Press conference cyclone (for highly processed junk foods) from U.S. Health and Human Services. These are highlights from Robert Kennedy Jr., HHS director, on Tuesday explaining why bans on petroleum-based food dyes are only a beginning to cleaning up the crap we feed our kids.
~ "When my uncle was president, 3% of American children had chronic diseases — things like ADHD, ADD, ticks, infertility, Tourettes, narcolepsy, Lupus, Crohns, food allergies, asthma. Now it's around 60%"
~ "No money was spent treating chronic childhood diseases when my uncle was president; now it’s about $1 trillion a year. We are spending more money treating these diseases than we spend on our military. This is not sustainable."
~ "If food and drug people want to eat petroleum, let them eat it at home, not put it in our children’s food."
~ "ADHD is treated with medicines... Part of the etiology of these diseases is a kind of malpractice — a mass psychosis that has our media not talking about this. And one of the possible reasons for that is the amount of money coming from the pharmaceutical companies and the food companies.”
~ This is unfortunate news for Iowa's favorite athlete and the state's biggest company. Caitlin Clark recently endorsed Hy-Vee’s exclusive new Cool Blue Gatorade drink. Unfortunately, the blue part of the drink comes from blue dye No. 1, which is on the FDA's hit list. That leaves the impression that CC and Hy-Vee are peddling something Kennedy thinks is destroying the health of our kids."
Deals today
• Buzzard Billy's has $2 off appetizers all day and night on Thursdays.
• Chelsea's Courtyard Diner (300 MLK Blvd., Des Moines) has the ridiculous bargain of $1 burgers on Thursdays, 4-9 p.m. That, folks, is a loss leader.
• Sirloin steak dinners are featured specials today at Sully's Irish Pub (860 First St., West Des Moines), Front Row (9956 Swanson Blvd., Clive), Winn’s Pizza and Steakhouse (122 W. Ashland Ave., Indianola). The Station on Ingersoll (3124 Ingersoll Avenue) has a ribeye sandwich special at $12 Thursdays.
• Sprockets (2314 University Ave., Des Moines) offers a breaded pork tenderloin special on Thursdays for $9.99.
• Kids eat free at Scornovacca’s (1930 S.E. 14th St., Des Moines) on Thursdays.
• Mariscos El Pirata (6050 S.E. 14th St., Des Moines) offers $2 off all sushi on Thursdays
• Chuck's (3610 Sixth Ave., Des Moines) has karaoke tonight from 6 p.m.
• ShortE's BBQ (8505 Chambery Blvd., Johnston) has $1 smoked wings Thursdays.
• Jethro's Thursday special is a pound of boneless "wings" for $8.
• Bevy’s Tavern (1300 50th St., West Des Moines) has a special of beef stew and cornbread Thursdays for $13.
• Amruth Indian Grill (9974 Swanson Blvd., Clive) offers an all-you-can-eat dosa (gram/rice flour crepes) buffet on Thursdays 5:30-9 p.m. $18.95.
• Red Lobster's Thursday special is shrimp or chicken Alfredo on linguini for $15.
— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com | 
