As a parent looks at their child’s small body, a blueprint of the future, it is natural to wonder, "What will this child become as an adult?" Everyone wants the best for their offspring but parents know that wanting and making sure that they get all the help they need takes more than just wishing on a star.
According to the “Healthy Americans Organization’s recently released report , adult and childhood obesity increased in 2009. One wonders, “How can this be? Especially, in a year when so much media attention has been focused on the issue. This is probably because the foundation of obesity is set when children are the most active and seem the most fit and learned habits are hard to break.
Diets that limit variety in foods are defended by the “my child is a fussy eater” excuse. Processed foods are substituted for real foods in home and school diets using the excuses of cost, convenience and so-called time saving. Unhealthy building blocks for future adults are created by limiting variety and not offering new real foods. They are created by supplying processed foods as replacements for real food. The result is an adult who, one day, will not fit into a single seat on an airplane or even a standard coffin when they prematurely expire from diet induced diseases. The Western Diet is the most pervasive pandemic to fear in our world today.
Recently published information, by the The Telethon Institute of Child Health Studies notes that the Raine Study indicates a link between diet and ADHD. For over a decade information has been reported about the link between the Western Diet and heart disease, diabetes and other such ailments, but habits are hard to change.
The Child Nutrition Act expires September 30, 2010 and includes the mechanism of dictating the American school lunch program, which the majority of our children rely upon. Jamie Oliver has been working on programs and legislation that refocuses Americans on the health of their children. The school lunch program is one in which all Americans should be involved. While there are many ways to bring the deficit down, sacrificing a child’s health is not the way to do it.
As always, we have to remind our legislators that, while there is much on their plates and although they may disagree on just about everything, we will not let them ignore our children and their health. It is time to tell our legislators to ask for the House and Senate to bring forward for debate, then support and pass substantial Child Nutrition legislation.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
What is the cost of the Gulf Oil Spill?
As we continue to witness the Gulf disaster unfold, and it begins to dawn on us that this is something we may not be able to fix, it might be a good idea to realize that it is but a stone on the dark side of the scale that has been tipping toward the declining health and bounty of our oceans. The following is a link to a lecture, presented by TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) whose mission is to share “Ideas worth spreading.” I believe that knowledge is the best way to find hope in what, at first blush, may appear to be a hopeless situation. View TED Lecture.
It is heart wrenching to watch the oil soaked pelicans and their babies struggling for life and it makes us feel good to see them flying free after being cleaned and relocated. Please do not be lulled by the show. Cry for the microbial life of the ocean that has been in decline for years; picture the bodies of dolphins and fish that have perished under the surface because dispersants were used to hide the oil from the cameras; and when the price of the holiday party shrimp (foreign) impacts the Christmas appetizer table, stop and have more than a passing thought, maybe a moment of prayer, for the Gulf residents and their way of live that died with their shrimp.
It will not be easy to asses the cost of the oil spill until people fully recognize the value of what has been lost, either in the priceless, human and non-human, Gulf region life, or the vast interconnected ecosystems.
It is heart wrenching to watch the oil soaked pelicans and their babies struggling for life and it makes us feel good to see them flying free after being cleaned and relocated. Please do not be lulled by the show. Cry for the microbial life of the ocean that has been in decline for years; picture the bodies of dolphins and fish that have perished under the surface because dispersants were used to hide the oil from the cameras; and when the price of the holiday party shrimp (foreign) impacts the Christmas appetizer table, stop and have more than a passing thought, maybe a moment of prayer, for the Gulf residents and their way of live that died with their shrimp.
It will not be easy to asses the cost of the oil spill until people fully recognize the value of what has been lost, either in the priceless, human and non-human, Gulf region life, or the vast interconnected ecosystems.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Gone Means No Do Over
This was a comment posted on a website, as part of a week of chatter, regarding the possibility that BP/Halliburton/Transocean and the government may never be able to stop and/or clean up the Gulf oil spill. This anonymous person, known only as gristswat, said it all.
“Hmmmm....well this is interesting. Normally, mindless consumers funnel their money to some big corporation so they can rape the Earth of its (finite) natural resources on their behalf. Then, KABOOM!.... and suddenly the consumers want the money funneled the opposite way, to try and clean up a violated environment. Here are three enormous problems with this formula: 1) It is generally based on the assumption that the Earth's natural resources are infinite, and they are not. 2) It assumes that with enough money we can fix anything, and that is also not true, and 3) Too many people on this planet flat out do not understand, or care about, what it means to lose something INTANGEABLE: there are things/conditions which, once gone, are fone forever and can not be replaced.
Newsflash!...Breaking Story!....This Just In!......World War III has begun! It is not going to be waged with nuclear weapons, like everyone thought. Also, the combatants are a surprise: They are Mother Nature and Father Time in one corner, and Stupid Humans on the other side. The weapons: Ma & Pa have control of the life support systems. Humans have money. Strategy for Ma &Pa; give the Stupid Humans plenty of rope, then just sit back and watch and wait while they hang themselves.
This is a profound turning point in our very existence. We are faced with two extremely difficult options: Either we adapt to living SUBSTAINABLY, or we are going EXTINCT.”
This person’s message will be lost on those who believe dispersants applied to the oil on the ocean’s surface actually make it disappear; those who do not see pesticides on cheap food but trust somebody has made sure it is safe to eat; and those unable to relate the overwhelming amount of plastic in our lives, to the oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico.
While under the surface, World War III, as this person so eloquently describes, is fully engaged, as we close our eyes, hearts and minds, and pass the true cost of our folly on to future generations.
“Hmmmm....well this is interesting. Normally, mindless consumers funnel their money to some big corporation so they can rape the Earth of its (finite) natural resources on their behalf. Then, KABOOM!.... and suddenly the consumers want the money funneled the opposite way, to try and clean up a violated environment. Here are three enormous problems with this formula: 1) It is generally based on the assumption that the Earth's natural resources are infinite, and they are not. 2) It assumes that with enough money we can fix anything, and that is also not true, and 3) Too many people on this planet flat out do not understand, or care about, what it means to lose something INTANGEABLE: there are things/conditions which, once gone, are fone forever and can not be replaced.
Newsflash!...Breaking Story!....This Just In!......World War III has begun! It is not going to be waged with nuclear weapons, like everyone thought. Also, the combatants are a surprise: They are Mother Nature and Father Time in one corner, and Stupid Humans on the other side. The weapons: Ma & Pa have control of the life support systems. Humans have money. Strategy for Ma &Pa; give the Stupid Humans plenty of rope, then just sit back and watch and wait while they hang themselves.
This is a profound turning point in our very existence. We are faced with two extremely difficult options: Either we adapt to living SUBSTAINABLY, or we are going EXTINCT.”
This person’s message will be lost on those who believe dispersants applied to the oil on the ocean’s surface actually make it disappear; those who do not see pesticides on cheap food but trust somebody has made sure it is safe to eat; and those unable to relate the overwhelming amount of plastic in our lives, to the oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico.
While under the surface, World War III, as this person so eloquently describes, is fully engaged, as we close our eyes, hearts and minds, and pass the true cost of our folly on to future generations.
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