Food Fraud

Acting on an informant's tip, in June 1973, French tax inspectors barged into the offices of the 155-year-old Cruse et Fils Frères wine shippers. Eighteen men were eventually prosecuted by the French government, accused, among other things, of passing off humble wines from the Languedoc region as the noble and five-times-as-costly wine of Bordeaux. During the trial it came out that the Bordeaux wine merchants regularly defrauded foreigners. One vat of wine considered extremely inferior, for example, was labeled "Salable as Beaujolais to Americans."

It's not just that bottle of vino you need to wonder about. False origins/composition/etc. has been documented in fruit juice, olive oil, spices, cheese, vinegar, spirits and maple syrup, just to name a few.

Caveat emptor, indeed. This week, a look at food fraud.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Have you ever known me to do anything foolish?" - Captain Jonathan Archer, Star Trek: Enterprise, "Rogue Planet"

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35869978-Food-Fraud

Buy Local, Act Evil?

A University of Toronto study suggests people who buy green are more likely cut moral corners elsewhere, that buying green is tantamount to a free pass for commensurate bad behavior in other areas of their lives.

I beg to differ, as I don't feel the need to cut someone off in traffic on the way home from buying compact florescent light bulbs or mock the eco-celebrity crowd and their use of "carbon offsets" as a method to justify their eco-hypocrisy.

This week, can buying local may you act evil?

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: Kirk: "My God, Bones, what have I done?" McCoy: "What you had to do; what you always do: turn death into a fighting chance to live." - Doctor Leonard McCoy to Admiral James T. Kirk while witnessing the destruction of the Enterprise, Star Trek III: The Search For Spock

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Buy Local, Act Evil

Stomach versus Brain

Scholars have understood the different motives for eating as far back as Socrates, who counseled, "Thou shouldst eat to live, not live to eat."

Nowadays, scientists are using sophisticated brain-imaging technology to understand how the lure of delicious food can overwhelm the body's built-in mechanism to regulate hunger and fullness, what's called "hedonic" versus "homeostatic" eating.

This week, it's stomach versus brain. May the best organ win.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "When every logical course of action is exhausted, the only logical course that remains is inaction." - Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, Star Trek: Voyager, "Twisted"

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Stomach vs Brain

Coffee's trained tasters know their beans and brews

We've looked how the smell of freshly brewed coffee can help relieve stress, why coffee is a bitter brew, how diesel can be made from from coffee grounds, and how coffee was one of the six drinks that changed history.

The world of coffee has as much complexity and diversity as the world of wine. Many different steps and processes go into creating the perfect coffee bean and the perfect cup of coffee.

This week, a look at coffee's trained tasters, their beans and brews.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There are creatures in the universe who would consider you the ultimate achievement, android. No feelings, no emotions – no pain. And yet, you covet those qualities of humanity. Believe me, you're missing nothing. But if it means anything to you...you're a better human than I." - Q to Commander Data, Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Deja Q"

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Coffee's Trained Tasters Know Their Beans and Brews

5 Things That Will Make You Happier

In the last few years, psychologists and researchers have been digging up hard data on a question previously left to philosophers: What makes us happy? Researchers have studied people all over the world to find out how things like money, attitude, culture, memory, health, altruism, and our day-to-day habits affect our well-being.

The emerging field of positive psychology is bursting with new findings that suggest your actions can have a significant effect on your happiness and satisfaction with life.

This week, a look at five things that will make you happier.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "...the things love can drive a man to – the ecstasies, the miseries, the broken rules, the desperate chances, the glorious failures and the glorious victories." - Doctor Leonard McCoy, Star Trek: The Original Series, "Requiem for Methuselah"

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5 Things That Will Make You Happier