A former employee of Prosper, Inc. in Provo, Utah is accusing a supervisor of waterboarding in front of a sales team.  Evidently, that was how the manager demonstrated how hard employees should work – as hard as the guy getting the water was trying to breath.  Think about that for a second – work as hard as you would have to breath being upside down in water.  Whether the allegations are true or not, the very idea of trying to motivate someone while pouring water on them while they are slanted downwards is just ridiculous.  The allegations also state that the manager drew mustaches on employees, took away chairs, and beat on desks with a wooden paddle.  Huh, sounds like a fraternity to me.  The company and the manager are disputing the allegations (as anyone would who doesn’t want to be fined and/or imprisoned).  Could just be one disgruntled employee, but this is Utah, and crazy motivational ideas have been around this place since a guy named Brigham Young entered the valley.

 

The folks in the state legislature are finally starting to figure out how the rest of the country views alcohol.  A bill has passed the House and is heading to the Senate that would do away with home brewers having to get a state license and pay an application fee.  Oh, and putting up a $10,000 bond would also go away.  Nobody really paid attention to this part of the alcohol laws.  The state didn’t really enforce it either.  So, someone got the bright idea to finally get rid of it.  As long as a person brews less than 100 gallons a year, then they don’t have to worry about the state sticking its nose in, or at least stopping them.  It does not keep one’s uptight neighbor from sticking his or her nose in on your business though.

 

Sometimes something can happen outside of Utah, but still have a little bit of a connection – like the word “Frickin’”.  The Sheetz convenience store chain (Eastern U.S.) started a new add campaign for its fried chicken sandwiches, using the catch phrase “Crispy Frickin’ Chicken” on billboards.  Evidently, even people outside of Utah think the word ‘Frickin’’ is a swear word.  The company will quit using the phrase as soon as the lease on the billboards runs out.  Around here, people use the word Frickin’ a lot to replace its older brother F******.  The word ‘Flippin’’ is also accepted as a fill-in swear word.  I would be more offended that the sandwich would clog my arteries, thus ending my life while I was still in my prime.  Oh, well, maybe I’m past that now.  Never frickin’ mind.

If you remember, I had commented on a bill going through the state congress that would have allowed Holliday Water Company to decide on their own if they wanted to fluoridate its water supply.  Well, that bill stalled out in committee and won’t see any time on the house floor this year.  Why the big deal?  Well, in 2000 the county voted to fluoridate the water.  The issue is sitting in court right now because Holliday Water Company and its 3,000 shareholders refuse to add fluoride to the water. 

 

In a way I’m torn on this.  If they don’t want fluoride, then why force it on them?  But on the other hand, they are doing nothing but insuring their kids will have bad teeth when they get older.  According to my dentist, Utah is not exactly known for good teeth.  Sure, the locals may have better smiles than the British, but that isn’t saying much.

I have always thought that the Gov, Jon Huntsman Jr., was kind of a carbon copy politician.  He never seems to rock the boat, never seems to push the envelope, but walks the line.  Well, he is now really pushing his initiative to up the amount of alcohol allowed in a drink at bars and restaurants.  If only he would get rid of that stupid membership rule, or create a universal membership.  At least he is serious about increasing the amount of alcohol allowed in a drink.  So much so, that he is willing to go against the Church and veto a bill that will get rid of “alcopops” in grocery stores.  Those are the malt beverages that are typically sweetened, like Mike’s Hard Lemonade.  That is sort of a big thing, going against the Church.  When most politicians around here line up and salute whenever the LDS Church says yes or no to a measure, the Gov is saying “so what” and pushing for what he wants.  He’ll probably get it too, since a new bill is pushing its way through that includes both upping the alcohol limit and removing those gosh-darn, temping malt beverages that all the kids like to go and try to buy.  Not only is the Gov thumbing his nose at the Church, he is telling the Utah Retail Merchants Association and the bar owners that he doesn’t care what they think as well.  The merchants don’t want the malt beverages to go to the State’s monopolistic liquor stores and the bar owners don’t want stiffer drinks (worried that they will get in trouble for drunks that leave their bars).  I would prefer the alcopops stay put, but the stiffer drinks are a good thing.  Now, Gov, get rid of those memberships!

What is XanGo?  According to the people at XanGo LLC, a Utah supplement / nutriceutical maker: “XanGo® Juice boasts a proprietary whole–fruit formula, harnessing a concentrated rush of xanthones—a vigorous family of next–generation phytonutrients.  Sounds complex.  But here’s the straight scoop.  Research shows xanthones possess potent antioxidant properties that may help maintain intestinal health, strengthen the immune system, neutralize free radicals, help support cartilage and joint function, and promote a healthy seasonal respiratory system.*”  You can read this at www.xango.com in their Learn section.  What does that little * there for at the end of the statement?  Well, that is there to signify that “These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.” 

 

In other words, when I take a little time to look up xanthones or XanGo on reputable research publication search engines, oh, I don’t know, like the National Library of Medicine or the National Institutes of Heath, I don’t find much that supports these statements.  What I find are a few studies done in vitro (meaning in glass, or in a Petri dish) that showed some xanthones have activity against cancer cells at high levels.  So, while xanthones look to have promise, the jury is still out, way out, as far as real science goes.  When I was in college, one of my professors was sure that he was going to discover the next “magic bullet” cancer product from the Pawpaw Tree.  He was so sure that he left the university to go work at a supplement company.  I still haven’t seen anything come out of his work.  Sometimes, things that look fantastic in the lab never materialize as feasible solutions in real life.  With non-pharmaceutical supplements, sometimes called neuticeuticals, there doesn’t have to be proof.  U.S. law allows manufacturers to slap that little * on there and make that little statement because that is all they can do.  There are no large, rigorous tests done to prove those claims.  As long as the substances are found in nature and not considered dangerous (like ephedra), then they can sell them.

 

So, why write about this product?  Well, because I’ve been asked about it a few times now.  First it was a relative.  Then someone from work asked what it was.  The other day a friend asked me about it.  Oh, and Forbes February 25, 2008 edition has a little article on it.  It is a nice little write-up about the company and product.  What does this tell me?  It fills in the holes of what I already suspected – XanGo is a legal pyramid scheme much like Amway.  People go out and make grandiose statements about the product because they need to sell it.  If someone starts telling you about how it cured their liver spots, ask them where they get the product.  If they start to go into a business spin, back away slowly and get out.  The way XanGo LLLC makes money is that all their little distributors out there must buy the product from them.  There are numerous layers of distributors.  The only way a person can make money selling this fruit juice is to have a network of people under them and to go out and peddle the stuff like it was the best thing on earth.  If they don’t, they end up with a lot of four bottle packs of the stuff sitting around their homes.  Oh, a four-pack cost them $100, while an individual bottle retails for around $38.  That is some pricy fruit juice. 

 

XanGo’s main ingredient, or the secret to this secret elixir, is the mangosteen fruit, found in tropical regions.  XanGo won’t say how much of the fruit goes into each bottle, or how much they pay for it.  What we can find out is that to go to a place like Thailand and Puerto Rico a person will only pay pennies per fruit.  I did a quick search, nothing very in depth, and I can’t find a local place which I can go and buy the mangosteen fruit.  It probably is not in high demand in its natural form.  And why should it?  We Americans like our bananas, but most other tropical fruits aren’t exactly in every grocery store around the country.  If they were, I’m sure they would be $2-4 a pound, much cheaper than the $38 you would pay for a bottle of XanGo. 

 

So here is what the average person should know about XanGo, or any other juice (there are many out there – most made in Utah) that trumpet the benefits of mangosteen and xanthones: It is just fruit juice.  I’m sure it isn’t bad for you.  I’m sure your body would appreciate it more than drinking soda every day.  I’m also sure that it isn’t any better for you than other fruit juices.  So, if you want to pay $38 for a 25-ounce bottle of fruit juice, please be my guest.  Just remember: “These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.” 

 

In 2006 the FDA warned XanGo about the wording in some sales brochures as being misdirected.  XanGo claims it isn’t their literature out on the Web making all of these claims.  They use that lovely little *, and all their legal problems go away.  The problem is, FDA now has them on their list and the feds have been cracking down on claims made by supplement makers.  FDA’s letter to XanGo specifically calls out the distributor’s brochure, which means they are looking past XanGo’s webpage.  What that means is that it doesn’t matter if XanGo didn’t print the material, if it has their name on it, and is being used by people they pay, FDA can come after them.  Look at that letter from FDA.  It is a 3+ page list of outrageous claims.  What can FDA do if these claims keep coming out on brochures?  Look at the last page of the letter: “may lead to enforcement action, including seizure and/or injunction.”  Last year FDA seized and/or shut down a number of supplement companies that made these kinds of claims. 

 

One more thing to top off my overall feeling for this company: they sponsor the Real Salt Lake soccer team.  Now there are two groups that go well together.  Both are disingenuous about what their product can do for people.  In Real’s case, it is what a brand new soccer stadium would do for the area and why tax dollars should pay for it.  For XanGo, it is what this magic elixir can do for your health. 

 

Bottoms up!

 

 

While I try to focus on all things silly that have to do with Utah, I do branch out from time to time.  I like to talk about Purdue sports because I graduated from there some years ago and I’m still every bit the fan.  I do talk about University of Utah sports from time to time because they are local and I got a graduate degree there.  Let’s face it, my first love is Purdue.  That said, my first hate was Indiana University.  It took me a couple of years before I could wear red, and it usually has to have a Utah logo on it so there is no mistaking why I’m wearing it.  The news is that yesterday IU bought out Kelvin Sampson’s contract for $750,000 due to his alleged breaking of NCAA rules about contacting recruits.  Wow, 750K for breaking the rules.  How do I get into that line of work?  What a joke.  While IU is looking good this year, the team will no doubt take a nosedive next year as they will loose their two best players and need a new coach to come in and recruit in a hurry.  Any decent coach worth is salt isn’t going to join the team until after the season is over.  Also, the new coach will probably have to deal with whatever sanctions come down from the NCAA in addition to what the school has put in place.  Currently, the school has taken away a scholarship for next year.  I think IU will do well for the rest of the season, but there will probably be a big drop off come next year. 

 

Yahoo Sports talks about some of this. 

 

At the opposite end of the spectrum is Purdue’s basketball team.  They are young, starting three freshman and two sophomores.  They are talented, winning 11 in a row and getting themselves in a great position to possibly win the Big Ten regular season award.  Minus a total meltdown, they are almost sure of getting into the NCAA tournament in March.  The team’s loss at IU this week wasn’t a pretty game, and Purdue does not get a chance to make up that loss because the two rivals only meet one time this year (good job by the Big Ten to not let rivals play twice a year).  But look at the coaching: Matt Painter is a nominee for Coach of the Year award and Kelvin Sampson just went whistling off into the night with a $750K check for cheating.  Look at the teams: Purdue is young, touch, and talented while IU’s best shot for a few years will be this year.  Purdue will keep those freshmen for at least three years while IU will loose their star freshman at the end of this season (that is speculation on my part, but I’m fairly confident of that prediction).  If Purdue can get some size and someone very good at rebounding, then the rest of the Big Ten should look out, because Purdue will be competing not only for the Big Ten title over the next three years, but will go into the NCAA tournament each year as well. 

 

I like to see my team with all the upside, and the rival team looking at a slow and steady march downhill.  Sure, it is Greg Anthony talking up Purdue and not someone else with a little more sports reporting accreditation, but the recognition is still good.  Purdue was down for a number of years.  Last year was good, but this year is better, and others are noticing. 

Summit County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Scott was traveling eastbound on Interstate 80 when his cruiser struck a moose lying in the road.  Scott's vehicle went airborne and rolled several times.  They had to cut the roof off the officer's car to get him out of the vehicle.  It was determined that the moose had previously been hit by another vehicle.  Because it was dark out, and moose are typically a dark color, the thing could not be seen until it was too late to avoid hitting it.  People don’t think of Utah as having moose, but the mountains around Salt Lake are starting to fill up with the things.  So just remember kids, brake for moose: the life you save could be your own.  Think about a 1,500 pound moose flying through the air.

If you haven’t heard by now, an earthquake registering 6.0 hit little Wells, Nevada this morning around 7:16.  I did not feel it as I was getting ready to take my fiancée to the airport.  But then again, the kids that live in the condo above me shake the place on such a regular basis that even if I had felt it, I wouldn’t have thought much about it.  Wells took a beating, with just about every building in town taking on some sort of damage.  Two older brick buildings – the El Rancho Hotel and the Bullshead – pretty much crumbled to the ground.  With the quake being about 150 miles from Salt Lake, many here were reminded that the city sits on a fault like.  My home is about 1 mile from the fault.  I’m not worried about an earthquake hitting here though.  Why?  Well, because I actually have earthquake insurance.  Knowing my luck, my building will be knocked down by a flood or a hurricane before an earthquake does any damage to it.

 

 

On an unrelated front, the town of Aspen, Utah will probably not materialize.  I’ve been watching as developer Dean Sellers tried to create a new town in Utah and model it after Aspen, Colorado.  He planned to use Utah’s new rules which state that a person can incorporate a town if they own enough land and water rights, and there are at least 100 people living in the area.  Unfortunately for Sellers, the people of Storm Haven road decided that they did not want to be part of his upscale town, partly because they weren’t really asked if they wanted to be in and because they would end up being pushed out once the high priced taxes kicked in.  Storm Haven request to be annexed into the town of Daniel, Utah.  Their request was granted.  Sellers decided to sue, and has taken it to the Utah Supreme Court.  Well, the Supreme Court decided they didn’t want to hear the complaint and sent it back.  The court told Sellers to handle it in a lower court.  My only problem with Sellers is not that he was outside the law in any of this, but that he tried forcing some folks into something they wanted no part of.  If he had bought the land, then sold off a chunk of it to people that wanted to be part of a new, upscale town, that would be different. 

 

 

My fiancée is coming into town tonight and staying for the next 6 days, so I don’t think I’ll be posting much during that time.  Feel free to mock Utah as you see fit.  You can start with the snow.  We got more of it last night, but most of it blew away today.  Yes, I said “blew away”, as in it was very windy today.  Snow and wind – great combo!

The fine people of Berkeley, California passed an ordinance that declared military recruiters unwanted.  Actually, I think it stated “uninvited and unwelcome intruders.”  What does this have to do with Utah?  Well, Utah’s own U.S. Representative Chris Cannon jumped in and has co-sponsored the Semper Fi Act, which was introduced by John Campbell of California.  The act would restrict Federal money appropriated for use in the city of Berkeley and transfer most of it to the U.S. Marine Corps.  As reported by The Mercury News this morning, the city council retracted the statement made on January 29, and acknowledged that the marines have the right to come into the city and recruit.  It also stated that people have the right to protest or support those recruiters.  Evidently, the city council meeting generated quite the display last night.

 

As pointed out by Paul Rolly of the Salt Lake Tribune, Utah representatives should be careful about withholding money because of something like this.  Let us not forget that Hurricane, Utah (pronounced Hur-a-kin – I know, they’re weird down there) banned the United Nations from entering town.  Additionally, Virgin, Utah ruled that everyone in town must own a gun.  The difference here is that neither of those two towns allowed protesters to legally harass another group.  That, and about 90% of the people in Virgin already owned a gun, including the virgins, so there was no honor at stake. 

While I’m not much of a fan of either Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Obama, I find the idea of Mr. Obama winning the Democratic nomination for the presidency a little more tolerable than if Mrs. Clinton were to win.  Not that I really support Mr. Obama, I just find the list of items posted a few days ago as being enough to convince me I don’t want Mrs. Clinton running things.  Sometimes there can be something said for going with the evil one knows versus going with an unknown evil.  Neither of the two candidates is evil, but neither of them follow my line of thinking either.  I think I want the evil I do not know.

 

I took a walk up Signal Peak the other day.  By walk I mean I had to strap on the snowshoes and trudge up a mountain that had snow well over three feet deep in places.  It was nice because it has finally warmed up a little bit.  I took a couple of pictures of the reflectors on top of the mountain.  Everyone asks what the two billboard-looking things are.  They were put up there many years ago to reflect radio signals up and over the mountain.  A radio transmitter somewhere in Salt Lake shot radio waves directly towards the reflector pointed towards the valley.  That reflector would bounce the waves off of it right at the other reflector, which would in turn bounce the waves up Emigration Canyon.  I have no idea if it is still used, but the things are starting to fall apart.  I’m surprised by the lack of graffiti on them.  The stuff currently on there has been there for many years and hasn’t changed.  With those two large canvases up there, one would think that someone would take the time to hike up there with a bag full of spray paint and go nuts. 

 

Big things ontop the hill 

 

I think that's an eye

 

Evidently, Ben loves his mama

 

 

On a different topic, the Purdue Men’s Basketball team won yet again, winning a tough one in Madison, Wisconsin.  I didn’t think they would be this good this year.  I’m not sure if anyone thought they would be this good.  I don’t think they even know how good they are.  The Utah Men’s Basketball team continues to improve as well, but has a tougher road to go in order to get into the tournament come March.  If Purdue had Utah’s center, they would be unstoppable.  Well, here’s to dreaming.

An article published in the Deseret Morning News today tells a story of a man that fired a gun during an argument with family members, then ran out and stole a dairy delivery truck that was carrying milk, cookies, and eggs.  Police spotted the truck and pulled the man over, arresting him without an incident.  The man was described as having a milk mustache and cookie crumbs all over his cloths.  Wait for the bad pun…but he went to jail with egg on his face! (wow – that was bad even for me)  Now you know you are living in Utah when a man jacks a truck full of milk and cookies instead of booze and porn.

Eddie Munster has left the building.  That’s right, kids.  All of you Utah lemmings who poured your heart and soul, as well as 90% of the state’s primary vote, into good old Mitt Romney were rewarded by him dropping out of the race today.  Nuts.  The savior of the 2002 Winter Olympics could not even save his own campaign.

 

 

 

I’m now supporting Barak Obama for the Democratic nominee.  Not that I really care much about him, but I remember Hillary’s history: 

 

- As First Lady, Hillary assumed authority over Health Care Reform, a process that cost the taxpayers over $13 million. She told both Bill Bradley and Pat Moynahan, key votes needed to pass her legislation, that she would 'demonize' anyone who opposed it. But it was opposed; she couldn't even get it to a vote in a Congress controlled by her own party.

 

- Hillary assumed authority over selecting a female Attorney General. Her first two recommendations (Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood) were forced to withdraw their names from consideration, and then she chose Janet Reno. Janet Reno has since been described by Bill himself as “my worst mistake.”

- Hillary recommended her former law partners, Web Hubbell, Vince Foster, and William Kennedy for positions in the Justice Department, White House staff, and the Treasury, respectively. Hubbell was later imprisoned, Foster committed suicide (mysteriously), and Kennedy was forced to resign.

- Hillary also recommended a close friend of the Clintons, Craig Livingstone, for the position of director of White House security. When Livingstone was investigated for the improper access of up to 900 FBI files of Clinton enemies (Filegate) and the widespread use of drugs by White House staff, both Hillary and her husband denied knowing him. (FBI agent Dennis Sculimbrene confirmed in a Senate Judiciary Committee in 1996 both the drug use and Hillary' involvement in hiring Livingstone.  After that, the FBI closed its White House Liaison Office, after serving seven presidents for over thirty years.)

- She urged her husband not to settle the Paula Jones lawsuit.

- She refused to release the Whitewater documents, which led to the appointment of Ken Starr as Special Prosecutor. After $80 million dollars of taxpayer money was spent, Starr's investigation led to Monica Lewinsky, which led to Bill lying about and later admitting his affairs.

- Then they had to settle with Paula Jones after all.

- And Bill lost his law license for lying to the grand jury, and was impeached by the House.

- And Hillary almost got herself indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice (she avoided it mostly because she repeated, 'I do not recall,' 'I have no recollection,' and 'I don't know' 56 times under oath).

- Hillary decided to seek election to the Senate in a state she had never lived in.  Her husband pardoned FALN terrorists in order to get Latino support and the New Square Hassidim to get Jewish support. Hillary also had Bill pardon her brother's clients, for a small fee, to get financial support.

- Then Hillary left the White House, but later had to return $200,000 in White House furniture, china, and artwork she had stolen.

- In the campaign for the Senate, Hillary played the 'woman card' by portraying her opponent (Lazio) as a bully picking on her.

- Hillary's husband further protected her by asking the National Archives to withhold from the public until 2012 many records of their time in the White House, including much of Hillary's correspondence and her calendars. (There are ongoing lawsuits to force the release of those records.)

- As the junior Senator from New York, Hillary has passed no major legislation.  She has deferred to the senior Senator (Schumer) to tend to the needs of New Yorkers, even on the hot issue of medical problems of workers involved in the cleanup of Ground Zero after 9/11.

- Hillary's one notable vote, supporting the plan to invade Iraq, she has since disavowed.

 

Two things that go great together – especially this year.  Utah had its primary as part of Super Tuesday and I went and voted.  As a registered independent, I have the luxury of deciding which party’s primary I get to vote in.  I had a feeling that Obama would win the Democrat side in Utah, so I voted on the Republican side to see if I couldn’t help those other than Romney.  Well, it didn’t seem to work.  While Obama took 57 percent of the Democratic vote, Romney took 90 percent of the Republican vote.  Think about that – 90 percent.  He did that with the governor and other high ranking state officials backing McCain.  You know what that means?  It means that Utah is a state full of lemmings.  The reddest of the red states voted for a guy that really isn’t that conservative, as demonstrated by his time in Massachusetts.  Not that McCain is more conservative; or Huckabee for that matter.  True conservatives don’t really seem to have a candidate this year.  I guess true liberals may not have a candidate either, except for the fact that I’m not truly sure what Obama stands for other than change.  The presidential race is a little more interesting than in 2004, just because there are more players and things seem much closer.  On the other hand, I’m not excited, or even mildly enthused, about any of these people.  I would prefer not to see Clinton win because that mean the same two families have been “in power” since I was old enough to vote.  We’re America - we don’t like oligarchies, remember!  I’m not a fan of Mitt based on his record in Massachusetts.  McCain is okay, but tends to pull things out of left field.  And Huckabee?  Please, no more people from Arkansas. 

 

As for the alcohol, I could use a stiff drink.  If the governor gets his wish, the drinks in the state will be a little stiffer.  Governor Huntsman is trying to get the 1 ounce of alcohol and 1.75 ounces of “flavoring” changed to 1.5 ounces of liquor and 0.5 ounces of flavoring.  This would also get rid of the “sidecar”, the extra shot a person can order in order to get a stiffer drink than the one the bar is legally allowed to make.  The Utah Restaurant Association likes the proposal, as to some tourism officials.  Some bar owners don’t like it though.  The argument is that people will get drunk faster on the same amount of drinks they get now.  The bars would rather see a universal temporary membership to the private clubs around the city (the bars that serve drinks without food).  I think the bars are worried that they will loose money from people not buying sidecars, as well as getting in trouble with drunks leaving their place and driving.  I doubt both.  It doesn’t really matter.  At some point the LDS church will weigh in and say they don’t support the measure, and it will die in the legislature.  Again – lemmings rule here.

 

It snowed today, again.  It just keeps snowing.  We’re supposed to get more tomorrow.  It might stop this weekend and get warm enough for some of it to melt.  We need the moisture, but I would prefer the snow stay in the mountains. 

I love the ads this time of year.  I got an automated message from the Obama folks today, telling me to vote for a bright new future.  They also told me if I needed information about polling places, I should call their hotline.  No, I believe I will call the county in which I live.

The Romney clones are out in force, drumming up support in Utah.  Romney (a.k.a. Eddie Muster) will probably take the state, but McCain will make it interesting.  And then there are the Ron Paul pushers.  There is a local store, Salty Peaks, that supposedly supports Mr. Paul.  They also use radio ads stating that President Bush is trying to form the North American Union with Canada and Mexico.  Right.  And I’m got a pocket full of Ameros ready to spend.  I’m getting cynical, I’m getting jaded, and I’m getting mad.  I wish it were over.  This country is awash in politicians but deprived of statesmen.