Tag Archives: Education

Photoshop: Unhealthy Images Are Bad For You

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Will New Attitudes and Regulatory Oversight Hit Delete on Photo Retouching in Print Ads? | Adweek. It’s true, people do make unhealthy lifestyle choices based on images that they see in print, especially advertising media that purport to show the ideals of beauty. As amazingly idiotic as it may seem, there are still plenty of people who will overlook the obvious nature of retouched images and still consider the ideal plausible; starvation, manic exercise, dubious diets and loads of money wasted on beauty products are the result of this determination to fight against reason and strive for an impossible body image.

Image manipulation example
Air brushing and touch up example from linked article

Over-Thinking Is a Bad Practice (But a Fine Profession)

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There is a keen difference between having an analytical mind and a compulsory need to indulge in interpreting every detail of every event (or non-event) that one comes across. Too much effort spent on discovering the hidden nuance in a tossed-off phrase quickly gets in the way of understanding the moment. Treating life’s every-day occurrences as mini-conspiracies that must be revealed in full can cause the sort of mind-trap that prohibits an individual from being able to revel in the beautiful mysteries that life is actually throwing at us every moment. Sometimes, being able to let go of the need to “know” everything can actually open up a world of understanding, awareness and appreciation.

And then there are people like R. Salvador Reyes. An accomplished poet, he has spent some time on the observation of the minutiae. When I first encountered his fragile, emerging prose nearly thirty years ago, it was apparent that he was interested in deeper themes and unseen details. Continue reading Over-Thinking Is a Bad Practice (But a Fine Profession) →

Email is ruinous

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Stationary stationery, also known as immobile note paper. Now if only there was one of those writing sticks handy.
Stationary stationery, also known as immobile note paper. Now if only there was one of those writing sticks handy.

The United States Postal Service is a national treasure. A beacon of efficiency, the USPS has historically been the best and least expensive way to send correspondence or small packages. Now, however, it is being threatened with huge cuts. Some in the government have questioned its relevance in the 21st Century. But our postal system may actually be more relevant now than ever before.

The Art of Communication has faltered in the age of email and Twitter. People have gotten lazier and lazier in the name of character efficiency to the point where a limited number of characters has drained the character right out of typical tweets. Continue reading Email is ruinous →

Panic: Very Unhealthy

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Fear mongering, as you should know by now, is one of the top ways that people or corporations get you to buy. This is true politically as well as economically, so it is always worth reminding ourselves that panic is a reaction that circumvents intellect. Sometimes it is certainly warranted, but (hopefully) not often. So, when being approached with an idea or a product that is presented from a fear-based perspective, always think twice and look closely.

Here is an interesting example that I came across online: Survival Joe’s Newsletter. It even comes with one of those handy newfangled barcode links for those of you who have a free smartphone in your hand as you read this.jbfy1-survivalj-qrcode-MEDIUM

Continue reading Panic: Very Unhealthy →

Apathy is Supremely Bad. For Everyone.

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Invisible Children | Kony2012.

If you are not aware of who Joseph Kony is, you should be. He is the embodiment of evil in a part of the world that is too often ignored by the rest of us and the fact that he has been allowed to carry on his reign of terror for well over 20 years is a testament to the power of apathy. Continue reading Apathy is Supremely Bad. For Everyone. →

Nutritional Claims: Don’t Believe the Hype

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When a product claims to be “A good source of calcium!” – beware. Chances are that this is a smokescreen to get you to purchase an unhealthy product.

Seriously, suggesting that Product X is a good source of calcium is akin to stating that gin is a good source of water. Certainly, drinking 16 ounces of gin could be one way of getting a “serving” of water toward your daily quota. But is it the best way? Making gin your sole source of water would have disastrous consequences, at least for your liver. Probably also for your relationships and career, but that is another issue altogether.

A list of other candidates for a “good source” of water would necessarily include espresso, which is also a diuretic. This is the same sort of logic that many mega-brand corporate “food” packagers appear to follow Continue reading Nutritional Claims: Don’t Believe the Hype →

Science-Light, or Sciency Sounding Sound Bytes – Not Only Bad, But Stupid

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This article brought up some thoughts about people choosing to either be dumb or promote ignorance in the name of greed:

In Heartland Institute Leak, a Plan to Discredit Climate Teaching – NYTimes.com.

The part that made me angry, actually, isn’t that there are people out there actually foolish enough to believe the message this group is spreading. Nor is it the fact that certain interests might finance their mission, which is at this point something I have sadly accepted as inevitable. What makes me angry is the willful attempt to disrupt the education of our children and fill their heads with what is at best confusing claptrap, at worst outright lies. Taking hundreds of thousands of private dollars and targeting that money toward a misinformation curriculum when our nation’s schools are already struggling so much because of political maneuvering and posturing and kowtowing is an unforgivable transgression against our society and the coming generations.

Dangers and Toxicity of Artificial Color and Food Dye | Suite101.com

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Dangers and Toxicity of Artificial Color and Food Dye | Suite101.com.

Common Sweets Often Contain Chemical Dye

Now, here is something that is just plain bad for you and industry wants to just sweep the evidence right under the table. I’ve seen mild reactions to dye in food many times over the years and I have corresponded with a few people who have experience with extreme behavioral or physiological reactions. Not long after writing the article linked here, a person I know had a pronounced allergic reaction to dye that sent him to the hospital. But for me, it’s all about the children. Why poison their bodies pointlessly? Why train them from a young age to believe that brightly colored foods are somehow preferable to naturally colored foods?

Hanging out in a client’s kitchen, I learned that a lot of restaurants use Yellow #5 in their eggs because they want that appealing uniform color. He kept a gallon jug of the color right above the station where they mixed the eggs in the back prep room. I mentioned the article to him (which I had just written, and so it was very much on my mind at the time) and he had no idea that Yellow #5 is one of the colors most likely to cause problems. The manufacturer does not warn of any possible side-effects on the container, after all. I guess that is what research is for.