Coke, Pepsi Change Recipe to Remove Carcinogen

Excerpts from ABCNEWS:

Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. are changing the way they make the caramel coloring used in their sodas as a result of a California law that mandates drinks containing a certain level of carcinogens come with a cancer warning label. 

A representative for Coca-Cola, Diana Garza-Ciarlante, said the company directed its caramel suppliers to modify their manufacturing processes to reduce the levels of the chemical 4-methylimidazole, which can be formed during the cooking process and, as a result, may be found in trace amounts in many foods.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group, in February filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration to ban the use of ammonia-sulfite caramel coloring.

A spokesman for the Food and Drug Administration said the petition is being reviewed. But he noted that a consumer would have to drink more than 1,000 cans of soda a day to reach the doses administered that have shown links to cancer in rodents.

The American Beverage Association also noted that California added the coloring to its list of carcinogens with no studies showing that it causes cancer in humans. It noted that the listing was based on a single study in lab mice and rats.

Solar Storm Headed Towards Earth

Photo Courtesy of NASA

Earth braces for biggest space storm in five years

WASHINGTON - A pair of scorching explosions on the Sun's surface is sparking the biggest radiation and geomagnetic storm the Earth has experienced in five years, space weather experts said Wednesday.

The storm, expected to hit Earth early Thursday US time and last through Friday, may disrupt power grids, GPS systems and satellites, and has already forced some airlines to change their routes around the polar regions. In addition to possibly garbling some of Earthlings' most prized gadgets, the event will likely give nighttime viewers in parts of Central Asia a prime look at the aurora borealis, or northern lights, on Thursday night.

The fuss began late Sunday at an active region on the Sun known as 1429, with a big solar flare that was associated with a burst of solar wind and plasma known as a coronal mass ejection that hurtled in Earth's direction at some four million miles per hour (6.4 million kilometers per hour). Another solar flare and CME followed at 0024 GMT on March 7, setting off a strong geomagnetic and solar radiation storm, both at level three on a five-step scale.

NASA said the second flare -- classified in the potent X class -- was one of the largest of this cycle known as the solar minimum which began in early 2007, and fell in just behind a slightly stronger one which erupted in August. "The current increase in the number of X-class flares is part of the Sun's normal 11-year solar cycle, during which activity on the Sun ramps up to solar maximum, which is expected to peak in late 2013," the US space agency said. The solar flares alone caused brief high frequency radio blackouts that have now passed, according to NOAA.

Geomagnetic and radiation storms will grow more frequent as the Sun leaves its solar minimum period and moves into a solar maximum over the coming years, but people on Earth are generally protected by our planet's magnetic field.

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Solar storm headed toward Earth may disrupt power

WASHINGTON (AP) — The largest solar flare in five years is racing toward Earth, threatening to unleash a torrent of charged particles that could disrupt power grids, GPS and airplane flights.

The sun erupted Tuesday evening, and the effects should start smacking Earth around 7 a.m. EST Thursday, according to forecasters at the federal government's Space Weather Prediction Center. They say the flare is growing as it speeds outward from the sun.

The solar storm is likely to last through Friday morning, but the region that erupted can still send more blasts our way.  Another set of active sunspots is ready to aim at Earth right after this. But for now, scientists are waiting to see what happens Thursday when the charged particles hit Earth at 4 million mph. The storm is coming after an earlier and weaker solar eruption happened Sunday.

This newer blast of particles will probably arrive slightly later than forecasters first thought. That means for North America the "good" part of a solar storm — the one that creates more noticeable auroras or Northern Lights — will peak on Thursday evening. Auroras could dip as far south as the Great Lakes states, but a full moon will make them harder to see.

But there is the potential for widespread problems. Solar storms have three ways they can disrupt technology on Earth: with magnetic, radio and radiation emissions. This is an unusual situation when all three types of solar storm disruptions are likely to be strong.

The magnetic part of the storm has the potential to trip electrical power grids.Power companies around the Earth have been alerted for possible outages. The timing and speed of the storm determines whether it will knock off power grids.

In 1989, a strong solar storm knocked out the power grid in Quebec, causing 6 million people to lose power. Solar storms can also make global positioning systems less accurate, which is mostly a problem for precision drilling and other technologies. There also could be GPS outages.

The storm also can cause communication problems and added radiation around the north and south poles  which will probably force airlines to reroute flights. Some already have done so.

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Archbishop Tagle urges removal of frivolities from weddings

In the words of His Eminence, drop all those ka-ek-ekan (roughly translated frivolities).

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle on Saturday urged the faithful to avoid practices that embellish or depart from sacred Catholic rites, like having dogs as wedding ring bearers or wedding planners telling priests what to do and where to stand.

Tagle noted that some Filipino Catholics had been treating the sacraments as if they were merely venues for “social gatherings or cultural traditions,” thus losing the deeper spiritual meaning of these events and rituals.

“This is one great challenge for us during this year of faith because our liturgy and sacraments, sad to say, sometimes are no longer considered as celebrations of faith,” Tagle said during the Manila Archdiocesan General Pastoral Assembly held at Paco Catholic School auditorium in Manila.


Stand-up comedy
“Sometimes, the faith is the last thing we focus on in the sacraments. The sacraments sometimes become mere social events or just cultural traditions with the faith being the last thing we consider,” he added.


Church dress code
“Once, I received a letter from someone who was getting married and who was asking permission if they could have their dog as their ring bearer,” the prelate recalled. “The dog had been with them for a long time, but what had the dog got to do with our faith? What has become of marriage?

Tagle said he once had to remind a bride about the dress code inside the church, but the bride retorted: “Why does the Church still interfere with that? You are not the one who’s going to pay for my gown.”

“But what you are wearing should speak of your faith. The symbols that you use should speak of your faith,” Tagle explained to his audience.

He also noted that it had become a trend in weddings for church doors to be closed before the bride walks down the aisle.

“The groom and the escorts had entered but when the bride is about to go in, the doors are closed. There are many weddings like that today. Why close the door? You’ll spend the rest of your married life closing doors,” Tagle said in jest.

“That is no longer faith. That’s a gimmick. Paborloloy, ka-ek-ekan na lang yan (Nothing but embellishments and frivolities). Imagine, closing the door on your bride? Hay naku!” he added.



Best punch line
But Tagle reserved his best punch line for the most modern feature of marital rites: the wedding planner.

“There was this wedding I attended that was already 45 minutes late,” Tagle recalled. “I approached the groom and asked:  ‘Why haven’t you started. Is the bride already here?’ Yes.  ‘Are the godparents already here?’ Yes.  ‘So why haven’t you started?’”

Finally, the wedding planner told him the reason for the delay: The butterflies had not yet arrived. “What butterflies?!” Tagle recalled asking the planner.

The answer he got was simple: “Because as the bride walks down the aisle, we will let fly those butterflies.”

“What had those butterflies got to do with our faith? The union is just starting, and you already have all these flying away and separations. Do you know their meaning?” he then said.


Who’s the boss?
This prompted the wedding planner to remind him who was really running the show. “ ‘I am the coordinator. You will start when I say so,’” Tagle recalled the planner as telling him pointblank.

“So, I stood up and said  ‘I am the official witness of the Church here and I am now starting this wedding.’

...

Kirk Cameron Tells Piers Morgan Homosexuality Is 'Unnatural,' 'Ultimately Destructive'

Excerpt from Huffington Post:

During a new interview with Piers Morgan the "Growing Pains" heartthrob who transitioned from a "teen-idol-atheist in Hollywood and became a devoted follower of Jesus Christ in the middle of [his] career" explained that he believes homosexuality is "unnatural... I think that it's detrimental, and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization."

On the issue of marriage equality Cameron remarked, "Marriage was defined by God a long time ago. Marriage is almost as old as dirt, and it was defined in the garden between Adam and Eve -- one man, one woman for life till death do you part. So I would never attempt to try to redefine marriage. And I don't think anyone else should either. So do I support the idea of gay marriage? No, I don't."

When asked what he would do if one of his six kids told him, "Dad, bad news, I'm gay," Cameron responded, "I'd sit down and I'd have a heart to heart with them, just like you'd do with your kids."

Morgan shot back, "I'd say, 'That's great, son! As long as you're happy.' What would you say?"

Cameron offered, "I wouldn't say 'That's great, son, as long as you're happy.' There are all sorts of issues we need to wrestle through in our life... Just because you feel one way doesn't mean we should act on everything we feel."

Excerpt from Advocate:


Kirk Cameron was "pretty brave" to stick to his beliefs and make antigay remarks, CNN talk show host Piers Morgan tells TMZ.


The former star of TV's Growing Pains appeared on Morgan's show Friday and when asked his views on homosexuality, stated, "I think that it's unnatural. I think that it's detrimental, and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization." The remarks created an uproar among equality advocates and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation quickly took action.


Asked if Cameron's opinions are outdated, Morgan replies. "I think he was pretty brave to say what he said. Many would argue (it's) an antiquated view."


Morgan says he thinks many of Cameron's remarks, including saying he wouldn't allow his daughter to have an abortion if raped, were strange and he understands why GLAAD is upset.