- The fight against obesity is apparently going to get a real shot in the arm courtesy of New York City. The place famous for great pizza and bagels, Central Park, Times Square and having more rats than humans has now become the first city to ban all but the most miniscule usage of trans fats in cooking at any and all eateries in the city. Trans fats tend to raise bad cholesterol and have been directly linked to heart disease, so I would have to salute NYC for taking the stand, even if it might alter the good taste of some foods and make life more difficult for restaurants citywide. Violators of the new ban would face fines of at least $200, although I have to wonder exactly who is going to police this law and how. Thousands of overweight New Yorkers who love binging on greasy fries and burgers are going to be upset about this, but I salute Mayor Bloomberg for the effort, because in case you hadn't noticed, America is becoming obscenely fat and honestly, it’s disgusting and depressing to look at.
- Far too many people are b*tching about college football bowl games, right on schedule. This happens every year, sports commentators and media lament that there are far too many bowl games, they start too early, they have funny names, they feature teams people don’t know, blah, blah, blah……..shut your cake holes, whiners. Thirty plus bowls is a lot, and really, we could do with a number in the high twenties or so, but I for one am not going to spend time whining about it. I love college football, it’s one of my three favorite sports, and any chance I have to see more of it is a chance I will take. Furthermore, the complaint that unfamiliar schools that “no one cares about” play in many of them………those teams matter to their fans, as I can attest. Last year, my alma mater made it to its very first bowl game and I, along with tens of thousands of fellow fans, made the trip to the game and had a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was great, a fantastic and exciting game and definitely worthwhile. So for those out there who have a problem with any of the bowl games, just don’t watch. Your mocking of them isn't funny or clever; it’s trite, tired and played.
- Sucks to be an Iranian citizen right about now. Aside from the oppressive heat, gobs of sand and desert and what not, the oppressive governmental regime isn't making life any more pleasant. The Iranian government has blocked access to YouTube within its borders, meaning if you live in Iran, you have to travel to a neighboring country if you wish to view the hilariously funny clip of William Shatner performing Rocket Man from a few years ago. The same treatment is being given to porn sites and sites of groups opposing the government, but I have to ask why YouTube is being lumped in there. Do you not want your citizens to be able to laugh and to see that there’s actually a world outside their borders? Oh wait, that’s exactly what the Iranian government wants. Just one more reminder why even though America is greatly flawed, it’s still better to be living here rather than in places like Iran.
- We all knew that Taco Bell food was 1) not actually Mexican food, 2) not at all good for you and 3) of questionable origin and composition, but add a fourth characteristic to that list: it can give you E. coli. Yes, now not only can you get indigestion, gas and heartburn from making a run for the border, you an also get food poisoning! Doesn’t that sound like something you’d be interested in? Eleven Taco Bell restaurants in the New York/New Jersey metro area all use the same food distributor and were the source of an outbreak that made at least three dozen people ill in recent days. Nine people remain hospitalized as a result, including an 11-year-old boy with kidney damage. Yet another reason to avoid Taco Bell, as if I needed one. Y’know, heating up ramen noodles on the stove might not seem like a glamorous dining option, but I can safely say that it won't send you to the hospital with kidney damage……….
- Not surprisingly, Disney sold more than five million copies of Pirates of the Caribbean Two: Dead Man’s Chest on its first day in stores Tuesday. Amongst all of the movies that have come out in the past year, Pirates was definitely one of the better ones. Something to consider for movies currently out in theaters, ones of dubious quality and lackluster cinematic value (see here Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj)…..what does it say about your movie when more people buy a DVD of a movie they’ve already seen than are willing to pay about half the amount to go see your movie in theaters? Because truthfully, at the end of one week for each in their respective theatrical venues, I’m willing to bet that Pirates will be much more popular on DVD than Rise of Taj will be in theaters. Of course, all that means is that we’ll see the latter on DVD in about two months as well.
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