Notes on Becoming A Famous Architect

Image, "Architect", from NOBAFA

Okay, this one’s been on the shelf and now the hot weather is officially here, I thought it was time to send it out.

Awhile back, I noticed a google ad here on the site and thought, “Soda with Stevia? -NO WAY!” -I immediately shot out an email & Stacey Fujimura + the good folks at Zevia sent us out a sixpack of their soda.

If you hadn't read them before, we've had a few posts here on HFCS and its many evils. (though, to be fair, not the monster HFCS==Armageddon post I've been promising for months)

So, in the effort to always find a healthier Alternative/Substitution for Anything, I set up a taste-test between the Regular, Diet and Zevia versions of Orange, Lemon/Lime, and Cola sodas.
(FYI: I also took care to rinse out with water inbetween and not bias any of the tastes.)

Result: The clearest winners were Sunkist regular and a tie between Sprite and Sprite Zero, on taste and sweetness, with Coke as 1st runner up in the aroma category.

To clear up the scope of gustatory experience:
I’ve traveled a bit, used all kinds of wacky supplements in the pursuit of muscle gain and fat loss, and at times eaten or drank some mildly strange and questionable stuff in various european countries and with the odd mad european dignitary.

***That said, like the most recent 3 'Star Wars' movies, Zevia gets an A+ for concept and a D- for taste & execution.

Every single one of their sodas were under-flavored, under-sweet, under-perfumed, flat, watery and had a vague chemical smell & taste ranging between a whiff of formaldehyde and the Bottom of an Elephant’s Foot. (I assume the Elephant’s Foot was the Stevia. (or a circus near the factory))

The only notable exception was the cola which had an Extremely Lemony note in addition to a Metric Asston of acid that seemed to be added to match that same bite in Coke that feels like it’s peeling the enamel right off your teeth.

To be honest -up until the test, for me Zevia was Jessica Simpson as a film actress. I was absolutely DYing to give 'er a good review because of the awesomeness as an Idea.
But now, there is just no way I’d recommend it to anyone; -even the French.
-And I’m not even a typical American jaded soda drinker who’s used to the neutron-bomb sweetness of Coke.

Given the fact that at my local Royall Grocery Purveyours, where they dole out abalone half-teaspoonfuls of osetra caviar to every 10th visitor, charges about $6.00 for a six-pack, that makes an even better case against it.

On a food-chemistry note:
I have no idea if regular sugar (-or Stevia for that matter) doesn’t react to the acids in soda the exact same way HFCS does, but right now the only sodas I’d take a risk on would be Boylan’s and Jones.

Maybe one day in Utopia when Zevia gets some more: Flavor, Sweetener, and Olfactory Artillery into their sodas, and Severely cuts the acid in their cola...
Instead of merely wheeling trollies of carbonated water through a room that Used to house flavorings, sweeteners and perfumes at some undisclosed date in history...
->Then, Maybe we’ll have a better alternative to the ravages of HFCS, Aspartame and their alchemical ilk, but for now it’s just sodas with straight sugar.

Sorry, Zevia; -back to the drawing board.

It really does taste like the stuff that came from old health food stores. -And by that, I mean it tastes like it’s made for sickly post-hippies who’ve burned out their tastebuds & nostril hairs freebasing spirulina sometime back in the 60’s.

*** Also: mV receives no compensation of any type, before or after this post, from Zevia at all. The only thing we got was a six-pack and a cardboard box.

In another notch down the ratchet of our increasingly Britney-fied culture, Ladies who had long-ago abandoned their prim but sassy Doris Day dresses for -well maybe not Christina Aguilera Underpants, but maybe Rebecca Romijn's,- are getting together for a different kind of party, celebrating...
...-something you'd be more likely to witness at a Pre-Catholic Irish Pagan Fertility Ceremony in the summertime.

The Age of the G-Shot is here! -And with it:
G-Shot Parties!!!!

Yes they're held in doctor's offices and there is no alcohol present (which considering the location is a minor miracle; wink-wink, nudge-nudge, saynomore, aaahhknowwhatImean ?!?!).

And with that shot heard 'round the world, that was the start of [a] revolution, it's official:
=>Women get all the really good body mods.

-Or at least the 87% of the women in the pilot study, and a few other independents similar to Caroline Cushworth from Leeds, England whose sexual experience went from, "Oh, that's pretty good, I guess." to "Are you really my personal Lord and Saviour, Jesus; and why are there stars everywhere?"

So now plastic surgery has transformed something that quite a few people couldn't even FIND (ahem, ahem, fellaz) into the Global Thermonuclear War equivalent of the Orgasmatron from "Barbarella" -except it's not an external device this time.

So, In Conclusion. We're all adults here. I think you know what to do.
- Gräfenberg Seacrest out.

Caroline Cushworth at DailyMail   ABCNews   SFGate   TheGShot.com   Genius G-Shot Digital Video Cam

And that man is Carlos Mencia.

Love him or hate him, he's right. Vegetarians, especially ones addicted to leafy greens instead of Tofu-snorting, are themselves the planet-destroying enviro-pariahs they love to dehumanize and rag on.
Keep Destroying the Earth's Photosynthetic and Carbon-Fixation capacity by eating nothing but plants, you dirty post-hippie patchouli-soaked Gastro-snobs!!!

I for one am ASTOUNDED Stephen Colbert didn't pick up on this one first.
-Though he was right when he said Polar Bears are Bastards! I wholeheartedly agree. But then Carlos has always had way too much sense to agree with Steve very often.

The best thing we can do for the environment right now, besides barbecuing Al Gore, is to move closer to steakhouses so we won't have to drive as far.

Note, too the Methane argument is SOOooo passé! -The average person farts 14 times per day.

I'm willing to bet Vegetarians fart more often than that; -and in greater volumes of gas.

Word has it from various talk-show dressing rooms that Sting himself could power an entire 3rd World country completely on his own, if he were somehow able to recapture all the gases emanating from his body as a result of his macrobiotic diet.

SO: If cows are going to be Fart-Restricted, then that's the smallest measure the EPA can take against vegetarians also.

Vid NSFW

Links:
Brokeruniverse   FreeRepublic   mahamondo   marlonjames   Sting Sucks   Heavy-Sting Sucks

It's anathema for people like that to get over the "Eat it as I found it"-mantra, but various forms of cooking can help develop/change the amount of nutrients that actually make it into your bloodstream, instead of just passing through you.

One of the veggies that benefits is the tomato. Raw food studies have found people deficient in Lycopene if it's not cooked. ->Viva Italia!

It turns out even different cooking methods can have different effects. Microwaving can be better than the always-healthy-looking Steaming for some vegetables.

Boiling and Frying as expected, were particularly bad for all types of nutrients.

The biggest nutrient-destroying factors are High Temperatures, Long Cooking times, Alkalis (ex: baking soda and hard water), Prolonged Contact With Water, and Oxidation.


Photo, "Red Little Tomato", by Paola PB, http://www.dabobabo.it/

Links:
NYT-Best Cooking   CBS-Cooking   CityTV   NYT-Microwaving

It's True; Dom DeLuise and Chef Paul Prudhomme Agree!

You Smarty-Pantses who visit this site have probably heard this before, but:
Of the few evolution-encoded tastes our brains flip over, Fat is probably the biggest trigger.

We are land-bound Great White Sharks with outdated programming, (land shark?) seeking out the fattiest seals we can get our hands on. -Ever notice that when Discovery Channel Grizzly Bears go on a binge, they eat only the Heads of the salmon they catch? -Yeah, well they Do.

->Bearing that in mind, the way Chefs everywhere can ensure us feeling sated & returning to eat their food, is to add enough Fat to it to Hammer Home a certain mouthfeel and richness;
=>putting in a Ton of 'Hidden Calories' as they do.

Unfortunately, since Fat is so calorie dense, (9 cals/gram) it is SUPER easy to overdo it and not feel very full for very long. On average, there are ~120 calories in every Tablespoon of oil. Depending on your daily requirements, that can be an extra 5% in just 1 Tbsp!!

She was a nice girl, but I had to have just a small laugh at one of my friends a while ago when she complained of weight gain while eating a mountain of takeout Chinese food.
-"It's healthy; Right?". -Sure, as healthy as anywhere else that uses a ton of oil to stir-fry that healthy chicken and veggies.

So, one of the biggest tips to beginning weight/fat loss, especially for Takeout-Addicted ~city folk, is:

Make Your Own Food at Home
=>You know Exactly what's going into it; ++ eat that as much as possible. The more you remove recipes and prep from your own hands, the harder it is to control your Pro/Fat/Carb intake mix.

As a followup:
The issues related to this entry will make for several future posts aimed at helping people get on the right track toward their goals.
Some of the computations will be ~difficult to learn/remember, and really only a small % of the population ever really learns it. But once you get the gist, it's worth it.

A few of the previous entries related to this are:
"Dieting Gem: 'Graze' Your Way to Fat Loss"
Want to Lose Weight? Drink Water.
and
Quickest Fat Loss Results Ever: MetRx and Sandwiches; Who Knew?

On a related note, CNN has a few chain restaurants reviewed

Photo,"Pig" by Martina Frietsch, www.redaktionsbuero-frietsch.de/

Links:

Comedy Central   Wired Blog   Wikipedia-Stirling Engine

Wait, what was that about buying a really good home water filter?

I could fantasize about the Rocket Fuel functioning like Enzyte, Extenze or even Viagra for me, but apparently Perchlorate creates a Rocketboom in your thyroid and not in your pants.

Why does this EPA ~inaction remind me of a Wikipedia quote associated with Bisphenol A?
'David Michaels, who served in the Clinton Adminstration told the Washington Post that "Tobacco figured this out, and essentially it's the same model … If you fight the science, you're able to postpone regulation and victim compensation, as well. As in this case, eventually the science becomes overwhelming. But if you can get five or 10 years of avoiding pollution control or production of chemicals, you've greatly increased your product."'




Who's affected the most? -Again it's the babies. :(

crap.

I'm kinda out of things to say right now.


Images: Section of Rocketboom Logo, from Rocketboom.com, daily vlog with Joanne Colan
"Alfred E. Newman" by Mad Magazine

Links:
Seattle Times   EPA-Perchlorate   CA Tox-Perchlorate      via Wired

Our neighbors to the north in their perpetual re-bid to be a haven for pot smokers, asian prostitutes, odd guys named Doug, expatriated French-holes and to remain the red-headed stepchild of socialst Sweden have struck YET AGAIN!!!!

Damn you, Canada! -Singlehandedly pounding the Nalgene Nunc company by outlawing polycarbonate drinking vessels made using Bisphenol A.

Why oh why must the Canucks persist in being the Gadfly of The Americas!!!!??? -WE HAD IT FIGURED OUT, MAN!!!! Listen to me, the FDA had already figured out that BRITNEY SPEARS AND CHRISTINA AGUILERA were the cause of early-onset female puberty!!! -But Noooooooooooooo, here comes big, important, unassailable, hyper-critic CANADA to pull the Harmful, Carcinogenic Pseudo-Estrogen components out of our food supply. -You killed Kenny! ... you bastards!

It was already looking unsafe to re-use plastic water bottles from things like 'Fiji' and 'Poland Spring' because of other pseudo-estrogen plasticizers and hardeners, now we can't even have our Nalgene!!!

Well we hope you're happy you fishbarrel of whacked-out SARS-ridden Hosers.

The entire infant population of the world no longer absorbing monomers and pseudo-estrogen plasticizers through the formula Mom gives 'em* is in your debt; -and will no doubt visit nuclear holocaust on the Great White North as a Thank You Present. (after a bong and a crèpe in Vancouver) -Well, them and every other water-drinking, acidic-canned-food-eating person in the world who is now spared one more set of reproductive and endocrine disorders because Walmart, Chuck Schumer and others may keep your momentum going.


Thanks.


*at almost 55 times the normal rate due to liquids being hotter than room temperature or acidic.

Photo:"naked doll", by Witold Barski, www.apropos.media.pl/

Links:
USA Today-Bisphenol A   Wikipedia-Bispenol A (must read, btw)

"There are no known human health effects from such low-level exposures in drinking water"

O RLY?



see more crazy cat pics

What is the category here on mV for "Don't You Believe It."?

-Wait until the tests on Long-Term Exposure start rolling in. U hrd it hear frst!!

Photos:"building", by Simona Dumitru + "Burn it down!", by Carl Dwyer + "Burning Building 4", by Warwick Kay

EPA-PPCPs

And though CityNews has clarified for us some of the snow types not to eat (yellow is still bad, btw), AP’s national investigation team has discovered some stuff may be making its way into the water, -particularly unmetabolized birth control hormones and other drugs.

(I KNEW my nipples were starting to feel funny.) This must be why!
So, Now More than ever is a good time to get yourself a good home water filter.

The report covers several metro area end points and depressingly, also reservoirs and watersheds.

The standard party line of ~all water authorities is: “We’re doing everything so the water meets federal guidelines.” -not so that it’s as Safe or Healthy as possible, (Salmon Farmers using PCB-ridden feed, I'm looking at you) but just so it meets -guidelines.

So in many communities, they keep the water only as clean as the EPA says they have to. ->You could easily rephrase that to mean the water has the Maximum Allowable Levels of many contaminants in it. Read the testing data if you think this is an inaccurate statement, btw.

The statistics are usually unavailable, but when you hear by word-of-mouth or other anecdote(s) that there are unusual outbreaks of weird ailments in 1 community, a big factor is usually the Water in that town.

Two of the key issues with any contaminant are Size and Frequency of dose.

Any physician or biochemist will tell you that many times the body can purge itself of a 1-Time Megadose. (similar to calorie-wasting in going out for a night drinking ;) )
-The bigger problem is Repeated Long-Term Exposure. -That’s the key issue with drinking water. The repetition never gives your body a chance to recover, AND some contaminants may have Cumulative Effects.

The other big point is that there are *No current Federal Guidelines or Testing Mandates* on how much or how little of any drug may be allowable in municipal drinking water.

I have no information on which home systems can pull pharmaceuticals out of drinking water. -Though I’d guess a whole-house filter of polyester, carbon & KDF and then Reverse-Osmosis units at the drinking points would probably do the best job. Perhaps there are some more high-tech solutions like Magneto-UV-Fuel-Cell-Particle-Collider-Ozonation that can do even better.

The filter I have, which is an under-counter unit about the size of a 2-liter bottle (I think it’s a Quixtar), pulls so much stuff out of the water, that there aren't any minerals left in at all. -It’s almost De-Ionized. I've actually had to start adding them back, using "Burton Water Salts" from Williams Brewing Supplies. These will add back Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Phosphorous and Sodium to the water.

Remember the Old Adage: "It must be something in the water." -maybe it is.


Photo: "Urban Signs 2", by Gabriel Volonte
Links:
CNN-Drugs In Water w/Map   Comparison Chart   WaterfiltersOnline   H20Filter   NSF   EPA:   EPA PPCP:   Discover Testing   Stevens Ecology

Their bookmarking widget for the IM/Social Bookmark/Micro-Personal-Blogging Juggernaut that is Twitter either malfunctioned, or was taken down, or was written badly enough to Bork The Whole Page. -Thanks!; TwitThis $*#%-ers!!!

A Minimum wait of 120 seconds doesn't sound like much, but when you're used to it loading in 1.5 seconds, 120 seems like an absolute Eternity (and the stats reflect it)!

Anyway, the Fiasco from April 2 - April 7 has been fixed. Resume Happy Weblog Surfage! -thx.

Now, I am never one to advocate looking into an Industrial Sausage Press, or a Hot Dog Factory. -Because sometimes, you really don't want to know what goes into the food, as long as it's been above 350F externally and 165F internally.

While it's true I haven't had a hot dog in about 86 years, (as the ones bought back then have kept magnificently due to industrial preservatives) -Now is not one of those times I'd recommend Not knowing what's in, or going into producing, the food.

Ben and Jerry's agree, at least partly, in their campaign to get milk products labeled according to what Hormones and Antibiotics are used on the animals producing it. Bafflingly, some states and producers -namely Monsanto- who say there is no difference between organic and hormone/antibiotic-ized milk, are trying to block Ben & Jerry's efforts. -Stinkers!

Perhaps Jane Plant of "Your Life In Your Hands" would agree with Ben & Jerry -a bit.

Slashfood   Ben & Jerry's 'Save Our Labels'   PA Shows Clear Head About This   Monsanto AstroTurfing Fake Grassroots campaign for its anti-labeling lobby nbsp;nbsp;Salina Journal Forums on Labeling


Photo:"Milk Glass", by Steve Woods, Pinpoint Image Photography.

"Crest Pro-Health Mouthwash turned my teeth brown! And on top of that, I can't taste anything! I can't believe this stuff is even on the market. My wisdom teeth are coming in painfully, and I am prepping to get them removed next week. So while at Rite Aid last night, I picked up a bottle of Crest Pro-Health mouthwash. I typically use Listerine, but as I said my wisdom teeth are killing me and this Crest CRAP advertises "No Alcohol". Cool."


More user anecdotes are at:

The Consumerist   Reviews at Amazon   Crest ProHealth at AssociatedContent   Share Your ProHealth Stories at Crest


Photo, "Horse Smile" by Stacy Braswell

++ Less French People.

-Many Americans have been schooled by their parents, in the spirit of puritanism in part, that Waste is Sinful.
While the Protestant Work Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism has its place, certain consequences of it can mean Big Fat Americans.

In a new study by Cornell's Food and Brand Lab, directed by Brian Wansink, it turns out that Americans (-or at least Chicagoans) will eat until there's no food left on the plate, as opposed to the French who use internal cues instead, like the feeling of fullness.

-But wait! -Who won World War II; us or the French? ---That's right. Those skinny French were too malnourished to surrender fast enough; they simply passed out in the middle of not defending their country!

So take the study results with a grain of sel, mes amis.

photo "Fisheye Analogue" by Dennis Van Oevelen, http://www.dennisvanoevelen.be/

ScienceDaily(via BoingBoing)   Cornell F&B (with other examples of visual eating cues)   Journal-Obesity