Yet another nail in the soft drink coffin

I'm just sayin'...

But I do realize that the big picture is that the pesticides are from local ground water. This means that all East Indians in the area where the companies are getting their water are drinking ground water that already has these high levels of pesticides. Sigh.

New Delhi, Aug. 9 - India's southern Kerala state on Wednesday banned the Indian subsidiaries of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo from manufacturing and selling soft drinks, news reports said.
Several Indian states have banned the sale of Coke and Pepsi at schools and colleges after a New Delhi-based research body claimed they contained high levels of pesticide residue, but Kerala was the first state to impose a ban on production and sales across the board.
Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan, the state's elected head, told reporters that the decision was made based on a recommendation of the leftist coalition that governs Kerala.
Coca-Cola Co. (KO) and PepsiCo Inc. (PEP) could not be reached immediately for comment.
Last week, the Center for Science and Environment in New Delhi said last week that it found pesticide residues in samples of Coke and Pepsi that were 24 times above the limits set by the Bureau of Indian Standards.
The center said it carried out tests on 57 samples taken from 11 soft drink brands made by Coca-Cola India and PepsiCo India and found a "cocktail of three to five different pesticides," all apparently present in groundwater used to make the drinks. Both companies have denied the charges, saying the soft drinks they manufacture and sell in India "comply with stringent international norms and all applicable national regulations."
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Cochin, India, Aug. 23 - A southern Indian state said Wednesday it will not reverse its ban on the production and sale of soft drinks such as Coke, Pepsi and Sprite, even though the federal government has dismissed allegations that they are contaminated by high levels of pesticides.
Earlier this month, Kerala banned the production and sale of drinks made by the Indian subsidiaries of Coca Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. after the Center for Science and Environment in New Delhi said the levels of pesticides in the drinks made them unsafe for humans.
But federal Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss told Parliament Tuesday that his ministry found the center's data flawed.
Still, authorities in Kerala insisted the state's ban stands.
"Repeated studies have proved that the colas are not good for health. So we have banned them for people's welfare," said P. K. Sreemathi, Kerala's health minister. "Our decision is final ... We will enforce it strictly."
Six other states have banned the sale of the soft drinks in government-funded schools, colleges and hospitals since the center disclosed its findings earlier this month. Kerala, where Coca Cola and Pepsi both have bottling plants, is the only state to enforce a total ban.
Indian states have broad autonomy to make their own health and education policies, and they cannot be overruled by the federal government. Before the government said the center's data was flawed, Coke and Pepsi challenged Kerala's ban in the state's High Court. The case is scheduled to be heard Thursday.
These articles were taken from www.flexnews.com and they got them from Dow Jones Wires.

90%

"Life is 10% of what is dealt to us...90% of what we do with it..."
Anon.

An old gentle woman who I met in St. Louis, Missouri once told me “You only regret what you don’t do.” I have applied this to every aspect of my life, and although I am exhausted as I am writing this, I am glad to know that I have really packed a lot of life into the past 10 days.

Do you have any regrets? Think about it. Are any of your regrets things you did, or are they only things that you didn’t do? Get out of the house, get out from in front of that T.V., go to the gym, write a book, take a class at the local community college or the local craft store, invite your friends over for dinner, Get your MBA, fly to a warm sandy place for the weekend, or spend the afternoon drinking tea in one of those over stuffed chairs at Barnes and Noble.

List of things to do before we die

I’ve always had a list of things to do before I die, and in that light I am completing the below meme for your information. Go ahead and copy it onto your own blog, or better yet start you very own “List of things to do before I die”.

Life's to do list - Completed items are bolded

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink (there were only 6 people)
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive (I might have to add this one to my list)
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula (um... no)
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it (almost every day)
09. Hugged a tree (regularly)
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea (on Lake Michigan, same thing)
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg (I went swimming next to an iceberg. Darn tootin’ it was cold!)
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon (I do plan to do this someday soon)
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse (It was the dog races, but I’m counting it)
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight (I live in Michigan, silly)
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb – (I've held a baby horse -- does that count?)
33. Seen an eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking (still do)
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day (that would be really hard)
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment (this happens to me daily, mostly as a feeling of appreciation, not just happiness. I feel sorry for those who don’t.)
39. Had two hard drives for your computer (a few years ago)
40. Visited all 10 provinces or all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk (and it was reciprocated)
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country (In The Bahamas)
44. Watched wild whales (In Alaska)
45. Stolen a sign (no, but my brother has)
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing (But there is a wall downtown that I want to try before the end of summer)
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving (Aunt Lou prohibits me)
51. Visited Ireland (12 of the best days of my life!)
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan (twice, once for 93 days, 3 days past my visa)
55. Milked a cow (would like to)
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero (I collected comic books since 1970)
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers (At least I don’t think so)
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business – (In process, and hope to have it done by early next year)
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites (In Ireland)
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for 6 hours straight (I only lasted about 3 hours)
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days (No but I’ve gone on a 3 day fast a few times)
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest (Won 2nd and 3rd many times)
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo (no comment)
81. Rafted the Dead River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand – (And I wasn’t drunk)
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship (I’m not really a cruise kinda girl)
94. Spoken more than one language fluently (Japanese, but not fluently)
95. Performed in aisles at Rocky Horror. (Put your hands on your hips…)
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over (And to get away from a man)
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge (I walked the Mackinac bridge which is longer!)
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking (Again, almost daily)
103. Had plastic surgery (Again, no comment)
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback (Mike Van Dis, sobbing, while having drunken flashbacks of dropping napalm bombs in Vietnam.)
108. Piloted an airplane (Co-piloted them though!)
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth (a horse)
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone (But I was too young to remember)
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced (but I’ve been considering it for years)
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol (All three)
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild – (mmmm. Morel Mushroom and Swiss cheese omelets)
118. Ridden a horse -- and fell off (Broke an arm and got a concussion)
119. Had major surgery (Does a C-Section count?)
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (But I looked down over the edge at all the other nuts down there)
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents (on my list)
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat (No, but I've had Buffalo and Moose often)
127. Eaten sushi (about once a week)
128. Had your picture in the newspaper (A couple of times: it's a small town)
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about (They said I did but I’m not sure it stuck)
130. Gone back to school (Hope to have my Doctorates the end of this year)
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach (What?!?!?!)
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey (not all the way through)
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read their books.
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (Rabbit, duck, shrimp, dungeonous crab, and fish.)
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office (Also on my list of things to do)
140. Written your own computer language (but my oldest boy did/does)
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream (Easy to do once you figure out what your dream is)
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care (just a year ago)
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head (came close though)
149: Caused a car accident (and I don’t tailgate anymore)
150: Saved someone's life (but I have Red Cross training if the opportunity arises)