Back for Halloween

This blog here has been collecting cyber dust for some time now. But I'm back and have lots of things I want to share with you and get your opinion on as well! Just in time for Halloween...
For the past couple of years, costumes have become sluttier, racier, scarier, and controversial? Yes, controversial! A Halloween costume! I decided to Google ( because that's really a verb now right? ) "controversial costumes"- I came up with this helpful link from fright catalog. Among the top 5 are costumes that go by the names of:

1.Anna Rexia

2.Illegal Alien

3.Kung Fool

4.Vato Loco

and last but definitely not least
5.Child Terrorist.....

I beg to ask the question...why are these costumes even real and not some sick practical joke?? Some people would probably say that that's the point of Halloween- it's all jokes, fun and games! But where do we draw the line people?

How ridiculously sick is that child terrorist costume? How many times do you have to look at it before it makes you want to write to those parents who let their child advertise the costume? I don't know. Once. It's horrid. Horrid!

And what about that Vato Loco? I'm not taking this personally, but I'm sure there are tons of people in the Latino community out there who are- with good reason! Sure there are plenty of Latino men who resemble this stereotype out there, but is that any reason to mock them with a silly looking mask such as that?

And that Kung Fool? Are you kidding me with that? I feel that is so racist/sterotypical of the manufacturers. Also, another word comes forward- ignorant! Sure- there are Asian people who do Kung Fu, there are Asian people who have big teeth. But there are also Asian people who don't do Kung Fu and Asian people with small teeth. Point is the stereotype of the Asian with buck teeth like the one in the costume is so classless and pretty unreal these days. Epic fail on the manufacturers part!!

( Right now, you might think I'm taking this all too heavily...literally even. But no...I need to speak up about these wretched costumes. )

That Illegal Alien? I almost have no words for it. When that costume came out a while back- was it last Halloween? I don't remember- my brain is fuzzy. Why do people still buy it? Wear it? Mock it? The whole concept of illegal aliens is understood by many Americans, but to poke fun at the people suffering and trying to take refuge in our country is downright despicable.

Saved the best for last, you know I did.

Anna Rexia...what can I say about you? Well, for starters you really are promoting eating disorders on prime pure minds of young girls just looking for a sexy costume- but with yours, they get a deadly "subliminal"- if you will- message along the way. Of course it's not so subliminal, but the more appealing it looks to young girls, the more likely they are to try it. I'm not saying young girls are stupid, people, I'm just saying these manufacturers prey on what they know will attract the minds of girls filled up with toxic media. The other issue I have with this costume is that it is, to put it bluntly, completely rude and tasteless. Would you make fun of someone who hoards? You might. Would you make fun of someone with OCD? Yeah, you might. Would you make fun of someone with Bi-Polar Disorder? Again- you might. But if you said no, then why would you make fun of someone with the equivalent of those diseases? Yeah...seeing the bigger picture now huh? It's not a funny costume. It's disgusting. Completely and utterly disgusting. I really don't understand how people can create and sell this horseshi*t. Would you let your daughter ( if, when you have one ) wear this? If you said yes, I'd take a step back and look at your morals and ethics!


Well...that's all I have to say about that. I think I'll be what I was last year- Raging Axe Killer. That's pretty harmless right? ;)

March of Dimes or March of Crimes?

Ever heard of March of Dimes? March of Dimes is a charity dedicated to improving the health of babies and preventing birth defects, premature birth, and still birth. The way that March of Dimes prevents these awful occurrences in babies is through research. Through research, scientists do experiments and tests on many animals. Many people would say that it really is necessary for scientists to do these things to deem things safe for humans. Several other people would probably say that these animals were treated humanely and put down humanely. These people might be very, very wrong.

In doing my own research about March of Dimes’ experiments on animals, I came across several examples of experiments that scientists for March of Dimes are performing on kittens, guinea pigs, rats, pigs, and even chimps. Although asked by many animal activist groups to stop testing on animals, March of Dimes has refused to stop research on any animal species. I’ll let you be the judge of how necessary you think some of these experiments are:

- March of Dimes gave money to Oregon Regional Primate Research Center to cause uterine infections in healthy pregnant monkeys to trigger premature labor. Researchers insert cables into the monkeys’ uteruses and into the bodies of the babies. When the baby monkeys were born, they were killed immediately for further study, despite the fact that physicians almost everywhere have known for decades that such uterine infections are already linked to premature birth.

- In 1997 and 1998, March of Dimes funded experiments where pregnant lambs were forced to have premature birth. The baby lambs then had their breathing mechanically manipulated, causing severe damage to their new born lungs. The lambs were killed shortly after the experiment concluded.

- March of Dimes injected pregnant rats with cocaine. They injected newborn opossums with alcohol, decapitated them an hour to 32 weeks later, then removed and studied the gonads. The dangers to both cocaine and alcohol in babies is already well known.

The list goes on to crueler experiments that even you may not be able to wrap your head around. Aside from the fact that these experiments are unnecessary, they may not seem to be helping any. Despite these experiments, the Centers for Disease Control reports that birth defects are occurring more often. Of 38 birth defects studied over a 10-year period, an astounding 27 have increased in frequency, nine occur at the same rate, and only two have decreased in frequency. So why the hell are these test still going on?

While it is true that all animals are capable beings of feeling pain, but the similarities between us and them end there. Testing chemicals, pharmaceutical drugs, and addictive substances on pregnant animals and their babies and then trying to apply that to humans is a waste of lives and money because we really are far too different to compare to them.

You have to take a look at the big picture. Understand that the people running these research experiments may have their own valid reasons within their skewed thinking. Perhaps they really do believe that these animal tests will save lives.
Consider this though: Humans have a longer period of fetal development, so may be more sensitive to birth defect-causing agents than other species. Genetic differences among species of animals affect the way they react to chemicals. Stress imposed by animal handling, food or water deprivation, and restraint have been shown to affect test results. Finally consider that animals learn and show intelligence differently from humans, and animal studies usually cannot detect a substance's potential for causing learning or behavioral problems in babies. I ask again: Why are these tests still going on? The problem with these animal tests is that they seem to be hardly ever accurate In the 1950s, the dangers of thalidomide had shown to be non existent in animals, but caused extreme physical deformities in pregnant women’s babies. I leave you with this last fact and a video to follow: Alcohol abuse during pregnancy is the major leading cause of preventable birth defects. There are not enough affordable addiction treatment programs for women seeking help, while precious resources are being wasted injecting rats and other animals with alcohol.


Seeing as this was a blog for my Mass Communications class, I didn't reflect on this as much as I would have liked to...I'm completely against the happenings. I don't condone any of the tests that March of Dimes does and am not a supporter what so ever of March of Dimes. Their mission is good, but their experiments and research are not. It's one thing to make your entire charity into something amazing for mothers and babies everywhere, but what if they all knew how many animals you were decapitating and cutting up into bits while still alive? What if they knew? What if everyone knew all the facts? I hope one day everyone does. Like the guy at the end of this video says " Isn't it time we marched to a different beat? "

Delicious Day

despite this and last week's heat, today was delicious. I mean delicious. My mom and I were leaving a store around the 33rd and 5th and almost walked right past Cafe M, which is in that general area. We came upon this exquisite piece of joy:


a delicious red velvet cupcake. which we shared

upon leaving with that much more joy in our tummies, i caught this shot of the empire state building.


after walking around in the sweltering heat, and then continuing on to get a pedicure with an immaculate foot massage, we were hungry again. feast your eyes:



overall it was a good day. and our tummies were satisfied, and we survived this ridiculous humid hot day.
did i mention we got AMAZING bubble tea from Crazy Bananas not too long before the red velvet cupcake?
yeah...you're jealous =)

Separated at birth?

Anyone who knows anything....(kidding) knows who Conor Oberst is. Former frontman of Desaparecidos, Bright Eyes, Commander Venus, Park Ave, flew solo, chilled with The Mystic Valley Band, and now his current project Monsters of Folk (collaboration of other indie frontmen). Oberst has been around for quite some time. Of course, he can never ever be replaced, but there is a new artist. An artist, that I think carries an uncanny resemblance and sound.

Conor J. O'Brien, frontman of Villagers, entered the scene not too long ago with the debut album " Becoming a Jackal ", also the title of Villagers' first single. Needless to say, both artists are of equal greatness, Oberst has just been around far longer.

Though, I do have one question. Were they separated at birth? Because, they have the same name, they're both Irish, their voices are slightly different but more the same. Their appearances...well...I'll let you be the judge.

.


Either way.
I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to see what else Mr. O'Brien graces our ears with.

Oh, Jerusalem

I passed by this little restaurant no bigger than my own bedroom and picked up a menu. The tagline said something about your body thanking you or feeling the difference. I suppose the food is supposed to be good for you. To be honest, stomach aches usually ail me in the middle of a meal after a few bites. But I kid you not when I say that no such stomach ache came during the sandwich that I ordered.

The hummus on the whole grain pita bread was so creamy and delicious. The cucumbers, tomatoes, and slices of lettuce were so crunchy and all went with the texture of spicy spiced spicy chicken pieces.

If I only had taken a camera in the midst of my feast. It was delicious.
63rd and 1st = Jerusalem Grill.

Do yourself a favor and stop by
Click here for a review or two about the joint. Other than a few impatient parents with crying kids, there's a lot of good things said!

Breakfast or Brunch

As I'm enjoying the creation I have just made for a brunch, I'm also resizing the photos. I'm also realizing that the amount of food I made was a bit too much, so my mom was lucky enough to get the scraps. Good scraps, but still scraps. Inspired by smashed goods' passion for breakfast sandwiches and vegetables thrown in as well, I made my own breakfast masterpiece.




First, I cut up a few of those leftover baby red potatoes, followed by 3 baby carrots, and some red and green lettuce. Next, 2 organic free range eggs, and last an inch cube of Cabot reduced fat sharp white cheddar. After cooking all that up together, I threw the mashup onto 2 delicious pieces of 12 grain bread. I thought it was suprisingly good, considering the idea came to me suddenly. Here's what it ended up looking like:

Dinner with Avalanche

So earlier this evening, considering it's 11:48PM as I begin this, my mother and I prepared a delicious dinner. It was pretty spur of the moment considering we were thinking about take-out from our corner Greek restaurant Ethos. Pretty delicious, but we thought we'd do our own take on their Garides Sta Karvouna, or grilled shrimp with fresh herbs in a lemon and olive oil sauce.

The dinner we prepared was probably a lot healthier as far as we knew, since we at least knew what was really going into it. To start, just grab a few jumbo shrimp from your local supermarket freezer section, OR if you're lucky enough to have your own fresh fish store like us, stop by there and pick up some (guaranteed fresher). You'll need a side dish or two. Since the side dish that comes with the Garides Sta Karvouna is usually potatoes in a lemon sauce and herbs, I did my own take on that. You'll need baby red potatoes and some rosemary, and (we used extra virgin) olive oil. Lastly, despite what they say about asparagus, we grilled it up and threw a bit of parmesan cheese on it.
You wash your shrimp, grill them up in a soy & garlic sauce (you can definitely make this yourself) and fish ALWAYS cooks quick so about 10-12 minutes, grill up those asparagus (about 10-15 spears) and then sprinkle a bit of the parmesan, and lastly cut up those baby reds and then throw them in a bowl with some olive oil and fresh rosemary. Mix that up with your hands (if you're not afraid to get your hands oily, think it's probably good for the skin) and then toss them onto anything oven friendly, sprinkle a little sea salt for flavor, and set the oven for 30 minutes. (Time varies depending on how many potatoes you cut up, we used 8 cause ours were really tiny!). And Voila! Dinner is served!! Delicious.