To Fortify, or Not to Fortify

DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is an Omega-3 fatty acid naturally found in fish like wild salmon, leafy greens, and grass-fed animals like cows and chickens. It has been proven to help deter heart disease and aid in the development of prematurely born infants and is purported (although not proven) to reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s and improve your vision. Yet, companies have not been inclined to fortify your food with this tasteless, odorless additive in the same way calcium is added to orange juice and iodine to salt. The only notable exception is baby formula, of which DHA fortified products make up 90% of the sales. (DHA, by the way, is also what gives fish oil it's medicinal properties.) Kellogg has been experimenting with DHA and General Mills is preparing to release a DHA fortified yogurt for children, but most companies do not yet see the commercial benefit of adding 15 cents to the price of your Corn Flakes. Would you pay more for fortified food?

~ Miss

The Simple Question of Iraq

I rarely comment on politics - there's a myriad of venues out there for those arguments. But on this point I am truly undecided myself and curious about what honest, thinking people, setting aside party affiliation, have to say. Despite the story being spilled out to the media days before, Wednesday night Bush formally announced a "surge" in American troops to Iraq. This, of course, prompted massive protest from the left and even some detractions from the right. Politically, the war in Iraq has become a quagmire for both sides of the aisle.
It seems to me a reactionary response to denounce the idea of sending more troops. First let me say I was against the war in the beginning and I still am. Setting aside the missing weapons of mass destruction and the big business that the war is for government contractors, I don't believe you should impose democracy on a country before it's ready. Especially so in the middle east, and further, in this day and age when only two functional Islamic democracies exist: Turkey and Indonesia. There is a civil war going on in Iraq it's no wonder (if you don't know anything about the differences between Shiite and Sunni Muslims then you should learn). But unlike wars of the past, there is no organized opposition. There is no one to waive the white flag. There is not going to be a "kiss and make up" moment anytime soon.
So, the situation being what it is, you have to admit, we've made a big ol' mess over there. It is, plainly, a fiasco. And it has gotten consistently worse over the last four years. Pulling out American troops will likely result in the partial collapse of the Iraqi government and an economic sinkhole when the oil market destabilizes. Putting more troops into Iraq will only keep American soldiers in the middle of a civil war that's been roiling in the middle east for 1400 years.
The question I'm positing to all of you is this: Do we have a responsibility to clean up the mess we've made?

~ Miss

In Response:

I am not June Cleaver. I don’t aspire to that image. I don’t want to be a housewife, a stay-at-home-mom, or a "kept" woman. I don't believe it is healthy, or realistic, for women to promote the idea of the '50s housewife as a moral icon. I think women will have just as hard a time earning that .76 cent dollar (.69 cent if you're black) without conflicting ideas of feminine obligation. Lord knows we already spend enough time trying to look like Heidi Klum.

That said… I like to cook. I’m good at it. I enjoy knowing there will be dinner ready when she gets home and that it isn’t take-out. I like handling the annoying little things in our life - the cleaning, the food shopping, the laundry. I like knowing that she will come home to a well-kept house and a made bed. (It should be noted, this is not because she expects it – rather because I’m a touch neurotic. There’s a difference.)

As Ms. has said, I have my own career ambitions to pursue and certainly we cannot afford a single income lifestyle like that to which we have become accustomed. But in the meantime, is it so bad to enjoy taking care of someone you love? Would you do it fulltime if you could? Is that existance acceptably rewarding to forgo ever accomplishing anything more substantial than a really good apple pie? Is pie enough?

You ponder that. I have short ribs in the oven.

~ Miss

Chauvinist Pig

Is it terrible that I like having a housewife? Being freelance, Miss and I go in and out of active employment at proper offices, verses staying home and working on our own stuff. I just began a new job and have left my holiday lazy days for early mornings, lots of coffee, a fairly long commute, and late nights at the office. Miss, on the other hand, is dealing with independent projects, and therefore, gets to stay in the luxury of our home office. This means, she is home when I leave in the mornings, and home when I return in the evenings... with dinner ready. And boy, do I LOVE it. Ooooo... I feel like a husband from the 1950's. She makes me breakfast and grabs the paper in the mornings and then does my laundry. I'm soaking it up so much, I might as well finish the night with a scotch and a cigar, while the little wifey rubs my feet. It's terrible, I know. But I can't deny - I'm totally enjoying it.

xoxo,
Ms.

In a nutshell...

I tell you, Miss and I have hit the ground running in 2007. It seems the rest of the world has as well. I have so much to do, and Miss is giving me the eye to hurry this blog up so that we can get on with it... so here goes:

First off... Nancy Pelosi -- you GO girl! History was made yesterday as the first female Speaker of the House took her chair. It was exciting and fun... now let's see what gets done. My fingers are crossed that Congress actually accomplishes something positive !

From news on the the dark side, however, the hate-filled fuckers over at VoteOnMarriage.org have done the lovely gesture of removing their $5 million federal lawsuit against lawmakers in Massachusetts now that those lawmakers have agreed after all to vote on the proposed amendment banning same-sex marriages in the state, which legalized gay marriage in 2004. This means that the question of the evil amendment will come up again during the next two year legislative session in Massachusetts. It then will only need 50 votes to wind up going to the voters of the state... in other words, Massachusetts voters may be seeing the choice to ban gay marriage on their 2008 ballots. Hey folks voting is democratic! It is a free country... at least for some.

In other parts of the world, people are still dying in Iraq, a plane is missing in Indonesia, Bush is still an idiot and I'm still busy... so I better run. Coming, Miss! Coming! (jeez)

xo,
Ms.

Take me to your... er... leader? Never mind.

Now this is just cool...