Also, this employee is gonna be losing her job. But it’ll be a net zero for the economy because they’ll likely be rehiring. Hooray!

Mr. Sullivan added that neither the governor nor his family ever “owned, controlled or managed” the property, which he said was owned by a Texas charity called the Hendrick Home for Children. A Hendrick employee said on Sunday that she was not aware of the name and referred questions to her boss, who did not respond to a phone call seeking comment.

But It’s not fair to repeat these unsubstantiated with so much doubt out there. Give Perry a break, after all he has a black friend he called up and asked if he could call the NYTimes and tell them that he’s not really a racist pos

Fred McClure, a longtime friend of Mr. Perry, who called a reporter at the suggestion of a campaign official, said he once took an overnight trip to the camp in the late 1970s or early 1980s. He said he never saw any reference to any racial epithet on the property, though because he flew to the site with Mr. Perry he never saw the entrance, where the rock was said to be located.

See, totally not racist. Why would Perry fly in a black guy into his compound, avoiding all the racist imagery, if he were actually racist?

Also, he wants to send US troops into Mexico

julie: yeah, that’s fine. maybe i can catch a movie in between.

kathy: i like your strategy.

julie: oh, the lion king 3D! and it’s a disney movie so it’s probably like, 70 minutes.  although, if i see that by myself…like, with the 3D glasses….

kathy: lol, you alone sitting amongst the families.

julie: yeah, i’m like, “shhhhhhh! mufasa just died!”

kathy: lol

julie: god, i love that movie.

kathy: me too. so emotionally intense tho.

julie: especially for a kids’ film. you’d think it would be lighter.

kathy: for real.

julie: it’s also weirdly sexual. like when simba and nala are fooling around. even though they’re lions, but still.

kathy: lol

julie: but disney’s messed up. remember that disturbing scene in aladdin, when jafar gets hold of the lamp, then ball and chains up jasmine and turns the sultan into a marionette? pretty twisted.

kathy: jasmine looked hot in that scene. but, PG-13!

julie: haha, seriously. i’m over analyzing, but i do think it’s a bit much. i’m all, what’s next? a special edition dvd, aladdin: uncut & unrated?  i need to simmer down.

I feel ways about things.  Let’s be real, though. There is nothing completely appropriate about older Disney films. They do, however, bring me nostalgic joy, so I can’t/won’t be too hard on them.

Prince Eric, forever.

johnbaptisedme (julie): i’m sure you’d get responses.

tksky: i just found this radiohead posting on craigslist:

“i will take you as my date if you give me $80 plus your pair of worn-panties after/during the concert. im a 28yr old male.”

jbm: wait, is that real?

tksky: probably.

jbm: you should do it.

tksky: i don’t have panties.

jbm: buy a pair from victoria’s secret and then wear them for the day.

tksky: lol. jesus christ, this is pathetic. everyone on cl is using these tickets to get a date. that’s it. i give up.

jbm: man, kinda sounds like guys who listen to radiohead are guys who can’t get dates.

But on the real, the supercereal team is pretty bummed over how quickly Radiohead’s NYC show sold out.  And, while I have limits in terms of how far I’d go for tickets, Tankosky is apparently pretty open.  So, anyone desperate and reading this (w/ an extra ticket): contact Tankosky.

I like how Whitney Cummings, the show’s creator and protagonist, defines Whitney as unlike every other sitcom on network television; as in, finally we have a strong female who defies the labels employed by society that pigeonhole women into the stereotypes history has created for them. Not to get all nit-picky here, but I think these advertisements have the opposite effect of what they’re set out to do, then. I suppose it’s all tongue-in-cheek, and whatnot, but if a network is spending hundreds of thousands, or possibly millions, of dollars on these billboards, that kind of takes away the “we’re just being light and silly, don’t take any of this seriously—it has nothing to do with the actual show” feel to it.

And I’m not an uber over-the-top, rah rah rah, feminist—well, not since college, anyway—but this show is supposedly all about redefining the female voice.  However, if that’s the case, please discount me from this “new” definition. Who I would like to redefine women for me though, is Amy Poehler. If you didn’t happen to catch this week’s Parks and Rec, it is phenomenal. Leslie Knope is one strongest female characters out there.  Honestly, this show flawlessly integrates strength and integrity into Leslie Knope’s character, without making a big hoopla about it.  (Not to mention the fact that Parks and Rec is HILARIOUS.) But to me, that’s the point of feminism. It’s about incorporating equality and fluidly addressing the topic. The somewhat opposite approach of Whitney’s in-your-face, YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME, hook.

But back to that billboard ad I posted, I would just like to point out for the record, women aren’t always the ones who won’t shut up.  The only times I have ever had to tune a person out in the rudest possible way, like where I look directly at the ceiling or turn 180 degrees so the back of my head is directed toward their face, have been in conversations with men. I’m not sure if it’s an ego thing that stunts the acceptance of my obvious attempts to dodge further discussion, or what, but in my experience, it’s been dudes who go on, and on, and on.  And not just about “guy” stuff like, bikes, or computers, or the final episode of Battlestar Gallactica, because I can actually get down with those subjects, usually. But it will be about some banal topic – like where they got their shoes and their epic journey to the mall to find them.  I’m just saying, to Whitney and the world, a lot of women value their quiet time, too.

I know enough about the meat industry and the politics behind food, in general; I was, after all, a vegan in college.  Well, for a year, anyway. I sort of think giving up meat is a rite of passage for anyone breaking into the anarchist/punk/indie scene in college, because seriously, those vegan punks can be persuasive, persuasive in that they will hit you with a guilty, emotional punch you every time you drink a milk shake or talk about the awesomeness of buffalo wings.  Man, 20 year olds punks are annoying. But anyway, I’m already privy to a lot of the facts: that corporate America is the meat industry, there’s no real chicken in chicken nuggets, frosted flakes are really just poisonous specs of plastic laced with cyanide, and that we’re all disgusting human beings for drinking liquid that comes from a cow udder. None of this is new knowledge. But as you age, you gain more responsibilities, your income is no longer expendable, and these govt/health issues become secondary since we’re all just trying to survive.  And as much as I love the farmer’s market and food co-ops (and the movement towards their expansion), at the end of the day, I can’t let go of the fact that the people do not belong to the neighborhood food co-op, the people shop at Pathmark and Key Foods.  And the people – like my parents – generally do not enjoy a handout or having someone preach the good word to them – like I try to do.

This is why I liked Food Inc, though. It doesn’t patronize or frown upon the unaware or those of a lower socioeconomic class, or belittle their struggle, and it doesn’t entirely focus on how terrible the food itself is.  Which, it is, but its emphasis is on humanity. It simplifies the corporate concepts behind the food and farming industry without underestimating the viewer, and rather than tackle the topic with a holier-than-thou approach (read: unlike the lectures of Gwyneth “I’d rather smoke crack than eat cheese from a can” Paltrow—Jesus, she can be ignorant) it strives to hit home with an empathetic and “no one is escaping this issue” undertone.  In other words, it incorporates everyone into the equation: rich/poor, White/Black, tall/short, ugly/fugly, American/Swiss, dominant/non-dominant, Khloe/Kim, etc.

Since I’m not White, immigration and racism are two particularly important issues to me, and both are heavily involved in the food and farming industry. These issues are addressed in Food Inc., though in a sugar-coated fashion.  Personally, I value an upfront approach rather than a light tackle on the elephant in the room, like my friend Jenny says: hats off to the Mexicans, you all do the shit no one else wants to do.  But I understand that audiences don’t necessarily want to hear that. Although, to them I sort of want to say: wake the eff up. Since that is just the tip of the iceberg. But there is an undeniable link between low wage factory workers and minorities.  Which, of course, goes hand in hand with the class disparities in America and the racial ties associated with them. It’s all one big cycle. That is not to say poverty and low end paychecks do not span across the entire racial board, but it’s clear who is on top, and who is not. It is statistics, people. However, at least Food Inc. addresses this topic, and I appreciate that.

In a nutshell: Food Inc., focuses on not only the maniacal ways of the farming industry, and the corporate influence that is at the root of its evil, but also the politics behind it and its effect on the entire nation. I want to say something sarcastic such as, after watching this film I feel as though my only safe eating options are the rocks and pebbles outside my house which have accrued naturally and more likely than not have more nutritional value than high fructose corn syrup, but instead I’ll end with, everyone should watch Food Inc.  You’ll be a little smarter from it, and maybe a little thinner too, since you won’t want to eat meat for at least a few days.  It’s a win/win.

-jbm

excerpt

Don’t know why, but they forgot to include us, so here’s what snacks the entire super cereal team (all two of us) use for writing inspiration:

Well, those are the edited versions. Here’s what really came to mind for inspirational/daily snacks:

Tankosky: What you see is what you get.

JBM/Tnksy

Apple makes great products, no doubt. I own quite a few. But the sheep mentality, the I worship thee Apple and you can do no wrong attitude of, well, the people in the above picture, creeps me out. Have you ever walked into an Apple store? It’s like walking into a cult. Have an appointment with one of the oh so cool guys at the Genius bar? Don’t forget to check in for it with the oh so cool girl holding the iPad. She will use run her finger down the list and check the box next to your name. So easy your old grandma can do it, but she’s not cool enough to work at Apple. Where’s the line? The only line at the Apple store is the checkout line – Apple still takes your money the old school way. Well, with the help of an iPad, of course.

It seems to me that one way to make sure the economy is always running is if regular people, regular Americans, had the opportunity to spend their money on truly useless shit that they don’t really need. As seen on tv kind of products. $10 pieces of plastic that will de-shell a hard boil egg for you. Diamond shaped ice makers. A 55″ 3D hdtv instead of the 46″. This is what America has always run on – excessive, unnecessary consumer spending.

One way to help would be for the government to guarantee basic health care for the entire population. I don’t have any studies on hand with me or anything, but judging by my own personal experiences and you know common fucking sense that says people should help other people out,  there’s a lot of money I’m paying towards medical and dental care that i could rather be spending buying other shit. Shit that someone somewhere would have to manufacture. Then someone else would have to package it in a nice box that someone else produced. They’ll give it to someone to take it to the shipping company where someone else would stamp the box. It would then be carried off to the cargo of a plane and be flown over to the us. Someone in Cali would load it off the plane and put it in a truck, and the driver would make their way to NYC. They’d drop it off at a facility in the city for it to be processed, and it would work its way through several people and eventually end up with the mailman, who would bring it over to my house. now, I won’t be at my house because I work during the weekdays, so then I’d have to go over to the local post office on Saturday, where someone behind a bulletproof booth will actually locate my package and hand it over to me. And then I can easily make hard boil eggs in the morning. And it’ll be so easy to quickly eat a hard boil egg that I’ll double my egg consumption, creating even more jobs. Just this one order helps sustains hundreds of jobs that go away when people stop spending money on frivolous bullshit. And the reason I can buy this is because I get to take home more money because I don’t have to worry about costly health expenditures. The tax dollars I’m already paying can cover it, because overall government spending on health care would go down. And hell, if I can pay Netflix $20 a month to store for them the same three dvds month after month, I can pay the government a few couple hundred dollars more a year for the guarantee that I do not have to worry about health case costs. For the guarantee that everyone around me is healthy and I won’t be as likely to get sick. For the mental and physical security and reduced stress.

And instead of using all my take home money to pay bills because i’m debt cos i got sick, I can spend the money buying stuff that creates hundreds of  jobs worldwide. And the economy will improve. And real wages for everybody will rise. And quality of life will improve. And, yes, the private sector would be making bank off of all this money that people have to spend on their useless, yet convenient, products. It’s America. It’s our right. And it works for everybody.

-tnksky