The Life Report

Words to live by.

I know I made mistakes by being too accepting of whatever happened to me. I did not fight back. Always concerned about my honor and dignity and what others would think about me if I reacted certain ways. How foolish I was.

I realize our youth have a more difficult world than I did growing up. They live in fear and anxiety because of world affairs, our economy, joblessness and so many other things that affect them. Questions like when they graduate will they get jobs, will their parents still have jobs and homes, what about money, tuition, cost of living, health care. It is all so overwhelmingly, consumingly terribly to think about day after day, year after year.

Our younger generation needs to be more involved in making life better for all humanity rather than seeking careers with large salaries. We need more thinkers, scientists, those who care about making life better for all mankind. The future world is theirs to make.

-The Life Report: Regina Titus

The American Way of Eating

The American Way of Eating book cover. Release Feb. 2012.

My work with Tracie McMillan is finished. So, for those interested in learning what I helped research, here's the bio from the publisher. Also, when it really comes out, you better believe I will spam the hell out of it.

"Inspired by the growing interest in food and the conversation about what we should be eating and where it should come from award-winning journalist Tracie McMillan began to wonder how America's working class could afford, let alone have time, to eat as well as they should. In 2009 McMillan decided to immerse herself in America's food system--from farm to restaurant kitchen--and work undercover alongside America’s working poor in order to examine how we eat.

Moving from California to Detroit to New York, McMillan worked as a farm laborer, a Wal-Mart clerk in the grocery section, and an expediter at Applebee’s. She often lived and worked and shared kitchens and food with her co-workers. She takes us into these worlds with vivid descriptions of the people she meets; the grueling work; the treatment of workers; and the food that's being grown, sold, and prepared. She lives within the means her low pay allows and demonstrates what that means in terms of the food she can afford to buy and the time she has to prepare it. 

Good and healthy food should not be a luxury and in her important book Tracie McMillian explores why eating well in our country is limited to the few and what we can do about it and she establishes herself as an important young journalist writing about one of the hottest topics in America."

For more info visit Tracie's Facebook, her site here. Also follow Tracie here.

Happy 4th

Sage Café's annual vegan barbecue

Although I haven't visited the various vegan scenes across the nation, I would venture to say Seattle's could easily beat New York or Portland's. Take for example the line of people forming from both ends of the street just to eat at Sage Bakery & Café's annual vegan Fourth of July barbecue. Every item in this meal was free of animal products. No dairy. No eggs. No meat. Still, everyone happily chomped down on barbecue "burgers", macaroni and "cheese", collard greens and "pork" and beans. For dessert we ate ice "cream" and shortcake. We left nearly two hours after arriving, but, like everyone else, we were patiently awaiting for seconds. Happy Fourth of July Seattle! 

The New American Dream

In the last few years environmentalist Van Jones has been fighting for truth and justice in the realm of climate change. He's written on the need to view fighting for the environment in the same vein as fighting for the poor, who inevitably feel the affects of environmental destruction more than anybody. But this year at the annual NetRoots Nation, he came out with a few words for Glenn Beck and now, he's got more than the environmentalists talking.

What we're his words? Don't tell us what the American Dream is. We are the American Dream. 

You're Insane!

Jon Stewart's latest clash with Fox New's Chris Wallace comes after two solid wins against Bill O'Reilly and Donald Trump—and this time, it's no different. As The Huffington Post so lovingly headlines (later proving Stewart's point), the discussion was not about Fox's disregard for truth or the media's sensationalism fetish, but instead, for Stewart's disregard for manners. In red, capital letters, the words, "You're Insane!" headlined above a photo of Jon Stewart on The Huffington Post website.

In this clip, Stewart asks Wallace, "Do you believe that Fox News is exactly the ideological equivalent of NBC News?" Wallace responds, "I think we're the counterpart. I think we're the counterpart. I think that they have a liberal agenda and I think that we tell the other side of the story."

Back in the studio, Stewart takes this "other side of the story" idea to new heights (pun intended?) and once again, reminds viewers that the media does not have a liberal bias. The media, in actuality, has a bias toward sensationalist, conflict-ridden, lazy journalism.  Stewart begins: "The other side of the story! ‘We don’t tell both sides of the story — we tell the one side, the other side, the one we perceive is never told! …Because as you know, news only comes in two sides! And if the conservative ‘side’ isn’t being told, what’s being told must be liberal!” 

"Fox news isn't fair and balanced. It's balancing the system, man. Don't you get it? The sytem is unfair and unbalanced. To balance the system Fox has to be the purest form of right-wing resin because of how heavy left-wing America is. Hollywood. Comedians. Every single news organization. The Internet. Facts. History. Science. It's all just left-wing bullshit, man. Each one of these designed to shut down conservatives. But don't worry, brosef. Fox isn't going to let that happen. Is Fox unbalanced? Yeah...but it's only 'cause the system's unbalanced."

Stewart's head explodes. Poof. To view the full unedited version, go here.