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May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
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May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
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Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
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The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
How melamine works
By
Marshall Brain
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
For the last year or so, we've been hearing shocking stories involving China and a chemical called melamine. It started in 2007 with the pet-food scandal. Pet food sold in the United States and Canada contained contaminated wheat gluten that made thousands of animals sick. Many of the animals died from kidney failure. In 2008 we are hearing about China's infant formula scandal. Melamine in the formula is poisoning tens of thousands of babies in China. And there is concern that the chemical might be making its way into the U.S. food supply in the form of milk or powdered milk added to food products made in China.
All of this news raises some obvious questions, like, what is melamine? Why would anyone want to add melamine to food in China (or anywhere else)? And why is it so deadly? Let's take a look at how this chemical works.
Melamine is a fairly simple chemical. If you examine a molecule of melamine, it looks like a hexagon made up of three carbon atoms and three nitrogen atoms. Three arms connect to the hexagon. Each arm has a nitrogen atom and two hydrogen atoms. In other words, melamine is a chemical containing three carbon atoms, six hydrogen atoms and six nitrogen atoms per molecule. By weight the molecule contains 64 percent nitrogen.
Melamine is an extremely useful chemical because it is the foundation of a common plastic. Mixed with formaldehyde, melamine forms a resin that is easy to mold into any shape. Formica contains melamine, and so do many other countertop-like products like dry-erase boards and floor tile. Melamine plastic can be glued onto plywood or particle board to make shelves and cabinets. You can make bowls, cups and plates out of it. Melamine is hard and durable. Unlike some other plastics which burn very easily, melamine resists combustion.
So how does a plastic like melamine get into the food supply? To understand this, you need to understand a little about what goes into "normal food". Normal foods contain carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Carbohydrates don't contain any nitrogen, and neither do fats. But proteins do. Proteins are made from chains of amino acids, and each amino acid contains a nitrogen atom. In other words, in any normal, unadulterated food, protein is the only source of nitrogen. Therefore, the common tests that scientists use to determine the amount of protein in a food simply look at the amount of nitrogen in the food. Up until last year this seemed reasonable, because up until last year the only thing supplying nitrogen in any food was amino acids.
Now imagine that you are an unscrupulous food company and you want to make an extra buck. You would do that by "watering down" your product. With milk, you literally add water to the milk. The problem is that your milk will now come up short when it is tested for protein. But the protein test isn't really looking for actual protein - it is simply measuring nitrogen. Recall that melamine contains six nitrogen atoms per molecule. So what if you add melamine to the food? China is one of the world's largest producers of melamine for plastic, so the chemical is cheap and readily available. Now when your watered-down milk gets tested for protein, it will look like it contains the right amount of nitrogen, even though the nitrogen comes in the form of plastic.
This wouldn't really matter from a health-danger perspective if melamine was benign. Unfortunately, it is not. It gets into the kidney and causes kidney failure if you eat enough of it. Most of the pets that died in 2007 died as a result of kidney failure. In 2008, the same kind of kidney poisoning is happening to tens of thousands of Chinese infants whose parents fed them tainted infant formula. The melamine is causing kidney stones and has killed several children.
This Halloween, the Chinese melamine problem is causing something of a scare. There are products made in China, particularly chocolate products, that contain milk and milk powder. Are these products contaminated with melamine? The FDA says it has been testing the food entering the U.S. and it thinks the food supply is safe. But some people are expressing concern that bad candy made in China might be slipping through. If you are worried, a possible precaution might be to check your Halloween candy for a "made in China" tag. If you find Chinese candy, throw it away.
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Previously:
How digital music works
How coal mining works
How an economic depression works
How the liver works
How 3D movies work
How oil pipelines work
How jet packs work
How seismographs work
How Olympic technology works
How Personal Rapid Transit works
How 3G works
How the Global Position System (GPS) works
How octane works
How cruise missiles work
How submarines work
How miles work
How octane works
How food preservation works
How beer works
How holding your breath works
How smoke detectors work
How heat pumps work
How your night vision works
How concentrating solar collectors work
How your key fob works
How the common cold works
How the Large Hadron Collider Works
How making a TV show works
How dry cleaning works
How exoskeletons work
How an oil refinery works
How landfills work
How the Orion spacecraft works
The cutting edge in HDTV
Redefining the CD
How the HDMI cable scam works
How glow-in-the-dark toys work
How the subprime mortgage crisis works
How gift cards work
How Tasers work
How giant TV screens work
How foreclosure works
How Air Force One works
How wildfire fighting works
How vitamins work
How ejection seats work
How reattaching limbs works
How hot air balloons work
How paparazzi work
How counterfeiting works
How CDs work
How the Edsel worked
How Stinger missiles work
How hybrid cars work
How sharks work
How mosquitoes work
How diesel engines work
How water towers work
How the Dawn mission works
How Kassam rockets work
How the North American Eagle works
Why aren't we flying to work?
How tofu and soy milk work
How Colony Collapse Disorder works
How airbags work
How the U.S. income tax works
How gum works
How caffeine works
How Daylight Saving Time works
How a cruise missile works
How snow making works
© 2007, How Stuff Works Inc. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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