Neither Here Nor There

Have you seen the new Sun-Maid commercials?  They feature a computer generated version of the Sun-Maid girl.  Notice anything strange about her?  Well, if not, you and I are in the same boat.  Apparently, her thin, buxom appearance is causing controversy.  One blogger has been quoted as comparing her to Julia Roberts in Amish attire.  Even Sun-Maid executives admit to the departure from her more traditional look.

Here is a recent shot of her “traditional” look:

And here she is in the new TV spot:

Looks like she may have been working out, but it’s very clear that the TV girl is based on the package girl.

So, why the change?  According to what I’ve read, Sun-Maid wanted to update her so that she would fit in with all the health food propaganda and look more in line with contemporary images of women.  There is even talk of taking her into society and letting her do some normal things, like going to the gym or going shopping.  (So easy the Sun-Maid girl can do it?)

So, why the hoopla?  I’m not sure, but I think it’s because Americans are bored, but that’s an entirely different discussion.

Or is it?  Everything is connected, after all.

Micheal Vick’s Reward for Crime

He’s back, as I’m sure you’ve heard, the Dog-Fighting Super Villain of the NFL, Micheal Vick.  In a continued effort to ensure there are no heroes or role models in the NFL (or any other sport, for that matter), this criminal has been allowed to return to national sports, and in a big way.  He’s all over TV.  His celebrity status has grown, it seems.  He is the accident on the highway, and we can’t look away because there might be something to see as we pass.  He’s a thug.  He’s an embarrassment to the fans of the NFL, and by extension — through what football means as an important part of our culture — an embarrassment to our society as a whole.  And worse than Vick, the news media should be ashamed for rewarding a criminal with fame.

I hate to admit to my own double standard, but in much the same way as it is wrong to pay more attention to a “high-profile” crime because it involves people with money or prestige, it is wrong to constantly publicize or even forgive criminal behavior when it involves a celebrity.  At the risk of sounding old-fashioned, athletes should be held to higher standards than those to which we hold them today.  They are not rock stars.  Rock stars are responsible for providing the dirt and the decadence.  Athletes are responsible, and have always been held responsible, for providing youth with positive role models.

Now, why am I hearing about a TV show in his honor?  Why am I hearing that he is going to be rewarded further for his criminal behavior?  Any monetary benefits from his post-dog-fighting endeavors should go to organizations fighting the abuse of animals.

There has been a lot of talk about what’s wrong with healthcare in this country.  Some say we need this public option thing that’s never really been made clear — some sort of government owned insurance version of medicare?  Others say everyone in this nation should be required to buy into some sort of insurance (a plan complete with penalties for not being in the system).  The only thing everyone can agree on is that every American needs healthcare.

Okay, so the previous statement actually starts to get to the real problem.  “Every American needs healthcare.”  The statement implies treatment for illness or other conditions.  It has also come to imply, for far too many of us, the availability of some sort of health coverage, or insurance.  Treatment and coverage should not be synonymous.  If we can agree that they are two entirely separate ideas, we can get started on correcting this problem.  “Treatment” is medical care; that is, a medical professional caring for a patient for any condition that needs medical attention.  “Coverage,” then, must be the financial aid just about everyone needs under the current healthcare system.

Do you want to fix the healthcare system?  Eliminate coverage.  How do you eliminate coverage?  Eliminate the need for coverage.  Let’s be completely honest here.  Healthcare should be seen as a public service.  Not a public service in the sense that we set up a social healthcare system, but a public service in the sense that it is not practiced primarily for personal gain.  The sole purpose of the profession, as seen through the eyes of the patient, is to provide a fundamental service to the general public.

We’ve adopted this same attitude towards education.  Everyone has a right to an education.  Education is no longer a matter of privilege, so much so that even the university is being criticized for the cost.

The cost, by the way, is the same problem with healthcare.  If everyone has a right to healthcare, then what we should focus on is cutting the cost of healthcare.  If we were truly honest, we would be able to admit that the only reason it costs so much is because someone wants to make a buck, or a few thousand.  Yes, the profession is important.  Yes, that’s a good reason for some prestige.  Yes, that is even more reason to keep the cost down as low as possible.

Until the cost is cut so that the general public can afford to stay healthy without insurance, there will always be problems with healthcare.  Screwing up medicare and fining the uninsured will only make things worse.  But who knows?  Maybe that’s what we need.  Make the system fall and rebuild it so that it actually works for the people.

Toyota is recalling 3.8 million vehicles because of faulty floormats.  Apparently, the floor mat gets caught on the accelerator and cannot be removed by the driver under any circumstances.  That’s right: even Chuck Norris is not qualified enough to remove his own faulty floor mat.  I’m not completely sure what this inane recall says about Americans or the American auto industry, but it can’t be good.

For all the people who will be reached by issuing a recall, a simple statement to consumers and dealers would suffice.  Something along the lines of REMOVE THE FLOOR MATS IN THESE AUTOMOBILES. (With a list of models, of course.)  The big question here is which approach could be more cost effective?

Hopefully this issue is resolved without too many problems.  Can’t have unremovable floor mats killing folks.

On a serious note, here are some of the cars listed as part of the recall:

• 2007-2010 Toyota Camry
• 2005-2010 Toyota Avalon
• 2004-2009 Toyota Prius
• 2005-2010 Tacoma
• 2007-2010 Toyota Tundra
• 2007-2010 Lexus ES350
• 2006-2010 Lexus IS250 and IS350.

–The D.

That title is actually part of CNN Headline News’ new thing.  HLN is their new name — it’s just too hard for people today to say or spell Headline News, what with all this texting and mobile gratification (but that’s a different entry).

What did I miss?

Once upon a time, the news was just that: the news.  If that’s confusing, Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines the term “news” as “a report of recent events” or “previously unknown information” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/news).  There is nothing in the definition about the newscasters’ views on the stories being reported.  Sure, commentary is — or can be — important.  Commentary can help open up a valuable dialogue over the pressing issues, but every newscast is not supposed to be commentary.

Why should there be a dividing line between commentary and just news?  As we see today with all the commentary polluting our TV news channels, commentary can make the actual news pretty cloudy so that the audience has trouble discerning the facts from the opinions.  Enter conspiracy theorists — you know, the ones who believe news reports are foggy so that we don’t really know what’s going on, just that something is going on, and what we do know is not the truth but an opinion we are expected to argue over with no background information.  Whether or not it’s happening because of some diabolical political plot against We-The-People, it’s what’s happening.

Can’t the American people make up their own minds?

That’s like asking “which came first” these days.  We just don’t know, because it’s not allowed.  Watch the news tonight.  Don’t really try to pay attention to the story; just pay attention to the views expressed.  Then, tomorrow, go to the mall or hang around in any place where people congregate and run their mouths.  You will hear many people repeat the exact words you heard on TV.

That’s why we need the news:  we need to think on our own so that we are not controlled by the political marketing that is taking place in our newscasts.  Then, when the commentary comes in, we can take part in the discussion.

–The D.