20thStDad

This bridge has been the bottleneck for me getting 3 lanes all the way from Houston to exit 873 on our frequent trips back to BR, so I'm glad they're finally doing it. This one is definitely old and feels underbuilt, but it's still better than the bridge in Lake Charles. That one consistently fails inspections and I've had people tell me it's best to just go around it on the 210 Lake Charles loop.

Does Whole Foods really have anything (worth buying) that my ghetto Fiesta on 23rd doesn't? I wouldn't think so. I've been there twice: once because someone gave us a gift card, and we used it all on wine. That was fine, but Spec's is better for wine. The other time, we had an awesome recipe for a hazelnut brown beer, and I searched everywhere for hazelnut extract but there was none to be found anywhere. And I don't buy raw beans by the pound, so...

Until someone buys up empty or unused lots and redevelops this I expect this will only happen more. Oh well. Maybe they'll put some cool pictures up at least, doesn't affect how I sleep (and I live a couple blocks from Durham). Also, my son is due to be born next month, and if he's going to be a teenage hoodlum like his pop he's going to need billboards to climb up and make trouble on. I prefer there be options close to home.

I've been tongue-in-cheek throughout this thread, mostly because I think the idea of a tax on a product as a way to alter lifestyles and curb obesity is idiotic. I recognize that there are many different natural body types out there, and some people have almost no chance when it comes to being "thin". But if there were some way to absolutely prove that someone's current obese state were mostly due to choices and not factors out of their control, I am all for them having to suffer the consequences for that. Just like I may have to do myself. But I seriously doubt there is a way to prove that.

But not bacon, right? No way. Leave my yummy animals alone. Corn is awesome. Specifically, Doritos are awesome. If there is a such a big corn surplus, I want to see Doritos prices at 1/3 of what they currently are. This would be true progress.

I don't disagree with any of that, but there's a difference between making something illegal (ban) and just taxing it. The government should absolutely ban things that cause direct harm. But things that cause no harm when they're not used in excess? Too much. I don't like the some-but-not-all approach. And I'm definitely not pushing towards all, because then my scotch and beer get taken away, and I'll have to move to another country. Also, I plan to start smoking a pipe sometime in the next 10 years - in moderation of course, no increased insurance rates because of me - and there's no reason the government should tell me I can't do that.

Then can we just charge a tax for being fat (future national health coverage claim denial)? That way non-obese people can keep enjoying bad things in moderation without paying too much for it. It's not the product so much as it is the gross misuse of the product. Speaking of doing research, I wonder what the success rate is of using taxation as a means to make large scale lifestyle and health improvements in the population.

No. But if I did, I would come across studies that say diet drinks actually make you fatter than the ones with sugar. source: internet. Fries come with everything. Starch plus oil = bad. There are still questions about the long term effects of artificial sweeteners. Some still require cancer warnings on the label. Natural sounds better to me. Punish them by denying benefits later in life. I drink water all day, I don't snack, and I drink maybe 2 sodas a week. It's not that hard. My point is that people not being able to moderate themselves or their kids has nothing to do with the government and even less to do with taxes. Taxing should not be a method employed to curb self-destructive behavior. Or do you enjoy paying a 90% tax on those cigarettes? If the government thinks it's that bad, make it illegal. Let me eat my oysters, let you smoke Kentucky out of a recession, and let idiot fat kids die at 36 because they drink sodas and eat fries all day.

Gross, hell no. Diet sodas and artificial sweeteners in general are nasty. I can do the real sugar and I'm nowhere near fat. It's call moderation and getting off of your ass on a regular basis. This would be as idiotic as the gulf oyster ban. How about people take responsibility for themselves and their kids? Potatoes, namely french fries, are far more responsible for the fatness of America than soft drinks.

Maybe they're just attempting to make it not look like total crap. Or preparing for the homeless migrating north from midtown for the winter.

That is definitely not what that proves. You gotta know Skynyrd!!!

That is idiotic!!! I can eat any damn animal I want to. No one can stop me!

I hear the higher price is because of all the stray shopping carts and AWP at the Kroger.

I still don't get why anyone would get their news from tv, especially when the cashiers at the Flying J can tell you everything you need to know (hard to see but below the threat level yellow it says "See cashier for details").

A black sheriff?!? Mongo angry! Mongo smash!

2708 - that sounds about right for the number of people who care about soccer.

I've been doing this since the 2nd or 3rd post. It's much more enjoyable that way. I'm much happier as a drunken (I) than either of the unhappy, belligerent sides who seem to be only able to see in 2 colors.

Check your ticket to see if they offer a way to pay and keep if off of your driving record. I got a ticket in Wyoming one time and just paid it, and it now shows up on my record as a speeding ticket in New Jersey. It's too long ago to affect my insurance so I haven't bothered to contest that.

I ran over a window one time.

This thread is awesome. Changing each other's minds on an internet forum is about as likely as me starting at 3rd base for the Yankees. But hey, if it feels good keep on banging your heads against the wall. TV news (all of it) is entertainment. I have no need for it.

I am not purposefully being confusing. If you choose a random set of items and try to determine what store is cheaper, I don't know or care who would win. All I'm saying is this: I shop for meat, mainly. I shop by sales. If I go purely on number of sales and quality of those sales, my observation is that Kroger wins. I have tried to shop by sale at both HEB and Randall's, and neither has enough sales every week for me to make all my purchases on sale. Kroger most always does (5 out of 6 weeks). The way I shop (revert back to single life, I'm not doing the shopping any more but have adequately trained the wife to get excited about meat prices), I go to the store, and I see what the deals are. Top sirloin cap petite steak for $3.99/lb? Sold. Country style pork ribs for $1.49/lb? That's what I'm eating this week. I'm just saying, I don't go to the store intending to buy any certain thing, I go by the specials and I save loads of $. If anyone goes to the store with a set menu for the week, they will come out spending more than I do. We don't limit it to Kroger though. Based on the weekly ads, we might be buying jumbo shrimp from Fiesta, pork butt from Foodarama, and spare ribs from HEB. Good thing for me I love to cook and am not picky, because we come out ahead every week. I average spending $7 per week on lunch....all lunches for the week.

It would be useless data. Unless we could trend it by season, or by other factors such as weather patterns and which football teams win/lose that week. Then we're talking good stuff.

Maybe this is a different thread, but that's still a bad approach if the end goal is to spend less and feed yourself. You have to be flexible. If ribeyes are $8.99/lb, don't buy them this week. If they are $3.99 on Kroger special, that's when you get them. Chicken breast is just as bad, you can spend $8 on 1 package if you just want some and don't pay attention to prices. I don't solely shop at Kroger, I look at the weekly ads and if a sale is good enough, we'll go anywhere. Kroger just has the best sales, on average. Paying full/regular price is for suckers.

If regular Kroger prices are within 10 percent and I'm beating those by 30 plus, 30 > 10, the point is clear. Also, regardless of regular price I know what a good price is on pretty much any meat. I've walked in to HEB many times, and walked out without buying anything because their regular prices are too high.

The problem is you showed up at the store with a list. That's not how I work. I show up and get what's on sale and plan from there. You say that HEB was about 10% cheaper on all items - well on the receipt at Kroger it tells me how much I save, and I average 30% total savings or more every week (90% of what I buy is milk, meat, and cereal by the way, fruit and veggies come from Canino's or Fiesta). I promise I'm coming out ahead that way. The regular stuff that you do have to make a list and buy no matter what (toilet paper, etc.), that's what Walmart is for. I know they beat HEB and Kroger hands down with that stuff.