Gay Marriage and The Downfall of Western Civilization

One of the hot button issues in the news and permeating American politics is that of whether or not to allow same sex marriages. Although I have my own feelings and opinions on the matter, I went and found two articles on the subject embodying both the pro and con sides of the argument.
The main basis for the anti-gay side is that gay marriage will erode family values as well as the fabric of what makes a "wholesome family".
In a list compiled by a group opposed to gay marriage they claim that after same-sex unions where legalized in Scandinavia half the children born after that were born out of wedlock, trying to form a connection between married gays and bastard children. Pro gay marriage websites discredit this by saying that the study quoted was done by a biased researcher and can't prove any connection because of more valid studies done showing that marriage had been in decline long before gays were allowed to marry.
The second reason given on the list is that gay marriage will lead to polygamy. The pro site dismisses this as just plain irrational and says that even if this were a rational concern it would be all to easy to just pass an amendment banning polygamy and stating marriage as a union between two consenting adults.
The anti gay site gives several more reasons ranging in sanity from "Children will be taught perversion in schools" to essentially saying that gay marriage is a pandemic which will plunge society into the gay version of the dark ages.
I feel that although these reasons are quite compelling I don't think they capture the true horror of what would happen should gays get equal rights and subsequently take over the world. No longer could I look at the ugly old dilapidated buildings I've come to love because they would have been replaced by the ridiculously lavish architecture the gays love so much. Even worse would be the music. I could never get used to the mixture of Celine Dion, Cher, Lady Gaga, and Melissa Etheridge that would dominate all music outlets. Elizabeth II would be deposed from her throne to make way for Elton John. Not so extreme but almost as bad would be the renaming of Comedy Central to The Kathy Griffin Network, I mean...she's funny, but really?

Sound ridiculous? In my opinion those reasons are actually significantly more convincing than just telling me that God doesn't like the gays and therefor if they gain the ability to marry God will be pissed. Seriously, I hate Celine Dion. She doesn't sing she screams and I'm pretty sure "she" is actually just a gay man "her"self. I have no proof but I'm just sayin'.

In summary, the hardcore christians need to find a much better way into scaring people because some people are scared of God and some people are scared by the thought of Madonna's ego becoming even more inflated, much like me. Or, God forbid, they stop trying to scare anyone and just let people do their own thing; but what fun is that?

J.R Holle's "Real vs. Fake Macaroni and Cheese"

In her blog, Jennifer writes about the difference between homemade or "real" macaroni and cheese and the famous Kraft's Mac 'n' Cheese aka "fake" macaroni and cheese. She begins by explaining how the Kraft macaroni follows what Americans typically eat; artificially colored, chemically preserved, vitamin fortified or "fake" food. She then dives into how as a child her mother would make the real version with whole wheat noodles, American cheese and broccoli. However as she got older she came to the same result as many people and began to rely on the Kraft product due to the convenience.

Jennifer doesn't just state her opinion that the real version is better but then begins to state actual figures and nutritional facts (such as that the fake version only has 5 minerals in the noodles whereas the real has almost double with 9 minerals.) to fully convey her point.

I completely agree with Jennifer and her conclusion that the real version of almost any given food will always be superior to the mass produced version. I also agree though that as we get older and our lives pick up their pace that we aren't always able to get to the real version due to time or financial constraints. Overall Jennifer did a great job defending this point.

Preparing A Meal In A Dorm While Infected with Mono

Ok so here's my cautionary tale *cough* rant *cough cough* as to why people should always just go home, if they can, when they're sick. Our story begins at 6pm on a sunny April day. I had just woken up from a nap and realized that I was having one of my rare bout of hunger since I had been diagnosed with the demonic infection we have named "Mononucleosis". So I half pull/fling myself out of bed and walk across my messy room to the refrigerator to find that my roommate has eaten my last yogurt. My last goddamn yogurt that I had previously told him was, and I quote, "The only thing I have been able to eat. So please don't eat them." But I digress. I very soon realized that I would need to either go to the store and find some food, or waste away more than I already had.

After a 15 minute trudge to the Madison Fresh Market, I found myself in the soup isle, trying to choose between the ridiculous number of canned assorted vegetables and animal broth. Eventually I elected Chunky Brand Bacon and Potato Soup. I was so excited on the way home, the thought of feeling well enough to consume solid food making me almost giddy. I get back to Witte, get comfortable again, put the soup in my favorite ceramic bowl my mother had gotten me and start microwaving my soup. After a strenuous 2 minute wait my soup was ready. Now keep in mind that the walk to the store, the choosing of the soup, and the walking back to the dorm, had pretty much depleted my energy reserves for the next few days, so I was exhausted. I get out the bowl set it down, go to get a spoon, go back to the bowl etc. nothing about this scenario had gone wrong yet. Then the unthinkable happened. Just as I was about to sit down on my futon to watch Tom & Jerry and enjoy my soup, my knee struck the futon at an odd angle. The bowl sloshed threateningly, I tried to overcompensate with another balancing act, the bowl sloshes all over me dousing me with hot soup, then I heard a soul wrenching crash. I look at the floor, and my favorite bowl, along with the remainder of the soup I had worked so hard for, was strewn across my floor.

I cried for an embarrassingly long time over the remains of my would be meal. I think in my delirium it symbolized the complete loss of all independence and/or dignity I had left (dramatic I know, but I was starving, exhausted, and my throat was on the verge of implosion). Cut to a few hours later and I'm in my mom's car headed home...where someone more competent could make me food.

I really have no idea what Pollan would think about this story. I feel that he wouldn't have much of a reaction due to the fact that I DIDN'T GET TO EAT THE FREAKING SOUP. So yes, children, always go home when you're sick. don't try to tough it out.

Pamela Anderson's PETA Endorsement

PETA (People for the ethical treatment of animals) is one of the wealthiest non profit organizations in the world. As such, they have millions of dollars to spend on celebrity endorsements and ad campaigns. Celebs like Paul McCartney, Andy Dick, Dave Navarro, Eva Mendez, Alicia Silverstone as well as many others have done both print and video ads for the animal rights organization. Most notably on the list of famous supporters is Pamela Anderson, Baywatch star and sex symbol. PETA often uses a scantily clad Anderson to promote their intense and often times extreme agenda through sex appeal and.....well...just sex appeal.

I would imagine that Pamela endorses the organization for the same reason that many people do; which is that the image they try to portray is one of simply caring about animals and wanting the best for them. However if you maneuver through their website for a bit you will see that PETA isn't just against cruelty towards animals but rather against using animals for human benefit at all. No meat, no fur, no dairy, no pets, no animal testing, nothing. If you look you will find articles like this one. PETA is a radical group that often times hurts organizations that are actually doing something to better the lives of animals such as local animal shelters and rescues.

I don't think Pamela Anderson is seeing the bigger picture of what PETA is and I also think if PETA truly cared about animal welfare they wouldn't spend millions paying D-List celebrities but rather spend it on the ones the claim to care about so much, the animals.

In Michael Polan's In Defense of Food he argues that eating food has become obscured and changed by marketing that has refocused us onto nutrients rather than food itself. I totally agree. Polan states that it is not only food marketers that have driven us to eating what he calls "foodlike substances" but nutritionists and scientific journalists are also to blame for our current obsession with nutritionism.

Polan's point in the first few chapters that we no longer view food in terms of a whole, as had been passed down through generations, but rather in terms of nutrients is perfectly apt and can be clearly seen by a visit to any local supermarket or grocery store. "Low fat", "good source of omega 3", "high fiber" are just a few terms thrown around on a majority of packaging to convince the consumer that the product is indeed a healthy choice.

One of the main reasons nutritionism took hold in the minds of the general populace is a corporate agenda. For example, government nutritionists can't just say "eat less meat and dairy" because the dairy and meat industry lobbyists would freak out. Instead they have to say "eat less saturated fat" and hope that people understand that meat and animal products are the main sources of saturated fat. They also can't just give positive recommendations like "Eating more fish could be beneficial to your health" instead they have to something along the lines of "Consuming more Omega 3 fatty acids is beneficial to your health.". Thus we have a ton of products claiming to be a good source of certain nutrients of marketing themselves on a lack of certain nutrients.

A more bulleted argument can be found here.