News lifestyle 2008-08-16 Andanh.com

Bisphenol A is safe, FDA says Sat, 16 Aug 2008 02:00 EDT

WASHINGTON . Despite ongoing safety concerns from parents, consumer groups and politicians, a chemical used in baby bottles, canned food and other items is not dangerous, federal regulators said Friday.

Food and Drug Administration scientists said the trace amounts of bisphenol A that leach out of food containers are not a threat to infants or adults. The plastic-hardening chemical is used to seal canned food and make shatterproof bottles. It also used in hundreds of household items, ranging from sunglasses to CDs.

The FDA's draft report was greeted with enthusiasm by the American Chemistry Council, which has defended the chemical's safety.

.FDA is the government agency we rely upon to assess food-contact products. They've assessed this issue in great detail, and their conclusion is very reassuring,. said Steve Henges, an executive director with the council.

Sweet sorghum gets a squeeze Sat, 16 Aug 2008 02:00 EDT

Reach back into the .old-timey. .corner of your memory for an image that involves sweet syrup, a mule-.powered mill and a field of lanky stalks that look somewhat like seedy, mop-topped corn without ears. Those are the images of sweet sorghum.

Still, that image needs an update to address sorghum's potential for ethanol production across the globe, as well as the possibility of growing .ornamental varieties in your home garden.

Take a lesson from Lucy Breathitt, who planted about five acres of sweet sorghum and last year earned a blue ribbon from the Kentucky State Fair to show for it. Her family has been involved in agriculture for generations at its Woodford county farm, originally known as Woodburn. There, in the late 1700s and early 1800s, the Alexander family introduced the breeding of horses and sheep in the Bluegrass.

Breathitt keeps horses, cattle and bees on the farm, where she used to raise tobacco. But with tobacco's decline and farming in her blood, Breathitt .investigated possibilities for planting alternative crops that would keep the farm working to provide some income. She decided to give sorghum a try.

Catholic prayers set to contemporary beat Sat, 16 Aug 2008 08:06 EDT

DETROIT . Madonna is on Jennifer Zablocki's iPod. So is .The Madonna..

The Detroit-area 12th-grade teacher works up a sweat to the pop diva's music as well as songs honoring Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Among the hundreds of popular and Top 40 selections Zablocki has downloaded are the Rosary Tapes, a collection of Roman Catholic prayers and meditations for the rosary set to contemporary music by a pair of jingle writers better known for .helping Ford Motor Co. sell cars.

.I don't make it to church every week, so it's just kind of my way of keeping in touch with my faith,. said Zablocki, a 25-year-old Catholic.

First Stage Children's Theater
The First Stage Theatre Company has announced its lineup of performances for the Fall 2008 Spring 2009 season, which marks the 19th season for the children’s theater.

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