20 questions on genetically-modified (GM) foods

Q1. What are genetically modified (GM) organisms and GM foods?

These questions and answers have been prepared by WHO in response to questions and concerns by a number of WHO Member State Governments with regard to the nature and safety of genetically modified food.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. The technology is often called “modern biotechnology” or “gene technology”, sometimes also “recombinant DNA technology” or “genetic engineering”. It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another, also between non-related species.

Such methods are used to create GM plants – which are then used to grow GM food crops.

For the other questions, please click this link and go to the WHO's website.

What is digital divide?

The concept of the digital divide is becoming more and more complex as access to computers and the use of computers, changes over time. When the existence of a “digital divide” first emerged, it revolved around access to computers and related technologies. The high cost of computers create a large divide between people who could afford them, and who had access to all the advantages of a computer, and those who could not.

The falling cost of computers, combined with initiatives in many countries to create community access points or telecentres [link], has meant that more and more people are gaining access to some form of computer. As more people gain basic access to computers, the term “digital divide” has grown to encompass technological literacy and the total cost of running a computer—in other words, the ability, both technical and financial, to make full use of the technology available. The digital divide now takes into consideration access, or lack of access, to the Internet, as well. The digital divide is not only an issue in developing countries. Even in very wealthy countries, various communities face barriers to access, for economic, linguistic, and even generational reasons.

Some organizations and even countries are trying to close the digital divide using free and open source software (FOSS). FOSS allows anyone to modify the software for his or her needs. One common reason to turn to FOSS is language: many software programs do not include language support for more than three or four languages. FOSS programmers can provide translation and localization for the software by changing the software code. To do this with non-open source, or proprietary, software users must wait until the company who made the software translates it.

Different groups are trying to close the digital divide in many other ways. The World Summit on the Information Society was a global policy process where governments, civil society, and businesses tried to solve some of the most pressing issues, ranging from basic access to who controls the flow of information on the Internet (Internet governance and net neutrality). There is also a large group of individuals, called the Digital Divide Network (DDN) [link] who are trying to close the divide in a number of different and innovative ways.

TakingITGlobal.

Cool Evian Roller Babies Ad

Midnight record for Twilight film

The new Twilight vampire movie took a record $26.3m (£15.9m) in midnight showings at North American box offices, studio Summit Entertainment has said.

That beats the previous North American record of $22.2m (£13.5m) for midnight openings, taken by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in July.

Experts have predicted that New Moon will have one of the biggest opening weekends for a non-summer film.

The first movie in the series, starring Robert Pattinson, made $69.6m (£42.1m).

It is expected the sequel will take almost $100m (£60.6m) in the US and Canada over the course of the weekend.

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire holds the current North American weekend record - outside of Hollywood's May to August summer season - with takings of $102.7m (£62.2m) in November 2005.

The biggest ever opening weekend was for Dark Knight - starring the late Heath Ledger - which took $158.4m (£96m) in July 2008.

The new Twilight film follows the romance between high school student Bella Swan, played by Kristen Stewart, and vampire Edward Cullen, played by Pattinson.

The movie adaptations are based on the series of books by American author Stephenie Meyer.

The books have sold 85 million copies and have been translated into more than 20 languages.

BBC News. Nov 21, 2009.

Something to wake you up in a cold winter morning

I'm sure these two bacon advertisements can warm you up.

"Hand-trimmed and hardwood smoked mean it’s always a scrumptious morning."

Oscar Mayer bacon is carefully selected, hand-trimmed and naturally hardwood smoked for hours to bring you that one-of-a-kind flavor well worth waking up for.

"To make great bacon, we take the slow road."

Oscar Mayer bacon is carefully selected, hand-trimmed and naturally hardwood smoked for hours. Because there are no shortcuts to that one-of-a-kind flavor.

New rules don't cover drink-label sweet talk

The Consumer Council has warned that misleading claims such as "less sweet", "unsweetened" and "reduced sugar" on drinks will not be regulated by the food-labelling law that goes into force in July.
The council examined 80 beverages. Yakult contained the greatest amount of sugar - 16 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres. The sugar content in one 100ml bottle of the Live Yakult Lactobacillus drink accounts for 32 per cent of an adult's recommended daily sugar intake.

A Yakult spokeswoman said the sugar in the drink was there to feed the live bacteria in the drink. Lactobacillus is the drink's main selling point. "We will forward the report to our head office in Japan to follow up," she said.

Seven out of 80 different drinks tested by the council bore wording related to sugars such as "less sweet" or "unsweetened", "slightly sweetened", "reduced sugar" or "no-added sugars".

"These wordings and expressions were not considered to be nutritional claims on sugars and as such they are not covered by the law," Professor Ron Hui Shu-yuen, vice-chairman of the council's publicity and community relations committee, said.

The Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) (Amendment: Requirements for Nutrition Labelling and Nutrition Claim) Regulation 2008 stipulates that "sugar free" food must contain not more than 0.5 grams of sugar per 100 grams or 100ml.

The legal definition of a "low sugar" claim on solid food or liquid food means there must not be more than 5 grams of sugar per 100 grams of solid food, or 100ml of liquid food.

"But the wordings such as 'less sweet' and 'reduced sugar' is description of a beverage's sweetness and is a matter of subjective judgment varying from individual to individual and without a standard measurement," Hui said. "Since these expressions are not considered to be nutritional claims about sugar, they are not covered by the amendment regulation which will come into effect next year."

Ribena Blackcurrant Drink ("less sweet") is one of the examples that might cause confusion, as it contains 9.1 grams of sugar per 100ml - only 0.9 grams less sugar than a can of Coca-Cola.

"Expressions such as 'less sweet' or 'no-added-sugar' on their packaging do not mean that they really contain less sugar or have low sugar levels," Dr Anne Fung Yu-kei, principal medical officer of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, said. "Consumers should not be misled by these wordings, especially diabetes patients."

The council reminded patients that the term "no added sugars" only meant that no sugars were added to the product, but the food might still contain sugars. "The expression should not be taken as meaning the sugar level is necessarily low," she said. Other expressions such as "no MSG", "no hydrogenated oil", "caffeine-free", "with electrolytes", "no added" and "not a significant source of" are also not considered to be nutrient-content claims.

The council urged consumers to read food labels carefully before purchasing. "Do not believe the wording on the package," Fung said. "Read the labels to find out the nutritional facts before paying for a food product." If many manufacturers used subjective expressions as a way to bypass the law, the council said it would suggest that the government legislate on the use of such words and expressions.

Two drinks that bear the words "less sweet" are Low Sugar Vitasoy soymilk and Low Sugar Vitasoy Malted soymilk. A spokeswoman for Vitasoy International Holdings said the two products, containing 4.8 grams of sugar per 100ml and 4.7 grams of sugar per 100ml respectively, complied with the law. "As these products contain less sugar compared to the traditional version, we describe the taste as 'less sweet' on the side of the pack," she said.

The food labelling law will require packaged food to carry "1+7" labels, declaring the product's total energy value and that of seven core nutrients.

SCMP. Nov 17, 2009.

Last Ice Age took just SIX months to arrive

It took just six months for a warm and sunny Europe to be engulfed in ice, according to new research.

Previous studies have suggested the arrival of the last Ice Age nearly 13,000 years ago took about a decade - but now scientists believe the process was up to 20 times as fast.

In scenes reminiscent of the Hollywood blockbuster The day After Tomorrow, the Northern Hemisphere was frozen by a sudden slowdown of the Gulf Stream, which allowed ice to spread hundreds of miles southwards from the Arctic.

Geological sciences professor William Patterson, who led the research, said: 'It would have been very sudden for those alive at the time. It would be the equivalent of taking Britain and moving it to the Arctic over the space of a few months.'

Professor Patterson's findings emerged from one of the most painstaking studies of climate changes ever attempted and reinforce the theory that the earth's climate is  unstable and can switch between warm and cold incredibly quickly.

His conclusions, published in New Scientist, are based on a study of mud deposits extracted from a lake in Western Ireland, Lough Monreagh - a region he describes as having the 'best mud in the world in scientific terms'.

Professor Patterson used a precision robotic scalpel to scrape off layers of mud just 0.5mm thick. Each layer represented three months of sediment deposition, so variations between them could be used to measure changes in temperature over very short periods.

He found that temperatures had plummeted, with the lake's plants and animals rapidly dying over just a few months.


The subsequent mini Ice Age lasted for 1,300 years and was probably caused by the sudden emptying of Lake Agassiz in Canada, which burst its banks and poured freezing freshwater into the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.

That would have disrupted the Gulf Stream - the flows of which depend on variations in saline levels and temperature - and allowed the ice to take hold.

Some scientists believe that if the Greenland ice cap melts it could disrupt the world's ocean currents and have a similarly dramatic effect.

An iceberg melts off Ammassalik Island in Eastern Greenland. Some scientists believe that 

if the Greenland ice caps melt, an Ice Age could hit within months

Daily Mail. Nov 16, 2009.