Is Banning Large Sugary Drinks a Good Idea? Say goodbye to the super-sized Slurpee and Trenta beverage from Starbucks? As reported in Thursday’s New York Times, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is proposing a ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks in the city’s restaurants, delis and movie theaters in the hopes of combating obesity. The proposal - expected to be announced formally on Thursday - would take 20-ounce soda bottles off the shelves of the city’s delis and eliminate super-sized sugary soft drinks from fast-food menus. 

City Hall officials, citing a 2006 study, argue that sugary drinks are the largest driver of rising calorie consumption and obesity. They note that sweet drinks are linked to long-term weight gain and increased rates of diabetes and heart disease.

The administration’s proposal would impose a 16-ounce limit on the size of sugary drinks sold at food service establishments, including restaurants, movie theaters, sports venues and street carts. It would apply to bottled drinks as well as fountain sodas. The ban would apply only to drinks that contain more than 25 calories per 8 ounces.

Further, the measure would not apply to diet sodas, fruit juices, dairy-based drinks like milkshakes, or alcoholic beverages, and it would not extend to beverages sold in grocery or convenience stores.

Bloomberg has enacted measures like this in the past with smoking, salt, alcohol, and trans-fats and now he wants to ban people from buying sugary drinks in giant containers, as Forbes reports. Will people consume less as a result? Or will they just pay more to get two smaller sized sodas? And do the ban’s benefits exceed its costs?

Chime In: Is this measure a good idea?

-LD

[NYTimes, Forbes]

Photo: Getty Images

Pop Chips Pulls Ashton Kutcher Ad. The company behind the controversial ads that are buzzing around the web has responded.

From TIME:

Following an Internet outcry, Pop Chips pulled the clip of the character, “Raj”, from its official YouTube and Facebook pages, the New York Times reported. If you haven’t seen it, you didn’t miss anything (an abbreviated version exists here). The campaign featured Kutcher doing fake dating service videos dressed as four different characters–a stoner, a biker gang-type, a Karl Lagerfield-esque guy, and then Raj–all “bachelors” looking for love. They each got their own clips and all of them shared a penchant for a certain brand of potato chips.  While the other characters were mostly just unfunny one-dimensional cut-outs, having Ashton dress up to give a canned Indian impression in brown-face came off tacky and pretty offensive.

Pop Chips founder and CEO Keith Belling responded on the company website Wednesday, saying:

We received a lot feedback about the dating campaign parody we launched today and appreciate everyone who took the time to share their point of view. Our team worked hard to create a light-hearted parody featuring a variety of characters that was meant to provide a few laughs. we did not intend to offend anyone. I take full responsibility and apologize to anyone we offended.

Chime in: Do you think the Ashton Kutcher/Popchips ad is racist?

-LD

Pop Chips, TIME, New York Times, Youtube

Photo: Youtube

Can Philly Embrace This Sixers Team? 15 days into a shortened NBA season, the Philadelphia 76ers are 5-2 (their best start since the 2000-2001 season), in first place and looking for a fifth straight win when they host Indiana in South Philadelphia Monday. How good have the 76ers been?

• They lead the league in both offensive and defensive efficiency
• They jumped from No. 15 to No. 7 in this week’s NBA.com Power Rankings
• During their four-game winning streak, they’ve won by an average of 23.5 points per game

All of that being said, their only wins are against teams with losing records (with losses to Portland and Utah). As good as the Sixers have been, a hint of skepticism seems to overshadow the franchise (who share a division with the Knicks and Celtics, and a conference with Miami and Chicago). Moreover, it remains a struggle for the team to attract attention locally. From a Friday New York Times story titled “The Sixers Are Lovelorn in Philadelphia”:

“The Sixers, a middling team with no discernible on-court leader and few fans, made the playoffs last season, but they are overshadowed in this city by a love for the Eagles and the Flyers that seems to know no bounds, the depth of Big Five college basketball and the recent success of the Phillies, who have sold out 220 straight games.”

The Sixers face a good test tonight in the 6-2 Indiana Pacers in the first of a back-to-back-to-back stretch that also includes the Kings and a trip to Madison Square Garden. If they win the next three, the buzz may really pick up, but can the city full embrace the team without a certifiable star? Even Doug Collins admits that after 10 years of marketing Allen Iverson, it’s now a team game in Philly.

So weigh in: can Philly embrace the 2011-12 Sixers?

-LD

[NBA.com, NYTimes]

Photo: Getty Images