The Great Nestlé Water Ripoff

The Guardian reports that just a few miles from Flint, Michigan, which is still reeling from a lead water crisis, the giant food conglomerate Nestle has been paying the ridiculous sum of $200 a year to siphon municipal water and sell hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles of water at a $1 plus a pop.

So The World Will Not End Tomorrow

The ‘Christian numerologist’ who alleged that the world would end on September 23 has clarified that life will, in fact, go on tomorrow. Speaking to the Washington Post, David Meade said: ‘The world is not ending, but the world as we know it is ending.’ Meade added: ‘A major part of the world will not be the same the beginning of October.’

The Hacking of the American Mind

In his book “The Hacking of the American Mind: The Science Behind the Corporate Takeover of Our Bodies and Brains,” Dr. Robert Lustig reveals the corporate scheme to sell pleasure, driving the international epidemic of addiction, depression, and chronic disease. “There has been a plot by some industries to obfuscate the link between their products and disease, and willfully confuse the concepts of pleasure and happiness” he says.

Monsanto Writes EU Report on Roundup Safety

The Guardian has revealed that the European food safety authority based a recommendation that Glyphosate, a chemical linked to cancer, and the core ingredient in Roundup weedkiller, was safe for public use on an EU report that copied and pasted analyses from a Monsanto study. The battle over its relicensing has split EU countries, with a final decision on its authorization expected in early November.

Switzerland Now Sells Insect Burgers

Swiss supermarket chain Coop announced is now selling an insect burger and insect balls based on protein-rich mealworm in seven Coop branches, including in Geneva, Basel, Bern, Lausanne, Lugano and Zurich. Swiss food safety laws were changed in May to allow for the sale of food items containing three types of insects: crickets, grasshoppers and mealworms, which are the larval form of the mealworm beetle.   

Wind Chimes, Mood Lighting & Food

Oxford University professor of experimental psychology Charles Spence suggests wind chimes hanging in a kitchen can help fussy children to eat their greens. He claims that parents can help enhance taste and suppress the bitterness of vegetables through ‘sonic seasoning.’

Hacking a Casino Through Their Fish Tank

In July the Washington Post reported that hackers had attempted to acquire data from a North American casino by using an Internet-connected fish tank, according to cybersecurity firm Darktrace. The fish tank had sensors connected to a PC that regulated the temperature, food and cleanliness of the tank.

A Remembrance of Steely Dan’s Walter Becker & Life On Maui

It’s tough to imagine a world without Walter Becker. He lived on Maui for many years and was known to many on our island. Very unassuming and the antithesis of the “rock star,” Walter was blessed with a dry wit which he would sometimes display in letters to The Maui News. Here now is selections from an old interview I conducted with Walter in his Maui home studio talking about the resurrection of Steely Dan.