I’m mostly posting at Christinaconomics.com nowadays. I’m going to be turning this blog into more of a sarcastic and extreme blog, but for the more day-to-day posts, check out the new sight.

I just got poop-sick in the clogged toilet of Subway Sandwich Shop in East LA.

Haha.

Whilst perusing a local news station website, I saw a link in the corner of the page titled March-Maness: Mustaches Against Cancer.  Naturally an interest was stirred, and I clicked on the link.  I found a rather legit looking American Cancer Society webpage talking about Portland’s Annual Mustache growing movement to spread awareness about men’s health.  While I myself cannot grow a mustache, I wanted to know more.

The event kicked off earlier tonight and so far the winning team is called Moustache March.  After visiting Moustache Marche’s website I found a wonderful gem:

Never before have I wished I was slamming the ol’ testosterone in order to grow a mustache.

If you are interested in growing a mustache to fight cancer, you can sign up as an participant or supporter here.  You can also start a team by going here.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup, or HFCS for short, is commonly used in food & beverage products throughout the United States as a replacement for cane sugar & beet sugar. It’s made by milling corn into corn starch and then processed with something called alpha-amylase to yield corn syrup, which is more or less 100% glucose.  Then enzymes are added to make fructose by breaking down the chemical compounds of the sugar chains.  If the unnaturalness of that doesn’t bother you, just wait.

Apparently the enzymes used to make the fructose are genetically modified.  Also, all the cells in the body can metabolize sugar, where as with fructose, it must be metabolized in the liver.  Another fun fact, is that HCFS causes more diabetic complications than sugar does.

Doesn’t sound too appealing?  So why is it so commonly used?

The primary reasons for its use are:
1. as a result of sugar tariffs & corn subsidies, HFCS is cheaper than sugar for manufacturers in the US.
2. it is a more efficient to blend & transport thanks to it’s liquid form.

Makes you feel good about the market forces regulating themselves.

The whole purpose of this science & econ lesson is because I was recently watching TV at my dad’s, who doesn’t have a DVR, and I was forced to watch all the commercials.  The commercial that stuck out was the one for HFCS.  It’s pro-HCFS.  So I watched the commercials and decided to go to the website.  The funny thing about the website is that it’s not really that pro-HCFS, it’s just flashing qotes about HCFS being “unlikely to contribute to obesity” and the 2008 FDA (aka Bush’s FDA) “would not object to the use of the term ‘natural’ to describe a product containing HCFS.”  The whole website is a brightly colored “hey, it’s not so bad.”

I’m by no means a HCFS nazi.  I drink soda.  However, it does bother me that HCFS is being sold & marketed to Americans as a healthy ingredient.  It’s a little reminecent of Big Tobacco.  I used to smoke (just quit on Halloween) and I knew all along that it was bad for me.  That was my decision.  Both sugar & HCFS ain’t great for you.  I’d rather be educated about the risks of both than be told by the profiteers about how one isn’t so bad.  Anyway, here’s a youtube spoof on the HCFS commercials.

Another excuse for me to not be updating my blog…

I’m happy to report that Oregon took the #3 ranking for highest voter turnout in the 2008 Presidential Election, beat only by Wyoming & Colorado.  Oregon’s Secretary of State office is reporting an 85.6% turnout.

WAY TO GO!

I want this for Christmas.

This is possibly the distressing example of the current economic doom I’ve read about during the whole economic crisis.  NPR is laying off 64 of it’s 889 employees and canceling  the shows below.  Anyone who knows me is familiar with my freakish obsession for listening to NPR all day, everyday.

I don’t like it.