If it's the money you're concerned about, I'd use Troll Express or maybe even Kwik Krakken.

Kwik Krakken doesn't have such a good reputation in San Francisco: [link]

HFCS prompts considerably more weight gain.

"Some people have claimed that high-fructose corn syrup is no different than other sweeteners when it comes to weight gain and obesity, but our results make it clear that this just isn't true, at least under the conditions of our tests."

I'm surprised by the results, since HFCS really isn't that much different than sucrose, chemically.

Tom, this is how Science Daily explained it:

High-fructose corn syrup and sucrose are both compounds that contain the simple sugars fructose and glucose, but there at least two clear differences between them. First, sucrose is composed of equal amounts of the two simple sugars -- it is 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose -- but the typical high-fructose corn syrup used in this study features a slightly imbalanced ratio, containing 55 percent fructose and 42 percent glucose. Larger sugar molecules called higher saccharides make up the remaining 3 percent of the sweetener. Second, as a result of the manufacturing process for high-fructose corn syrup, the fructose molecules in the sweetener are free and unbound, ready for absorption and utilization. In contrast, every fructose molecule in sucrose that comes from cane sugar or beet sugar is bound to a corresponding glucose molecule and must go through an extra metabolic step before it can be utilized.

I'm guessing the "free and unbound" bit makes more of a difference than that extra 5%.

In happier food science news, dark roast coffee really is better for your stomach:

Some coffees are labeled "stomach friendly," because they're steam treated to drive out caffeine and other chemicals thought to cause gastrointestinal distress. But food chemists [Veronika Somoza et al] wanted to know exactly which chemicals were behind the heartburn. So they took extracts of two coffee blends—one light, one dark—and their steam-treated counterparts. Each extract proved to be a unique chemical mix, with different amounts of caffeine and other compounds.

When the researchers served these coffee extracts to cultured human stomach cells, the cells jacked up acid production. Except in the case of one extract, high in a compound called N-methylpyridinium—a chemical produced in the roasting process that's not found in raw green coffee beans. And the darker the roast, the more there is. Now the researchers are test roasting a stomach-soothing N-methylpyridinium blend. Human trials will determine if it has all the boldness with none of the reflux.

Ooh, interesting, Jessica!

sara, is that the turqouise chair?

Yup.

OK, time to dive into work.

I thought that went to the person who bought the 2-seater from lisah's charity yardsale.

lisa, do you have any contact for that person?

Ack, I do. She's my neighbor. TOTALLY forgot about it!! I'll try to talk to her this week sometime and see if she still wants it.

Geeky Variations of "Dogs Playing Poker"

My fave is the Cylons playing poker. Or this:

Cartoon sidekick dogs (Muttley, Krypto the Superdog, Dynomutt, and one other) playing poker by Ken Cursoe

I am all dressed and ready to leave for work, but the neck pain is just too much. I need to write in working from home. I have no painkillers.