From Where I Sit

I've been listening to the book "Eating Animals," by Jonathan Safran Foer, which has been quite an eye-opener! I knew deep down in my heart that there was a BIG problem about the way we get our food--particularly our meat--mostly, how they end up at our tables, or at least at the supermarket counters/fridges, but I was in deep denial about the ghastly things that happen behind the scenes. This book has put the issue front and center for me, and I cannot quite continue to ignore the fact that by consuming animal products, or at least by staying quiet about it, I am just as guilty as the slaughterer and sadistic factory farmer. More on the subject later.

Simple. Those who are making us fat. Obesity has been confirmed to be one of the major causes of health problems, i.e., diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, etc. So why can't we place the burden of PAYING for the very causes of our health problems to those very companies that are doing all they can to make us fat? Coca-Cola. McDonalds. Burger King. Procter & Gamble. Kraft Foods. General Mills. Con-Agra. The list goes on & on. Practically every food manufacturer out there is guilty of this. If they would divert even 1% of their advertising budgets to pay for the cost of an all-inclusive health care plan, one that would cover EVERYONE, even the unemployed, even the indigent, there wouldn't be a healthcare reform crisis. Republicans & Democrats would stop fighting about this topic. This is the kind of legislation that should be considered. Let the responsible pay for their actions, or for their mistakes.

Where does time go when we want to get things done? It's there, but I choose not to take advantage of it. I've come to the conclusion that I'm a scatter-brain that gets easily distracted with clutter of the mind. I start a project, don't finish it, get frustrated, go back to it, on and off, and so on. I have TONS of books that I pick up every chance I get. I have great plans to read them, but I can hardly get through one every 6 months! I have several magazines that I like to read, that I've subscribed to, only to give them a quick once-over when they arrive and then save "for later." I have many plans, but no follow-through. I keep thinking that maybe SOME DAY I'll really get through them and make progress on many fronts. But when? This is how my weekdays go: 5AM get up, go to the gym; 8AM get to work; 5-5:30PM go home; 6PM get home, get dinner, sometimes go to the coffee shop and linger for a couple of hours (catch up on my reading :)), or stop by th...