2321 IS Will Be

It's interesting how the names of things change after repeated news cycles. It's as if a consensus amongst media folks needs to emerge according to the basic natural laws of physics. As in, things proceed to a state of lower energy. Entropy. Or just plain laziness.

Take the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. When the terrorist organization first started their head-lopping massacre across Iraq that brought them to our attention like an exceptionally bad episode in Game of Thrones, ISIL was the initial acronym to come out of the deal. 

It's still the way much of Europe refers to them. Mostly because they've called the Syrian area the Levant for centuries, whereas we western hemisphere newbees prefer Iraq and Syria.

That's what we started to call them. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Then came our acronym. ISIS. Which became problematic for a number of businesses through no fault of their own right away. Brand Suicide they call it. Remember what happened to Ayds diet candies? 

This one hit a lot of companies, because Isis is the name of the Egyptian goddess of love, marriage, and the underworld, so was nicely co-optable for marketing purposes. Funny how one goddess can be the symbol of both marriage and the underworld. Perceptive, those ancient Egyptians.

Anyhow, businesses started abandoning the name ISIS in droves. So the final name and acronym the lazy media has decided on has me worried. It's just Islamic State. And the initials IS. 

Yep, IS is going to be the way we talk about how IS is ravaging the western middle east. Isn't IS going to be fun? 

But hey. At least Clinton will be vindicated by this crisis. Bill, not Hillary.

We'll finally be able to say what IS is.

America, ya gotta love it.

2320 Greased Enlightening

I love how the medical advice seesaw keeps going helter-skelter. Take their tilt-a-whirl positions on sugar and fat. They keep yanking us around.

The big deal back when cholesterol was discovered was that a low-fat diet was the only way to lose fat. So processed food providers took all the fat out of food. Then found they couldn't sell it. Because it tasted like cardboard. So naturally (or unnaturally) they added sugar to replace the flavor.

America became the carbohydrate nation. And surprisingly to science, for all the fat we didn't consume, the obese nation as well. Along came Atkins and guess what? Science now says he was more or less right. A recent study done on ordinary people who could consume unlimited calories on either a no-fat or a low-carb diet proved indisputably that you lose weight with low-carbs. 

Meat eaters rejoice! The way to lower fat is to eat more fat. 

While we're on sugar and sweeteners, by the way, it's the type of sugar you consume too. Seems high-fructose corn syrup is enough in the negative spotlight that at least one major soft drink manufacturer is proclaiming a new drink they hype with the description "made with real sugar."

Not sure about the high-fructose thing, but get this recent conclusion of science: Artificial sweeteners actually cause obesity. New research has shown that artificial sweeteners affect the gut's microbiome and put it out of whack, so somehow any sugar you do eat goes right into fat storage mode. 

Science's zipper ride has gone topsy-turvy again. Today's lesson: Don't use artificial sweeteners and don't avoid fat. Sweet. Just in time for fair season. 

Batter-fried butter stick and Krispy Kreme bacon burger, here I come.  

America, ya gotta love it. 

2319 Stealers Deal

I was reading a magazine article about various items you could use to store stuff secretly while you're on vacation. They included a version of an old-fashioned money belt with flashing LEDs, so you could also wear it outside your clothing for a midnight jog. Just remember to turn off the LEDs when you tuck it back inside your white shirt at the business convention. Pickpockets love LEDs.

The problem with secret storage is that secret storage stealers read the same magazines us normal people do. So they're out there on the beach actually looking for these items. 

Take the Contigo Autoseal Kangaroo bottle. Looks like a water bottle but has a hidden compartment where you can store your cash, car key, or hotel room key. It's also spill-proof and waterproof and BPA free. Plus it's a really expensive looking top notch water bottle. In short, the sort of water bottle that looks like it would be a good thing to steal in its own right. 

Likewise Slotflop sandals. They have a Velcro-sealed compartment in the arch area, which is designed to hide cash and credit cards at the beach or pool. Since the lump of booty is under your arch, it still allows for comfortable walking. Especially if a barefoot thief just slips into them and walks away. Again, they look mighty worthy of stealing all by themselves.  A stealer's deal. 

That, of course, adds insult to injury. You pay good money for an item to store your valuables and someone steals not only your valuables but also the expensive item holding them. 

When I go to the beach, I use the icky factor. I put my stuff in a wet, gooey, plastic doggie-doo thing with a hidden compartment. 

Now that’s secreted.

America, ya gotta love it.