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May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
May 18, 2005
/ 9 Iyar, 5765
Think bottled water is healthier? Friend, you are being soaked!
By
John Stossel
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Take a few ounces of water. Garnish with an elegant bottle and a
large price tag. Convince Americans it's cool. Somehow, in the 1990s, a
French company called Perrier did that, and now, America is getting soaked.
Today, Evian has surpassed Perrier in sales; it's now the chic
French water of choice. It costs more than gasoline about $5 a gallon
and if you'd rather wear it than drink it, you can pay $10 for a five-ounce
aerosol can (ingredients: "aqua" and nitrogen).
Then there are Aquafina, Dasani, and the dozens of new brands of
bottled water that have jumped into this billion-dollar business, including
bizarre ones like Venus, the Water for Women, and Trump Ice, with the Donald
scowling on the label. I'd have to be very thirsty to buy that.
Water comes out of public fountains for free. It comes out of
your tap for pennies. Why buy it in bottles?
"Because it tastes better," people told us. So ABC News ran a
taste test. We put two imported waters, Evian and Iceland Spring, up against
Aquafina (America's best seller), American Fare (Kmart's discount brand),
and some water from a public drinking fountain in the middle of New York
City.
We asked people to rate the waters bad, average, or great. Many
said one of the waters was bad. Which one? Why, Monsieur, that would be
Evian, the most expensive, which came in last in our unscientific test.
Evian had no comment. The water our testers like most came from Kmart:
American Fare ranked first in our unscientific test, and it costs a third of
what Evian costs. (Maybe that's why "Evian," spelled backward, is "naive.")
Aquafina ranked second. Poland Spring came in fifth.
Tied for third were the water from Iceland and the New York tap
water water that may have come as much as 100 miles through the antique
pipes of New York before emerging from that water fountain. Even people who
said they didn't like tap water liked it when they weren't told it was tap
water. Of course, your local tap water may not be as tasty, but you owe
yourself a taste test before you squander more money on the bottled stuff.
For a show on the Showtime cable channel, satirists Penn and
Teller got a trendy California restaurant to let them fool customers with a
"water steward." Like a wine steward, he had lots of fancy bottles, and most
diners said they loved their elegant waters. "Oh, yeah, definitely better
than tap water!" said one. But tap water is just what it was the "water
steward" filled the fancy bottles using the hose on the restaurant's patio.
If taste doesn't justify the price of bottled water, maybe
"purity" does. Some people have the notion that bottled water is healthier
than tap. We sent some bottled and tap water samples to microbiologist Aaron
Margolin, of the University of New Hampshire, to test for the bacteria that
can make you sick, like E. coli. "There was actually no difference between
the New York City tap water and the bottled waters that we evaluated," he
said.
Some people worry about traces of chemicals, like chlorine,
fluoride, copper and iron. There's a lot of misinformation suggesting tiny
levels of pollutants injure people. They don't. Small amounts of chemicals
are usually not only harmless, they even put them in vitamin pills.
Many scientists have run tests that find tap water is as good
for you as bottled waters that cost 500 times more. I even asked the man the
bottled-water association recommended we interview, Dr. Stephen Edberg, of
Yale University's School of Medicine, "Is bottled water healthier than tap?"
He gave me this sparkling gem: "I wouldn't say, uh, it's healthier than tap
water. I mean, uh, it's both, they both provide, uh, water."
That's right: All those companies that charge you an arm and a
leg are selling you, uh, water. I can't argue with that. They certainly are
selling you water.
If you buy bottled water because you think it's healthier than
tap, test after test shows no evidence of that. And if you buy fancy brands
because you think they taste better, you're probably just buying hype.
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Stossel explains how ambitious bureaucrats, intellectually lazy reporters, and greedy lawyers make your life worse even as they claim to protect your interests. Taking on such sacred cows as the FDA, the War on Drugs, and scaremongering environmental activists -- and backing up his trademark irreverence with careful reasoning and research -- he shows how the problems that government tries and fails to fix can be solved better by the extraordinary power of the free market. Sales help fund JWR.
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