« Mispellings | Main | Correspondence »
Wordplay
September 17, 2008Since I first learned the valuable use of words to communicate, I've been fascinated by what a single word in a sentence can do.
It's like in mandarin chinese, where your tone can mean the difference between causing someone to smile at your guile or getting a swift kick in
the face.
Consider this following article from the Associated Press on a certain additive used to manufacture plastic bottles. ( I wrote a story a few months back about it)
FDA defends plastic linked with health risks
By AP
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) _ With scientists at odds about the risks of a chemical found in plastic baby bottles, metal cans and other food packaging, the government on Tuesday gave consumers some tips on how to reduce their exposure to BPA even as it said the substance is safe.
A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee met as a major study linked bisphenol A to possible risks of heart disease and diabetes. The scientific debate could drag on for years.
"Right now, our tentative conclusion is that it's safe, so we're not recommending any change in habits," said Laura Tarantino, head of the FDA's office of food additive safety. But she acknowledged, "there are a number of things people can do to lower their exposure."
Now folks, the operative word in here is tentative. Why would the agency that watches over our food and drugs be "tentative" on a substance that may or may not increase your chances of getting sick. (another operative word)
I can accept being tentative on who to vote in the next election. Especially since the brand of generic promises that both sides are pandering seems to have lost it's luster amid the current economic situation. (Fundamentals anyone?) But to be tentative on something that can make me sick and not do the usual "we'll pull it off the market until more testing is done" is outrageous.
Anywho, here's a link to the original story posted
See if you can make sense of the wordplay.
Posted by Maurel Merette at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
