Baffling Disparity: Hunger and Obesity

Photos from dailykos.com

"This photograph, also taken in Sudan, won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for South African photographer Kevin Carter, who subsequently committed suicide.", and

"A well nourished Sudanese man steals maize from a starving child during a food distribution at the Medecins Sans Frontieres feeding centre in Ajiep, southern Sudan. by Tom Stoddart."

Meanwhile, according to bettertimes.cc,

"The incidence of childhood obesity is rapidly rising throughout the world. The obesity epidemic is especially evident in industrialized nations where many people live sedentary lives and eat more convenience foods, which are typically high in calories and low in nutritional value. In just two decades, the prevalence of overweight doubled for U.S. children ages 6 to 11 — and tripled for American teenagers. The annual National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that about one-third of U.S. children are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. In total, about 25 million U.S. children and adolescents are overweight or nearly overweight."

Starvation, apathy, greed, and gluttony at its worst. I'm at a loss for words.

Mo Willems and Lou Ferrig-who? at the N.Y. 2009 Comic Con

The three-day New York 2009 Comic Convention that commenced on February 6 at the Jacob Javits Center was quite a hit, or so I was told. My husband took my son, who met the nationally acclaimed Brooklyn author/illustrator, Mo Willems, the illustrious creator renowned for his clever children stories and straightforward illustrations, dominated by offbeat characters, such as the utterly wily pigeon, who repeatedly carries out his antics in a series of attempts to gain your trust in “Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive the Bus”, “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late”, “The Pigeon Finds a Hotdog”, and “The Pigeon Wants a Puppy”. And was Mr. Willems rather pleasant to his supporters, I’m told. He didn’t charge a penny for a snapshot with him.


***Video courtesy of cnet.com

On the contrary, Lou Ferrigno, the former green monster guy, named The Incredible Hulk, who underwent a grotesque transformation every time he was overcame with fury, apparently had his head stuck in green once again at the Con, well, metaphorically speaking. And no, I don’t mean that rage overcame him all over again. Mr. Ferrigno was somewhat possessed by a different sort, or shade, of green, as in dough, the cash kind, in which case, you might as well take his green obsession quite literally, I suppose. You had to hand him both a Jackson and a Hamilton for a picture with him. Now, that’s incredible! And I don’t mean that in a cool way. No, not at all. Now, whenever I’m reminded of the dated green guy, I think of this hideous “green” guy—and definitely not the Hulk of our current times, Ed Norton—for charging my son who had actually been excited to meet the green monstrosity with his dad at the Con.

Dismissing this not so incredible facet of the Con, the event was pretty awesome, my son reports. By the way, Mo Willems’ website, mowillems.com, and his ironically famous but nameless pigeon’s site, pigeonpresents.com, offer smart amusement and a totally cavity-free treat.

Sweet Security

Ah, the sweet assurances of Social Security. Hope you’ve been receiving your periodical Social Security statements too. SS is simply splendid.

Here’s a glimpse of the heart of its splendor.
(An excerpt from the Social Security statement, with emphasis added in italics)

You and your family may be eligible for valuable benefits:

When you die, your family may be eligible
To receive survivors benefits.

Social Security may help you if you become
disabled—even at a young age.

A young person who has worked and paid
Social Security taxes in as few as two years
can be eligible for disability benefits.

Social Security credits you earn move with you
from job to job throughout your career.

Isn’t it just great—that it (the credit) stays with you throughout your working life, or basically until you’re just about ready to hit the sack, literally and permanently. Oh, but you’ve been working out at the gym, so being strong and healthy will allow you to enjoy the fruits of your labor. And your family may benefit too. But only when you’re dead. However, if you become disabled now, you may get assistance, even if you’re young. Now, why do I feel like this is starting to sound more and more sinister than beneficial… Maybe, it’s just my neurosis.

I'm Asian and Michelle Obama's Vogue-ing, but where are the Whites?

As the economy continues to crumble and people receive pink slips at their jobs, fashionistas only continue to strut their style ever so fiercely. And speaking of vouge-ing, the big talk of town is Michelle Obama's Voque cover. Which is pretty harmless per se. Don't get me wrong, please : I love clothes. But I just think it a pretty awkward time (to put it in mildly) to be overtly fashion focus (unless you're in the business of selling clothes to keep yourself and others employed, why not?) when most people are worried about how to cover their next month's rent. (By the way, did you hear that stamps are going up two more cents by May? While this piece of info may be inconsequential for you, not to affect you in any way at all, it may be bothersome to others who still prefer snail mail, and just when gas prices are creeping up again too. I just wonder how long it will take for New York to follow suit and hike its toll from the $8 current rate while the other costs of commuting, such as the subway, light rail, and tolls only continue to rise, in case you haven't noticed.)

While a first lady ought to present herself well in all aspects, and indeed in her appearance, it is perhaps more sensible for a person of high regard to apply tact...Esp. during this economic crisis. Show America that she commiserates with her people and is with them in spirit at all times. One could hardly show that kind of empathy when one of the first things on her agenda is to grace the cover of a style magazine. Again, I don't mean to offend, as I also occasionally flip through the pages of fashion mags. It's just that given our nation's economic condition, it seems so ungraceful, so insensitive, so wrong for the first lady to be so vocally candid about her fashion style during these difficult times in our nation, if I may be so vocally candid about her candidness. Besides, doesn't one's style exude anyway, without the need for an announcement? Leave all the unnecessary tooting to Hollywood. For when you zoom out and see the little things under you in light of the bigger picture, the frills just seem so pointless against our most basic needs... Like food, shelter, employment. (By the way, I had just picked up a nice pair of black, strappy, spring/summer platform sandals for $14.99. Yes, I did and am quite happy about it, as it is very rare for me to find nice and comfy sandals that fit well. And I'm not the first lady.) All that aside, something else struck me in the Michelle Obama interview. Here's an excerpt from AOL's news headline:

On entertaining in the White House: "We want entertaining in the White House to feel like America, that we are reminded of all the many facets of our culture. The Latino community, the Asian-American community, the African-American community.…Hip-hop, spoken word—we want to bring the youth in, for them to hear their voices in this."

Where is the mention of the White community? (By the way, I'm Asian.) I guess I have to buy the magazine to see if it follows the ellipsis...maybe between the African-American community and Hip-hop.? Hey, be nice. Again, I just noticed, and it's quite obvious unless some serious typo was committed.

Mary Poppins 45th Anniversary Edition

If not for anything else—because this film is one of those things to love or hate, like city life, depending on one’s impression, or like “rare” or “well-done”, with the latter being synonymous to being “overcooked” for the ones who prefer the former, or like pop or rock in music - there’s no middle ground for this one for an ambivalent audience, because again, you’d either watch this or you won’t, or you’ve seen it before, enjoyed it, and would gladly see it again, or would rather learn how to knit, you get the point—you’d watch this purely for entertainment. Why? Well, because it’s simply great entertainment. And Walt Disney and great entertainment are synonymous; when you talk of one, you’re talking of the other. This 45th Anniversary Special Edition of Disney's Mary Poppins is an absolute, all-time family amusement. One can hardly scoff at this rather sappy musical. It is farfetched, which makes for a fantastic show. And yet, even in all its whimsy, lending an escape from reality—and it was so for the writer of Mary Poppins, Pamela Traverse, whose childhood and adult tapestry she had knitted and romanticized for a children's book (though the Mary Poppins in the book could hardly be considered as charming as she was, though enigmatic, and certainly not a romantic).  She consistently disapproved of Disney’s updated version of her nanny, according to Valerie Lawson’s account of the embittered and intriquing author in Lawson’s book, Mary Poppins, She Wrote, which I’ll cover next time—the movie shows the bleak reality of life, such as that of a misguided father, Mr. George Banks (David Tomlinson), who is consumed by his rigid philosophy and career for his family’s sustenance, neglecting his family - his subversive wife, Winifred (Glynis Johns), and children, Michael and Jane (Matthew Garber and Karen Dotrice). In flies the “practically perfect” nanny, Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews), to the rescue, with her magical umbrella and carpet bag, armed with wit, tenacity, and charm, and the help of a good-old friend Bert (Dick Van Dyke), a quirky and cheerful chimney-sweep.  The Banks' children learn some valuable lessons as fly with their Mary and Bert to awesome adventures, where they meet buoyant Uncle Albert (Ed Winn) and a lowly bird lady (Jane Darwell).


Disney’s brings you this remastered fanfare which boasts brilliant animation, magical story seasoned, distinctive characters, fantastic scenes, and excellent choreography, especially in the “Step-in-Time” sequence with the chimney sweeps.  Exceptional design by Bob Crowley’s  and outstanding musical scores by the Sherman Brothers.

This special 2-Disc set features Backstage Disney, which includes a peek at Disney on Broadway, Music sets with a downloadable MP3 for “Step In Time”, Rare Behind-The-Scenes Footage, and Fun Facts; an Animated Short hosted by Julie Andrews; a Reunion with Andrews, Van Dyke, and Sherman; and the 1964 Premier of Mary Poppins, along with a few extra treats, including an interview with the author, Valerie Lawson. This dynamic animated edition is surely much more than just a dose or a “spoonful of sugar”. It’s “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” with quite a lot of sugar. But it’s still good.