Kellogg Cereal Recall Highlights Concerns about Chemicals Leaching from Food Packaging

Posted on July 6, 2010 by Rashid Faridi

Kellogg is recalling as many as 28 million boxes of cereal because a chemical is leaching from the food packaging into the cereal. The incident highlights a little-appreciated concern: While packaging can help food last longer, it can also leach chemicals into foods. The public is becoming increasingly aware of this since Bisphenol A has been making news. That chemical, found in many hard plastics, has been shown to leach into liquids from water bottles, baby bottles, the lining of cans and other common food packaging, particularly in older plastics that have stored hot foods or beverages. Concern has grown over food packaging, since public awareness has increased about the potential health effects of BPA, which can disrupt the endocrine system and mimic estrogen, and which may influence health issues ranging from prostate cancer to mental development.

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Pakistan to expedite satellite monitoring project

Posted on July 6, 2010 by Rashid Faridi

President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari asked the planning commission to expedite the project aimed at incorporating satellite monitoring of the development projects in collaboration with other related governmental agencies. He also asked for digitising the storage of land revenue maps in the pilot projects that have been undertaken, according to a report published in Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).The report said that the President asked them to provide the design monitoring system to the provinces for use as the data resource. He also asked for monthly presentations on progress of the strategic projects and new initiatives using satellite imagery. The President said this during a briefing at Aiwan-e-Sadr on use of satellite imaging as modern tool of transparency and eliminating corruption.The President said that the use of GPS technology and adoption of monitoring and evaluation system would help keep a check on quality and progress of developmental projects and counter corrupt practices and delays in implementations.

source

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An Object that Could be a Planet

Posted on July 5, 2010 by Rashid Faridi

A planet-like object about eight times the size of Jupiter is locked in orbit around very young star, though the exact relationship between the two remains a mystery.

Circling 300 times farther from the star than Earth orbits the sun, the object could be a planet, perhaps one that was catapulted out into the nether regions after a collision or close encounter with an as-yet undetected sibling planet.

read here

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Tectonic Plates and Convection Currents

Posted on July 4, 2010 by Rashid Faridi

Plates and Types of Crust

The earth’s crust is divided up into a series of slabs of crusts known as plates. These plates consist of two different types of crust: continental crust and oceanic crust. There are important differences between the two types. Oceanic crust is constantly being created and destroyed, it is therefore younger than continental crust and its higher density means that it can be subducted and destroyed. As continental crust is ligher with a lower average density, it is permanent and cannot sink. It is also much older and thicker, reaching up to 70km under mountains. In terms of rock type, continental crust is mainly granite, whereas oceanic crust is mainly made up of basalt.

Plate Movements and Convection Currents

The earth’s tectonic plates are in motion, moving like giant ‘rafts’ on top of the semi-molten mantle below. However this movement is slow and rates vary from less than 2.5cm /yr to over 15cm/yr.The movement of the earth’s crustal plates is believed to be due to convection currents which occur in the semi-molten mantle. These convection currents are created by heat from within the earth – much of which is generated by radioactive decay in the core.So how do convection currents cause plate movements? As semi-molten rock in the mantle is heated it becomes less dense than its surroundings and rises. As it reaches the crust above, it spreads out carrying the plates above with it. As the semi-molten rock then cools, it gradually sinks back down to be re-heated.

Source(s):

Mr Chamber’s Site

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