Yahoo! Answers

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Watching TV the other evening, I happened upon something that really disturbed me. It was one of those new commercials touting the safe and harmless nature of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). In case you haven’t seen one, it goes something like this.

These commercials are sponsored by the Corn Refiners Association as a response to the bad rap that high-fructose corn syrup has been getting. Now, I don’t dispute the veracity that HFCS is derived from corn, contains about as many calories as sugar or honey, and is probably safe in moderation. What the commercials fail to mention is that corn syrup is present in an enormous number of foods and drinks that we consume every day: from cereal to lunch meat, pretzels, soda, beer, bread, canned fruit cocktail and - well, you get the point. It’s pretty insidious. Moderation? I don’t think so.

Then there’s the issue of manufacturing. Yes, HFCS is made from corn, but eating it is certainly not akin to enjoying a freshly cooked cob of the yellow stuff. The chemistry is complicated, but the manufacturing process basically turns corn into cornstarch, which is then converted to glucose. The glucose is chemically altered into fructose - although this particular form is different from naturally occurring fructose, which is bound to other sugars. Manufactured fructose is unbound, or “free,” and may interfere with our heart’s use of key minerals like copper, magnesium, and chromium. Not a good thing.

Most nutritionists agree that HFCS deserves a great deal of blame for the obesity epidemic that our country is currently facing. In the ’70s, the average U.S. consumer ingested about a half pound a year. In the mid-’90s, that figure jumped to over 55 pounds per year, per person! Environmentalists are also concerned with the heavily subsidized corn industry’s overuse of artificial nitrogen fertilizer, which destroys soil, leeches into the water-supply, endangers marine flora and fauna, and creates a host of other problems.

Evidence seems to suggest that the current trend of immoderate use of high-fructose corn syrup is detrimental - to your body and to the environment, but what do you think?

Is high-fructose corn syrup the harmless ingredient the Corn Refiners Association would have us believe, or is it a dangerous substance that we should avoid at all costs?

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Update: Congratulations, President-elect Barack Obama!

In the next few days, a new U.S. president will be elected-an exciting prospect for both the U.S. voters and the global Answers community as a whole. And while Yahoo! Answers does not endorse any one political viewpoint, the next president will bring new leadership at a time when the U.S. and, indeed, the global economy need it most.

Luckily for Answers users, the presidential candidates have never been so accessible. We extended an invitation to the presidential candidates to share their knowledge with the Answers community. Both Barack Obama and John McCain used Answers as a platform to encourage debate and discussion over the last year, receiving over 34,000 replies collectively.

Barack Obama posed the question:

How can we engage more people in the democratic process?

The Best Answer, from more than 17,000 that “tremendously impressed” Obama, came from Rebecca W in Calif. It began:

As a parent of 2 teenage daughters, I hear the frustration they share with “rigged class elections, popularity vs. content, etc.” within their own peer elections. I worry that our youth is missing the truth and honor of “personal integrity” and need to learn democratic integrity first from their parents and then from public role models such as teachers, community leaders and elected officials.

The democratic process should begin in the home with active parenting; not passive or dictatorship styles. Active parenting provides a forum to share and to hear ideas, solutions, praise, criticism, etc. as well as an understanding that one’s ideas should always be heard, considered and respected, but not necessarily always taken. This foundation then naturally expands into school where teachers may mirror this type of democratic atmospheres. Additionally, I feel more demonstrative practice is needed within the school system in order for our youth to understand the democratic process on a personalized local level. Washington is far away; OUR community is right in front of us.

Read the rest of her answer.

Thanks to Answers, Rebecca also got to speak directly to Barack Obama about her question. Watch it on video:

John McCain posed the question:What would you do to stop wasteful government spending in Washington?

The Best Answer, one of more than 16,700 replies, came from Suthern R:

Reward federal agencies for coming in under budget and STOP punishing them for saving money. Right now, if a group in the federal government does not spend all the money allotted in the budget for that year, they lose the money and they are further punished by having their budget reduced by that amount the following year. This flawed practice only encourages them to spend any excess monies at the end of the fiscal year to avoid having that money taken away and not getting the same budget the following year.

Read the rest of his answer.

After his question, John McCain gave some insight on the Answers blog into his thoughts on what he sees as irresponsible spending.

Finally, here are five questions we asked some politicians to answer:

Based on your own family’s experience, what do you think we should do to improve health care in America?

- Hillary Clinton

• Congress is working on legislation to address global warming. What would you like to see included?

- Nancy Pelosi

• How can we change the tax code to ease the burden on our families and promote growth and innovation?

- Mitt Romney

• What do you think it will take to reverse the effects of global climate change?

- Al Gore

• How can we help prevent and someday eradicate breast cancer, which has touched the lives of so many people?

- Hillary Clinton

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Play online now!

We’re proud to announce that Yahoo! Answers has teamed up with the the British Red Cross to bring you one of the first-ever charity online alternate reality games (ARG).

Traces of Hope, an innovative online game, is the story of Joseph, a sixteen-year-old boy, caught up in the aftermath of the Ugandan civil war. He’s been separated from his family and is now left alone in a camp overflowing with thousands who were forced to flee and are always on the lookout for food. Joseph is desperately seeking his mother. But he needs your help …

(click image to play video)

When we told the British Red Cross we had a dedicated community of passionate experts on Answers ready to make themselves available to Joseph, they were delighted and relieved: The hunt can start!

Set in northern Uganda, Traces of Hope combines storytelling, detective work, and technology in a hunt across the Internet to reunite Joseph with his mother.

“While it is involving and exciting, Traces of Hope also has a serious point,” says says Dorothea Arndt, new media manager for the British Red Cross. “There are thousands of people like Joseph all around the world whose lives are shattered by conflict. But all around the world, wherever you find people like Joseph, you’ll also find the Red Cross, reconnecting families and rebuilding lives.”

Joseph is alone in Uganda but you have the Internet and the Answers community. With this support you should be able to help Joseph, but time is running out. Visit the Traces of Hope website and dive into the experience. Once you are signed up, the adventure will begin.

If you make any progress with the game, why not share with the community what you thought about it or any tips you might have? Leave your comments here to help others!

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Photo by design to forget
Another school year has started, and by now the reality has set in: Summer is over and it’s time to get serious and hit those books. It’s an ideal time to improve study habits that may have gotten a little rusty over the last few months. After all, it takes time to develop good habits, and a fresh school year gives students the opportunity to jump-start their academic identities. Here are some of my tips to help reinvigorate your academic career.

• Get your stuff together: Make sure everything you need is in one place. Nothing will derail a productive study session like interruptions for finding pencils, paper, or that textbook you left who-knows-where. Find a place where you can keep all of your supplies orderly and ready. When I was younger, I had a basket to put my school supplies in. When I was in high school and college, I had a box in the trunk of my car for studying-on-the-go.
• Find a place where you can work comfortably: I like ambient noise when I am working (or studying). Some people need silence-I need a little hustle and bustle going on around me. My ideal study spot is a coffeehouse-preferably with free Wi-Fi. It keeps me steadily caffeinated and occasionally offers just the right kind of temporary diversion.
• Work in short bursts: The “right kind of temporary diversion” I mentioned earlier keeps me from getting overwhelmed. I’ve also found that explaining what I’ve just read to someone else (usually my unwitting study-buddy) helps the information stick more firmly in my memory.
• Eat healthy snacks while you study: The brain consumes about one-third of the calories we consume every day. My hit list includes broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and sugar snap peas. I’m also a big fan of dried fruit (sulfur-free!) and protein bars. I find I’m much more productive if I’m not dreaming of my next meal.
• Get organized: Know what you need to do before you sit down to do it. I love lists, and my favorite thing about lists is checking completed tasks off of them. Keeping track of tasks (whether in list form or otherwise) will also help circumvent any forgetfulness.

What study tips and environments work for you?

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Photo by ralphbijker
With the current state of the economy and rising cost of everything from fuel to fun to fashion, I’ve been taking a pretty close look at my budget, and one thing is clear: I spend way too much money on food. With working full time, teaching an evening class, working in my pottery studio, and cultivating a social life, I juggle a pretty busy schedule.

I’m rarely organized enough in the morning to bag myself a balanced lunch, and cooking a healthy, inexpensive dinner for myself is usually the last thing I feel like doing after a long day. Instead, I usually dine out or grab something on my way home, which can really put a strain on the wallet (not to mention the waistline!) This week, I thought I’d root around Answers to see if I could cook up some inspiration for optimizing my weekly food budget, and maybe even get some basic-meal ideas I could keep handy at home.

• When shopping at the grocery store, Holly suggests skipping the processed foods and offers some recommendations about which natural ingredients give you the biggest bang for your buck.

• Paul makes a really good point about avoiding grocery shopping when you are hungry. Studies support the idea that hungry shoppers tend to spend more and make less sensible decisions on what to buy. Eat beforehand and shop with your brain, not your stomach. He also suggests avoiding the grocery store when you are angry or depressed-those shoppers tend to buy more sweets and indulgent items, and find it more difficult to make healthy food choices.

• Silly’s-gone-C-r-A-Y-Z saves cash by buying foods in large quantities and repackaging them into smaller servings. Cooking an entire ham at once yields meals for the entire week and is a lot cheaper than cooking individual portions every day. A little planning can pay off big-time.

• Bringing lunch to work instead of hitting a restaurant is certainly a wise money-saving practice. Jeffrey P recommends packing it up the night before so you’re not rushing to try to take care of it in the morning. He also keeps grab-and-go items like canned soup, crackers, and fruit on hand to make putting together a healthy lunch a little easier.

These are some wonderful ideas that make a great jumping-off point to start me on a healthier eating pattern, both fiscally and nutritionally. What others can you suggest?

How do you maximize your food budget to make the most of your dollar while still eating well?

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