Return of the Hydrox...Coming in August

Hydrox, the world's only cookie that sounds like a skin moisturizer, is returning from retirement for a brief stint sometime in late August 2008.  Hydrox was taken off the market in 1999, so this is a big deal to diehard Hydrox fans.  Visit www.HydroxCookies.com for more information.

Hydrox was launched by the Sunshine Biscuits Company in 1908 as the first creme filled chocolate sandwich cookie.  The Oreo didn't come out until 1912 but soon Nabisco's marketing and distribution power had Oreo running circles around Hydrox.  In fact, nearly half a TRILLION Oreos have been sold since they were launched, making them the top selling cookie of the 20th century.

I like an underdog, so I'm cheering the return of the Hydrox and hope that enough people catch on to them again so that Kellogg's (which bought the company that owned the Hydrox brand in 2001) keeps them on the market.  I barely remember what Hydrox tastes like but I've heard they are slightly less sweet than Oreos.

So why did they create the name Hydrox based on hydrogen and oxygen, the elements that make up water?  Beats me!  Though even more perplexing is where the name Oreo came from. Nobody seems to know the answer to that one, even Nabisco.  Though the theory that the "re" came from "cream" that was sandwiched between the two "o's" from chocolate seems almost plausible.

So let's lead the effort to bring back the Hydrox permanently.  Kellogg's, if you read this, please feel free to send me a few cases of retro Hydrox cookies later this summer and I promise to spread the Hydrox gospel!  How about an Oreo/Hydrox Taste Challenge a la Coke/Pepsi!!??  Hydrox fans, let Kellogg's know you want the Hydrox back for good!

Thousand Oaks Safest City Once Again!

The FBI issued preliminary crime statistics for 2007 today, and...(drum roll)...CONGRATULATIONS, Thousand Oaks!  We are back to the Number 1 spot on the list among the 257 U.S. cities with populations over 100,000.  Our total crime rate in 2007 was 1.668%, or 16.68 crimes per 1,000 people.  This very slightly edged out the city of Irvine, California which was at a crime rate of 1.684% (not bad at all, Irvine!).  Irvine could have beat us if we had just another 25 reported crimes last year, so that was quite close.  Amherst Town in New York was 3rd place at a crime rate of 1.742%.

CLARIFICATION:  My "Safest City" designation was based on the "total" crime rate.  News reports today have ranked Irvine as the Safest City for 4 years in a row based on having the lowest "violent" crime rate, not "total" crime rate (see below).  As it stands, T.O. ranks 2nd among California cities for lowest violent crime rate and 1st for lowest property and total crime rates.  Irvine ranks 14th in terms of property crime rates among California cities.

The FBI groups two main categories of crimes; violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery, assualt) and property crimes (burglary, larceny/theft, auto theft).  Thousand Oaks reported 182 violent crimes (70% of which were assault) and 1,942 property crimes.  While it feels good to be #1, we still have room for improvement.  Our overall crime rate actually grew by 6% in 2007 vs 2006.  However, our violent crime rate dropped by 19% while property crimes grew by 8%.

At the bottom of the list was St. Louis, Missouri, Orlando, Florida and Little Rock, Arkansas, at rates of 11.93%, 10.45% and 10.35%, respectively.  What this means is that you are 7 times less likely to be the victim of a crime in Thousand Oaks than in St. Louis.  The dubious honor of highest violent crime rate belongs to Flint, Michigan.  In 2007, 24 out of every 1,000 Flint residents were the victim of a violent crime.

Simi Valley ranked as the 9th safest U.S. city at a total crime rate of 2.09% (4th safest in California, after T.O., Irvine and Glendale).  Oxnard's crime rate was 2.747%, which was a slight drop from 2006.  This earned Oxnard recognition as the 12th most crime-free large city in California out of 65 cities.  Ventura was lower on the list, at #45.

Keep up the great work, fellow Conejo Valley residents!  For more information, visit www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm.

Be Aware - Recent Child Predator Activities in the News

Yesterday the news was shocking.  A convicted child predator was caught on tape at a Borders bookstore in Arcadia, stalking a 5 year old girl and attempting to touch her and inappropriately rub up against her in full view of other shoppers.  The girl's father caught on and the whole scene is caught on tape (click here for a CBS video report and crime scene video footage).

Closer to home, on Thursday it was announced that a maintenance worker at Oaks Christian School in Thousand Oaks was arrested for allegedly videotaping girls in the locker room. Click here for the Ventura County Star story.

Two weeks ago a Moorpark bus driver was arrested for suspicion of molesting a boy with autism.

Last month a former Ventura elementary school teacher was sent to jail for molesting an 8 year old boy for 2 years.

Always be aware of your surroundings and where your kids are and who are with your kids.  Here are a couple of websites that provide a database of sex offenders by area (one of these sites was used by the father seen in the Arcadia video going after the sex offender after he realized what was happening to his daughter, which led to the arrest of the pervert).

www.FamilyWatchdog.us

www.meganslaw.ca.gov/

How Belching Cows Contribute to Global Warming

Earth Day was April 22nd and the L.A. Times featured a front page article with a diagram showing how nearly a third of greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming derive from the ingredients and energy to produce food.  And the U.N. reports that livestock contributes towards 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Those poor belching cows.  An average cow burps up 145 pounds of methane per year.  Methane has 23 times the warming potential of Carbon Dioxide (CO₂).  So effectively cows let loose 3,330 lbs per year of CO₂.  That equates to over 3000 miles driven in a car that gets 20 miles per gallon (check out the U.S. Environment Protection Agency Personal Emissions Calculator by clicking here).

Let's break this down differently.  Bringing a 6 oz. beef steak to your dinner plate generates 16 lbs of CO₂ emissions.  That equates to about 23 miles of driving at 20 MPG.  So if you're gonna have a good steak, the least you could do is not drive too far for it!  (On that note, check out Mastro's in Thousand Oaks.)

An even better alternative?  Try chicken.  A 6 oz chicken breast generates less than 2 lbs. of greenhouse gas to arrive at your dinner plate. 

To learn how to eat in way that minimizes the impact on global warming, visit the Bon Appetit Management Company's online carbon calculator at www.EatLowCarbon.org. 

Back to the hungry, gassy cows again.  Cow manure generates both methane and nitrous oxide (a.k.a. "laughing gas") (now why is it I'm not laughing when I smell cow manure?).  Nitrous oxide has 296 times the warming potential of CO₂.  So think about not only the meat you eat, but how you fertilize your garden.

Some final parting carbon-conscious tips that come from the L.A. Times article:

• Reduce your beef and cheese consumption
• Don't waste food as it ends up in a landfill producing methane
• Compost fruit and veggie scraps
• Buy locally grown food as much as possible
• Eat lower on the food chain; producing crops for livestock adds to warming
• Drink tap water rather than bottled; or if it must be bottled, drink from local sources

Lastly, if you have to belch, watch out.  Someone may be counting your carbon equivalents.

Blu-ray You Say?

Blu-ray Disc (or BD) players were first launched in June 2006 as an alternative to HD (High Definition) DVD players.  Later that year Sony included Blu-ray technology in its new PlayStation 3 players and since then have sold over 10 million.  In February 2008, HD DVD maker Toshiba announced "game over" to HD DVD.  And thus Blu-ray has become the high-def format of choice.

This was Sony's revenge I suppose for the Betamax format losing out to JVC's VHS video recording format in the mid 1980s.  For the million or so HD DVD purchasers, you were brave!  But good luck finding DVDs in this now obsolete format.

What is Blu-ray?  Blu-ray is a high-definition technology that uses a blue laser to read the disc (DVD players use a red laser).  Blu-ray screen resolution is 1,080 horizontal lines versus 480 for DVDs.  That added resolution can make for a stunning picture.  But you need a high-def TV to enjoy it!  BDs have 6 times the storage capacity of DVDs.

Will BD make DVD go obsolete soon?  My personal opinion is no, given the fact that hundreds of millions of DVD players are in use and continue being sold.  But BD will gradually creep into the DVD market.  I would imagine that BDs will grow in popularity at similar rate to the growth in high-definition TVs vs analog TVs.

Should I buy one?  If you own a PlayStation 3, perhaps use that to play BDs until BD player prices start falling from their current $400 price tag.  Heck you can buy a PS3 for $400 today.  But if you enjoy being an early adopter and don't mind the fact the prices may drop towards Christmas, go for it!  One thing to make sure though is that your BD player is "backwards compatible" with DVDs.  Most are but make sure to check.

Blu-ray Discs also cost slightly more to rent today, but not that much more.  A local Newbury Park Blockbuster rents BDs for about $1 more than DVDs.