Sunday, August 4, 2013

FDA defining what "gluten free" means on packages

A variety of foods labeled Gluten Free are displayed in Frederick, Md., Friday, Aug. 2, 2013. Consumers are going to know exactly what they are getting when they buy foods labeled "gluten free." The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is at last defining what a "gluten free" label on a food package really means after more than six years of consideration. Until now, manufacturers have been able to use their own discretion as to how much gluten they include. Under an FDA rule announced Friday, products labeled "gluten free" still won't have to be technically free of wheat, rye and barley and their derivatives. But they almost will: "Gluten-free" products will have to contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

A variety of foods labeled Gluten Free are displayed in Frederick, Md., Friday, Aug. 2, 2013. Consumers are going to know exactly what they are getting when they buy foods labeled "gluten free." The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is at last defining what a "gluten free" label on a food package really means after more than six years of consideration. Until now, manufacturers have been able to use their own discretion as to how much gluten they include. Under an FDA rule announced Friday, products labeled "gluten free" still won't have to be technically free of wheat, rye and barley and their derivatives. But they almost will: "Gluten-free" products will have to contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

This undated handout photo provided by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shows a gluten free labeling on a box of pretzel chips. Consumers are going to know exactly what they are getting when they buy foods labeled "gluten free." The FDA is at last defining what a "gluten free" label on a food package really means after more than six years of consideration. Until now, manufacturers have been able to use their own discretion as to how much gluten they include. Under an FDA rule announced Friday, products labeled "gluten free" still won't have to be technically free of wheat, rye and barley and their derivatives. But they almost will: "Gluten-free" products will have to contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. (AP Photo/FDA)

(AP) ? A label that reads "gluten free" will now mean the same thing for all food, regardless of which kind you buy.

After more than a six-year delay, the Food and Drug Administration has set a new standard for labels that will make shopping easier for consumers on gluten-restricted diets. Until now, the term "gluten free" had not been regulated, and manufacturers made their own decisions about what it means.

Under an FDA rule announced Friday, products labeled "gluten free" still won't have to be technically free of wheat, rye and barley and their derivatives. But they will have to contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten.

That amount is generally recognized by the medical community to be low enough so that most people who have celiac disease won't get sick if they eat it.

People who suffer from celiac disease don't absorb nutrients well and can get sick from the gluten found in wheat and other cereal grains. Other countries already have similar standards.

Celiac disease affects up to 3 million Americans. It causes abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea, and people who have it can suffer weight loss, fatigue, rashes and other long-term medical problems. Celiac is a diagnosed illness that is more severe than gluten sensitivity, which some people self-diagnose.

Only a very small number of people wouldn't be able to ingest the amount of gluten that will be allowed under the new rule, FDA officials said.

"Adherence to a gluten-free diet is the key to treating celiac disease, which can be very disruptive to everyday life," FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg said. "The FDA's new 'gluten-free' definition will help people with this condition make food choices with confidence and allow them to better manage their health."

The new FDA rule also would ensure that foods with the labels "no gluten," ''free of gluten," and "without gluten" meet the definition. Manufacturers will have a year to comply, though the FDA urged companies to meet the definition sooner.

Ten years ago, most people had never heard of celiac disease. But awareness and diagnosis of the illness has exploded in recent years. It's not entirely clear why ? some researchers say it was under-diagnosed; others say it's because people eat more processed wheat products like pastas and baked goods than in past decades, and those items use types of wheat that have a higher gluten content.

Many companies that market gluten-free foods already meet the standard. But Andrea Levario of the American Celiac Disease Alliance said the federal guidelines will cut down on painstaking shopping for those who suffer from celiac disease.

Levario said that wheat must be labeled on food packages but that barley and rye are often hidden ingredients in food. The standard will also ensure that companies can't label products "gluten-free" even if they are cross-contaminated from other products made in the same manufacturing facility. She said shopping can be like "playing Russian roulette" for people who have celiac.

"This will eliminate confusion for the consumer and will cut down on calls to companies to try and determine whether their products are safe and gluten free," she said.

Michael Taylor, FDA deputy commissioner for foods, said the rule originally proposed during the George W. Bush administration was delayed because the agency was evaluating what standard was correct.

"We wanted to do a careful scientific assessment of the data and the range of sensitivities," Taylor said.

Congress originally directed the FDA to set the standards in 2004 as part of a larger law that required food packaging to list major allergens. Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., originally introduced a bill calling for the standards in 1999. She praised the FDA rules and called them "a long time coming."

In the decade since Congress considered the standards, gluten-free foods have become big business. Millions of people are buying the foods because they say they make them feel better, even if they don't have celiac disease. Americans spent more than $4 billion on gluten-free foods last year, according to the American Celiac Disease Alliance, and a major manufacturing survey issued this week suggested that the niche industry is giving an economic boost to the food industry overall.

One of the largest manufacturers of gluten free foods, Boulder Brands, said it has been seeing double-digit growth in sales and is looking at expanding into bigger markets. The company's brands, Glutino and Udi's, already meet the new standards.

"We expect the new regulations to impact sales in a positive way as consumers can feel more confident in their gluten free choices," said T.J. McIntyre, executive vice president of the company.

__

Follow Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mcjalonick

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2013-08-02-FDA-Gluten%20Labeling/id-c30838c70682452aaf811d46c993f3a7

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The Front Bottoms: Au Revoir (Adios)

Have trouble saying goodbye? No problem; let the Front Bottoms do it for you. You'll enjoy it, I promise.

Read more...

Source: http://gizmodo.com/the-front-bottoms-au-revoir-adios-1014989668

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Saturday, August 3, 2013

Top US officials meet to discuss embassy threat

Map shows U.S. embassies and consulates that will close; 3c x 3 inches; 146 mm x 76 mm;

Map shows U.S. embassies and consulates that will close; 3c x 3 inches; 146 mm x 76 mm;

(AP) ? Top U.S. officials met Saturday to review the threat of a terrorist attack that led to the weekend closure of 21 U.S. embassies and consulates in the Muslim world and a global travel warning to Americans. President Barack Obama was briefed following the session, the White House said.

Obama's national security adviser, Susan Rice, led the meeting and then joined Lisa Monaco, Obama's assistant for homeland security and counterterrorism, in briefing the president, the White House said in a statement.

"The president has received frequent briefings over the last week on all aspects of the potential threat and our preparedness measures," according to the statement.

Among those at the meeting Saturday afternoon were the secretaries of state, defense and homeland security and the directors of the FBI, CIA and the National Security Agency, according to the White House. Also attending was Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In an interview Friday with ABC News, Dempsey said officials had determined there was "a significant threat stream" and that the threat was more specific than previous ones. The "intent is to attack Western, not just U.S. interests," he said.

The global travel warning was the first such alert since an announcement before the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The warning comes less than a year since the deadly September attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, and with the Obama administration and Congress determined to prevent any similar breach of an American embassy or consulate.

The State Department's warning urged U.S. travelers to take extra precautions overseas. It cited potential dangers involved with public transportation systems and other prime sites for tourists, and noted that previous attacks have centered on subway and rail networks as well as airplanes and boats.

Travelers were advised to sign up for State Department alerts and register with U.S. consulates in the countries they visit.

The statement said that al-Qaida or its allies might target either U.S. government or private American interests. The alert expires on Aug. 31.

The State Department said the potential for terrorism was particularly acute in the Middle East and North Africa, with a possible attack occurring on or coming from the Arabian Peninsula. The diplomatic facilities affected stretch from Mauritania in northwest Africa to Afghanistan.

U.S. officials pointed specifically to Yemen, the home of al-Qaida's most dangerous affiliate and the network blamed for several notable plots against the United States, from the foiled Christmas Day 2009 effort to bomb an airliner over Detroit to the explosives-laden parcels intercepted the following year aboard cargo flights.

"Current information suggests that al-Qaida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond, and that they may focus efforts to conduct attacks in the period between now and the end of August," a department statement said.

Yemen's president, Abdo Rabby Mansour Hadi, met with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday, where both leaders cited strong counterterrorism cooperation. This past week, Yemen's military reported a U.S. drone strike killed six alleged al-Qaida militants in the group's southern strongholds.

Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., the House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, said the embassy threat was linked to al-Qaida and concerned the Middle East and Central Asia.

"In this instance, we can take a step to better protect our personnel and, out of an abundance of caution, we should," Royce said. He declined to say if the National Security Agency's much-debated surveillance program helped reveal the threat.

___

Online:

State Department alerts: www.travel.state.gov

Smart Traveler Enrollment Program: www.step.state.gov

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-08-03-US-US-Embassy-Security/id-866e63d5e7884f4e93deb75be02a5d1e

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TCA: FX boss John Landgraf on becoming a heayweight, 'Louie' and Netflix

By Tim Molloy

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - FX CEO John Landgraf likens his networks expansion to FXX to a boxer moving up in weight class.

At a Television Critics Association panel Friday, he said the network is expanding partly because it needs more space for its shows. He also talked about the creative freedom FX gives shows like "Louie" and about competing with Netflix, a rival that doesn't release ratings data.

In addition to a growing roster of scripted shows, The FX networks now have agreements to air about two-thirds of all recent North American blockbusters - "more than twice as many films as all of our competitors combined in terms of films over $100 million."

"You can punch above your weight for a couple of rounds, but if you put a middleweight in the ring ith a heavyweight and it goes 10 rounds, I think you can usually guess who's going to win that fight," Landgraf said. "So we just decided, look, we've been punching above our weight for a long time... we're going to have to try to go into heavyweight if we want to really be a top, top brand in what is sure to be an incredibly competitive future."

The pugnacious metaphor is typical of a network known for a DIY approach and a slightly male slant. The new FXX will target a slightly younger audience, and will launch in September. "Always Sunny in Philadelphia" will anchor the new network.

"Sunny" helped create the FX model of giving showrunners less upfront money but far more creative freedom than they would likely find elsewhere.

"Louis C.K. had some writer's block before he wrote the third season and he put a note up on his desk that said 'This show can be anything,'" Langraf said. "And I think part of why 'Louie' is in my opinion is the best comedy on television right now is he threw out the form and he's just writing from the heart."

"Louie" just became the first basic cable show to receive an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series.

Landgraf also said he wished Netflix would release ratings.

"If I were the mayor of television - look, I think all competitive industries should have verified third-party information," he said. "But I'm not the mayor of television. In fact, there is no mayor of television."

But that he also said the streaming service deserves credit for the shows it's creating. He noted its success in earning an Outstanding Drama Series nomination for "House of Cards."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tca-fx-boss-john-landgraf-becoming-heayweight-louie-230518189.html

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2 Asheville baseball players accused of rape

2 Asheville baseball players accused of rape
August 02, 2013 07:35 EDT

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- Two Asheville Tourists baseball players are accused of raping a woman at their apartment.

The Asheville Police Department says Michael Mason and Jesse Meaux were charged Thursday with two counts of first-degree rape and two counts of first-degree sex offense. Both of the relief pitchers are 23 years old. They are being held at the Buncombe County jail on $100,000 bond each.

A court hearing is set for Friday.

According to arrest reports released by the department, the alleged rape occurred early last Saturday.

The Colorado Rockies said in a statement that the Major League team and its affiliate are shocked and deeply concerned by the allegations. It has suspended both players. Both organizations are working with authorities.

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Source: http://www.wlos.com/template/inews_wire/wires.regional.nc/20f4c948-www.wlos.com.shtml

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Friday, August 2, 2013

Canada: Pro Stock Tour heads to Prince Edward Island for Round 8

From Maritime Pro Stock Tour

The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour will make its first and only visit to Prince Edward Island this Saturday for the Exit Realty PEI 100 at Oyster Bed Speedway; round eight of 12 for the Maritime based touring series.

Oyster Bed Speedway is Prince Edward Island's premier auto racing facility. The 1/3 mile paved oval is located in Oyster Bed Bridge at the intersection of routes 6 and 7, halfway between Cavendish and Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island.

Eight Island drivers are expected to be in the field this Saturday, including Jonathan Hicken (Brudenell, PE) who won at his home track last summer.

John Flemming (Halifax, NS) continues to lead the point standings and has amassed a substantial point lead over current series champion Shawn Turple (Enfield, NS). Flemming sits in top spot with 1407 points, 81 markers ahead of Turple's 1326.

Shawn Tucker (Fredericton, NB) sits in third just five points behind Turple but is carrying momentum having won the last two races, including the prestigious IWK 250 in which he beat out NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Brad Keselowski for the marquee victory.

Positions fourth through seventh belong to Island drivers. Greg Proude (Springvale, PE) leads the six full-time Island driver contingent, followed by Dylan Gosbee (Cornwall, PE) who won his first career Pro Stock victory just over a month ago which vaulted him to fifth in points. Darren MacKinnon (Charlottetown, PE) sits in sixth followed by Jonathan Hicken in seventh. Just 23 points separates these four drivers, all of whom will be looking to turn heads at their home track.

Rounding out the hometown favorites are Kent Vincent (Westmoreland, PE) who is currently 12th in the chase for the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour Championship. Vincent has five career wins, two of which have come at the 1/3 mile track he calls home.

Terry Dougay (Albany, PE) has had some issues this season but continues to battle week in and week out and sits 17th in points. Making his third start this Saturday is Brodie MacQuarrie (Winslow, PE) who will be at the helm of the No. 63 Big Poppa Motorsports entry. Robbie MacLean (Winslow, PE) is expected to make his first start of the season.

Tickets for the Exit Realty PEI 100 will be available at the gate on race day (cash only). Adult admission is $25.00, $30.00 for pit entry. Youth tickets are $5.00.

Complete event information can be found at www.maritimeprostocktour.com.

Source: http://www.auto123.com/en/racing-news/canada-pro-stock-tour-heads-to-prince-edward-island-for-round-8?artid=158466&utm_medium=feeds&utm_source=feed-RACE&utm_campaign=feeds

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Afghan troops in the lead ahead of 2014 ? or are they?

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Source: www.usatoday.com --- Thursday, August 01, 2013
Ahead of planned U.S. withdrawal, Afghans still can't lead all the time ...

Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomWorld-TopStories/~3/9wDAwznO84Y/

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