A Movie To See: Food, Inc.

Sometimes it seems movies or books that are trying to "make a change" and shake things up are preaching to the choir. Oftentimes, these movies or books are distributed at health food stores, farmer's markets, or independent movie houses. The marketing can be edgy, youthful, or downright stand-offish to anyone even remotely leaning to the right. While I think it is important to educate those of us who already feel there is a need to change, I think it is really important to get people on the bandwagon that might have been alienated by the rhetoric, marketing, or political affiliation these marketing mediums tout.

Food, Inc. is a movie that everyone can watch and feel connected to. It provides scientific fact and heart wrenching personal anecdotes to drive home its very important point - our food is unsafe. Our food isn't only unsafe for us, but for the environment, the animals that we utilize to feed us, the individuals that process this food, and the people in other countries that are struggling to survive because of our oil-greedy farming techniques.

I highly recommend watching this movie and then recommending it to someone who may not be likely to watch it. I know I'm telling my parents to watch it this weekend. While they may not align themselves with the same political and ideological place I hail from, I know that they care about their health, my health, and the health of our family.

I love how Food, Inc. reiterated that we each have the power to make a change and it happens three times a day. Our dollars are votes. Even if we can't afford to eat locally-grown organic food all the time, just try doing it once or twice a week. If the demand begins to grow, the market will be forced to meet those demands.

Watch Food, Inc. and tell me what you think.

Vs.

I know I shouldn't have expected anything less for Superbowl advertising, but I REFUSE to believe that love of football and misogyny are mutually exclusive.

What do you think? It seems men only have to be "civilized" to get a fast car. I hate that this commercial makes men seem so one-dimensional and spineless...

P.S. F-bomb alert at the end of the female's commercial...

National Buy Nothing Day

I don't even know if this is still official, but for the past four or five years I've tried to not spend a cent on "Black Friday."

I think the fact that people are dying in super-deal-induced-mobs on this day to be reason enough.

I hope you get the day off and enjoy it!

xo

Hilarious drawing by nataliedee.

A book for the reading pile: Look at Me

I thought it only fitting to celebrate my Bestest Best's birthday today by posting about a book I loved...she is one of a sadly dwindling population of voracious book readers in a society of text-based communication and Twitter, where you get 140 characters to tell your story.

Look at Me is truly a modern classic. Written in 2001, on the cusp of the explosion of MySpace, facebook, Twitter, and blogging, it's a cautionary tale about the duality of the American life: what we want people to see and what goes on behind the facade.

The book begins following a traumatic automobile accident in which Charlotte, an aging model, has smashed every bone in her face. Surgery and 80 titanium screws later, she is repaired, but looks so unlike herself even her sister and agent don't recognize her. We follow Charlotte thorough her recovery and attempts to salvage an already waning modeling career.

The book also allows us to peek inside the mind of a partially-deranged history professor that has written study upon study linking the invention of glass windows and reflective surfaces (i.e. mirrors) to the conception of self-image and self-awareness...and how damaging that has been for society.

The book even postulates a society where there are websites for "Ordinary People" and "Extraordinary People," where online readers can learn about the intricacies and minutia of other people's lives. Voyeuristic and interactive. Sound familiar?

Read Look at Me. It explores the unfair advantage that beauty has in our society and how we've let it take the reigns of our morals and values, all while keeping the ride exciting and fast-paced. It will have you thinking about it for days after you finish the last page.

P.S. Happiest Birthday to Bestest Best!

Friendsgiving!

I'm so excited because today is Friendsgiving!
It was created by my Bestest Best last year since we never get to see each other
(or any of our other friends, for that matter)!
The meal will be a certifiable Thanksgiving feast
complete with with a turkey, cranberry sauce, and wine!

What are your plans before the holiday insanity "officially" starts?


Source.

Frontier House

A few days ago, I mentioned that Shug and I had been enjoying the PBS series, "Frontier House." It was so good, I thought it deserved more than just a quick mention, so here we go.

The show was filmed in 2001 and took three families to Montana to live in "Frontier Valley," a place complete with cabins and animals a la 1883. The families were not allowed to bring ANY modern comforts, including makeup, facewash, tampons, pain killers, antibiotics, toilet paper...you get the idea. Oh, and they had to live this way for 5 months! This wasn't like a camping trip where you "rough it" for a week and then get to go home and take a shower...You roughed it for a week and then you got to rough it for four months and three weeks more!

The families had to build their own cabins, learn how to care for livestock, and cook on a wood-burning stove. The gals had to wear corsets and the guys suspenders...but the corsets pretty much got tossed after the first few hours. It was interesting to see the element of competition between the families and how many families "cheated" during their stay just to get by.

The reason I loved this series so much wasn't because of it's historical accuracy or attention to detail, it was the transformation we get to see in the families...especially the kids! When questioned about what the kids had learned on this experiment, one of the little boys said that he'd "discovered imagination." How sad is that? Many of the individuals interviewed after the project were so disheartened at the excess and extravagance of 21st century life.

I really sympathized with their sadness when they had to leave the 1883. They had grown stronger as families and in their own sense of self. It was also intersting to compare the women's responses to the men's upon leaving the valley. Evey man was brought to tears when asked about their experience and if they would miss the lifestyle of an 1883 man. The women, on the other hand, were elated that they were leaving! The drudgery of "women's work" on the frontier was enough for them to yearn for modern-day life. The only exception was the two teenage girls, who refused to dress or act the "part" of an 1883 woman. They had involved themselves in "men's" work and were also brought to tears at the thought of leaving.

It made me wish for a simpler time...Yes, me, a feminist, wished for a time where the only things I needed to preoccupy myself with was caring for my animals, splitting wood, and spending time with my family...Dude, marriage has seriously messed with my brain.

Nostalgia Junkie

How cool are these gals in this Japanese YeYe commercial? I am really digging the short hair on one of them! It's also interesting to note that this is a commercial spot for a whole minute...An eternity in today's marketing world!

Guilty!

Zooey, I love ya, but was it really you singing a song about Cotton?
I mean "the touch, the feel of cotton, the fabric of your life" kind of cotton?
Bummer.