* The deadly cantaloupe-carried listeria outbreak out of Colorado continues to kill and sicken, with 13 dead and 72 ill so far. The scariest part: listeria can take up to two months to make you sick, so this story is far from over.

* In related news, did you know that farmers spray treated human waste on their fields? I didn’t!

* The USDA released its food-price forecast figures (henceforth FPFF). To summarize, food prices are expected to rise 3 or 4% (as opposed to .8% in 2009-2010). Median household income, meanwhile, has fallen 2.3% nationally (7% since ’00). Fpffffffffff.

* Last night on the Colbert Report, Ken Burns talked about how, essentially, the Great Depression ended Prohibition. Today the New York Times reported that states are loosening booze laws, and upping booze taxes, to relieve budget woes. To quote Burns quoting the Bible: “There is nothing new under the sun.”

* In happier news, it’s Rosh Hashanah! Here’s a terrific, honey-dripping menu from Phyllis Glazer in the L.A. Times to welcome in a sweet new year.