Last night, in the first presidential debate, moderator Jim Lehrer of PBS asked "how would you tackle the deficit problem?". Mitt Romney after talking about eliminating obamacare said this "I'm sorry, Jim. I'm going to stop the subsidy to PBS. I'm going to stop other things. I like PBS. I love Big Bird. I actually like you too. But I'm not going to — I'm not going to keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for it".
Like many out there, me too loved Sesame Street in my childhood days. Still enjoying along with my toddler son. PBS and Sesame Street are partners for 43 years. But none of the money donated to PBS goes to Sesame Street. While Sesame workshop by itself earns millions from selling toys and books. Therefore, Mitt Romney's mention on Big Bird during his Presidential debate sounds irrelevant.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is used to make polycarbonate plastics that are shatter-resistant and optically clear. These are found in baby bottles, some water bottles, dental sealants, dinnerware, eyeglasses, and in CDs. BPA is also used to make the resin that lines tin cans. This chemical has been shown to cause breast cancer, testicular cancer, diabetes, obesity, hyperactivity, low sperm counts, miscarriage and a host of other reproductive failures in lab animals. This gave rise to concerns that low-level exposure might cause similar effects in human beings.
Its known that BPA is manufactured by Bayer MaterialScience, Dow Chemical Company, General Electric, Hexion Specialty Chemicals, and Sunoco Chemicals. I read that General Electric Co. sold its plastic section last year.
In 1998, Envirnomental protection agency (EPA) had set a one year deadline for itself to screen 15,000 suspected endocrine disruptors including BPA but failed to do so. Ten years passed and the EPA is yet to screen its first chemical. It should be noted that EPA has already spent $18 million for the endocrine disruptor screening program without screening a single chemical!
In 2007, scientists funded by National institute of environmental health sciences (NIEHS) directly studied BPA and raised great concern for BPA. On the other hand, NTP (National toxicology program) panel of scientists who did not directly study BPA but evaluated the other studies concluded BPA to be safe. The watchdog report of Journal Sentinel found that the studies the NTP panel considered were chosen, in part, by a consultant with links to firms that made bisphenol A. To read the article, click here.
Now, in 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says Bisphenol A to be safe. Some of the US senators including John Kerry (D-MA) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) have introduced a bill to ban BPA from children's products and direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study the chemical's human health effects.
Here are some ways to protect us until the state or federal laws outlaw BPA in consumer products:
1) use baby bottles or water bottles that say BPA-free, or use glass or stainless steel bottles.
2) minimize the consumption of canned food and beverages.
3) do not use the type 7 plastic containers that says #7 in a triangle on the bottom.
At this time I remember what my brother wrote on his blog: only 5 chemicals have been banned in the US in the last 30 years: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), Dioxin, Asbestos, and Hexavalent chromium. If you are interested in reading stuff related to harmful chemicals, click here.
Just today, myself and my husband returned from our labor day weekend vacation. We visited our uncle and his family in Dublin, Ohio. The most unforgettable experience from this trip was that I met and spoke to Obama – next potential president of the United States of America! He gave his campaign speech at Dublin Coffman high school football stadium on 30th Aug, 2008. Myself, my huband and his uncle were under the scroching sun at 4.30 pm trying to find a place in the stadium. By that time one of the two bleachers at the stadium was already filled. The second bleacher was opened later when the crowd grew. Somehow, we ended up standing around 15 feet away from the podium. We never thought we would get that closer, therefore, we did not take a camera with us. However, my mobile with 3.2 mpix camera helped me. The press estimated the crowd to be 20,000. By the way, we saw three people fainting due to the high temperature. One fainted during Obama's speech, he paused for a moment and threw his water bottle for the victim.
Finally, the program started at 6 pm. It started with speeches from local democratic candidates and then by Senator Sherrod Brown, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and retired Senator John Glenn (first American to orbit the earth). It was around 6.45 pm when Senator Obama arrived. Soon the democratic vice-president candidate Joe Biden gave a speech. Finally, Obama gave his speech. In response to his speech, the crowd responed by chanting “Yes we can”. After his speech, on his way out, Obama shook hand with people. I too shook hand and told him that we are from Kansas and wished him good luck. He responded through his eyes and smile. It was a wonderful experience.
Senator Barack Obama gave an eloquent acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention last night. It was an historic event as he became United State's first African-American presidential nominee. Here is the video of his speech.
