Given the recent ideas being debated and decisions being made in our nation’s capital, I think the bumper sticker I’ve seen many times but again this week is appropriate:
If you aren’t completely appalled, you haven’t been paying attention.
I saw this article yesterday on CNN.com:
Researchers: Homes have more TVs than people
According to the article, there are 2.73 TVs per household, while there are only 2.55 people per household.
Is it just me, or is there something fundamentally wrong with this? I’ve also noticed what I find to be some additional disturbing trends with children and TVs:
What ever happened to just talking to your kids, or having them interact with the rest of the world? I’m all for some entertainment, but this seems a bit much to me.
technorati tags: family, DVDs, TVs, televisions, consumerism, trends
The year was 1994.
I was walking to class at UT during the governor’s race. I noticed that suddenly on a campus of 50,000 students that no one was around me. I then noticed men in dark suits standing around trying not to get noticed. I then heard cheering, and a Texas drawl called out:
“I appreciate you guys!”
It was Ann Richards on the campaign trail. As she turned around to get into her car, I was the only person facing her, about 30 feet away. She flashed that infectious smile at me and waved. I smiled and waved back.
The year was 1995.
My then boyfriend (now husband) and our friend stopped at 7-11 at Lamar and 9th. I left them in the car while I went inside. As I entered the store a silver haired woman came out carrying a Big Gulp and some chips.
It was Ann Richards.
She again flashed her smile, and I said hello. She said hi back. I watched her leave as my boyfriend and friend waved their arms off at her.
So long, Ann. We’ll miss you.
The first time I had ever been to NYC was June 2001, when my husband and I took a trip to NYC, New England, and Montreal. We stayed with my best friend from my childhood while in NYC. He had moved there in 1998. We did one touristy day of NYC where we went to Little Italy, Chinatown, Staten Island, the Met, Empire State Building, you name it.
We parked on Church Street near the World Trade Center, but decided to go in on our next visit. Here are some photos of the World Trade Center from that day:
CNN.com recently posted an article about how consumers often underestimate the calories contained in fast food. The point of the study is simple: portion are getting larger, and people don’t quite get the effect of larger portions on calorie intake.
Yes, that’s true. My unscientific observations of Americans point to value over quality. It seems like more Americans will go for the cheap and fast option for dining over the healthy and slow option, especially if you can add more fries for a couple of quarters. More for your money, right?
Dieticians claim that a single serving of meat should be no larger than a deck of cards. I implore you to find a serving of meat anywhere that is the size of a deck of cards… even child portions are at least the size of a jumbo deck these days.
But the real point here is… should we be more concerned with calories or fat? While it is true that calories can cut down fat and sugar levels in the bloodstream, what’s the fastest way to health?
This all reminds me of a story a friend once told me after a lunchtime trip to Subway, back when the chain was touting how you too could be like Jared if you just ate at Subway. Woman in front of my friend orders a sandwich:
The woman tells the server, “I’m trying out the Subway diet to lose weight.”
The server politely says, “Honey, that’s not a diet sub.”
Case closed. Calories aren’t the problem; it’s our mindset. You can’t have your cake and eat it too, unmetaphorically speaking.
technorati tags: health, consumerism, obesity
Syd Barrett, original frontman for Pink Floyd, has died.
“Astronomy Domine” and “Interstellar Overdrive,” both from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, are two of my personal Pink Floyd favorites.
