Winning Words 2/9/09
“Live Positively!” (Seen on a Diet Coke can) Last Friday I didn’t have anything else to read as I ate lunch, so I read the Coke can and saw today’s quote. I also read: Contains phenylalanine and other stuff. I’m going to live positively and not worry about the ingredients. I’m selective in my worrying. How about you? ;-) Jack

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Great Winning Words today....today I'm going to say and do all positive words and actions. I will keep you posted! Positively!!!

FROM P.O. IN THE HOLY lAND: 'selective about my worrying' --- ain't that the truth, especially now! JACK REPLY: Do you remember the old saying? Worry is like sitting in a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere. P.O.'s REPLY: That puts it in perspective, doesn't it? --- Thank you!

FROM DOC ERIC IN MI: I have a general rule that I try to follow when it comes to ingredients on things: if you can't pronounce it - don't eat it! Some people get so caught up in food ingredients I think they make themselves sickfrom worry...but that doesn't negate the fact that we should eat our foods as close to the way G-d created them as possible. And I don't think phenylalanine was one of them! JACK'S REPLY: You can say that again, if you can pronounce it. Most of the ingredients listed on the packages of food we eat contain words I can't pronounce. Does it matter if I eat stuff that's past the expiration date, too? If G-d has created everything, he must have created the p-word, also.

FROM R.I. IN BOSTON: By contrast with you, I worry when I'm selecting something. Your WW reminds me of Charles Schulz's character, Lucy, who said, "I'm very optimistic about my pessimism." JACK'S REPLY: Another cartoon character who should appeal to you is Joe Btfsplk. R.I.'s REPLY: Yep, I remember him...by Al Capp wasn't it, in the L'il Abner strip? I don't follow many of the strips anymore, but there are a couple that keep me amused. What I really miss is The Far Side by Gary Larson. FROM JACK: You can Google The Far Side, and, at your age, your probably don't remember the reruns.

FROM M.T. IN PA: I laughed out loud because I thought you were going to say, "I'm going to live positively and not drink Coke anymore." Either way, live positively! JACK'S REPLY: I'm positively going to continue drinking Diet Coke (Several years ago I switched from Classic).

FROM M.L. IN IL: if we weren't selective, i fear, (no pun intended), we would be a society of agorophobics!

FROM CJL IN OH: What can we do about it, anyway? JACK'S REPLY: How about switching to Diet Pepsi? FROM CJL: Have you read that can? FROM JACK: The oatmeal box says, "For healthy people over 2," so I suppose that's safe.

FROM OPTIMIST B.M.: I do try to be selective in my worrying. I often think about the Optimist Creed and when it comes to worrying, I especially think about "forget the mistakes of the past.....". I'm always impressed by the universality of the creed statements. JACK'S REPLY: Someone suggested that the phrase should be changed to, "learn from the mistakes from the past." Both are good thoughts.

FROM EMT SINGS IN MI: Yes, depending on the day the priorities change. Sort of like my prayer list. It is only a little after 9:30 am and already my list has changed a couple of times! REPLY FROM JACK: Your Prayer List seems to have active ingredients!

FROM MOLINER LIZ: I'm an equal opportunity worrier-- I worry about the toxicity the aluminum Coke can may be leeching into the product, which may cause Alzheimer's in thirty years... of course, that doesn't stop me from drinking it three times a day! JACK'S REPLY: That's something else to put on my list of things not to worry about. MORE FROM LIZ: If you need additional suggestions, feel free to contact me. I need to remove myself from the radiation emanating from the computer screen now, and go sit at least five feet away from The Today Show. FROM JACK: My grandson asked me on Saturday what I think about nuclear power, because he's writing a report on it. Let's see....Coal is bad. We're running out of oil and gas. Car emissions cause global warming. We might as well try something else. Ecclesiastes 3. FROM LIZ: Harness the wind and hydropower.

FROM M.E. IN SO. CALIF: Will make it easier for me to drink diet coke, which is one of my ways to avoid calories. Will still try to drink more water. Your strategy is already working.

FROM MOLINER C.F.: Drink Positive!

FROM D.S. IN SAN DIEGO: I used to worry all of the time. Now I have it down to 99% of the time, and climbing! :-) Let's see, should I drink Coke, or "do" coke?

FROM L.P. IN MI (AN EXPERT): I am glad you are selective in your worrying. Phenylalanine is actually a naturally occurring essential amino acid (found in breast milk among other places) and according to wikipedia the worst it will do is give you gas. Of course if you have a genetic disorder (PKU) that makes you unable to digest it that could be trouble... which is why the diet coke can has to warn you about it. Now the aspartame from whence the phenylalanine comes.... well as we are "living positively" I will stick to "all is fine in moderation". If you find yourself without something to read this Friday, seek out this Thursdays (2/12) edition of Nature and read the piece on metabolomics in prostate cancer... I'm the second author. It was a bear of a project so I'm regaining positivity by rejoicing in its prime publication. FROM JACK: Phew, I'm glad you gave me that information. MORE FROM L.P.: I guess all this work with metabolomics data has made me jump on any discussion of common metabolites

IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW: Metabolomics is the "systematic study of the unique chemical fingerprints that specific cellular processes leave behind" - specifically, the study of their small-molecule metabolite profiles.[1] The metabolome represents the collection of all metabolites in a biological organism, which are the end products of its gene expression. Thus, while mRNA gene expression data and proteomic analyses do not tell the whole story of what might be happening in a cell, metabolic profiling can give an instantaneous snapshot of the physiology of that cell. One of the challenges of systems biology and functional genomics is to integrate proteomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic information to give a more complete picture of living organisms.

MORE FROM R.I. IN BOSTON: It's interesting to me that the shortest WW you've put out this year (and maybe in previous years) has gotten the longest number of responses.

FROM SNOWBIRD F.M.: To be safe, I drink diet Dr. Pepper! It must be safe- for a doctor had something to do with it!

FROM D.P. IN MN: You should be more selective in your beverage choices! ! Oh well, I guess one won't hurt you. FROM JACK: The other option in the fridge is A & W Root Beer.

FROM PHARMACIST BOB NEAR ORLANDO: please stopppppp drinking diet anything. There is one ingredient in some of these diet drinks/foods that is totally badddddd 4 U. My Pa used to insist that we all think positive. MORE: U can stoppppp worrying about the diet product, Just don't drink the stuff. If u don't have a lactose problem, try milk. It'll give U a moustache. Bob ( and calcium and vit D. ( thank Dr. Steinbach for wiping out rickets with irradiated milk. whooopppeee for Wisc.