Tuesday, October 30, 2007
also check ...
http://www.fredonia.edu/leader/articles/opinion/8_assault.html when you get a chance.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Burgers + Fries = Worse Than Satan?
You see their towering golden emblem while driving down practically every street. The slogan, “Over one billion served,” hangs in the air, along with the aroma of oil and trans fats. With ubiquitous billboards and commercials on TV propelling McDonalds, Burger King, and Coca-Cola into the mouths of American kids, it’s no wonder we really are the biggest fatsos out there.
Hopscotch and jump ropes are so last year, anyway. Let’s face it; kids today would rather have their video games. And just try and seize that Playstation or Snickers bar from a caffeinated nine-year-old.
With kids blaming parents, parents blaming teachers and teachers blaming government officials, this feud is ballooning bigger than Louie Anderson’s waistline.
Now, fast-food chains like Burger King and Subway are offering healthier choices for kid’s meals. Burger King’s “Fresh Apple Fries” are only 35 calories, compared to regular fries which boast 13 grams of fat and 230 calories. Burger King is working on a new Kids Meal to be comprised of apple sauce, chicken tenders and low-fat milk. The Subway Kids Pak includes a turkey sandwich, Fruit Roll-Up, and juice.
But why are fast-food chains so desperate to preach nutrition? Didn’t apples exist before there ever was a Double Whopper?
Ever since Jared, the delightfully down-sized Subway champion, began to proclaim the merits of subs on television, a market has formed for meals that are both quick and cheap, but also won’t lead to cardiac arrest. Then McDonalds became swamped with lawsuits, and started to offer salads and free pedometers.
That’s a big diversion from their Chicken McNuggets. The classic American treat contains thirty-eight ingredients, thirteen of which are derived from corn, for whatever reason.
“The real problem is how this food is so heavily marketed to children 9 and under," said Eric Schlosser, author of the best-seller Fast-Food Nation, in a Seattle Post interview. "It started innocently enough, giving a toy with the meal, playgrounds (installed for indoor/outdoor use at the restaurant). There are good things about it. But these are very, very crucial years. If you look at the ingredients of the fast-food meals that are being heavily marketed to children, they're extremely high in fat, and high in sugar and high in salt."
When our country’s girth becomes too much to bear, do fast-food corporations need to intervene? In all likelihood, when you go to Burger King you are in the mood for a burger, and have no desire to wash down your bacon-broiled sandwich with a tall glass of milk.
But think of the children!
"If you look at the rise of the obesity rate in the United States," said Schlosser, "it's grown pretty much in step with the rise of fast-food consumption."
If parents are concerned with their child’s poor eating habits, it’s probably not the wisest idea to continue to take them to Burger King on a regular basis. In order for children to eat healthfully, they need more than a few healthy options on the menu (and some of these things, like Fruit Roll-Ups, aren’t even that healthy). It comes down to portion-control, eating a variety of foods, and avoiding processed foods teeming with preservatives.
New options at McDonalds and Subway can’t make everyone commit to a healthy lifestyle. If anything, it’s just another trend-driven business venture. Today, it’s crucial to be educated about nutrition, especially kids’, and everyone is capable of making smart, healthy decisions. Businesses shouldn’t have to make decisions for the general public.
So the next time you pull up to the drive-thru and that grainy speaker voice calls out, Can I help you?, don’t sweat. Be a renegade- order a burger and fries.
_________________________________
By Ann Marie Trietley
Hopscotch and jump ropes are so last year, anyway. Let’s face it; kids today would rather have their video games. And just try and seize that Playstation or Snickers bar from a caffeinated nine-year-old.
With kids blaming parents, parents blaming teachers and teachers blaming government officials, this feud is ballooning bigger than Louie Anderson’s waistline.
Now, fast-food chains like Burger King and Subway are offering healthier choices for kid’s meals. Burger King’s “Fresh Apple Fries” are only 35 calories, compared to regular fries which boast 13 grams of fat and 230 calories. Burger King is working on a new Kids Meal to be comprised of apple sauce, chicken tenders and low-fat milk. The Subway Kids Pak includes a turkey sandwich, Fruit Roll-Up, and juice.
But why are fast-food chains so desperate to preach nutrition? Didn’t apples exist before there ever was a Double Whopper?
Ever since Jared, the delightfully down-sized Subway champion, began to proclaim the merits of subs on television, a market has formed for meals that are both quick and cheap, but also won’t lead to cardiac arrest. Then McDonalds became swamped with lawsuits, and started to offer salads and free pedometers.
That’s a big diversion from their Chicken McNuggets. The classic American treat contains thirty-eight ingredients, thirteen of which are derived from corn, for whatever reason.
“The real problem is how this food is so heavily marketed to children 9 and under," said Eric Schlosser, author of the best-seller Fast-Food Nation, in a Seattle Post interview. "It started innocently enough, giving a toy with the meal, playgrounds (installed for indoor/outdoor use at the restaurant). There are good things about it. But these are very, very crucial years. If you look at the ingredients of the fast-food meals that are being heavily marketed to children, they're extremely high in fat, and high in sugar and high in salt."
When our country’s girth becomes too much to bear, do fast-food corporations need to intervene? In all likelihood, when you go to Burger King you are in the mood for a burger, and have no desire to wash down your bacon-broiled sandwich with a tall glass of milk.
But think of the children!
"If you look at the rise of the obesity rate in the United States," said Schlosser, "it's grown pretty much in step with the rise of fast-food consumption."
If parents are concerned with their child’s poor eating habits, it’s probably not the wisest idea to continue to take them to Burger King on a regular basis. In order for children to eat healthfully, they need more than a few healthy options on the menu (and some of these things, like Fruit Roll-Ups, aren’t even that healthy). It comes down to portion-control, eating a variety of foods, and avoiding processed foods teeming with preservatives.
New options at McDonalds and Subway can’t make everyone commit to a healthy lifestyle. If anything, it’s just another trend-driven business venture. Today, it’s crucial to be educated about nutrition, especially kids’, and everyone is capable of making smart, healthy decisions. Businesses shouldn’t have to make decisions for the general public.
So the next time you pull up to the drive-thru and that grainy speaker voice calls out, Can I help you?, don’t sweat. Be a renegade- order a burger and fries.
_________________________________
By Ann Marie Trietley
Friday, October 26, 2007
Nancy Grace, and the lack thereof
Ever since the beginning of her career as a prosecutor and broadcaster, Nancy Grace has plagued our country with her intellectual insight. From her interview with Elizabeth Smart to her high-profile missing children’s cases, Grace has proclaimed herself an advocate for victims.
But now it seems as though she is the very predator she claims to hunt. Nancy Grace, a prosecutable murderer?
It has been one year since Grace’s media empire suffered a major blast, much like the one that came from the shotgun that ended Melinda Duckett’s life. And now her legal skills will be put to the test when she faces Duckett’s family in federal court.
It’s ironic that a woman who has always relished the limelight is now being held accountable for her forceful interviewing techniques.
On Sept. 7, 2006, Duckett went on the CNN Headline News show “Nancy Grace” to raise awareness about her missing 2-year-old son, Trenton. Her prime focus was his disappearance, but the show turned into a battle between the host and guest.
Grace began harassing the 21-year-old mother about why she would not answer certain questions. Duckett stated that her lawyer advised her not to, but Grace continued to badger her.
“Ms. Duckett, you are not telling us for a reason,” Grace said on her show. “What is the reason? You refuse to give even the simplest facts of where you were with your son before he went missing. It is day 12.”
The next day, Duckett killed herself with a shotgun in her grandparents’ home. Grace’s interview caused the broadcaster's opponents to take advantage of the tragic event, calling her a murderer. Then Duckett’s family filed a lawsuit against Grace, accusing her of the wrongful death of Duckett.
Grace is notorious for disregarding the emotions of her guests.
All of America was captivated by the return of Elizabeth Smart, the Salt Lake City teen who was snatched from her bedroom. Three years after her return, Smart decided to go on “Nancy Grace” to promote the Sexual Predator Legislation, which requires all sex offenders to register within the state they reside.
But Grace’s interest in the bill immediately floundered. She attempted to rehash Smart’s memories about her captivity, but Smart tactfully refused. Much like Duckett’s situation, Grace did not yield.
“I really am here to support the bill and not to go into what happened to me and what is in my past because I’m not here to give an interview on that. I’m here to push this bill through,” said Smart during the CNN show. “I really, to be frankly honest, I really don’t appreciate you bringing all this up.”
No surprise that she had more class than the host.
It is not just the show’s viewers who make note of Grace’s indiscretions. The Supreme Court of Georgia remarked on her courtroom behavior when she was a lawyer not once, but twice.
Her behavior was delicately described as “inappropriate and illegal conduct in the course of the trial.” Maybe this critique will help her with her latest courtroom drama.
As villainous as she may be, Grace does do America one small favor. She educates viewers on the latest cases, whether it is murder, rape or missing children.
Grace brings a gentle touch to the family members of victims, at least those she believes are innocent. She lost her fiancé to murder when she was 19, which fueled her desire to become a lawyer and punish those who harm others.
But she must have skipped the class about innocent until proven guilty.
In 2004, a jury found Scott Peterson guilty for murdering his pregnant wife, Laci. Grace was way ahead of everyone, though. Her killer prosecutor instincts told her so before the trial even began.
No parent wants to admit that their child is a killer and Peterson’s father was no different. He advocated for his son’s innocence the moment allegations began.
Grace immediately condemned Peterson on “Larry King Live,” and she went so far as to criticize his father for coming to his defense. In her mind, Peterson was guilty the minute Laci went missing.
Maybe Grace will understand once she becomes a parent. She might even reconsider her actions toward Duckett when she shares the bond of motherhood in January.
Just as Grace thought Peterson was guilty before any evidence emerged, she assumed the same about Duckett. She demanded to know where Duckett was and what she was doing at the time of her son’s disappearance, taking on the role of the interrogating cop trying to break a witness.
Duckett was not named a suspect until after her death. Grace must be the new Miss Cleo, the psychic who knows it all. Too bad the psychic turned out to be a sham.
She is certainly quick to defend herself, though. “I do not feel our show is to blame for what happened to Melinda Duckett. Melinda committed suicide before that interview ever aired,” Grace is reported saying.
Before it was aired? Yes. Before it was taped? No.
Duckett killed herself on a Friday afternoon. Her interview did not air until that night, but it was taped the day before.
All that was done to notify viewers of this tragic event was a small message running at the bottom of the screen. They did not even have the decency to run a segment on what happened to Duckett. Really graceful, Grace.
One bad interview will not kill a person, but it can bring them to their breaking point.
Grace needs to be taught class and learn limitations. If she practiced control, then maybe she would not be facing a lawsuit.
Maybe Duckett would not be dead.
__________________________________________
by Amanda Armocida and Justine Januszkiewicz
__________________________________________
But now it seems as though she is the very predator she claims to hunt. Nancy Grace, a prosecutable murderer?
It has been one year since Grace’s media empire suffered a major blast, much like the one that came from the shotgun that ended Melinda Duckett’s life. And now her legal skills will be put to the test when she faces Duckett’s family in federal court.
It’s ironic that a woman who has always relished the limelight is now being held accountable for her forceful interviewing techniques.
On Sept. 7, 2006, Duckett went on the CNN Headline News show “Nancy Grace” to raise awareness about her missing 2-year-old son, Trenton. Her prime focus was his disappearance, but the show turned into a battle between the host and guest.
Grace began harassing the 21-year-old mother about why she would not answer certain questions. Duckett stated that her lawyer advised her not to, but Grace continued to badger her.
“Ms. Duckett, you are not telling us for a reason,” Grace said on her show. “What is the reason? You refuse to give even the simplest facts of where you were with your son before he went missing. It is day 12.”
The next day, Duckett killed herself with a shotgun in her grandparents’ home. Grace’s interview caused the broadcaster's opponents to take advantage of the tragic event, calling her a murderer. Then Duckett’s family filed a lawsuit against Grace, accusing her of the wrongful death of Duckett.
Grace is notorious for disregarding the emotions of her guests.
All of America was captivated by the return of Elizabeth Smart, the Salt Lake City teen who was snatched from her bedroom. Three years after her return, Smart decided to go on “Nancy Grace” to promote the Sexual Predator Legislation, which requires all sex offenders to register within the state they reside.
But Grace’s interest in the bill immediately floundered. She attempted to rehash Smart’s memories about her captivity, but Smart tactfully refused. Much like Duckett’s situation, Grace did not yield.
“I really am here to support the bill and not to go into what happened to me and what is in my past because I’m not here to give an interview on that. I’m here to push this bill through,” said Smart during the CNN show. “I really, to be frankly honest, I really don’t appreciate you bringing all this up.”
No surprise that she had more class than the host.
It is not just the show’s viewers who make note of Grace’s indiscretions. The Supreme Court of Georgia remarked on her courtroom behavior when she was a lawyer not once, but twice.
Her behavior was delicately described as “inappropriate and illegal conduct in the course of the trial.” Maybe this critique will help her with her latest courtroom drama.
As villainous as she may be, Grace does do America one small favor. She educates viewers on the latest cases, whether it is murder, rape or missing children.
Grace brings a gentle touch to the family members of victims, at least those she believes are innocent. She lost her fiancé to murder when she was 19, which fueled her desire to become a lawyer and punish those who harm others.
But she must have skipped the class about innocent until proven guilty.
In 2004, a jury found Scott Peterson guilty for murdering his pregnant wife, Laci. Grace was way ahead of everyone, though. Her killer prosecutor instincts told her so before the trial even began.
No parent wants to admit that their child is a killer and Peterson’s father was no different. He advocated for his son’s innocence the moment allegations began.
Grace immediately condemned Peterson on “Larry King Live,” and she went so far as to criticize his father for coming to his defense. In her mind, Peterson was guilty the minute Laci went missing.
Maybe Grace will understand once she becomes a parent. She might even reconsider her actions toward Duckett when she shares the bond of motherhood in January.
Just as Grace thought Peterson was guilty before any evidence emerged, she assumed the same about Duckett. She demanded to know where Duckett was and what she was doing at the time of her son’s disappearance, taking on the role of the interrogating cop trying to break a witness.
Duckett was not named a suspect until after her death. Grace must be the new Miss Cleo, the psychic who knows it all. Too bad the psychic turned out to be a sham.
She is certainly quick to defend herself, though. “I do not feel our show is to blame for what happened to Melinda Duckett. Melinda committed suicide before that interview ever aired,” Grace is reported saying.
Before it was aired? Yes. Before it was taped? No.
Duckett killed herself on a Friday afternoon. Her interview did not air until that night, but it was taped the day before.
All that was done to notify viewers of this tragic event was a small message running at the bottom of the screen. They did not even have the decency to run a segment on what happened to Duckett. Really graceful, Grace.
One bad interview will not kill a person, but it can bring them to their breaking point.
Grace needs to be taught class and learn limitations. If she practiced control, then maybe she would not be facing a lawsuit.
Maybe Duckett would not be dead.
__________________________________________
by Amanda Armocida and Justine Januszkiewicz
__________________________________________
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Welcome to Culture Mosh
As you can see from the info at the top of the page, this is a project involving opinion and journalism. Everybody has an opinion (on something) and journalism covers everything in the world, so that means this blog is about EVERYTHING.
It will be focused, however, on the work of Fredonia journalism students ... work which is meant to be read and responded to! So even if you're not part of the Fredonia community, join the opinion fray ... mosh away.
It will be focused, however, on the work of Fredonia journalism students ... work which is meant to be read and responded to! So even if you're not part of the Fredonia community, join the opinion fray ... mosh away.
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