Since Dos has decided the blog is no longer important, I would like to take this time to unveil my own, DOC ONLY BLOG. Yes, I am venturing off into my own territory. But do not worry, loyal 3184ers! The new blog will not take away from any time I would spend working on this blog. In fact, it might encourage me to work on it MORE! So, without further adue, I present to you.....
HOW SWEET IT IS
Yes, it is a blog about The Honeymooners. Anything Honeymooners will be there. How sweet it is!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Urban Planning for a Post-Obesity Age
The NYT today has a fascinating article about the fight against obesity in Louisville, where the city's government is trying to use smart urban planning as a tool to help citizens slim down. But do we have suggestions? Well, okay!
- Every building in your city is five miles apart. Also, you've ripped out all the roads in your city.
- Your city is built on a mountain. The 7-11 is at the very top of the mountain.
- There weren't any mountains where your city is, so you had to pick up your whole city and carry it to the mountain.
- You put weights on top of all the stuff in your city.
- Instead of cars in your city, you have a large boulder that you just push against, then stay right where you are.
- You get the army to surround your city for 900 days, and everyone goes on the "Siege of Leningrad Diet." Not really. You just don't allow food in your city.
- Your city has moving sidewalks? Yeah, moving in the opposite direction.
- Your city mandates that fast food restaurants may only be built in a special "zone," located in another city.
- It's illegal to cheat on that last rep, in your city.
- You know who's from your city? Muhammad Ali. Just do whatever he did.
*via gawker
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Things are about to get.... weird
So today on the train ride home there was some severe weather and power was lost and the train got stuck. Well, I learned a few things about myself tonight. We were only stuck for about 30 min, but after 10 minutes or so, I was ready to lose my shit. All I kept thinking about was busting opening the doors and just making a run for it. Running and never looking back. I wanted off that mother fucker.
If I were ever on a stranded island, I would not waste anytime eating anyone that was with me to survive. I'd do it. Saving my own ass would be my number one priority. If one day Dos and I go on a vacation and our plane crashes and we are missing for a long time and only one of us comes back, well, I ate Dos. Simple as that. I would like to take this time to apologize for eating you Dos. It was nothing personal. Also, for the love of God eat more protein. There was no meat on your bones!
The moral of this post is that the slightest inconvenience can cause me to lose my mind. That is all.
If I were ever on a stranded island, I would not waste anytime eating anyone that was with me to survive. I'd do it. Saving my own ass would be my number one priority. If one day Dos and I go on a vacation and our plane crashes and we are missing for a long time and only one of us comes back, well, I ate Dos. Simple as that. I would like to take this time to apologize for eating you Dos. It was nothing personal. Also, for the love of God eat more protein. There was no meat on your bones!
The moral of this post is that the slightest inconvenience can cause me to lose my mind. That is all.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
All right. This one time I'll let you ask me about my affairs.
There are so many things wrong with Dos's post I don't know where to begin. Every trilogy has their weak links and problems. There is no denying that. Back to the Future is no exception. The first one is a great movie. The second one, while good, is far from perfect. And the third one, often boring and just feels like it is going through the motions. I am not going to spend this post talking about my favorite trilogy (The Godfather / Lord of the Rings / Star Wars). I have talked highly about them in other posts. I want to analyze what a perfect trilogy should be.
I think first and foremost, in order for a trilogy to be perfect, the cast must remain the same. Rotating actors take you out of the moment. The Godfather, rather than replacing Tom Hagen with a different actor, instead wrote him out of the script. Back to the Future, on the other hand, replaced Jennifer Parker and George McFly. I am not saying The Godfather trilogy is perfect, because lord knows Part III is a mess compared to the first two, but it had such strong characters that they could not be easily replaced by other actors.
A perfect trilogy has a complete story. An ending that bookends the first chapter. The Godfather certainly accomplishes this (as the ending is truly one of the best parts of the third movie) as does Lord of the Rings. It should also be noted that Lord of the Rings is ONE story. It is just so long that it has to be broken up into three parts. Back to the Future is a perfect stand alone story. But they tacked on the ending to set up a sequel that didn't necessarily need to happen. It felt like a cash grab to me. The ending of the third one as well didn't wrap everything up either as it ends with Doc's train converting into a hovertrain and departing for an unknown time. It feels as if they wanted to keep the door open for another entry in the series. I didn't feel the closure I wanted to like I did at the end of The Godfather and Lord of the Rings and even the Star Wars trilogy.
If I had to pick a favorite trilogy, I would have to say it is The Lord of the Rings. That is the most realized film trilogy and complete story. While I love The Godfather and the Godfather Part II, the story should have probably ended with the second one. Even though there are elements of the third I do love.
A perfect trilogy needs to have the complete story laid out in front of it before the first one is even made. Otherwise, you are just trying to continue to add on to something that might not need any adding on to (cough*back to the future*cough). Back to the Future is definitely in the top 10 of best trilogies though. This day and age a great trilogy is hard to come by as time passes another entry is added. There have been talks of more Godfather movies and even Back to the Future movies at some point. So enjoy your precious trilogies while you can before greedy Hollywood ruins it be adding and even more unnecessary 4th entry - Indiana Jones and Scream are some of the recent ones that come to mind.
I think first and foremost, in order for a trilogy to be perfect, the cast must remain the same. Rotating actors take you out of the moment. The Godfather, rather than replacing Tom Hagen with a different actor, instead wrote him out of the script. Back to the Future, on the other hand, replaced Jennifer Parker and George McFly. I am not saying The Godfather trilogy is perfect, because lord knows Part III is a mess compared to the first two, but it had such strong characters that they could not be easily replaced by other actors.
A perfect trilogy has a complete story. An ending that bookends the first chapter. The Godfather certainly accomplishes this (as the ending is truly one of the best parts of the third movie) as does Lord of the Rings. It should also be noted that Lord of the Rings is ONE story. It is just so long that it has to be broken up into three parts. Back to the Future is a perfect stand alone story. But they tacked on the ending to set up a sequel that didn't necessarily need to happen. It felt like a cash grab to me. The ending of the third one as well didn't wrap everything up either as it ends with Doc's train converting into a hovertrain and departing for an unknown time. It feels as if they wanted to keep the door open for another entry in the series. I didn't feel the closure I wanted to like I did at the end of The Godfather and Lord of the Rings and even the Star Wars trilogy.
If I had to pick a favorite trilogy, I would have to say it is The Lord of the Rings. That is the most realized film trilogy and complete story. While I love The Godfather and the Godfather Part II, the story should have probably ended with the second one. Even though there are elements of the third I do love.
A perfect trilogy needs to have the complete story laid out in front of it before the first one is even made. Otherwise, you are just trying to continue to add on to something that might not need any adding on to (cough*back to the future*cough). Back to the Future is definitely in the top 10 of best trilogies though. This day and age a great trilogy is hard to come by as time passes another entry is added. There have been talks of more Godfather movies and even Back to the Future movies at some point. So enjoy your precious trilogies while you can before greedy Hollywood ruins it be adding and even more unnecessary 4th entry - Indiana Jones and Scream are some of the recent ones that come to mind.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
This Is Heavy: Why Back to the Future is the Best Movie Trilogy
There are many famous movie trilogies, but it is clear to me that Back to the Future is the greatest one. All of the star wars films are really terrible messes. Lord of the Rings is overlong and has too many homosexual undertones. Indiana Jones is no longer a trilogy. I have been told that the original three Muppet movies do not count as a trilogy. Lastly, Godfather Part III has some unwatchable scenes. What is left? Back to the Future is left and it is the best film trilogy ever made. Every single movie is essential to understanding the whole story and every movie has an individual feel to it. Part I is cheesy 80s, yet has universal ideas about time, love and family. Part II is endlessly creative and like no movie ever made. Part III, deemed the weakest, has the most heart and is needed to conclude the amazing ending of part II.The Back to the Future saga is also much more meaningful than I remember. I just re-watched them and while they are undeniably fun and creative, many have pointed out their lack of meaning. I disagree with this whole heartedly and find them to be the most meaningful trilogy, with the possible exception of Godfather. The movies explores issue of time to show how fragile everything is. This includes love and relationships. If Marty's grandfather never hit George McFly with the car, Marty wold not exist. When Biff gets the almanac, this alters all of 1985, not just Biff's life. The movie is also thought provoking with its ideas of time. Most importantly, the film is as quirky as anything Wes Anderson can dish up. Its oddities are remembered and are iconic. 1.21 jigawatts, 88 miles per hour, the Libyans plutonium are just some examples.
I wonder if Doc will agree with me or if he will support another trilogy as being the best ever. Good trilogies are only as good as their weakest entry. So, let's examine Part III to show that it is not as bad as Godfather Part III and all of the other weak members of the trilogies. Unlike Godfather Part III the film is not overlong and there is no one whose acting makes you sick to your stomach. I appreciate Sofia Coppola as director, but we have to face up to the fact that she is terrible in this movie. I watched the Godfather Part III commentary and Francis Ford Coppola said that since the previous two entries won the best picture, the critics were just looking for anything to pick on and were really going after Francis when they went after Sofia. Francis has to wake the hell up because Sofia really is that bad. Since she is also a key component to the film and its ending, the film is ultimately not very good, even though it has some nice moments. So, I guess we have to talk about the character of Clara in Back to the Future Part III. She is a bit of an annoying character and they shoehorn her in to being perfect for Doc. However, she is a necessary force in the plot to its ultimate conclusion. Her acting is OK, but Doc's search for love is necessary to the development of the character. It is not a great section of the trilogy, but much better than Sofia in Godfather.
Back to the Future Part III also does better than any entry into the star wars or lord of the rings saga in the fact that it is entertaining throughout. We all want to fast forward during those ewoks and scenes between sam wise and frodo. However, Back to the Future Part III has no scenes that one would ant to fast forward through. Every scene is necessary to resolving the plots of the first two films and references those films as well. The other trilogies do not fair as well and have some clear time wasters, such as the scenes I have just mentioned. Doc you are just going to have to come on the blog and admit that I am right because there is no doubt about it, Back to the Future is the best film trilogy ever made...unless the first three muppet movies count as a trilogy. Do they? Because then I have to do this post over again.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Doc: The Madman
I am starting to think Doc is kinda crazy. Nonetheless, let's refute his poor logic. There are other foods I do not eat besides meat, this was just the topic at hand. I guess we are forced to examine the examples that Doc gave. Red meat I do not eat. Fish is not "contaminated" with mercury. Some fish, salmon specifically does not, does contain some mercury. This is only dangerous if consumed in large quantities. Therefore, this is a ridiculous argument because there are many foods that are good for you, but bad if you eat too much of. Even water fits this bill, to give an extreme example. I don't know why Doc thinks all Fish contains toxins that can harm you, but they don't. I do not eat chickens and problems with them were part of my post. Fruits do not contain poisonous fructose that make you obese. Perhaps this is the most bizarre comment Doc has ever made. It is true that fruits contain natural sugars. However, the sugar in these fruits are so minimal in comparison to the health benefits that only a madman would tell someone to stop eating fruit. These sugars are not poisonous, or no one would eat them. They also do not make you obese. Furthermore, if this was true, virtually every nutritionist that has ever lived would not recommend fruit as snacks to people who want to loose weight. This is utter nonsense.
Grains used to be the base of the food pyramid. While the pyramid has changed in recent years, grains are still recommended by the FDA. Grains are mostly carbs and, it is true that if you eat too many carbs these become fats. However, you have to eat a lot of them and whole wheat grains are good for your heart and, again, are highly recommended by the FDA. Some vegetables have pesticide residue on it that can cause health problems. This is why one must buy organic vegetables. There are plenty of organic vegetables available at most markets. There is nothing wrong with organic vegetables, one just has to be a smart consumer and know what to buy. I don't know why Doc mentioned saturated fats as these are to be avoided and no one would ever say that a healthy person should eat more of them.
On to water. I really don't know what Doc's point is here. First of all, water, unlike meat, is necessary for survival. Second, most scientists claim that fluoride is good and not bad for you in drinking water. Even if it is, there are ways to obtain non-fluoridated drinking water. Most water systems are created with filter to eliminate the toxins from the water. If one is not satisfied with this, there are many ways to obtain different types of mass produced water. Lastly, only some waters contain trace amounts of estrogen. The idea that Doc put water on this list proves that he is just stirring the pot without any basis.
My logic is far from we should not be eating. I am saying that we should choose our food wisely and not just eat everything and anything. Meat specifically is bad for our bodies and the environment. If Doc is OK with this then he can go right on eating it. However, I prefer to try and eat healthy.
I eat foods with saturated fats. This is because one can eat some in small doses and they are not as bad for you as eating diseased birds. I eat fish. This is because they have not been proven to lead to diseases like red meat. Doc said, "If you want to be 100% healthy and deprive yourself of something delicious, despite it's apparent complications, you need to go all out and do it for EVERY food with issues. Otherwise, you are just half assing it." So, according to Doc's wayward logic about food I either have to eat incredibly unhealthy food or starve. This is obviously ridiculous and does not deserve a much more of a response.
Doc also said, "I don't think any person should deprive themselves of something that would bring them joy. You have one life, live it a lil. As long as you exercise, eat whole foods, reamin consistent, and get your 8 hours of sleep each night, you will be fine. That is just scientific fact." There are plenty of examples of things that bring people joy that they should abstain from. Hard drugs is a good example. There are other things that feel good to one at the time they do it, but are actually bad for them in the long run. Should we all take up smoking because it feels good while we smoke? There is no logic to be found in Doc's words. Lastly to the whole foods comment. There are plenty of foods, when eaten as they are found in nature are still bad for you. Poisonous mushrooms are an obvious examples. More importantly, I proved with my last post that the chicken you eat, no matter where you get it, is not a whole food. It has been genetically altered by man to make it not healthy for you. 99% of all chickens consumed in the United States are altered and not "whole." I would like to know where Doc thinks he is getting his "unadulterated" birds. Also, Doc said this is a scientific fact without any references of how he got this. How can I trust that this is a fact if Doc just says it randomly. If I said that it was a scientific fact that smoking was good for you, this does not mean it is true. We need to see where that science is that backs up Doc's comment.
Don't worry fellow Dos fans, I told Doc off during the 114th post party. He just stood there and was shocked at my outrage over his post. After that, his girlfriend became a vegetarian. Doc the world is waiting for you to wake up to what most of us already know. Eat healthier man. That hot dog's taste is not worth what it is doing to your body.
Grains used to be the base of the food pyramid. While the pyramid has changed in recent years, grains are still recommended by the FDA. Grains are mostly carbs and, it is true that if you eat too many carbs these become fats. However, you have to eat a lot of them and whole wheat grains are good for your heart and, again, are highly recommended by the FDA. Some vegetables have pesticide residue on it that can cause health problems. This is why one must buy organic vegetables. There are plenty of organic vegetables available at most markets. There is nothing wrong with organic vegetables, one just has to be a smart consumer and know what to buy. I don't know why Doc mentioned saturated fats as these are to be avoided and no one would ever say that a healthy person should eat more of them.
On to water. I really don't know what Doc's point is here. First of all, water, unlike meat, is necessary for survival. Second, most scientists claim that fluoride is good and not bad for you in drinking water. Even if it is, there are ways to obtain non-fluoridated drinking water. Most water systems are created with filter to eliminate the toxins from the water. If one is not satisfied with this, there are many ways to obtain different types of mass produced water. Lastly, only some waters contain trace amounts of estrogen. The idea that Doc put water on this list proves that he is just stirring the pot without any basis.
My logic is far from we should not be eating. I am saying that we should choose our food wisely and not just eat everything and anything. Meat specifically is bad for our bodies and the environment. If Doc is OK with this then he can go right on eating it. However, I prefer to try and eat healthy.
I eat foods with saturated fats. This is because one can eat some in small doses and they are not as bad for you as eating diseased birds. I eat fish. This is because they have not been proven to lead to diseases like red meat. Doc said, "If you want to be 100% healthy and deprive yourself of something delicious, despite it's apparent complications, you need to go all out and do it for EVERY food with issues. Otherwise, you are just half assing it." So, according to Doc's wayward logic about food I either have to eat incredibly unhealthy food or starve. This is obviously ridiculous and does not deserve a much more of a response.
Doc also said, "I don't think any person should deprive themselves of something that would bring them joy. You have one life, live it a lil. As long as you exercise, eat whole foods, reamin consistent, and get your 8 hours of sleep each night, you will be fine. That is just scientific fact." There are plenty of examples of things that bring people joy that they should abstain from. Hard drugs is a good example. There are other things that feel good to one at the time they do it, but are actually bad for them in the long run. Should we all take up smoking because it feels good while we smoke? There is no logic to be found in Doc's words. Lastly to the whole foods comment. There are plenty of foods, when eaten as they are found in nature are still bad for you. Poisonous mushrooms are an obvious examples. More importantly, I proved with my last post that the chicken you eat, no matter where you get it, is not a whole food. It has been genetically altered by man to make it not healthy for you. 99% of all chickens consumed in the United States are altered and not "whole." I would like to know where Doc thinks he is getting his "unadulterated" birds. Also, Doc said this is a scientific fact without any references of how he got this. How can I trust that this is a fact if Doc just says it randomly. If I said that it was a scientific fact that smoking was good for you, this does not mean it is true. We need to see where that science is that backs up Doc's comment.
Don't worry fellow Dos fans, I told Doc off during the 114th post party. He just stood there and was shocked at my outrage over his post. After that, his girlfriend became a vegetarian. Doc the world is waiting for you to wake up to what most of us already know. Eat healthier man. That hot dog's taste is not worth what it is doing to your body.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Dos: The Hypocrite
Dos wrote a lengthy discussion about how he doesn't eat meat and all of the reasons why he chooses not to. Well, that is all fine and dandy, but the problem with his logic is that he just singles out meat. There are issues with a lot of food Dos puts into his body, yet meat is the only food he wants nothing to do with. Dos is a meatist. Below are a list of things wrong with various types of food. I am not going to go into detail, but here are the main points:
- Red Meat: Causes Cancer And Heart Disease
- Fish: Contaminated With Mercury And Toxins
- Broiler Chickens: 99% Are Infected With Feces
- Fruits: Contain Poisonous Fructose That Make You Obese
- Grains: Contain Carbs That Spike Insulin And Make You Fat
- Vegetables: Have Pesticide Residue That Cause Kidney Disease
- Saturated Fats: Cause Bad Cholesterol And Make You Fat
- Water: Is Filled With Fluoride, Toxins And Estrogen
So by Dos's logic, we basically shouldn't eat. Is Dos gonna sit there and tell me he doesn't eat any food that has saturated fat in it? That he doesn't eat fish? Well, if he did, he would be a God damn liar. If you want to be 100% healthy and deprive yourself of something delicious, despite it's apparent complications, you need to go all out and do it for EVERY food with issues. Otherwise, you are just half assing it.
On top of that, I don't think any person should deprive themselves of something that would bring them joy. You have one life, live it a lil. As long as you exercise, eat whole foods, reamin consistent, and get your 8 hours of sleep each night, you will be fine. That is just scientific fact. Dos is going to go to his grave having never tasted a hotdog before! A delicious hotdog! I am going to eat one in front of him while he is on his death-bed and I am still healthy despite all the meat I have eaten in my life. I hope one day Dos realizes the error of his ways and goes back to eating meat. The joy he will get from eating it outweigh the non apparent health effects from not. Doc: 1. Dos: 0.
- Red Meat: Causes Cancer And Heart Disease
- Fish: Contaminated With Mercury And Toxins
- Broiler Chickens: 99% Are Infected With Feces
- Fruits: Contain Poisonous Fructose That Make You Obese
- Grains: Contain Carbs That Spike Insulin And Make You Fat
- Vegetables: Have Pesticide Residue That Cause Kidney Disease
- Saturated Fats: Cause Bad Cholesterol And Make You Fat
- Water: Is Filled With Fluoride, Toxins And Estrogen
So by Dos's logic, we basically shouldn't eat. Is Dos gonna sit there and tell me he doesn't eat any food that has saturated fat in it? That he doesn't eat fish? Well, if he did, he would be a God damn liar. If you want to be 100% healthy and deprive yourself of something delicious, despite it's apparent complications, you need to go all out and do it for EVERY food with issues. Otherwise, you are just half assing it.
On top of that, I don't think any person should deprive themselves of something that would bring them joy. You have one life, live it a lil. As long as you exercise, eat whole foods, reamin consistent, and get your 8 hours of sleep each night, you will be fine. That is just scientific fact. Dos is going to go to his grave having never tasted a hotdog before! A delicious hotdog! I am going to eat one in front of him while he is on his death-bed and I am still healthy despite all the meat I have eaten in my life. I hope one day Dos realizes the error of his ways and goes back to eating meat. The joy he will get from eating it outweigh the non apparent health effects from not. Doc: 1. Dos: 0.
114th Post Extravaganza!!!!!
I just realized we never celebrated getting to the 100 post milestone. So instead we will be celebrating our 114th post! Yes, this is the 114th time Dos and myself have shared our ridiculous amounts of wisdom with you. No one thought the blog would last this long. In fact, I just keep posting to spite everyone I know. But we did it. Here's to the next 114 posts! Congrats to myself and Dos. Victory party next weekend. You aren't invited.
And now the extravaganza continues with prizes for all of our loyal readers...
And now the extravaganza continues with prizes for all of our loyal readers...
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Get a load of fatso
First off, I will reply to Dos's post this weekend. There are more important matters that need to be tended to first. So I am at the gym tonight, doing my duty to stay fit and make sure America doesn't get any fatter as a whole, when I am about to do the last exercise I really wanted to do. It was the lateral raise machine that works your shoulders. I was looking forward to doing it and saved it for the end because someone was on it earlier. Well, I start to walk towards it and some fatso beats me to it by like 5 seconds!
I am annoyed. I want to go home. I want to eat dinner. I want to relax. I can't wait any longer and I do not feel like doing another exercise my heart isn't in. So I walk slowly and get a drink of water. Then walk back towards it. I get close and ask her how many sets she has left. She just looks at me and says "what?" with a stupid look on her face. She probably didn't understand what I was saying because I wasn't talking about food. So I then ask her again. She says she has a lot left. I knew that meant she was just taking a load off and going to be plopped on that seat as long she could. So I then asked her if I could work in (which I rarely do, but I really wanted to finish my workout and go home). Then all of a sudden her story changes and she says she has one set left. She must have caught a quick glance at the clock and realized feeding time at the zoo was almost over.
I have to admit, during the incident, I was a lot angrier and more ideas about this post were flowing through my head. I forgot what else I was going to say. I respect her for going to the gym and making somewhat of an effort to look like what a human being should look like. But you can't just putz around. You gotta give it 110%. You can't just jiggle to each machine and half ass it. Also, if I were a betting man, I wouldn't be surprised if she went home and ate a cake. You also have to eat healthy on top of working out. It's not rocket science. Fat people suck.
I am annoyed. I want to go home. I want to eat dinner. I want to relax. I can't wait any longer and I do not feel like doing another exercise my heart isn't in. So I walk slowly and get a drink of water. Then walk back towards it. I get close and ask her how many sets she has left. She just looks at me and says "what?" with a stupid look on her face. She probably didn't understand what I was saying because I wasn't talking about food. So I then ask her again. She says she has a lot left. I knew that meant she was just taking a load off and going to be plopped on that seat as long she could. So I then asked her if I could work in (which I rarely do, but I really wanted to finish my workout and go home). Then all of a sudden her story changes and she says she has one set left. She must have caught a quick glance at the clock and realized feeding time at the zoo was almost over.
I have to admit, during the incident, I was a lot angrier and more ideas about this post were flowing through my head. I forgot what else I was going to say. I respect her for going to the gym and making somewhat of an effort to look like what a human being should look like. But you can't just putz around. You gotta give it 110%. You can't just jiggle to each machine and half ass it. Also, if I were a betting man, I wouldn't be surprised if she went home and ate a cake. You also have to eat healthy on top of working out. It's not rocket science. Fat people suck.
Why I Don't Eat Meat Or: I Am Tired of Applying to Jobs and Hearing Nothing Back So, Let's Make Doc Feel Bad About Eating Meat
Operation: Make Doc Feel Bad About Meat Eating
Doc sent me an article from some weight lifting nut who said that people who say meat is bad for you are just spewing out bullshit that vegetarians made up. This article cited no sources and just went on to say things based on conjecture. I have done research on this topic several times and would like to state here, for Doc specifically, the reasons why I do not eat meat. For the record, I am not a strict vegetarian. I do eat fish. This is because I like the way it tastes and have yet been able to give it up. Fish may be the least problematic animal protein, but it still has problems nonetheless. Let me also clearly state that I do not care much about the animals in question. If I did, I would not eat fish. My rationale for not eating meat is selfish. I am selfish about what goes in my body and do not want anything that could harm me being digested. I think many people forget that what you eat is actually delivered to the cells in your body to keep them healthy. High fructose corn syrup, for the record, does not help your cells remain healthy.
Again, I am not against eating meat itself, I am against eating it in the current incarnation that we find it in our supermarket and restaurants. The meat industry's goal is not that complicated. They want to raise an animal which can produce the most amount of meat on the least amount of feed. This way they can make meat as cheap as possible and sell more of it. From 1930 to 1995, the average weight of a broiler chicken has increased 65% and the average feed requirements has dropped 57%. This is comparable for other animals. Due to the success of this one type of chicken, there is only one type of chicken that we eat anymore. There used to be a time when there were many types of chicken, all which tasted different. The sole broiler chicken that is left has many health defects that help it survive on less food. It can not walk normally, jump, flu or have sex. This includes antibiotic free, free range, organic, and kosher birds. They are all the same bird and are all artificially inseminated. It is hard to believe that eating a unhealthy bird could be healthy for the consumer.
Probably having a bigger impact on our health are downers. A downer is a farming term for is an animal that collapses from poor health, but must be left with the others as they would be too costly to separate and help or euthanize.All animals have to go through a USDA quality check. However, due to the fact that there are just so many animals being produced, they only have two seconds to look at each animal. That is some 25,000 birds a day. This means that millions of animals that pass this test have been leaking yellow puss, stained by feces, contaminated by bacteria, having tumors or having heart or lung infections. Furthermore, these animals are communally cooled together. When they are slaughtered the carcasses become so hot that they must be cooled immediately. The cheapest way to do this is to cool them together. This results in a sort of fecal soup that gets absorbed into the other animals. 6 billion animals are prepared this way in the European Union, 9 billion in the USA and 50 billion world wide. 99% of all animals eaten or used in the USA are factory farmed this way.
All of this impacts the nutritional value of our meat. Skinless white meat chicken has lost 51.6% of its Vitamin A content and 39% of its potassium. However, it has gained 32.6% fat and 20.3% sodium. Most non-organic meat also contains sodium nitrate now, which is a carcinogen that is needed to prevent the meat from look grey and colorless. This could also be accomplished by freezing, but freezing all of this meat would be more expensive than putting some Sodium Nitrate on it.
There are other issues at hand beyond just our nutrition. The two biggest ones are the impact of the meat we eat on disease and world issues. Let's start with disease. All influenza originates in birds and the closeness of birds and man can produce more virulent forms of the flu. A specific fear is the creation of a H5N1 flu which can impact humans, pigs and birds and could cause millions of deaths. Furthermore, 83% of chicken meat is infected with disease at the time of purchase and 67% of factory farm works have some job related health issue. There is also the fear of antibiotic resistance as animals are fed antibiotics to prevent more from becoming downers that already do. Livestock are given 17.8 million pounds of antibiotics every year, while humans only receive 3 million pounds.
On to a quick look at the global impact of the meat we eat. I am assuming Doc cares the least about this, but I thought it would be worth a mention. There is the issue of world hunger as much feed that is given to the animals raised to be protein could be given to the hungry people around the world. However, the clearer issue here has to do with manure. The typical pig factory produces 7.2 million pounds of manure annually. The broiler farm has 6.6 million and the cattle farm has 344 million. This means that factory farmed animals account for making 130 times as much was as humans, 87,000 pounds per second. There are just a lot of animals being slaughtered, one company, Smithfield Farms, annually kills more hogs than the human populations of 19 cities in the United States. Due to these feces, animal agriculture makes a 40% greater contribution to global warming than all transportation, it is the number one cause of climate change. These feces pollute the air, and make children who live near it sick. Furthermore, sometimes the waste is so much that the farms must resort to dumping them in fields, which eventually run off to water supplies.
Well, there you have it. Have I overstepped the purpose of the blog by producing real information? Perhaps. I do not know what Doc's reaction will be. Only time will tell for that. However, I am happy to have my rational for not eating meat on the blog. At the very least, I think I made Doc feel a little bad. Mission accomplished.
Sources
Foer, Jonathan Safran Eating Animals (New York: Back Bay Books: Little, Brown and Company, 2009)
Pawlick, Thomas F. The End of Food: How The Food Industry Is Destroying Our Food Supply – And What You Can Do About It (Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, 2006)
“Your Health” Christian Vegetarian Association Retrieved at http://www.all-creatures.org/cva/vegbenefits.htm 3/31/11“Would Jesus Eat Meat Today?” Christian Vegetarian Association Retrieved at http://www.all-creatures.org/cva/honoring.htm 3/31/11
Doc sent me an article from some weight lifting nut who said that people who say meat is bad for you are just spewing out bullshit that vegetarians made up. This article cited no sources and just went on to say things based on conjecture. I have done research on this topic several times and would like to state here, for Doc specifically, the reasons why I do not eat meat. For the record, I am not a strict vegetarian. I do eat fish. This is because I like the way it tastes and have yet been able to give it up. Fish may be the least problematic animal protein, but it still has problems nonetheless. Let me also clearly state that I do not care much about the animals in question. If I did, I would not eat fish. My rationale for not eating meat is selfish. I am selfish about what goes in my body and do not want anything that could harm me being digested. I think many people forget that what you eat is actually delivered to the cells in your body to keep them healthy. High fructose corn syrup, for the record, does not help your cells remain healthy.
Again, I am not against eating meat itself, I am against eating it in the current incarnation that we find it in our supermarket and restaurants. The meat industry's goal is not that complicated. They want to raise an animal which can produce the most amount of meat on the least amount of feed. This way they can make meat as cheap as possible and sell more of it. From 1930 to 1995, the average weight of a broiler chicken has increased 65% and the average feed requirements has dropped 57%. This is comparable for other animals. Due to the success of this one type of chicken, there is only one type of chicken that we eat anymore. There used to be a time when there were many types of chicken, all which tasted different. The sole broiler chicken that is left has many health defects that help it survive on less food. It can not walk normally, jump, flu or have sex. This includes antibiotic free, free range, organic, and kosher birds. They are all the same bird and are all artificially inseminated. It is hard to believe that eating a unhealthy bird could be healthy for the consumer.
Probably having a bigger impact on our health are downers. A downer is a farming term for is an animal that collapses from poor health, but must be left with the others as they would be too costly to separate and help or euthanize.All animals have to go through a USDA quality check. However, due to the fact that there are just so many animals being produced, they only have two seconds to look at each animal. That is some 25,000 birds a day. This means that millions of animals that pass this test have been leaking yellow puss, stained by feces, contaminated by bacteria, having tumors or having heart or lung infections. Furthermore, these animals are communally cooled together. When they are slaughtered the carcasses become so hot that they must be cooled immediately. The cheapest way to do this is to cool them together. This results in a sort of fecal soup that gets absorbed into the other animals. 6 billion animals are prepared this way in the European Union, 9 billion in the USA and 50 billion world wide. 99% of all animals eaten or used in the USA are factory farmed this way.
All of this impacts the nutritional value of our meat. Skinless white meat chicken has lost 51.6% of its Vitamin A content and 39% of its potassium. However, it has gained 32.6% fat and 20.3% sodium. Most non-organic meat also contains sodium nitrate now, which is a carcinogen that is needed to prevent the meat from look grey and colorless. This could also be accomplished by freezing, but freezing all of this meat would be more expensive than putting some Sodium Nitrate on it.
There are other issues at hand beyond just our nutrition. The two biggest ones are the impact of the meat we eat on disease and world issues. Let's start with disease. All influenza originates in birds and the closeness of birds and man can produce more virulent forms of the flu. A specific fear is the creation of a H5N1 flu which can impact humans, pigs and birds and could cause millions of deaths. Furthermore, 83% of chicken meat is infected with disease at the time of purchase and 67% of factory farm works have some job related health issue. There is also the fear of antibiotic resistance as animals are fed antibiotics to prevent more from becoming downers that already do. Livestock are given 17.8 million pounds of antibiotics every year, while humans only receive 3 million pounds.
On to a quick look at the global impact of the meat we eat. I am assuming Doc cares the least about this, but I thought it would be worth a mention. There is the issue of world hunger as much feed that is given to the animals raised to be protein could be given to the hungry people around the world. However, the clearer issue here has to do with manure. The typical pig factory produces 7.2 million pounds of manure annually. The broiler farm has 6.6 million and the cattle farm has 344 million. This means that factory farmed animals account for making 130 times as much was as humans, 87,000 pounds per second. There are just a lot of animals being slaughtered, one company, Smithfield Farms, annually kills more hogs than the human populations of 19 cities in the United States. Due to these feces, animal agriculture makes a 40% greater contribution to global warming than all transportation, it is the number one cause of climate change. These feces pollute the air, and make children who live near it sick. Furthermore, sometimes the waste is so much that the farms must resort to dumping them in fields, which eventually run off to water supplies.
Well, there you have it. Have I overstepped the purpose of the blog by producing real information? Perhaps. I do not know what Doc's reaction will be. Only time will tell for that. However, I am happy to have my rational for not eating meat on the blog. At the very least, I think I made Doc feel a little bad. Mission accomplished.
Sources
Foer, Jonathan Safran Eating Animals (New York: Back Bay Books: Little, Brown and Company, 2009)
Pawlick, Thomas F. The End of Food: How The Food Industry Is Destroying Our Food Supply – And What You Can Do About It (Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, 2006)
“Your Health” Christian Vegetarian Association Retrieved at http://www.all-creatures.org/cva/vegbenefits.htm 3/31/11“Would Jesus Eat Meat Today?” Christian Vegetarian Association Retrieved at http://www.all-creatures.org/cva/honoring.htm 3/31/11
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