Giddy Up- Gelatin Gets Polarized Reviews

Marshmallow treats and other gummy candies owe their success on the shelves to olde Rusty's lack there of out in the show ring. Yikes! That is not a fact to share with the kids as they jiggle their Jell-O Jigglers; but one most adults tuck deep into that back pocket of the brain, in order to eat gummy bears AND then drive to the barn. So, while most people know horse hooves are in the vicious additive --gelatin-- they are unaware that loads of other byproducts are melted down and stirred into the colorless, brittle, nearly tasteless, substance.

Gelatin production means derive collagen from inside animals' skin and bones. Gross Factor of 5 on a scale of 1 to 10. Now add pork skins, pork and cattle bones, perhaps some cattle hides; boil, cure and dissolve them using acid, and alkali to extract the dried collagen hydrolysate (a stage of gelatin which will later turn into the final gel form of the protein.) And The Gross Factor climbs.

But before you dump out the lime Jell-O hardening in your fridge, I must explain gelatin's ability to pervade almost everything else in your fridge: soda, cream cheese, and anything you buy reduced fat.' It would all need to go if you want to live gelatin-free. Why?

Well, gelatin makes beta-carotene water-soluble thus imparting a yellow color to any containing beta-carotene. It also is used to thicken cream cheese and jams; the gelatin stabilizes and texturizes them. Reducing fat content in foods involves gelatin adding volume without calories. As soon as gelatin is tied to reduced fat foods most change their tune and offer a counter to their original ethical dilemma, stating: “if the whole cattle is used instead of just the meat at least its resourceful!” Three cheers for gelatin?

Maybe not quite, but while something about this substance remains stigmatized it is only fair to applaud it for its positives. I would be remiss in posting this without also noting that gelatin helps us achieve more than just our culinary pursuits. Pharmaceutical capsules containing the medicine that saves us are coated in gelatin shells for a smoother ride down to our tummies.

I love eating gelatin to grow my nails, some hardcore horseman (called heartless by some) even strengthen their ponies hooves with it! Can you imagine: rubbing your great-grandma’s boiled remains on your nails to strengthen them? Oh the results-oriented equine world!
A closing thought that is sure to shock: that annoying neighborhood boy always shooting and running around covered in paint-- his paintball gun: gelatin provided the ammo.

Rarer Than A Robot-- Music with a Bold Visual Message

This Video Speaks for Itself

But, I of course have a few opinions about it:

When I first discovered it I was struck by the artistic and stylistic choices, which could overshadow the message if the lyrics weren't "You are not a Robot" and stated in a declarative sentence-style on repeat with a mechanical voice-over.

The feeling that the pavement is talking to you is cleverly achieved through obscene amounts of black body paint and glitter. Striking how that image separates the mind into its many facets: breeding self-dialogue. Gotta love compartmentalizing with the backdrop being a catchy electro tune!

The video is simple and distinctive in its subtle tact. The viewer soon becomes mesmerized by the mouth's movement-- perhaps a subtle focus cast on the
vulnerable spot of the robo-human assembled with asphalt? Brilliant! Also creative: the juxtaposition of the bedazzled versus the matte paint.
I predict a star is born with Marina and the Diamonds.
Diamond in the rough? Not so, this video's lack of high tech effects makes it so divinely different.

Its goal is as transparent as its lyrical message. Yet, how can you not love it?

Out of the Ordinary Rings

Plastic rings are readily available for mass-consumption nowadays: carved roses are abloom the fingers of forever 21 shoppers in every major city and suburb. Since 2006, the trend of accessory-dressing has really taken off.

But when did plastic specifically gain its fashion edge? Though commonly associated with the cheap and disposable: garbage bags and Galdware— and all other modern conveniences— it was once almost too expensive to produce in the first place.

Back in 1862, a Londoner named Parkes unveiled the first-ever man-made plastic. (Naturally, he dubbed the synthetic material’s name after him: Parkesine) But this prototypal plastic failed due to high costs. An innovator named Spills created a Xylonite plastics company—but production proved too expensive. His company’s finance started to spill into the red; it melted into a state of complete bankruptcy in 1874.

It wasn’t until the roaring 1920s that plastic started to look fantastically fashionable and somehow feasible. In the avant-garde eyes of Coco Chanel plastic was chic; she created Bakelite jewels for Chanel’s accessory collection. So, Bakelite was the flamboyant brother Plastic. Bakelite made plastic a statement piece. But its flare was soon overshadowed with the birth of the darling war babies: Lucite and Plexiglas.

Plastic rings are not rare in form anymore, but have opened the door to rare imaginative exploration like no other medium. Think about it. You can set stones in metal, twist and weld metal—but plastic can swallow entire pre-assembled scenes, fresh or freeze dried flowers, and act as a 3D display case for semi-precious stones or simply precious personal mementos.

A plastics pioneer, Alice Matsumoto has a great website with an even greater name—the Carrotbox.com sells exclusively plastic rings, while displaying other designs of rare and interesting nature. Matsumoto’s passion is incredible. She posts her mission statement on her blog: “to spread glass, plastic and other non-metal rings to as many fabulous people as possible.” Even if Alice wasn’t allergic to metals, she explains that she would always work with this medium.

In an email she told me “I work hard to find quality items — if I wouldn't wear it myself, I won't sell it.” She also told me she didn’t think herself as interesting enough to interview formal. A modest attitude directs attention toward her jarring collection of jewels. Once thought of as a second-class synthetic, plastic has since gained a reputation as unreal. And who doesn’t want what plastic is offering? Be chic and cheap. Choices: translucent or solid, it is up to you and coins: all the spare change you saved rattling in your pocket. Plastic: a problem-solver material that many find irresistible.