Andrew mentioned a few weeks back that ice cream trucks in England were being prohibited from operating near schools, largely because of "an over-zealous health lobby. " It looks like ice cream trucks are also being target in some parts of New York, but not for the same reasons.

Instead, parents are the ones who want the trucks banned and they aren't protesting their contribution to childhood obesity, but their own inability to refuse the whims of their children. According to the New York Times, "the mothers and fathers and nannies of TriBeCa had tired of passing [the ice cream truck] each day and arguing with their small charges over whether they could or could not have an ice cream. "

It seems amazing that parents who pass by the same temptation with their toddlers every single day repeatedly have the same argument - apparently with the children winning. If they don't want their kids to eat ice cream, they need to say "no." There was an ice cream truck at the park near the elementary school I went to, to, but it's presence didn't mean that ice cream was something I got, or expected to get, every day.

The City of Oakland, located just across the bay from San Francisco, has passed legislation to place a tax on the businesses that it believes create the most trash. The tax will not be determined on waste created in the ordinary operation of a store or restaurant, but on the amount of litter that is generated by the sale of goods. The city's legislators agree that fast food restaurants and other stores that sell convenience foods need to be held socially responsible for the litter that is caused by patrons failing to properly dispose of the wrappers and other food packaging. The tax would pay for crews to remove litter, mainly from areas around schools and bus stops. A council woman said, "You can see the paths students take to lunch by the trail of litter."