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Researchers at Georgia State University have found that diets high in fructose — a type of sugar found in most processed foods and beverages — impaired the spatial memory of adult rats. Amy Ross, a graduate student in the lab of Marise Parent, associate professor at Georgia State's Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, fed a group of Sprague-Dawley rats a diet where fructose represented 60 percent of calories ingested during the day. She placed the rats in a pool of water to test their ability to learn to find a submerged platform, which allowed them to get out of...

Sugar, rum and tobacco are commodities which are nowhere necessaries of life, which are become objects of almost universal consumption, and which are therefore extremely proper subjects of taxation.” — Adam Smith, “The Wealth of Nations,” 1776 That quotation, from the great philosopher of capitalism, appeared at the start of an article that ran a few weeks ago in The New England Journal of Medicine. The article argued for taxing Coke, Pepsi, Gatorade, Red Bull and any other sugar-sweetened beverage, largely to combat obesity. The authors were Kelly Brownell, a longtime obesity researcher at Yale, and Thomas Frieden, the New...

Pay no attention to the fact that people might look at it as a middle class tax increase. And ignore the fact that New York Governor David Paterson's approval numbers headed into the toilet (he's at 19% now) when he proposed (and then dropped) the same tax in New York. In fact, disregard the fact that the first anti-tax Tea Party this year took place well before Rick Santelli's much-watched rant. It happened in Binghamton, New York earlier this winter as a direct result of the proposed fat tax on soda. The participants dumped soda into the river in protest.

Senate leaders are considering new federal taxes on soda and other sugary drinks to help pay for an overhaul of the nation's health-care system. The taxes would pay for only a fraction of the cost to expand health-insurance coverage to all Americans and would face strong opposition from the beverage industry. They also could spark a backlash from consumers who would have to pay several cents more for a soft drink. On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee is set to hear proposals from about a dozen experts about how to pay for the comprehensive health-care overhaul that President Barack Obama...

A Croatian man claims he has drunk nothing but Coca-Cola for the past 40 years – because he promised his mother he would not touch alcohol.Pero Ajtman, 71, said he promised his mother he would stop drinking alcoholic beverages four decades ago. "My mum didn't like me drinking when I was a young man as she was very religious," he explained to the Croatian tabloid 24 Sata. "She made me promise never to drink again and Coca-Cola was the only thing that tasted as good as wine so I started drinking that. "Now I have a glass in the morning,...

Seems that some New Yorkers aren't just going to lay back and take Governor Paterson's ridiculous proposed fat tax on non-diet soda, which, along with all the other new taxes, is expected to cost the average New York family nearly $4,000.00. So in the spirit of the Sons of Liberty in Boston in 1773, these guys threw a New York Tea Party. Video at the link . . .

Eliot Spitzer said he was sorry for Hooker-gate. Not as sorry as the rest of his fellow New Yorkers. His replacement as governor, David Paterson, is an out-of-control, money-sucking fool, who seems hell bent on destroying the economy in his state, one family at a time. More . . .

There’s no “change” when it comes to politics as usual in The Empire State, in fact the Emperor’s latest edict is not being well-received. Gov. Paterson’s proposed $121 billion budget hits New Yorkers in their iPods - and nickels-and-dimes them in lots of other places, too. Trying to close a $15.4 billion budget gap, Paterson called for 88 new fees and a host of other taxes, including an “iPod tax” that taxes the sale of downloaded music and other “digitally delivered entertainment services.” “We’re going to have to take some extreme measures,” Paterson said Tuesday after unveiling the slash-and-burn budget....

New taxes, deep cuts to education and health care, and a restructuring of the state's economic development programs will be hallmarks of Gov. David Paterson's first budget plan to be released in two days, according to interviews of people briefed on components. The plan will come with a host of revenue raisers — increased taxes on hospitals and insurance policies, for instance — and at least one new assessment, a so-called obesity tax on non-diet soda to raise $404 million. The governor also is contemplating requiring new license plates to raise cash, reviving sales tax on clothing purchases, removing the...

The U.S. attorney's office is making a federal case out of a spilt soda. The Bush administration's top attorney in Idaho is bringing charges against a North Idaho woman for refusing to pay for a Diet Coke and then pouring it out on a counter at a cafeteria at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Boise.

Federal prosecutors have charged a North Idahoan with 2 offenses after a dispute over the price of a pop at the Boise VA hospital. -- SNIP -- Natalie Walters, now facing two counts that each carry a maximum sentence of six months in federal prison, thinks the case is a waste of taxpayer money and plans to fight the charges. -- SNIP -- The 39-year-old North Idaho resident periodically drives her father, a disabled Vietnam veteran, to Boise's VA Medical Center for doctor visits. She brings her own mug and fills it with soda in the hospital's cafeteria. The cafeteria...

In a country, where 80% of schools lack access to drinking water, Pepsi challenges students to stave off obesity while selling them soft drinks. Every day small armies of street vendors gather outside the gates of Mexico's schools to tempt the nation's children. "I don't like drinks without flavour," Raul explained one recent afternoon as he succumbed to the siren's call of a bright red fizzy drink. "I don't know anybody who does." Mexicans down more soft drinks than any other nationality in the world, aside from Americans, and even their traditional diet is filled with fried food and sugar....

Pepsi, Coke rivalry becomes physical Fri Oct 12, 9:46 PM ET The long-standing rivalry between Coke and Pepsi took a physical turn Friday when a Pepsi deliveryman allegedly punched his Coke counterpart in the face at a western Pennsylvania Wal-Mart, state police said. The two deliverymen were "apparently bickering back and forth" while unloading their wares at the Indiana County store, police said. When the Coke deliveryman left the store, his counterpart allegedly punched him in the face three times, breaking his nose and giving him a black eye, police said. No charges have been filed, but police characterized the...

TOKYO - Japanese are staying cool as a cucumber this summer with "Pepsi Ice Cucumber" — a new soda based on the crisp green gourd. The soft drink, which hit stores here on Tuesday, doesn't actually have any cucumber in it — but has been artificially flavored to resemble "the refreshing taste of a fresh cucumber," said Aya Takemoto, spokeswoman of Japan's Pepsi distributor, Suntory Ltd. "We wanted a flavor that makes people think of keeping cool in the summer heat," Takemoto said. "We thought the cucumber was just perfect." The mint-colored soda is on sale just for the summer...

You may want to put that soda can down.A common preservative found in drinks such as Coca-Cola, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Fanta and Diet Pepsi may cause serious cell damage, according to a report in Britain's The Independent.  Sodium benzoate has the ability to switch off vital parts of a person's DNA, according to research from a British university.  The problem is usually associated with aging and alcohol abuse, but new findings show that drinking soda with the preservative can eventually lead to of the liver and degenerative diseases such as .  Click here to read the full story in The...

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - There's no use crying over spilled milk, but spilled soda has been a nightmare for one man. Eric Burns Overstreet was put in jail in September after entering the Mystik Stop & Shop, paying for a fountain drink and spilling three cups of it onto the floor. The first time he spilled the soda, Overstreet went to fetch a mop and began cleaning up the mess. In the process, he spilled a second and a third soft drink. "He clearly appeared to be under the influence of something other than good sense," Chief Assistant District Attorney...

In a letter submitted to me by a student requesting more info on the effects of soda on teeth: "To Whom it May Concern: Hello. My name is LN and I am an 8th grade student in NJ. This year for my science project, I am studying how soda affects teeth. For my research, I was hoping that I would be able to ask a dentist some questions about soda and teeth. I was wondering if you could take a few minutes and answer my questions. I would really appreciate it. My questions are: 1. What is your area of...

Silicon Valley Young Republican Federated Location: Sanborn Skyline County Park 16001 Sanborn Rd, saratoga, CA View Map When: Saturday, August 12, 5:00pm Phone: Svyrfc-408 243 4761 Greetings: The Silicon Valley Young Republicans Federated would like to invite everyone to attend our event to help raise money for the troops on august 12th. We are co-sponsering this event with the California Republican Assembly unit in santa clara county. We would feel honored if you can attend or if you can not attend you can donate. SVYRF Club Socials SVYRFC Annual BBQ Location: Sanborn Skyline County Park, Saratoga When: August 12, 2006...

Researchers work to shrink technology that harnesses sun's energy to both heat and coolEvery day, the sun bathes the planet in energy--free of charge--yet few systems can take advantage of that source for both heating and cooling. Now, researchers are making progress on a thin-film technology that adheres both solar cells and heat pumps onto surfaces, ultimately turning walls, windows, and maybe even soda bottles into climate control systems. On July 12, 2006, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) researcher Steven Van Dessel and his colleagues will announce their most recent progress--including a computer model to help them simulate the climate within...

Brussels, Belgium (AHN) - Running out of ideas to name their 15th child, a Belgian couple submitted an ad in a local newspaper to get help from the public with ideas. The couple, Brigitte Dillen and Ivo Driessens, from Merksem, have given all their children names ending with 'y' but cannot think of yet another one for their latest addition. The new baby will be a brother or sister for Wendy (20), Cindy (18), Jimmy (17), Brendy (16), Sonny (15), Sandy (14), Purdy (13), Chardy (9), Yorry (8), Yony (6), Britney (5), Yenty (3), Ruby (2) and Xanty (1). According...