Does soy protein lower testosterone?

I think it does. I became familiar with soy products back in the 60's as I lived in Hawaii and was exposed to Asian cultures there. Naturally, I came to regard dishes prepared with miso, tamari, natto and tofu as the best way to eat soy products.

I also came to regard new age food faddists as rather odd. It was strange to see people showing signs of malnutrition congratulating one another on their health. I am not talking about people who make a point of fully understanding their nutritional needs, but faddists. I know folks who went completely vegan, but took it too far. (Don't get me wrong. I regard a vegan diet as an excellent extended fast allowing the body to recover from the diseases of excess arising from the typical American diet.) After they had their first round of "detoxes" they felt fine. A year and a half later, they thought they were undergoing a deeper "detox" when it was clear that they were showing symptoms of protein malnutrition. But I digress...

There appears to be some evidence that moderate to large amounts of processed non-fermented soy derivatives have adverse hormone-related effects on the body. This is nasty, since soy is touted as "natural." A woman seems to think her PMS got worse. Another fellow is on a rant about how soy is being foisted on the American public.

Without going into it in depth, I would say that dietary inclusion of fermented soy products in small amounts does no harm. Conversely, consumption of moderate to large quantities of non-fermented soy-derived food products appears to have an adverse effect. Bodybuilder and doctor Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD explains why.

Who's going to with the upcoming Presidential primaries?

This question was also posed by Aaron.

I will need to go with my gut here.

I believe that Hillary Clinton will sweep the Democrats. I hope she picks Barack Obama as a running mate. I like Barack better, but Hillary is stacking up the funds. Anyway if Barack makes VP we could have our 1st official person of color in the Rainbow House (new name for the White House) in 2016.

I believe that if the Republicans are fed up with themselves they will go with Ron Paul (people actually like his message!) and he could be a serious contender against Hillary...but after having seen the way the California Republicans screwed up the 2002 Gubernatorial race, I wouldn't put it past them to put the wrong guy up in this one. (Richard Riordan was a moderate Republican and the party put up hardliner Bill Simon who lost to Grey Davis. Davis was recalled and Arnold Schwarzenegger, another moderate Republican got in. You would think the Republicans would learn from this.) Anyway, I think the Republicans will put up Rudy Giuliani as a paper target against Hillary Clinton. They would be better off redesigning their platform and abandoning the folks who try to use religion to oppose change, but I wouldn't bet on it.

So here's my prediction for the race: Clinton against Giuliani.

This is different from what I would like to see: Clinton/Obama against Paul/Giuliani.

Write cabbie@youworktoohard.com for advice from a cabbie.

What's the fastest way to start an online business?

This question was sent in by Aaron. It contains some unasked questions. Like:

• How can I create a profitable online business?
• How can I make an online business work?
• What's the shortest path to profit?

Also it is kind of like asking how to write Yesterday by Paul McCartney. You need to have all your ducks in a row and be ready to jump on it when the break presents itself. As is, I would say the fastest way to start an online business is to:

• Assess your total skill set (a la What Color Is Your Parachute)
• Do your keyword research in several areas of interest at Wordtracker
• Purchase a related domain name made of the most favorable available keyphrase at Yahoo so you automatically rank on Yahoo
• Create a Google account and use it for blogging and Adsense so you rank on Google
  
• Refer to your blog on your site and to your site on your blog
  
• Create an Amazon associate account just in case you wind up recommending a book or a movie
• Add your blog feed to your My Yahoo page near the top and make it your home page so you are reminded to post to your blog twice a week
• Start researching and contacting your keyword competitors to turn them into online affiliates
  

This can be done in a single day, but the follow-up will make the difference. There is also a ready-made pattern for pay-per-click. It is a quick start. Visit Whip The Net Internet Marketing by Mead Rose to learn about:

• Keyword Research: Words people use to find sites like yours
• Market Analysis: Who else is out there. Can they hurt/help you?
• Feasability Studies: What's it going to take? Is it worth it?
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Setting up your pages to rank
• List Management: Keeping your prospects and customers in the loop
• Campaign Design: Taking the necessary steps to get web traffic

Of course, many Multi-Level Marketing companies can set you up in an equivalent amount of time if you find a product you believe in.

Write cabbie@youworktoohard.com for advice from a cabbie.

Ask A Cabbie....Anything!

I got an answer for ya...right here!

Write cabbie@youworktoohard.com for advice from a cabbie.