As Consumerist points out, for the latest example of "stealth inflation" we go to Sodastream, where as part of a redesign of its proprietary line of flavoring syrups which "cost the same" the actual bottle contents are now not only smaller but also diluted.

Source: www.everydayhealth.com | Original Post Date: October 26, 2015 –

Bad news for bacon lovers: Eating processed meats — including bacon, sausages, and hot dogs — can increase your risk of colon cancer, according to a report issued today by the World Health Organization (WHO).

A team of 22 health experts from 10 countries reviewed 800 studies on the disease in humans and concluded that, when eaten daily, each 50 grams (gm) of processed meat (the equivalent of about two slices of ham or sausage) increases the risk ofcolon cancer by 18 percent. WHO also noted that eating red meat, such as beef, pork, and lamb, can cause colon, prostate, or pancreatic cancer.

Processed meat refers to meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavor or improve preservation. The report specifically names ham, hot dogs, sausages, and jerky, and confirms previous findings that eating meat increases your risk of cancer.

In 2011, the World Cancer Research Fund found strong evidence that both red and processed meat increase the risk of colorectal cancer. They advised that you eat no more than 500 gm of meats like beef, pork, and lamb per week, and limit consumption of processed meats like ham and salami as much as possible.

3 Ways to Cut Down on Processed and Red Meat Every Day

Though grilling season is ending in much of the country, you may still be tempted by hot dogs at basketball games or bacon at brunch. Plus, if you regularly eat a sandwich stacked with deli meats for lunch, you could be putting yourself at risk. Try these easy ways to cut back on processed meats:

• Build a better sandwich: Rather than rely on deli meats like processed turkey and roast beef to fill your sandwich, use slices of roasted turkey or chicken (you can even buy a rotisserie chicken if you’re short on time). You’ll still get great flavor and a good dose of protein — without all the unwanted chemicals and fillers.
• Go veggie: No, you don’t have to become a vegetarian, but the next time you order a pizza, consider skipping the pepperoni and sausage and asking for extra mushrooms, which tend to impart a meat-y flavor.
• Get creative in the kitchen: Love to cook? Beans make a great substitute in some of your favorite meat dishes. Try tossing them in chili, soups, and stews, or grind them up to make a delicious meat-free burger.

Written by Abigail Libers of www.everydayhealth.com

Although there is no official declaration about how the fires got started, coal mining has been prevalent in the area for many years, and there may be coal mines burning beneath the contents of the landfill. People living closest to the fire have complained for years about the terrible odor it produces.

Also owned by Republic Services is the West Lake landfill which is adjacent to the Bridgton landfill. West Lake was blasted out of a quarry in the middle of the last century, and filled with radioactive garbage from the big name corporations in St. Louis that included Monsanto. In 1973, Mallinckrodt Chemical Company illegally dumped radioactive waste from uranium processing on the West Lake grounds, further contaminating the site and its surrounding areas. Included in their radioactive waste was material dating back to the Manhattan Project, which in 1940 created the first atomic bomb. St. Louis was the scene of the project, and the first place uranium was processed.

In 1990, West Lake was designated as a superfund site, which is any U.S. land that has been contaminated by hazardous waste and identified by the EPA as a candidate for cleanup because it poses a risk to human health and/or the environment. Such sites are placed on the National Priorities List. However, after the passing of nearly 25 years, nothing has been done to remediate the West Lake landfill.

The Mallinckrodt waste which came in dump trucks, some of it loose and some in barrels, was allowed to remain right at the headwaters of Coldwater Creek, a creek very close to West Lake that ran for eight miles through an adjacent bedroom community. The waste was not covered and every time there was rain it ran into the creek where the neighborhood children played. Residents of the community didn’t have a clue because anything involving radioactive waste was veiled in secrecy. As adults, many of these people developed unusual and rare cancers as a result of their proximity to Coldwater Creek.

Why hasn’t this site been cleaned up?

“You’re looking at half a million dollars just at West Lake alone”, says Dawn Chapman, leader of the organization Just Moms STL. “The department of energy deliberately past it over to superfund and made the recommendation because under superfund there are other responsible parties. That’s how the superfund program works. So in a sense, the federal government would not be solely responsible for West Lake. They would end up having to split the check two or three different ways.”

There are about 9 tons of this radioactive material that need to be dealt with. The problem is that it’s mixed into 39 tons of soil. That extends the scope of the cleanup immensely.

But Chapman says, “The federal government makes a lot money off nuclear weapons, and frankly this site is not as expensive as some of the other sites, and that 39 tons of soil you’re talking about is horribly contaminated”

In the long run it would be less expensive to clean up West Lake now, before the fire reaches the radioactive material, than it would be to let it happen and have to decontaminate the entire metro area, or even more. One wonders what they are waiting for.

See also:

Protective and Restorative Measures to Take in the Event of Radiation Contamination

Texas water scandal: state agency and officials hid radioactive contamination for years

For more information:

http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2015/10/06/disaster-plan-developed-in-case-fire-reaches-nuclear-waste
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLaghCkyNqQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEm-ahNU80g

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed a bill Tuesday aimed at improving cybersecurity by encouraging companies and the government to share information about threats. It took roughly six years to win approval for such a program.

The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act passed by a 74-21 vote. It overcame concerns about privacy and transparency from some senators and technology companies, such as Apple and Yelp.

The Senate rejected amendments, including one addressing concerns that companies could give the government personal information about their customers. Another failed amendment would have eliminated part of the bill that would keep secret information about which companies participate and what they share with the government.

The bill's co-sponsors, Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Richard Burr, R-N.C., said the measure was needed to limit high-profile cyberattacks, such as the one on Sony Pictures last year.

"From the beginning we committed to make this bill voluntary, meaning that any company in America, if they, their systems are breached, could choose voluntarily to create the partnership with the federal government. Nobody's mandated to do it," Burr said.

Companies would receive legal protections from antitrust and consumer privacy liabilities for participating in the voluntary program.

The House passed its version of the bill earlier this year with strong bipartisan support. The two versions of the bill will need to be reconciled before being sent to the White House for the president's signature.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who opposed the bill, offered an amendment addressing privacy concerns, but it failed to pass. It would have required companies to make "reasonable efforts" to remove unrelated personal information about their customers before providing the data to the government.

"You just can't hand it over," Wyden said. "You've got to take affirmative steps, reasonable, affirmative steps, before you share personal information."

Senators also rejected an amendment Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., had offered that would have removed a provision to keep secret more information about materials that companies provide to the government. Leahy criticized the bill's new exemption from the U.S. Freedom of Information Act as overly broad because it pre-empts state and local public information requests, and it was added without public debate.

The Sunshine in Government Initiative, a Washington organization that promotes open government policies, urged the Senate last week to support Leahy's amendment. The AP is one of at least nine journalism groups that are members of the organization.

Despite the lengthy road to pass the Senate bill, it's unclear whether it would improve Internet security. Participation is voluntary and companies have long been reluctant to tell the U.S. government about their security failures.

"Passing the bill will have no effect on improving cybersecurity," said Alan Paller, director of research for the SANS Institute. "That's been demonstrated each time sharing legislation has been passed. The cost to companies of disclosing their failings is so great that they avoid it even if there is a major benefit to them of learning about other peoples' failings."

Senators passed an amendment by Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., that limited the bill to 10 years.

Cyberattacks have affected an increasing number of Americans who shop at Target, use Anthem medical insurance or saw doctors at medical centers at the University of California, Los Angeles.

More than 21 million Americans recently had their personal information stolen when the Office of Personnel Management was hacked in what that the U.S. believes was a Chinese espionage operation.

Sen. John McCain, R-Az., chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, called the bill's passage an important first step. He noted that in the past year the United States has been attacked in cyberspace by Iran, North Korea, China and Russia and that there had been attacks against the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon, OPM and an email hacking of the director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

The U.S. and the technology industry already operate groups intended to improve sharing of information among the government and businesses, including the Homeland Security Department's U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team.

"What this bill means is more internet users' personal information being funneled, will be directed to, the National Security Agency under a cybersecurity umbrella," said Greg Nojeim, senior counsel for the Center for Democracy and Technology, a Washington-based civil liberties group. "A company can't both participate in this program and promise its users that it will not volunteer their personal information to the NSA."

Presidential candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., had opposed the bill, although Paul and fellow presidential candidates Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., each did not vote Tuesday. The White House has said it supports the information-sharing bill.

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Follow Tami Abdollah on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/latam