Random thoughts

I couldn't find one thing that I really feel like commenting on, so here are a couple things that I found interesting in my exploring today...

1) Walmart planning to buy more local produce...http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/15/business/15walmart.html?ref=nutrition
Sometime's it's funny how you can have a conversation, lecture, or just think about something and then all of a sudden it's all around you. Reading about 'sustainability' in school is actually interesting, and this kind of makes me feel better about the fact that I, on occasion, go to Walmart for groceries (quite the change from the farmer's market, I know). Less guilt is definitely a good thing...

2) On the vein of food guilt, I'll segue into this one...http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/dining/27candy.html?pagewanted=2&ref=nutrition
Candy (and sugar in general) as the scapegoat in nutrition talk? Yep! High fructose corn syrup takes a big hit too! I understand that it's an issue for economic reasons (corn subsidies, etc.) and that foods that contain it are far from nutritional all-stars, but Jillian Michaels and Dr. Oz (who I trusted without really thinking about it) led me to believe that there was something inherently different about the way my body handles the stuff. Turns out, there's no difference. Unless you could isolate the fructose, which is handled differently, sugar is sugar. That means things with high fructose corn syrup and things with sugar are equally as sugary. Notice, after reading the NY Times link, I didn't say 'bad' or 'indulgent' or 'sinful' -- food shouldn't have moral implications. Think about all the advertisements you see (right now I'm picturing the ones for the sugar free Jello pudding--it tastes good, yes...but what's in it anyways?--that place their product as morally superior to 'sinful' cheesecake/rich desserts, etc.). Now, realize how crazy it is to consider food on a moral level!

3) My sister made me feel better last night, so here's another eerily relevant one...http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/26/health/26essay.html?ref=views

4) And this one hits close to home too because I am seriously considering putting myself on a crackberry diet...http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/16/health/research/16behavior.html?ref=health What do you guys think? How do you decide if you're spending too much time texting or on your Blackberry? I like the idea of not, I like the idea of giving up facebook, and I like the idea of having face to face encounters. I don't like the idea of not being able to let my friends know when something funny or bad happens, I don't like the idea of not being able to talk to the people I love 20 times a day if I want to, I don't like the idea of losing touch with out of town friends. It's a tough balance, I suppose, and something we all have to figure out for ourselves! I know that if one more person ploughs into me on the bridge because they're too busy texting to look up and see where they're going, shit might hit the fan!

...that's all for now folks! Amazing the things you find if you poke around the NY Times site!