California Egg Commission

There is a wide assortment of folklore that can be retold to add to the fun of coloring eggs on Easter. The stories reach into pre-Christian times and cross religious beliefs, since eggs throughout history have been a universal symbol of and source of life. Some cultures abstained from eating them during Lent as a form of sacrifice and discipline.

Egg kingpin Julius Goldman founded the world's largest egg ranch here in Southern California, ruffling a few feathers along the way. At its peak in the 1970s and '80s, Egg City produced 2 million eggs a day, laid by 3.5 million hens. It also exuded a major stink that offended noses in much of Ventura County. Earlier this month, the Shekell fire near Moorpark ravaged 13,600 acres, destroying five houses as well as the large egg factory, which had been abandoned since 1996.

Few people outside the advertising world have heard of the agency Asher/Gould. In fact, even some in the business don't know much about this Los Angeles ad firm. That's why many executives in the local ad community were more than mildly surprised in recent weeks when this usually docile agency snatched the $15-million Baskin-Robbins ice cream account and then landed the much sought-after $20-million to $30-million Suzuki automotive business.

It was evident Thursday in the clanging balls off the outfield seats, the oohs of the fans, the slaps of the high-fives that suddenly reappeared in the home team's dugout. The Dodgers are never so loud as when they are pulled along by Eddie Murray. Led by the first baseman who seemingly hasn't taken a bad swing in a week, the Dodgers defeated the Atlanta Braves, 8-1, before 31,461 at Dodger Stadium. Murray extended his hitting streak to six games by showing all of his best stuff.

Two separate outbreaks of salmonellosis in Los Angeles County in the past year have been linked to contaminated raw eggs, according to an investigation by local health officials. The timing of the report, which appeared in the current issue of the county's Public Health Letter, is significant because raw and lightly cooked eggs are often consumed during the holidays--in eggnog drinks, sauces and desserts.

On a recent morning, Frank Pera jaunted on a beach of fine sand, past tall palms swaying in the tropical breeze, almost getting his feet wet in the aqua blue Caribbean waves. But that cruise liner in the background wasn't moving and Pera's feet were firmly planted on the cement floor of his Sun Valley studio directly in front of a scenic background.

Bill Cramer is a Southern California egg rancher in his early 30s who, like many farmers, talks pessimistically but acts optimistically. In business since 1980, Cramer says "it's been absolutely awful." "The industry just doesn't make enough," he complained. Nonetheless, Cramer is in a partnership building a new egg ranch near Sun City in Riverside County that will be home to 1 million birds--10 times the flock at his family farm in Winchester.

It sure sounds like a new TV spot. The music and narration are brand-spanking new. To casual viewers, it could almost look like a fresh commercial, too. But those who look more closely at Nike's newest TV spot--filled with favorite moments from past "Just Do It" commercials--might think that they've seen it all before. And they're right. The commercial is basically a mishmash of short scenes from past Nike ads. The octogenarian jogger. The athlete in a wheelchair. A younger Andre Agassi.

There's trouble at the world's largest chicken ranch, and lots of feathers are being ruffled. On one side of the feud is Richard Carrott, a 37-year-old former television actor and owner of the Egg City ranch in Ventura County. Carrott, who a few years ago chased space-age hoodlums while playing "Cadet Capt. Chris Gentry" on a Saturday morning television show, believes he is being portrayed unfairly as the heavy in the labor dispute at the 300-acre ranch near Moorpark.

Dear Eating Right: I'm a big fan of eggs, but I've been watching my cholesterol and have been eating fewer and fewer eggs. Recently I saw a commercial featuring cute little eggs being released from prison. The commercial says that the American Heart Assn. now says it's OK to eat three to four eggs per week. Is this true?