As IF Times

link ‘Pants on the ground’ goes viral: Top five Larry Platt covers / The Christian Science Monitor – CSMonitor.com

So cool that a brotha editorializes on the goofy trend that is still the rage among youths. As the article alludes to, the origin of low riding pants derives from prison where no belts are allowed and wearing of pants this way signified, to put it tactfully, availability. Somehow, this manner of dress became fashionable when these young men got back on the street, since this gave them ‘street cred’. Typically, these were low level criminals and it made some sense to convey this image, since this let the other posers on the street know that they had legitimate tough guy status and better not to mess with them.

Like many antisocial signals, this fashion statement found favour among posers, among ‘rap artists’ and consequently into the mainstream through music videos and publicity photos. It’s particularly amusing to see clean cut young white or Asian kids in leafy suburbs all over north america adopt the fashion preferences of their rap heroes; as if they had empathy with the ghetto lifestyle, living in comfortable suburbia and driving mommy’s Lexus to chill at the mall.

Adults are no less vulnerable to illogical fashion dictates as well of course. Among women, the idea of having a tattoo across the small of their backs, referred to as a ‘tramp stamp’ seems to be so popular that tattoo artists are practically mainstream in their profession. In the Midwest, you can see these places pop up like nail salons in the malls. In the old days, a greasy guy named Spike or Carlos did the painful deed in a filthy back room. The unlucky ones would get a free dose of hepatitis with the new ink. Nowadays, moms can get inked alongside their daughters while someone serves them iced tea.

Men are just as amusing. The Harley Davidson company has managed to propagate the idea of the freedom loving rebel on a motorcycle. Of course, being a rebel these days is much more convenient with large multi level corporate stores selling all things involved with the Harley lifestyle from clothing to jewelry, to baby clothes and even motorcycles. The formula for clothing is fairly consistent however, leaning mainly to black t-shirts, jeans and of course black leather.

It looks like everyone can show their individuality… in a me too kind of way.

link NYC Asks Food Manufacturers To Cut Salt Content – wcbstv.com

It’s getting tougher and tougher to keep on the right side of the modern politically correct, nanny culture that we’ve all embraced. It was bad enough that scientists have disparaged all manner and type of enjoyment, confection and amusement because of perceived detrimental effects. I guess you could argue that to demonize smokers was a good thing, since the idea of inhaling fumes that had just been in someone else’s lungs is pretty icky. Not to mention that smokers in general tend to be a slovenly lot, casting their spent butt ends all over the place. Is there anything more disgusting than looking at cigarette butts crushed into the remnants of a dish at the end of a meal?

But over the years, if you’ve avoided all the things that the authorities have claimed are bad for you, it’s possible you would not be alive, having died of malnutrition. Over the past few decades, the list of tsk tsk items have included:

eggs, coffee, milk, white bread, red meats, cheese, fish, shellfish, butter, ice cream, potato chips, cookies, candy, donuts, fried chicken, french fries and “fast food” in general. Hmm this looks like my weekly shopping list.

Oddly, many modern diets have espoused the virtues of eggs and red meats for their high protein benefits and coffee has seen a resurgence as a beneficial food as well as fish and of course the fast food at Subway. Just ask Jared. Strangely, margarine at one time was touted as preferable to butter, now we’ve swung back the other way. You seldom see any cooking shows or recipes calling for margarine in their mix.

Where it gets a little dicey are the arcane constituents of foods. For instance, fats per se aren’t bad for you, only certain trans and mono fats whatever those are. Maybe it’s no coincidence that Emeril Lagasse does not have a show on the Food Network anymore. I recall he never met a fat he didn’t like.

So now, the guardians of our well being (at least in NY) are pushing to move SALT from our diets. Apparently, we ingest far too much salt in forms we don’t even realize and this leads us towards the health out of bounds markers. So pressing is this crisis that they will eventually make it illegal for restaurants and food companies to exceed certain salt levels in their products. In other words, save us from ourselves, like it or not.

Boy, this is going to spur some changes in our society. Like smokers, willful salt ingesters will have to huddle in doorways outside of buildings sprinkling salt on their meals. There of course will be new camaraderies as people share shakers like lighters. Of course, people will try to quit, but can’t, therefore salt patches will be available for those who are weak. Naturally, there will be large letter warnings on salt packages and minors will not be able to obtain them.

There may be the emergence of underground restaurants where they freely use salt and other seasonings, like the speakeasies of old where you have to whisper, “Charlie sent me” through a sliding slot in a door to get in. The companies that make shakers will be severely squeezed since now only pepper shakers are acceptable on dining tables. With the passage of time and the acceptance of salt as socially evil, even common speech aphorisms will have to be modified. Someone is now the “oregano of the earth”, or we will consider someones opinions with ” a grain of nutmeg”. I’m sure it’ll sound better in 10 years.