“I heard from a friend of a friend that…” How many times have you received an email with this sort of opening? Usually what follows is some sort of urban legend, offers of free money, or dire warnings about the health of your children. But, not everyone might spot an e-hoax as easily as the next person.
That’s why debunking sites, such as Snopes.com and Hoax-Slayer.com, are so important. If I hear a crazy Internet rumor, one of these sites is my first stop to verify what I’ve been told.
For example, “Man Hit by Lightening, Then Mauled by Bear” is true. However, the alert that several women have died from sniffing perfume samples sent to them in the mail is false. Way false.
So, check with reputable sources before you believe what you read. Even people you know and trust can be misinformed.
There is a lot of talk these days about sugar in various forms. Whether it’s the raw stuff, high-fructose corn syrup, or agave nectar, people are debating what sugar is good for you and what sugar is bad for you. Guess what? It’s all sugar! And, it all has calories.
So what’s the difference between all the sugar products out there? Consumer Reports’ ShopSmart Magazine has a great breakdown in their July issue.
Raw Sugar and Natural Sweetners
Raw sugar, honey, molasses, and maple syrup are generally considered “natural” sweeteners. But, warning! You still have to use it in moderation. Just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s good for you. These have just as many empty calories as the next sweetener.
Agave Nectar
This sweetener, made from plants, is usually marketed as a healthy alternative for sweetening. Sold in vitamin shops and carrying a “certified organic” label, you might think this product is actually good for you. Wrong! After testing, ShopSmart Mag said to skip it. Agave nectar costs way more than sugar and it’s mostly fructose.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup
Here is Public Enemy #1. HFCS is being blamed for the obesity epidemic in this country, mainly because,
It is a marker for junk foods. Cheaper than sucrose, it turns up in all kinds of processed foods, particularly soft drinks. And there is nearly as much of it in the food supply as sucrose – 56 pounds per year per person versus 62 pounds for table sugar.
But, your body can hardly tell the difference. Sugar is sugar. Watch this report from NBC’s Nightly News:
The Center for Consumer Freedom commented on this video by saying:
“High fructose corn syrup is one of the most misunderstood products in the food supply,” said Harvard’s David Ludwig last night on NBC Nightly News. That’s because sugar is sugar, whether it’s made from beets, cane, or corn. All are nearly identical in molecular composition, and exactly equal in sweetness and calorie content.
The average American currently consumes about 22 teaspoons of sugar a day. How much should we have? Well, the American Heart Association recommendations 6 teaspoons a day for women and 9 teaspoons a day for men. So, we consume way more than we should, no matter in what form.
The bottom line, according to ShopSmart, is to, “choose the sugar you like best, but use it in moderation and don’t fool yourself into thinking any of it (unless it comes in a shiny apple) is health food.”
It is always surprising to get in an elevator in a hotel and see the numbers go from twelve to fourteen. We all know there’s a number missing. Are some people really still paralyzed with fear over the number thirteen?
There are many theories as to why thirteen has gotten a bad rap. Some say it has Christian roots revolving around the Last Supper. Others say the ancient Egyptians believed the number thirteen to be a symbol of death. There are also Norse and medieval ties to this number as well. Regardless, we all know superstitions are just crazy, right?
For example:
- Knocking wood won’t really change your luck (there’s no such thing as luck).
- Spilling salt doesn’t bring the devil (it means you’re clumsy).
- Sneezing doesn’t let your soul escape (it means there’s an irritation in your nose).
- A sudden shiver doesn’t mean someone is walking on your grave (it means you’re cold!).
And yet, the fear over the number thirteen persists. Friday the thirteenth is not just a horror franchise; many people actually alter their plans when this day rolls around. A small percentage of people polled said they would request a room change if given accommodations on the thirteenth floor.
A recent USA TODAY/Gallup Poll suggests a large majority of Americans — 87% — would be comfortable with a 13th floor room assignment. But 13% say they’d be bothered by a 13th floor room assignment, including 9% who would be sufficiently bothered to seek a room change.
The poll shows women, people age 65-plus and those with annual household incomes below $30,000 are more prone than average to seek a new room if assigned to the 13th floor.
The trend of renaming the thirteenth floor in buildings and hotels began in the late 19th century. However, in a rash of rationality, some newer hotels have bucked this nonsense and have installed elevator buttons with thirteenth floors. I say let the 9% move to a different floor–and get a grip. But, until then, I guess I’m staying on the “fourteenth” floor of my hotel.
Truth in politics. Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Between scandals, broken promises, spin control, and general sliminess, politicians aren’t known for being trustworthy. And, mainstream news shows just seem to let them get away with it. For example, remember this:
…“Good Morning America,” endured criticism in January when Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, said without being challenged that “we had no domestic attacks under Bush, we’ve had one under Obama.” Mr. Giuliani omitted the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The interviewer, George Stephanopoulos, admitted online later that he had made a mistake in not following up.
It seems like shows like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report are generally the only places you can hear politicians being called out on their BS.
One web site is trying to make a difference. The St. Petersburg Times has started a site called PolitiFact, where, “Reporters and editors from the Times fact-check statements by members of Congress, the White House, lobbyists and interest groups and rate them on our Truth-O-Meter.”
The Truth-O-Meter ranges from “True” to “False,” to my personal favorite, “Pants on Fire.”
The site won a 2009 Pulitzer Prize, just in case you’re taking notes. And, ABC’s Sunday morning political show “This Week,” is joining up with PolitiFact to check up on the rhetoric of the lawmakers interviewed. You would think more news shows and journalists would do this on their own (it’s common sense, right?), but they just don’t. David Gregory, who hosts NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said, “…people can fact check the program on their own online.” OK, thanks. Put the burden of truth on the viewer.
It’s good to see that at least some people care about the truth.
Not all claims of environmental friendliness are created equal. In fact, some are outright lies. That’s where Greenwash comes in. Greenwash is a blog in The Guardian that seeks to expose, “the exaggeration, absurd claims or downright lies that big business makes about its green credentials.”
Big companies can always drive a coach and horses through the rules, greening their corporate image by mixing a couple of heavily marketed green products into a range of many more thoroughly un-green products.
Again, oil companies are notorious. This column has returned several times to the greenwash strategies of BP and Shell, plastering the country with posters and double-page adverts extolling their involvement in green energy, which in truth makes up a tiny (and recently diminishing) part of their investment.
Yea! We love it when anyone exposes lies and untruths, whether it’s big business, small business, or no one’s business. A lot of Greenwash’s content relates more to Europe, but the environment is a huge topic worldwide right now. It’s great that someone is sifting through the green spin to find the truth.
Yesterday was World Water Day. Did you celebrate? No, we didn’t either. But, water is a huge issue globally. Did you know that dirty water kills more people than violence? It’s true, according to the U.N.
We’re not a fan of bottled water, so it was great to find this. “The Story of Bottled Water” is by The Story of Stuff Project, and it should make you think twice about buying that next bottle of water.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se12y9hSOM0
We’ve talked about water more than a few times here on DDOCS. (See “Water, Water Everywhere” and “The Great Water Debate: Bottled vs. Tap“.) But this video, while slightly on the hippie side, makes it plain and simple: you’re a rube if you buy bottled water. Unless your community has proven unsafe tap water, purchasing water in plastic bottles is absurd.
Drink tap water and save the money. If you don’t like the taste of your city water, buy a filter.
You frequently hear people wishing for a return to “the good old days.” Study your history and learn the science, is what Dr. Amy Tuteur argues over at Science-Based Medicine. The days of yore were tough, and a lot of us alive today wouldn’t have made it way back then if it weren’t for modern science (me included).
Yes, there is obesity, heart disease, cancer, and more. But, the average lifespan just keeps climbing. As recent as the early 1900s, the average expected lifespan was only 48. And this was when food was organic, people got lots of exercise, and when doctors still made house calls.
Advocates of alternative health have a romanticized and completely unrealistic notion of purported benefits of a “natural” lifestyle. Far from being a paradise, it was hell. The difference between an average lifespan of 48 and one of 77.7 can be accounted for by modern medicine and increased agricultural production brought about by industrial farming methods (including pesticides). Nothing fundamental has changed about human beings. They are still prey to the same illnesses and accidents, but now they can be effectively treated. Indeed, some diseases can be completely prevented by vaccination.
So, don’t knock modern times. It may not be perfect, but it’s sure better than polio, cholera, plague, dysentery, and smallpox. In the good old days, “your doctor couldn’t do much more than provide comfort until your body defeated the illness, or until the illness defeated you.” Doesn’t sound like much fun to me.
Myth or fact: Wearing a bra causes breast cancer? Answer: MYTH.
Apparently, there’s an Internet rumor going around (and we all believe those, don’t we?) that women who wear bras have a higher rate of breast cancer than those who don’t. Here is what Dr. Ted Gansler, director of medical content for the American Cancer Society, told The New York Times:
There is no scientifically credible evidence of this, he said, and the proposed mechanism–that bras prevent elimination of toxins by blocking lymph flow–is not in line with scientific concepts of how breast cancer develops.
He goes on to say that the idea that bras might cause breast cancer is so ludicrous that it’s doubtful scientists will ever waste research dollars on it. So, don’t burn your bras yet, ladies, and don’t believe everything you hear on the InterWebs.
Remember the Ouija Board? It’s a staple of the middle school sleepover, to fill up the minutes when you aren’t playing “Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board.” Well, Hasbro has released a pink version of the game and some folks are really…well…freaked out.
Meet Stephen Phelan, communications director for Human Life International, who believes that using a Ouija Board, “will leave a person’s soul vulnerable to attack.”
“It’s not Monopoly. It really is a dangerous spiritual game and for [Hasbro] to treat it as just another game is quite dishonest.”
Some comments on the product’s Amazon page chastise Hasbro for marketing Ouija Boards to young girls. Reviewers say Hasbro should be ashamed, and one person advises to buy this only if you hate your child:
Guns don’t kill people, people kill people, right? Why doesn’t Amazon.com sell automatic weapons or child porn? Because it is understood that these are very dangerous.
Um, what? Child porn and guns are the same as Ouija Boards?! That seems a bit ridiculous. And, actually, it’s not understood that these are dangerous. Has there ever, EVER, been an incident reported where something bad happened (legitimately) because of a Ouija Board? They have been debunked many times. How does a Ouija Board work?
What makes the pointer move? An effect similar to that which occurs in dowsing, known as the ideomotor effect. This is a fancy name for involuntary/unconscious movement, such as a dowser’s hand flicking enough to move his stick when he passes over an area he knows has water.
Sorry to get all “science-y” on you, but this should explain that a Ouija Board is nothing to be afraid of. It’s a game, and just a game. So, paint it pink, blue, purple, or yellow–it still won’t conjure up anything more than harmless fun. Don’t believe the experts? Then take Skeptic.com’s advice and debunk it yourself:
To prove this, simply try it blindfolded some time. Have an unbiased bystander take notes on what words or letters are selected. Usually, the results will be unintelligible.
I actually think it’s pretty smart of Hasbro to create a pink version and market it to tween girls. They know *exactly* who their audience is!
Turkey gets a bad reputation as the cause of post-Thanksgiving “food comas.” This is where you’re so sleepy that you can barely function once the last bite of pumpkin pie has been swallowed. A myth has long been perpetrated about tryptophan, an enzyme in turkey, as being the cause for sleepiness. Well, that is just plain wrong.
Tryptophan also can be metabolized into serotonin and melatonin, neurotransmitters that exert a calming effect and regulates sleep. However, L-tryptophan needs to be taken on an empty stomach and without any other amino acids or protein in order to make you drowsy. There’s lots of protein in a serving of turkey and it’s probably not the only food on the table.
Also, the concentration of tryptophan in turkey is the same as the amount found in beef and chicken, and even more tryptophan is contained in cheese and pork.
So, why are you so sleepy after all that turkey dinner?
Overeating is the culprit in this myth. Ingesting an excess of food can slow blood flow and oxygenation, which makes you feel tired. Many people are led to believe it’s the turkey that specifically makes them long for their pillow, but in reality, it’s just the quantity of dinner.
Don’t blame the turkey if you have to go to bed early tonight.
Daily Dose of Common Sense cuts through the crap, hype, and pseudoscience to tell it like it is. Part science, part news, and part, er, common sense, this site may be harsh sometimes but it's just tough love.
“I heard from a friend of a friend that…” How many times have you received an email with this sort of opening? Usually what follows is some sort of urban legend, offers of free money, or dire warnings about the health of your children. But, not everyone might spot an e-hoax as easily as the next person.
It is always surprising to get in an elevator in a hotel and see the numbers go from twelve to fourteen. We all know there’s a number missing. Are some people really still paralyzed with fear over the number thirteen?
Truth in politics. Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Between scandals, broken promises, spin control, and general sliminess, politicians aren’t known for being trustworthy. And, mainstream news shows just seem to let them get away with it. For example, remember this:
Not all claims of environmental friendliness are created equal. In fact, some are outright lies. That’s where 
You frequently hear people wishing for a return to “the good old days.” Study your history and 
Myth or fact: Wearing a bra causes breast cancer? Answer: MYTH.
Remember the Ouija Board? It’s a staple of the middle school sleepover, to fill up the minutes when you aren’t playing “Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board.” Well, Hasbro has released a pink version of the game and some folks are really…well…freaked out.
Turkey gets a bad reputation as the cause of post-Thanksgiving “food comas.” This is where you’re so sleepy that you can barely function once the last bite of pumpkin pie has been swallowed. A myth has long been perpetrated about tryptophan, an enzyme in turkey, as being the cause for sleepiness. Well, that is 
Entries (RSS)