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I know it sounds a bit messy to put mayo into kissing, but recently Heinz discovered that in fact might be true. They pulled an ad in Britain (see below) after over 200 complaints to the government about its content. The ad contained two guys kissing after the stereotypical mum-dad morning “send the kids to school” routine. Their reasoning was that the humor was a miss for “all sides of the debate.” The ad having not shown in the U.S. still caused some local reaction. O’ Reilly, our bestest friend, decided to make further comment on the situation by bringing it across the pond to talk about the “gay thing.” Apparently he thinks mayo commercials should be devoid of homo-kisses. Something tells me O’ Reilly, save the fact that it wasn’t even an American ad, wasn’t Heinz’s target consumer.
I, personally, love it. It was caring and a bit masculine at the same time. Last night I watched a 30 Days episode on gay parenting, specific focus on adoptive families. The hosting couple was part EMU professor (Dennis), so I felt extra inclined to watch (Go Ypsi!). In both these situations the argument seems to be that we should be protected from people stepping on each other’s toes. There is a significant difference between belief and action. Preventing a family from adopting or preventing a gay family from being represented in a television ad prevents action and expression on an equal platform. This is wrong. The argument that putting it out there, via television ad or legalizing same-sex adoption, steps on the opposition’s moral toes is a bit off. The former is an extension in to my own personal space and rights, the latter does nothing to prevent free thought or action. Is personal and moral discomfort reason enough to pull an ad or prevent gay adoption? To the point, we actually do sue in civil court for these types of things but I feel like that even carries of level of absurdity with it too.
The ad:
O’ Reilly (they show the ad again, he commentary is :51 sec in):
Despite a growing body of evidence showing it is not only ineffective but also discriminatory toward LGBT youth a renewal of the Bush administration’s abstinence-only-until-marriage program for schools appears likely in Congress.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies has voted to continue funding the Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) program.
The federal government now spends about $176 million annually on abstinence-until-marriage education.
“It’s hard to imagine a good reason why, in these tight economic times, Congress would intentionally flush taxpayer dollars down the drain by spending them on disproven, ineffective abstinence-only-until-marriage programs,” said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office…
A study mandated by Congress last year found that students who participated in sexual abstinence programs were just as likely to have sex within a few years as those who did not…
A report a year earlier by the Society of Adolescent Medicine found that abstinence-only education was “unlikely to meet the health needs” of gay because abstinence-only programs focus heavily on no sex until marriage and ignore homosexuality. This could lead to increased risk of infection among these youngsters, the investigators said.
Under the CBAE program participating states then provide $3 for every $4 they get from the federal government. But a growing number states decline to take part in the grant program…
Talk about a mess…sigh.
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As the summer days have passed, I’ve enjoyed a few more hellos on the street. Part of this is that I’ve not been so relegated to closed methods of transportation. Riding my bike to work a “hello!” can almost frighten me, sometimes you forget how little we interact with each other. Even more the case, we are destination oriented. Work continues on into the summer and we have a little more time, or so it seems, to pause and wonder what we are actually making of our time. Wine is good and so is pomegranate juice. Things feel so loose, time only heating things up. Get lost in your own mess of words to the point that you forget ‘em. Doesn’t that feel better?
There is always time to be had, you just have to make time to have it. In your head and in your day. Happy Summer!
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JustinFenwick.Net Power Pancakes -
A great recipe! Also the only one I have used that held up to protein powder as an ingredient. This creates a more substantive pancake with a bit more nutrition. Fluffy, sexy, and great!
1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar (I used a fork). Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth (with a fork).
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter (it will be thick and not spread out quite like normal, but don’t spread it too thin) onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
This recipe was modified slightly from Dakota Kelly’s on AllRecipes.com
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Have you seen the news reports recently? Ever? There is new intensity building over the fear of plastics. It seems the recent surge– we have all had concerns about plastics for a while– is because specific conclusions have been made by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), National Toxicology Program (NTP), and the Canadian government.
The CDC says,
92.6 percent of Americans age 6 and above had measurable BPA in their bodies.
“We’re not waiting to take action to protect our people and our environment from the long-term effects of bisphenol-a,” in response to a move to ban polycarbonate infant bottles as it officially declared one of their chemical ingredients toxic.
So what now? What is safe? Pulling from a few sources I’ve managed to sort out what is of concern and their chemical of concern:
1 - One time use only, not meant for reuse, like ever. (PETE)
3 - AVOID, DEHA chemical, and you can find me in plastic wrap. (PVC additives, like DEHA)
6 - Do not cook/microwave in me (styrene)
7 - Not so good, I’m in water/baby bottles and jugs. (BPA)
BPA is the chemical of concern above in the quotes.
Despite this information, the FDA has not yet ban the substance, so plastic industry websites are claiming ‘no fault.’ Despite the current all ok by the agency, both CVS and Walmart have banned shatter-proof waters bottles (like Nalgene, that often use (7)) from their shelves.
I think better safe than sorry. One alternative includes corn plastic products:
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Our adulthoods are framed by transitions at different stages in our life. Yet there is one thing in common, we are all becoming something. Thanks for sharing in the experience.
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Have you seen the news reports recently? Ever? There is new intensity building over the fear of plastics. It seems the recent surge– we have all had concerns about plastics for a while– is because specific conclusions have been made by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), National Toxicology Program (NTP), and the Canadian government.