Category Archives: News

FDA seeks front of package label input [FOOD BUSINESS NEWS]

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In some more magazine-reading-based news, I saw in Food Business News in their May 11 2010 issue on page 15 that the FDA “…has requested that any parties interested in the issues of front-of-package nutrition labels and retail shelf tags submit comments as well as data regarding the topics.”

Wow. The FDA wants input from everyone on what to put on the front of foodstuff packaging? That’s fairly progressive!

The Food Business News article says that… “specifically, the agency would like to learn more about the extent to which consumers notice, use and understand nutrition symbols on front-of-pack labeling of food packages or on shelf tags in retail stores; research that assesses and compares the effectiveness of particular approaches to front-of-pack labeling; graphic design, marketing and advertising data and information that can help develop better point-of-purchase nutrition information; and how point-of-purchase information may affect decisions by food manufacturers to reformulate products.”

So what would you like to see on the front of food packaging? What nutritional information would you require at a glance? How should it look graphically?

Personally, I want to see a foodstuff’s calories, fat content, carb content, number of servings per container, and whether or not it is organic in a big font in the front and left corner with no graphics from the foodstuff to obstruct the information. Everything else can stay on the nutrition label on the side.

The article goes on to say… “the F.D.A. is accepting comments until July 28, 2010. Comments may be sent to http://www.regulations.gov, by entering Docket No. FDA-2010-N-0210. Written comments also may be sent to the Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305) Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville Md., 20852.”

Cool!

Here’s the link to the article on Food Business News (it has a annoying register-to-read requirement, but the link I posted might get around that). If that first link didn’t work, try this one. Just in case both of those do not work, below is a scan of the original magazine article.

FDA seeks front of package nutrition labeling info

FDA seeks front of package nutrition labeling info

BTW, Food Business News is one of my favorite magazines because of the info I get on the retail food industry. Their website could be better if it wasn’t a “register-to-read” site, but the articles online and in print are always top notch. I re-subscribe to these guys all the time.

See the size of the gulf oil spill superimposed on major cities (update 06/02/10)

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Not too long ago, I posted a link to a website that shows you how big the oil spill is if it were superimposed on major cities.

I was curious to see how things looked today, so I went back and put in some new locations.

This is the oil spill (as of today) if it were centered on Scranton, PA.

Oil Spill 06/02/10 - PA & NY

Oil Spill 06/02/10 - PA & NY

All of Manhattan. A good chunk of the Atlantic. Connecticut. Pennsylvania. New Jersey. A giant swath of New York State.

Imagine all of this land covered in oil.

So how about putting this monster over Texas?

Oil Spill 06/02/10 - TX

Oil Spill 06/02/10 - TX

Using Temple, TX (slightly south of Waco) as the “center”, the spill goes into Taylor/Runnels county to the West, Fort Worth and Dallas to the North, the Louisiana border to the East and Houston to the south.

As a point of reference, driving from Ballinger (a town in Scranton in the spill area) direct to Houston is over a 6 hour drive at 70-75 mph.

Damn.

According to the original oil spill size blog (alexanderhiggins.com), “60,000 barrels of oil are leaking into the Gulf of Mexico every day. That is equal to one Exxon-Valdez oil spill leaking into the Gulf of Mexico every 4 days.”

Why, exactly, is BP not getting reamed for this?

Why, exactly, isn’t the president doing a “fist of an angry God” impression on BP’s corporate entity?

Here’s the link to the original blog with the map if you want to see how the oil spill would look over your state.

Food for thought: Prisoners should earn money to buy their own food

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I was catching up on my magazine subscriptions this weekend and saw an letter written to American Cop in the May/June 2010 issue that really got me thinking.

A letter from Robert Phair in Ketchikan, Alaska had a really straightforward premise that I’m surprised no one has picked up on yet.

I’m going to post his letter in its’ entirety between the dash-lines and hope nobody minds too much…

—————————–

“WORK FOR FOOD

I’d like to add my input to the current debate on the right to own an exercise machine, etc, (Return Fire Mar/Apr 2010). Anything a free man desires to buy or have as a result of his wealth or labor is okay as long as he, by doing so, doesn’t take away the similar rights of his fellow citizens.

Those who are rightfully incarcerated have, by definition, forfeited the right to freedom and the pursuit of happiness. Our jail inmates are even provided meals, at no cost, by the state. In Mexico, as I’m sure you know, one has to earn the money to buy his own food. I like that idea personally, as it teaches a citizen it’s his responsibility to earn his own living – a lesson apparently missed by most of those who wake up and find themselves in jail.

-Robert Phair, Ketchikan, Alaska”

—————————–

Wow.

This is brilliant.

I completely agree with Robert’s sentiments. Having prisoners work for their own food is no more “cruel and unusual” as any of us having to go to work every day so we can have something to eat when we get hungry.

Aside from the brilliant object lesson for each inmate, this idea would save each state thousands of dollars for each prisoner. If each meal costs $4, each prisoner every year costs $4,380 just to feed ($4 * 3 meals a day = $12. $12 * 365 = $4,380).

With 2,424,279 inmates in 2008, $4,380 * 2,424,279 comes out to $10,618,342,020!! $10.6 billion!!

I can think of a lot of things to spend $10.6 billion on.

Time to write the local state reps.

You can read back issues of American Cop by visiting their website and looking in the digital archive. The issue with Robert Phair’s letter is the May/June 2010 edition, page 11.

BTW, I think it’s very impressive that American Cop has their back issues online for everyone to read for free. You can also email, print, or PDF them all! I’ll be renewing my subscription just for that feature!

News stories the mainstream media missed : 05/29/10

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Here are some news stories from this week that I think the mainstream media completely missed out on. All links are from legitimate news sources and not the fringe / wacko sites.

* There’s a few things you should never do before going to bed. One of them is to drink a glass of OJ after brushing your teeth. Whoof! Another one is to read Bloomberg. Aside from pointing out that this was the “worst May for the Dow Jones Industrial Average since 1940“, the site also says that the “Treasury 10-Year Yield Falls [the] Most in 17 Months on Europe Crisis“, “Bank Failures Climb to 78” for the year and “New Home Sales Set to Plunge in Former Bubble Markets” (that would be Phoenix and Las Vegas). All this, and yet, no weather report. Seriously, as much as I would loooooove to believe the worst is behind us, I have a bad feeling there’s some grade-a butt-ugly coming back around.

* So why is the market so freaked out this time? Maybe because “governments were the solution to the economic crisis. Now they are the problem.” D’oh! [ECONOMIST]

* Science now says the future can influence the present! So if I go nuts at a sushi buffet and cover everything in thick wasabi paste, down two egg rolls and drink one giant hot and sour soup, my future self can keep a massive tummy ache from happening? I accept that challenge! [DISCOVER]

* Science also says the cutting of babies’ umbilical cords “should be delayed to allow more vital stem cells and nutrients to flow from their mothers” and this extension of cutting “could also prevent anemia”. One doctor in on the research says “delaying clamping the cord for at least 30 seconds reduced incidences of intraventricular haemorrhage, late on-set sepsis, anaemia, and decreased the need for blood transfusions”. That’s actually pretty interesting! Go science! [TELEGRAPH.CO.UK]

* Craving knowledge and information all the time? It may be a sign you’re a junkie! According to this article/research, “the brain’s reward for getting a concept is a shot of natural opiates.” Well that’s just friggin’ peachy. However this does explain why a lot of scientists have the same hairstyle that crackheads do. [EUREKA ALERT]

* Good news / bad news! The good news is that a new ebola vaccine/inoculant is 100% effective in monkeys! Looks like my “flaming chainsaw with ebloa” will soon no longer be as terrifying! Yay! The bad news? They’re injecting monkeys with “massive doses of the most lethal strain of Ebola” as part of their tests. 28 Days Later anyone? [NPR]

* Google has $26.5 billion in CASH MONEY? Google is hiring Wall Street vets to handle this $26.5 billion pile?!? Google even launched its own trading floor? Dude. I just got the plot for Ocean’s 14! [BUSINESS WEEK]

That’s it! Back Monday!

An identical gulf oil spill happened over 31 years ago [VIDEO]

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The same kind of giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico happened 31 years ago. And the same processes are being followed to stop the leak.

Give this video a look to see how the more things change…

FDA: Xenical and Alli weight-loss meds may cause severe liver injury

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It’s not a good week for mainstream drugs! The FDA just announced a study of theirs that indicates taking Xenical and/or Alli may cause severe liver damage.

The FDA did say this is a fairly rare occurrence, but “patients taking the weight-loss medication orlistat, marketed as Xenical and Alli” need to check with their doctors if they get any symptoms of liver damage, including “…itching, yellow eyes or skin, dark urine, loss of appetite, or light-colored stools.”

Here’s the link the FDA article.

FDA: long term use of proton pump inhibitors (Nexium/Prilosec) increase serious bone fracture risk

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Yikes! The FDA came out today with a study that says long term use of proton pump inhibitors will greatly increase the risk of fractures on the hip, wrist, and spine.

I’m not a doctor, but I do know getting a fracture on the hip or spine is the “flaming chainsaw with ebola in your face” kind of bad. It’s not something you want to have happen to you!

Of course the FDA says it better than I do…

“Epidemiology studies suggest a possible increased risk of bone fractures with the use of proton pump inhibitors for one year or longer, or at high doses,” said Joyce Korvick, M.D., deputy director for safety in FDA’s Division of Gastroenterology Products. “Because these products are used by a great number of people, it’s important for the public to be aware of this possible increased risk and, when prescribing proton pump inhibitors, health care professionals should consider whether a lower dose or shorter duration of therapy would adequately treat the patient’s condition.”

“Proton pump inhibitors, available by prescription and over-the-counter (OTC), work by reducing the amount of acid in the stomach. Prescription proton pump inhibitors include esomeprazole (Nexium), dexlansoprazole (Dexilant), omeprazole (Prilosec, Zegerid), lansoprazole (Prevacid), pantoprazole (Protonix), and rabeprazole (Aciphex). Prescription proton pump inhibitors are used to treat conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), stomach and small intestine ulcers, and inflammation of the esophagus. OTC versions, used for the treatment of frequent heartburn, include omeprazole (Prilosec OTC, Zegerid OTC) and lansoprazole (Prevacid 24HR).”

Seriously? If you take Nexium or Prilosec (or any of the other proton pump inhibitors mentioned above), run this news by your doctor. These kinds of fractures are life-changing kinds of bad.

Here’s the link to the FDA article.

Space shuttle Atlantis returns home safely and is now officially retired

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It’s the end of an era. The space shuttle Atlantis made it back home safely today and is now officially retired after 25 years of service. Unfortunately there are only two missions left for the space shuttle program before it is completely discontinued.

So how is this fairly important event covered in the mainstream media?

  • CNN has it buried under “BP readies ‘top kill’ to cap Gulf oil leak” and “Everyday plastic, toxic fears”.
  • MSNBC actually has it prominently on the sidebar! (Thanks MSNBC!)
  • FOX has it buried under “BP admits it made critical mistake”, “DOJ Preps for U.S. vs. Arizona”, “Civilians Dead in Bloody Jamaica Battles”, “GOP Rep.: Job Offer to Sestak a ‘Crime'”, “Ahmadinejad Urges Obama: Accept Nuke Swap Deal” and “U.S. Army Outgunned in Afghanistan?”

The space shuttle was so incredible, it became commonplace. Launches were no more spectacular or captivating in the last few years than it was to start a car or make a pot of coffee. But every single time those rockets lit, it took several human beings and the best tools we have right now to the edge of space and then brought them all back. Over and over and over. It went, it came back. It went, it came back.

And now one of the greatest tools and greatest accomplishments science has ever made is now archived. Retired. And the news of this epic denouement is almost muted in the background because of all the constant problems still running rampant in the world.

Ugh.

So now what? Unmanned rockets? Relying on Russia to deliver our cargo into space? Privatization of space travel where only the über-wealthy can go for the novelty of it? Letting the military have the only shuttle program? Chopping up the shuttle and selling it for parts?

Where’s the impetus to further science? Where’s the drive to see what’s what’s out there? What’s the plan for the next step forward here?

Nuts. Nuts to all of this.

Here’s the official press release from NASA…

——————————————–

RELEASE: 10-124

SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS RETURNS HOME AFTER ITS FINAL PLANNED MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space shuttle Atlantis and six astronauts ended a 12-day journey of more than 4.8 million miles with an 8:48 a.m. EDT landing Wednesday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The third of five shuttle missions planned for 2010, this was the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. The mission, designated STS-132, delivered the Russian-built Mini Research Module-1 to the International Space Station. Also known as Rassvet (“dawn” in Russian), the module provides additional storage space and a new docking port for Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft.

Ken Ham commanded the flight and was joined by Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers.

The mission’s three spacewalks focused on replacing and installing components outside the station, including replacing six batteries, installing a communications antenna and adding parts to the Canadian Dextre robotic arm.

A welcome ceremony for the astronauts will be held Thursday, May 27, in Houston. The public is invited to attend the 4 p.m. CDT event at Ellington Field’s NASA Hangar 990.

Highlights from the ceremony will be broadcast on NASA Television’s Video File. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

STS-132 was the 132nd shuttle flight, the 32nd flight for Atlantis and the 34th shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance.

With Atlantis and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the launch of shuttle Discovery on its STS-133 mission, targeted to lift off in September 2010. Discovery’s flight will deliver the Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module to house experiments. STS-133 also will bring critical spare components and a cargo carrier to the station. Robonaut 2, or R2, will be the first human-like robot in space when it flies on Discovery to become a permanent resident of the station.

For more information about the STS-132 mission and the upcoming STS-133 flight, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For information about the space station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

Slick from US oil spill reaches coastland – Al Jazeera [VIDEO]

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Leave it to a real foreign press corps to deliver the news.

Jump to :55 seconds to see how bad the gulf oil spill is.

EDIT: The news report says nobody is in charge of cleaning the slick and nobody is taking charge of what’s hitting the shore.

News stories the mainstream media missed : 05/22/10

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Here are some news stories from this week that I think the mainstream media completely missed out on. All links are from legitimate news sources and not the fringe / wacko sites.

* Four words: refrigerator-sized nuclear reactors. Hell yes! And at $50 million for a 25-megawatt reactor (as opposed to the usual $2.3 billion for a back-to-the-future sized 1.2 gigawatt reactor), it’s a steal! Oh, and “A 25-megawatt plant would put electricity into 20,000 homes” according to James Kohlhaas, vice president at Lockheed Martin Corp. Or, shall we say, 15,500 homes and one super secret high tech personal laboratory! All I need now is a winning lottery ticket! [BUSINESSWEEK]

* Driving gives you skin cancer? Specifically the part of your skin that hangs out the window? Damn you sun! I say we go full Republican on it’s ass and just blow the damn thing up! [WEBMD]

* Wait…the gulf oil spill is actually worse than the worsest worst worst predictions before? ONE new pulme is “10 miles long, 3 miles wide and 300 feet thick.” ONE? This is re-friggin-diculous. BP mega-nukes the Gulf of Mexico and nobody is calling for their heads? [MSNBC] Oh, and if you want some really scary analysis, click this out… “It’s not a leak, it’s a volcano spewing oil.” [EXAMINER] and [NYTIMES] Crap. Crappity crap crap crap.

* Read this next bit in that voice of that guy that does all the movie-previews… “Dispatched to Houston on a top secret mission by the President, five “extraordinarily intelligent” scientists from around the country will have to stop the biggest oceanic disaster in history…Members of the team designed the hydrogen bomb, invented techniques for mining on Mars, and found a way to precisely position biomedical needles.” Pan the camera back to reveal the actors walking toward the camera in slo-mo. Dramatic music flares! Yeah, baby! I got your movie right here! [BLOOMBERG]

* Our brains re-shoot every scene in a memory when we recall something? Dude! Our brains are George Lucas – reshooting the classics all the time?! AAAAAAA!! [SMITHSONIAN MAG]

* So if you loan someone money to keep them from starving, and they come back and SUE YOU for loaning them money, what would you think of them? Check it out – Greece would be the one with no money and the US would be the loaner. [YAHOO]

* Want a real-time tally of the promises Obama kept and the promises Obama broke? Look no further! Prepare for some surprises, too. [POLITIFACT]

* A giant friggin’ botnet is just sleeping out there in the internet. It’s huge, and has the potential to cause some serious game-changing damage whenever it wakes up. Kind of like Godzilla taking a nap. And when she wakes up? (Yes, Godzilla was a she!) Run!! Because some mega-level destruction is soon to follow! The Atlantic article has a great explanation of what a botnet is and how they work, too. [THE ATLANTIC]

* A girl re-grew kidneys after her old ones failed? Awesome!! Science needs to figure out how she did this immediately! [DAILYMAIL]

* How are things going in Afghanistan? Let’s just say if things were catastrophically FUBAR with a touch of rabies, it would be a improvement. [SLATE]

That’s it for this week. Back Monday!