Lindsay's Lessons

Last week, the Baltimore City School System became the first in the country to adopt the Meatless Monday concept for school lunches. Henceforth, every Monday the more than 80,000 students who attend school in that district will be forced to accept vegetarian lunch options.

In an era where we proclaim the importance of our freedom of choice and liberties to live as we each choose, I find it completely unacceptable that a school would adopt such a practice. Shouldn't the school be looking to enhance the options for their students, rather than to limit them?

I have no problem with a school offering a vegetarian lunch selection for students who opt not to eat meat, or perhaps have been raised in vegetarian households. However, removing the option of meat from student menus one day every week works against everything we promote in terms of a healthy, balanced diet for young people, as meat is a wonderful source of protein.

From a consumer perspective, we want choices. And students, just like adults, should be given the freedom of choice of whether or not to consume meat. For producers, I can't help but think of the loss of potentially 80,000 servings of meat each week multiplied over the course of a school year. If schools across the country (especially large districts in urban areas) were to adopt this philosophy it could be devastating to livestock producers over time.

Per their own propaganda stated on their website:

Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health. Our goal is to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.

If anyone were to ever question why we as a society should be concerned about the ever increasing gap between food producers and food consumers, the above-statement alone should remove all doubt as to why we should all be alarmed.

Our goal is to reduce meat consumption by 15%....Economics 101 tells us that if we reduce demand, eventually we're going to have to reduce supply and that means the cost of livestock production will increase, efficiency will decrease and ultimately consumers will end up spending more money at the grocery store.

to improve personal health...Allow me to remind you that there are no reputable and sound scientific studies that would indicate that consumption of lean meats is unhealthy. In fact, protein (such as that which can be found in such servings of meat), is vital to a well-balanced diet.

and the health of our planet.... These activists have gone so far as to try and draw a connection between being a vegetarian and saving the environment. This stems back to the argument that livestock, which produce methane through normal bodily functions, are causing serious harm to the environment. Again - facts will show that when you look at contributing factors to air quality and environmental degradation, livestock is about the least of our concerns. Trying to link being a vegetarian to saving the earth would be akin to me accusing vegetarians of harming the environment by eating all the plants that help to maintain balance in our ecosystem. In a word, it is ABSURD.

So what do you do if you are the parent of a student who is being forced to adhere to a vegetarian menu on Mondays? My suggestion would be to talk to all of the other parents in your school district who agree that just as it is fine to offer vegetarian options to students, the option of meat should also always remain available. And, until the school returns to those standards, I would encourage those same parents to pack their kids lunches every Monday and be sure to include a nice roast beef or turkey sandwich!

Think about it, knowing that the majority of the population does not choose to adopt a vegetarian diet, if even half of those 40,000 students packed their lunch, it would be a tremendous financial hit to the school lunch program, thus forcing the administration to immediately reconsider their decision.

Lest the animal rights activists who tend to come of the woodwork when I write on these topics decide to take aim, let me state once again that I have no problem with schools offering vegetarian options to students. Let's entitle those students to a freedom of choice. At the same time, there is no need to do so at the expense of students who opt to eat meat. It is unfair to limit the choices of the majority simply to satisfy the desires of the minority. The freedom of choice should be for everyone.

Yes - I am aware it's been awhile since I've posted. As if that fact wasn't obvious by the date on my last post, I became more painfully aware when I had to reach into the depths of my memory to remember my password! But alas...

The ABN County Fair and Festival Tour powered by Propane is in full swing, with five different county fairs on the agenda this week. This whirlwind of stops coming just on the heels of my home fair, the Logan County Fair in Bellefontaine, wrapping up it's run for 2009. While the tour only allows us to spend part of a day at most fairs across the state, Andy and I were able to spend the better part of two days in Logan County catching up with friends and acquaintances and enjoying some good (although not good for you) fair food.

In all of this time spent on the circuit, I can't but help but notice one thing that seems to be a trending habit among fairgoers is to degrade their county fairs. It seems that what used to be an attitude of pride in one pronouncing that one's fair is the best, has quickly turned to negative criticism and claims that things just aren't what they used to be. Well, I do agree with one part of that, things aren't what they used to be.

It's important to remember that while Americans are struggling with loss of jobs, debt and increasing costs of just about everything, that our county fair boards don't live in a bubble. They are also affected by those same economic challenges, while at the same time being challenged each year to produce more with less.

On the whole, society has become spoiled by the financial comfort to enjoy concerts, stage shows, rodeos, sporting events and much more from top name acts and star quality performers. And now that purse strings are a little tighter, there is an expectation that this same level of entertainment can be found within 15 minutes of home at our county fair. And while some fairs are still fortunate to be able to provide such top-notch entertainment, for others it just isn't in the cards.

I remember when I was younger that when local groups like Phil Dirt and the Dozers played at the county fair, everyone showed up, sang along and had a great time. We filled the grandstand for every event and were the first ones in the gate every morning and the last ones out each evening of the county fair. Yet now, when a county fair boasts entertainment that only has one chart-topping single in the infancy of their career, or while having had a great career, hasn't topped the charts recently, we look down the act and say we've got better things to do than to attend their show.

Again, why is that? It's because we have become spoiled. Our expectations have been raised because it's become common practice to drive farther distances, more often to seek entertainment. Now, when the local rodeo company sets up in a county fair grandstand, we take it for granted.

So why then does a classic tradition like the demolition derby still pack the grandstand at most fairs across the state? It never fails that as we travel about, we are told by fair organizers that they have added even more than one demolition derby because of the crowd it draws. How is it possible in today's society that the demolition derby maintains that level of popularity?

The demolition derby is a fair tradition that hasn't changed a bit in the past thirty years. Organizers haven't tried to modify or make major changes to the event to keep up with trends or societal changes. Quite simply, you know exactly what you're going to get, and what you're going to pay to get it. This keeps expectations reasonable, and thus in the eyes of attendees those expectations are usually met or exceeded. And to be clear, that's not a criticism of the event. In fact, it may be viewed as praise.

Unlike other fair acts that are rivaled by Las Vegas magicians, Grammy winning artists and Broadway talent, the demolition derby isn't competing against anything similar of greater acclaim.

Thus, I think it's important for fair-goers to remember that perhaps it's not the fairs that have changed. It is that attendees who have changed. And unfortunately, we've changed not just in our expectations, but also our attitudes.

After all, when you list the reasons that people attend the county fair, it usually boils down to about three things. We enjoy catching up with people we only see a few times a year. We want to support the Junior Fair by watching young people compete. And, we want to fulfill our annual need for deep fried veggies and an elephant ear. And, there's only one place we can do all of those things - the county fair.

So perhaps, instead of looking for everything wrong about our county fair, we need to appreciate the tradition and what it has to offer. Instead of listing the things we would change about our fair, maybe we need to stop and think for a moment what it would be like if it were no longer there. And maybe instead of pointing out what we aren't getting, we should appreciate these local events that offer family entertainment at relatively affordable costs.

When I visit fairs across the state, I want to hear people speak with pride and tell us what's great about their county fair. I want to learn about the young person who won a blue ribbon against all odds. Tell me about the 4-H adviser who is retiring after 50 years of volunteering with youth. Or, how about the family who has three generations serving together on the county fair board?

Let's take pride in our county fairs and appreciate the tradition that brings us together each summer.

Check out the story below regarding UCLA's decision to remove beef from the dining halls on campus. Supposedly the removal of beef as an option will expose all beef eaters to other opportunities in the world of food. Might I suggest that we remove the person who made this decision in order to simply make the world a better place?

I am shocked and dismayed that administrative officials at UCLA would buy into the reasoning for this move, which clearly was not based on any kind of sound logic.

By Greg Swartz
Originally published in The Daily Bruin

UCLA Dining Services recently announced a new decision to remove all beef from the dining halls every Thursday beginning today for the duration of this quarter.

The move toward “Beef-less Thursdays” is meant to advance UCLA’s sustainability and wellness goals, said Robert Gilbert, the sustainability coordinator for Housing and Hospitality Services.

Beef is an environmentally unfriendly food item because cows require a great deal of water to raise and they produce methane, which is a greenhouse gas, Gilbert said.

In fact, the methane that cows naturally produce is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, he added. This means that the raising of beef contributes about twice as much to global warming as the equivalent amount of other meats.

Beyond environmental concerns, beef is high in saturated fats, which have negative implications on health.

As a vegetarian, Michelle Gertmenian-Wong, a second-year communications studies student, has experience finding meat alternatives. She said she feels there are many alternatives to eating beef.

“Taking meat out of your diet doesn’t have to a be a huge struggle,” Gertmenian-Wong said. “There are many satisfying ways to get protein.”

Eliminating beef every Thursday could allow people to branch out and perhaps try new foods they would have otherwise passed up, she added.

By removing beef from the menu, the dining halls hope to save about 1,000 pounds of beef every Thursday, Gilbert said. Since every pound of beef demands approximately 1,500 gallons of water to produce, this sustainable action could save 1,500,000 gallons of water, he added.

Any money saved in this endeavor will be used in the dining halls for programs promoting sustainability such as buying cage-free eggs, Gilbert said.

He added that even if these sustainable programs do not save money, UCLA Dining Services remains more concerned with balancing per-plate cost for students with environmental goals.

While the dining halls will have no beef, the program does not apply to Bruin Café, Rendezvous or Puzzles, he said.

But first-year geography student Isaac Tucker said he believes that students should have the choice to avoid beef.

“If students are well-informed, it should be up to them to choose whether or not to eat beef,” he said.

Kristin Rumery, a second-year sociology student, said she supports the program wholeheartedly for its positive environmental impact.

“It’s good to see UCLA taking steps to become more responsible environmentally,” Rumery said. “Beef-less Thursdays are like Hedrick going trayless – at first people might be upset, but they’ll adjust.”

The other morning as Andy and I pulled out of the driveway to head off to work I noticed an indicator light illuminated on the dashboard display. As I pointed it out to Andy, he said, "Yeah, I know. It came on yesterday when I was driving home."

Being a woman, I naturally jumped to the conclusion that something serious might be wrong, we might not be able to make it to work, and we certainly didn't want to get stranded in the rain. Being a man, he responded, "I'm sure it's nothing serious and if it doesn't go off eventually we'll get it checked out." And being a woman, I grew more insistent that we needed to find an answer to the problem immediately.

It just so happens that our vehicle is equipped with OnStar, which happens to offer a remote diagnostic service. Frustrated by my insistence that we immediately needed to check out the problem, Andy pushed the button to dial OnStar for help. As always, a pleasant voice greeted us ready to lend a helping hand.

Andy explained the situation and she said, "We'll need to perform a remote diagnostic test. Please hold while we perform the test and I'll be back in thirty seconds to tell you what's wrong."

For those of you who have not experienced OnStar, allow me to say if you don't already have a Big Brother phobia, it will almost certainly ensure that you acquire one. OnStar has this amazing ability to know exactly where you are located if you are lost, identify what's wrong with your vehicle if you experience problems, alert you when you need to perform routine maintenance and is able to do just about anything but actually drive you to your destination. I'm sure that's coming in the next upgrade.

Sure enough, thirty seconds later, our trusty assistant returned to the line. In a very professional tone she said, "Mr. Vance, we have completed our diagnostic test and indeed we have received confirmation that you do have a problem with your vehicle. We have received a warning that your gas cap is not fastened securely and needs to be tightened."

I immediately burst into laughter. Not just a mild burst of amusement, but full-blown slap the steering wheel and try to keep it on the road roaring laughter.

Bless her heart, the attendant from OnStar never missed a beat. She continued right on in the most serious and professional tone, "Mr. Vance, we recommend that you pull over at your next available opportunity. Please remove the gas cap, replace it and turn it in a clockwise motion until you hear it click three times. At that point, you will know that your gas cap is properly secured."

At this point, I erupted once again, this time with tears streaming down my face, almost unable to breathe I was laughing so hard. The lady had actually given my husband instructions on how to secure the gas cap.

When I regained my composure enough to form words I said, "Honey, did you get all that? Maybe we should've written it down."

Amazingly enough, he wasn't quite as amused by my comment as I was, which only fueled my desire to continue.

"I am glad she gave you clear instructions because obviously the last time you fueled up you weren't quite sure what to do," I said. Again, his response indicated that I found myself more entertaining than he did.

I finally settled down and said, "I am glad this happened though. I was looking for something to blog about, and now I've got it!"

Well, here we are at the close of what might described by some as being a frustrating season, by others as disappointing, or by Coach Matta as one we can be proud of. Yes, when asked to reflect on the season after a rather embarrassing performance against Siena in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Matta said, "I think as I look at what this basketball team has done this year, I'm extremely, extremely proud of the progress that we've made. I think from that standpoint, when I look and say what this team, with 22 wins and just the way it's come together, that's exciting to me."

I'm glad that he's excited, because I don't know that too many others in Buckeye nation are thrilled about how it all came together. Let's see, no conference title, no Big 10 Tourney championship, a near-miss of another visit to the NIT and a first round KO from the NCAA tourney. I don't think anyone is waving banners or throwing parades.

Lest you think I'm being too hard on Coach Matta or the team, allow me to share some comments from one of my favorite blogs from fans across Ohio:

Brian:
Very frustrating game. Can't anyone rebound? You could visibly see how much the press bothered PJ Hill.

Fair statement Brian - we were clearly bothered by the press. My question is where was our coach telling us to pass to break the press, instead of trying to dribble through it. They had 3-4 guys trapping at half court and we drove into every time. Meanwhile, we have a 7'0 center standing down court wide open as well as a few other guys. As you know I'm an ardent supporter of PJ Hill, name not withstanding, but to be fair he's one of the most improved players on the team. To take it a step farther, he's one of the few players I've seen improve this season. And, despite his troubles with the press, let's also consider that he had eight rebounds, while our two 7'0 centers, Lauderdale and Mullens, only have seven boards combined. I don't think PJ is who we should be pointing the finger at in this loss.

Jeremy:
Throughout the past few weeks, I kept hearing OSU's main problem was youth and inexperience, and they'd supposedly be rounding into form around tournament time. Can anyone tell me ONE aspect of this offense that improved significantly since the beginning of the season? Outside of Hill, can anyone name ONE player whose offensive skills have developed over the course of the season? Perhaps Turner is slightly less likely to commit silly turnovers, but that's about all I can think of. And I'm not even sure about that one.

I know the Matta Apologists will find a way to justify the team's inability to break a simple trap ("Matta lost a point guard through absolutely no fault of his own"), and its inability to get a defensive rebound against a smaller team ("Lighty would made all the difference"), and its inability to run any sort of structured offensive play when it desperately needs a score ("they got the ball to Turner -- that's a play, sort of"), and its inability to convert on almost any sort of fast break ("they've only played 33 games -- how the heck would they know how to run a fast break so early in the season?"). Ok, I get all that: Matta isn't responsible for who's on the team or how they play, so we can't fault him for ANY of that. However, the one aspect of the game Matta undeniably DOES control is the substitutions. And with that in mind, I wonder if someone would care to explain why Mullens was in the game at the 1 minute mark of regulation, following a timeout, with OSU holding a 4 point lead and a lot of time left on the shot clock. It was pretty obvious that Siena would foul at that point, so what would be the logic of leaving in a freshman who shoots about 50%? (If anyone forgets, they in-bounded the ball to Mullens, who was immediately fouled, and predictably missed both shots.) Seems to me that any halfway decent junior high coach would have subbed Simmons for Mullens in that situation. So, would any of the apologists care to explain Matta's logic on that one? Good luck. Clearly, the only reasonable explanation is that Matta doesn't understand this game nearly as well as people assume he does.

I love this guy! Clearly he must be reading my blog, as well as the one I'm referencing.

Jimmy Dean:
Very depressing loss rounded up to poor coaching, poor execution by the post players, poor passing and the list goes on and on.

However, it was a good season considering two guys were injured,the one impact transfer was sitting on the bench for next season and Crater's early departure.

Jimmy Dean - I appreciate not only your sausage, but your insight. There is no doubt that the team suffered a couple of blows this year. We all know that injuries are just a part of life and there's no one you can blame. However, let's not forget two things about the Crater situation. The first is that his stated reason for leaving had to do with lack of playing time. That's a coach-related complaint. And while Crater was riding the bench, we put all of our eggs in Diebler's basket, while he struggled to even find the basket. Diebler played 38-40 minutes of every game, regardless of performance, or lack thereof. There is simply no excuse.

Second, immediately after Crater left he was picked up for drugs in Florida. It doesn't sound to me like perhaps this young man was going to be a real asset to our program because he clearly has a number of other issues he needs to sort out.

I could go on and on referencing the comments that fans made after our loss, but I cite these few as proof that I think the natives are finally getting restless. They are dissatisfied with our coaching, the lack of effort from our centers, and the excessive amount of playing time that Diebler gets. Boy, where could they be getting this stuff? It all sounds so familiar. I guess in the end, it's all just a Matta of opinion, but I think you know mine.