Sunday, September 22, 2002

American democracy RIP is a fairly scary summary of what's being going on in the US since Bush got (s)elected. Drawing references to the rise of Hitler and the Stasi, the article reviews the erosion of freedoms since 911 as well as the alliances forged between state, military, and corporatism. The fundies aren't forgotten either in the analysis. What's scary about reading stuff like this is that it's only reiterating your own thoughts but when you see it all assembled in black and white, using highly emotive terms, it sounds like a great big conspiracy theory and you have to think: it's deluded. But it's not. Help. 11:11:57 AM

The Decline Of The Meal. Plastic::Etcetera::Living: "Famed historian of food Felipe Fernandez-Armesto offers a wonderful essay on how the disappearance in modern days of proper family meals has brought with it catastrophic social effects, ranging from fragmentation of family life to disease." [Plastic: Most Recent] This article, that appeared in Saturday's Guardian concludes that when we stop grazing we will stop gorging. The author attributes modern western crisis of obesity to the fact that we don't eat together en famille anymore. When I came to France I couldn't get my head around the lunch ritual. At the stroke of noon everything stops for two hours. People sit down and eat big - starter, main course, cheese, desert, wine, water and coffee. Every day not just special occasions. But, you could die of starvation if you miss the 12pm - 2pm window - not a snack to be had in rural france outside of MacDonalds. Even MacDonalds in France takes a more civilised approach to eating - they serve salads and good coffee and beer! This is another aspect of french eating that amazes me. While the rest of the "civilised" world has shunned a drink with lunch and turned instead to designer water, the french always drink (alcohol) with their food. But not for the purpose of getting drunk - just enough to help digest and relax the soul. My children eat a three/four course lunch at school each day. For 2.58 euros a day (less than three bucks) I am assured that they are eating well. This service is a community-based service and we received a leaflet about it at the start of the school year. The purpose of the lunches is not only to feed the children but is designed with a pedagogical approach to introduce them to new taste experiences and valuable social skills. Given the french approach to food - the live to eat as opposed to eat to live approach - they seem remarkably unfat and healthy on it. And they will eat just about anything - nothing goes to waste. I have stopped short at some of the local delicacies, including tete de veau and andouille (my local town) which lends its name to the tripe sausage. 10:48:00 AM

Timeless Words: Fundies: LET ME BE. "People are people, so why should it be- you and I should get along so awfully?" - Depeche Mode [Morons Dot Org] Long article by a gay writer who is sad and fed up at being the target of fundie propaganda. Things are going from bad to worse when the gays of San Francisco feel frightened and abused - it was the mecca for gays worldwide when I was growing up - what happened? As a heterosexual I've always thought that the saddest thing for gays must be the issue of parenthood. When extolling family values, shouldn't christians recognise this overwhelming personal loss in gay family structures and show some sympathy? 10:11:14 AM