Miscellaneous News

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Heaviest meals on the menu

According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) this week the accuracy of caloric counts from restaurants is unknown. On the same day, the Center for Science in the Public Interest released its annual ‘Xtreme Eating Awards’ to eight menu items on the restaurant menus.

20 Jul 2011

Coal seam gas and cancer risk: Report

An Australian Senate committee has been looking into the impact of coal seam gas (CSG) mining on the Murray-Darling Basin that has moved to Dalby on Queensland's western Darling Downs today. The Senate Standing Committee on Rural Affairs and Transport is touring southern Queensland examining the environmental consequences of CSG mining on the Murray-Darling River system.

19 Jul 2011

72-hour Ecuador booze ban to investigate contamination

After 23 alcohol related deaths the police confiscated 28 containers each holding 55 gallons of contaminated alcohol in Los Rios, a coastal province of Ecuador. A 72-hour national dry law prohibiting the sale of alcohol has been declared to allow authorities to locate and discard the deadly methanol-contaminated liquor that affected so many individuals.

19 Jul 2011

Wales attempts ban on smoking in cars carrying kids

Wales is slated to become the first country in Europe to ban drivers from smoking with children in their car. Labor leaders in the Welsh Assembly are considering a new law barring cigarettes in cars carrying anyone under 18. The move could see a driver who legally lights up in England face criminal charges if they keep smoking over the border in Wales.

18 Jul 2011

Stimulant addiction from bath salts causing serious and long term problems

A new stimulant addiction is causing concern among emergency doctors. At Schuylkill Medical Center in Pottsville, Pa. people were arriving so agitated, violent and psychotic that a small army of medical workers was needed to hold them down. They had taken new stimulant drugs that people are calling “bath salts,” and sometimes even large doses of sedatives failed to quiet them.

18 Jul 2011

The world has a food price problem, not a food price volatility problem

"Food price levels are at historic highs, but food price volatility, although high these past few years, is not out of line with historical experience and is generally lower than it was in the 1970s.

14 Jul 2011

Foreign aid helps lift families out of poverty

Britain's cutting of foreign assistance "is not … just a game of percentages; or a simple set of myths that can be countered to decide whether we spend 0.7 or 0.44 or even 0.01 percent of our national income on 'aid,'" Joe Cerrell, director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Europe office, writes in a "Foundation Blog" post.

14 Jul 2011

Can you drink too much water? Experts say yes

Drinking adequate amounts of water is said to prevent kidney damage, help lose weight and increase concentration. However experts now warn that drinking eight glasses of water a day is not good after all – and could be harmful. They say that scientific claims behind long-standing government guidelines are worse than ‘nonsense’. The NHS – along with leading doctors and nutritionists – advises the public to drink about 1.2 litres (or two-and-a-half pints) of water per day.

13 Jul 2011

USAID responding to Horn of Africa drought

USAID Deputy Administrator Donald Steinberg writes in a post on the agency's "IMPACTblog," This week, USAID activated a disaster assistance response team operating out of Ethiopia and Kenya to work with the World Food Program, UNICEF, and over a dozen other organizations to coordinate emergency efforts to relieve the crisis.

12 Jul 2011

USAID, NSF launch science research grant program to support development goals

USAID and the National Science Foundation on Thursday launched the Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research initiative to "provide grants to developing world partners of NSF U.S. grantees," with the goal of supporting "applied research - science in support of development - in areas of global concern such as climate change, biodiversity, water issues, agriculture, seismic hazards and deforestation," SciDev.Net reports.

12 Jul 2011

Factors leading to drought are varied

In addition to "ecological factors," "long and recurrent conflicts, poor infrastructure, misguided policy options, weak market system and seasonal migration patterns account to the ever-increasing drought problems" in the Horn of Africa, Abeje Chumo, an international law expert and editor of the Horn of Africa blog for the Foreign Policy Association, writes in a post on the Foreign Policy Blogs Network.

12 Jul 2011

Labelling fails to address major knowledge gap on alcohol risks

The liquor industry’s decision to voluntarily include health warning labels on alcohol is a welcome move, but alone is unlikely to make a significant impact on the health and social consequences of alcohol abuse and binge drinking in Australia.

12 Jul 2011

Liquor industry body suggests warnings on bottles

The Australian liquor industry-funded organization DrinkWise is proposing the introduction of labels displaying new consumer warnings on alcoholic drinks. The warnings would include messages that alcohol should not be drunk by children, can cause self-harm and should be avoided...

12 Jul 2011

Body builders using greyhound injections to increase muscle mass

According to reports many body builders are injecting drugs meant for greyhounds in the mistaken belief it will help them build bigger muscles faster. L-carnitine is found in supplements sold for human consumption but these users are buying an injectable form from pet shops which experts say can increase the risk of heart attacks. L-carnitine is a quaternary ammonium compound biosynthesized from the amino acids lysine and methionine.

10 Jul 2011

Top USAID Africa official vacancy highlights Obama administration's low priority for the continent

"Despite the apparent burst of White House attention to Africa from the First Lady's tourism-heavy visit to South Africa and Botswana last week, there are still plenty of reasons that many (including me) remain disappointed by the administration's efforts so far," Todd Moss, vice president for corporate affairs and senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, writes on the "Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Blog."

8 Jul 2011

Special issue explores new research into collective memories of London bombings

Six years on from the devastating 7/7 London bombings and in the wake of the inquest into the attacks, a special issue of the journal Memory Studies, published by SAGE, explores new research into our collective memories of this tragic event.

7 Jul 2011

U.S. Senate candidates gain votes by making green statement on climate change

Candidates gain votes by taking a "green" position on climate change -- endorsing the existence of warming, human causation, and the need for taking action to address it, according to a new study of U.S. adults.

6 Jul 2011

Donor fatigue harming efforts to fight drought in Horn of Africa, aid agencies say

As a severe drought affecting Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia forces more people into refugee camps, donor fatigue is harming aid agencies' abilities to work in the Horn of Africa, because "these recurrent droughts used to happen every 5-10 years but what we see now is it basically every other year ... an indication of climate change conditions," Michael Klaus, UNICEF spokesperson for east and southern Africa, told Reuters in an interview.

6 Jul 2011

MEPs sign written declaration in European Parliament for accessible labelling

A record-breaking number of MEPs have signed a written declaration in the European Parliament supporting accessible labelling. This marks an important milestone for blind and partially sighted people.

5 Jul 2011

New fish study focuses on prevalence of plastic ingestion

The first scientific results from an ambitious voyage led by a group of graduate students from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego offer a stark view of human pollution and its infiltration of an area of the ocean that has been labeled as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch."

2 Jul 2011