Category Archives: Health & Medicine

Health & Medicine, Sports

YMCA SHOCKED BY RESULTS OF ITS MEMBER SURVEY

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photoChicago, Illinois – There was a time when YMCA was the top fitness and health club in the United States.  Over the last decade, however, YMCA’s ranking has been slipping, thanks to aggressive marketing strategies pursued by newer clubs like 24 Hour Fitness, Club One, Fitness 19 and Bally Total Fitness. Unlike its top competitors, the “Y” has been slow to resort to social media in its membership campaign. This could very well be the reason that the club is not reaching the younger generation of gym enthusiasts.

As part of its efforts to revitalize its club facilities nationwide, YMCA has enlisted the support of its current members to recruit family and friends, offering financial incentives for every new member they sign-up. To launch this membership campaign, YMCA has sent a survey to all its existing members asking them how they learned about the club, as a way to determine the best medium to advertise for new recruitment.

As completed surveys started pouring into the national headquarters in Chicago, YMCA’s communications and marketing departments could not believe what they are seeing in the survey. On the question “How did you hear about the YMCA,” a whopping 65% of respondents said “Village People.”

The “Y” is reportedly considering to hire the 70’s American disco group to headline its new advertising campaign. The campaign’s meme? “It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.”

Food, Health & Medicine, Law Enforcement, Science and Environment

ON SPARE THE AIR DAYS, SAN FRANCISCO BANS AROMATIC FOODS ABOARD TRAINS AND BUSES

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imageSan Francisco, California – On ‘Spare the Air’ days – which observers say San Francisco has been declaring more frequently in the last couple of months – residents are prohibited from burning wood, even on a cold winter night.

Now, the City by the Bay, considered the most environmentally-conscious in all of the U.S., has imposed new restrictions on these designated days.  The new rules prohibit residents and transients alike from bringing certain aromatic foods on board MUNI and BART trains and buses.

Included in the banned items are bagoong, the fermented fish or shrimp paste used in popular Filipino dishes like kare-kare; any kind of curry dishes; kimchee; and even Sriracha, the much-loved hot red chili sauce that almost disappeared from the market lately. Only unopened, sealed bottles of Sriracha will be permitted.

(It will be recalled that last November, a California judge ordered a partial shutdown of Huy Hong Foods, makers of Sriracha, because residents complained of spicy smells the Irwindale factory was producing.)

Pizza was originally included among the banned items but the powerful lobby representing  San Francisco Italian restaurants and pizzerias was able to convince city officials to strike it off the list.

Train and bus riders caught violating the new rules will be charged with a misdemeanor and will be stripped of their riding privileges for up to 30 days.  Additionally, repeat violators will be fined $19.99.

Private employers are also reportedly considering a similar ban in employee breakrooms.

Business, Health & Medicine, Law Enforcement

FDA SEEKS TO PROMOTE HUNGER

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imagesWashington, D.C. –  Ah, freedom. You choose to smoke, drink, eat what you want, marry who you choose to, practice your religion (or not), be a Democrat or Republican (or Tea Party pooper).

Ah, capitalism. You are lured into changing your smart phones every six months, get hooked on pay-per-view TV, sold clothing that are meant for models half your waist size,  supersize your combo meal.

Then there’s big brother, reading your emails, tracking your whereabouts, warning against vitamin supplements but licensing drugs with potential fatal side effects, taxing your every purchase and what meager income you earn.

Now, the Food and Drug Administration is waging the biggest war since we first learned to say “war on terror.” The new war is against trans fat — not against transgender people or fat people — but the artery-clogging substance that FDA says is the major cause of heart attacks.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday proposed measures that would all but eliminate artificial trans fats from the U.S. food supply. Under the proposal, the agency would declare that partially hydrogenated oils, the source of trans fats, were no longer “generally recognized as safe,” a legal category that permits the use of salt and caffeine, for example.

That means companies would have to prove scientifically that partially hydrogenated oils are safe to eat, a very high hurdle given that scientific literature overwhelmingly shows the contrary. The Institute of Medicine has concluded that there is no safe level for consumption of artificial trans fats.

A coalition of fast food restaurants, backed by a grassroots organization calling itself  “Leave My Food Plate Alone,” immediately lambasted the FDA proposal, saying that it is really a “war to promote hunger.”

A quick scan of various commercially-available food groups and items by The Adobo Chronicles came up with this partial list containing trans fats:

Cookies, crackers, cakes, muffins, pie crusts, pizza dough, hamburger buns, stick margarine, vegetable shortening, pre-mixed cake mixes, pancake mixes, chocolate drink mixes, fried foods, donuts, French fries, chicken nuggets, hard taco shells, chips, candy, packaged or microwave popcorn , frozen dinners, frozen chicken and noodles, refrigerated crescent rolls, Oreo cookies, Wheat Thins, Triscuits, Fig Newtons, Nilla Wafers, cinnamon rolls, apple pie, hotcakes, pancakes, quarter pounder with cheese. The list goes on…

Will the public soon see lots of empty supermarket shelves and freezers?  Will some companies actually go out of business?  Stay tuned.