Mad Men and King Corn
September 22nd, 2008
On the recommendation of SamJay, Carol and I are watching “Mad Men”, the AMC show that won the Emmy last night for best drama. We are, as usual these days, doing this by getting the DVD’s from Netflix, rather than “watching TV.”
We weren’t sold on “Mad Men” at first, especially because of the pilot featured historical inaccuracies, over-the-top situations, and ludicrous dialog. In fact, after watching season 1, disc 1, we weren’t sure if we’d queue up disc 2.
But Samjay urged me to stick with it, and we’re glad we did. The series picked up quickly after the third episode, presumably thanks in part to having a team of writers smoothing out creator Matt Weiner’s idiosyncrasies. The characterizations and relationships become much richer as the series progresses, and the acting is first rate. But c’mon, does anybody have a work life that’s as rich, complex and rewarding as the characters on TV programs?
I was surprised to read in the Sunday Boston Globe that “Mad Men” has only about 1.5 million viewers. The Emmy should help that, and thanks to DVD it’s easy to start at the beginning.
Something else I’ve seen that I recommend is the documentary “King Corn”. If you liked “Supersize Me” and you read “Fast Food Nation”, you’ll want to see this. “King Corn” is a journey of curiosity and learning, and it has a wonderfully leisurely pace with a critical, yet non-judgmental tone. The commentary from farmers and academic experts alike is honest and given equal consideration, although the conclusion about the effects of corn on the American diet — obesity and diabetes — is undeniable. Here’s the trailer.
Filed under: All Posts, Politics, Religion & Money
16 Comments Add your own
1. jeaniebeanie | September 22nd, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Molly caught THIS ad campaign by the evil King Korn pushers.
http://sweetsurprise.com/
An ad by these LIARS shows a very thin, healthy young woman trying to get a very thin, young man to eat a SMALL Popsicle. He says to “High fructose corn syrup! Isn’t that BAD?” and she says “CORN, it’s just CORN!” Molly has already been educated about the evils of high fructose corn syrup and now reads labels before picking a sweetened drink. Now she usually just chooses water.
2. jeaniebeanie | September 22nd, 2008 at 9:18 pm
P.S. I heard of “Mad Men” for the first time on NPR’s “Fresh Air” this afternoon. The scene they played where the main character sells a Kodak Carousel Projecter had me in tears and I could only hear it! Now I’m looking forward to watching the show, as AMC is one of the few cable networks we do get in our basic package.
3. DOuG pRATt | September 22nd, 2008 at 10:40 pm
I also heard the interview. The pilot has been lavishly praised, but it’s outright ludicrous in some ways, which I won’t reveal here. But the show sure has a distinctive look, and after you see what’s behind each character’s work persona it turns into a prime example of a primetime soap opera.
4. paul | September 23rd, 2008 at 10:39 am
While I really enjoy the sets and authentic period clothing, the scripts move a bit too slowly for me. I’ll keep watching it, mostly because my wife still likes it. I think most of the actors are very talented and it’s great to see Robert Morse again…(remember him from “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying?”)
5. Joan Stringer | September 23rd, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Hi! I try to avoid HFCS as much as possible and use aspartame. Since I’ve used “Nutra Sweet” since its inception over 25 years ago, I wonder if after all these “lab rat” years something bad healthwise will come to me anytime. For corn, I like mine on the cob plain with its own natural flavor, not like my old covering it with margarine as a kid.
6. jeaniebeanie | September 24th, 2008 at 3:52 am
Joan, aspartame is pure poison. Stop using it NOW. Use turbinado sugar. Splenda is bad, too. Stevia tastes like crap, but it is safe.
paul, I thought Robert Morse DIED!
7. Joan Stringer | September 24th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Hi! Yes, Robert Morse is still with us and has kept busy. I watch “How To Succeed…” every time it’s on-it still seems to be an accurate commentary on current business ethics. Oh Jean! What are the facts on aspartame? I’ve used so much of it because of dieting and maintaining and now can’t do without my diet soda, Crystal Light, and Nutra Sweet on my Corn Flakes! After all I’ve used I’m wondering what may happen–kind of scary since I go see an E.,N.,T. surgeon tomorrow about having a biopsy done of a swelled lymph gland in my neck–wish me luck! It seems like everything from air to water to food to products for cleaning, hygiene and just plain living are bad and cause God knows what!
8. jeaniebeanie | September 25th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Joan, start here: http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-information.html and good luck on the lymph gland. Don’t worry, though, I just stopped using Aspartame about six months ago. I wasn’t a heavy user, but I do know this: my migraines are MUCH less severe. The biggest lie about Aspartame is that it helps with dieting: it actually INCREASES craving for sweets!
9. Joan Stringer | September 25th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Hi Jean! Thanx so much for the link to Sweet Poison! Having read the info. on side effects I can see where alot of my problems may be coming from and/or becoming worse-g.i., depression, anxiety, migraine headaches, insomnia, blurred vision, menstrual problems, elevated liver enzymes, abdominal pain, diarrhea, ad infinitum. The surgeon is going to try a course of antibiotics to see if the lymph node reduces, and if not, then do the biopsy to rule out Hodgkins Disease, non-Hodgkins, or other form of lymphoma. And interestingly enough Lymphomas are one form of cancer associated with aspartame. So we shall see how this plays out! I will wean myself off aspartame and I just read on the Sweet Poison site that the FDA was concerned about Stevia causing liver problems and banned it originally in the US, so they were going to test market it originally in places like Japan where it wasn’t banned. GEEZ! Did I read correctly that Newt or Bob Dole had something to do with aspartame getting approval?
10. Joan Stringer | September 26th, 2008 at 3:25 am
Aha! Just looked up aspartame in Wikipedia and not only do they have alot of info. about it, but also a lot of info. under aspartame controversy. As to the person-it was the CEO of Searle drug company, makers of aspartame, who sought a second attempt at FDA approval when Reagan took office. And who was this CEO? None other than your friend and mine: Donald Rumsfeld, the S.O.B! Mr.Grouch himself. GEEZ-everything a republican touches turns to death! Or at least something to make you bloody well sick!
11. Joan Stringer | November 7th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Back in October I had a needle biopsy done to see what is going on with this lymph node. The trouble is needle biopsies can be inconclusive, as this was. Yes, after 3 weeks I learned the cells are lymphocite cells in it, which they should be, but it could not tell much more. The next step is a CatScan of the head and neck, since I have a swelling near my right collarbone also, then a surgical biopsy. I’ve been reading up on Lymphoma and Non-Hodgkins, and Hodgkins Disease just in case. One thing I read said if you’ve been exposed to Epstein-Barr virus, thru Mono or AIDS, you have more of a chance of developing Lymphoma. I had Mono in my junior year of college. So right now I’m staying positive and educated, but if it turns out I do have it, I’ll be ready for it. Oy! I know I’ve been so tired, but night sweats wake me up too and I sweat like a horse just doing things that never made me even think of sweating before! One thing I’m not doing is gaining weight and I hope the sweating is hot flashes!
12. Joan Stringer | November 7th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Hi! I was thinking before I ran out of room-it’s not the way to lose weight, by profuse sweating, especially not with a serious disease of any kind, but my sister’s bowling buddy told her that her hot flashes and other phases of menopause were so bad that she and her husband almost separated! Can you imagine a divorce decree of “Irretrivably broken due to hot flashes”?! Some women use hormone replacement therapy but I have screwy hormones and don’t need more! I can’t get over the fact that one drug, Premarin, used horse (pregnant mare) urine, inhumanely gathered, of course, which led to many horses needing rescued and adopted to save them from slaughter. Why would you want to put horse pee in your body?! Estrogen can be dangerous enough as is. Premarin would probably give me an appetite for oats and make me want to run when I passed a race track! If any readers are using an all-natural way to combat menopause symptoms, let us know what you use and how it has helped you. Thanx!
13. DOuG pRATt | November 8th, 2008 at 1:20 am
If I haven’t mentioned it before, when I was a kid I was called “Fat Pratt.” Not often, but a couple of times was all it took to leave an indelibly negative impression. I loved to put away triple-decker peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while watching TV.
Fortunately, I grew too fast for my eating to keep up, so my days as a “husky” boy were over at about age 14. I started running at 17, and never looked back.
14. Joan Stringer | November 8th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Hi Doug! I know what you mean! It can be rough when you’re a kid! I got my heavy going after I turned 11 and my “curse” came along. What a pain! No wonder I’ve always hated the darned thing! Now I have weight to lose but plan to get back to my college weight of 145! And I can’t wait to get there
15. DOuG pRATt | November 8th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
For most people, youth is a time of health. With age comes ailments. I’ve had a couple of scares, and I don’t take my fitness and well-being for granted. My only real concern right now is that my eyes will give out before I’m 65 or thereabouts.
16. Joan Stringer | November 11th, 2008 at 1:29 am
Hi Doug! About getting older and ailments, that’s why I want to get in better condition all around because heart disease, breast and colon cancer and strokes run in my Mom’s side of the family, and I have mild hypertension already. Then Dad’s side of the family has diabetes, heart attack and heart disease. Fun, huh? Plus both sides had pretty severe arthritis. Even though I weighed 145 in college I didn’t look it because I had alot of muscle, which was nice, but the trying to get my hormonal problem evened out is what killed my shape, good health, good weight, etc. and I turned into a mess. Now that the ‘mones are close to where they should be, it’s back to good diet and exercise. If I do have Lymphoma, it will be used as a wake-up call to get it rockin’ and rollin’ as treatment takes effect, otherwise, the time is here, baby!
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