Supersize Me

[Wabbit]

I think it's an interesting and fun docu. I just want to add though that if you eat pretty much anything to the exclusion of other things it won't be good for you. If you ate just carrots for 3 weeks you would probably get very sick.

 

[Stewart]

I object to McDonald's--their business practices. I object to their architecture, their sponsorship of certain school programs, their advertising, their employment practices, the way they buy local planning boards through "charitable" donations, their invasive grow-or-die corporate philosophy, their marketing strategy, their corporate secrecy, their infection of the US image in the world, their manipulation of markets, their pollution, essentially I object to their presence in the world as a corporation.

I agree. Although you missed out their donations to fund the terrorism of the IRA.

 

[Freya]

McDonaldisation is a fascinating topic. If you're interested in globalisation and all that palaver anyway.

Ever read The Fast Food Nation? That's a nice little starter.

 

[novella]

Novella - so you probably don't approve of this?

Rewards for schoolkids

Pizza Hut ran a program like this in my son's school when he was 5 or so (kindergarten). Read for pizza.

I was disgusted and brought the class packs of sparkly pencils and asked the teacher to offer the pencils first, which she would not do because Pizza Hut provided the reading material. Her solution was to exclude my kid from the party at the end of the program, and he came home crying. I was livid and complained to the principal (headmaster), huge hubbub and principal said she should have offered the pencils to the kids who wanted them.

The teacher took "leave" the following year, saying she was under too much pressure. Ha. But it was too late. When something like that happens to a little kid, it takes a long time to repair. Should I have just let him earn the pizza? Maybe. Raising a kid is a learn-as-you-go experience.

A few years later, after 9/11, the school held a public assembly and were practicing to sing "God Bless America." My son, then about 11, said that it was a religious song and shouldn't be sung in a public school because of separation of church and state. The teacher said, "What's your problem?", embarrassed him thoroughly, called me and said, Your kid has a problem.

Now, in that case I talked to my son about the needs of some people for comfort and community taking priority over our family's ideas about the Constitution, and he understood, so we did not pursue it. I did talk to the teacher privately about why he'd objected. Did I do the right thing? I still don't know.

 

[Wabbit]

WOW, sounds like you are doing a good job their raising your child. Also, kudos to you for thinking that you may have been wrong about the pizza. Maybe you were or you were not. I do not know But the fact you think about it and try to learn as you go is great.

Good luck

 

[Freya]

You know, I used to be quite content to work for a little 'super work' stamp, or whichever the teacher chose. My parents never rewarded my school work, and I don't recall ever getting prizes (certainly not fast food) for good work.

Oh! I remember what used to happen! The child wth the highest amount of gold stars (marked on a star chart on the wall) used to get to be milk monitor Excellent system, it was quite an honour to get to give out the milk at break. I tried taking gold stars into the brewery once, to encourage the tank room monkeys to try and not mess up. They weren't too impressed. And we'd still spend 3 days trying to get CO2 out of a tank. I miss those days

 

[novella]

You know, I used to be quite content to work for a little 'super work' stamp, or whichever the teacher chose. My parents never rewarded my school work, and I don't recall ever getting prizes (certainly not fast food) for good work.

Oh! I remember what used to happen! The child wth the highest amount of gold stars (marked on a star chart on the wall) used to get to be milk monitor

We had the milk monitor system. Also erasing the blackboard and opening the big windows with a stick and being the line leader--all good.

But the real thing in my Catholic school was to earn points to get into heaven. This was done by giving cash to the teacher, which she marked in a book and gave out little saint medals and virgin mary statues, etc. Once I stole some cash from my dad in order to get a bigger Virgin Mary statue with real blue paint, which of course meant I was closer to heaven. How's that for a good lesson?

Found out a few years later the "mission money" fund was used twice to pay for my Uncle Raymond, a big lawyer in the diocese, to visit the Vatican with his hideous wife. That's an even better lesson.

 

[Freya]

They have electronic white boards at my old school now Now where's the fun in that?

 

[Litany]

We were all divided into colour groups and at the end of each week the group with the most points got to share a packet of chocolate biscuits while the other groups got to sit and watch.

Anyhoo. McD's are currently launching a junk mail campaign over here. Of course they're claiming they're informative booklets. I'm so glad I'm on the mailing preference list. They're claiming that most people won't find it offensive, I'm betting they're going to get a shock when the complaints start piling in.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3752956.stm

 

[Freya]

I've not seen a copy of that 'what to do if a terrorist attcks' booklet yet... and yes that's a completely related comment.

 

[novella]

This too is related--

What do you do with the zillions of junk cds you get in the mail?

a. use as drink coasters
b. hang on Christmas tree
c. fling around the room till they crack
d. hang off rear view mirror to piss off drivers
e. use as bird scarers in the garden
f. add to landfill

 

[Freya]

The only free CDs I've ever got in the post were AOL free trials - and that was about 4 years ago now.

Get quite a few Morgan-Stanley pens though.

Someone do my dissertation for me

 

[Litany]

Someone do my dissertation for me

Ok. What's it on?

 

[Freya]

GAH! Pies?

 

[Stewart]

Found out a few years later the "mission money" fund was used twice to pay for my Uncle Raymond, a big lawyer in the diocese, to visit the Vatican with his hideous wife. That's an even better lesson.

I won't give to Catholic charities and especially not to Catholic charities that use your money in Africa because of their stupid promotions against contraception. They take your money, go to Africa, and try and tell all these people how good God is while telling them nothing about condoms so that the average size of the African family increases, the food reserves already cannot manage the African mouths never mind new ones, and they, therefore, promote the spread of the AIDS epidemic.

 

[novella]

I won't give to Catholic charities and especially not to Catholic charities that use your money in Africa because of their stupid promotions against contraception. They take your money, go to Africa, and try and tell all these people how good God is while telling them nothing about condoms so that the average size of the African family increases, the food reserves already cannot manage the African mouths never mind new ones, and they, therefore, promote the spread of the AIDS epidemic.

Good on ya, mate. They're the biggest corporation in the world, they have a grow-or-die strategy just like McDonald's, and they don't pay taxes anywhere. What a scheme! Besides, what benefit has the unwashed masses ever gained from organized religion? They operate like Halliburton, but their pension plan promises eternal life.

 

[Stewart]

but their pension plan promises eternal life.

Unfortunately, you don't get a guarantee.

They're the biggest corporation in the world

Biggest crooks in the world too.

I wouldn't mind if they were like reformed Christian faiths such as Protestantism which cuts the crap (i.e. the idolatry and other assorted nonsense) and modernises with the times. Unfortunately, for a supposed monotheism they place too much value on idolatry that they can be accused of polytheism due to the ridiculous volumes of hagiophilia they promote.

I can't believe them. Especially when Jesus is lying in a tomb in India.

 

[novella]

Unfortunately, for a supposed monotheism they place too much value on idolatry that they can be accused of polytheism due to the ridiculous volumes of hagiophilia they promote.

I can't believe them. Especially when Jesus is lying in a tomb in India.

Pagans. I myself have participated in "Catholic" pagan rituals, including the crowning of the May Queen, a sort of fertility rite involving a maypole and flowers and lifting up an adolescent girl onto the altar in a church.

Crooks, indeed. They are in the process of "reclaiming" and hiding the pervs and their protectors in Rome so that US law can't touch them. The irony of all this recent publicity is that anyone who grew up in Catholic schools has always known pervy priests. They're a simple fact of life. Feigning "shock" at any of the latest stories is disingenuous and dishonest.

BTW, they booted my name-saint off the list after I was born, permanently wounding my delicate psyche. Maybe that accounts for the anger.

 

[Crystal]

For about the same price as a BK meal I managed to buy my lunch which is healthier than both McDonalds and BK put together:

• Two wholemeal pitta breads
• 1 bag of iceberg lettuce
• 1 pack of sliced chicken breast
• 1 small tub of low fat natural yoghurt

Instructions:

1. Open pitta bread
2. Put lettuce in pitta bread
3. Put chicken slices on lettice in pitta bread
4. Put some more lettuce on top of the chicken
5. Take two spoonfuls of yoghurt and drizzle over the lettuce and chicken
6. Eat

That's convenient. About 240-250 calories, next to no fat, and delicious.

hehe. when did you become so funny.

 

[cajunmama]

Every snowflake in an avalanche cries "I DIDN"T DO IT!!". It is as simple as personal responsibility. You eat very fatty foods every day, don't cry to me when you're fat. You smoke three packs a day, don't cry to me when you're coughing up a lung. If you eat nothing but carrots for three weeks, don't be surprised when you turn an unsightly shade of yellow (it's true-Wabbit). You are responsible for the choices you make. In this day and age, information is everywhere. They even say on the pack- smoking can cause cancer. You want to light up? Go ahead, your choice. You want a greaseburger? Go ahead. I'm not going to feel sorry for what you do to yourself. I occaisionally indulge in BK or McD. It is treat for me and my family. Everything in moderation is the key to it all. Don't drink too much, don't work too much, don't sit around on the sofa too much. If you overindulge, don't complain to me, and trust me, I won't complain to you when I overindulge because I know I did it to myself and only have myself to blame. It's kind of like the lady who sued McD for serving her coffee that was too hot (she burned herself with it while driving). What did she expect, lukewarm coffee?