Diet Coke

May 26, 2026

I came across a Reuters article on my local newspaper that addressed closing of the Strait of Hormuz effect on India. While India sells most of its soda beverages in plastic, glass, and cans, one beverage is only sold in cans and has made the beverage vulnerable to supply chain disruptions caused by stoppage of shipments. Limited quantities of cans can still be purchased online, and Indian pubs and social media influencers have spotted a chance to profit from the scarcity by organizing parties that come with a US$10 to US$16 entry fee, offering access to the cans along with music, alcohol, can decoration and themed T-shirt painting. Partyers in New Delhi come dressed in themed attire and are experimented by mixing the drink with local spices, jalapenos and honey. At a Mumbai event, entry tickets doubled as raffle entries, with two winners taking home 50 cans each. “We had a cocktail menu which we call Coke-tails. The idea was to bring fans together,” said 25-year-old marketing executive Ishika Gupta. Gupta was the first to throw a Diet Coke party in India in early May, plans to organize more, and is holding discussions with Coca-Cola given the trend.

When I went online, I found Diet Coke, also branded as Coca-Cola Light or Diet Coca-Cola, is a sugar-free and low-calorie diet soda produced and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company. The cola is based on a different recipe from the flagship Coca-Cola drink and has a distinct taste of its own. Diet Coke was unveiled on July 8, 1982, and was the first new brand since the company’s creation in 1886 to use the Coca-Cola trademark. The drink became wildly successful and a cultural status symbol, leading worldwide diet soda sales for most of its existence. Diet Coke launched in 28 international markets successfully in 1983 and in many was branded Coca-Cola Light or Coke Light. The soda launched in ten additional markets in 1984, including Japan. In 2010, Diet Coke surpassed Pepsi in sales for the first time to become the second most popular soda in the US after Coca-Cola but dropped below Pepsi again in 2014. Diet Coke has had a significant cultural impact, including links with healthiness and wellness but also negative connotations regarding body image. The drink has achieved high popularity in certain circles with loyal fans, including in popular culture.

Coca-Cola and Pepsi both see India as a major growth market, and most of their drinks are sold in plastic and glass bottles, as well as cans. A Ninecamp Ventures restaurant hosted a party near New Delhi where it offered “Diet Coke on the house” with snacks for $16. Diet Coke is a preferred alcohol ⁠mixer in India, often paired with rum. The soda is also popular among health-conscious consumers, and shortage has seen social media flooded with humorous memes showing people hoarding the cans in India. Retail chain Broadway is using the shortage to promote its ⁠New Delhi event, saying “In light of the great Diet Coke shortage of 2026 … we’re turning our space into a full-blown Diet Coke experience.” Tickets are 999 rupees (US$10) and have burgers, Diet Coke, vintage art, and custom T-shirt painting. Broadway CEO Sankalp Kathuria. “It’s a love letter to the cult of Diet Coke”.

THOUGHTS: Hoarding (and indulging in) Diet Coke during this shortage is not dissimilar to the US reaction to toilet paper in 2020. A shortage creates a self-reinforcing cycle of hoarding due to fear, uncertainty, and rational self-interest. Bare shelves cause consumers to panic that they will be unable to purchase essentials in the future, prompting them to buy more than they need. Ninecamp CEO Chaitanya Mathur said, “For the young people it’s about scarcity being a premise of the entire event. That’s where the fun is – the less there is of something is when they want more of it.” Some are probably still using Toilet paper they bought six years ago. Hoarding creates irrational fear and deprives access to others. Act for all. Change will come and it starts with you.

Food

July 09, 2025

I made some final harvests from my garden today. That included all my carrots (Daucus carota) and red onions (Allium cepa), along with a continuation of my cucumbers (Cucumis sativus). I grow enough vegetables to keep our family stocked with fresh produce during the season and have begun to can and freeze my produce for later. Still, there is a surplus which gives me the opportunity to share with friends and family. There always seems to be an overabundance of some vegetables. I have tried to compensate this year by growing a greater variety of produce and even staggering when I plant. I also planted this year’s crop with the intent of sharing a portion of the produce with our local food bank.

When I went online, I found a food bank or food pantry is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger. This is usually done through food pantries and soup kitchens, but some food banks distribute food directly with their food pantries. St. Mary’s Food Bank was the world’s first food bank, established in the US in 1967. Now thousands of food banks have been set up all over the world. Their numbers grew rapidly in Europe after the global increase in food prices which began in late 2006, and as the 2008 financial crisis began to worsen economic conditions. The inflation and economic crisis of the 2020’s has exponentially driven low and middle-income consumers to get at least part of their food from a food bank.

Some US cities have organizations that provide dog and cat food for pets whose owners qualify for food assistance. Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen in Lawrenceville, Georgia is considered the largest pet food aid agency in Georgia, distributing over 800,000 pounds (362874 kg) of dog and cat food in 2012. Daffy’s was started in 1997 by Tom Wargo, a repairman who was working in an elderly woman’s home when he noticed her sharing her Meals On Wheels lunch with her pet cat because she could not afford cat food. Daffy’s was one of seven non-profit organizations recognized by Barefoot Wine in 2013 through a US$10,000 donation and by being featured on labels of the vintner’s Impression Red Blend wines. Pet Buddies Food Pantry in Atlanta, Georgia is another establishment that provides food aid for pets. The St. Augustine Humane Society in St. Augustine, Florida, distributes over 1,600 pounds (726 kg) of pet food each month to families who are experiencing economic hardship and cannot afford to feed their pets.

THOUGHTS: While food banks are a vital resource for those who are food insecure, they have also led to a rise in obesity and diabetes. Many foods offered to clients in food banks are high in processed sugars and salts and low in vitamin and mineral content. The low nutritional quality of foods available to clientele at food banks has led to further health effects. A study showed 33% of American households visiting food pantries had diabetes. When you grow and share locally grown fruits and vegetables you can help alter this trend. Community gardens are another way to help. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

Marrow

July 08, 2025

My MSN browser scroll reported on a new study that shows evidence of Neanderthal “fat factories” dating back as far as 125,000 years ago. The inhabitants of the settlement strategically selected the lakeside location for the factory and harvested bone marrow by breaking open the bones as well as through a process of crushing and heating. The fat factory suggests Neanderthals were able to understand their environment and plan for hunting and resource-gathering. The recent research from Leiden University and published in the journal Science Advances adds to decades of previous research at the Neumark-Nord archaeological site near Leipzig, Germany. According to a press release from Leiden University, there is also evidence of plant use in the area, though it’s rarely preserved. Additionally, previous studies found proof that inhabitants used fire to manage vegetation. Needless to say, Neanderthals have long been underestimated, and the new study does nothing to dissuade that notion. This fat factory was created to extract marrow from bones.

When I went online, I found bone marrow is a semi-solid tissue found within the spongy (cancellous) portions of bones. In birds and mammals, bone marrow is the primary site of new blood cell production (haematopoiesis). Marrow is composed of hematopoietic cells, marrow adipose tissue, and supportive stromal cells. In adult humans, bone marrow is primarily located in the ribs, vertebrae, sternum, and bones of the pelvis. Bone marrow comprises approximately 5% of total body mass in healthy adult humans. A person weighing 161 pounds (73 kg) will have around 8 pounds (3.7 kg) of bone marrow. Human marrow produces approximately 500 billion blood cells per day, which join the systemic circulation via permeable vasculature sinusoids within the medullary cavity. All types of hematopoietic cells, including both myeloid and lymphoid lineages, are created in bone marrow. However, lymphoid cells must migrate to other lymphoid organs (like the thymus) to complete maturation.

Archeologists found the Neanderthals intentionally selected the lakeside location to process the bones of at least 172 mammals including deer (genus, Cervus), horses (Equus ferus caballus), and aurochs (Bos primigenius), an extinct species of bovine. Inhabitants at the site broke open large mammal bones to extract the marrow and ground the bones into fragments and heated them in water to extract calorie-rich bone grease. This indicates estimates of advanced resource collection began thousands of years earlier than previously thought. Lutz Kindler, the study’s first author, said, “Neanderthals were clearly managing resources with precision. They understood both the nutritional value of fat and how to access it efficiently.” Experts believe Neanderthals understood there was a “fat quota” they had to meet to make the process worthwhile. The authors emphasized the number of herbivores that Neanderthals at Neumark-Nord must have been hunting and were likely able to plan and use their environment effectively. Research into marrow extraction at the Neumark-Nord site complex was possible because this was not a single site but an entire landscape and provided the opportunity to investigate how Neanderthals influenced their environment.

THOUGHTS: The Neanderthals who created the marrow extraction factory at Neumark-Nord present a far different picture than the often-depicted primitive, club-wielding, nonsocial individual driven solely by animal instinct. Modern humans tend to seek ways to differentiate ourselves from our homo sapiens ancestors as well as extant animals. The more research done indicates we are often more alike than different. All creation should be respected for both its similarity and difference. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.