1. BLOOMBERG NEWS STAFFERS ACCUSED OF SPYING ON GOLDMAN SACHS
Some Bloomberg staffers have reportedly been using the company's ubiquitous information terminals to monitor Goldman Sachs bankers — basically viewing which of Bloomberg's Goldman customers are logging in, how many times they're using certain functions, and more. The New York Post's sources say Goldman confronted Bloomberg about the violation. "Limited customer relationship data has long been available to our journalists, and has never included clients' security-level data, position data, trading data or messages," Bloomberg spokesman Ty Trippet told the Post. Still, after hearing Goldman's concerns, Bloomberg disabled reporters' ability to log into the terminals. [New York Post]
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2. WRIGLEY TAKES CAFFEINATED GUM OFF THE MARKET
In light of the FDA's new investigation into the safety of caffeinated foods (such as jelly beans, beef jerky, and oatmeal), Wrigley has removed its new caffeinated gum, Alert, from the market. "After discussions with the FDA, we have a greater appreciation for its concern about the proliferation of caffeine in the nation's food supply," company president Casey Keller said. Each slice of the gum has the same amount of caffeine as half a cup of coffee. [ABC News]
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3. WHOLE FOODS MIXES UP LABELS
The nation's biggest health food chain angered customers this week when it mixed up the labels for curried chicken salad with the ones for vegan "chick'n" salad at more than a dozen stores in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, and New Jersey. The store also earned a slap on the wrist from the FDA, which pointed out that the chicken salad contained egg and the vegan salad soy, and that customers with severe allergies to either could suffer life-threatening attacks. [Associated Press]
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4. CARL ICAHN AND SOUTHEASTERN OFFER TO BUY OUT DELL
Investor Carl Icahn and Southeastern Asset Management Inc. have proposed an alternative to the $24.4 billion buyout deal proposed by Michael Dell and Silver Lake. Dell and Silver Lake proposed taking the world's number three PC maker private by buying out investors for $13.65 a share. Icahn and Southeastern propose that shareholders keep their equity, pocket $12 a share in cash, and then revalue the stock at $1.65 a share. [Reuters]
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5. YOUR MOTHER'S DAY FLOWERS MAY HAVE TRAVELED BY SEA
Ever wonder how those Mother's Day flowers got to your local florist? The $14 billion fresh-cut flower industry is more and more transporting flowers by sea instead of air — a result of high jet-fuel costs and improvements in refrigeration technology. The flowers are making the ocean voyage from Africa and South America in large, chilled rooms kept just one or two degrees above freezing. Nearly two-thirds of the U.S.'s fresh flowers are imported, up from 44 percent in 1992. [Wall Street Journal]
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