Pasta Company Says Their Noodles Are Only for Straight People

donderdag 26 september 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Adriana Velez 1 hour ago

I don't know about you, but I've always considered pasta to be gender-neutral. Pasta doesn't really care if you're male or female, gay or straight. Pasta just wants to give you some carbs and make you feel warm, fed, and slightly bloated for a while. Pasta is not picky. But one pasta company sure is. Italian pasta company Barilla likes to feature "traditional" families in its ads: One dad, one mom, and their kids. Coincidence? Nope. Barilla's chairman, Guido Barilla, recently spoke out about the choice and said it was deliberate. The gays can go eat some other brand of pasta.

Yes, he really did say that. Here is the quote, translated into English: "We won’t include gays in our ads, because we like the traditional family. If gays don’t like it, they can always eat another brand of pasta. Everyone is free to do what they want, provided it doesn’t bother anyone else." Oh! Well. At least he believes in the right to choose someone else's pasta. I'm sure telling everyone you don't want gays to be seen eating your pasta doesn't bother anyone else at all.

Just to clarify, gays can eat Barilla. It's just that it's going to give them a sour stomach.

So that's kind of a shitty thing to say. I think we all know our idea of what a family looks like is changing. That's very rarely reflected in any advertising, and I don't expect a pasta company to be on the avant garde; but to make a point of avoiding gay families is kind of icky. Even if you're the kind of homophobic jerk who won't feature gay families in your ads, do you have to announce that to the world? Couldn't you keep that to yourself, you know, in the home, not out in public where it'll disgust people?

This is such a bummer, because I used to eat Barilla. But now, out of solidarity with my gay friends, I feel I must choose another pasta brand. Fortunately almost all the pasta at that price point tastes nearly identical, but still. I liked the blue box. Oh wait! Here's Guido Barilla with an apology!

With reference to statements made yesterday, I apologize if my words have generated controversy or misunderstanding, or if they have hurt the sensibilities of some people. In the interview I simply wanted to highlight the central role of the woman in the family.

Oh my God, I feel even worse now. 

Does it bother you when food company owners talk about their politics or beliefs?

Image via moonlightbulb/Flickr

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Adriana Velez

is a staff writer who dabbles in food, parenting, news, entertainment, molecular biology, and anything else that that pops into her head. She lives with her elementary school-aged son in Brooklyn, land of urban farms and artisan everything.  

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358 People Set Twerking World Record and We Were There (VIDEO)

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AppId is over the quota
by Emily Abbate 2 hours ago

By now, we've all surely heard about twerking. We've seen Miley Cyrus twerk. We've seen pregnant women twerk. And oh man did we drool over the Navy sailor twerking. Well yesterday 358 people gathered together in New York City's Herald Square along with FUSE and New Orleans musician Big Freedia to set the Guinness World Record for Most People Twerking Simultaneously. Seriously.

In order to set it, the Guinness official revealed that a minimum of 250 twerkers needed to be present, and they had to booty bounce for a full two minutes straight. The good news? They set the record! The better news? We were there with a camera.

Watch 358 people twerking simultaneously on The Daily Stir. Go on, you know you want to.

Please subscribe to CafeMom Studios to keep up with all our original content!

So, can you twerk?

Image via CafeMom Studios/YouTube

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School Superintendent’s ‘Racist and Sexist’ Text Messages Make Us Wonder What’s Wrong With People (VIDEO)

woensdag 25 september 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Adriana Velez 13 hours ago

If everyone in your community could read your text messages, would they be horrified? The racist and sexist messages between school superintendent Richard Como and athletic director Jim Donato have rocked the community of Coatesville, Pennsylvania. Apparently the texts between these two men included graphic references to faculty and students. Just a few harmless, private jokes between two men? Not so much.

Copies of the messages between Como and Donato were given to the school board from an anonymous source. The Chester County District Attorney office discovered the messages when they were conducting an unrelated investigation of the district. Meanwhile, Como and Donato both resigned reportedly when they found out the board planned to fire them -- but the damage is already done.

So how bad were these text messages, anyway? Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan says, "The text messages that we reviewed were of a shockingly racist nature. They looked like something from 1813, not 2013." Oof, that bad, huh? I'm glad I haven't found transcripts of those messages yet, though I'm sure it's just a matter of time before they're leaked. (Maybe it's already happened and I just don't know because I don't want to know ...)

Board President Neil Campbell issued a statement saying that the school board had moved as quickly as possible on the incident and were cooperating with the District Attorney. "The racist and sexist language expressed by the two men was sickening and obviously unacceptable," he said.

So now we're all in agreement that this was disgusting behavior, especially coming from adults who are supposedly leading school faculty and students. Wouldn't you expect more from them? This must come as a horrible shock to the families in the community. Or maybe not. About a third of the school community is black, and I bet they're unfortunately all too accustomed to racism coming from any and all sources.

Meanwhile, I can't help imagining (if these allegations are true) what this meeting of the minds between Como and Donato must have been like. At what point did they recognize they were racist, sexist kindred spirits and start letting the shit fly with each other? Do these people have radar for their type? Ugh, probably. At least everyone else seems to agree that their exchanges were wrong. Now everyone who works for the district has to do sensitivity training. But the two people who needed it most should have gotten that training a long time ago.

Are you surprised that two adults with leadership positions in a school district were exchanging offensive text messages?

Image via ABC

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Adriana Velez

is a staff writer who dabbles in food, parenting, news, entertainment, molecular biology, and anything else that that pops into her head. She lives with her elementary school-aged son in Brooklyn, land of urban farms and artisan everything.  

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Something in Your Medicine Cabinet Has Killed 1,500 People

maandag 23 september 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Ericka Sóuter 1 hour ago

I am not one to just suffer through aches -- whether that be a headache, sore muscles, or period pain. Needless to say, I keep my medicine cabinet stocked with over-the-counter pain relievers. I know I'm not alone. Well, a new report gives me pause about my (totally legal) pill-popping habit. In the last decade, 1,500 Americans have accidentally died after taking too much acetaminophen -- the active ingredient in Tylenol. It's considered safe at the recommended dosage, but many people take more than the bottle suggests. Of course, too much of anything can be bad for you and cause problems. But death from OTC meds is a scary thought. Especially since you don't have to down the entire bottle to put your life in danger. 

It's especially dangerous when taken with alcohol. But in general, too much of it can damage the liver. Studies reportedly show that there is a thin line between the amount of acetaminophen that helps and the amount that makes it deadly. They offered up the example of a 12-year-old dirt biker rider, a 5-month-old baby, and a fit 23-year-old construction worker. It seems as though the dangers can affect any age, any person. 

Now some groups are calling for better warnings on product labels and stricter dosage rules. In other countries, like England and Switzerland, there is a limit to how much a consumer can buy at a time but there aren't any restrictions like that in the United States. However, the makers of Tylenol have been working on developing an antidote to acetaminophen poisoning that has already saved lives.

It's frightening that something most of us take every day -- without thinking twice about -- can be so deadly. I would have never considered acetaminophen as dangerous as some other drugs, but I certainly will be more careful with my dosage going forward.

Have you ever taken over the recommended dosage of acetaminophen? Are you ever worried about overdosing on OTC medicines?

Image via e-Magine Art/Flickr

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ericka Sóuter

is a veteran pop culture and celeb news writer. That experience boils down to two things: she knows way too much about the Kardashians and she dominates on Trivial Pursuit's arts and entertainment questions.

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Prince William and Kate Middleton Accept a Gift That Makes a Huge Difference for Special Needs People

zaterdag 14 september 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Adriana Velez Yesterday at 6:30 PM

Of all the gifts Prince William and Kate received for their new son, George, this has to be the sweetest. Tazia Fawley, a 43-year-old woman with Down syndrome, painted a depiction of the Bristol Balloon Festival. It's a brightly-hued, joy-filled painting perfect for a child's room. And Fawley spent six months creating it. Will and Kate make it a practice to turn down most gifts, but they had to make an exception and graciously accepted Fawley's gift. Accepting the painting sends a strong message about fighting the stigma against Down syndrome. 

Heart and Sold, an organization that promotes art created by people with special needs, sent a photo of the finished painting to Will and Kate to see if they would accept it. And how could they not? It's adorable, for one thing. But it was also a chance for the couple to embrace the Down syndrome community and draw attention to Heart and Sold.

But more than that, Will and Kate are setting an example for recognizing and valuing the contributions of people with special needs. Suzie Moffat, the director of Heart and Sold, says "In England, there always has been a stigma attached to (Down syndrome), and now that is washed away by the fact that the Duke and Duchess have accepted that painting. For this to happen, it’s kind of turned that negativity around.” The acceptance of the painting also has the power to encourage other people with Down syndrome to pursue their passion for art.

Will paintings from other artists represented by Heart and Sold start flying off the shelves now, just like every dress Kate wears? I don't know -- it would be amazing if they did! But at the least, I think it's probably their hope that this gesture helps change a few people's perspective.

Do you think accepting this gift will change how people in the UK think of people with Down syndrome?

Image via Pacific Coast News

Click "Like" for more on the Royal Family. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Adriana Velez

is a staff writer who dabbles in food, parenting, news, entertainment, molecular biology, and anything else that that pops into her head. She lives with her elementary school-aged son in Brooklyn, land of urban farms and artisan everything.  

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