Blog Posts by Morgan Korn

Opponents of genetically modified foods celebrated a new study this week that found pigs fed genetically modified grains were less healthy than pigs on a non-GMO diet. The team of Australian scientists and U.S. researchers divided 168 pigs into two groups: one fed a diet of genetically modified corn and soy; the other fed non-GMO grain. Over the span of 22.7 weeks, the pigs fed the genetically altered feed showed higher stomach inflammation.

“This pig study is the first really sound study that has shown that there may be some damage to mammals, and pigs are very close structurally to humans, as a result of eating genetically modified foods,” says Mark Bittman, a food writer and columnist at The New York Times and author of the new book "VB6."

Bittman, who supported California’s ballot initiative last fall to label foods with genetically modified ingredients, says “we have a long way to go before we demonstrate that it’s unhealthy for us to eat foods that contain” GMOs. But the push

Earlier this week the Senate passed a farm bill by a vote of 66 to 27 that would finance programs such as food stamps, foreign food aid and crop insurance.

Mark Bittman, a food writer and columnist at The New York Times and author of several books including the “How to Cook Everything” series and “VB6” argues that the farm bill has become "welfare for the wealthy” because it “famously provides subsidies for farmers who don’t need it.” In an interview with The Daily Ticker, he says: “We support big ag officially. We don’t do a whole lot to support medium and small size farms.”

Bittman describes how elected officials have offered a “bait and switch” policy to deceive the public when it comes to direct subsidy payments to farmers, a contentious part of the farm bill. Tennessee Rep. Stephen Fincher, for example, took home nearly $3.5 million in taxpayer money from 1999 to 2012 because he and his wife Lynn Fincher are each 50% partners in Stephen & Lynn Fincher Farms. Fincher “makes a

Miles Electric Vehicles, a U.S. manufacturer of low-speed, all-electric cars that were used by the U.S. Navy, the National Park Service and various universities including Yale, Stanford and UCLA, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday. Entrepreneur and philanthropist Miles Rubin founded the company in 2004 with the mission to “rapidly develop advanced all-electric vehicles to meet the needs of organizations and everyday drivers, while using no gas and producing zero tailpipe emissions.” According to Reuters, Miles Electric has “estimated assets in the range of $10 million to $50 million, and estimated liabilities of between $50 million and $100 million.”

Tesla (TSLA) has become the household name in the electric car market but industry stalwarts like General Motors (GM), Nissan (NSANY) and Ford (F) have poured millions of dollars into developing an all-electric vehicle that has broad appeal. Tesla has succeeded where others have not because of one “brilliant” move, says

Bill Gross, the founder and co-CIO of PIMCO, does not envy Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. Hawkish members of the central bank are publicly suggesting an exit from the Fed’s three-year stimulus program, also known as quantitative easing. Bernanke and Fed Vice Chair Janet Yellen are expressing more caution and have indicated that the bank’s $85 billion monthly bond-buying program will continue until the U.S. economy can stand on two legs or the national unemployment rate hits 6.5% (the rate ticked up a tenth of a percentage point to 7.6% in May).

Related: Economist: Labor Market Just Not That ‘Healthy’, Beware the Lost Generation

“It is a conundrum,” Gross tells The Daily Ticker. “He’s in a corner as are all central banks. We have sympathy.”

“Sympathy” for Bernanke does not equal support; Gross has been critical of the Fed’s QE program. He writes in his latest investment outlook:

“Our global financial system at the zero-bound is beginning to resemble a leukemia patient with New Age

Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino wants to “give a check to every American.” The former Miami Dolphins star has taken on many roles since retiring from professional football in 1999 and has recently joined staffing and recruiting firm Corporate Resource Services (CRRS) as a shareholder and business development advisor. The firm operates 207 staffing and on-site facilities in 37 states and the District of Columbia and “it’s going to help people find new jobs,” Marino says in the attached clip. “[CRS] has clients all around the U.S. It’s a good business. I believe in it.”

Marino, who was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2005 and has an estimated net worth of at least $35 million, may not come across as a convincing advocate for the middle class. But life was much different for Marino before the trophies and multi-million dollar contracts became the norm. He grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood outside of Pittsburgh.

“My dad was a truck driver and worked for the Pittsburgh Post

Roy Cohen, a professional career coach and author of "The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide," has two words of advice for job seekers: Embrace rejection. Cohen, who has been helping individuals find work for more than 20 years, recognizes that rejection never feels good. But to be successful in this job market, you have to put yourself out there, he argues.

“My measure of a really great job search is getting rejected a lot,” he says in an interview with The Daily Ticker. “The reality is more activity means more rejection. We live and work in a world now where there is constant rejection. You’ve got to get tough.”

Related: Mrs. Moneypenny's Career Advice for Ambitious Women

The Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the May employment report on Friday. In April the U.S. economy added 165,000 jobs. Nearly 12 million people were unemployed in April; of that group 37.4% or 4.4 million individuals were “long-term unemployed,” which the BLS defines as jobless for at least 27 weeks.

2013 has been a rough year for Apple (AAPL). Shares of the iPhone and iPad maker have fallen 36% from their record high of $700 a share in September (the stock has rebounded to $449 a share from its recent low of $400). The Cupertino, Calif.-based company has been derided for a lack of awe-inspiring new products and CEO Tim Cook, who took over in 2011, has been deeply criticized for his management of the tech behemoth and was forced to defend Apple’s offshore tax loopholes at a Congressional hearing last month. Some are even calling for Cook’s head. Now, two litigation suits involving Apple could put additional pressure on the stock. Apple “knowingly participated in and facilitated a conspiracy to raise prices of E-books” according to U.S. District Judge Denise Cote, the judge overseeing the government’s lawsuit against Apple. And the United States International Trade Commission said on Tuesday that Apple had violated a patent owned by competitor Samsung. (Last September the trade

General Motors (GM) has got its groove back.

Nearly four years after General Motors was injected with taxpayer dollars, it has re-emerged as a leaner and smarter company as well as a formidable player in the industry. The government’s handling of GM’s bankruptcy may still be a bone of contention for a few but “I think we can conclude that the bailout worked,” says Justin Hyde, managing editor of Yahoo! Autos.

“The management is different,” Hyde says in an interview with The Daily Ticker. “The products are different. It’s launching a full slate of new vehicles this year…The management as it stands has a feel for how to build cars that Americans want.”

GM would be firing on all cylinders if not for Opel, its “money pit” division in Europe, Hyde argues. GM’s sales in Europe have suffered like many other auto manufacturers operating in the region and it could take years for that unit to return to profitability. But what the company loses in Europe it makes up for in China. GM has become