Morning News
and more from the Philadelphia Inquirer.



The Inquirer
• Home page
• Front page
• Local • U.S. & world
• Sports • Business
• Arts / Lifestyles
• Weekend • Q&As



philly.com
• Breaking news all day
• Blogs & podcasts


What Is Early Word?
The Philadelphia Inquirer's experimental online "morning show", which began in Sept. 2005, went on hiatus in the summer of 2006, after a gradual shift to putting more of its content directly on Philly.com.



About the Host
Peter Mucha, husband and father of two, grew up in Cherry Hill and is a lifelong Philly sports fan. He's been writing and editing for The Inquirer for 18 years. His motto (at least for today): "If I'm not brief, give me grief."

View Blogger profile.

Tip on posting comments: After you click a comment link, select "other" or "anonymous" in the pop-up box. That way, you won't be asked for a password.





Early Word logo
The Inquirer's ever-evolving way to start your day. Email. Phone: 215-854-2388.

Thursday, February 09, 2006

And the Mouse Isn't Talking 


Pearl Parkey, 89, was having some Campbell's Kitchen Classics Bean With Bacon Soup in her Kentucky home, when she felt something in her mouth that wasn't bean and wasn't bacon. Daughter Phyllis Ingram thought it was a ball of fur, says the Associated Press. That's when the granddaughter piped up, "Mama, that's a mouse." There's more to this story, of course. But who knows what to think? Isn't it weird that less than two weeks after a needle allegedly shows up in a can of Progresso Vegetable Classics Minestrone in Wind Gap, Pa., a mouse supposedly shows up in a can from Progresso's chief rival? Now, I'm not suggesting in any way that there's some kind of shady industrial shenanigans sabotage deal going on here, or in any way insinuating that Pearl Parkey might be full of malarkey. Nope. Nor am I gonna drag in that case of the severed human finger fraudulently claimed to have been in Wendy's chili. Even if chili is kind of like soup, only thicker. Nope. I'm just wondering.

"We vehemently believe it's highly unlikely that this could have occurred," said Campbell rep John Faulkner. The company produces about 3 billion cans of soup a year, and the handful of allegations he's seen in six years with the firm were all proven false. In one case, what consumer thought was a rodent was really a clump of mold that had grown in a damaged can, he said. This object is apparently tiny, since the family estimates the "mouse" to be a week old. Campbell Soup sent a courier to pick up the specimen for a thorough examination, to determine (a) if it is a mouse, and (b) if it is, whether it's been cooked or not. Results should be known next week.


Go to: Early Word = Philadelphia Inquirer = philly.com = Lighter Side

Most Recent Posts
• Wharton student testifies she didn't kill ex-lover...

• Decisions, Decisions About the Losers ParadeWIP's ...

• Is 'Lost' About to Answer Its Biggest Mystery?Yes,...

• Low-Fat Study: Full of Baloney?A new study was pro...

• Cooler Heads Deserve to Be Heard, TooAnother side ...

• Baby, You Can Drive My CarOops, here she is. Story.

• Speaking of Puzzles ...Got a bit of a kick this we...

• That Morning StarIf you step out the door around 6...

•  Inquirer photo by Laurence KestertonJoe Banner: U...

• 




 Early Word Archives

   •  September 11, 2005
   •  September 18, 2005
   •  September 25, 2005
   •  October 02, 2005
   •  October 09, 2005
   •  October 16, 2005
   •  October 23, 2005
   •  October 30, 2005
   •  November 06, 2005
   •  November 13, 2005
   •  November 20, 2005
   •  November 27, 2005
   •  December 04, 2005
   •  December 11, 2005
   •  December 18, 2005
   •  January 01, 2006
   •  January 08, 2006
   •  January 15, 2006
   •  January 22, 2006
   •  January 29, 2006
   •  February 05, 2006
   •  February 12, 2006
   •  February 19, 2006
   •  February 26, 2006
   •  March 05, 2006
   •  March 12, 2006
   •  March 19, 2006
   •  March 26, 2006
   •  April 02, 2006
   •  April 09, 2006
   •  April 16, 2006
   •  April 23, 2006
   •  April 30, 2006
   •  May 07, 2006
   •  May 14, 2006
   •  May 21, 2006
   •  May 28, 2006
   •  June 04, 2006
   •  June 11, 2006
   •  June 18, 2006
   •  June 25, 2006
   •  July 02, 2006
   •  July 09, 2006
   •  July 16, 2006
   •  July 30, 2006
   •  August 06, 2006
   •  August 13, 2006
   •  August 27, 2006
   •  September 03, 2006
   •  September 10, 2006
   •  September 17, 2006
   •  December 31, 2006
   •  April 29, 2012


Philadelphia
Sports Links

General philly.com sportsInquirer, Daily News columnists610WIPWPENComcast SportsNetNBC10CBS36ABC
Football philly.com footballPhiladelphia EaglesSoul
Basketball philly.com basketballSixers
Ice Hockey philly.com hockeyFlyersPhantoms
Baseball philly.com baseballPhilliesCamden River SharksWilmington Blue RocksReading PhilliesTrenton ThunderAtlantic City SurfScranton-Wilkes Barre Red Barons
More Sports philly.com golfphilly.com collegesphilly.com high schoolsKixxWings