e_j_powers

In this episode, infant formula is touted as being virtually equivalent, nutritionally and in other ways (and superior in some), to breastfeeding. I had always thought the opposite was true, so I did a little research on the internet and discovered that every authoritative source I could find, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Mayo Clinic, disagrees with Adam and recommends breastfeeding over formula, except where breastfeeding is not an option. According to these sources, breastfeeding is "the recommended way" and "the gold standard" for infant nutrition because it provides natural antibodies that protect the baby, is easier to digest, and has several other benefits that formula just doesn't have. The only authoritative source for the show's claims was a woman named Courtney Jung who wrote a book on the subject called "Lactivism." According to the show, she's a professor of political science and a nutritional expert, but on amazon.com it just says that she is a political scientist; there's no indication that she has any expertise in nutrition at all. In any event, the AAP and the Mayo Clinic seem to me to be far more reliable sources of information on the subject than a political scientist. Although I like the show "Adam Ruins Everything" generally, on this subject he appears to have gotten over his skis.

The Closer was one of the best shows ever on TV. For the first few seasons, every episode was riveting and most episodes had an unexpected twist or surprise ending. The final episodes of the series gradually and flawlessly morphed Captain Raydor, who had always been a thorn in Brenda Leigh's side, into a hero and set her up to be the lead of the Major Crimes squad. The best of the cast from The Closer was carried over as well, and it looked as if the spin off might turn out to be nearly as good, if not quite as good, as the original show. Unfortunately, while Major Crimes is pretty good, even very good at times, it falls short of its early promise, mostly because of the storyline involving Rusty, Capt. Raydor's teenage ward. Rusty comes across as unpleasant, rude, annoying, and petulant, and the writers have given him way too much screen time. In addition, his constant presence at the police station is not credible, as detectives do not have time to coddle a whiny teenager as the Major Crimes squad does, going so far as to help Rusty with his schoolwork and offer him advice at every turn. Without Rusty the series would undoubtedly be far better. But as another reviewer mentioned, he is designed to attract young viewers, and so we're probably stuck with him for the run of the series. Too bad.