Mad Visionary

The weather channel is about the most useless piece of news in existence today. In this era of constantly updated websites and 24 hour weather channels it has obviously become less important to get it right the first time.

I wonder if meteorologist of today even have to know anything about the weather or if most of their schooling involves updating websites or inventing great excuses for why the forecast they gave 2 hours ago was completely false.

By all accounts we should have had 5 inches of snow in the past several days if you added up how much  they predicted at one point or another. I mean 1-2 inches and then an hour later just some light flurries and 30 minutes later it’s going to be 70 tomorrow. (slight exaggeration)

As I sat in Starbucks yesterday writing a paper for work I saw something that disturbed me. I am not sure of the particular reasoning for the event, but I found it odd.

As I entered Starbucks at 8:00 am there was an overabundance of preppy private school kids in their khakis and oxford shirts with their penny loafers on hogging almost every table in the place. There were kids 4, 5 and 6 to a table taking up every table and another 10 of them in the line. Most of them filtered out at about 9:15 or so. I figured that Starbucks must have been the hangout spot before school. In that part of the city there are not exactly a ton of places to kill time before entering the halls of learning. The kids were all drinking lattes and mochas and eating overpriced and non nutritious pastries and must have spend at least $10 a piece.

So the odd part was that about an hour later, maybe more, most of the same kids filtered back into Starbucks and proceeded to buy more coffee products and juices and miscellaneous. I am assuming that they were taking exams or something that required breaks, in order to enable them to leave campus and walk to Starbucks to hang out for more than a half hour at a time.

Do the parents give the kids Starbucks money every day? Is there now such a thing as a coffee allowance for kids. I can see it now:

Come on mom. You know how I get when I don’t get my latte in the morning. You have to give me at least 5 dollars. I can’t be the onyl kid there who can only afford a regular cup of coffee. All the other kids are getting at least grande mochas.

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I have been known to drink coffee from Starbucks. No I am not that person that has to have it or I will die and I will certainly drink coffee from other establishments.

But I do find it annoying that everyone wants to claim that Starbucks is so dang expensive that it is just not worth it. A cup of coffee from Starbucks is vejry much in line with the prices you would pay at many other establishments. Including McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts.

Sure, the gigantic frufru drinks are on the pricey side, but if we are comparing apples to apples then let’s be accurate.

Andrew Wolf, a writer for The New York Sun, has written a ridiculous article the freedom to choose. To choose what? How about the food that you eat. He details how he compares the issue of requiring restaurants to post the calorie content of their food to the war against terror in Afghanistan. What a uneducated analogy.

He seems to ignore the fact that by requiring eateries to post this information they will be enabling the public to make more informed decisions. Ignorance as an excuse can go along way, but you have to hold consumer responsible at some point.

Wolf also opines that the there would be a significant cost pushed down to the consumer because of such regulation. Perhaps some cost increase would be seen over time, but I doubt it would be significant. And why not put some of the cost on the consumer. Afterall, the people who are eating much of the garbage from fast food restaurants are putting a financial burden on society. As the average waistline grows, so does the cost of treating the effects of obesity and diabetes. And the people paying for that are not just the ones with the problems. That cost is already being pushed down to the tax payers of our country.

Another complaint is that once it is required to post calories that the next thing will be grams of fat. As if that is something bad. I am not sure which society Andrew Wolf lives in, but he should refrain from acting as though knowing the health value of your food is taboo.

You can see what kind of choices Mr. Wolf likes to make from this excerpt from his opinion piece…

“If I decide to go to Sparks to indulge in a steak, I don’t want to know how many calories there are in the 12-ounce fillet as opposed to the 16-ounce sirloin. If I feel my steak looks lonely on the plate and should be joined by Larry the Lobster, I don’t care how many more calories that will add. I dine out for the enjoyment of good food and wine. That is good for my health, my mental health.”

Read the article at the Sun – … And a Food Fight for Freedom

Is is ridiculous or irresponsible to market a healthy soda? or is putting out a soda that is at least healthier than the typical soft drink the way to go? Is is an attempt to gain market share? Improve the health and habits of people? Just a ruse to appear more socially friendly?

Read the article and see what you think? Can you make something that is unhealthy, health by adding healthy stuff? I don’t think so.

Makers of Sodas Try a New Pitch: They’re Healthy