Health Canada To Add Anti-Cancer Drugs To Junk Food

Health Canada To Add Anti-Cancer Drugs To Junk Food

National Post

December 21, 2009

Health Canada is proposing an unorthodox way of combatting a food ingredient suspected in some cancers: It wants to let manufacturers put small amounts of a cancer-fighting drug into potato chips and similar foods to curb production of the harmful chemical.

Ever since acrylamide was discovered seven years ago in such foods as french fries and chips cooked at high temperatures, scientists have struggled for a way to get it out. The chemical is not added deliberately; it is an unintentional byproduct of cooking.

Though the evidence is far from definitive, acrylamide has been connected to cancer in animals and possibly people.

As a partial answer, Health Canada is suggesting removing the requirement for a prescription to administer the enzyme asparaginase, except when it is injected into leukemia patients as a treatment.

That way, food companies could include small amounts of the drug in their products, the department says in a “notice of intent” document published on Saturday. Evidence suggests that asparaginase lessens the production of acrylamide by as much as 90%.

The enzyme is destroyed in cooking so would have no impact on people consuming the food, said Varoujan Yaylayan, associate professor with McGill University’s food-science department.

“It has been used quite effectively on an experimental basis,” he said. “It appears to work.”

The acrylamide issue has preoccupied food manufacturers as they brace for the possibility of regulations that could limit levels of the chemical or ban it outright. California actually sued french fry and chip makers over the question, with several agreeing last year to reduce the volume of acrylamide in their goods.

“It’s been a big, big problem,” Prof. Yaylayan said. “Not so much in the public eye, but behind doors, the companies keep having meetings, having scientific symposia and seminars. I have attended many of them, here, in the U.S., in Europe.”

Manufacturers “fully support” the move suggested by Health Canada, Derek Nighbor of Food and Consumer Products of Canada said in a statement provided by the industry group yesterday.

Health Canada is accepting feedback on the idea for 75 days, and could implement it in six to eight months, the government document said.

Swedish scientists discovered in 2002 that acrylamide, used in making various industrial and consumer products, also occurred in foods ranging from breakfast cereals to bread cooked at over 120-degrees celsius. A by-product of heating certain sugars, levels are particularly elevated in carbohydrate-heavy food heated to high temperatures like chips and fries.

Tests have found that consuming the chemical increases the risk of some cancer in rodents. Evidence of its effect on humans who eat it in food is less clear, though, with some research linking it to cancer but most studies finding that the levels people eat would have no carcinogenic effect, said Lorelei Mucci, a Harvard medical school assistant professor who studies the issue.

In fact, Dr. Mucci questions devoting much energy or money to the substance.

Volumes of the chemical can be reduced by cooking at lower temperatures or soaking the product in water first to extract some sugar, but such techniques can affect the pleasant odour, crispiness or colour of some food.

Asparaginase is injected in leukemia patients, where it breaks down asparagine, an amino acid, killing the cancer cells. When it is applied to potatoes or other food before cooking, it similarly reduces the amount of asparagine, the key ingredient in the inadvertent production of acrylamide.

The “downstream effects” of using asparaginase to counter the chemical in food should be studied carefully, advised Dr. Mucci.

 

[Via http://noworldsystem.com]

Toronto Airport With "Worst" Delays

In the immediate aftermath of the failed terrorist bombing of Flight 253 in the United States, heavy security has plagued air travel wait times all over the world. And according to the Globe and Mail, Toronto’s Lester B. Pearson International is among the absolute worst in the world, say many airline industry analysts.

Of course one needs to take into account several factors here. Toronto is a major international hub for travel, particularly as stopovers en route to the United States. Canada also has the most scheduled flights to the U.S. than any other country in the world, unsurprisingly, but it’s still caused enough chaos that police forces have had to be called in to deal with the volume.

But while some other Canadian airports have managed to deal with the problems, Toronto is struggling.

“There are some Canadian airports operating very well. Vancouver is doing well. Calgary seems to have turned around … most of the pressure right now is definitely focused on Toronto,” said Ken Dunlap, director of security in North America for the IATA. “We’re satisfied that every stone has been turned over to remedy the situation at Canadian airports.”

Although it isn’t mentioned in any articles that I can think of, do you think that this little get-together might have anything at all to do with the extra delays?

Close to 17,000 Muslims came to Metro Toronto’s Convention Centre on Friday – Christmas Day – to learn about their religion and being a Muslim in a modern world.

They heard from Islamic scholars, prayed, visited with family and friends and shopped in a bazaar that offered up a variety of wares, including hand-embroidered shawls, books, T-shirts, hijabs for both women and children, jewellery and hijab pins.

It was all part of a three-day convention “Reviving the Islamic Spirit,” an annual conference with its roots in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attack. It is designed, organizers say, as a way to help young Muslims understand their faith in a North American context.

A three-day convention, which means that if you do the math, most would be trying to leave Toronto yesterday and today. Or is that merely an inconvenient coincidence?

[Via http://unambig.wordpress.com]

Five, four, three, two, one...two, three, four, five

For many years, I’ve poo-pooed the act of New Year’s resolution-making. I could care less about New Year’s, which means I generally avoid New Year’s-y nonsense, including the year-end traditions, the-year-in-review newspaper articles and those infernal top-ten-lists, and, of course, New Year’s Eve parties, especially ones involving hollered countdowns, midnight kisses (tongue or no tongue, slobber or no slobber) and off-key renditions of Auld Lang Syne. Which means all of them.

Call me a killjoy if you must. In my books, New Year’s is a big disappointment — always has been, always will be. I’m an optimistic, I swear, but New Year’s never fails to let me down. The clock strikes twelve, and what have you got? The same neuroses. The same regrets. The same flab in the same conspicuous places. The same crippling fear of failure that, instead of motivating you to succeed, sucks you into that self-loathing, procrastinating vortex of definitely-soon-but-not-until-I’ve-cleaned-the-toilet-napped-and-watched-Glee. Same same same. BLAH.

Ain’t no pyrotechnics display, Self-Improvement-Vow or wet smooch with Uncle Frank gonna change a thang. At least, no more than ANY OTHER DAY OF THE YEAR.

New Year’s resolutions are, as a rule, a risky business. The chances of success are (unlike me) extremely slim. Old habits die hard. You stand at the edge of a cliff as the clock ticks and tocks its way towards twelve. You resolve to fly in 2010. Reason tells you that, as soon as you jump, you’ll go KERSPLAT at the bottom of the ravine. But you’re full of boozified optimism. The Schnappsy stars are twinkling in your eyes. So when the clock strikes, you jump, because hey, maybe this year will be different. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll sprout wings.

And then you go KERSPLAT at the b0ttom of the ravine.

Why do we torture ourselves this way, year after year after year? Humans are screwy. This constantly amazes me.

Here’s the funny thing. I’m not anti-resolution because I’ve failed. I’m anti-resolution because I’ve succeeded. It’s true! I know, I’ve just said the chances of success are (unlike me) extremely slim. But I managed to pull it off. ONCE. When I was a foolish, maudlin twentysomething, I smoked. Cigarettes. Gobs and gobs and gobs of them. AND I LOVED IT. But I gave it up cold turkey on Dec. 31, 1999, at the age of 21. And I haven’t once looked back.

*pats herself on the back*

The fact I’ve actually kept one resolution is the perfect excuse never to make one again. One, because I don’t want to spoil my perfect record. Two, because given the fact the chances of success are (unlike me) extremely slim, I am more than 100% sure to fail in future. I’ve used up all my luck.

Where am I going with this, you ask. Good question.

Well. If I were to make a New Year’s resolution for 2010, which I am not going to do, for reasons explained above, it would be this: to stay in each yoga posture for five breaths. This is the ashtanga tradition, and although it sounds easy, I personally find it damn near impossible. Deceptively simple. I’m a rusher, you see. A hurrier. I know I should spend five full breaths in each pose. But theory and practice rarely get along. I tend to cheat a little, when I count. I take short breaths. And/or I move on the fifth breath, which means I’m really only in the pose for four breaths. Which means I’m really only giving it 80%.

Am I impatient? Yes. Am I results-driven? Yes. Am I lazy? Yes yes yes.

According to one of my yoga teachers, ashtangis are famous for their ability to do anything BUT hold a posture.

In the words of my wannabe-ghetto Boulder hairstylist, “true that.”

To sum. I’m not going to make a resolution for 2010. I’m not going to promise to fix my hurry-hurry-ashtangi problem the second the clock strikes twelve on New Year’s Eve. All I can do is try to try. And accept that, despite my best efforts at slowing down, at staying present, at counting to five over and over and over, I’ll likely to go KERSPLAT at the bottom of the yoga ravine – especially in home practice, when no one is counting breaths except me.

[Via http://poseprose.wordpress.com]

Demand grows for Khadr's return

As people across Canada rallied in support for Omar Khadr, the Supreme Court of Canada began proceedings to decide whether the Harper government must seek the Canadian citizen’s return.

Toronto-born Khadr was arrested when he was just 15 by the U.S. army in Afghanistan in 2002, after allegedly throwing a grenade that killed an American soldier. Since then, he’s been held in Guantanamo Bay without trial.

The Canadian government under Harper has so far refused to seek repatriation for the now 23-year-old Khadr, despite a 2008 Federal Court ruling calling for exactly that, and instead went to the top at the Supreme Court. That court could uphold the decision of the Court of Appeals though, forcing the government to comply with its ruling.

Edmonton-based Dennis Edney, Khadr’s lawyer, said he hopes the Supreme Court will rule in Khadr’s favour. Such a decision would effectively force the government ask the Americans for Khadr’s safe return.

“They’d have to abide by the constitution, or we’d have an illegal government,” said Edney  when asked if he thought Harper would contravene such a ruling. “It’s just a simple matter of a ruling from our court.”

“Our government knows, as the rest of the world knows, that Guantanamo Bay has been universally criticized for its treatment of detainees,” he added.

U.S. authorities announced Nov. 13 that Khadr would be facing a military commission for his alleged crimes, the same day Supreme Court hearings on the case began in Ottawa.

“The military commission process has been condemned as a kangaroo court. It’s not a proper process,” Edney said about the development.

Closer to home, about 250 people rallied on Nov. 15 at Edmonton’s Churchill Square, calling for Khadr’s immediate return and criticizing what they see as the government’s abandonment of one of its own citizens.

“Canada is supposed to be the place where we defend and protect human rights, and we have a reputation world wide for that,” said Tonia Huculak, one of the organizers of the rally. “We want him to come back to Canada.”

Amnesty International, one of the sponsors of the Edmonton rally, has documented Khadr’s torture while being held by U.S. military in the notorious prison camp.

The fact that Khadr is a Canadian citizen is an important part of this case for Rodrigo Loyola, 35, who attended the rally with his five-year-old son, Daniel.

“For me, it was very important to attend the rally, because Omar Khadr’s situation could be any Canadian citizen,” Loyola said.

Protesters also criticized the government’s apparent willingness to allow Khadr to be tried in a military court in the U.S., arguing he won’t be given a fair trial.

“I’m very concerned about a Canadian citizen having to go through a military tribunal in the United States,” Loyola said. “It sets precedent.”

“Even if you don’t want to defend Omar, you have to defend your vision of what Canada is,” Huculak said. “If you can’t protect human rights in Canada, where can you protect them?”

Many of  Khadr’s supporters argue that since he was a child when he was detained, he should be treated as a child soldier and reintegrated back into Canadian society.

“Omar has always been treated as an adult, despite the convention on the rights of the child,” Edney said.

Others have called for Khadr to be returned to Canada and tried in a civilian court. But that’s not likely to happen if Khadr returns, according to Edney.

“The truth of the matter is Canada would never try him, because we’d have him out of our court system in two minutes,”  he said, in reference to Khadr’s age at the time of his arrest. “Canada knows that.”

A Jan. 2009 Ipsos-Reid poll indicated that two-thirds of Canadians want Khadr returned home to Canada. Edney said Khadr is aware of the Canadians rallying in his support.

“He says to me that if he ever got out of Guantanamo, he looks forward to thanking all those people who helped him,” Edney said. “Think about that. He’s thinking about others instead of himself.”

This article was originally published in the winter 2009 issue of The MacEwan Journalist.

[Via http://mariamibrahim.wordpress.com]

See Santa's Travels With NORAD!

If you wanted to track the location of Father Christmas tonight, you have only to look on NORAD’s site, accessible in 7 languages.

The tradition started in 1955 when NORAD was called the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) and a Sears advertisement printed Santa’s hotline into CONAD’s instead of Santa!

Colonel Harry Shoup, a commander, decided to have his staff find out where Santa was to so they could pass along the information to the kids.

Nowadays, volunteers help the center by taking phone calls and e-mails from kids. But if you really want to know what’s going on with Santa, all you need is a computer. Thanks to the Internet now, you can track him yourself online through NORAD’s site.

NORAD is made possible by Google Earth so have fun tracking and Merry Christmas!

[Via http://yvesonvictoria.wordpress.com]

Newsline: Canada starts issuing visas for Czechs in Prague

Canada has started issuing tourist visas at its embassy in Prague, as a result of which the Czechs travelling to Canada will no longer have to apply for visas via Vienna. The visa department is being opened in Prague almost half a year after the reintroduction of visas for Czechs by Canada in mid-July. Canada reimposed visa requirements on Czechs on July 14 because a high number of Czech citizens, mainly Romanies, applied for asylum after arriving in Canada. In Prague, Ottawa’s decision caused displeasure. The Czech Republic will continue calling on other EU countries to help it press on Canada that reintroduced visas for Czechs even after Canada opens a visa office in Prague. Canada has not stated so far when the visa would be lifted. The EU has threatened to introduce visas for Canadian diplomats unless Canada facilitates the issuing of visas for Czech citizens and sets clear conditions for the renewal of visa-free relations. Brussels set the end of 2009 as a deadline for Ottawa in this respect.

http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/zpravy/canada-starts-issuing-visas-for-czechs-in-prague/413095

[Via http://diplomaticbriefing.wordpress.com]

Laugh Rebel... @ Cosmic Dave's

Had a shoot with Jen Plummer & Jen Courchesne of Laugh Rebel.  They arranged a location shoot at Cosmic Dave’s guitar shop & studio in Sudbury, Ontario.  And what a location it was!  A converted diner, with much of the original decor still intact…Worth a visit if you ever are in Sudbury.

Here are a few of my favourites:

[Via http://shawnmoreton.wordpress.com]