National (U.S.)

The rise of cooking shows on TV results from deep interest in cooking. But the transformation of cooking into a spectator activity reflects a decline in actual cooking -- which has vast health and ecological consequences.

"LOS ANGELES -- Marine scientists from California are venturing this week to the middle of the North Pacific for a study of plastic debris accumulating across hundreds of miles (km) of open sea dubbed the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch.'"

"In food safety bill, the House gives the FDA a deadline to prove Bisphenol A is safe, or restrict its use in products used by pregnant women, and young children."

A tangle of New Jersey lawsuits raises issues about what restrictions should be placed on builders seeking to develop farmland where pesticides were formerly used.

"After 10 consecutive years of drought, a 10–20% reduction in stream flow could be critical."

"A National Academies workshop examined the evidence of epigenetic effects and considered whether the thousands of chemicals in use today should be tested for them. Some pollutants and chemicals don't kill cells or mutate DNA. Instead, they may be more subtle, muting genes or turning them on at the wrong time, which can lead to diseases that are passed on for generations. Asthma in New York City children exposed to traffic exhaust is an example, experts say."

Forged letters trying to gain a vote against the House climate bill by making it seem as if minorities opposed it were traced to a PR firm.

"The Obama administration will suspend the 'cash for clunkers' program unless the Senate provides $2 billion more for the popular car incentive plan, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Sunday."

"The Energy Department is making up to $30 billion in loan guarantee authority available for renewable energy and electric grid modernization projects."

"New-car shoppers appear to have already snapped up all the $1 billion that Congress appropriated for the 'cash for clunkers' program, leading the Transportation Department to tell auto dealers Thursday night to stop offering the rebates."