July 2006

tolerance

What is it? Is it the evil acceptance of things damaging? Like when you tolerate abuse? Is it the corruption of youth? Tolerance has two sides, certainly. We cannot tolerate abusive behaviour but where we draw the line is the question. Some won't tolerate any deviation from their way. Some won't tolerate homosexuality or fringe religions.
Tolerance, however, works on a personal level. Tolerating each other's faults enough to be able to see our virtues, for instance. We trade tolerance. I tolerate you, you tolerate me. Or at least that's the ideal.
Sadly, intolerance works on many levels. Minorty groups of many affiliations have to fight for it. Individuals are denied it for often spurious reasons. Lets tell you what? I'll put up with you if you'll put up with me. If not, well I guess that's one less community linkage for us to enjoy.

nutrition rant

Rant reposted from a list discussion about food and nutrition and the best choices.
In order of nutrition retained it goes thus: fresh, frozen, canned, dried, cooked into meals.
So canned isn't that bad really. It's those "just heat and serve" whole meals that really kill ya. Mac n cheese dinners, canned soups and stews, frozen tv dinners, etc. They tend to use food that's been frozen, canned, dried, and stored for far too long, or boiled down to syrup then reconstituted a year later.
Juices for instance, have you noticed that juices are rarely actually juice? Almost every juice in the drinks aisle is syrup and water! Apple juice not from concentrate and canned pineapple juices and tomato juices are about the only stuff I've found that is actually just juice! What's worse, the store where I shop stopped carrying the pineapple. I dunno why. Maybe it was interfering with sales of sugar and water which, of course, get the highest return on investment for the factory.
It scares me that mothers are turning to this instead of pop thinking they're feeding their children better and they're just taking out the fizz. I bet in the next five years or less pepsi will bring out fizzy juice products that will complete the cycle to soda pop.
Oh and then there's those gawful "lunchables" things. Prepackaged plasticy edible goop in the shape and color of pizza parts and crackers and cheese and such like. Toss in a "lunchable" some oreos and a box of fruity sugar water and send your kids to school. Maybe an apple that the kid always tosses in the trash. Sheesh almighty. Don't they realize?
Mothers don't teach household skills to kids anymore so the kids grow up learning it from the commercials which is NOT in their best interests. they don't know how to cook or clean or feed their children so they accept what the Johnson brothers, kraft and pepsi companies tell them they ought to do. Poisoning the world and their own bodies while making the aformentioned corporate interests richer and yet more powerful.
It's infuriating and terrifying.