More TD Bank mess

P.S.  Forgot to mention they also have added the requirement for FIVE security questions to the web site, so every time I log on it asks for two answers.  What a PITA!  This has also broken the ability for Quicken to connect.  When I called TD they said they would have a technician call me back.  Of course this never happened.

TD Bank - worst bank ever

With all the carnage on the east coast, most banks sent emails out telling customers that any late fees or penalties would be waived on credit card payments.  They also offered to help in other ways.

All our banks did this - except TD BANK.  Not a word from them.  Pathetic.

A few weeks ago they did another really stupid thing.  All our other credit card banks call when they have a doubt about charges.  They give us an opportunity to call back and verify things before cutting off the card.  Not TD!  They cut off the card, then call.  I was denied a $3 charge at Dunkin Donuts without warning.  Assholes!

I have also had some very bad experiences at the branch.

My advice to everyone is that when shopping for credit cards or a local bank stay far away from TD Bank.

Crazy parents part two

Once again wacko parents make asses of themselves, this time at a flag football game for 7-8 year olds.  One parent shouts something nasty at the coach, the stupid coach shouts back.  The head of the flag league comes over.  More yelling; the coach is thrown off the field.  Another coach puts in his two cents and he is nearly thrown off the field.

This is 8 year olds playing flag football for heavens sake.  Are you nut jobs really that competitive and obnoxious that you make idiots of yourselves in front of your kids, who are just there for fun?

If flag football for kids is that important to you, you need to get a life.

Who is killing us

There are 40,000 a year killed in car accidents.  200,000 are killed by Doctor's mistakes and diseases picked up from Doctors and hospitals.

According to the CDC it's because doctors don't wash there hands.  UGH!

Holiday season junk mail has started

I have already received junk mail from as far away as the UK offering trade shows, and of course telling me how they can make me a fortune.  One supposedly came from Fifty Third Bank 53.com.  In reality it came from the spamming jerks in Germany and the links went to dreamtraveltrip.com.  Complete scammers.

So far today I've received junk from;

dreamtraveltrip.com ("Your security at 53 bank needs attention.) Actually came from kundenserver.de
70.88.43.193 (IP may be forged by CGI script).  Can you believe these idiots.

livingsocial.com  ("You've been selected for LivingSocial's Holiday Gift Guide Campaign")

www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk ("JoJo Maman Bébé at Children's Club, New York, Booth #2636, 21st - 23rd October").  This one wins the prize for the most ridiculous.

Out of control sports parents

We all know the story, soccer parents screaming at the coaches and fighting with each other.  That's bad enough, but here is one you simply will not believe.

In a father/son bowling league, after the first two of three games a father pulls his 10 year old son from the game, apparently because he is bowling poorly - 30 pins below his average.  After losing the second game this father apparently decided the 2 points for the third game were more important than having fun with his son, so he pulled the poor kid and took his average in the third game.  The poor kid was screaming and crying "I want to bowl, why did you bring me then."  The father ignored him completely.  The mother, who was watching, did nothing (she went "to the bathroom" but I got the impression she was too upset to sit by while this unfolded).

This is really pathetic, and I feel really sorry for the kid.  He is a nice kid and was having a lot of fun until this.  Personally, yes I want my son to do well, but I never yell at him or tell him he is doing badly.  I want him to have fun most of all, and cheering for those occasional spares and strikes is the best part of the whole thing.

This guy thinks we were upset with him because he was allowed to take the kids average and therefore have a better chance of winning.  No, I did not give a damn about that.  I was angry at how he treated his son.

Shame on you, Mr. X.

Quest bar gets me AGAIN

This really is unbelievable.  And Quest has failed to respond.

My weight loss journey

This year I have lost 45 pounds in three months, and 60 pounds overall.  The wake-up call came when I became diabetic and developed some heart rhythm issues.  I was on two diabetes meds and two blood pressure meds.  Those are all gone now.  I want to be around for my kids weddings.

I owe a debt of gratitude to Dede Farnsworth for helping me to do this and teaching how to eat properly and maintain a healthy life style.  http://dfarnsworth.tsfl.com/

The Take Shape for Life program is based around maintaining a steady level of blood sugar and insulin, and eating the correct balance of carbs, healthy fats, and protein.  It's common knowledge these days that a low carb diet with healthy fats and quality protein is the best.  My previous post about High Fructose Corn Syrup is a case in point.  That stuff is poison.

I wish I had started a blog when I started the program so I could have chronicled the journey.   My intention is not to promote this program, but I and several friends have found that it just works.  Most diet programs these days talk about the same things in terms of low carb, glycemic index, etc.  Atkins took this to unhealthy extremes.  South Beach diet is along the same lines, but this program is one of the best in my opinion and I just wanted to express my gratitude.  It has changed my life.

If you are overweight, look into this or another program.  If I can do it after 30 years of obesity and yo-yo diets, so can you.

High Fructose Corn Syrup is killing us

The songs from all over the food industry are like listening to Philip Morris claim cigarettes are not harmful and they didn’t add nicotine.

I particularly love this quote from Capri Sun in response to my inquiry about HFCS in Sunny-D..

"Why did Capri Sun change its ingredients to include high fructose corn syrup?

Capri Sun is constantly evolving to bring consumers the best possible product. In the last 20 years, we've changed product ingredients based on consumer preferences and market trends, but we have maintained the same great quality that families expect.
Sugar prices have risen at unprecedented rates in the last 12 months and are at a 30-year high¹. We made this change to help better manage costs for consumers in today's difficult economic environment while preserving the good taste families expect. "

They go on to quote how safe it is using a corn growers association web site as the source!  OMG!

Translation: Profit is king, to hell with your health.  Children are developing diabetes.  It’s an epidemic. 

I believe in years to come HFCS will go the way of trans-fat and tobacco.  Mayor Bloomberg has the wrong idea.  Making sodas smaller won’t matter, making them without HF sweeteners would.  Kudos to the companies that are removing it NOW!  Look at the labels and if is says HFCS, put it back!

 A new study in the journal Obesity actually measured the amounts and kinds of sugars in 23 kinds of HFCS-sweetened drinks.  The findings are summarized in a fact sheet:

• The sugar content varied widely from amounts stated on labels. Some drinks had 15% less sugar than labeled, but others had as much as 30% more.
• On average, the drinks had 18% more fructose than expected.
• Several brands of sodas seemed to be made with HFCS that is 65% fructose, not 55%.
• The average amount of fructose in the drinks was 59%.

 At most, HFCS is supposed to be 55% fructose, as compared to the 50% in table sugar. Most foods and drinks are supposed to be using HFCS that is 42% fructose. A percentage of 55 is not much different biologically than 50, which is why the assumption has been that there is no biologically meaningful difference between HFCS and table sugar. This study, if confirmed, means that this supposition may need some rethinking.

The study names the beverages that contain 65% fructose: Coke, Pepsi, Sprite. It identifies Dr. Pepper, Gatorade, and Arizona Ice Tea as containing close to 60% fructose.

Note:  The above study is from http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/blogs/healthy-food/high-fructose-corn-syrup-sugar-1026

Food quality? Yeah, right.

First an apple stem jams into the roof of my mouth after taking a bite of the "high quality" Quest Bar.  Now a huge hair in a Stew Lenoards chicken burger.  And these are the "quality" oriented companies.  Imagine what we are eating in the junk from the grocery store.

Quest Bar surprise

Today I got a surprise in my Quest protein bar.  A 1" Apple stem that got jammed into the roof of my mouth.  What a way to start a blog!