News Stories

[XenophunK]

Originally Posted by Solace

Hey, chocolate coins are good value for the money. ^^ Mmm, chocolate.

FUND IT

[Evil Rick]

Originally Posted by Solace

I'll post some pics in a moment.




Thumbnailed for size.

Real? Dunno. Coins can be printed in more places than just the Treasury.

Originally Posted by 4Tran

This video was posted in August 2008, so it was before the banks went nuts. It's also a reiteration in video form of the same kind of stuff this Hal guy was going on about earlier in the year. For some reason, he managed to learn some economic buzzwords, but he never educated himself as to why his little theory made absolutely no economic sense.


Think of it this way, people can make chocolate coins as well. This thing looks just like one of them. It's an obvious fake. (I do admit that the fasces are a nice touch)


It's a fake coin, so you can call it whatever you want.


It's not a problem. You just need to build a better BS filter. I suggest reading up skeptical literature to build up your tolerance (I cut my teeth on Skeptical Inquirer ages ago). Another good bet is to run suspicious stuff through the Snopes test. This is what I managed to find: http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/amero.asp. Do note that not every hoax gets written up, so it's a good idea to maintain a healthy dose of skepticism.

Here's a better picture of the famous Amero: http://www.snopes.com/politics/graphics/amero.jpg
Heck, you can buy some right now: http://www.designscomputed.com/coins...rency_list.htm. The silver ones look very cool.

You know what, this thread is instructive enough that I'll leave it open.

Thankyou guys for the information and for extend my knowlodge and analisiz of things

PD: Chocolate coins! O3O

[Mystique]

Miss Bimbo website promotes extreme diets and surgery to 9-year-olds
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/...cle3613881.ece

- Speaking personally, I'm down for getting that shut. It's bad/hard enough to be flooded with thin, model-equese girls during your teens through high school (starts age 11 here) - and trying to build some minute shred of confidence.
But to have a website that actually allows girls to engage in these kinda thoughts and issues from 9, are they insane?
Nothing beneficial bout it, promotes a unhealthy body image and lifestyle (even if it's just fantasy, it'll still be influencial) and as far as i can see, more will be made incredibly self conscious of their own natural traits which will probably be just fine as they grow up and develop.

i just find that disgusting and i'm not even a mother....
curious question, but would guys want their 8-10 year old daughters hanging round a site like that?

[Anh_Minh]

Flooded, flooded... Have you considered not buying fashion magazines?

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Mystique

Miss Bimbo website promotes extreme diets and surgery to 9-year-olds
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/...cle3613881.ece

- Speaking personally, I'm down for getting that shut. It's bad/hard enough to be flooded with thin, model-equese girls during your teens through high school (starts age 11 here) - and trying to build some minute shred of confidence.
But to have a website that actually allows girls to engage in these kinda thoughts and issues from 9, are they insane?
Nothing beneficial bout it, promotes a unhealthy body image and lifestyle (even if it's just fantasy, it'll still be influencial) and as far as i can see, more will be made incredibly self conscious of their own natural traits which will probably be just fine as they grow up and develop.

i just find that disgusting and i'm not even a mother....
curious question, but would guys want their 8-10 year old daughters hanging round a site like that?

Rock and Hard Place problem.

We have these twits using knives and starvation to achieve emaciated skeletons (yeah, that website reeks but it looks like its already going down, it also seems to be just "female hating" in general; notice who created it)

.... yet we've also got a society (at least in America) of morbidly obese people who do NOT need to be told "be happy in your body" while they reach for more Twinkies and salad dressing. These folks, the ones destined for diabetes, heart failure, and all the complications latch onto the "be happy with who you are" as an excuse to avoid addressing problems. As a result, we have 1 in 3 Americans with diabetes and more children being diagnosed as diabetic and with high blood pressure than ever in history (don't know Euro-stats). We've got clothing industry upsizing standards so that size 6 is is the new "size 0" so people can pretend there's no problem. When I was a kid, being remotely plump in a classroom was an anomaly - now its the light end of the picture. I've watched people die from diabetes -- its a nasty, nasty set of complications that kills them. Hypertension and heart failure aren't happy times either.

Both ends of the spectrum are desperately wrong places ... but at least in America, the healthcare stats show that morbid obesity in people from pre-teen on up is overwhelming the system. Unfortunately, any message of "moderation" is being swamped under the Cosmopolitan crap magazines/etc and their extreme counterparts of "everybody is fine the way they are".

Watchiing girls and women (and men) look at those magazines, and shop, and wander the mall, looking at what they wear --- cognitive dissonance comes to mind.

[Mystique]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

Flooded, flooded... Have you considered not buying fashion magazines?

Why do you assume that I ever have?
They're a bunch of crap with 60% advertising and models that look dead by their expressions. -.-
The ads don't boil down to just magazines.

Originally Posted by Vexx

Rock and Hard Place problem.

We have these twits using knives and starvation to achieve emaciated skeletons (yeah, that website reeks but it looks like its already going down, it also seems to be just "female hating" in general; notice who created it)

.... yet we've also got a society (at least in America) of morbidly obese people who do NOT need to be told "be happy in your body" while they reach for more Twinkies and salad dressing. These folks, the ones destined for diabetes, heart failure, and all the complications latch onto the "be happy with who you are" as an excuse to avoid addressing problems. As a result, we have 1 in 3 Americans with diabetes and more children being diagnosed as diabetic and with high blood pressure than ever in history (don't know Euro-stats). We've got clothing industry upsizing standards so that size 6 is is the new "size 0" so people can pretend there's no problem. When I was a kid, being remotely plump in a classroom was an anomaly - now its the light end of the picture. I've watched people die from diabetes -- its a nasty, nasty set of complications that kills them. Hypertension and heart failure aren't happy times either.

Both ends of the spectrum are desperately wrong places ... but at least in America, the healthcare stats show that morbid obesity in people from pre-teen on up is overwhelming the system. Unfortunately, any message of "moderation" is being swamped under the Cosmopolitan crap magazines/etc and their extreme counterparts of "everybody is fine the way they are".

Watchiing girls and women (and men) look at those magazines, and shop, and wander the mall, looking at what they wear --- cognitive dissonance comes to mind.

Well isn't that simply a case of extremes Vexx? Here we got in the UK, junk food websites now banned from TV, to stop promoting the sales and influence of such products that may have a factor in the increase of child obesity.
This on the extreme, glamourises breast jobs (for bigger i assume), diets via pills (instead of, lose the sweets and fried foods but eat 2-3 times a day)
Saying that, those who eat to excess, have a common factor of comfort eating (this i know of) - that's usually triggered out of low self esteem, for seeing bodies of girls, they know they'll never achieve.
Instead of being happy or comfortable with the middle range size that they are, they just eat.
"Well no one is gonna like me if i'm not size 8, may as well eat."

Then again, America's food portions are waaaaaay too big. xD
Things like super size meals are truly frightening to me, and going to resturants and stuff, i actually did ask 'do you have kid sizes' cause "normal" converted to "large" in my eyes.
And then the sweets, my gosh the extreme variety and amount i noticed in the supermarket x.x
Personally that extreme is probably just the end product of a wealthy, consumer country and the other extreme would be where people are starving to death, the balance is warped.
But that website still feels disgusting just as if there was a website encouraging kids to eat as much junk food, skip exercise and be lazy and award them for extreme results.
Wasn't basing it off the creator, but simply being another layer of negative influences on young girls that simply isn't needed.
(We've got enough probs and battles to fight on either extreme end of the scales)

ps: is this the twinkie that you're talking about?

[Vexx]

aye... based on what I've seen of Brits, ya'll don't have quite the morbid obesity problem that Americans have (yes, that's a Twinkie :P, favorite food of post-apocalyptic roaches). If you get a chance, watch the documentary "Super Size Me" directed by Morgan Spurlock. America is literally exploding in fat.

When friends visit from Asia or Europe and we visit a large public forum like a mall or entertainment area -- they literally have their jaws on the ground most of the time in response to what they're seeing.

My favorite anecdote is a friend from Tokyo who flies to Houston periodically -- she calls it Zeppelin-ville.

My wife has moved from size 6 in her teens to a size 0 or 00- without having lost/gained a pound. For me, XL shirts are now very tent-like instead of tight despite very little change in size.

Cities that are walkable have less of a problem (at least in the walkable areas). But most cities - there is no choice but to drive from point to point, even just across a street. Couple that with drinks that are 24oz for "small" and food portions that are 3x what one actually *needs* and sometimes I wonder if we're just committing mass suicide in the slowest painful way possible.

I agree with you completely that the social pressures are totally messed up driving towards unnaturally thin as well as unnatural excess. The people (often girls but also guys) who resort to the sort of things you're note are being wrecked by the sort of crap I'm talking about and then they try to adjust using the sort of crap you're talking about.

The only winners are the ones taking all the money from them at both ends.
http://www.vivavegie.org/101book/tex...upersizeme.htm

[Luminisk]

I've seen "Super Size Me".

Let me tell you instead of spending millions of dollars informing the public, send them copies of the documentary instead.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Mystique

Why do you assume that I ever have?

Because I only see rail-thin models once or twice every few months?

Maybe I'm just not paying attention... But if so, why are you?

[Mystique]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

Because I only see rail-thin models once or twice every few months?

Maybe I'm just not paying attention... But if so, why are you?

I'm naturally aware of my surroundings and how the media portrays information both visual and textual over the last decade. On an academic p.o.v, it's just a habit of mine after taking a media studies course that's stuck with me, kinda felt like step out of the matrix once you start analysing how information is presented in manipulative ways to influence us.
On a personal level, call it being a girl/woman *shrugs*
Why do you think there are more websites aimed at girls for glamorising, accessorising, emphasis on beauty and cuteness more than for 10 year old boys stressing on bodybuilding and penis enlargements?
On a basic attraction of the sexes level, men are more partial to visual stimulation, so girls seek to provide the best visual that they can, thus we're very conscious of how we present ourselves physically.
The media knows this and serves to enforce their standardised version of "beauty, which we should conform to “if we wanna get a man.”
When people are often converting to the mass, it is difficult to believe in yourself and enhance one's natural qualities.
Like I said, it's not limited to magazines. Ads are on all public transport, bus stops, billboards, TV, Movies, Music and the internet?
Can't turn without seeing skimpy clad ads for webgirls (let alone the porn ads) or requests for 'sexy single females' spam mail, etc etc etc.
From wrinkles to botox, to waxing to hairstyles to weight to attitude, it's the media's job to find something wrong and offer the "solution" to improving ourselves. Some of the info is useful, more often than not it just plays on insecurities.
It’s tiring to be honest and we need less of it, not more like that website…

Of course one can try their best to ignore them, but short of being really blind, we're still receiving the visual media, our brain still processes it, the explicit messages are still being transmitted, it's a battle to not fall prey to it.
Some have stronger will than others, however with the problems highlighted by Vexx, it seems that's somewhat of a minority perhaps.
The desire to be liked and deemed attractive on various levels and accepted as they are isn’t something that stops once adolescence begins.

Speaking of which, Vexx, when I get some time, I'll try to grab that documentary.

[Shadow Kira01]

Originally Posted by Vexx

America is literally exploding in fat.

To some degree true. Mainly, I believe it is related to both the foods and the weather. Not just that Western foods consist of mainly cheese, butter, bread products at fast-food restaurants, people also tend to rely on public transport for travel, especially due to the cold weather. When people eat too much fast-food and don't walk much, rarely even sweat. I mean.. It is not possible to sweat when the weather is like blizzard. Strange thing, however is that Europe is also a place that serves Western foods and is also pretty cold in terms of weather, yet Europe is not literally exploding in fat. I wonder why..

[Vexx]

Here's a fascinating animated map showing obesity trends in the US up through 2007 from 1985. http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/trend/maps/ Keep in mind that I was an adult in 1985 and personally observed these trends in my lifetime. The chart is scary but maybe not scary enough.

Other notes:
The US has a wide dynamic of weather temperature-ranges, anyone from the South would dispute the "cold weather" assessment. Also you tend to burn a lot of calories in cold weather as the body attempts to stay warm. The sweat glands are less used in cold weather (but have you noticed you have to take a piss more?).

Interestingly, public transport actually encourages good health (extra walking) -- it is locales in which individual cars are the primary form of moving and the infrastructure is lacking in walkable zones that drives some of the crisis.

Many European cities are entirely walkable because of their integration of public transit with walking zones. There are only a handful of US cities that have such design, over run with freeways and lacking in functional public transit.

Currently, I drive 5 miles from my rural public transit-lacking home to a light rail station and rail the 15 miles to downtown. From there I walk or trolley everywhere in the city, one of the few in the US where that's a real option.

[Ledgem]

Originally Posted by Shadow Minato

Strange thing, however is that Europe is also a place that serves Western foods and is also pretty cold in terms of weather, yet Europe is not literally exploding in fat. I wonder why..

There are a few big differences. I've traveled to Poland and Holland, so if my observations don't apply to the rest of Europe then let me know.

1) The use of high-fructose corn syrup vs. real sugar. Due to the government's kindness toward the corn industry, we have high fructose corn syrupt in practically everything - your burger buns, your soda, your sweets. Elsewhere, they use real sugar. I believe that the energy content could be said to be roughly the same, but the body isn't geared to recognize HFCS, it's geared to recognize sugar. While you might begin to feel full from a single soda made with real sugar, you could be chugging away on several sodas made with HFCS before you felt full. You just took in a lot more energy, and that energy goes somewhere.

2) Food portion sizes, which I believe Vexx alluded to. Here in America, restaurant food portions are huge except for certain extremely expensive restaurants - as you'd expect, the majority of people are not eating there. This sets people up for overeating. Combine it with the fact that many from the "baby boomer" generation were brought up to not waste food ("lick the plate clean") and you have a recipe for disaster.

I found it interesting to compare with my experiences in Poland and Holland. In Poland, food wasn't outrageously priced but in most places I felt like I needed to order two or three of a full dish in order to feel satiated. In Holland the food portions seemed to be better in general, but the only cheap menu item (and the only drink that came in a large size) was beer. Holland is also special in that you can get practically everywhere on a bicycle - I cycled between cities and probably saw more people on bicycles than I did in cars. It likely depends where you go.

And there you have it. There are many factors, but at the end of the day fat forms from taking in an excess of energy. It stays on you if you're constantly taking in an excess of energy. Our intake is excessive.

[aohige]

A "regular" size soft drink at an American "Whataburger" is WAY larger than large size drink in Japanese Mickie D's, Moss, and Loteria burgers.

People always talk about food size in US, but I personally think it's the absurd amount of soft drinks Americans consume every day that's doing much of the harm... Japanese mostly drink tea, water, and juice... not gulp down 40oz of refillable sodas with 500+ calories a serving.

[Vexx]

The corn syrup issue that Ledgem notes is a serious multiplier of damage. Its a disaster and its in almost every processed food even when its totally unnecessary --- its almost like our own version of the melamine crisis in Asia except it doesn't kill outright.

Anecdote: we're able to get Mexican Coca-cola (made with real sugar) through our Costco supplier. yes, it really tastes far better than the faux-Coke that Coca-cola sells here in the States (made of corn syrup) and you "want"/need far less of it.
I figure if the *teenagers* can tell the difference when we pull out the real-sugar coke at parties.... "wow, this actually tastes good o.O"
These days I drink mostly water, tea, exceptionally weak lemonade, coffee, and the random "made of real juice". Be careful with juice -- many products are actually mostly corn syrup (e.g. Sunny Delight).

One of the few bright spots of using corn for fuel is that its driven the price up enough that US manufacturers may start resorting to real sugar again. Yes, that's a very stupid reason for using corn for fuel...

[Cherudim Arche]

Originally Posted by Vexx

The corn syrup issue that Ledgem notes is a serious multiplier of damage. Its a disaster and its in almost every processed food even when its totally unnecessary --- its almost like our own version of the melamine crisis in Asia except it doesn't kill outright.

Anecdote: we're able to get Mexican Coca-cola (made with real sugar) through our Costco supplier. yes, it really tastes far better than the faux-Coke that Coca-cola sells here in the States (made of corn syrup) and you "want"/need far less of it.

I figure if the *teenagers* can tell the difference when we pull out the real-sugar coke at parties.... "wow, this actually tastes good o.O"

One of the few bright spots of using corn for fuel is that its driven the price up enough that US manufacturers may start resorting to real sugar again. Yes, that's a very stupid reason for using corn for fuel...

Maybe get a drink like Jones, rather than with soda with corn syrup.

[Mystique]

Originally Posted by aohige

A "regular" size soft drink at an American "Whataburger" is WAY larger than large size drink in Japanese Mickie D's, Moss, and Loteria burgers.

People always talk about food size in US, but I personally think it's the absurd amount of soft drinks Americans consume every day that's doing much of the harm... Japanese mostly drink tea, water, and juice... not gulp down 40oz of refillable sodas with 500+ calories a serving.

But then again, i can compare that with the UK, and still on average the rate of obese kids are less. We just stack up on potatoes a hell of a lot, lol
(Well that and beer) >.>
usually from those two staple food items, have i seen some of the most overweight peeps, those who're well happy of their beer bellies, lol.
But the fizzy drink intake may be similar, i'm not sure in relation to ledgem's post if we use real sugar or something else.
My guess is real sugar tho, since a lot of things seem to be regulated under EU laws, we may have similar rules as the other countries.
And yeah japan, lol.
Brings back memories of the time i went as a enchange student (first time interacting with americans on a near daily basis)
Let's just say i learnt a hell of a lot, lol.
But i remember one guy would always order a large maccy d meal and an extra burger and complain that the food portions in japan were too small, whereas me and my other brit friend would blink at him and go 'uhhh... this is normal'

[Shadow Kira01]

Originally Posted by aohige

A "regular" size soft drink at an American "Whataburger" is WAY larger than large size drink in Japanese Mickie D's, Moss, and Loteria burgers.

People always talk about food size in US, but I personally think it's the absurd amount of soft drinks Americans consume every day that's doing much of the harm... Japanese mostly drink tea, water, and juice... not gulp down 40oz of refillable sodas with 500+ calories a serving.

You see, the problem isn't really drink size, but the drink itself. At the Japanese fastfood restaurants, you will always get to pick green tea aside from the typical soft drinks choice, whereas at Westernized fastfood restaurants, the only other option besides soft drinks would include coffee, black tea, and fruit juices and the thing is that you can't really eat burgers with coffee or black tea, can you? Most people would order a soda, which is both high in sucrose and glucose/frucose content, as well as highly carbonated, two factors of increasing the size of one's stomach. And mostly true, most people would choose not to drink a 40oz refillable soda with a 500+ calories serving, not mentioning the high cholesterol factor if there is another food choice to pick. (p_^)

[FateAnomaly]

What other kind of food are there in America besides fast food and expensive restaurants anyway?

[Irenicus]

Originally Posted by FateAnomaly

What other kind of food are there in America besides fast food and expensive restaurants anyway?

Home-cooked? Ethnic restaurants? Sushi bars? Everything? We are the melting pot, you know.

But it's true, you have to know how to cook for the first one, as well as where to buy your exotic ingredients, if you need them; and live in a good city for the rest. No Generic Suburban America or nothing like that. Those places don't have much in terms of variety: they're obviously dominated by easy-to-recognize, standardized corporate franchises, which naturally favors fast food. I also suspect that the prevalence of the soda -- which I rarely engage in, except when, yes, in fast food restaurants and other outings; never touched alcohol either: I prefer milk and orange juice, is that wrong? -- have to do with the ease and low cost that it is produced, the ease of transport (I think the fast food chains usually rely on locally available tap water and just need the syrup and the carbon dioxide, right?), and the longevity of the product.

...and nothing to do with its nutritional value.