High Priced Soda

I happen to overhear recently that SF is proposing a tax on businesses that carry and sell sodas.  More precisely, Mayor Newsom has proposed the tax and hoping the Board of Sups. will run with it.

On the surface, I don’t really agree with it but after further thought, I’m not so sure.  Soda (made w/corn syrup, the high fructose kind) is one of the top contributors to obesity in this country.  I challenge you to find a person severely obese who doesn’t drink sugared sodas.  [1]I know I’ve never found one   High Fructose Corn Syrup or HFCS as a simple sugar that is absorbed very easily by the body.  What many people don’t know is that it actually reduces the insulin receptors response.  Translated, it means a person is more prone to developing diabetes.  HFCS has also been shown to interfere with the hearts ability to process vital minerals.  I could go on and on but you get the point. [2]I actually stopped drinking sugared sodas during my EMT training.  We got the full laundry list of damages.  The irony is HFCS is much more expensive to make however, because of government contracts and subsidies on corn in the US it becomes more profitable than regular cane sugar.

Soda is also NOT a necessity.  It is a luxury item.  I have no problem with SF taxing luxury items to help offset the growing medical burdens of society. I can’t really see equating corn syrup to carcinogens in cigarettes however, the mounting evidence against HFCS doesn’t lie.  I guess here I’d fall back on the old adage, "everything in moderation."  The problem is we have become a society of excess.  We do almost nothing in moderation. 

I don’t really know if Newsom’s idea will succeed or not.  I applaud him for attempting to do something rather than nothing.  However, his measure is a tiny band-aid on a sore the size of Texas.  Until we educate our children on the value of good nutrition, [3]when was the last time you saw a school curriculum that included more than a passing stab at nutrition? and the dangers of sugared sodas, the problem will continue to grow. (pun intended)

References

References
1 I know I’ve never found one
2 I actually stopped drinking sugared sodas during my EMT training.  We got the full laundry list of damages.
3 when was the last time you saw a school curriculum that included more than a passing stab at nutrition?

Politi-damn!

I rarely weigh in on politics. I often say, ‘there are plenty of fine bloggers out there beating that horse enough‘.

After reading Mark Morford today, I just felt the need to share. If you haven’t yet discovered this linguistical genius of a man, you need to read his current take on the whole gay GOP scandals. He has so many one-line zingers it may take me months to assimilate them all. I give you just a sample of his current rant.

Not our military, a massively warped organization apparently far more terrified of gays than of dropping its entrance barrier so dangerously low it makes good soldiers nervous, not the seminary with the pitter-patter of young men’s feet from bunk to bunk after light’s out, not the megachurches with their deep, eternal, fetishistic fascination with all things anal and perverted and hookeriffic and yummy.

The real irony? He is heterosexual.

Pissy Missy II

Continuing in my week of sermons and “told ya so’s”. I guess I pissed more than a few people1 off yesterday with my rant about the late (not so great) Jerry Falwell. Not only did I rant here but, I also chimed in all over the blogosphere regarding his welcome demise. I also got about 20 emails from my comments on Joe.my.god’s blog2.

Let me attempt to set the record straight for all the would-be Moby converts. (yeah right)

  • 1. I am not a christian so I’m not a hypocrite.
  • 2. Nor do I believe in your made up superstitious tourist attraction aka hell so save your well wishes on my not-so-safe journey there.
  • 3. I never said I hated him, I’m just glad he is dead. I celebrate his death just as I would Hitlers if I’d been alive at the time.
  • 4. If karms exists, he’ll come back as a poverty stricken black woman struggling to just get ahead in life or even better, a muslim woman in the middle east. Then he’ll get a taste first hand what it means to be a minority or considered property vs. human.
  • 5. I don’t know his family nor do they read my blog. But, did they worry about my feelings when JF blamed every natural disaster in the last 10 years on my people? Nope.
  • 6. Where were your cries of rage when Mathew Shepard was murdered? How bout Qwen? Or, how about the black guy who was dragged to his death behind a pick up truck until his head popped off? Where were you and your beloved JF then? You were standing in judgment. Well the shoe is on the other foot now. I ask you, who is really the hypocrite here?

No, you will find no sympathy here. My sympathy has been all used up on the thousands of gays/lesbians/minorities across the country JF condemned to 2nd class citizenship in his never-ending crusade of intolerance. The bible says “an eye for an eye” after all.3 No, you will only find relief here at the Moby Files. Another wicket and viscious tyrant is dead and the world heaves a collective sigh of joy.


1 Bless their hearts and God bless my spam karma plugin for catching every single one of their love messages. lol
2 His post regarding JF made it on a rather nasty “christian” website of which, I will not link too here.
3 See, I can misquote it too.

There is a God

And he does smite his enemies. I know I’m late to the party but I just found out Jerry Falwell is dead. I say good riddance to bad rubbish. What an insidious and evil man he was. I’m not normally someone who would celebrate a death however, the world is a better place w/o him spewing his vile filth over the air waves.

I personally think it was his conscience that killed him.

Congressional Honor

Convicted Lawmakers may lose Pensions

(full story) The Senate on Friday voted 87-0 to strip away the pensions of members of Congress convicted of white-collar crimes such as bribery, perjury and fraud. That could result in benefit losses of more than $100,000 a year.

Wow! Finally some good news to come out of Congress. Say what you will about our gal Nancy but, she is spearheading some serious reform legislation. Who knows, maybe we’ll actually be able to trust politicians again? Ok, I know that is stretching it but one can hope.

Cough Sniffle…PUSH!

It is downright cold in the city today. It is in the low 40’s. BRRRRRRR. I know for some that ain’t bad but for here that is pretty damn cold.

I’m still feeling a little icky from the cold or flu I’m fighting off so didn’t go to the gym today. I went yesterday and had a pretty decent workout. I’m starting a new routine working complimentary groups and then 1 or 2 finisher exercises. I’ve been looking around for a trainer and haven’t quite found one I like yet. Er..Um..well I like several of them however, I need to focus on their skills NOT their bodies. hehehe.

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I watched a documentry called “Why We Fight” last night and I was more than a little mad when it was over. I’m pretty optimisitc however, after watching this little flick, my view of the future isn’t very rosey. I was particularly struck by Karen’s story. The American people need to wakeup and realize what is going on before it is too late. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend you watch it. If you are Bush supporter, even remotely, you might just change your mind after seeing it.

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I drove another hybrid vehicle the other day. This one had a “synergy drive”, whatever that means. I really liked it. I find I’m using zipcar more and more often. It’s just so darn convenient. So anyway, the car was uber quiet, it had surprisingly good pick up, and I especially like the ratio of gas to miles display on the panel. It does take a little getting used to though. The dashboard layout is completely different from most cars. The gear shift is a short lever that sticks directly out of the dashboard and to park you just stop and punch a button. The only thing I didn’t like was the hatchback. It interferred with my rear view. A small complaint for an overall superb vehicle.

Mayor Newsom considers ban on Halloween

The follow up to my previous rant….

(San Francisco, California) Mayor Gavin Newsom says he is considering canceling the Castro district’s annual Halloween festivities in the future after a shooting wounded nine people and left another person injured in the ensuing panic.

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