InkTank

Where's my happy meal toy?!?!?

Last Tuesday was the big election which led to a shifting of power throughout the American government. But something bigger was also voted upon, the future of happy meal toys. 

 San Francisco is the second place to enact toy restrictions on unhealthy happy meals.

The New York Times featured a brief, thorough article on the happening. But there were a few holes in the story, primarily in the choice of sources.

The group primarily effected by this enactment are children, and not one is mentioned. Instead used are spokespeople from McDonald's and for the mayor.

Perhaps the  McDonald's spokeswoman was standing up for this misrepresented group, as quoted by the NY Times:

McDonald’s called the bill misguided. “It’s not what our customers want,” said Danya Proud, a spokeswoman for the company, in a statement. “Nor is it something they asked for.”

 The Associated Press, on the other hand, supplied a child's point of view.

But 13-year-old David Sanchez, of San Francisco, said getting rid of the toy giveaway in the meals shouldn't deter sales.

Another missing link in the NY Times article was the lack of nutritional reference. They mentioned what some of the parameters sould be, however, the point of reference was not there.  Many fast food chains now have easily accessible.

For example, if they had looked at McDonald's website, a cheeseburger happy meal with apple dippers and a chocolate milk (the highest calorie counts of the "healthy" meals) the count is approximately 575, which is below the maximum of 600 calories.

Public transportation gets stranger

It was a gorgeous Saturday, the kind that just makes you want to be out and about. My roommate and I were volunteering at Taste of Georgetown, a gathering of 30  restaurants from Georgetown to raise money for the Georgetown Ministry Center. It was the perfect day to be outside chilling with good people and helping out a good cause.

We left with plenty of time to get to Georgetown, but we experience unexpected difficulties. At one of the first stops along the Circulator route, a bus to Georgetown, the doors would not close. It was bizarre to say the least. The would get to a certain point and then open all the way again instead of closing.

Suddenly the rumble of the engine stopped. The bus went silent. Everyone was looking around and looking to the front of the bus to the driver. He tried starting it a few times, but it wouldn't go. I sat there remembering why I ride my bike to my internship in Georgetown.

Finally the bus started again. I looked down at my watch. We should make it about right on time I thought. But then the driver had to stop the bus at every stop to make the doors close. The stops took long enough as it was since there were so many people headed for Taste of Georgetown, but having to stop the bus was just like the cherry on top of a bad bus ride. Luckily we made it to Georgetown only a few minutes late, and the volunteer organizer had built in time for people to be late.

The ride back after the event was like pandemonium as well. It was like a giant rush of people all pushing their way on as if the driver would close the door and leave them. I was reminded why I love riding my bike to Georgetown, so many people all going to the same place makes public transportation crazy. Georgetown's just so popular.

Life in the city

I’m not a huge fan of change. I like routine; sort of knowing what’s coming in a general sense. In short, NOT living on the edge. 

Therefore, coming to Washington, D.C. made me a little nervous, but stepping out and trying new things is an important part of life, right? So I packed my bags and journeyed forth to lovely Washington, D.C., the home of the nation’s capital, beautiful monuments, fascinating museums and lots of joggers.

When I arrived in D.C. I had to start getting used to my new surroundings. This is always tough for me to do. There were lots of new people, a new living arrangement, new ways of getting around, etc. And, of course, lots of learning. So here is a little bit of what I’ve learned so far:

Transportation in the city is different from anything I’ve ever experienced before. The streets in Washington appear to have been laid out with the express purpose of frustrating drivers and endangering the lives of pedestrians. It’s odd when the most convenient way of getting around involves being shot through underground tunnels at alarming speeds. But that’s the beauty of the  Metro and I think it works out pretty well.

Take that, Suzy Homemaker!

People who know me would not consider me a "cook." I have been known to burn my share of cookies and cakes and can barely boil water without messing it up. I can make a mean bowl of cereal, but that's about it.

So why did I feel the need to make homemade ravioli from scratch last night?

Maybe I am inspired by living in a new city for the semester. Maybe I am reaching out to my Italian heritage. Maybe it is because I have started to think about how I may have a family someday and might want to feed them more than Spaghettios and Captain Crunch for dinner.

Free Food For Voting!

Restaurants are rewarding voters today by giving out free food!
Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Dunkin Donuts, Krispie Kreme Doughnuts and Ben and Jerry's are just a few of the businesses that are participating. I took advantage of Starbucks free 12 oz. brewed coffee, a $1.65 value. Since I don't like coffee, I gave it to my boss. I tried getting a free scope of ice cream at Ben and Jerry's, but the line was too long. Nothing like celebrating your right to vote with free food!