Aspartame

What it is?

• Aspartame is sold by the brand names. It's found in 6,000 products worldwide.

Where it's found?

• diet foods, diet soft drinks & drink mixes, low calorie desserts, gelatins, puddings, frozen desserts, yogurt

Why it's bad?

• Aspartame is responsible for 75 percent of the complaints that the FDA receives. The FDA has compiled a list of 92 Aspartame poisoning symptoms, from over 10,000 consumers. These complaints include- headaches, memory loss, seizures, vision loss, coma, and cancer.
• Aspartame was once listed as a "Biochemical Warfare Agent" by the Pentagon.
• For 8 years The US Food and Drug Administration did not approve Aspartame because of the evidence that was brought to light by numerous scientists, litigators and consumer groups, that aspartame damages the central nervous system and causes cancer in animals.

Taken from http://www.cbc.ca/stevenandchris/2010/11/whats-in-your-food.html

Helen was watching it.

Pedant

I recently was getting the mail at our condo and noticed that quite a few of the mailboxes have a sticker on them that say no junk mail please "I'm doing it for the Better Good." I don't have any issue with this idea, though if you think about it how can you really be sure that if they don't stick it in your mailbox it's going in the trash rather than the recycling bin (which we have right next to the mail boxes for just such mail.)

My first problem is that it is actually a sticker that is free to all at The Better Good which is an organic, fair trade, locally made, handmade, natural, free yoga store on Broadway. While I do have opinions on each of these (with the possible exception of yoga), my issue isn't with their philosophy as much as the fact that their helpful little sticker is actually a form of advertising (and as I've already stated, getting the junk out of your mailbox doesn't stop the mail from existing or make a statement to the companies which print it.)

This leads into my second (and extremely pedantic) problem with this sticker and the stores name. The phrase they are mirroring is "For the greater good". The issue I have with "The Better Good" is that it doesn't mean the same thing. The greater good is the good which covers a larger area, a larger group, in this case the word greater doesn't me that which is more good but that good which effects more. The word better is already a comparative of the word good. It simply means it's better, an example being that while this athlete is good this other one is better. So in essence, what the name of this store is saying to us is that this store's good is better than the good at other stores. It's not a statement of positive purpose, it's a statement of pride or superiority.

Now, I don't believe this is a subversive message that the owners have "snuck past." The owners are nice folks and from what my sources say very genuine and honest in their attempt to make a difference with what they can offer at their store. I'm disappointed that their name, when it's thought out, doesn't really mean what they meant when they put it up. I'm also disappointed that their well meaning, but inaccurate name is on stickers that, because the phrase doesn't really mean anything in that context, are now just an advertisement.

See, I told you I was being pedantic. Sorry Corey.

A post, look a post

Yeah, I've been lazy at posting . What'uv it?

Recently I've come to a few realizations (other than marriage is an interesting experience and while you can be happy in a small space those with more should always be grateful for what they have.) Since I'm a fan of the point form (ala 7 point sermons) we'll go with that as a general structure for these expulsions of pontification.

Thought 1
Smoking is a stupid disgusting and vile practice that leads to a horrid addiction and can kill you and those around you. Having said that, good tobacco is a lovely thing, a pipe full of it glowing quietly in your hand and it's smoke floating through your mouth is wonderful peaceful thing. So there you go smoking is stupid, unless it's a joy in which case it's ridiculous.

Thought 2
Sexism is stupid. This works both ways. Just because our society talks about something as a female issue doesn't mean it's only a female issue. Just because we have dozens of books and people who have made careers out of a subject as a female issue doesn't mean it doesn't affect men. What it probably means is that men are supposed to "just deal with it" or that "it's not really the same thing" and "we could never really understand because we're not women." But it can be and in our society it increasingly is. Appearance, Weight, Physique.. these are issues that our society would have you believe are only woman's problems but really, have a look at the images around us. Really listen to whose bodies are readily mocked in public. Show me a magazine with a picture of a guy who's not fit and trim and airbrushed that isn't either a musician or comedian or the guy writing the article. Show me a TV show that's got an out of shape guy in it that's not either a stereotype or a goofy friend or a patient that's about to die. Sorry ladies, you're not the only ones that live in a society that "judges them constantly", difference is that, for you, our society admits that it does.

Thought 3
If you know something is not true, if you know something is bullshit, and you still believe or accept it that's your problem. Example: if a car has no engine, no tires, no windows, and no doors and the salesman tells you it's in tip top shape and you buy the car, that's not his fault. Is he a liar? Yes. Is he a bad man? He's definitely not nice. Is it his fault you let your brain tell you that even though what he's saying doesn't make any sense, that it's going to cause you grief, and that it's founded in nothing but greed and deceit, you should still buy this vehicle? No. That's your fault. We all do this, everyday, in a million little ways. We let others (or ourselves) tell us what's true, what's right, and what's good. We know it's a lie, we know it's wrong and we know it's bad, and we believe it. And it's killing us. Spiritually, mentally, and physically we are dying. And as long as we're willing to believe what we know isn't true, we probably deserve it.

That was long, and boring. Meh.

On land, on sea, at home abroad
I smoke my pipe and worship God.

-Johann Sebastian Bach