The reporter who wrote this story neglects to mention that it was the LA Times who first broke the story.

from www.minyanville.com – A Tyson meat processing plant in Buffalo, NY was shut down yesterday by federal regulators after inspectors found violations during follow-up testing stemming from an August recall of deli meat tainted with Listeria monocytogenes that was produced at the facility and sold at Walmart. The same plant was shut down twice in 2004 for similar violations.

A couple of weeks earlier, Hallmark Fisheries, based in Charleston, Oregon, recalled crab meat sold and distributed in California, Nevada and Oregon, mainly to food service companies.

It, too, was contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

And, of course, the infamous DeCoster egg scandal, involving 500,000,000 salmonella-tainted eggs that sickened as many as 1300 people, is still fresh in peoples’ minds.

But, there is one industry that takes safety seriously–and doesn’t wait for a massive outbreak of disease before taking corrective action:

Porn.

No, seriously. Say what you want about adult entertainment. Whether you happen to be for it, against it, or indifferent, a story broke yesterday that says a lot about the business.

Rather than wait for disaster to strike, then go about shredding documents and deleting emails as the investigators close in, “more than half a dozen pornographers in California’s multibillion-dollar adult entertainment industry have halted production after an actor tested positive for HIV — and more shutdowns were expected,” according to the Associated Press.

“From Vivid’s perspective, there was no question that when we heard this, we immediately shut down production and said let’s get the facts and evaluate them before we move forward,” Steven Hirsch, the founder of Vivid, one of the largest makers of adult films, said.

“Adult entertainment companies act responsibly, and no one wants to see another person test positive if there’s anything they can do to stop it,” he said.

PinkVisual Productions is also slated to halt production, as are Hustler Video, Digital Playground, Jennaration X Studios, Girlfriends Films and Kick Ass Pictures.

The financial industry talks a good game about self-policing. But it always seems to take a disaster to put a stop to risky, or even illegal activities. Then a bunch of executives get dragged down to DC to testify in front of Congress, where they invariably say they’re shocked…SHOCKED! that these things were going on right under their noses, and promise never to do it again.

Then, of course, they do it again.

Lloyd Blankfein and his cohorts could learn a thing or two from the people who made Jenna Jameson a household name.

And he can even keep his clothes on.

Actually, I pray he keeps his clothes on.

Egad… Thank god lunch is still three hours away.