I’m still alive.

After eating three of the produce items on the Food and Drug Administration’s warning list, I still have a pulse and feel just the same as another day. This is what troubles consumers as they remain confused about what produce— tomatoes, peppers or cilantro — may be getting people sick.

Well the Food and Drug Administration answered part of that question today as the officially removed tomatoes from the list of food that could be carrying the Saintpaul strain of salmonella. The strain is responsible for a few deaths and making more than a thousand people sick. Now the FDA believes Serrano or jalapeno peppers maybe the culprits, but still aren’t sure.

...

Texas Sen. John Cornyn just can’t seem to catch a break lately.

The Republican senator continues to stir the pot of controversy and it has nothing to do with Big Bad John this time. Cornyn has been criticized for his decision to vote against limiting debate on a bill two weeks ago that would have stopped a 10.6 percent reduction in payment to doctors who serve Medicare patients. However, he decided to change his mind on the matter yesterday and voted to approve the bill afterall.

It looks like a certain group with tons of cash may have had something to do with the change of heart.

...

Sen. John Cornyn has been getting lots of attention from national media about a little western-themed ad promoting his reelection campaign. Lucky for him, he says he is just laughing right along.

The ad, “Big John,” which aired last month in Houston at the Texas Republican Convention, features the senator in full cowboy regalia asserting his toughness with the help of a man with a very deep singing voice. Like the button scandal of a few weeks ago, this relic of the convention just won’t die. “Big John” soon came under the scrutiny of the blogosphere and before you know it, The Daily Show made a spoof of it, called “Big Jew.”

Some blogs like the Daily Kos and more crass sites like Wonkette are calling it one of the worst political ads they have ever seen. Cornyn responded by saying his staff convinced him that it was a good idea.

...

Throughout my journey as a member of Street Team '08, I have had the opportunity to speak to many veterans and soldiers currently serving in the military who have seen action in Iraq or Afghanistan. 

Whether they were for or against the war, all of them had strong opinions about their service and our country's leaders.

Around the five-year anniversary of the war, I filmed two events and put them together in one video which juxtaposed the views of two soldiers and some state leaders. Watch the video.

...

North Texas has been experiencing a boom like they haven’t seen since the days of cowboys and oil.

Within the past couple of years, natural gas companies in the area have been drilling into an enormous natural gas reservoir called the Barnett Shale. Geologists have known about the reservoir for decades, but there wasn’t an easy way to get to the natural gas. The reservoir is underneath shale, a very hard rock. It’s easier to get natural gas from under formations of softer, more porous rock because it seeps through cracks and such. When these natural gas companies finally figured out a way to drill through shale with a method called horizontal drilling, they hit the jackpot. Billions of dollars have been pumped into the economies of metroplex areas like Fort Worth and thousands of permanent jobs have been created. It has been a great econo...