NYTimes, Milk-- It's an outrage...

It has been a goal of mine to make sure I immerse myself in quality literature and news this year as it occurred to me that I don't read nearly enough about what is going on around me. The absence of television and the unreliability that often accompanies mass-spread media vehicles like AMNY and the Metro leave me skeptical. (Although, it is always good to question what you read)

The New York Times has been a long standing, reliable news source for the New York City area and the world. It has a reading ease of 39, which means the intended audience is those who are about to enter college and those who have completed higher levels of learning. The news has been trusted and has reflected what the reader of the metropolis in which we live desire. And as we follow the media wave towards online services for what normally is made into print, I subscribe to the online version of the Times, where I skim at lightning speed what I want to read and what I need to read.


What I have been following has been the scandal on China's food contaminations. It is deplorable how the Chinese have attempted to fake the protein levels of baby formula with a plasticized resin called Melamine. Essentially they water down the formula and add the melamine so that its protein level "appears" to be fuller by use of the nitrogen gas levels. However, by being so sneaky, this pseudo formula causes cyanuranic acids to produce which causes kidney stones and even kidney failure... in babies!!
(It has been said that China had this problem last year with animal food, but this issue concerning humans have forgotten that little bit of information and has become an outrage because that babies and possibly adults have been affected.-- China hasn't learned.)

There has been evidence that this melamine epidemic has spread to powered and condense milk products and thus a scare for all products in which they that form of milk produce. The latest NYTimes article I found, China Widens Food Tests on Signs of New Contamination by David Barboza, made me jump out of my seat in outrage it had startled my co-worker. She was surprised that I would be so upset when I explained to her the problems. I responded by explaining that if China has problems with foods... then that whole country can have problems. (To be honest I don't trust that huge country to be on top of strict quality control and thus the signs of contaminations in other areas of the food industry doesn't surprise me). But we should also be most concerned when Hong Kong, now under China rule (but I vaguely recall that it holds separate policies with regards to most all industry works), is going to spread out their inspections. This may just mean that they are being extra careful not to damage their image and provide consumer comfort, but this could also mean that they have used products from China in which have been contaminate-- or maybe they are under China control and therefore the quality that came with the British went with them in 97'.

I have grown up an American born Chinese in a *suburban town with the familiarity of the different qualities Stamford, Connecticut food compares to that of Chinatown, Manhattan, New York. Where an apple can be simply rubbed on one's sleeve another would not even think of eating if it weren't thoroughly scrubbed. It is not to really say that in reality, an apple from the Stop & Shop is necessarily all that clean, it is just to believe that a big institution like Stop & Shop has more of a reputation as opposed to the street stands on Canal that hawk Bok Choy, Gai Lan and Fu Gua that freshly cut their goods from local farms.

Produce aside, in Stamford, quality is determined by name, in Chinatown, my mom taught, quality is in where the product is from (I'm talking more in respects to packaged foods). It is not a duel between store brand and "designer" brand names in Chinatown, but the battle of countries with their national work and ethic reputations. She said that Hong Kong is good, Taiwan is ok, China... you have to be careful. I thought it was a bias kind of thing, because she is from Hong Kong, but as it may be, evidence shows that Chinese made products is something of a worry to all of us who partake in buying Asian fare.

Back to the melamine problems in China. How does this affect us? Well, if you have a particular taste to Asian dairy products, products made with milk, chocolates maybe and it appears that eggs may also have the problem component, then either eat very little of it (as supposedly, small small doses isn't harmful) or steer clear.

I am going to assume (or it may be wishful thinking) that China will get itself out of this controversy soon, because better than they are at cutting corners, they are concerned with how they look in the eyes of the west. They will be motivated to eradicate this decline in reliability, or at least I hope so. Maybe this is some kind of inherent prejudice I have of those who share my ethnic background. It may be why I was so moved and so angry. But it appears to me to be the tragic flaw of China is its burning desire to prove to the world that they can compete with the Western world. Partial blame has be said of the capitalistic American and western influence to make some developing countries grow faster than they naturally can on their own.

The Sun's Good Mood is Contagious

My friend Devin is going to be on tv tonight. It's great, STYLISTA on the CW. It's quite exciting actually, I can't wait to see what exactly, or at least what the producers extracted, happened while she was away for those couple months last spring. We're doing a little premier party tonight :)


So I realize that within the magazine production team, there are some amazing girls who are always going to be there to help me out. It's a team effort after all. NYChic Magazine and the "Catwalk to Kimmel" newsletter was birth out of our ideas and collaborative efforts. Thank you, you guys for making sure that we stay afloat. I have had anxiety that everything is just going to fall apart and it's not something I like to think about but it has happened numerous of times during the lifespan of NYU FBA Publications.
Publications, at least the artistic aspect of it, has always intrigued me. It had been my goal upon starting college, to be apart of some kind of publication, to learn layout and design--kind of to do what Jennifer Garner did in 13 Going on 30... actually that was exactly what I wanted to do-- create fabulous spreads and themes that go back to the roots and create just what that magazine needs. Well now I have my own publication to work with. I started at production for our school newspaper, but it wasn't exactly what I wanted to do here. Now as Editor in Chief of "Catwalk to Kimmel" and News Director of NYChic Magazine, there is something new happening all the time and its a place to be creative and consider others.

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I'm in such a good mood today, it's ridiculous. I think I owe it to the fact that I had such a bad night on Monday, was sleep deprived Tuesday, but with a catch up on Brothers and Sisters as well as the final Harry Potter installment night last night, I am a little better now. It has been a LONG time since I read for pleasure and I believe it may be one of the first times since I came to NYU. I knew that getting that small bubble of a lamp at IKEA was a sign of good things to come in my little nook at the head of my bed.

This good mood is such a great feeling as stress had literally took over my life and made it miserable the last couple of weeks. (I guess we will have to see after tomorrow when I find out how my papers for a couple of classes fare... fingers crossed my mood won't be reversed).

And it's funny how the morning sun is one of nature's best medicine. This morning I missed the Water Street bus again. I literally miss this bus every Wednesday and Friday when I have to go to work on more odd hours (rather not NYU class schedule hours), therefore I am forced to take the Subway (rather forced to pay $2) and kick myself for wasting money (it adds up you know). The train is so much quicker, I don't know why we don't all forgo the busing system down where I live... other than the fact I would probably die if ALL NYU kids took the A/C 1/2/3 morning rush to West 4th. All of this and the sun in my eyes didn't bother me all that much. Must have been the sleep I got, Harry Potter and Brothers and Sisters that did the trick...

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I don't know how to deal with having a blog really. I was thinking of going for the whole fashion forward, random-new-stuff-that-interest-me-at-the-moment kind of stuff but in an organized fashion, but it's hard to do that because that means I have to be well organized and constantly thinking of that kind of stuff. That I think would be hard in general because it is hard to limit one's thoughts anyway, especially mine... I am in mental overload all the time, it drives my computer crazy when I get intrigued by something and am Google-ing it or something of the research sort.
Then I realized that this is more of an active diary, a forum of thought. I epitomize one thing and I don't think anyone can really just label themselves in a category. The same goes with thinking, so I can't really just write about one thing, but I can write about all of it that comes to mind come blog time.

Until the next time,
E

Motivation to be innovative and smart.

My friend Duda on Wednesday, informed me that the Brazillian dollar faces a 20 cent weekly increase when matched up to the American dollar. When she told me the American dollar was worth 2.2 Brazilian Real. Today, Friday, it's $2.28.

Zimbabwe suffers from a 40 million percent inflation according to the New York Times,
People wait in lines as early as 2AM to get the American equivalent of $1 or $2.

Schwartzeneger asked for a $7 billion bailout for California to prevent them from letting workers go.

When will this financial crisis talk end? When does the fear that life as we know it will end in regards to money? Everything is connected... the Wall Street failure in New York had officially alerted the public that there is something wrong with the economy and needs attention. The world has started to answer the cries of New York and I think we will hear those echoes for a long time coming.
I don't know much about the Financial world. I know nothing more than a few economics courses has taught me, so I am no expert, but I do want to learn more. It is in our best interest to not be depressed but find some kind of hope, be innovative and smart.

The saying goes, "It's a crazy world out there...". My mission is treat it like a packed lunch... dig through, open it up, eat and digest it... gross? cool.

Over heard: a blond boy and a ginger haired girl sporting private school duds and nanny trailing behind them- aged b/t 8-10??

Girl: I came back from horse back riding and when went to get a drink, I thought the the cup was full of water, but it was really white wine! Blechhhh...
Boy: Wine! I love wine!
Girl: Ew, why?
Boy: White wine?! Ew, I like red. I LOVE WINE!
Girl: Why?! It's soo gross...
Boy: I love it!

They stop at the corner of 5th Ave. and 10th Street...

Boy: Come on (nanny's name) hurry up!!

-- They were the size I was in elementary school... what are they doing with the taste for wine!!.. I was walking out of the Bronfman Center where there was Grape Juice on the table for Yom Kimpour dinner or some kind of event... and then I am walking behind these two... I hope they were joking because I don't think I like this whole baby wine drinkers thing.


Also...
Celeb sighting: Michael Shannon... the guy that gets locked up in a trunk and beat up in Bad Boys II... http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0788335/
Eh.. not a big sighting but it's cool. Love the movie!

The beginning of a beautiful relationship...

It has become a blogger world out there and what better way to understand it than to be apart of it.

Time and time again I find myself reluctant and plain out stubborn with following trend and accepting, what I deem, conformity. However, blogs seem to be the timeless concept of writing thoughts out, keeping a diary if you will, and I think it may suit my tired sore hand fine.

Since I was young, I have found that my best friend to be my mom. Sappy I know, but it is true. She is one of the only people in my life who will selflessly give in to me ranting, venting, have diareah of the mouth, without really saying a word until I am done. She is on the same page as me. She gives me advice. She throws in an occasional scolding here and there for my somewhat spastic potty language and then resumes on listening to me. It's great... but I guess I am going to give her a break as I venture into the blogging world.

I can hear her now... she may not be keen to the idea of my publishing for the world, or the very few who listen to my outpouring of heart and soul and pure bull that may spill out, but it is a relationship I am risking to keep my sanity and keep things in writing... after all sometimes things don't become real until one fully digests it and acknowledge it somehow (i.e. this blog). So warning to all... she will be so pissed at me if some creeper comes at me and uses these words and access to what I say against me... so very pissed. Please be kind. Rewind... and keep away from me if you are some creeper with bad thoughts.

Let the games begin... I have waited so long to post... couldn't find the perfect title... it's probably not the best right now, but I just can't wait anymore... gotta spill!
-E