From Discover Magazine: The FDA Has Decided Not to Ban BPA–For Now | 80beats

Booooo!!!

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campbells

Modern food packaging has transformed our diets for the better in many ways—fresh-tasting canned tomatoes in January and low rates of food-borne disease are not to be scoffed at. But increasing scrutiny of the materials in the cans, bottles, and vacuum packs you bring back from the store have raised fears that certain chemicals—notably, those like bisphenol A (BPA) that can mimic hormones such as estrogen—may be prompting early puberty in children, among other health problems. Last year, the National Resource Defense Council sued the FDA demanding that the agency respond to a petition to ban BPA in food packaging. Yesterday, the FDA announced that it would not be banning BPA, saying that the science linking the chemical to health risks is not yet convincing. But some companies, responding to consumer desires, are already  moving to remove it from their packaging.

Studies have found that there are low levels of BPA present in many people’s urine, but what’s still under discussion is whether the amounts we pick up can do anything to us, and even if it does little to adults, whether there are any stages of development—infancy, say—when BPA exposure might be …

 

from Discover Magazine

From Ars Technica: Reports identify Chinese grad student in hacks against Tibetans, others


Antivirus provider Trend Micro has released a research paper that links breaches against the computers of Tibetan activists and companies in Japan and India to a hacker in the Chinese underground.

An article published on Thursday in the New York Times later identified the intruder as a Chinese former graduate student who now “apparently” works for Tencent, China’s leading Internet portal company, according to online records cited by the news organization. It was one of the few times people investigating espionage-style malware attacks have put a public face on an alleged perpetrator.

Read the rest of this article...

 

from Ars Technica

From News: Syria Accepts U.N. Plan For Peace

Finally!  It’s about time!!  But it’s still too early to tell…

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The plan by U.N. envoy Kofi Annan includes a cease-fire by Syrian forces, a daily two-hour halt to fighting to evacuate injured people and provide humanitarian aid and inclusive talks about a political solution. But there was no immediate end to fighting.

 

from News

From Morning Edition: Beijing Bling: Wealth On Display In China’s Congress

Wow… that’s messed up…

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Delegates to the National People’s Congress have turned up carrying Chanel handbags and wearing Pucci suits. Photos of this display of wealth have gone viral, prompting outrage among Chinese. It’s estimated the richest 70 Chinese legislators have more wealth than the entire U.S. Congress.

 

from Morning Edition

From Morning Edition: UC Irvine Students Call For Chehabi’s Resignation

How do things like this happen?!  That people directly linked terrible dictators are allowed to be chairman of our educational insitutions?!  >.<

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The student government at the University of California, Irvine voted Thursday night to call for the resignation of Dr. Hazem Chehabi, who is the chairman of its school’s foundation. He also serves as the Syrian consul general in California. He is a personal friend of Syria’s dictator Bashar Assad.

 

from Morning Edition