WHO sets limitations on use of melamine (toxin is okay in food, in small amounts)

[Robbien]

Source: AP

GENEVA (AP) - The World Health Organization says tiny traces of the chemical melamine are not harmful in most foods, except baby formula.

But it's joining the U.S. and EU in setting a strict limit that regulators should impose before pulling products off the shelf. Melamine was recently found to have contaminated milk products around the world. It's been implicated in the sickening of nearly 300,000 babies in China and killing at least six infants there.

The W-H-O has decided that while there's no good reason to have any melamine in food products at all, a maximum of 0.2 milligrams of melamine per kilogram of body weight can be tolerated per day.

Read more: http://www.whptv.com/news/world/story/WHO-sets-limitations-on-use-of-melamine/K_G3Z59-p02Ml9AI6eG7tg.cspx

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The power of the almighty dollar (or in this case yuan) triumphs again.

[SpiralHawk]

1. Don't want no steenkin mutant chemicalized processed corporate food facsimile crapola

Give me clean food. A

[PSPS]

2. "there's no good reason to have any melamine in food products at all"

The W-H-O has decided that while there's no good reason to have any melamine in food products at all, a maximum of 0.2 milligrams of melamine per kilogram of body weight can be tolerated per day.

What a non sequitur that sentence is. The value is obviously scientifically arbitrary, chosen only because it would give a pass to the intentionally adulterated dry milk from China that everyone around the world apparently uses. It must save them a penny compared to locally produced (and safer) milk.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. I think China is blackmailing the US

Only explanation I can think of.

China holds gazillions of essentially worthless USA debt, and can demand repayment any time.
Which would turn America into the SS Titanic in a nano-second.
So, in exchange for buying time, Bush Co. and the World Gestapo leaders are letting China make money on poisoned milk.
Population control and all that a bonus feature.

[Psephos]

10. China's "gazillions" of US debt is in Treasury bonds. China can't "demand repayment at any time"

Bonds are issued for specified times, anywhere from 1 year to 20 or 30 years, at which time the bond principal is paid back. Short-maturity Treasury bonds are called T-Bills, with 1-year maturities. They have historically been among the safest of ways to invest money, and this is reflected in the small interest payment one receives. Longer-maturity bonds are known as T-Notes and T-Bonds, and are used to hedge interest volatility and reduce risk over multi-year cycles (among other things).

In practice, bonds are rolled forward. As one set matures, the proceeds are often used to purchase new bonds. Bonds short of maturity may be sold to other parties at market prices at any time. Repayment of the bonds cannot be demanded of the issuer until the maturity date.

There's a decent overview of how this works here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasury_security

Apart from the impossibility of "demanding" repayment, China does have the option of not buying so much US debt in the future. That would force the US government to offer higher interest to attract replacement buyers, and would harm the US budget (there's a good overview of the national debt here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_public_debt ). However, consider that China emphatically does not want "to turn America into the SS Titanic," because that would deep-six its own economy, and China would come apart at the political seams. Most political observers believe that if China can't maintain, at bare minimum, about 5% growth in its economy (it's been averaging over 10% for fifteen years) then the forces of rural and peasant unrest will reach the boiling point.

China will be lucky to see 6% in 2009. If the US stops buying their stuff, that 6% or anything near it goes poof.

[Lorien]

6. Get a little in this meal, and a little more in that, and pretty soon you've

hit deadly levels of melamine. "Safe" levels of arsenic, "safe" levels of mercury, and now this...the big pharmaceutical industries must be loving this, as they'll have loads of new cancer, MS, fibromyalgia and other diseases and disorders to treat every year.

[rcsl1998]

4. Let's See the StudiesThat Determined The 'Safe' Levels Of Melamine

I'd like to see both the FDA studies and the WHO studies --- Oh, there are no such studies??? So the 'safe' levels were 'backed into' after determining how much melamine was already in product and then setting the 'safe' bar above that?? I feel safer already...

[NOW tense]

5. WHO WTF?

[HillbillyBob]

7. I guess one poison in our food is as good as another.

We are taking our own steps.I don't eat GM food, so called foods with Corn by products(corn syrup, corn syrup solids, hydrolyzed oils of any kind think about it you eat hydrolyzed its just like eating any other kind of plastic)
We moved to the country 40 miles from town and are growing our own veggies, and get beef and chicken from organic type farms round here. I have not completely stopped shopping at the grocery store, but am getting less and less there.

[shanti]

9. that's great!

i wish i could do the same, it's been a dream of mine since the early 70's, back to the land and all that. high fructose corn syrup is the devil!

[Trajan]

8. Who's on first ....

What's on second ....

I don't know is on third ....


"Who's on First"


Abbott: Strange as it may seem, they give ball players nowadays very peculiar names.

Costello: Funny names?

Abbott: Nicknames, nicknames. Now, on the St. Louis team we have Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know is on third--

Costello: That's what I want to find out. I want you to tell me the names of the fellows on the St. Louis team.

Abbott: I'm telling you. Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know is on third--

Costello: You know the fellows' names?

Abbott: Yes.

Costello: Well, then who's playing first?

Abbott: Yes.

Costello: I mean the fellow's name on first base.

Abbott: Who.

Costello: The fellow playin' first base.

Abbott: Who.

Costello: The guy on first base.

Abbott: Who is on first.

Costello: Well, what are you askin' me for?

Abbott: I'm not asking you--I'm telling you. Who is on first.

Costello: I'm asking you--who's on first?

Abbott: That's the man's name.

Costello: That's who's name?

Abbott: Yes.

Costello: When you pay off the first baseman every month, who gets the money?

Abbott: Every dollar of it. And why not, the man's entitled to it.

Costello: Who is?

Abbott: Yes.

Costello: So who gets it?

Abbott: Why shouldn't he? Sometimes his wife comes down and collects it.

Costello: Who's wife?

Abbott: Yes. After all, the man earns it.

Costello: Who does?

Abbott: Absolutely.

Costello: Well, all I'm trying to find out is what's the guy's name on first base?

Abbott: Oh, no, no. What is on second base.

Costello: I'm not asking you who's on second.

Abbott: Who's on first!

Costello: St. Louis has a good outfield?

Abbott: Oh, absolutely.

Costello: The left fielder's name?

Abbott: Why.

Costello: I don't know, I just thought I'd ask.

Abbott: Well, I just thought I'd tell you.

Costello: Then tell me who's playing left field?

Abbott: Who's playing first.

Costello: Stay out of the infield! The left fielder's name?

Abbott: Why.

Costello: Because.

Abbott: Oh, he's center field.

Costello: Wait a minute. You got a pitcher on this team?

Abbott: Wouldn't this be a fine team w i t h o u t a pitcher?

Costello: Tell me the pitcher's name.

Abbott: Tomorrow.

Costello: Now, when the guy at bat bunts the ball--me being a good catcher--I want to throw the guy out at first base, so I pick up the ball and throw it to who?

Abbott: Now, that's he first thing you've said right.

Costello: I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!

Abbott: Don't get excited. Take it easy.

Costello: I throw the ball to first base, whoever it is grabs the ball, so the guy runs to second. Who picks up the ball and throws it to what. What throws it to I don't know. I don't know throws it back to tomorrow--a triple play.

Abbott: Yeah, it could be.

Costello: Another guy gets up and it's a long ball to center.

Abbott: Because.

Costello: Why? I don't know. And I don't care.

Abbott: What was that?

Costello: I said, I DON'T CARE!

Abbott: Oh, that's our shortstop!