There is one country on this planet that has always had America’s back – that little dust up between the colonials and the ex-colonials exactly 200 years ago notwithstanding – no matter what kind of idiotic but sincere ridiculousness my moronic government has got up to, and while that’s not really too smart in all cases I still gotta send a lot of love to my buddies north of the border ’cause you make some really good beer, amongst other things.
And just by the way, we really are trying to come up to you guys’ level, medical care wise, although we have this trillion dollar insurance industry parasite hanging on us like a freaking lamprey. We took a tiny step forward this week, and someday we’ll have a single payer system like you guys, although I’m not sure we’ll ever top the taste of Moosehead. That’s beauty beer, eh?
So anyway, here’s looking at you kids. You betcha.
Dev, good morning.
I have always considered the Canadians one of the more civilised nations in the world, despite the influence of the French, and the proximity of the USA.
Your post sounds as if you have been celebrating rather liberally, I’m not disapproving, just rather envious.
Happy Canada day to all those who observe it.
Warm
Paul.
Oh, Canada! I love your beauty and your people, but I would like to know why when I am in Montreal and I say “bonjour!” in lilting tones, you insist on saying “hello” back. I hear you say “bonjour” to other people!
But in spite of that, I think you are marvelous. I might want to move in with you except you’re a little cold. Weather-wise. That is probably a relief to you.
Happy Canada Day! Come see us on the fourth! Bring your people.
I just skimmed the CJ’s opinion. He has a beautifully twisty (not twisted) mind and a sense of humor. Many opinions are written in esoteric language, but not this one. Part of Roberts’ rejection of the Commerce clause as support for law is that if Congress can use that clause to justify requiring people to buy health insurance, it should be able to address unhealthy diets by requiring people to buy vegetables.
Happy Canada Day to all you people north of the US! There’s a reason why no one is talking about putting up a wall along our northern border. YOU might want to think about it though!
Ok, cindy…was just checking because I know you are not to happy about canes…anyway.
Friday ~ Tony loved the home cooked meal so much that he decided that I should be taken back downstairs at 1:30 in the morning for 12 of the razor strop (he gets funny ideas sometimes).
Saturday ~ I got a mild morning spanking..just to remind me to behave for the rest of the day (which I always do).
At the party I got warmed up by Tony….then friend 1# and I played and he tried every leather implement in his bag and left me very warm and slightly tender.
Then friend 2# took me otk for a looooooong hand spanking which was very nice, almost like a massage.
Then friend 3# had me otk for hand and 2 other leather implements.
Then friend 1# came back and decided to play again and that one really hurt cos it was with a really stiff leather strap thing which absolutly killed! And a strap called a Dragons Tongue which has 3 tails at the end ……but that didnt hurt at the time.
Tony wasnt impressed with the last one because a. he didnt know where i was. b. I haddent asked permission for a 2nd play. Ooops.
So, when we got home Tony had me over the table for 12 really hard with the razor strop.
Today…I was too sore to play for a very long while, then during a discussion about scullery maids and head butlers…..well somehow i ended up over the table for 50!! 50!! with the dragon, kobo and rattan canes!
I am sitting on my bum……but I think it is in shock atm cos its just numb…i think.
Oh, Scarlet, I’m SO sorry. I haven’t seen these guys for days and I wondered where they had gotten to. I guess when I looked into your garage, I just didn’t get the door closed all they way. I’m so, so sorry that they made a mess. I’ll be right over to clean up!
Of course the marks will go cindy.. ..Tony is very careful, I am sure that by this time on wednesday they will all be gone.. ….just in time for Sir’s visit on Thursday.
I googled famous actors/entertainers who were born in Canada and was pleasantly surprised to see so many of my all time faves on the list! Paul Anka (he can put his head on my shoulder ANY time!) The courageous and hugely talented Michael J. Fox, Raymond Burr, the beautiful Yvonne De Carlo who found success a second time in The Munsters, Glenn Ford (who had a nasty drinking habit), everbody’s favorite father, Lorne Greene, Peter Jennings (who was taken from us much too soon), Rich Little–the best impressionist I’ve ever seen, Erik McCormack from the fantastic Will & Grace, and teh esteemed Walter Pidgeon who played teh king in the romantic 1965 TV version of Cinderella, starring a young, fresh faced Lesley Ann Warren and the dashing Stuart Damon. All of us girls drooled with envy as Stuart twirled the gorgeous Lesley Ann in a lilting waltz!!
Good work, Canada. Although I am contractually obliged to never live outside the tropics, I salute your culture and loonies. Also, the fact that today you are probably not sweltering in the tropics.
There I was, thinking you were going to be giving a head’s up to our little island, but no! Canada gets the popular vote! As three of the four members of our household are Canadian citizens, three of the four of us went to Trafalgar Square and Canada House for the celebrations. Strangely that did not include the member of the household who has given the jnrs his birthright!
Complaints aside, I love Canada and its citizens, despite some minor complaints about it being easier to animals and children to the country than me as mother to said children and a wife to one born there – hey ho!
Apologies, but as one born and bred into our universal healthcare system, which has its own myriad of faults, the final paragraph had me totally confused although BBH does like Moosehead beer if he can’t get the proper English stuff
Not to put too fine a point on it, dd, the US has great health care providers locked into the worst and most expensive health care delivery system of any first world country on earth. Last week the government took a baby step toward fixing that, and the backlash has been tremendous.
Ummmm Dev—first off–I thought we weren’t allowed to talk politics here. And second, I thought it was against some draconian Floridian law to utter such Liberal leaning statements! Otherwise, welcome to the Left side, Dev. I’ll move over to make room for you to join the rest of us!
I know what you mean, Dev. I haven’t had insurance for over 15 years either. Because of my now lower income, tho, I recently qualified for medical care through our local clinic and hospital. Oddly enough, I worked for them for many years at one time! In fact, during that time I strongly advocated with our doctors for our patients who had chronic healthcare issues.
Will you please advise Roman that I will be on a road trip for the foreseeable future, which I hope will not inconvenience him at all, but I simply must break in the new car.
I think we’re at an interesting place in our history. In the “new” America, we’ll either see more people falling through the cracks, or finally having a safety net where medical care is concerned. It’s a different country than the one we grew up in.
It sure is,Scarlet. It seems like we are going back in time instead of moving ahead, we are going from a nation that had almost everyone covered with health insurance to only the poor covered by government paid and the few covered by employer paid. It seems like the insurance and oil companies run this country.
I hear that other countries have to wait weeks or months to get testing done (MRI) whereas here we can get it done withing a day or two. I guess no system is perfect.
True enough, Kaki. The basic problem is, when people have medical insurance, they don’t ask how much a procedure costs, they don’t shop for a doctor who charges a more reasonable fee, they abdicate all responsibility for the cost of their health care. For those of us without insurance, our only guarantee, such as it is, is to exercise regularly, keep away from sick people, and eat fresh, wholesome food. Which means that ice cream is NOT dinner. I may have mentioned that before.
All I know is I only have health insurance because I was working outside of America, and if I don’t get sent back out sooner or later (<12 months), I'll have to make my own arrangements. So…any system would be better than no system. Politically, I fall on the side of "single payer", but, to be fair, that's because that was one of the least annoying parts of my work in foreign lands, so it's got to be good enough for America.
Also, whenever I go to the hospital and that bill collector lady hassles me before I get inside, I want to spank her. But I don't, because I'm sick. It's a catch-22, dang it!
Cindy, I think all Americans should have the same plan as all the politicians, everyone should have the same plan. Funny how there is no money for health care except for the politicians.
I have health insurance. I really don’t know what fees doctors charge, but that is, in part, because I have always belonged to an HMO, so I only need to know my co-pays.
What I do know is what medications cost. You really cannot leave the money-grubbing pharmaceutical companies out of the equation. I think I’d better stop now before I start ranting. That’s never pretty.
I have a worthless Congressman, too Cindy. I quite agree with you! The worst part is that now the idiot has retired and I STILL have to pay his pension.
With regard to the “ice cream is not dinner” edict. Everyone knows that ice cream, like yogurt and cottage cheese, is part of the dairy family. And dairy products contain protein and are one of the main parts of the all important food pyramid. We vegetarians frequently don’t get enough protein; so we must make the ultimate sacrifice of gobbling down ice cream for dinner! And if we happen to spoon fresh fruit all over the top–then we’ve managed to add another key food into the mix. It’s really all so simple when you sit down to think about it rationally.
I really don’t begrudge them their pay or their pensions. I do begrudge them the availibilty of decent health care while they fight tooth and nail to deny the same benefit to every other American.
Of course, they spend a lot of time helping corporations deny pension benefits to average Americans, so yeah, there you go.
(you might at least mention that you have, on occasion, – well, one occasion that I can think of- partook of an RBF for supper. Just saying, you know, in the interest of full disclosure)
Dev, if it the sugar you are concerned about, than the answer must be to get diabetic ice cream which is chock full of artificial sweeteners instead, right?
I once worked with a doctor who told me that the caffeine in the coffee I drank all day long wasn’t good for me. So, I asked him if it was somehow different from the caffeine in the Coca-Cola he drank all day long. His answer was, “Yes.” No explanation, just “yes.”
So, Dev, I’m sure that the sugar in raisins must differ in some significant way from that in ice cream, right? Sir?
What? When did I have raisins for supper? I put raisins on cereal to sweeten it with REAL FRUCTOSE instead of refined cane sugar. I think you girls all are affected with selective hearing and memories. :waits:
You said you ate dried fruit one night for dinner. I think you got home late or something. Dried fruit = raisins. See, understand, rubber band. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Oh! Raisins, dried cranberries, prunes, probably some almonds. Very healthy. And yes, you had better go to bed before you get yourself into trouble, Kaki. Night, all.
Lily, I agree whole heartedly that HFCS is bad news, and I avoid it at all costs. However, my understanding is that its chemical composition is not exactly the same as the fructose found naturally in fruit. That may or may not be true, but in any case the study here is based on the infusion of identical quantities of fructose and sucrose. However, in foods such as ice cream and raisins, for instance, the glucose in ice cream would enter the system much more quickly because refined sugar is more quickly digested. The intestines must break down the fiber in fruit before much of the sucrose is available, which is why people get a sugar rush from ice cream and not so much from an apple or a handful of raisins.
Also, the amount of glucose in an ounce of ice cream as opposed to the amount of sucrose in an ounce of raisins must be wildly dissimilar, so this study could be accurate as far as drinking soda with glucose as opposed to sucrose, but in the case of foods containing these ingredients the comparison is not nearly as valid.
Anyway, I’ll stick to fruit in most cases, and buy ice cream and soda with sugar instead of HFCS for dessert once in a while.
Not that I gave this a lot of thought or anything. And thanks for handing me a soap box.
Very well explained, Dev. That’s my understanding, too, although in much more vague terms and not as scientific. The way I think of it is: sugar or honey? Take honey. Granola bar or an apple? Take theapple. Cheese or yogurt? Take the cheese.
My current lifestyle is to go for most natural, least processed, foods my great grandmother would recognize.
I think it was Michael Pollan who said you can eats sweets but you have to make them from scratch. Want cookies? Get out the butter, sugar, flour etc and have fun. The same goes for cake, pie, french fries, ice cream, potato chips. By all means eat it, but make it first. You get it without additives and preservatives that way, and chances are you’re not going to do it oftrn!
Phew! Thats good to hear, Dev. I thought that maybe while you had the soap box open……. I double checked she didn’t use any naughty words. I mean I clicked the wrong smiley.
Personally, I have been enjoying the sweet cherries. mmmm
I would like to be a Pepper too! I love diet cherry dr pepper…there is nothing resembling anything from nature within five miles of it–how can it taste so good?
Yes, Granda Scarlet was a great lover of her Diet Coke! Of course, she made it herself, from a secret recipe, and after she drank it she was liable to go waltzing through the cornfields or dressing the milk cows up as dairymaids, but that was all part of her charm.
Thank you, sir. I’m glad that you have given this thought, and health really was my only concern.
I don’t know if the fructose in HFCS differs from that in fruit. Out of curiosity, I emailed the question to my brother-the-chemist. It is of academic interest only, of course, since you are undoubtedly correct that the sugar in ice cream is more quickly available than that in fruit, and there is no question that fruit is much healthier.
Scarlet, I find it all too easy to make sweets from scratch. Maybe if I were not allowed to use all the appliances sitting on my kitchen counter that would not be true. I guess the two best things about summer are that there is such a wide variety of fruit available and that it is too hot to bake.
Kaki, please don’t feel that you need to go to trouble of inspecting my posts carefully for rules violations. If I were speaking to Dev in person, there would be a chance – an extremely remote chance – that I might use forbidden language. But here where I can think before I hit that “submit comment” button, it just won’t happen, so you need not worry.
Dev, in case you have just added a “no sarcasm” rule that I missed, please disregard what I just said to Kaki.
Ocean Spray makes very good all fruit juice blends with no added sugar, and blueberry is one of them. The natural fructose has to be better for you than the aspertame they sweeten the diet stuff with.
There are only two fructoses: D-fructose and L-fructose.D-fructose is the natural one; L-fructose is its mirror image which doesn’t occur in nature AFAIK). The fructose in HFCS, honey, and
fruit are identical. Sucrose, when split (or “inverted” – a reference to changes in optical properties of the solution) forms fructose and
glucose. Honey, “invert sugar” (split sucrose), and HFCS are all roughly 50% glucose, 50% fructose.
Maybe that is TMI, but, like the elephant’s child, I have ‘satiable curiosity.
They don’t sweeten the diet stuff with aspartame, they use sucralose aka Splenda.
Have you been talking to my brother? He doesn’t think I should use anything to sweeten food that doesn’t exist in nature, either. OK, you both have my attention.
For which he was invariably … well, you know the story. So sucrose is sucrose, but I think my other arguments about relative portion sizes still hold true.
Yeah, whatever they call it, they’re still twisting the radical ion tails off sugar and turning it into something that might be better used to rust-proof a truck chassis than sweeten juice, and how would we know? A bit of self restraint and moderation is better than such chemical shortcuts.
Happy Canada Day!
Dev, good morning.
I have always considered the Canadians one of the more civilised nations in the world, despite the influence of the French, and the proximity of the USA.
Your post sounds as if you have been celebrating rather liberally, I’m not disapproving, just rather envious.
Happy Canada day to all those who observe it.
Warm
Paul.
Oh, Canada! I love your beauty and your people, but I would like to know why when I am in Montreal and I say “bonjour!” in lilting tones, you insist on saying “hello” back. I hear you say “bonjour” to other people!
But in spite of that, I think you are marvelous. I might want to move in with you except you’re a little cold. Weather-wise. That is probably a relief to you.
Happy Canada Day! Come see us on the fourth! Bring your people.
Happy Canada Day! We share thousands of miles of border and many years of peace. I hope we always will.
Dev, who knew the Chief Justice could throw a curve ball?!
Gotta love his form, yeah.
Can we declare tomorrow Eric Roberts day?
I just skimmed the CJ’s opinion. He has a beautifully twisty (not twisted) mind and a sense of humor. Many opinions are written in esoteric language, but not this one. Part of Roberts’ rejection of the Commerce clause as support for law is that if Congress can use that clause to justify requiring people to buy health insurance, it should be able to address unhealthy diets by requiring people to buy vegetables.
I think that is a fabulous idea. I suspect the celebrations will be more enthusiastic in blue states, than in red ones, though.
Hence the Republicans going on about the broccoli tax?
I’mmmmm homeeeeeeeeeeee.
Hello all. Ooohhh lookit, new toys
wicked.
and 
together an decide we need the 
& 
talk, eh?
Lets hope the boss dosent put
Hahhahahah! That would be embarrasing, huh?
Did you have fun? Anything exciting you want to share?
I had the ultimate best time ever……and are you sure you want me to share cindy?? How strong’s your stomach?
My stomach is strong enough to take anything you want to tell me. Unless someone hurt you, then I’ll be sick.
I’m in the reddest State there is, Lily, and I’m flying the flag!
How very sweet of you to post that video. I spent four days at the 1976 Olympics; you brought back some very fond memories.
Hugs,
Hermione
Hi Hermione, hope you enjoy your day!
Jay, we’re waiting…
Someone left the garage door open and a raccoon has made quite a little mess. I need a volunteer to come over and say she did it. Quick.
Happy Canada Day to all you people north of the US! There’s a reason why no one is talking about putting up a wall along our northern border. YOU might want to think about it though!
Wonderful post, Dev! Thank you.
Ok, cindy…was just checking because I know you are not to happy about canes…anyway.
Friday ~ Tony loved the home cooked meal so much that he decided that I should be taken back downstairs at 1:30 in the morning for 12 of the razor strop (he gets funny ideas sometimes).
Saturday ~ I got a mild morning spanking..just to remind me to behave for the rest of the day (which I always do).
At the party I got warmed up by Tony….then friend 1# and I played and he tried every leather implement in his bag and left me very warm and slightly tender.
Then friend 2# took me otk for a looooooong hand spanking which was very nice, almost like a massage.
Then friend 3# had me otk for hand and 2 other leather implements.
Then friend 1# came back and decided to play again and that one really hurt cos it was with a really stiff leather strap thing which absolutly killed! And a strap called a Dragons Tongue which has 3 tails at the end ……but that didnt hurt at the time.
Tony wasnt impressed with the last one because a. he didnt know where i was. b. I haddent asked permission for a 2nd play. Ooops.
So, when we got home Tony had me over the table for 12 really hard with the razor strop.
Today…I was too sore to play for a very long while, then during a discussion about scullery maids and head butlers…..well somehow i ended up over the table for 50!! 50!! with the dragon, kobo and rattan canes!
I am sitting on my bum……but I think it is in shock atm cos its just numb…i think.
Yep.
Oh, Scarlet, I’m SO sorry. I haven’t seen these guys for days and I wondered where they had gotten to. I guess when I looked into your garage, I just didn’t get the door closed all they way.
I’m so, so sorry that they made a mess. I’ll be right over to clean up!
Yay!
I’m, I’m glad you had such a good time, Jay! Do you have marks on your bum? Will they ever go away?
I can’t believe you can sit down, though. I think I’d be sleeping on my tummy for a LONG time.
Funny that you should say that, Jay. Just this morning, someone was reading a chat about
and 
. Want me to send it to you?
Jay, I’m amazed you can still sit after all that! 50 strokes with the cane on top of the strapping.
Of course the marks will go cindy..
..Tony is very careful, I am sure that by this time on wednesday they will all be gone.. 
….just in time for Sir’s visit on Thursday. 
Mindy, no. Just, no.
If you change your mind, boss has a copy. It’s
.
Do you need frozen peas and a cushion
, Scarlet? 
Hi, Hermione! You’re very welcome, and thanks for stopping by!
Jay, glad you made it home in one slightly worn out piece. Sounds like you had a wonderful time, and that’s what matters. Anyway, welcome home.
Thank you, Cindy and Paul and Mindy and Scarlet and Lily and Laura and anyone else I missed who joined me to help wish Canada a great day!
I googled famous actors/entertainers who were born in Canada and was pleasantly surprised to see so many of my all time faves on the list!
Paul Anka (he can put his head on my shoulder ANY time!) The courageous and hugely talented Michael J. Fox, Raymond Burr, the beautiful Yvonne De Carlo who found success a second time in The Munsters, Glenn Ford (who had a nasty drinking habit), everbody’s favorite father, Lorne Greene, Peter Jennings (who was taken from us much too soon), Rich Little–the best impressionist I’ve ever seen, Erik McCormack from the fantastic Will & Grace, and teh esteemed Walter Pidgeon who played teh king in the romantic 1965 TV version of Cinderella, starring a young, fresh faced Lesley Ann Warren and the dashing Stuart Damon. All of us girls drooled with envy as Stuart twirled the gorgeous Lesley Ann in a lilting waltz!! 
Good work, Canada. Although I am contractually obliged to never live outside the tropics, I salute your culture and loonies. Also, the fact that today you are probably not sweltering in the tropics.
Dang it, Florida. You’re making me look bad.
There I was, thinking you were going to be giving a head’s up to our little island, but no! Canada gets the popular vote! As three of the four members of our household are Canadian citizens, three of the four of us went to Trafalgar Square and Canada House for the celebrations. Strangely that did not include the member of the household who has given the jnrs his birthright!
Complaints aside, I love Canada and its citizens, despite some minor complaints about it being easier to animals and children to the country than me as mother to said children and a wife to one born there – hey ho!
Apologies, but as one born and bred into our universal healthcare system, which has its own myriad of faults, the final paragraph had me totally confused
although BBH does like Moosehead beer if he can’t get the proper English stuff 
Trying to type quickly, as ever… should have said “easier for animals and children to live in the country than me…”
Is that Chuckles? Am sorrily behind with all Mindy’s new emoticons. Indeed many seem to come and go before I have a chance to use them.
You make me laugh, Cindy. I hope they don’t take you seriously. We need to keep an escape route open!
Thank you, Lily! I have reported your transgression to Roman.
Roman is quite the sparky little spanker these days. I don’t know what’s gotten into him.
You jsut need to learn to think faster, Scarlet!
Late spring fever?
Not to put too fine a point on it, dd, the US has great health care providers locked into the worst and most expensive health care delivery system of any first world country on earth. Last week the government took a baby step toward fixing that, and the backlash has been tremendous.
Happy Cananda Day to our northern neighbors. I hope you celebrate with lots of fireworks.
Ummmm Dev—first off–I thought we weren’t allowed to talk politics here. And second, I thought it was against some
draconian Floridian law to utter such 
Liberal leaning statements! Otherwise, 
welcome to the Left side, Dev. I’ll move over to make room for you to join the rest of us! 
That isn’t politics, Laura – that is straight consumer-side economics. Plus I don’t have any insurance and I would like to be able to afford some.
I know what you mean, Dev. I haven’t had insurance for over 15 years either. Because of my now lower income, tho, I recently qualified for medical care through our local clinic and hospital. Oddly enough, I worked for them for many years at one time! In fact, during that time I strongly advocated with our doctors for our patients who had chronic healthcare issues.
Scarlet, I’m so glad that I could be of help.
Will you please advise Roman that I will be on a road trip for the foreseeable future, which I hope will not inconvenience him at all, but I simply must break in the new car.
And fun to watch because it was unexpected.
I think we’re at an interesting place in our history. In the “new” America, we’ll either see more people falling through the cracks, or finally having a safety net where medical care is concerned. It’s a different country than the one we grew up in.
It sure is,Scarlet. It seems like we are going back in time instead of moving ahead, we are going from a nation that had almost everyone covered with health insurance to only the poor covered by government paid and the few covered by employer paid. It seems like the insurance and oil companies run this country.
I hear that other countries have to wait weeks or months to get testing done (MRI) whereas here we can get it done withing a day or two. I guess no system is perfect.
True enough, Kaki. The basic problem is, when people have medical insurance, they don’t ask how much a procedure costs, they don’t shop for a doctor who charges a more reasonable fee, they abdicate all responsibility for the cost of their health care. For those of us without insurance, our only guarantee, such as it is, is to exercise regularly, keep away from sick people, and eat fresh, wholesome food. Which means that ice cream is NOT dinner. I may have mentioned that before.
All I know is I only have health insurance because I was working outside of America, and if I don’t get sent back out sooner or later (<12 months), I'll have to make my own arrangements. So…any system would be better than no system. Politically, I fall on the side of "single payer", but, to be fair, that's because that was one of the least annoying parts of my work in foreign lands, so it's got to be good enough for America.
Also, whenever I go to the hospital and that bill collector lady hassles me before I get inside, I want to spank her. But I don't, because I'm sick. It's a catch-22, dang it!
Or “billing lady”. I’ve never actually figured out her job title, but her job description is “annoying”.
All I want is the same plan my worthless Congressman has. That I pay for.
Cindy, I think all Americans should have the same plan as all the politicians, everyone should have the same plan. Funny how there is no money for health care except for the politicians.
What I do know is what medications cost. You really cannot leave the money-grubbing pharmaceutical companies out of the equation. I think I’d better stop now before I start ranting. That’s never pretty.
It’s probably just as well you have never spanked her. She would just add a charge to your bill for doing so.
Kaki, we need to have healthy politicians. Or is that an oxymoron?
I have a worthless Congressman, too Cindy. I quite agree with you! The worst part is that now the idiot has retired and I STILL have to pay his pension.
With regard to the
“ice cream is not dinner” edict. Everyone knows that ice cream, like yogurt and cottage cheese, is part of the dairy family. And dairy products contain protein and are one of the main parts of the all important food pyramid. We vegetarians frequently don’t get enough protein; so we must make the ultimate sacrifice of gobbling down ice cream for dinner! And if we happen to spoon fresh fruit all over the top–then we’ve managed to add another key food into the mix. 
It’s really all so simple when you sit down to think about it rationally. 
A variation of this ploy has been tried before. It’s the heap of refined sugar that is the downfall of your argument. The answer is still no.
I really don’t begrudge them their pay or their pensions. I do begrudge them the availibilty of decent health care while they fight tooth and nail to deny the same benefit to every other American.
Of course, they spend a lot of time helping corporations deny pension benefits to average Americans, so yeah, there you go.
(you might at least mention that you have, on occasion, – well, one occasion that I can think of- partook of an RBF for supper. Just saying, you know, in the interest of full disclosure)
Aaaargh! (stomping down the hall to get ready for work). Besides, I need all that sugar for energy to get through work! Yeah–that’s it!
sometimes you don’t an MRI the same day. But then in other countries, the doctors don’t own the freaking billion dollar MRI machine either.
sometimes you don’t need an MRI the same day. But then in other countries, the doctors don’t own the freaking billion dollar MRI machine either.
sorry for the almost duplicate reply. I left out a word and thought I could catch it in time. Turns out, you can’t!
As I recall, I had the RBF before supper, not instead of. In the interest of full disclosure. :waits:
There are much better energy sources, Laura. just saying.
Dev, if it the sugar you are concerned about, than the answer must be to get diabetic ice cream which is chock full of artificial sweeteners instead, right?
Oh. Mayhaps I didn’t know about the real supper. Or mayhaps I blocked that part out.
Oh, gods no, Lily. He hates those too!
Girls, we are talking about someone who eats raisins for supper. Don’t recall any protein in raisins but lots of sugarl.
Yes, three words. Pot. Kettle. Black.
I rest my case.
I once worked with a doctor who told me that the caffeine in the coffee I drank all day long wasn’t good for me. So, I asked him if it was somehow different from the caffeine in the Coca-Cola he drank all day long. His answer was, “Yes.” No explanation, just “yes.”
So, Dev, I’m sure that the sugar in raisins must differ in some significant way from that in ice cream, right? Sir?
In case you haven’t heard it, “We Take Care of Our Own” from the Bruce Springsteen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkEU3JjNARs
What? When did I have raisins for supper? I put raisins on cereal to sweeten it with REAL FRUCTOSE instead of refined cane sugar. I think you girls all are affected with selective hearing and memories. :waits:
You bet, Lily. See just above.
You said you ate dried fruit one night for dinner. I think you got home late or something. Dried fruit = raisins. See, understand, rubber band. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
I think it’s time for me to go to bed.
Oh! Raisins, dried cranberries, prunes, probably some almonds. Very healthy. And yes, you had better go to bed before you get yourself into trouble, Kaki. Night, all.
Yes, sir.
OK, I do need to be serious for a change. I would respectfully suggest that you have a look at this article in the interest of your health; there are others with similar conclusions, but I do not know how many separate studies may have been done.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/02/28/new-study-confirms-fructose-affects-your-brain-very-differently-than-glucose.aspx
Lily, I agree whole heartedly that HFCS is bad news, and I avoid it at all costs. However, my understanding is that its chemical composition is not exactly the same as the fructose found naturally in fruit. That may or may not be true, but in any case the study here is based on the infusion of identical quantities of fructose and sucrose. However, in foods such as ice cream and raisins, for instance, the glucose in ice cream would enter the system much more quickly because refined sugar is more quickly digested. The intestines must break down the fiber in fruit before much of the sucrose is available, which is why people get a sugar rush from ice cream and not so much from an apple or a handful of raisins.
Also, the amount of glucose in an ounce of ice cream as opposed to the amount of sucrose in an ounce of raisins must be wildly dissimilar, so this study could be accurate as far as drinking soda with glucose as opposed to sucrose, but in the case of foods containing these ingredients the comparison is not nearly as valid.
Anyway, I’ll stick to fruit in most cases, and buy ice cream and soda with sugar instead of HFCS for dessert once in a while.
Not that I gave this a lot of thought or anything. And thanks for handing me a soap box.
Very well explained, Dev. That’s my understanding, too, although in much more vague terms and not as scientific. The way I think of it is: sugar or honey? Take honey. Granola bar or an apple? Take theapple. Cheese or yogurt? Take the cheese.
My current lifestyle is to go for most natural, least processed, foods my great grandmother would recognize.
I think it was Michael Pollan who said you can eats sweets but you have to make them from scratch. Want cookies? Get out the butter, sugar, flour etc and have fun. The same goes for cake, pie, french fries, ice cream, potato chips. By all means eat it, but make it first. You get it without additives and preservatives that way, and chances are you’re not going to do it oftrn!
Sadly, that does preclude McDonalds and Pop Tarts. I draw the line at Diet Coke though. I have to have that.
She was only trying to help you.
Did Grandma Scarlet drink Diet Coke?
I’m a Pepper, wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper too? Dr. Pepper, drink diet Dr. Pepper.
(cherry Dr. Pepper and Diet Cherry Pepsi rock!)
Kaki, of course not! Soap is for girls who use naughty words, not for those who reasonably question the professor’s assertions.
Personally, I have been enjoying the sweet cherries. mmmm
I would like to be a Pepper too! I love diet cherry dr pepper…there is nothing resembling anything from nature within five miles of it–how can it taste so good?
Yes, Granda Scarlet was a great lover of her Diet Coke! Of course, she made it herself, from a secret recipe, and after she drank it she was liable to go waltzing through the cornfields or dressing the milk cows up as dairymaids, but that was all part of her charm.
Thank you, sir. I’m glad that you have given this thought, and health really was my only concern.
I don’t know if the fructose in HFCS differs from that in fruit. Out of curiosity, I emailed the question to my brother-the-chemist. It is of academic interest only, of course, since you are undoubtedly correct that the sugar in ice cream is more quickly available than that in fruit, and there is no question that fruit is much healthier.
Scarlet, I find it all too easy to make sweets from scratch. Maybe if I were not allowed to use all the appliances sitting on my kitchen counter that would not be true. I guess the two best things about summer are that there is such a wide variety of fruit available and that it is too hot to bake.
Kaki, please don’t feel that you need to go to trouble of inspecting my posts carefully for rules violations. If I were speaking to Dev in person, there would be a chance – an extremely remote chance – that I might use forbidden language. But here where I can think before I hit that “submit comment” button, it just won’t happen, so you need not worry.
Dev, in case you have just added a “no sarcasm” rule that I missed, please disregard what I just said to Kaki.
I can pass up soda, but not diet blueberry juice.
Dev, FYI, your spam filter seems to be holding something I wrote hostage.
Lily, there isn’t anything in the spam prison. I assume Dev has released it.
He did. Thanks for checking, Mindy.
Ocean Spray makes very good all fruit juice blends with no added sugar, and blueberry is one of them. The natural fructose has to be better for you than the aspertame they sweeten the diet stuff with.
Lily, if there were an anti-sarcasm rule I would have to delete about a third of the 76-thousand-odd comments on this blite.
Dev, a third of the total and most of mine.
This is what the bro says about fructose:
There are only two fructoses: D-fructose and L-fructose.D-fructose is the natural one; L-fructose is its mirror image which doesn’t occur in nature AFAIK). The fructose in HFCS, honey, and
fruit are identical. Sucrose, when split (or “inverted” – a reference to changes in optical properties of the solution) forms fructose and
glucose. Honey, “invert sugar” (split sucrose), and HFCS are all roughly 50% glucose, 50% fructose.
Maybe that is TMI, but, like the elephant’s child, I have ‘satiable curiosity.
They don’t sweeten the diet stuff with aspartame, they use sucralose aka Splenda.
Have you been talking to my brother? He doesn’t think I should use anything to sweeten food that doesn’t exist in nature, either. OK, you both have my attention.
For which he was invariably … well, you know the story. So sucrose is sucrose, but I think my other arguments about relative portion sizes still hold true.
Yeah, whatever they call it, they’re still twisting the radical ion tails off sugar and turning it into something that might be better used to rust-proof a truck chassis than sweeten juice, and how would we know? A bit of self restraint and moderation is better than such chemical shortcuts.
Yes, sir.
I reread the story before I wrote that post, so, yeah, I do know.
So come and be spanked for your ‘satiable curiosity, young lady. :waits:
Yes, sir, I’ll just hop in my car and be right there.
But I kinda think I’ll still be full of ‘satitiable curiosity, though I don’t expect I’ll be able to turn the tables on you as the elephant child did.