This is news?

[Brunhidden]

recently i found some things in the newspaper that leads me to believe that we are running out of news


1- an article that made front page somehow "people in wealthy countries are happier then poor people. as wealth increases so does happiness"

wow, that should probably have been titled 'government research team soaks thousands from taxpayers money to go on world tour, occasionally asks a question'

2- business section headlines, complete with extra large photo "sawdust prices on the rise"

i am underwhelmed, and could barely care other then the conundrum that it says sawdust prices rise as construction drops as construction is the major source of sawdust, however construction is also the #1 user of sawdust.

3- mexico will shortly become the fattest country on earth

once i read why i am not surprised at all, aperantly drinkable water is so hard to find everyone just grabs a soda. also fast food giants are taking hold as somehow taco bell markets their tacos as 'american' food




seriously, how much do they pay the people who write the newspaper?

[Reese Tora]

On #1, if you preserved the spelling, then there's more than just the content of the title that's worrying.

On #3, soda actually has very little impact on weight gain (rather, diet soda has very little positive impact on weight loss compared to regular soda, IIRC) Contributing to Diabetes, I'll give you that, but not weight gain.  In any case, I wonder how they measure that, and if the citizens of the USA will fight back to keep our title intact.(For myself, I'm underweight for my height, and don't plan to contribute to the effort.)

What newspaper are these headlines from? I'd forgive #2 if it's in an area where a major industry was one involving sawdust (furniture, safes, or paper manufacturers, or lumber mills that sell it as a product to above or as that stuff the custodian sprinkles on vomit in schools)

[Fuyudenki]

In response to #1, while I'll grant that I'm personally glad I live in the USA instead of the darkest corners of Africa...  I argue I'm probably also a good deal happier than your average Hollywood star, and they're rich enough to make my entire life's fortune look worthless.(Mr. "Can't get no satisfaction" of the Rolling Stones obviously never built himself a deck.)

The fact that diet soda isn't significantly better for you than regular does not mean that regular doesn't make you fat.  People who grab a Pepsi instead of a glass of water, lemonade, or apple juice when they're thirsty will generally be of a greater girth than those who do, and if you're into pattern recognition, take a look at the size of people who drink diet vs. regular.

That's right, folks, Diet soda makes you fat!(It also pickles your intestines.  Real sugar's the only sweetener good enough for me.)

Of course, it could have something to do with the eating habits of people who prefer soft drinks to proper water, too.  Kinda like violent people are more likely to play violent games, whether violent gaming makes people violent or not.(I'd argue it doesn't, unless you're already a violent person.)

More on-topic.  Yeah, Brun, this is why I ignore the news.  It's more entertainment than informative nowadays.

And if you consider that entertaining, you must have a sad life, indeedey.

[Ryudo Lee]

Taco's aren't mexican food.  It's an american representation of mexican food.  Just like our pizza's aren't italian.  If you actually go to mexico you won't find a single taco in an authentic mexican restaraunt.

But really... some people got paid to do that research.  Just like around here, a news story played that said "letting your kids play outside could be good for their heart in the long run".  Yeah, that study was actually done.

[Jack McSlay]

here in Brasil, the murder of a random 5-year old girl is the very top story of the moment... what the heck is going on?

[bill]

here in Brasil, the murder of a random 5-year old girl is the very top story of the moment... what the heck is going on?

We only get those on the local news when it happens too close to where the white people live. Sad, but true.

[Llewelyn]

There's actually another diet sweetener that doesn't decompose into formaldahyde, but I can't remember what it was called offhand or who uses it.  I just know about it cause my dad's allergic to the "pickling" one.  But yeah, sugar >>> HFCS and fake sweeteners.

[Fuyudenki]

I forget what it's called, but yeah, I think I know what you mean.  It's also inferior to real sugar.

[rabid_fox]

Local newspapers are phenomenal for truly inane stories. The personal favourite anecdote I've heard about this was from Bill Bryson who said that once, in England, he saw a headline in a local rag reading, "Woman, 81, Dies" on the front page.

[Reese Tora]

There's actually another diet sweetener that doesn't decompose into formaldahyde, but I can't remember what it was called offhand or who uses it.  I just know about it cause my dad's allergic to the "pickling" one.  But yeah, sugar >>> HFCS and fake sweeteners.

IIRC, Aspertame is the formaldahyde sweetner, but I can't recall the names of other sweeteners.

[Brunhidden]

most of this was from the wall street journal, and the sawdust one was from the milwaukee journal. so not exactly the most local of papers for etither

regardless of wether or not diet vs regular is that big of a deal, when you drink soda as your only beverage the sheer number of calories piles up quick- even americans still drink a lot of fruit juice, milk, and water sipped from water fountains in a normal day that aperantly isnt available when all the water (yes, fruit juice is made from water too) gives you funky bowel disorders.

also, on a slightly related note i am very very sad for all the people who claim they cant tell the difference between artificial sweeteners and sugar, or despite not having tasted sugar in ten years claim an artificial sweetener tastes like sugar. the wife and i both spit out foods and drinks when we taste artificial sweeteners, and we DO taste them and it repulses us.... even splenda, which is supposedly made from sugar, we still taste it (splenda is also a stupid idea, as the whole point is you cant digest it your body stores it as a mineral instead of as energy). any who 'cant tell the difference' between diet and regular must have some kind of toung disorder or just forgot what real food tastes like.

it still cracks me up when the 400 pound couch surfers that make the rest of america look bad order like five mega burgers, two pounds of fries, some random side dishes, and then ask for a DIET soda as though it will help.

[LionHeart]

Well, of course it helps. Didn't you know? The diet soda magically cancels out all the calories in the junk food. [/sarcasm]

[Jim Halisstrad]

Actually, speaking somebody who has lost weight, it does help.  Especially if the person in question is particularly hooked on caffine.


Think about it, a 32 ounce soda is going to be about 400 calories.  If you clear two of those thats almost half of a 2000 calorie diet.

So those 400 pound couch surfers are at least making a stab at it, which is somewhat respectable. 

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

... it's just a pity they're eating ~8000 calories of burger with it.

[Fuyudenki]

I'll take a thousand bonus calories of real sugar over no calories of "What is this stuff, anyway?" any day.

also, on a slightly related note i am very very sad for all the people who claim they cant tell the difference between artificial sweeteners and sugar, or despite not having tasted sugar in ten years claim an artificial sweetener tastes like sugar. the wife and i both spit out foods and drinks when we taste artificial sweeteners, and we DO taste them and it repulses us.... even splenda, which is supposedly made from sugar, we still taste it (splenda is also a stupid idea, as the whole point is you cant digest it your body stores it as a mineral instead of as energy). any who 'cant tell the difference' between diet and regular must have some kind of toung disorder or just forgot what real food tastes like.

I knew a guy who could smell the difference.  Diet soda always leaves my mouth and belly feeling betrayed.  Not only does it taste new and different in unpleasant ways, it leaves a residue in my mouth like an oil slick.

Even Coca-cola, which leaves my teeth feeling smaller after every can, is better than that goop.  If I had my choice, though, I'd chug half a gallon of apple juice.(Yeah... those $3 jugs of apple juice?  That'll last me 3-6 days.)

If the only thing around is diet, I end up drinking less.  My parents have started buying low-sugar fruit juices for themselves, so now I have to check if it's regular grape juice or "light" grape juice.