02008-12-15 | Health
Governor Paterson to Levy “Obesity Tax” – Diner’s Journal Blog – NYTimes.com
Another day, another government plan to change the way Americans eat: The New York Times reports that Governor David Paterson will propose a special tax on calorie-laden soft drinks made by Coca-Cola and Pepsi. People familiar with the plan call it an “obesity tax.”
The only difference between selling cigarettes and selling fat-food is that second-hand smoke is dangerous as well, but sitting next to someone consuming a gigantic chemical food substance… not so much. But, considering the rise of diabetes and obesity this may not be a bad idea.
02008-10-31 | Health
Light drinking in pregnancy may be good for baby boys, says study | Life and style | The Guardian
Boys born to mothers who drank lightly during pregnancy are better behaved and score more highly in tests at the age of three than the sons of women who abstained, according to a study published today.
Researchers found there was no link between light drinking in pregnancy – defined as one to two units a week, or on occasion – and any behavioural or cognitive problems in children at the age of three.
Surprisingly, the University College London study found that some of the children of light-drinking mothers appeared to be doing better than the babies of those who abstained.
Hm, I think the above news means, if you are American (Europeans have a different attitude about wine) – don’t glare at that pregnant women just because she is having a glass of wine with dinner. You can get concerned if she orders a few glasses of Jack Daniels, though…
Regarding wine, I am reading Plain Talk About Fine Wine by Justin Meyer, the late winegrower (he didn’t like the term winemaker) of Silver Oak. Great book for people who like wine.
And, there is always a middle path.
02008-10-17 | Health, Music
Should we be allowed to deafen ourselves? | Music | guardian.co.uk
With the news that the EU has identified a risk of hearing loss to anyone listening to in-ear music over a volume of 89db, we must consider the way we consume music. Do you listen to music on the tube? Or walking down a crowded high street? Chances are that if you do, you’re whacking the volume up on your MP3 player or mobile phone to levels above what is considered safe to compete with the background noise. Apparently, most MP3 players go up to 100db and can reach up to 120db if you have a pair of plug-in earphones. I listen to my iPod when I’m commuting, but after I’ve got on the tube and the doors hiss shut, I take my headphones off. There’s no way I want to slam up the volume to a ludicrous level to compete with screeching brakes and whooshing rails – it’s just not worth it.
02008-08-27 | Health, Reading
I love that title!
Here is another example of the theme I keep circling back on – balancing body and mind… no, let me re-phrase that: Balancing Body and Brain – for I believe that Mind happens somewhere at the juncture of Body and Brain. Where body and brain meet, mind happens. That would make a fine bumper sticker. Check out this story:
‘What I Talk About When I Talk About Running’ by Haruki Murakami – Los Angeles Times
The Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami has run nearly every day for the last 23 years and participates in at least one marathon a year. In his slim memoir, “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” — the title is a nod to Raymond Carver, one of the many American writers that Murakami has translated — he narrates his origin story as a novelist and as a runner. In his 20s, he owned and operated a jazz club. While watching a baseball game, he decided, “out of the blue,” that he could write a novel. “Something flew down from the sky at that instant, and whatever it was, I accepted it.” After writing two books, he sold the club to devote himself to fiction — his first novel to be translated into English, “A Wild Sheep Chase,” followed. As his writing career took off, his health began to decline — the result of all that sitting and smoking. Murakami decided to take up running.
And Murakami does not not just jog… he runs marathons, ultramarathons (62 miles) and triathlons…
02008-07-29 | Health, News
Travertine Spa owner looks to make bigger mark in body-care market – Los Angeles Times
Eventually, Carter decided to mix business with one of his favorite release valves for stress from his legal career: visiting spas wherever he was in the world.
“People relax in a lot of different ways,” Carter said, “but my Johnny Walker Red is a Jacuzzi.”
My friend Terry was written up in the L.A. Times. I was wearing one of his hoddies for several performances because they are so comfortable. I have praised his shea-butter hand creme many times before, here for example.
02008-07-25 | Health
Big Surprise: America’s Fittest Cities are Also Most Walkable Cities : TreeHugger
The American Fitness Index has been released by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), complete with sexy interactive graphics; San Francisco is first, Seattle is second, Boston is third.
And, to nobody’s surprise, if you compare it to Kenny’s list of the most walkable cities in the US, there is significant overlap; in terms of walkability, San Francisco was first, followed by New York and Boston.
Link to American Fitness Index
