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There's a man opposite me on the Tube eating Big Macs from a paper bag. He swallows the first between King's Cross and Euston and the second between Euston and Warren Street. That's about 1,000 calories in three minutes. On his knee is a newspaper soliciting admiration for John Prescott's "brave" revelation of bulimia. The disease is terrible, but I can't muster much sympathy for Prescott's methods.
The recent 10-minute "made for YouTube" beating of a girl by a group of teenagers in Florida exemplifies a new trend in which the electronic world dictates our reality.
Future historians may very well look back at the beginning of the 21st century as an era in which the human mind developed into a split screen, with one eye on real space and the other ogling the electronic mirror.
Future historians may very well look back at the beginning of the 21st century as an era in which the human mind developed into a split screen, with one eye on real space and the other ogling the electronic mirror.
Don't ask the US federal government whether there are any health benefits to eating organic food. It won't tell. No mere coincidence, then, that no pictures of farmers or farms (or fertilizers or pesticides) appear in the USDA food pyramid logo. The federal government encourages the consumption of more fruits, vegetables, and grains, but stops short of evaluating the farming systems that produce these same foods. An apple is an apple regardless of how it has been grown, the USDA food pyramid suggests, and the only take-home message is that we should all be eating more apples and less added sugars and fats.
But this message may be too simplistic. Over the past decade, scientists have begun conducting sophisticated comparisons of foods grown in organic and conventional farming systems. They're finding that not all apples (or tomatoes, kiwis, or milk) are equal, especially when in comes to nutrient and pesticide levels. How farmers grow their crops affects, sometimes dramatically, not only how nutritious food is, but also how safe it is to eat. It may well be that a federal food policy that fails to acknowledge the connection between what happens on the farm and the healthfulness of foods is enough to make a nation sick.
But this message may be too simplistic. Over the past decade, scientists have begun conducting sophisticated comparisons of foods grown in organic and conventional farming systems. They're finding that not all apples (or tomatoes, kiwis, or milk) are equal, especially when in comes to nutrient and pesticide levels. How farmers grow their crops affects, sometimes dramatically, not only how nutritious food is, but also how safe it is to eat. It may well be that a federal food policy that fails to acknowledge the connection between what happens on the farm and the healthfulness of foods is enough to make a nation sick.
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Last week, the Economic Policy Institute released a disturbing report revealing just how many white-collar workers have lost their employer-based health insurance in recent years - even though they didn't change jobs.
Many workers believe that if they hold onto their job, their insurance is safe. Professionals with jobs near the top of the occupational ladder are especially likely to assume that their employer is not going to cut their coverage. That may well have been true in the 1990s, when the job market was tight - but not today.
Combining caffeine with the active ingredient in Tylenol (acetaminophen) may be extremely dangerous for the liver, according to new research conducted at the University of Washington and reported in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology.
Last week, hard plastic baby and water bottles were not considered harmful.
Now, in the eyes of many users, they are toxic. Yesterday, CVS said it will join Wal-Mart, bottle-maker Nalgene, and other companies in pulling tens of thousands of the shatter-proof, transparent products off store shelves. Some parents are tossing hiking bottles into the trash, feeding their babies with glass containers, and searching for a safer alternative to see-through sippy cups.
Now, in the eyes of many users, they are toxic. Yesterday, CVS said it will join Wal-Mart, bottle-maker Nalgene, and other companies in pulling tens of thousands of the shatter-proof, transparent products off store shelves. Some parents are tossing hiking bottles into the trash, feeding their babies with glass containers, and searching for a safer alternative to see-through sippy cups.
Washington - In a significant reversal, major meat and dairy industry groups on Tuesday backed a total ban on so-called downer cattle from entering the food supply.
The development of vaccines is on the verge of a 'golden era' - but it may be threatened if the drive to cut costs by governments, including the UK, is carried out regardless of long-term health consequences, a leading academic warned.
Vaccine research is expanding fast - some two-thirds of world R&D is being conducted by European companies - but continuing pressure on prices could have a negative impact on investment, according to Professor Louis Galambos of the John Hopkins University, a world-leader in research and education in medicine and public health.
Vaccine research is expanding fast - some two-thirds of world R&D is being conducted by European companies - but continuing pressure on prices could have a negative impact on investment, according to Professor Louis Galambos of the John Hopkins University, a world-leader in research and education in medicine and public health.
Folks, things seem be getting "curiouser and curiouser."
First, the powers that be changed the definitions of things - stuff like milk and, more recently, chocolate. The definitions are expanded so that more things that you and I had never thought about can be called milk and chocolate.
Recently, the courts have ruled that there is no difference between tested meat and non-tested meat. Or that food with growth hormones and food without growth hormones are the same. And I guess food that is genetically modified is just as good for us as the old-fashioned stuff.
First, the powers that be changed the definitions of things - stuff like milk and, more recently, chocolate. The definitions are expanded so that more things that you and I had never thought about can be called milk and chocolate.
Recently, the courts have ruled that there is no difference between tested meat and non-tested meat. Or that food with growth hormones and food without growth hormones are the same. And I guess food that is genetically modified is just as good for us as the old-fashioned stuff.
Comment: Interesting piece, until he hits the last two paragraphs with its "We can control the marketplace" junk. How many times do we see this? Is it because the Times-Gazette has advertisers who sell or create GM foods? Is it in that old canard of wanting to be "objective"?
If they don't label foods as to whether or not they are genetically modified, how will we be able to tell the difference?
A MAN has posted videos on YouTube in which he claims to have deliberately infected thousands of women with AIDS.
The masked man - who calls himself "Trashman" and speaks with an American accent in a series of clips posted on the video-sharing website - claims to have infected between 1200 and 1500 women with the disease.
In the videos, Trashman reads the names and ages of some of the women he claims to have had unprotected sex with.
The masked man - who calls himself "Trashman" and speaks with an American accent in a series of clips posted on the video-sharing website - claims to have infected between 1200 and 1500 women with the disease.
In the videos, Trashman reads the names and ages of some of the women he claims to have had unprotected sex with.
Comment: Can you say "S-H-I-L-L" ?