Non-fat Fats

            In American culture the epitome of beauty revolves around being thin. Women and men eat right and exercise to maintain a healthy and thin physique. But not all people striving to be thin are willing to sacrifice foods that wreck havoc on one’s body and weight. Ice cream, an indulgence for people since as early as the fourth century B.C., is one food that many find hard to give up. Cue the development of “fat free” “sugar free” ice cream. Dieters who count every calorie and weigh their food, sticking to a strict diet shunning unhealthy foods, find it easily acceptable and even seek their favorite foods when labeled fat free or sugar free. They find it easy to mercilessly indulge in foods labeled fat free or sugar free without guilt, but they are unable to grasp the concept of sacrificing unhealthy food.

            The history of ice cream can be trace to its origins, from China around 3000 B.C. Although this earliest form of ice cream is far from what modern Americans would recognize as ice cream. The beginning of ice cream started with ice, snow in the Persian Empire, flavored with various fruits or juices. As this delicacy traveled from China to Europe and other places it evolved and changed as its popularity grew. The early forms of ice cream were perhaps the most health conscience because they were flavored and sweetened with fruit. It wasn’t until the Arabs utilized milk as the main ingredient and turned to sugar for sweetening purposes that ice cream took a turn for the unhealthy. Over time not only did the ice cream itself become more fat and sugar laden, but flavors increasingly become fatty. The most popular creation at Cold Stone is Peanut Butter Cup Perfection, which is made from chocolate ice cream, peanut butter, Reese’s and fudge. With all these decadent rich flavors dieters find themselves craving ice cream constantly.

Unwillingness to give up the creamy texture and flavor of ice cream gave birth to popular “diet-friendly” and health conscience ice cream products. Reduced fat, light, low fat, nonfat, fat free and no sugar added ice cream have all been developed and are marketed towards people looking for healthier alternatives. Certain guidelines define each different type, regular ice cream contains at least ten percent milk fat and at least twenty percent milk solids. In comparison reduced fat ice cream contains twenty five percent less fat than regular ice cream, while light ice cream contains fifty percent less fat and one third fewer calories. Low fat ice cream contains less than three grams of fat per serving and non fat or fat free ice cream can contain no more than .5 grams of fat per serving. Sugar free ice cream contains no added sugar. Blue Bunny developed a no sugar added, fat free Brownie Sundae flavor to satisfy those looking for a guilt free indulgence. Not only do ice cream companies producing regular ice cream, such as Breyer’s, Edy’s, Turkey Hill and Blue Bunny, cash in on these alternatives, but companies have developed to market specifically towards those looking to lose weight without sacrificing ice cream or other fatty snacks.

Skinny Cow is a popular diet brand that advertises “great tasting ice cream for dessert lovers who know that looking good and staying healthy doesn’t mean a life without indulgence.” The Skinny Cow is a slenderized feminine looking cartoon cow with a tape measure hanging loosely around her waist. Everything on the website revolves around the word skinny. “Get the skinny,” “Club Skinny,” “Get in on the skinny.” So for Americans attempting to shed the pounds and adopt a claimed “healthy” diet, Skinny Cow products become a staple.

Ice Cream, along with many other products, has developed and evolved to satisfy the current demands of the population. The most current begin an over obsession with being thin while still indulging in diet friendly alternatives to “off-limit” foods. The market for fat free, sugar free and other healthier options is expanding, but with trying to satisfy the taste buds of dieters craving non –fat fats, companies often sneak in additives and chemically produced additives that are more harmful than regular ice cream and other products. Skinny Cow may not be as great as its hyped up to be, Alexander Morentin’s article “Sex, Lies and Fat-Free Ice Cream” revels the truth behind what the nutrition labels claim. Products can claim to be fat free, but additives and alternatives do not truly mean it is fat free. “Poor unsuspecting dieters eat this stuff on a daily basis thinking they are eating a ‘healthy’ ice cream” (Morentin). Skinny Cows deceptive marketing relies on those Americans who are unable to give up indulging themselves.

In American culture no product is too lucrative, no demand too unimaginable. Americans are obsessed with over indulgence, the more you have the better off you are. This translates to food as well, rich flavors, fat laden foods and high caloric counts are at the heart of many American diets. Eating is no longer out of necessity, but indulgence. A lot of people turn to food for everything, comfort, to cure boredom, sadness, and depression, to celebrate occasions, to enjoy with friends and just plain mindless eating. So when Americans find themselves attempting to lose weight they are unable to give up this mindset, many of them find it impossible to give up indulging themselves in every food they crave. The development of fat free and sugar free ice cream illustrates how unwilling people are to sacrifice certain foods. If an individual is concerned about his or her weight or health instead of turning to a diet consisting of more organic, natural foods they tend to substitute their old snacks with fat free varieties. Over indulgence and unwillingness to give up indulging themselves not only applies to food in American culture, but across the board. Many Americans are more concerned with helping themselves, and making sure they have the best of everything instead of sacrificing certain things in order to benefit more people.

Morentin, Alexander. "Sex, Lies and Fat-free Ice Cream."

Better Living With Whole Foods. N.p., 07/07/08. Web. 5 Dec 2011. <http://betterlivingwithwholefoods.com/food-reviews/sex-lies-and-fat-free-ice-cream/>.

http://www.bluebunny.com/Products/d/No_Sugar_Added_Fat_Free_Ice_Cream_Brownie_Sundae

. "Cold Stone Creamery ." Ice Cream Industry Overview.

N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec 2011. <http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/assets/pdf/news/Industry_Overview_04_07.pdf>.

http://www.skinnycow.com/

Those Horned Bulls

             In plays and other works of literature, reoccurring ideas or themes become significant to the development of the work as a whole. Shakespeare uses several images and ideas obsessively in his play Much Ado About Nothing to allow the reader to gauge which points and ideas he finds most important. Reoccurring throughout the play is the image of animals, specifically savage animals. The animals are depicted most often in connection to love, the connection signifies the animalistic qualities surrounding love.

            When a certain image is used is equally as important as the obsessive repetitiveness of the image, or images. When animals are used within the play it is most often in connection with love. The savage love that surrounds Benedick and Beatrice, who are frequently either the source or the target of the animal images. In the first exchange between Benedick and Beatrice, in Act I several animals are used between the both of them while talking. The use of animal imagery, particularly naturally savage animals is to highlight the underlying tension between Beatrice and Benedick, stemming from their love for each other. During the conversation Benedick says “I would my horse had the speed of your tongue and so good a continuer” (I.i.139). The horse and the horse’s ability to continue being rode can be taken as a sexual innuendo, linking back to the instinctual love that Shakespeare portrays between Beatrice and Benedick throughout the play.

            The animals that are most often depicted within the play are bulls and horses, other animals that play a less significant role include dogs, birds, calves and cats. When bulls are mentioned, the word savage frequently accompanies it, there are six references to images of bulls with the word savage preceding four references. Shakespeare specifically mentions the  naturally aggressive animal, he is playing on the aggressive animalistic part of love that exists between Benedick and Beatrice throughout most of the play. And with the word savage also used, it promotes the reader even further to connect the animals with the aggressive and lustful parts of love.

            The use of horns within the play also pushes the reader to connect the images with love, lust and desire. Horns, being horned or lacking horns is touched upon frequently throughout the course of the play. If one was considered “horned” it meant that they were horny, or lustful. Shakespeare successfully uses the term horny to illustrate the lustful part of love because neither Beatrice or Benedick want to become horned, in fact both are quite fearful that if they were to fall in love and get married they would become horned and be forced to wear a hat.

            The visual media project contributed to my understanding of Shakespeare’s use and purpose of different images throughout his play Much Ado About Nothing. By following one thematic strand through the entirety of the play I was able to see the connections that Shakespeare made using various animals, at different points to convey different meanings. When he wanted to convey the animalistic part of love he used terms like “savage bull.” But when he wanted to refer to the more lustful aspect of love he used images of horns or the riding of horses to deliver the message.

            Shakespeare’s use of animal images throughout his play efficiently conveys the idea that love is instinctual and animal like. He is able to do this so successfully because of the animals he chooses and the placement of the animals. He uses savage bulls when he wants to depict tension between Beatrice and Benedick and the underlying sexual tension between them as well. Horns, which are part of a bulls physical appearance are used when lust or sexual desire is being referenced. Benedick is the character who most frequently uses the term horns, Shakespeare’s use of Benedick to deliver the lines referring to horns the most further clarifies the sexual desire Benedick has towards Beatrice.

           

            

Technology and Intelligence

            Over the past several years there have been major advances in technology, and   the use of technology in everyday life has become widespread. These leaps have left society split on deciding if new technology has had a positive or negative impact. Critics and adorers of the infiltration of technology focus on key areas that have been affected by this transformation. Reading and writing has been forced to attempt to rapidly adapt to this new technological age, or threatens to lose its place in society. Many argue that the way people think has also been affected by this new digital world, whether this is a positive or negative change depends on whose opinion is being taken. The swiftly evolving digital world brings many new changes to every aspect of society. These changes have shown to be extremely beneficial for individuals, although many point out the downfalls such advanced technology has and will continue to bring, the positives outweigh the negative drastically.

As technology has become more advanced, books, magazines and other forms of writing

have found ways to adapt. The Kindle and the Nook were developed, making books seem obsolete. Traditional bookstores are going out of business, Borders shut its doors this past month after not being able to sustain sales after the development of these electronic readers. This forced shut down was also seen in another area, movies. Netflix pushed Blockbuster out of business and now only a few scattered stores remain, a dismal reminder of what was once so popular. But Blockbuster going into bankruptcy does not mean that people are no longer watching movies. But the way that movies were being watched had shifted, they are now downloaded and uploaded, streamed from computer to a television or a television to an ipod. Books in the same way have not stopped being read, but instead the way they are being read has changed. Kindles and Nooks make acquiring books easier and more convenient. Readers do not have to wait for a convenient time to run to the book store, or wait for a new shipment if a popular new book has just sold out. With a few clicks almost any book can be in front of them, before they have even made their morning coffee. Opposers of the electronic book argue the importance of holding a book or feeling the pages. Developers of the Kindle and Nook have found ways to make the screen look the same as an actual printed book would appear. So staring at a Kindle for three hours while reading will not have the same affect on the eyes as surfing the web for three hours. Excluding the texture of the paper, the experience of reading on a Kindle is the same as reading a printed book. But not only is the texture of paper, (and the comforting feeling that one is doing their part in the breakdown of ecosystems and forests) important to many Better-Nevers, a phrase utilized by Adam Gopink in his article "The Information: How the Internet gets Inside Us" to describe individuals who feel that society was better off without new technology. Many Better- Nevers feel as books move to electronic versions, it does not allow for deep reading or concentration. "When we read online...we tend to become 'mere decoders of information.' Our ability to interpret text, to make the rich mental connections that form when we read deeply...remains largely disengaged" (Carr, page 3). When a book is transferred over to a digital copy, the contents of the book are kept. The same information is received when reading a paperback edition of a book or its electronic counterpart. Kindles and Nooks present readers with convenience, the lightweight slim design makes traveling with one easy. A reader can take his or her entire library anywhere. Carr condemns society for being so transfixed and obsessed with convenience, but in a world where speed and efficiency are key convenience becomes the most important aspect.

 The digital world allows information to be accessed rapidly, books can be downloaded in minutes, newspapers and magazines in seconds. Having information so readily available provides people with the ability to acquire and learn new information constantly. However critics still find flaws with having information so easily accessible. Nicholas Carr puts blame on the internet for "chipping away [his] capacity for concentration and contemplation" (Carr, page 2). In his article,  "Is Google Making Us Stupid," he lays the blame on the internet for not allowing him to read long books or articles without getting bored or losing concentration. Nicholas Carr doesn't stand alone in using the internet as a scapegoat, and the claimed evils of the internet are not limited to a decrease in the ability to concentrate. Everytime a web page is opened, hundreds of hyperlinks are displayed, and can take a viewer from web page to web page in seconds. No single page on the internet is ever the same, hyperlinks shuffle. Websites show advertisement for sponsors, movies, products and hundreds of other items. Many, including Nicholas Carr point out that this ability to jump from page to page, from topic to topic doesn't leave much room for concentration because it forces web users to scatter their attention between multiple links, topics and thought. "Hyperlinks don't merely point to related works; they propel you towards them" (Carr, page 2). But Carr's ideas that the internet is causing his lost concentration is directly contradicted in Gary Small ad Gigi Vorgan's article, "iBrain." "Initially, the daily blitz of data that bombards us can create a form of attention deficit, but our brains are able to adapt in a way that promotes rapid information processing" (Small and Vorgen). In this light, the internet does not pose a threat to concentration ability, but rather enhances it. As well as pointing out the increased ability to concentrate and process information "iBrain" also concludes "average IQ scores are steadily rising with the advancing digital culture" (Small and Vorgen).

 A highly controversial aspect of the technological revolution is the claimed affects technology has on people's brains. Carr claims he can no longer concentrate, others say that technology has forced individuals to adopt a skimming method. Better- Nevers anxiously await results of studies concluding the internet is killing our ability to think. But Adam Gopnik points out that claims about the evils of the internet have all been said before, about the television. "Everything that is said about the internet's destruction of 'interiorly' was said for decades about television...television produced the absence of context [and] the disintegration of the frame" (Gopnik, page 9). With every new development or change brought to society, skeptics examine the proposed benefits, the actual benefits and the negative affect brought on by the new development. But many claim the internet breaks through all previous developments, the negative affects the internet has will not diminish in magnitude as society adjusts to its presence, like the printing press and television. The negative effects will continue to be felt years after because these affects are happening to peoples brains on a neurological level. Older generations complain that digital natives have lost the ability to communicate through traditional means, "the pathway for human interaction and communication [has] weakened" ( Small and Vorgen). But new technology has opened the doors for multiple networking sites, Facebook, Myspace and Twitter. These sites allow people to find each other easier, and to communicate easier. Although the communications may begin online, the ability to communicate is increased, and eventually moves to one on one interactions. A conversation started on Facebook asking the details of a homework assignment leads to a comfortably to converse with that individual in person. "The brain has the ability to reprogram itself on the fly, altering the way it functions" (Carr, page 4). This claim brings to light questions that contradict some of Carr's other claims. He should be able to easily transition from internet skimming to novel reading, and according to Small and Vorgen, he should be able to do it better. "Brains learn to swiftly focus attention and analyze information...[brains] are developing neural circuitry that is customized for rapid...directed concentration" (Small and Vorgen). So the internet has been affecting the neurology of our brains, altering the way they function, but these alterations are only positive. The internet has increased the capacity of information that brains can process, while at the same time decreasing the amount of time it takes to process information.

 The evolving digital world has brought many positive affects to society, increased IQ scores and knowledge, the ability to easily educate one's self, and the ability to read almost anything at any given time of a day. The internet does not hinder the ability to concentrate, but rather enhances it.