Important Message from 2050

Seriously people, VOTE!

Vintage Beauties: Neve Campbell

Neve Campbell was a lead character on Party of Five in the 90's. She was picked as a vintage beauty because the character she played kept a natural beauty look. She was never busting out with a lot of make up or trying to vamp it up.

CONTROVERSY: Marie Claire "Fatties" Story Slammed By Mike & Molly Show Creator

Radaronline.com recaps the Marie Claire Controversy here. The gist is a Marie Claire dating blogger. Expressed a very descriptive dislike of obese people showing affection with each other as well as being allowed to exist on the planet. The blogger apologized, with the qualifier the hate stems from her past eating disorder. Marie Claire stands by the authors self expression.

I think this is a perfect example of how people think of and treat overweight people in society. I am glad this incident happen so maybe the thin people in the world can see the world ain't friendly to overweight people just because Lane Bryant has commercials in prime time.

So many thin people treat the overweight like we have a chip on the shoulder. Well, this overweight person does. I turned my chip into a boulder because of all the back handed compliments, stares, and disrespect I receive from people who don't even know my situation.

Lisad00 Missing Posts

Readers. I am very sorry that I have limited post as of late. I will provide more regular posts in the month of November.

Obama's It Get's Better Video

This video (and Hillary Clinton's) is really moving. Its wonderful that we live in a society were some of our highest government officials are able to express their support of GBLT youth and other kids who are bullied. I think that this message carries many meanings--the progressive side is winning the culture wars. The inherent worth and dignity of every member of our society is being valued more than at any other point in our nation's history. We have far to go, but it is getting better.

Must Read Article: The Myth of the Culture of Poverty

Go read this article right now!

Dr Oz's 28 Day Plan to Quit Soda!

I've never been a full-calories soda addict, but I did have a rather dysfunctional relationship with Diet Coke--I started getting nervous if I was running low on the stuff in the house, twitchy even, and I would often make calculations as to which real foods to leave out of my cart, so I would be sure to bring everything up (to my third fl apt) in one load. I broke the addiction since and I have occasionally had a diet or real soda without going full hog back ont the wagon (although I haven't had anything carbonated since early September). My rule, never buy soda to bring home, I can only have an occasional soda out. It works for me and right now I'm completely soda free. Here's Dr. Oz's 28 day plan to quit soda.

• Week one: Go from regular soda to a diet soda to get over the sugar craving. He encourages one to eat fish, eggs, and beans during this phase.
• Week two: Go from diet soda to caffeine-free diet soda to rid your body of the caffeine fix. He suggests taking ibuprofen for headaches and snacking on foods rich in vitamin B.
• Week three: Cut your soda intake down in half. Instead of only drinking the caffeine-free diet sodas, drink a seltzer water combined with a small percentage (about 20 percent) of your favorite fruit juice.
• Week four: No more sodas! Just chew sugar-free gum when you need a sweet treat.

So, what do you think readers? Do you think it might work? I think its a pretty good plan for full calorie sugar drinkers. For diet-soda addicts, I'd suggest starting out with week two and maybe extending week three for two weeks, where you cut down your now caffeine-free soda and try to mix in seltzer with juice or iced-green tea with juice. Thoughts? Share them in the comments.

New York Seeks to Ban Purchase of Soda with Food Stamps

So, Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Patterson are pushing for a ban on purchasing soda with food stamps. "They are seeking permission from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the nation's food stamp program, to add sugary drinks to the list of prohibited goods for city residents receiving assistance. If approved, it would be the first time an item would be banned from the federal program based solely on nutritional value."

In 2004, the Agriculture Department denied Minnesota's plan to ban all junk food, including candy and soda, from their food stamp program citing that it could lead to embarrassment and confusion at the register.

I am no junk food apologist--soda is crap--but I do think that this ban is a great way for politicians to LOOK like they are doing something, when in fact, they're just beating up and fatties on food stamps, two discriminated groups for sure!

If politicians really wanted to DO SOMETHING they could push for the end of corn and soy subsidies that make soda so prevalent and "cheap." They could push for removing vending machines from schools and quality food in school cafeterias. They could help set up free wellness centers in low income areas complete with gym equipment, volunteer personal trainers and health/nutrition classes. Heck, that could be part of the healthcare reform and appear in ALL neighborhoods. But golly gee, I guess this ban will just make the rabid haters of the poor happier.

New Normal

Jessica Valenti, the founder of Feministing has published on her personal blog an incredibly moving piece about the premature birth of her daughter Layla. Read the whole thing HERE.

She developed extreme pre-clampsia and HELLP syndrome and to deliver via emergency c-section at 29 weeks. Her daughter was born just over 2lbs and very premature. My heartfelt best wishes to Jessica, one of my Feminist Blogger Heroines, and her family.

Here's a taste of her piece:

This isn’t to say there’s a silver lining to all we’ve been through – life isn’t that fair. Layla had to experience suffering before she could even be held or comforted. I’ll never be able to have a natural birth, and given the increased risk that I could develop pre-eclampsia and/or HELLP again, it’s likely I won’t have any more children.

But that’s just our new normal. And we’re lucky enough that this new normal includes a healthy mom and baby – we had access to wonderful maternal and neonatal care and to great health insurance that paid for it. Many others aren’t so lucky. One thousand women die every day from pregnancy-related issues; one of the four major causes is hypertensive disorders like pre-eclampsia. Going through this at a top-notch hospital was a nightmare – I can’t even imagine what it’s like for women who don’t have access to adequate care. So if you would like to do something nice for me and Layla – please consider donating money or taking action at Women Deliver or another organization that fights for maternal health. I know I’ll never look at the issue the same way again, and fighting for it will definitely be part of my new, different-but-wonderful, normal.

Frankenfish: Yeah, I don't know about this...

Have you all heard about the genetically modified fish being considered for public consumption?

The fish is designed to grow at twice the rate or a normal salmon (up to five times, by some reports), reaching the market in a year and a half instead of three years. While an atlantic salmon normally produces its growth hormone only seasonally, the genetically altered fish will produce the hormone all year long, the mechanism which makes it grow faster.

Controversy around the acceptance of this fish is deep. 11 senators, mostly from coastal states, have come together to urge the FDA to reject the altered fish. They say the agency is using the wrong process for evaluation and that they are deliberately leaving the public out of the discussion.

Even the traditional fishing industry is against the AquaBounty fish hitting the shelves and, if it is approved, they've called for the fish to be labeled as genetically modified. It's little surprise the fishing industry would want the fish either off the table or labeled. In an interview with Underground Wellness, Jeffrey Smith, author of Seeds of Deception, has speculated on the very real possibility that FDA's approval of the GM salmon could mean the death of the salmon industry. The FDA has already stated that it will not allow labeling of the GM salmon to distinguish it from conventional salmon. Considering the fact that more and more people are rejecting the idea of consuming genetically modified foods, people may stop eating salmon altogether in order to avoid exposure.

Already genetically modified corn has bred its way into conventional corn (and the courts even ruled against a farmer whose crop was infected by the GM genes and said that Monsanto had the right to sue him, even though he never wanted GM genes in his corn fields). What if Frankenfish gets out and breeds with the native population? What are the potential health impacts of exposing human beings and other fish eating animals to fish with genetically altered hormones? This is a dangerous precedent and even if it were approved no labeling requirements would be made to distinguish this fish from native species. This definitely smells fishy!

Some Suprises in the Butter vs. Oil Debate

Check out these surprising recommendations in the Butter vs. Oil debate.

Beets, the New Black???

Seriously, every health and food blogger has been going crazy with the beet recipes lately! I only experimented with roasted beets last year or so myself, but now I wanna try this beet, goat cheese and walnut salad which I have seen at least three places in the past month.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

4 medium red or golden beets (choose organic if possible), stems and leaves removed (don't discard)
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 handfuls of arugula or spinach
2 ounces of goat cheese

Method:

Wash and cut beets into bite sized pieces. Bake the beets in your oven at 375F for 45 minutes in a covered baking dish, or steam until fork tender. (Avoid boiling them, you will leach out all the minerals). Once cooked, cool slightly. Toss the beets in a salad bowl with the walnuts, olive oil, vinegar, black pepper and greens. Crumble goat cheese over top, just before serving.

Serves 2. Enjoy!

Car Culture Hurts More than Environment

For this week in duh, we have a study demonstrating that Americans take the fewest steps per day in comparison to other industrialized nations.

Americans averaged 5,117 steps per day, nearly half as many as Australians (averaging 9,695 steps) and far fewer than both the Swiss (9,650) and Japanese (7,168). Unsurprisingly, the US has the highest percentage of obese adults (34 percent), compared to 16 percent in Australia, eight percent in Switzerland, and three percent in Japan.

Below are some tips from FitSugar on how to increase your overall steps per day, but let me say that individual efforts are important, but even more so are structural efforts--and that takes the commitment of a society or at least a political majority. We need more walkable cities and small towns, more public transportation and smart growth or regrowth to get people moving. Our health problems are intricately related to how sedentary we are as a nation and adding to a little by little everyday approach to integrating health and reasonable movement is key to achieving a better balance. The kind of grueling workouts that they do on the Biggest Loser aren't necessary if we could integrate movement into our everyday lives and make a social commitment to real food. I'm not saying everyone would be skinny, but healthier, yes.

Here's FitSugar's tips:

• Park in the last row at the mall, grocery store, or any other place with a huge parking lot. You don't have to park in parking lot Siberia, but parking just 10 spaces back gives you an extra 70- to 80-foot walk. That's as many as 32 extra steps in each direction in and out of the store.
• Take the stairs, not the escalator. If your commute involves a stair vs. escalator choice, take the stairs. If it's an especially long set of stairs (mine involves one of these), vow to split the difference and at least walk up the moving escalator.
• Instead of sending an email, IM, or other piece of ecommunication, get up and walk to a co-worker's desk. If you're worried about distracting or surprising her with an unsolicited walk-by, email or IM her to ask if you can come by. Then walk over.
• On a sunny day, take a 15-minute walk during the workday. Even if you're an eat-your-lunch-at-your-desk kind of gal, take 15 to clear your head, enjoy the sun, and fit in some extra steps. At a brisk clip, you could fit in a mile of walking in those 15 minutes — that's 2,000 steps added to your daily allowance.
• Pace. Steps count even if you're not going anywhere. On a long evening phone call at home? Walk up and down the hallway when you talk. Waiting for a table at a restaurant? Fit in a mini-walk while you're waiting for the hostess to call your name.

The Daily Fail: More Depressing Than Ever!

Okay, this is a really depressing article from the Daily Mail:

"Forget finding the right man: what really makes a woman happy is being the right size. According to a 24-year study, a woman’s weight has a greater effect on her spirits than her love life does.And it seems that being obese leads to more misery and suffering than being single – while being thin provides more satisfaction than a relationship."

Within this article we have several assumptions: #1 "getting a man" should be the end all, be all of a woman's happiness, #2 its the fat, not the prejudices and media-induced self hate the social significance of the fat, that makes women miserable.

Its important to remember that no one other person will ever "complete you" and that to expect that from a man/woman is unhealthy in itself. That isn't to say that people garner a great deal of happiness from their relationships, they do, but you have to have a base to grow from together, not the expectation that "happily ever after" is magically insured.

Overweight or obesity comes with lots of problems--lower wages, social stigma, health problems (sometimes, sometimes not), but that doesn't mean that you can't be fat and happy. You can be, you just have to work at it and remind yourself that REAL LIFE IS NOW, not that magical day when you become thin!

What Now?

Apparently, sometimes growing veggies in your own backyard can be illegal?!? Steve Miller, who has been growing organic veggies for 15 years faces "a $5,000 fine for growing too many. Enter 'Cabbage-Gate.' City officials in Dekalb County, Georgia are claiming that Miller's property isn't properly zoned for growing so many vegetables." Umm, sounds like he pissed off some power-loving police officer who enjoys abusing his authority. There's laws on the books making it illegal to walk down the street backwards with an ice-cream cone in your pocket in one town. Growing too many veggies sounds similar. So what if he wants to dig up his lawn and grow tomatoes! That's good stewardship of the land and eating as local as you can get. I hope this fine is waived and the law rescinded.

Good Role Model of the Week: Christina Hendricks

"My mother never said to lose weight. Diets were never a big deal. My mom
was always beautiful and voluptuous and curvy, and I always thought
she was gorgeous."

— Christina Hendricks talks to Harper's Bazaar about the postive message of body image she received growing up.

Where Babies Come From: Still Really Confusing for Some Apparently

Jokes.com
Kristen Schaal - Family Friendly
comedians.comedycentral.com
Funny Jokes Funny Videos Daniel Tosh Stand-Up

From the Guardian:

Young Britons are clueless when it comes to the facts of life, a new survey reveals.

More than 20% of 18 to 25-year-olds questioned thought a pregnancy lasted a year, 10% believed eating red meat influenced the sex of a baby and half expected a baby to walk and talk within its first year.

The poll also revealed that 20% of the childless respondents thought the umbilical cord was a musical note and 27% admitted they would consider genetic engineering if it meant a better-looking baby.

The vast majority (70%) were in the dark when it came to the true cost of raising a baby. A third of the respondents believed that £1,000 would be adequate to cover equipment, food, clothes and toys for a baby's first year when the latest studies suggest it is about nine times higher.

I've posted Kristin Schaal's "Family Friendly" stand-up routine in which she tries out some humor she thinks "people with babies" will especially appreciate. Since she's also confused by the "bases" in a make-out session, its safe to assume she might be channeling the clueless respondents from the Guardian article.

Bankrupt Toni Braxton Owes Up to $50 Million in Unpaid Debts

US Weekly reports:

The singer, 43, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy again, claiming she owes between $10 and $50 million in unpaid debts.

She says she's unable to cover the costs because she is only worth between $1 and $10million.

Braxton previously filed for bankruptcy in 1998. This past March, she was slapped with a $400,000 federal tax lien.

This is very sad. I wonder if she is surrounded by bad managers or she is just in denial about how a women need to be aware of their finances at all times. This is not something we can call a "man's" job. If we do we can get caught out there like Toni Braxton. She totally needs to talk to Suzy Orman.

Marie Claire's Scathing Report on Food Blogs

Marie Claire currently has a scathing article up online HERE regarding Food and Fitness Bloggers. Of the "big six" she reviews, I am an avid reader of two: Kath Eats Real Food and Eat, Live, Run. Kath and Jenna of those respective blogs seem to present a really healthy relationship with food and exercise--and most especially the pleasures of real food eating (which includes at times bacon and cake, but involves lots of salads, whole grains, legumes, fruit and of course, hummus). Jenna has recently revamped her blog going from food journal to recipe/cooking journal with specific tips, recipes and sometimes restaurant reviews, which is cool. Kath has been documenting her 40lb weight loss and her maintanance of that weight loss for three years.

Some of what the author of the Marie Claire piece offers is disturbing proof of food bloggers "hunger diaries" and I certainly DO BELIEVE that there are food blogs out there that simply work to justify and promote disordered eating and exercise induced anorexia--I've seen some of those blogs, though I won't name them because I don't believe in body/food shaming people with a real and devastating illness. Is someone in the "big six" one of those folks, honestly, I don't read any of those other blogs so I can't say, even if I would. What I do know, is that lumping Kath and Jen into "The Hunger Diaries" means that the author of the article didn't really read their blogs--even looking at a two week period of their blogs would should that those bitches eat and they eat well. So, I'm skeptical that she really did her homework at all.

So, I'm gonna leave you with one of Jen's naughtier recipes found HERE.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about three dozen cookies

2.5 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups packed dark brown sugar

2 eggs

2 sticks butter, softened (2 sticks)

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each one. Add the vanilla and mix gently to combine.

Add the flour to the butter and mix. Carefully stir in the chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for about twelve minutes, or until golden.

Fashion Week

Jezebel has a ton of Fashion Week Spreads up right now, but I thought I'd nab a couple shots from the Sarah Burton (in the House of the late Alexander McQueen) show. I thought that these dresses were just magical, very costumy, but still stunning. One feature I found in several of the dresses was this move to make a bustle--if that's the right word--that enlarges the hips. These bustles are very structured and clearly the garment and not the model's shape, but they suggest curves (even though real curves aren't allowed on the actual models). I'm not skinny-bitch bashing here, I'm just making an observation. What do you think about this sillouette created by the structured gowns? Am I delusional to think that perhaps the designer was trying to create curviness in the garment put on straight-sized (read 34 inch hips or smaller) models? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

You're Not Paranoid!

Everyone else is calling their piece "It Pays to be skinny" but I'm callin' it, it costs to be fat. According to a University of Florida study (cited in this article from the Wall Street Journal), "very thin women, weighing 25 pounds less than the group norm, earned an average $15,572 a year more than women of normal weight" and what's worse, "A woman who gained 25 pounds above the average weight earned an average $13,847 less than an average-weight female." 50lbs, it seems, can separate the have's from the have-not's.

To be "fair and balanced" they cite the impact of weight on men:

"Men were also penalized for violating stereotypes about ideal male appearance, but in a different way. Thin guys earned $8,437 less than average-weight men. But they were consistently rewarded for getting heavier, a trend that tapered off only when their weight hit the obese level. In one study, the highest pay point, on average, was reached for guys who weighed a strapping 207 pounds."

So, men actual benefit from some extra meat, but are penalized for skinniness. Yet, notice the big difference in terms of dollar amounts that a minority of thin men suffer verses a majority of women.

The WSJ writer couldn't just say that this was discrimination, however, oh, no! Rather: "People who conform to others’ ideas about the ideal body image may actually perform better on the job, because they can wield more influence over other people and get more things accomplished."

I call bullshit on that assumption and would rather see how these higher paid supper-skinny women stack up in terms of productivity (not just performance reviews where thin-bias would probably alter the data) rather than this speculation that "they might be better at their job." Thin does not equal competent, nor does fat equal lazy--there are thin people who are very good at their jobs and fat people very good at their jobs, but they don't receive equal pay for equal work because our fat-phobic society (and the Patriarchy) loves to reward conformity and punish non-conformity to our beauty ideals.

What Jay Smooth Said...Agreed

50 Lbs. Thinner, ‘Inspired’ Kirstie Alley Looks to Drop 40 More

People reports:

... after tipping the scales at 228 lbs. last year, the actress has dropped 50 lbs.–and isn’t looking back. “THE GOOD NEWS….I’ve lost 50 lbs!!! THE BAD NEWS…I have 40 more to go!!! …lol…..at least I’m more than half the way there!!,” she Tweeted on Oct. 4. What’s her secret? Staying faithful to Organic Liaison, the weight-loss program she launched in March, as well as finding support and inspiration from fans who took the dieting plunge with her.

I am all for people losing weight, but since she is part owner of Organic Liaison, is this about her health or is it about money?

Vintage Beauties: Phoebe Cates

Phoebe Cates left her mar on history with her pool scene from Fast Times and Ridgemont High .

Even though she was a Teen Boy Fantasy in the 80's, I liked that you never saw her rib bones in her bathing suit scenes.