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December 6, 2007

Hillary changes her tune? Gotta serve somebody; Grocery chain bans high-fructose corn syrup

At ABC News' Political Radar blog, 'You and I' No More?:

ABC News' Eloise Harper Reports: Less than 30 days before the critical Iowa caucuses, there's a shake-up in the Clinton presidential campaign. Hillary Clinton and Celine Dion appear to be parting ways.

For months, the soprano headlined Clinton's, D-N.Y., campaign appearances as Dion's "You and I" served as the former first lady's campaign theme song....

Instead on the trail these days, Big Head Todd and the Monsters are in and their "Blue Sky" is seemingly the campaign's favorite as the New York Senator enters and exits the stage.

The Clinton camp had no response when pressed by ABC News to explain why the sudden change from chick-favorite Vegas-anchored Dion to the masculine, Colorado-native Monsters.

"Blue Sky" was "written at the request of crewmembers of the Space Shuttle Discovery for their STS-114 Return to Flight mission in 2005, the first mission after the Columbia disaster." (Wikipedia)

Former Journal reporter Liz Anderson posted the Monsters' podcast clip below at her Politics on the Hudson blog at the Journal News' LoHud.com, which covers the Clintons' Westchester, N.Y., hometown. Click the arrow to hear it.

Or you can watch the music video at YouTube.

Sidebar: The Denver Post's Politics West posted in October (Big Head Todd jumps on Clinton's bandwagon),

As (Todd Park) Mohr tells it, Tuesday’s rally marked the first big political gig for the Colorado-based group. He said he hopes for a "longer relationship" with the U.S. Senator from New York, envisioning the group’s song "Blue Sky" as a possible campaign theme.

"It's a very optimistic song about how you can change the world. We think it would work for her," he said.

Gotta serve somebody:

My hope is that they’ll realize that the relationships that matter most are with users rather than advertisers...

Doc said (Product (re)placement) that.

Also from that item,

Alec Muffett (at Facebook garage in London last week): “To be told that Facebook is a ’social utility’ which exists purely as a space to attract advertising revenue was both a) a stark truth and b) deeply, deeply upsetting.”

Serving Wall Street investors has done newspapers no good, either.

Purge: Amid debate, grocery chain bans high-fructose corn syrup. Seattle. P-I:

There are no Wheat Thins at PCC Natural Markets, no boxes of Kellogg's Raisin Bran, not even any Sara Lee whole grain bagels or Oroweat cracked-wheat hot dog buns.

What customers will find is almost unheard of: a supermarket free of products containing high-fructose corn syrup.

After years of winnowing out the ubiquitous sweetener, the eight-store natural foods co-op announced this week that the rout was complete....

Bill Maher will be happy -- he's been on a rant against high-fructose corn syrup -- sugar on steroids -- for years. Maybe the alt-fuels push will divert the corn from that into ethanol.

Background: The subhed of this 2003 Washington Post story is High-Fructose Corn Syrup May Act More Like Fat Than Sugar in the Body.

Mayo Clinic: High-fructose corn syrup: Why is it so bad for me?

Posted by Sheila Lennon at 9:59 AM | Permalink

Comments

So much for popcorn balls. Maybe I'll have to smuggle Karo syrup in from Canada...

Posted by: janet on December 6, 2007 4:00 PM

Cane syrup from Amazon might be easier.

Posted by: Sheila on December 7, 2007 3:43 AM

Janet....two things. First, shame on Karo for using HFCS, until the 1970s (maybe even the '80s) Karo was simply corn syrup, NOT HFCS.

Second, you won't get HFCS in Canada, or any other country for that matter....only Americans were stupid enough to allow their gov't to foist this poison off on them. Read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" to understand the issue.

Posted by: Jane on December 7, 2007 10:56 AM

I cannot believe PCC banned HFCS. I really think this is completely unnecessary. Has anyone seen this article?

Research results show there isn't a link between HFCS and obesity. When it comes to HFCS and sugar, people should worry about how much (not which one) they're consuming!

Posted by: sally25 on December 7, 2007 3:30 PM

Sally, that study, like most, has a narrow aim and narrow conclusion:

"These studies," Akhavan and Anderson conclude, "do not support the hypothesis that the replacement of sucrose with high-fructose corn syrup as a caloric sweetener has contributed to overeating and obesity because of differences in their short-term physiologic (effects)."

Basically, did healthy young men eat more pizza after sugary drinks? I don't think that's my burning question.

I don't disagree that quantity matters, but in general I think the less processed our food the better.

Posted by: Sheila on December 7, 2007 5:44 PM

Sheila, I think what that sentence was referring to was the fact that HFCS does not contribute to the "short-term physiologic effects" that make people overeat. Up to this point, many thought HFCS caused you to eat more throughout the day. In my opinion, the article casts doubt on the theory that HFCS is to blame for America's high obesity rates.

If HFCS has in fact caused our obesity problem, then how do you explain a 30% rise in obesity in countries like Australia, where regular sugar is used? The point I am trying to makes is that we need to focus on eating smaller portions, healthier foods and living healthier lifestyles in general rather than isolating one factor and blaming it for a larger societal issue.

Posted by: sally25 on December 11, 2007 10:12 AM