

While most healthy adults can consume listeria with no ill effects, it can kill the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. It is also dangerous to pregnant women because it easily passes through to the fetus. Dr. Tauxe of the CDC said the type of listeria linked to the cantaloupes is not one that is commonly associated with pregnancy-associated illnesses, however. State and federal health authorities have not definitively linked any miscarriages, stillbirths or infant illnesses to the current outbreak.

Symptoms of listeria include fever and muscle aches, often with other gastrointestinal symptoms. Victims often become incapacitated and unable to speak.

Debbie Frederick said her mother knew something was wrong when her father, 87-year-old William Thomas Beach, collapsed at his home in Mustang, Okla. and couldn't get up. He died a few days later, on Sept. 1. The family later learned his death was linked to eating the cantaloupe and sued Jensen Farms.

"First you just kind of go into shock," said Frederick. "Then it settles in that he would still be alive if this hadn't happened. It's a life, for what?"

Tainted cantaloupes reached NC

September 30, 2011 12:46 PM

Cantaloupes from a farm in Colorado contaminated with listeria bacterium made their way to North Carolina, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Listeriosis, a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacteria, has already killed 13 people in eight states, according to the CDC.

A total of 72 people from 18 states have been infected with listeria since July 31, the CDC reports.

Although the cantaloupes were distributed in North Carolina, as of Thursday, the state has had no reported cases of listeriosis being contracted from cantaloupes, said Gaston County Health Department spokeswoman Shannon Clubb.

The contaminated cantaloupes derived from Jensen Farms in Granada, Colo., and that state has seen 15 reported illnesses so far – more than any other state.

The recalled melons were shipped from Colorado between July 29 and Sept. 10, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Older adults, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women are at higher risk for contracting listeriosis, according to Clubb. She recommends people in those groups be “especially vigilant” about contacting their physician if concerned about their health.

Listeriosis can be treated with antibiotics and the early symptoms include diarrhea, fever and muscle aches, Clubb said.

“It is a bacteria. It’s not found naturally inside fruit,” Clubb said. “You find this bacteria in soil and water… and where does fruit grow? It would not be uncommon to find this on the surface of fruit.”

She said after touching a piece of fruit with listeria on the surface, the bacteria could be transferred by touching other surfaces.

“This really underscores the importance of washing your produce. Thoroughly rinse your produce under tap water,” Clubb said. “Rinse your produce and wash your hands before you cut it up. It’s important to use a clean knife.”

Recalling melons

The grocery store Aldi has voluntarily recalled all fresh cantaloupes from the Rocky Ford, Colo., growing region.

According to a corporate press release, Jensen Farms distributed the recalled melons in North Carolina.

Aldi operates stores in Gastonia, Belmont, Lincolnton, Denver, Shelby and Charlotte.

Aldi says that cantaloupes affected by the voluntary recall were sold individually in the fresh produce section of stores. The melons had green and white stickers on them that read “Product of USA – Frontera Produce – Colorado Fresh- Rocky Ford- Cantaloupe,” or a gray, yellow and green sticker that reads “Jensen Farms- Sweet Rocky Fords.”

If you purchased one of these melons at Aldi, you should discard it immediately or return it to your local store for a refund, the release says.

The CDC says that even if you’ve eaten contaminated cantaloupe, dispose of the rest immediately.

Consumers unsure about the source of cantaloupe they’re about to purchase can ask grocery market employees.

Cantaloupes bought from unknown sources should be discarded, according to the CDC.