McDonald's

I was reading CNN earlier today and saw this headline “McDonald's warned: Drop the toys or get sued.” Curious, I read the article. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is the group behind the lawsuit. My first reaction was, “Who the bleep are these guys and why are they trying to ruin something fun?” What’s the harm of a toy in a Happy Meal? The toys are what make a Happy Meal happy.

Then I thought about it. We rarely go to McDonald’s. Why? The food is not healthy. And we certainly don’t need another plastic, cheap toy around the house. The landfills certainly do not need another broken plastic toy.

Julie and I went to McDonald’s on the last day of school. I told I would take her out for lunch and asked her where she wanted to go. She wanted McDonald’s “because we haven’t been there in a long time.” I explained that it would be crowded and gave her several other, healthier alternatives, but no, she really wanted to go. So we went and we beat the crowd of all the other parents and kids who had the same idea. She got a Puss In Boots digital clock as a toy and she has been driving me crazy ever since with announcing what time it is every 5 minutes. At least it is a somewhat practical toy.

What did she have to eat? McNuggets, French fries, chocolate milk (total of 580 calories). Not the best nutritional lunch, to say the least.

I went to CSPI’s website and I read the letter of intent to sue that was sent to McDonald’s. It was very eye-opening. Here is an excerpt: “Considering that a reasonable lunch for a young child would contain no more than 430 calories (one third of the 1,300 calories that is the recommended daily intake for children 4 to 8 years old), not a single Happy Meal meets that target. The average of all 24 meals is 26 percent higher in calories than a reasonable lunch.”

They went on to say: “McDonald’s practices are predatory and wrong. They are also illegal, because marketing to kids under eight is (1) inherently deceptive, because young kids are not developmentally advanced enough to understand the persuasive intent of marketing;8 and (2) unfair to parents, because marketing to children undermines parental authority and interferes with their ability to raise healthy children.”

Will CSPI be successful in their lawsuit? I don’t know. I do know that we need to do better by our children. We need to help them to make the most of this land of opportunity. We don’t need cheap plastic toys filling our land and oceans. We don’t need high calorie, low-nutritional food expanding our waists.

Will I take Julie to McDonald’s ever again? Probably. But what was once a rare occurrence will become even rarer. And when she asks “why can’t we go to McDonald’s”, I’ll let her know where I stand. The food is bad for us. The toys are junky and bad for the environment.






8 Institute of Medicine, Food Marketing to Children: Threat or Opportunity? (2006); Kunkel et al.,
Psychological Issues in the Increasing Commercialization of Childhood: Report of the APA Task Force on Advertising and Children (2004).

American?

I was speaking with a very lovely lady that I know. She had been on the phone with a customer services representative from a large well-known corporation. She commented that she could tell the person wasn’t American.

I didn’t want to start an argument, so I let her comment go. But, I was curious. How did she know the person wasn’t American? A thick accent? Poor English?

I have some very good friends who were born in another country. They came here legally and they have accents, but they are now American citizens. I have 2 co-workers who were also born in other countries. Both came legally to this country. Both have accents. Both are also now American citizens.

You can’t tell by voice alone who is American and who isn’t.

This country was built by immigrants. Many didn’t speak English when they first came.

I have ancestry from many countries. People who came from Germany, Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, England, etc. All seeking a better life.

One of our beloved Founding Fathers had some rather nasty things to say about the influx of those different from him. To quote Benjamin Franklin, “Those who come hither are generally of the most ignorant Stupid Sort of their own Nation…and as few of the English understand the German Language, and so cannot address them either from the Press or Pulpit, ’tis almost impossible to remove any prejudices they once entertain…Not being used to Liberty, they know not how to make a modest use of it…I remember when they modestly declined intermeddling in our Elections, but now they come in droves, and carry all before them, except in one or two Counties...In short unless the stream of their importation could be turned from this to other colonies, as you very judiciously propose, they will soon so out number us, that all the advantages we have will not in My Opinion be able to preserve our language, and even our Government will become precarious.”

To further quote Franklin, “Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a Colony of Aliens, who will shortly be so numerous as to Germanize us instead of our Anglifying them, and will never adopt our Language or Customs, any more than they can acquire our Complexion.”

There are many things wrong with his statements, not the least of which is that Pennsylvania was already settled by the Erie Tribe, the Seneca and Oneida tribes of the Iroquois Nation, the Lenape Tribe, the Munsee Tribe, the Shawnee tribe and the Susquehannock tribe.

But I’ll address Mr. Franklin’s concerns about language with a little quiz. How many of the following words are English and how many are German?

Alzheimer's disease
Angst
Aspirin
Automat
Blitz
Bratwurst
Cobalt
Concertmaster
Dachshund
Deli
Delicatessen
Diesel
Doberman pinscher
Doppelganger
Doppler effect/Doppler radar
Edelweiss
Fahrenheit
Fahrvergnügen
Fest
Flak/flack
Frankfurter
Führer
Gauss
Geiger counter
Gestalt
Gesundheit
Glitz/Glitzy
Glockenspiel
Hamburger
Hamster
Hertz(Hz)/Gigahertz/Megahertz
Hinterland(s)
Kaput
Kindergarten
Kitsch/Kitschy
Knockwurst
Kris Kringle
Lager
Lederhosen
Levi's®
Liverwurst
Neanderthal
Nickel
Poltergeist
Quartz
Reich
Rottweiler
Rucksack
Sauerkraut
Schnapps
Schnauzer
Schnitzel
Spitz
Strudel
Uber
Umlaut
Verboten
Waltz
Wanderlust
Wiener
Zeppelin
Zinc



Ready for the answer?








Did you really think about it?








All of them are German.

Next time you get mad that you have to press 1 for English, remember every time you say “I wish I had a nickel” – you are speaking German.

Yeah, we Germanized the English language. I think we made the country better for it.

Auf wiedersehen!

Pet Peeve

It is very hot today and I’m feeling grouchy. Today’s blog is going to be a bit whiny.

As many of you know, I proofread reports at work. I also write poetry from time to time. I like words. I like knowing their etymology. I like playing around with them.

Seeing a copy-editor or an editor using the wrong word in a title is a pet peeve of mine(and one of the many reasons we no longer get the Lowell Sun). The title that has been annoying me is on the cover of a People magazine.

A little background: My boss brings in old People magazines for the customer waiting area next to my desk. His mom gets them and gives them to him when she is done, however, she has been in Florida and then in Canada for a while now, so we haven’t received any new magazines.

I’ve been looking at the February 22 issue for way too long. Celine Dion is on the cover. The editor chose the title “My Private Heartbreak” to emblazon in large font on the front.

Private? On the cover of People? I don’t think so.

Celine is talking about her infertility struggle, which is a very private topic for most people. She has courageously decided to share her experiences. I do hope that others who are struggling with infertility can find comfort and encouragement in her story.

I’m sure it is a heartbreak. But it is not private. Not anymore.

I would have just called it “My Heartbreak”, but I am not an editor at People. Just an annoyed word lover.

Private (adjective) 1. Belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group. 2. Not in governmental office or employment. 3. Not publicly known; not open; secret. 4. Protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded. 5. Intended only for the use of an individual, group, or organization. 6. Not accessible by the public. 7. Secretive; reserved. 8. (US, of a room in a medical facility) Not shared with another patient.

(definition from http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/private)

Life at 50 inches

Julie is now that wonderful height where she is tall enough for all the big kid rides and not yet too tall for the kiddie rides. We went to a carnival together on Mother’s day and had a blast. I have always loved going on the rides and now I have someone who is willing to go with me. We had a bit of a happy mix up at the ticket counter and ended up with wrist bands instead of tickets. The wrist bands gave us unlimited access to all the rides except for the bumper cars.

We both agreed that there was NO WAY we were going on the Zero Gravity ride. Julie wasn’t sure about the Sea Dragon, but she bravely tried, even though some kid had thrown up earlier in the day on it. Julie wanted to try the Zipper, but I chickened out. There were some rides that Julie went on by herself, because I am no longer in the magic height zone. I got to watch her face shine as she had a blast.

She is still sweetly innocent enough that the little trucks that go around and around appeal to her. She is grown up enough for the thrill of the Tilt-A-Whirl. She still believes the games are fair and she has a chance to win the prizes. We spent too much on those games; winning her a stuffed pug puppy (water spray game), a pink and yellow snake (fishing game), and a fluffy wolf (darts).

When I was child, my family went to the Altamont Fair every year. My mother never bought us Cotton Candy. As a mother myself, I can understand why. Colored spun sugar? No nutritive value at all, just a cavity creating waste of money. As an adult with the memory of being told “No”, I did get Julie some when she asked. She is good about brushing her teeth.

Besides, she is a growing kid. Next year, she’ll probably be too tall for the kiddie rides. And she’ll probably be feeling way too grown up to want to go on them. This age of the magic height is fleeting.

We’re going to be enjoying the rides all summer long.

The Saga Begins

Most of you know that my husband is a technical type of guy. He isn’t one of those who must have the brand new gadget right away, but, when something comes out that he wants, he usually ends up getting it. Usually after trying to convince me why we need it.

I remember arguing about getting the TIVO. I didn’t think we should get it. He ended up wearing me down. Now, I LOVE my TIVO.

He had to get a Sirius radio when Howard Stern moved over to satellite. I thought he was being silly, but again, now I love my Sirius.

I love the wide selection of stations. As a parent, I love the Kids Place Live station: fun music, funny disc jockeys, and never worrying about commercials for erectile dysfunction.

There is a wide variety of music on the Kids Place Live. There are artists that just do kid’s music, ones that hit the charts when us parents were young, songs from movies, and, of course, Weird Al.

I happen to really like Weird Al Yankovic. Mark and I have seen him in concert and stood in line to meet him and get his autograph. Weird Al is a very talented musician and lyricist.

And thanks to Kids Place Live, there are kids out there that will probably never know the words to American Pie. Weird Al uses this tune for his song “The Saga Begins.” If you’ve never heard this song, then go quickly and buy “The Essential “Weird Al” Yankovic” album.

I found myself singing a lovely mash-up the other day, “Bye, Bye Miss American Pie, maybe Vader someday later, now he’s just a small fry. Those good old boys are drinking whiskey and rye saying soon I’m going to be a Jedi.”

And so the saga of the next generation begins.

Julie thinks TV should always be able to be paused. She thinks radio stations should cater to her, commercial free, and she thinks her mom is nuts to be messing up the words to a favorite song.

My Forgotten Brilliance

I don’t know about you, but I tend to have brilliant ideas as I am falling asleep. I put a pen and a pad of paper by my bed to record these thoughts, however, they usually happen after Mark has fallen asleep and I don’t want to turn on the light and wake him up. So I lay there and convince myself that I will remember in the morning. Of course I don’t. I am left with the vague feeling of something lost. Try as I might, it is gone forever.

Trust me. The blog I had thought of in my head last night was brilliant.

Menu Night

In an effort to make my life easier, I have begun meal-planning. And not just for a week. Once a month, I plan it out. I use a free excel template. http://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/meal-planner.html

I am able to look at what we have going on for the month and plan accordingly. I have also been able to start tweaking our diet. We’re moving away from so much red meat and toward more fish. I love that I can always answer the question “What’s for dinner?”

The fun of this, besides saving my sanity and money, has become what used to be leftover night. It is now Menu Night. I look in the refrigerator and then write out a menu with the choices. Julie gets a big kick out of eating out at home. I have so much fun playing waitress. Mark, well, I think he long ago realized that I am bit nuts.

Because of our schedule, Menu Night is usually Tuesdays. We clean out the fridge and no one has to cook. It is a fun night out, staying at home.

Menu Night is a simple thing that brings joy. I hope that you are able to find something simple to bring you joy today.