The media is reporting that the USDA will now be required to put nutrition information on meat. Is it news to anyone that meat has high fat and cholesterol content? Our government wants to help all of us hapless Americans fight obesity. We are so lucky they are looking our for us!
This is such bullshit. If the government wanted to help Americans fight obesity, they would shut down the food, and I use that term loosely, manufacturers that are poisoning us with their products. How many of us know, really know, what the ingredients/additives are in this so called food?
Here are a few of my favorites.
Citric acids for a sour taste. Why? If it's supposed to be sour then it should be naturally.
Phosphates, to help food flow easily. Flow from where? To where? It seems that if food doesn't flow through your body naturally, then it probably doesn't belong there. We all have enough digestive issues.
Oxystearin prevents excessive frothing. Does this mean if you get bit by a rabid animal after consuming a product with this additive, you won't foam at the mouth?
Guar Gum adds bulk and I don't mean in a fiber way.
Glazing agents/waxes give a polished appearance. But what is it doing for the inside of our bodies? Polish is for brass, silver and shoes, not our intestines.
Glycerol is a solvent. Solvents are used in auto shops, metal fabrication and refining. They have no place in our food.
High fructose corn syrup. It is the worst and it is in everything. Why does all of our food need to have a sweetener?
These additives, and many more are being produced in a laboratory. They are by no means a natural occuring substance anywhere on the planet. Food additives are used to make our food taste good and to get us addicted to the fat and sugar content. It is no different than alcohol or tobacco.
Portion size also plays a big role in this. Why does everything need to be supersized? Who came up with that term? A McDonalds executive named David Wallerstein. There's a big surprise. Even though McDonalds phased out supersize in 2004, they did not reduce the portion size that went along with. Nor did the other big chains. Imagine the riot at McDonalds if they served you a smaller burger.
I realize that the food manufacturers and big pharma are one in the same. We will feed you shitty food and then give you a pill to feel better. It's all about the bottom line and I don't mean ours. There are some good books out there on this subject, Fast Food Nation and Fatland are a couple of good ones.
Anytime our government says they are doing something for the good of the American people, it is immediately suspect.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Girlfriends
I got together with my girlfriends yesterday for a litte holiday lunch and a gab fest. I met these women about twenty years ago at a former workplace. Our initial party outside of work was to meet our friends new boyfriend. It was a pretty good sized party with lots of drinking and dancing. It was such fun that we decided to do it at least once a month. The initial group eventually got whittled down to seven.
The sacred seven. It was only us girls and we could talk about anything. No judgement passing either. You could think what you wanted, but you better not say it. We ended up kicking one of the group out for this very thing. She tried to get back in, but once you violate the trust, you are out. Another girl moved to a different state and another just faded out. We are now four.
We have all been there for each other through marriages, divorces, deaths, kids and families. We can tell each other things we would never tell anyone else knowing it will go no further. Any problems, the girls will listen and offer advice, hugs, kisses and love. A shot or two of vodka also helps.
One of the girls has a daughter who is often included in our get togethers. She listens carefully to our conversations and hopefully she is picking up some good advice. Either that, or she thinks we are nuts. I imagine she will become part of the regular group. My daughter also joins us on occasion and it is always enjoyable to have her there. They often find out things about their Mom's they didn't know, and they must also adhere to the rules.
As I get older, I realize that the friendhips with our girlfriends are very powerful. They are unlike any other relationship as they are chosen and we work hard at maintaining them. We take trips together, go to drag bingo, celebrate birthdays, holidays and any other excuse to get together. We can't all always make it, but we are all there in spirit. We already have some things planned for the new year and I look forward to all of them.
Kitty, Tina and Cheryl, I love you girls more than you'll ever know and I am honored that you are my girlfriends.
The sacred seven. It was only us girls and we could talk about anything. No judgement passing either. You could think what you wanted, but you better not say it. We ended up kicking one of the group out for this very thing. She tried to get back in, but once you violate the trust, you are out. Another girl moved to a different state and another just faded out. We are now four.
We have all been there for each other through marriages, divorces, deaths, kids and families. We can tell each other things we would never tell anyone else knowing it will go no further. Any problems, the girls will listen and offer advice, hugs, kisses and love. A shot or two of vodka also helps.
One of the girls has a daughter who is often included in our get togethers. She listens carefully to our conversations and hopefully she is picking up some good advice. Either that, or she thinks we are nuts. I imagine she will become part of the regular group. My daughter also joins us on occasion and it is always enjoyable to have her there. They often find out things about their Mom's they didn't know, and they must also adhere to the rules.
As I get older, I realize that the friendhips with our girlfriends are very powerful. They are unlike any other relationship as they are chosen and we work hard at maintaining them. We take trips together, go to drag bingo, celebrate birthdays, holidays and any other excuse to get together. We can't all always make it, but we are all there in spirit. We already have some things planned for the new year and I look forward to all of them.
Kitty, Tina and Cheryl, I love you girls more than you'll ever know and I am honored that you are my girlfriends.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Christmas Memories
We bought Ethan a really cool Lego Robotics set for Christmas this year. I think it will be one of the gifts he will remember for years to come. He took a robotics class at our local community college over the summer and has been talking about it ever since. It started me thinking about my own childhood Christmas memories.
My Dad was a big one for home movies. In those days, the 8mm movie camera had this HUGE light bar attached to it. If you looked directly into it, you couldn't see right for the next few hours. My Dad would keep telling us, look at the camera, get your hands out of your face. Looking at the movies now, you can see us trying to shield our eyes from the burn. There was no sound either, you can only imagine what was being said. Every year, they started with a pan of the tree, decorations and my Mom doing last minute wrappping or sewing. The decorations are totally 60's and would now be considered vintage. Great stuff.
A few weeks before Christmas, we would spend a weekend making cookies. My Mom made the best sugar cookies. She would roll out the dough, let us cut them out and then decorate. I think we got more on the floor than the cookies. Christmas music playing in the background, it was so much fun. She would use the leftover dough to make mini cinnamon rolls for us.
Christmas morning was a flurry of opening presents. It was always fun. Mom was inventive in the wrapping. One year, us girls all got new ruffled butt panties wrapped in a toilet paper tube, bunched and tied at the ends like a popper. One year we got dolls complete with baby carriages. Mom would make us new flannel nightgowns every year too. My older brother, being the only boy then, always got cool boy stuff. One year he got a dinosuar type toy that had flashing eyes and scared the crap out of my younger sister.
Family was always a big part of the festivities. Often, my Aunt, Uncle and cousins would come over. Everyone was dressed in their Christmas outfits, complete with Christmas aprons for the women. I have, and use, one of my Grandma's Christmas aprons. Dad's would drink and watch some sporting event and the kids would play, fight and generally have a good time. Sometimes, we'd go to my Grandma's house. Same events, different location.
The food was always good. Usually a big turkey with all the fixins was the main event. Once in awhile, it would be a ham. Stuffing, my Mom makes the best, mashed potates, sweet potatoes, cranberry out of the can, rolls and various other holiday only foods completed the meal. We always had to sit at the "kids" table. It was actually more fun. In the evening, we would have leftover turkey sandwiches.
As we got older things changed. Parents divorced and familes moved. As us kids became adults, we went on to make our own Christmas traditions with our own families. As our kids become adults, they will do the same. As Christmas and the New Year approach, make some memories of your own with the people you love, even if it does not involve a HUGE light bar.
My Dad was a big one for home movies. In those days, the 8mm movie camera had this HUGE light bar attached to it. If you looked directly into it, you couldn't see right for the next few hours. My Dad would keep telling us, look at the camera, get your hands out of your face. Looking at the movies now, you can see us trying to shield our eyes from the burn. There was no sound either, you can only imagine what was being said. Every year, they started with a pan of the tree, decorations and my Mom doing last minute wrappping or sewing. The decorations are totally 60's and would now be considered vintage. Great stuff.
A few weeks before Christmas, we would spend a weekend making cookies. My Mom made the best sugar cookies. She would roll out the dough, let us cut them out and then decorate. I think we got more on the floor than the cookies. Christmas music playing in the background, it was so much fun. She would use the leftover dough to make mini cinnamon rolls for us.
Christmas morning was a flurry of opening presents. It was always fun. Mom was inventive in the wrapping. One year, us girls all got new ruffled butt panties wrapped in a toilet paper tube, bunched and tied at the ends like a popper. One year we got dolls complete with baby carriages. Mom would make us new flannel nightgowns every year too. My older brother, being the only boy then, always got cool boy stuff. One year he got a dinosuar type toy that had flashing eyes and scared the crap out of my younger sister.
Family was always a big part of the festivities. Often, my Aunt, Uncle and cousins would come over. Everyone was dressed in their Christmas outfits, complete with Christmas aprons for the women. I have, and use, one of my Grandma's Christmas aprons. Dad's would drink and watch some sporting event and the kids would play, fight and generally have a good time. Sometimes, we'd go to my Grandma's house. Same events, different location.
The food was always good. Usually a big turkey with all the fixins was the main event. Once in awhile, it would be a ham. Stuffing, my Mom makes the best, mashed potates, sweet potatoes, cranberry out of the can, rolls and various other holiday only foods completed the meal. We always had to sit at the "kids" table. It was actually more fun. In the evening, we would have leftover turkey sandwiches.
As we got older things changed. Parents divorced and familes moved. As us kids became adults, we went on to make our own Christmas traditions with our own families. As our kids become adults, they will do the same. As Christmas and the New Year approach, make some memories of your own with the people you love, even if it does not involve a HUGE light bar.
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