Recently in Health Category
Poison Pill Slipped Into Indian Health Bill. Michelle Chen. In These Times. 7/09/2008.
Pro-life amendment used to derail legislation.
When it comes to their health, American Indian women face extraordinary barriers -- from high disease risks to increased incidents of sexual violence. They now face another obstacle, rooted in the political battleground of abortion.
Continue reading Poison Pill Slipped Into Indian Health Bill.
Why Children Are Not 'Little Adults'. NY Times. 7/10/2008.
Earlier this week, the nation's leading pediatric group issued guidelines suggesting that some high-risk children be given cholesterol-lowering statin drugs that are typically prescribed for middle-aged men. The news shocked many pediatricians, who predicted a backlash from the public and doctors.
Earlier this week, the nation's leading pediatric group issued guidelines suggesting that some high-risk children be given cholesterol-lowering statin drugs that are typically prescribed for middle-aged men. The news shocked many pediatricians, who predicted a backlash from the public and doctors.
Continue reading Why Children Are Not 'Little Adults'.
Indonesia's answer to rising food prices. Simon Montlake. Christian Science Monitor. 7/14/2008.
A top rice importer last year, Indonesia's government is allocating more land to grow it and other food crops.
Continue reading Indonesia's answer to rising food prices.
New pressures force U.S. farmers south of the border. Sara Miller Llana. Christian Science Monitor. 7/15/2008.
Tougher immigration control and stricter environmental and food safety regulations are prompting US firms to move farms to Mexico, Brazil, and everywhere in between.
Continue reading New pressures force U.S. farmers south of the border.
Biofuel Land Demand Puts Peasants at Risk: Report. Reuters. 6/02/2008.
ROME - The rise of biofuels is not only adding to the global food price crisis but also poses a risk for peasants, pushed off their land to make way for energy crops, a report prepared for this week's food summit said.
ROME - The rise of biofuels is not only adding to the global food price crisis but also poses a risk for peasants, pushed off their land to make way for energy crops, a report prepared for this week's food summit said.
Continue reading Biofuel Land Demand Puts Peasants at Risk: Report.
'Everyone's starving' in Ethiopia, aid worker says. CNN. 6/09/2008.
SHASHAMANE, Ethiopia (AP) -- Like so many other victims of Ethiopia's hunger crisis, Usheto Beriso weighs just half what he should. He is always cold and swaddled in a blanket. His limbs are stick-thin.
SHASHAMANE, Ethiopia (AP) -- Like so many other victims of Ethiopia's hunger crisis, Usheto Beriso weighs just half what he should. He is always cold and swaddled in a blanket. His limbs are stick-thin.
Continue reading 'Everyone's starving' in Ethiopia, aid worker says.
Worries Mount as Farmers Push for Big Harvest . David Streitfeld & Keith Bradsher, NY Times. 6/10/2008.
GRIFFIN, Ind. -- In a year when global harvests need to be excellent to ease the threat of pervasive food shortages, evidence is mounting that they will be average at best. Some farmers are starting to fear disaster.
GRIFFIN, Ind. -- In a year when global harvests need to be excellent to ease the threat of pervasive food shortages, evidence is mounting that they will be average at best. Some farmers are starting to fear disaster.
Continue reading Worries Mount as Farmers Push for Big Harvest .
U.S. says ending trade barriers key to food crisis. Reuters. 6/13/2008.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is boosting food aid and development support to combat the global food crisis, but poor countries must also scrap ill-considered export bans and farm trade barriers, a senior U.S. official said on Friday.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is boosting food aid and development support to combat the global food crisis, but poor countries must also scrap ill-considered export bans and farm trade barriers, a senior U.S. official said on Friday.
Continue reading U.S. says ending trade barriers key to food crisis.
South Korea's Beef with America. Christine Ahn. Foreign Policy in Focus. 6/13/2008.
On June 10, one million South Koreans from all walks of life poured onto the streets of Seoul, the nation's capital, to protest the newly elected President Lee Myung Bak's deal with the United States to fully open Korean markets to U.S. beef.
On June 10, one million South Koreans from all walks of life poured onto the streets of Seoul, the nation's capital, to protest the newly elected President Lee Myung Bak's deal with the United States to fully open Korean markets to U.S. beef.
Continue reading South Korea's Beef with America.
$40bn shortfall in Africa aid endangers 5 million lives. Tracy McVeigh. Guardian/UK. 6/15/2008.
Watchdog proposes a special tax as the foot-dragging by G8 nations undermines a decade of progress
Watchdog proposes a special tax as the foot-dragging by G8 nations undermines a decade of progress
Continue reading $40bn shortfall in Africa aid endangers 5 million lives.
The United States of Advertising. Kevin Connolly. BBC. 6/14/2008.
I have been taking a keen interest in television adverts for indigestion products lately.
This habit more or less coincided with my discovery of beef jerky, an American food whose classiness you can judge from the fact that it is mainly found in petrol stations.
I have been taking a keen interest in television adverts for indigestion products lately.
This habit more or less coincided with my discovery of beef jerky, an American food whose classiness you can judge from the fact that it is mainly found in petrol stations.
Continue reading The United States of Advertising.
Study: Language barrier can keep children from getting healthcare. Patrick McGee. Huston Star-Telegram. 6/16/2008.
Children from homes where English is not the primary language have far more health problems than other kids in the U.S. and have less access to health insurance.
Children from homes where English is not the primary language have far more health problems than other kids in the U.S. and have less access to health insurance.
The impact goes beyond those youngsters and their families, said study author Dr. Glenn Flores, director of general pediatrics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
Continue reading Study: Language barrier can keep children from getting healthcare.
Bioenergy: Fuelling the food crisis?. Stephanie Holmes. BBC. 6/04/2008.
The biofuel debate is electrifying the UN food price crisis summit in Rome, pitting nations against each other and risking transforming bioenergy - once hailed as the ultimate green fuel - into the villain of the piece, the root cause behind global food price spikes.
The biofuel debate is electrifying the UN food price crisis summit in Rome, pitting nations against each other and risking transforming bioenergy - once hailed as the ultimate green fuel - into the villain of the piece, the root cause behind global food price spikes.
Continue reading Bioenergy: Fuelling the food crisis?.
Monsanto Seeks Big Increase in Crop Yields. Andrew Pollack, NY Times. 6/05/2008.
Monsanto, the leader in agricultural biotechnology, pledged Wednesday to develop seeds that would double the yields of corn, soybeans and cotton by 2030 and would require 30 percent less water, land and energy to grow.
Monsanto, the leader in agricultural biotechnology, pledged Wednesday to develop seeds that would double the yields of corn, soybeans and cotton by 2030 and would require 30 percent less water, land and energy to grow.
Continue reading Monsanto Seeks Big Increase in Crop Yields.
HEALTH-SOUTH AFRICA: Children in the Path of the (AIDS) Pandemic. Kathryn Strachan. Inter Press Service. 6/06/2008.
JOHANNESBURG, Jun 6 (IPS) - There is barely a path leading down the steep incline and through the dense bush to the Mabuyakhulu homestead. It would be easy to pass by without finding 13 year old Zanele* and her eight year old sister Andiswa who stay there on their own.
JOHANNESBURG, Jun 6 (IPS) - There is barely a path leading down the steep incline and through the dense bush to the Mabuyakhulu homestead. It would be easy to pass by without finding 13 year old Zanele* and her eight year old sister Andiswa who stay there on their own.
World hunger's urban edge. Stephanie Holmes. BBC. 6/05/2008,
The global food price crisis has revealed not only the new face of hunger but also its voice.
The global food price crisis has revealed not only the new face of hunger but also its voice.
Continue reading World hunger's urban edge.
DEVELOPMENT: Food Summit Agrees Greater Liberalisation. Sabina Zaccaro. Inter Press Service. 6/05/2008.
ROME, Jun 5 (IPS) - The three-day world summit called by the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation to respond to the food crisis ended with plans and pledges - and a new push to liberalisation.
ROME, Jun 5 (IPS) - The three-day world summit called by the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation to respond to the food crisis ended with plans and pledges - and a new push to liberalisation.
Continue reading DEVELOPMENT: Food Summit Agrees Greater Liberalisation .
Solving the global food crisis starts with women's rights. Yifat Susskind. The Progressive. 6/03/2008.
Solving the food crisis means empowering women.
Solving the food crisis means empowering women.
Continue reading Solving the global food crisis starts with women's rights.
Experts see no early end to world's food crisis. Renee Schoof. McClatchy. 5/14/2008.
WASHINGTON -- The world's deep hunger crisis could go on for years, and in the long run it'll take a new scientific agricultural revolution to help farmers in the poorest countries produce enough food, experts said Wednesday at congressional hearings.
WASHINGTON -- The world's deep hunger crisis could go on for years, and in the long run it'll take a new scientific agricultural revolution to help farmers in the poorest countries produce enough food, experts said Wednesday at congressional hearings.
Continue reading Experts see no early end to world's food crisis.
An Epidemic of Extinctions: Decimation of Life on Earth. Independent/UK. 5/16/2008.
The world's species are declining at a rate "unprecedented since the extinction of the dinosaurs", a census of the animal kingdom has revealed. The Living Planet Index out today shows the devastating impact of humanity as biodiversity has plummeted by almost a third in the 35 years to 2005.
The world's species are declining at a rate "unprecedented since the extinction of the dinosaurs", a census of the animal kingdom has revealed. The Living Planet Index out today shows the devastating impact of humanity as biodiversity has plummeted by almost a third in the 35 years to 2005.
Continue reading An Epidemic of Extinctions: Decimation of Life on Earth.
Trade boss criticises financial mess. Steve Schifferes. BBC. 5/30/2008.
The boss of one of the world's most important economic organisations has said the lack of regulation in world markets was the root cause of the financial crisis which has hit world economic growth.
The boss of one of the world's most important economic organisations has said the lack of regulation in world markets was the root cause of the financial crisis which has hit world economic growth.
Continue reading Trade boss criticises financial mess.
Food crisis talks set to begin. BBC. 5/30/2008.
Envoys from 26 Latin American and Caribbean countries meet on Friday to discuss the rising cost of food and draw up a united policy for the region.
Envoys from 26 Latin American and Caribbean countries meet on Friday to discuss the rising cost of food and draw up a united policy for the region.
Continue reading Food crisis talks set to begin.
Anti-U.S. beef protest draws 100,000 S.Koreans. Reuters, 5/31/2008.
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean students, parents with toddlers in tow, and union members took to the streets on Saturday in a massive protest against a government decision to resume imports of U.S. beef that they see as dangerous.
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean students, parents with toddlers in tow, and union members took to the streets on Saturday in a massive protest against a government decision to resume imports of U.S. beef that they see as dangerous.
Continue reading Anti-U.S. beef protest draws 100,000 S.Koreans.
By Rowan Wolf. February 2004.
There is an interesting article in the February 9, 2004 edition of Fortune Magazine - CLIMATE COLLAPSE - The Pentagon's Weather Nightmare (UTJ Permalink - by David Stipp. The Pentagon is apparently taking "climate change" seriously even if the White House is not. The Pentagon called in Andrew Marshall, who has been the Defense Department's "sage" for over thirty years, to look at the scenarios.
There is an interesting article in the February 9, 2004 edition of Fortune Magazine - CLIMATE COLLAPSE - The Pentagon's Weather Nightmare (UTJ Permalink - by David Stipp. The Pentagon is apparently taking "climate change" seriously even if the White House is not. The Pentagon called in Andrew Marshall, who has been the Defense Department's "sage" for over thirty years, to look at the scenarios.
Continue reading Environmental collapse - sooner not later.
Is Water Becoming 'The New Oil'?. Marc Clayton. Chrisitan Science Monitor. 5/30/08
Population, pollution, and climate put the squeeze on potable supplies - and private companies smell a profit. Others ask: Should water be a human right?
Continue reading Is Water Becoming 'The New Oil'?.
HEALTH-AFRICA: UNICEF Reports Five Million Child Deaths Every Year. Steffanie Nieuwoudt. IPS. 5/30/2008. (Report)
CAPE TOWN, May 30 (IPS) - When four-year-old Alice Were suddenly developed a fever, her mother Miriam took her to the local medicine woman close to her house in Kangemi, a poor, cramped settlement on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Two days later, Alice was unconscious. Her frantic mother rushed to hospital with the child in her arms. But it was too late. Alice died of malaria.
CAPE TOWN, May 30 (IPS) - When four-year-old Alice Were suddenly developed a fever, her mother Miriam took her to the local medicine woman close to her house in Kangemi, a poor, cramped settlement on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Two days later, Alice was unconscious. Her frantic mother rushed to hospital with the child in her arms. But it was too late. Alice died of malaria.
Continue reading HEALTH-AFRICA: UNICEF Reports Five Million Child Deaths Every Year.
Family Seed Business Takes On Goliath of Genetic Modification. Marian Scott. The Edmonton Journal (Canada). 5/25/2008.
Heather Meek leafs through the seed catalogue she wrote on the family computer, on winter nights after the kids went to bed.There are Kahnawake Mohawk beans and Painted Mountain corn; Tante Alice cucumber and 40 varieties of heritage tomatoes.
Heather Meek leafs through the seed catalogue she wrote on the family computer, on winter nights after the kids went to bed.There are Kahnawake Mohawk beans and Painted Mountain corn; Tante Alice cucumber and 40 varieties of heritage tomatoes.
Continue reading Family Seed Business Takes On Goliath of Genetic Modification.
Chemical Weapons Come Home. Stan Cox. Chronogram. 4/25/2008.
The "vomiting virus" now sweeping across Britain may be spreading. At the same time, San Francisco is being hit with a new strain of the nasty bacterium known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)--this one responsible for "flesh-eating pneumonia."
The "vomiting virus" now sweeping across Britain may be spreading. At the same time, San Francisco is being hit with a new strain of the nasty bacterium known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)--this one responsible for "flesh-eating pneumonia."
Continue reading Chemical Weapons Come Home.
Native American health suffers due to inequality. Donald Wame. The Progressive. 5/20/2008.
How long you live should not depend on how rich you are.
But recent studies show that richer you are, the longer you live.
For American Indians, this is not news.
Continue reading Native American health suffers due to inequality.
More than 2 million U.S. youths depressed: study. Reuters. 5/13/2008.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 2 million U.S. teenagers have suffered a serious bout of depression in the past year, including nearly 13 percent of girls, according to a federal government survey released on Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 2 million U.S. teenagers have suffered a serious bout of depression in the past year, including nearly 13 percent of girls, according to a federal government survey released on Tuesday.
Continue reading More than 2 million U.S. youths depressed: study.
Argentina Tries to Reconcile Exporting Food With Prices at Home. Monte Reel. Wa. Post. 4/26/2008.
Is in vitro meat the future?. Carol Midgley. Times/UK. 5/09/2008.
Chicken, beef and pork that has never been a living animal could be better for people and the planet. But will it catch on?
Continue reading Is in vitro meat the future?.
Utah Mine Disaster Was Preventable, Report Says. Ian Urbina. NY Times. 5/09/2008.
The general manager and possibly other senior staff at the Crandall Canyon Mine near Huntington, Utah, where 9 miners died in August 2007, hid information from federal mining officials that could have prevented the disaster and should face criminal charges, according to a Congressional investigation whose results were released Thursday.
The general manager and possibly other senior staff at the Crandall Canyon Mine near Huntington, Utah, where 9 miners died in August 2007, hid information from federal mining officials that could have prevented the disaster and should face criminal charges, according to a Congressional investigation whose results were released Thursday.
Continue reading Utah Mine Disaster Was Preventable, Report Says.
DEVELOPMENT: Food Crisis Linked to Doha Deal. Aileen Kwa. Inter Press Service. 5/08/2008.
GENEVA, May 8 (IPS) - The issue of rising food prices was raised at the WTO's General Council meeting Wednesday, and for the first time, discussed in some detail. But there remains, as one African delegate put it, "a lot of confusion about the rising prices of commodities and the Doha Round. Somebody needs to demystify the links. The D-G (Director-General) is using this as a bait to catch us on concluding the Round as soon as possible."
GENEVA, May 8 (IPS) - The issue of rising food prices was raised at the WTO's General Council meeting Wednesday, and for the first time, discussed in some detail. But there remains, as one African delegate put it, "a lot of confusion about the rising prices of commodities and the Doha Round. Somebody needs to demystify the links. The D-G (Director-General) is using this as a bait to catch us on concluding the Round as soon as possible."
Continue reading DEVELOPMENT: Food Crisis Linked to Doha Deal .
CHINA: Buying Farmland Abroad, Ensuring Food Security. Antoaneta Bezlova. Inter Press Service. 5/09/2008.
BEIJING, May 9 (IPS) - Rattled by rapidly rising global grain prices, China is looking at strategies to ensure long-term food security for its 1.3 billion people such as procuring farmland overseas and opposing the formation of any international grain price- fixing monopolies.
BEIJING, May 9 (IPS) - Rattled by rapidly rising global grain prices, China is looking at strategies to ensure long-term food security for its 1.3 billion people such as procuring farmland overseas and opposing the formation of any international grain price- fixing monopolies.
Continue reading CHINA: Buying Farmland Abroad, Ensuring Food Security.
US Urged to Reform Foreign Aid. Ida Wahlstrom. One World. 5/09/2008.
WASHINGTON, May 8 (OneWorld) - More than 800 development and human rights activists are gathering here this week, developing and calling on Congress to implement new strategies to tackle world poverty and hunger.
WASHINGTON, May 8 (OneWorld) - More than 800 development and human rights activists are gathering here this week, developing and calling on Congress to implement new strategies to tackle world poverty and hunger.
Continue reading US Urged to Reform Foreign Aid.
System of Neglect - Immigrant Detention. Dana Priest & Amy Goldstein. Wa. Post. 5/11/2008.
As Tighter Immigration Policies Strain Federal Agencies, The Detainees in Their Care Often Pay a Heavy Cost
Continue reading System of Neglect - Immigrant Detention.
World's Giants to Alter Food Equation. Evan Osnos & Laurie Goering. Chicago Tribune. 5/11/2008.
As China and India Rise, Diets Change and Demands Soar.
BEIJING - Nothing about the lunch rush at a McDonald's in China would feel out of place in America: Students huddled around video games and fries; a computer salesman scarfing a chicken sandwich; a teacher lingering over a hamburger and coffee. And in that all-American scene lies the next great challenge to the world's food supply.
Continue reading World's Giants to Alter Food Equation.
Harmful Chemical Wafts Off Your TV. Scott Streater. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 5/11/2008.
FORT WORTH, Texas - Common household dust has long been known to carry pesticides, allergens and other irritants.
FORT WORTH, Texas - Common household dust has long been known to carry pesticides, allergens and other irritants.
Continue reading Harmful Chemical Wafts Off Your TV.
"Transgenic Seed Companies Lie and Bribe". Interview with Jesús León Santos, Winner of Goldman Prize. Inter Press Service. 4/24/2008.
MEXICO CITY, Apr 24 (Tierramérica) - Biotech corporations that developed genetically modified seeds are bribing authorities and carrying out costly advertising campaigns "plagued with lies in order to create monsters that attack life," says Jesús León Santos, an indigenous man who is one of this year's winners of the Goldman Environmental Prize.
MEXICO CITY, Apr 24 (Tierramérica) - Biotech corporations that developed genetically modified seeds are bribing authorities and carrying out costly advertising campaigns "plagued with lies in order to create monsters that attack life," says Jesús León Santos, an indigenous man who is one of this year's winners of the Goldman Environmental Prize.
Continue reading "Transgenic Seed Companies Lie and Bribe".
Punjab reaps a poisoned harvest. David Loyn. BBC. 4/26/2008.
The governments of many poor nations are alarmed at the rise in food prices. There are even problems in the Indian region of Punjab, where science once seemed to have found answers for a hungry world.
The governments of many poor nations are alarmed at the rise in food prices. There are even problems in the Indian region of Punjab, where science once seemed to have found answers for a hungry world.
Continue reading Punjab reaps a poisoned harvest.
Emptying the Breadbasket. Dan Morgan. Wa. Post. 4/29/2008.
For decades, wheat was king on the Great Plains and prices were low everywhere. Those days are over.
Continue reading Emptying the Breadbasket.
Oxygen-poor ocean zones are growing. Kenneth Weiss. LA Times. 5/02/2008.
Linked to global warming, these areas of the Pacific and Atlantic cannot sustain most marine life, a new study warns.
Linked to global warming, these areas of the Pacific and Atlantic cannot sustain most marine life, a new study warns.
Continue reading Oxygen-poor ocean zones are growing.
Small-town residents living on deadly ground. Ronnie Greene. Miami Herald. 5/03/2008.
Residents of Tallevast blame toxins that leaked into the ground and their water supply as a factor in the 80 cancers of family members and neighbors over the years, and they want someone held accountable.
Continue reading Small-town residents living on deadly ground.
Multinationals Make Billions In Profit Out of Growing Global Food Crisis. Geoffrey Lean. Independent/UK. 5/04/2008.
Speculators blamed for driving up price of basic foods as 100 million face severe hunger
Continue reading Multinationals Make Billions In Profit Out of Growing Global Food Crisis.
Load Up the Pantry. Brett Arends. Wall Street Journal. 4/21/2008.
I don't want to alarm anybody, but maybe it's time for Americans to start stockpiling food.
No, this is not a drill.
Continue reading Load Up the Pantry.
Scientists: Smog contributes to premature death. AP. 4/22/2008. Link to report summary
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Short-term exposure to smog, or ozone, is clearly linked to premature deaths that should be taken into account when measuring the health benefits of reducing air pollution, a National Academy of Sciences review concludes.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Short-term exposure to smog, or ozone, is clearly linked to premature deaths that should be taken into account when measuring the health benefits of reducing air pollution, a National Academy of Sciences review concludes.
Continue reading Scientists: Smog contributes to premature death.
Food Price Rises Threaten Global Security - UN. David Adam. Independent/UK. 4/09/2008.
Rising food prices could spark worldwide unrest and threaten political stability, the UN's top humanitarian official warned yesterday after two days of rioting in Egypt over the doubling of prices of basic foods in a year and protests in other parts of the world.
Rising food prices could spark worldwide unrest and threaten political stability, the UN's top humanitarian official warned yesterday after two days of rioting in Egypt over the doubling of prices of basic foods in a year and protests in other parts of the world.
Continue reading Food Price Rises Threaten Global Security - UN.
Food prices stir poverty concern. Al Jazeera. 4/11/2008.
The price of coarse rice, the staple food of poor Bangladeshis, has more than doubled in a year [EPA]
The International Monetary Fund has said that rising food prices threaten to undermine gains made in cutting poverty and could further strain the global economy.
The price of coarse rice, the staple food of poor Bangladeshis, has more than doubled in a year [EPA]
The International Monetary Fund has said that rising food prices threaten to undermine gains made in cutting poverty and could further strain the global economy.
Continue reading Food prices stir poverty concern.
Oregon's healthcare lottery. Rajesh Mirchandani. BBC. 3/30/2008.
In what is believed to be the first such move, a US state is running a lottery in which the prize is health insurance.
In what is believed to be the first such move, a US state is running a lottery in which the prize is health insurance.
Continue reading Oregon's healthcare lottery.
How much will it cost to fix the climate? The numbers vary. Brad Knickerbocker. Christian Science Monitor. 3/27/2008.
One of the biggest questions about climate change is: What will it cost to fix? Figuring that out is a huge challenge.
One of the biggest questions about climate change is: What will it cost to fix? Figuring that out is a huge challenge.
Continue reading How much will it cost to fix the climate? The numbers vary..
Older Americans wealthier, living longer. Julie Steenhuysen. Reuters. 3/28/2008.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Older Americans have more money and are expected to live far longer than prior generations, U.S. government researchers said on Thursday.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Older Americans have more money and are expected to live far longer than prior generations, U.S. government researchers said on Thursday.
Continue reading Older Americans wealthier, living longer.
Asian rice crisis starts to bite. Hannah Belcher. Al Jazeera. 3/29/2008.
Cambodia
Continue reading Asian rice crisis starts to bite.
High Rice Cost Creating Fears of Asia Unrest. Keith Bradsher. NY Times. 3/29/2008.
HANOI -- Rising prices and a growing fear of scarcity have prompted some of the world's largest rice producers to announce drastic limits on the amount of rice they export.
HANOI -- Rising prices and a growing fear of scarcity have prompted some of the world's largest rice producers to announce drastic limits on the amount of rice they export.
Continue reading High Rice Cost Creating Fears of Asia Unrest.
DEVELOPMENT: A Winding Journey From Seed to Plate. Matt Homer. International Press Service.
WASHINGTON, Mar 28 (IPS) - Ballooning food prices around the world are prompting a reevaluation of the underpinnings of aid practices that many analysts consider to be inefficient and, in some cases, counterproductive.
WASHINGTON, Mar 28 (IPS) - Ballooning food prices around the world are prompting a reevaluation of the underpinnings of aid practices that many analysts consider to be inefficient and, in some cases, counterproductive.
Continue reading DEVELOPMENT: A Winding Journey From Seed to Plate.
Poverty Is Poison. Paul Krugman. NY Times. 2/18/2008.
"Poverty in early childhood poisons the brain." That was the opening of an article in Saturday's Financial Times, summarizing research presented last week at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
"Poverty in early childhood poisons the brain." That was the opening of an article in Saturday's Financial Times, summarizing research presented last week at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Continue reading Poverty Is Poison .
Depression drugs don't work, finds data review. David Rose. Times Online. 2/26/2008.
Millions of people taking commonly prescribed antidepressants such as Prozac and Seroxat might as well be taking a placebo, according to the first study to include unpublished evidence.
Millions of people taking commonly prescribed antidepressants such as Prozac and Seroxat might as well be taking a placebo, according to the first study to include unpublished evidence.
Continue reading Depression drugs don't work, finds data review.
Sex-Changing Chemicals Make Male Starlings Sing Sweet Songs. Brandon Keim. Wired News. 2/29/2008.
Pollutants that turn male fish into females have an unexpected effect on starlings: they cause the guys to sing sweet songs that lady starlings find irresistible.
Pollutants that turn male fish into females have an unexpected effect on starlings: they cause the guys to sing sweet songs that lady starlings find irresistible.
Continue reading Sex-Changing Chemicals Make Male Starlings Sing Sweet Songs.
Daniel Troy's Poison Pill. Stephanie Mencimer. Mother Jones. 3/07/2008.
Washington Dispatch: How a former Bush appointee has the high court poised to wipe out consumer suits over dangerous medical products—and possibly much more.
Washington Dispatch: How a former Bush appointee has the high court poised to wipe out consumer suits over dangerous medical products—and possibly much more.
Continue reading Daniel Troy's Poison Pill.
Food Crisis Will Take Hold Before Climate Change, Warns Chief Scientist. James Randerson. Guardian. 3/07/2008.
· Pressures from population growth and affluence
Food security and the rapid rise in food prices make up the “elephant
in the room” that politicians must face up to quickly, according to the
government’s new chief scientific adviser.
· Pressures from population growth and affluence
· ‘Profoundly stupid’ to cut down forests for biofuels
Food security and the rapid rise in food prices make up the “elephant
in the room” that politicians must face up to quickly, according to the
government’s new chief scientific adviser.
Continue reading Food Crisis Will Take Hold Before Climate Change, Warns Chief Scientist.
Solar Energy Firms Leave Waste Behind in China. Ariana Eunjung Cha. Washington Post. 3/09/2008.
GAOLONG, China -- The first time Li Gengxuan saw the dump trucks from the nearby factory pull into his village, he couldn't believe what happened. Stopping between the cornfields and the primary school playground, the workers dumped buckets of bubbling white liquid onto the ground. Then they turned around and drove right back through the gates of their compound without a word.
GAOLONG, China -- The first time Li Gengxuan saw the dump trucks from the nearby factory pull into his village, he couldn't believe what happened. Stopping between the cornfields and the primary school playground, the workers dumped buckets of bubbling white liquid onto the ground. Then they turned around and drove right back through the gates of their compound without a word.
Continue reading Solar Energy Firms Leave Waste Behind in China.
A Global Need for Grain That Farms Can’t Fill. David Strietfeld. NY Times. 3/09/2008.
LAWTON, N.D. — Whatever Dennis Miller decides to plant this year on his 2,760-acre farm, the world needs. Wheat prices have doubled in the last six months. Corn is on a tear. Barley, sunflower seeds, canola and soybeans are all up sharply.
LAWTON, N.D. — Whatever Dennis Miller decides to plant this year on his 2,760-acre farm, the world needs. Wheat prices have doubled in the last six months. Corn is on a tear. Barley, sunflower seeds, canola and soybeans are all up sharply.
Continue reading A Global Need for Grain That Farms Can’t Fill.
Quarter of US Women Suffer Domestic Violence: CDC. Will Dunham. Reuters. 2/07/2008.
About a quarter of U.S. women suffer domestic violence, U.S. health officials reported on Thursday, with ongoing health problems that one activist likened to the effects of living in a war zone.
About a quarter of U.S. women suffer domestic violence, U.S. health officials reported on Thursday, with ongoing health problems that one activist likened to the effects of living in a war zone.
Continue reading Quarter of US Women Suffer Domestic Violence: CDC .
After teen suicides, an Argentine tribe outlaws 'white' vices. Sara Miller Llana, 11/02/2007, Christian Science Monitor.
In a tropical corner of Argentina, a Guarani chief has set a 7 p.m. village curfew and prohibited alcohol.
Continue reading After teen suicides, an Argentine tribe outlaws 'white' vices.
Elizabeth Rosenthal. 10/12/07. NY Times. Legal or Not, Abortion Rates Compare.
A comprehensive global study of abortion has concluded that abortion rates are similar in countries where it is legal and those where it is not, suggesting that outlawing the procedure does little to deter women seeking it.
Continue reading Legal or Not, Abortion Rates Compare.
Medicare Audits Show Problems in Private Plans. Robert Pear. NY Times. 10/10/07.
Tens of thousands of Medicare recipients have been victims of deceptive sales tactics and had claims improperly denied by private insurers that run the system’s huge new drug benefit program and offer other private insurance options encouraged by the Bush administration, a review of scores of federal audits has found.
Tens of thousands of Medicare recipients have been victims of deceptive sales tactics and had claims improperly denied by private insurers that run the system’s huge new drug benefit program and offer other private insurance options encouraged by the Bush administration, a review of scores of federal audits has found.
Continue reading Medicare Audits Show Problems in Private Plans.
A Heavy Toll From Disease Fuels Suspicion and Anger. Bolton, NYT. 10/07/07.
MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass., Oct. 6 — The big news in this struggling southeastern Massachusetts community is a proposed $1 billion casino complex that many hope will bring financial salvation.
MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass., Oct. 6 — The big news in this struggling southeastern Massachusetts community is a proposed $1 billion casino complex that many hope will bring financial salvation.
Continue reading A Heavy Toll From Disease Fuels Suspicion and Anger.
'Health disaster' in French Caribbean linked to pesticides. 9/19/07 John Lichfield, Independent.
The indiscriminate use of toxic pesticides on banana plantations in the French Caribbean has left much of the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe poisoned for a century to come, a report to the French parliament warned yesterday. The two islands and their 800,000 inhabitants faced a "health disaster", with soaring rates of cancer and infertility, said Professor Dominique Belpomme, a French cancer specialist.
Continue reading 'Health disaster' in French Caribbean linked to pesticides.
Rebecca Smithers. 9/06/07. Guardian. Danger to children from food and drink additives is exposed.
· Study links to hyperactivity and disruptive behaviour
· Government body tells parents to check packaging labels
· Angry reaction as decision on law change is passed to Europe
Continue reading Danger to children from food and drink additives is exposed.
