The World Trade Organization once again ruled in favor of the United States (big surprise) in preventing other countries from blocking High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). For those of you not familiar with this stuff, it is used to sweeten food products (almost exclusively) in the United States. Why? Because the stuff is absolute filth and other countries don’t want it!

The problem with HFCS is that, although it tastes like a sugar, it actually behaves more like a fat in the body. A really nasty one at that. According to the American Journal for Clinical Nutrition, it may very well be the culprit for the overwhelming obesity problem in the U.S. And let me tell you, after living abroad for so many years, I can’t even begin to describe how shocked I am when I come home to see how phenomenally obese Americans are.

I remember several years back when I used to enjoy all the multiplicities of bananas one finds at the grocery store in Europe. However, after a similar WTO ruling, today every single one of them is Chiquita, unless you’re willing to spring for the organic versions (which I am). At this point, it is nearly impossible to remove HFCS from your diet if you live in the U.S. because it is in just about everything you could imagine. Hope it doesn’t become like that here.

Molly Ivans has a wonderful (as always) post on the economics of The Great Wall of America. Honestly, it's like the Republicans know they're on the way out and are just trying to pass off as many corporate free-for-alls as possible before they get their corrupt, sleazy, uncaring, and sanctimonious asses handed to them in November.

Meanwhile, Andrew Sullivan wonders"if Mexico wants to cooperate with the U.S., why does it not share the costs of constructing a wall?"

Why do I even bother?

Don’t know if anyone noticed, but the judge who issued the search warrant for William Jefferson is the same Reagan appointee who jailed Judith Miller.

A judge in Ohio has jailed a 14 year old girl indefinitely for being raped . Yup. Go ahead and read it again, but it still says the same thing! According to the judge, her incarceration was “for her own safety” while her rapist is released on bond:

Court records show the girl has requested a lawyer. But jail officials say she isn't permitted contact with anyone unless prosecutors approve … Prosecutors say the teen is a material witness and they want her jailed for her safety. A judge has ordered that she be held indefinitely … The girl failed to show earlier this month at the trial of a 20-year-old man, who's accused of having unlawful sexual conduct with her. He is free on bond.

Nice.

Independant record labels have formed their own coalition for addressing the digital age. It's about time:

Earlier this month, 6 major labels signed an open letter (PDF) that has more then likely left more then a scar on their reputation last month with their study backfiring on them.

There's then the formation of the Canadian Music Creators Coalition. Some of the major Canadian bands that are now under this coalition include: Barenaked Ladies, Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Chantal Kreviazuk, Sum 41, Stars, Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace), Dave Bidini (Rheostatics), Billy Talent, John K. Samson (Weakerthans), Broken Social Scene, Sloan, Andrew Cash and Bob Wiseman (Co-founder Blue Rodeo)

The coalition espouses a 3-point platform:

• Suing Our Fans is Destructive and Hypocritical
• Digital Locks are Risky and Counterproductive
• Cultural Policy Should Support Actual Canadian Artists

From TPMCafe: 

What I describe as Christian nationalism is not synonymous with evangelical Christianity or even Christian fundamentalism. It is, rather, a movement that purports to have extrapolated a complete governing program from the bible, and that claims divine sanction for its campaign of national renewal. It promotes a revisionist history in which the founders were conservative Christians who never meant to separate church and state, and in which America's true Christian character has been subverted by several generations of God-hating leftists. It explicitly condemns the Enlightenment and denies that Enlightenment values had anything to do with our nation's original ideals. The movement's literature is so vast, its alternative skein of pseudo-facts so intricate, that it often seemed totally impervious to outside argument.

SNIP

I am certainly not suggesting that theocratic dictatorship is imminent in America. Rather, I'm saying that the Christian nationalist movement has a proto-totalitarian ideology and structure, and that, while it only represents a minority of Americas, it has amassed more influence than those who cherish secularism and pluralism should be comfortable with … As I write in the book, "As Christian nationalism gains influence, it is changing our country in troubling ways, and its leaders say they've only just begun. It is up to all Americans to decide how far they can go."

Go check out the entire post .