Scientists raise alarm over common sunscreen ingredient being found in frozen pizzas and candies
Another scare about a "possible" harm. The link to the main article is here:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38367662/
There are HUGE barriers to using this study a a basis for policy:* How were the respondents selected? Were they a representative sample of any specifiable popuation? If not, no generlizations can be made from them. That may seem a harsh stricture but in my extensive reseach I always used representative samples. You can do it if you try. If you don't do it you are just playing games
* Once again only high and low scorers were used in the analysis. What happened to the middling scorers? Would including them have made the overall corelations insignificant? It often does.
* I have not been able to see details of the confounders that they alowed for but I doubt that they allowed for the big confounder: income
* They had NO clinical evidence of health problems. The differences they found may or may not lead to illness. Many ingested substances lead to physiological changes without ill effects. We call them drugs
* Since it is ubiquitous, if it did lead to illness of any kind we would surely by now have heard a raft of complaints about it. We have not. If people have ingested it a trillion times without harm, what more do we need to call it harmless?
Scientists have raised concerns of the effects of a common ingredient of sunscreen being used in foods including frozen pizzas, bakery products, and children’s candies.
Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) is a synthetically produced substance that is not classed as hazardous and is used in a vast range of industrial and consumer goods.
It is found in products including sunscreen, sunscreen, cosmetics, paint, plastics, paper, and wallpaper due to its non-flammable and insoluble properties. It also absorbs UV light, though cannot penetrate through the skin.
TiO2 is also regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a type of food coloring and used in a variety of FDA regulated foods, including cottage cheese, salad dressing, and brightly colored sweets such as Skittles – so long as the quantity does not exceed 1 percent by weight of food.
In foods that contain TiO2, it will appear on the ingredients label as either “artificial color” or “colored with titanium dioxide”, though it is not required to be listed, according to the FDA.
Though it is currently approved by the FDA in the US, the substance is currently under reviewed following a 2023 petition by environmental groups, which are seeking to have it banned from foods.
In February, California lawmakers advanced a bill to bar foods with titanium dioxide from being served in public schools. The substance was banned by the European Union in 2022.
Chief among the concerns is that TiO2 contains nanoparticles which – due to their miniscule size – can get inside cells and cause harm to internal organs.
An article in npj Science and Food cited studies done in animals that found that consumption of titanium dioxide nanoparticles led to damage to the liver, immune and reproductive systems, as well as DNA.
Other research found that as well as such damage, the particles can inhibit the spread of beneficial gut bacteria.
A study of 35 healthy adults, published in February, found that those with higher levels of TiO2 in their stool also had higher levels of certain gut inflammation. They also had indications of more gut permeability or how “leaky or separated the cells are,” said Dr Kelsey Mangano, lead scientist of the study.
The concern is that chronic increased gut inflammation and permeability could increase the risk of health issues including colon cancer, nutrient deficiencies and the low-grade inflammation, Dr Mangano said.
Despite this, organizations including the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) have opposed a “knee-jerk” ban on the substance, stating that it would have “far-reaching consequences”.
A statement released by the CHPA in August 2023, in response to the FDA announcement of a review of the use of TiO2 described a ban as “unjustified”.
“We strongly urge the Food and Drug Administration to deny the petition to repeal [a section of its regulations], which permits the use of TiO2 in food and dietary supplements,” the statement read.
“While consumer safety is of paramount importance, a knee-jerk ban on TiO2 in food and dietary supplements would be unjustified. Based on extensive scientific research and regulatory evaluations, TiO2 is deemed safe for use as a food additive when consumed within established regulatory limits.
“Furthermore, its regulatory approval, manufacturing oversight, and industry best practices ensure the responsible use of this ingredient. Continued adherence to these safety measures and ongoing research will contribute to maintaining the safety and integrity of TiO2 as an essential food additive.”
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Secret Bible text changes everything
It changes nothing. When the earliest example of the story was written down centuries after the events it purported to describe, there is no warrant for its truth or accuracy. It could well be fiction, And the earliest mentions of it do say it was fiction
At least if a newly discovered papyrus about Jesus Christ’s childhood is to be believed. He fibbed. He tantrumed. He killed.
If so, little wonder the canonical (accepted) Gospels of the Biblical New Testament don’t say much about the Christian messiah’s early years.
The books of Matthew and Luke offer the only accounts of his birth.
Luke adds the story of a 12-year-old messiah-to-be stunning the theologians of the Second Temple in Jerusalem with his deep understanding of Jewish lore.
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas is significantly more comprehensive - and less righteous.
It purports to be an eyewitness account of the juvenile Jesus’ life in Nazareth. By implication, it’s written by his brother Judas Thomas.
This text was one of many put before Christian bishops drawn together from across Europe and the Middle East in 325 AD by Emperor Constantine.
The powerful convert wanted a standardised religion to help unify his rapidly disintegrating Roman Empire.
The 27 books of the New Testament as we know it today, were their final choice.
Dozens of texts claiming to be gospels, letters from the disciples and collections of Jesus’ sayings were rejected.
These were declared to be, at best, apocryphal (of dubious authenticity), or worst - heretical (against the religion).
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas didn’t make the cut.
Early Christian theologian and Bishop of Rome Hippolytus had previously declared it a dangerous fake in his decree Refutation of All Heresies, written around 230AD.
A century later, Constantine’s bishops agreed.
As such, all copies were ordered to be destroyed on sight.
Almost all were.
But a mislabeled fragment of Egyptian papyrus filed away in a German library has turned out to be the oldest known surviving copy of the original text.
This fragment of papyrus, long labelled as being a hastily written note, has turned out to be a Fourth-century copy of the Infant Gospel of Thomas - an account of Jesus’ childhood banned as heretical by the founders of the Roman Catholic Church.
This fragment of papyrus, long labelled as being a hastily written note, has turned out to be a Fourth-century copy of the Infant Gospel of Thomas - an account of Jesus’ childhood banned as heretical by the founders of the Roman Catholic Church.
The 11cm by 5cm fragment contains just 13 lines of Greek text.
It sat ignored at Berlin’s Hamburg Carl von Ossietzky State and University Library for decades.
But researchers Dr Lajos Berkes and Professor Gabriel Nocchi Macedo recognised its true significance.
“It was thought to be part of an everyday document, such as a private letter or a shopping list because the handwriting seems so clumsy,” explains Dr Berkes.
“We first noticed the word Jesus in the text. Then, by comparing it with numerous other digitised papyri, we deciphered it letter by letter…”
Previously, a codex dating from the 11th Century was the oldest known fragment of the Infancy Gospel written in its original form.
“From the comparison with already known manuscripts of this Gospel, we know that our text is the earliest,” adds Dr Berkes. “It follows the original text, which, according to the current state of research, was written in the 2nd century AD.”
While the papyrus is a tiny fragment, most of the stories contained in the Infancy Gospel have survived through the centuries in some form or another.
It had been widely quoted by early theologians probing the boundaries of acceptable belief. And the tales of the young Jesus persisted in popular storytelling through Antiquity and into the Middle Ages - possibly for their shock value.
But it’s because there is so little surviving of the original text that determining the gospel’s origins is problematic. The general consensus of Biblical scholars is that it was most likely first written down somewhere between 110AD and 130AD.
This particular fragment survived by chance. It is believed to have been discarded from a monastery’s scribe school. That’s because the handwriting is so poor.
“The fragment is of extraordinary interest for research,” adds Dr Berkes. “On the one hand, because we were able to date it to the 4th to 5th century, making it the earliest known copy. On the other hand, because we were able to gain new insights into the transmission of the text.”
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‘I’m Passionate About God’s View of Marriage’: Woman Sets an Example for Her Children by Caring for Her Husband
Thirty-year-old Jessi has been using her social media platform to demonstrate the power of a healthy marriage by sharing anecdotes and lessons from her life as she cares for, loves, and prays with her husband.
The stay-at-home mom met her husband, Skylar, now 32, at a Bible college in 2014.
“I had to get to my early 5 a.m. work in the coffee shop and had 10 minutes to grab breakfast,” she told The Epoch Times. “He was just about to start his security shift and was making a waffle with the waffle maker that was never out. I came in and saw he was making one, which meant I didn’t have time to.”
On seeing Jessie disappointed, Skylar gave her his waffle, and they both left for their respective shifts.
That chance meeting led to a relationship, marriage, and eventually, four children.
Since childhood, Jessi has aspired to be a stay-at-home mom, and her husband supported the idea. Skylar was happy to provide for the family.
“We both view our roles through the lenses of scripture, and it’s very important to us that we put God first, then our family,” Jessi said. “Skylar and I both were in agreement that our children are a blessing from the Lord, and I needed to be the one to pour into their little minds all day long.”
Today, they have four children aged 8 and under and are expecting their fifth soon.
At the center of their marriage is Jessi’s belief that “the greatest gift you can give your children is to love their father well.”
“Loving one another only second to God gives your children a deep sense of trust in your family unit,” she said, adding this helps her children see their parents as reliable and stable and gives them confidence that they can rely on them.
The couple prioritizes spending quality time with each other and ensures they have actual meaningful conversations with each other without their devices.
“We want our kids to see the joy that we have together,” Jessi said.
Jessi’s family eats breakfast together every morning before memorizing hymns. They then tend to their animals and garden before starting their homeschooling session.
By midday, they’ve completed school, and the little ones take a nap.
The afternoon for the older children is spent on games and reading.
Jessi loves seeing her children learn new things. “Reading and math have been so fun to watch my kids discover!” she said.
“Usually we bake something at this point because we love baked goods in this house,” Jessi said.
After baking, everyone works to get the house cleaned so that Skylar can come home to a clean house. Then, the whole family eats supper together—a priority for Skylar and Jessi. A bedtime routine comes next complete with hymns, prayer, and family time.
Jessi feels content in her role as a wife and mother and is grateful to see Skylar fulfill his role as the provider.
Not only does Skylar provide for the family with his income, but he handles most of the bills, having been blessed with a talent for managing finances.
“We talk through our finances and budget,” Jessi said.
Balancing household chores isn’t always easy with little ones underfoot.
“I have specific days for specific things,” Jessi said. “I try to be flexible though. With five kids, it definitely takes creativity!”
Needless to say, the proud mother is devoted both to her husband and her children.
“Our faith has shaped our family from the beginning,” Jessi said.
‘I’m Passionate About God’s View of Marriage’
“My goal is to encourage wives to lean into the role that God has so graciously given to them and not take it for granted!” Jessi said. “I’m passionate about God’s view of marriage, and I think it’s something that many couples need encouragement in.”
To achieve this, Jessi began sharing her perspective on building a “holy and strong marriage” on social media and has been able to build a community of nearly 17,000 followers and is grateful to them.
As for feedback from women online, Jessi’s content has received “a mixture of beautiful, encouraging support and some very unkind words,” she said, although she added that “the good outweighs the bad.”
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Was footballer Jarryd Hayne the victim of a false rape accusation?
This matter is even more problematical than it at first appears. The obvious problem is that he was released on technical grounds -- on the grounds that his most recent trial was not properly conducted. He was NOT exonerated. He was NOT found to be innocent. Bully for his lawyers, I suppose.
So in theory he could be tried on the same matters for a fourth time. That is unlikely to happen as he has already spent enough time in jail to satisfy most of the penalty that a new guilty verdict would bring
The problem that is not being highlighted, however, is the really big one. He could well be the victim of a false rape allegation. There have been several instances in the past when women have been found to be false accusers. Britain at one stage not long ago locked up some of the false accusers.
There appears to be no doubt that he had been promised sex when he arrived at the woman's place but what happened after that is in dispute. The woman claims he forced himself on her until she bled. Messages that she sent to friends after the event, however suggest that she had not told the full story. And that would make her open to have given false testimony, which would make HER the guilty party
So why would she lie? It's pretty clear. Hayne told the taxi driver he would only be a few minutes, showing that what he wanted and expected was a "quickie". But she could well have been dissatisfied with that. She was clearly heavily "into" him and expected a more prolonged and affectionate interaction. So her cry of rape could well be revenge for not getting what she expected from him.
But the truly obnoxious part of the whole affair is that the messages casting doubt on her story were NOT shown to the jury nor were Hayne's lawyers allowed to question her about them. Why on earth would that be? I suspect that it was part of another determination to enforce the feminist "believe the woman" doctrine. I suspect that Hayne has been much maligned. I suspect that he was at most guilty of bad manners
Former rugby league star Jarryd Hayne has walked out of prison after his sexual assault convictions were quashed on appeal.
Mr Hayne left a correctional facility in Sydney's west just before 5pm on Wednesday after being granted his release on bail.
The 36-year-old was found guilty in May last year of sexually assaulting a woman at her Newcastle home on the night of the 2018 NRL grand final.
It was the third time he had been tried over the incident and the second time he was found guilty.
His first trial ended in a hung jury, he was convicted after the second but then won an appeal, and the third trial resulted in this now-quashed conviction.
The NSW Court of Criminal Appeal was split 2-1 over the decision.
Justice Stephen Rothman said the appeal succeeded on two grounds: one concerning the trial judge's decision not allow further cross-examination of the complainant and another concerning a direction to the jury about how to treat allegations the woman had lied.
"The outcome is that the appeal from each conviction is allowed … and the court will quash the two convictions in order that there be a new trial," he said.
"Whether there in fact is a new trial is a matter for the Director of the Public Prosecutions."
Mr Hayne, who has been in prison at a minimum-security jail at Lidcombe in Sydney's west since last year, has been granted bail, which was not opposed by the prosecution.
It was granted on a number of conditions, including that Mr Hayne pay a $20,000 surety and not attempt to contact the complainant or enter the Newcastle local government area.
The Director of Public Prosecutions said it would consider the Court of Criminal Appeal's ruling before deciding whether Mr Hayne should face a fourth trial.
In his written judgment, Justice Rothman noted: "In the current circumstances, it is unlikely that a new trial will occur before the expiry of the non-parole period and most of that period has already been served" and suggested there is "good reason for there not to be a fourth trial."
Mr Hayne, who appeared via videolink from prison, gave little reaction upon hearing the news his convictions would be quashed.
His lawyer Lauren MacDougall said Mr Hayne was "really, really looking forward to getting home to his family".
Hayne's lawyer argued the interaction was 'entirely consensual'
During the trial the jury heard the woman had contacted Mr Hayne via Instagram a little less than two weeks before their first in-person meeting and the messages progressed to a "sexualised" nature.
It heard he arrived at the woman's home, having negotiated a $550 taxi fare back to Sydney, and told the driver to wait outside.
The court heard Mr Hayne tried to kiss the woman, at one point grabbing her by the face, with "forceful" actions despite her telling him to stop.
The jurors were told Mr Hayne's charges were in relation to two forms of sexual activity — oral and digital penetration — and the complainant had said "no" and "stop".
It allegedly lasted for about 30 seconds, and stopped when the complainant's genitals started to bleed.
During the trial Mr Hayne's barrister, Margaret Cunneen SC, said the activity was "entirely consensual" and he "didn't mean to cause her any harm at all".
Mr Hayne's lawyers argued in the appeal that messages deleted from the woman's phone showed that she was consenting and should lead to his acquittal.
The complainant was said to have told the friend Mr Hayne "went down on her", but made no reference to her injury and blood, or to the sexual activity having been forced.
Mr Hayne's lawyers argued that the judge should have allowed them to further cross-examine the woman about why she had failed to disclose the messages to police around the time of the sexual assault.
They argued the issue was central to assessing the witness's credibility.
'The jury were deprived of evidence'
In the judgment Justice Rothman wrote that the cross examination should have been allowed as "it was for the jury to determine whether to believe the complainant" and that "demeanour would have played a significant role".
Justice Deborah Sweeney concurred writing: "The jury were deprived of evidence which had significance for their assessment of the honesty of the complainant."
"By not permitting counsel to cross-examine the complainant on those topics and then telling the jury that in considering the submission that the complainant had lied about matters including deletions from her phone, they should consider whether that was "fairly put", this created an unfairness in the accused's trial".
"The combined effect of those circumstances was to cause a miscarriage of justice in the trial."
Mr Hayne was sentenced in May 2023 to four years and nine months in prison, with a non-parole period of three years.
With time already served, he was eligible for parole from May next year.
Mr Hayne's first trial ended in a hung jury.
He was convicted after the second, but then won an appeal before being tried for a third time.
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My other blogs. Main ones below:
http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
https://immigwatch.blogspot.com (IMMIGRATION WATCH)
https://awesternheart.blogspot.com (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)
http://jonjayray.com/blogall.html More blogs
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Kristina Pimenova, once said to be the most beautiful girl in the world. Note blue eyes and blonde hair
Bliss: What every woman wants: to feel safe and secure in the arms of her man. Robert Irwin and Rorie Buckey. See
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