text:
Let's Move! A View From the White House
Nutrition: Sam Kass, the Obamas' chef and the president's senior policy advisor for healthy food initiatives, reflects on the work that's been done through Let's Move! and rolls up his sleeves for what's yet to come.
Now that the presidential election is decided, it's a good time not only to note the progress of First Lady Michelle Obama's main initiative, Let's Move!, but to explore how this important work will continue over the next 4 years.
IDEA editor in chief Sandy Todd Webster recently interviewed Sam Kass, White House senior policy advisor for healthy food initiatives, to discuss the "state of the union" with the man whom the First Lady handpicked to implement her vision for turning the corner on obesity in the United States. With Centers for Disease Control and Prevention facts showing that childhood obesity rates have tripled in the past 30 years, the most intense focus of Let's Move! has been on kids' education and programming.
Kass, arguably the most powerful chef in the country, maintains a good balance at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. When he's not out promoting Let's Move! (which he often is), he sheds his policy-wonk hat most afternoons to button up his chef's jacket and cook dinner for the Obama family. Among his many and varied duties for the administration, he managed the implementation of the now-famous White House vegetable garden and continues to oversee its planting and harvesting.
Sandy Todd Webster: In terms of the Let's Move! initiative, what accomplishments are you most proud of so far?
Sam Kass: The First Lady has been very successful in uniting people around the nation's well-being, particularly [the well-being] of the nation's children. We're seeing people step it up in every corner of the country and in every segment of society.
From businesses making changes for the better in some of their practices; to parents making small—but such important changes—at home; to schools improving what they're serving and trying to get their kids more active—we're seeing it across the board. I could go on and on about the comprehensive nature of how we as a nation have been working to tackle these challenges to ensure that all of our kids grow up healthy and get the chance to live the healthy lives they deserve.
I think the First Lady has been able to put these issues in the center of our consciousness, and people are thinking hard and working creatively to make improvements. In just over 2 years we've come a long way. Of course we have a long, long way to go in terms of nutrition and making sure we're eating balanced and healthy diets as well as the amount of physical activity we're getting. But we're making great progress.
Webster: This is a big ship to turn. We haven't seen obesity numbers budge much. If anything, the obesity statistics seem to be getting worse, especially in terms of kids. How are strategies prioritized around that right now? It seems there's so much yet to tackle.
Kass: There's no question. Look, it's taken us decades to get into the situation we're in now. It's going to take us a long time to get out. The First Lady knows that we are all in this for the long haul. Taking that perspective is critical. We're looking to pull the most important levers and to engage and inspire the most critical people who have a real stake in these issues. It's not, "If only we stopped eating this," or "If only we started doing that," we could solve this problem. It's going to take a long, sustained effort to accomplish this. At our core I'll say that this is about eating a balanced, healthier diet and about moving more. That's the foundation of everything we do.
Webster: Is there a specific role you see fitness professionals playing?
Kass: The First Lady has put out a call to action to everybody to engage in this effort. We all have a role to play. We have to start investing our time, energy and resources in this as a foundation of what a healthy, productive life is.
Fitness instructors and others whose professions revolve around fitness are role models and an inspiration to those people they are engaging—particularly young people. They give them the tools they need to be active. Simple little things can go a long way. Showing a person how to do a workout on the living-room floor for 15 minutes a day can have a huge impact on someone's life.
I think the same is true of nutrition. We all have to message that you can't have one without the other and expect to be healthy. We can't take the pieces of movement and nutrition out of the context of the other. There is no point in working out for an hour a day if you are then going to eat a ton of unhealthy food. Or perhaps you may be eating a really healthy diet, but you never get any exercise. One without the other doesn't add up to great health.
Webster: Talk to me about food, nutrition and cooking as survival skills for kids and families. How do we impart these skills, which have both health and economic benefits, so people are better able to cope when budgets are limited?
Kass: One of the pillars of the First Lady's mission is to ensure that all people have access to healthy and affordable food. One of the greatest strategies to make sure that healthy food is affordable is through home cooking. It's a knowledge base that we've lost a lot of over the past few generations. We are working hard to regain some of the tools and skills that can help us feed our families in a healthy way. For example, you can buy oatmeal in any restaurant, and even in the cheapest restaurant, it costs you $1.50 or so—but you can cook it at home for 25 cents. The ability to invest a little time and effort in cooking at home can dramatically improve people's diets, but it can also be done in a very affordable way.
One of the biggest accomplishments of the past couple of years has been the release of the new "My Plate," which the First Lady has championed. We've worked very hard to get very specific, simple steps that people can make to improve what they're putting on their plates, and do it in a way that's creative and adaptable to any culture and community across the country.
With My Plate and ChooseMyPlate.gov there are all kinds of recipes and strategies for people to utilize to help them do that. So those tools have been really powerful. But we all have to work together. We've called upon chefs to step up and get their knowledge out to schools and communities. We're trying to message this at every opportunity. The First Lady always makes sure that when we do harvests in the [White House] garden, cooking and eating are a component of that, because that's such a core part of what we're trying to do.
Webster: Please describe what a White House garden harvest and cooking day with the kids is like.
Kass: We normally harvest the food, wash it and then prepare it right down by the garden and eat it. It's a great day when we do that. The harvest I remember most was when we decided to serve only just-picked, raw vegetables with some simple, healthy dips. Needless to say, we were all pretty nervous because you're giving kids raw broccoli, cauliflower, peas—kale! Normally kids don't go for that. One kid showing a sour face can have a pretty negative impact with all the press who are always at our events. But because the kids had helped plant, harvest and then prepare everything, they just devoured those raw vegetables in a way that was amazing. When we engage kids in the process of what it means to plant, cook and eat food, their minds just open up. We've seen that time and time again.
Webster: How will Let's Move! progress? What's yet to come?
Kass: The First Lady came to this issue as a mom—a mom who was struggling with how to make sure her kids were healthy back in Chicago. This is the reason she embarked down this path as First Lady. These are issues that are near and dear to her heart, that she will continue working on well beyond her time in the White House—whenever that may be. This country has a champion in these issues from Michelle Obama as long as she is an active public figure.
That said, this is the work of the country. The First Lady has shown tremendous leadership, but the solutions are coming from America and from citizens all across the nation. The First Lady often says that we have very little ability to fundamentally change these issues. These are issues that community leaders and business leaders and parents and teachers are solving on their own—and doing in a way that makes the most sense for them. Their work has to continue.
So that means working on the key areas we've been focusing on:
1. Making sure kids are getting a healthy start to life in early childhood.
2. Making sure our schools are really supporting and nourishing the health and well-being of our kids.
3. Making sure our kids are getting proper physical activity every day.
4. Making sure families have access to healthy and affordable food. That means mayors and community leaders are working to make sure there are grocery stores in all neighborhoods so people can get the foods they need.
5. Making sure parents are empowered with the right information to make healthy choices once they have access [to healthy, affordable food].
Those are the most important areas in which we feel the work needs to be continued. There are people who have been doing this for decades and will continue to [stay engaged]. Parents particularly are going to keep taking up this charge. I'm very optimistic that as we continue to unite around the well-being of our kids we can truly overcome these challenges and make sure they grow up healthy.
Webster: How has your advocacy role changed your perspective and your view of your career?
Kass: These are issues I came to the White House very passionate about, and I'll dedicate my life to continuing this work. It's been truly an honor to work for this President and this First Lady, whom I believe in, and [to be an advocate for] the work the First Lady has done. I think it can set this country on a path that we'll look back on and see that we've really changed the course of things. The country will benefit. These are issues that have an impact on our economy, on our national security, on our education and certainly on our health care. We're hoping to set a foundation for the future that can bring about real improvements in all of those areas. It's been an amazing journey to be a part of that. I continue to be optimistic about all we can accomplish.
For the latest research, statistics, sample classes, and more, "Like" IDEA on Facebook here.
© 2012 by IDEA Health & Fitness Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.
Get the award-winning IDEA Fitness Journal delivered to your door every month!
Article Comments
IDEA Newsletter Sign-up
Related Questions
CEC Courses
Extreme Interval Training
In this course you'll learn goal-focused intervals and over 50 dynamic exercises and drills to create extensive and intensive training formats. |
Cut to the Core
This is a raw, unedited video filmed live at the 2009 IDEA World Fitness Convention™. Cut to the Core is packed full of core-focused exercises that aim to improve the way you look, feel and live. |
September 2011 IDEA Fitness Journal Quiz 4: Plyometric Training
This continuing education quiz is an in-depth look at plyometric training. Plyometric exercises—jumping, bounding, hopping, arm pushing, and catching and throwing weighted objects such as machine balls—are movements that involve rapid eccentric and concentric muscle actions. |


text:
Select () or exclude () categories to narrow your recipe search.
As you select categories, the number of matching recipes will update.
Find exactly what you're looking for with the web's most powerful recipe filtering tool.
Interesting Links other members have posted:
My favorite foods:
Japanese (the American version)
Mexican (the real deal)
Cajun (not the same as Southern)
Our favorite restaurants:
PF Changs
Claim Jumpers (yummy)
Red Rock Casino Feast Buffet (worth the $$)
Red Rock Casino Salt *****
The Macorroni Grill (the bread and olive oil is the best)
My Rating System:
5 stars = My whole family enjoyed the dish and it will be added to our repertoire.
4 stars = Recipe was great, but needed some kind of easy adjustment.
3 stars = It was edible, but won't be made again and needs some adjustments.
2 stars = It was inedible, but an idea that can be worked with some kind of major adjustments.
1 star = Inedible, didn't work, wasted ingredients.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Results 1 to 1 of 1
Can someone please help me to solve the MEPIS 2.6.7 kernel refusing to recognise my parallel port [I'm using a Laserjet 6p printer] It works if I switch to the ...
Enjoy an ad free experience by logging in. Not a member yet? Register.
- 01-30-2005 #1
- Join Date
- Jan 2005
- Posts
- 2
MEPIS not recognising parallel ports
#rmmod lp
#rmmod parport
#modprobe parport_pc io=0x378 irq=none
#modprobe lp
But the system will not do this automatically. Have done extensive search of net and forums and am at wits end. Really don't want to blow it all away and start again.
Many thanks Bob


text:
My heartfelt curtain...
Like my stache?
Bleeding Heart!
Brain cupcakes for Halloween.
my prom dress inspired by steampunk culture
playing cards, ribbon, hair clip
Give your hairdo that little bit extra magic!
A little necklace for all Batman-Fans! :)
This is my very first time with the sewing machine:=)
Unique little posts whipped up ridiculously cheap, fast, and easy.
Dont throw away your burnt out bulbs - craft with them!
Pinkie Pie Phone Case -from my little pony
While I wait for some real diamonds these will do!
Vintage steampunk looking ring... quick and easy!
Make and keep your craft feathers soft and fluffy!


text:
« July 2011 Table of Contents
Last month's Capitol Hill Oceans Week offered a good forum for discussing the status of fisheries, aquaculture and the Gulf oil spill's remaining effects on the seafood industry. As National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries officials did their meet and greets during the agency's 36th annual Fish Fry, I should have expected that there was more than just good seafood cooking: They were getting ready to unveil the national marine aquaculture policy the next day (see News Recap print issue, p. 7).
While it's encouraging to see the agency has a framework in place for aquaculture, now the challenge is helping producers deal with the unwieldy local, state and federal regulations that farms say they are buried under. Bill Dewey, director of public policy and communications at Taylor Shellfish in Shelton, Wash., mentioned the company has been expanding in Canada because it's too difficult to get permits in the United States.
But even before the policy was unveiled there were some grumblings by environmental groups, some of which believe that marine aquaculture laws should not fall under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management and Conservation Act. They contend that additional federal legislation would have to be introduced to govern the sector. If this were to happen it would delay expansion of marine aquaculture for many years — which is exactly what the NGO community wants.
A case for advancing offshore aquaculture is made in this issue's Point of View by Michael A. Rice, a professor of fisheries and aquaculture at the University of Rhode Island. Rice points out that increased aquaculture is necessary because worldwide seafood demand is surpassing the wild harvest, which has a global maximum sustainable yield of 80 million metric tons.
While the need is evident, there are many things still working against increased domestic aquaculture, including misinformation about fish feeds, antibiotic use and fish waste, to name a few. While the government is busy wrangling with NGOs over policy, a public relations campaign is needed to show the average consumer accurate information and the real benefits of aquaculture in the United States. This type of farming is not hidden behind a high fence, but in prime coastal real estate where taxpayers are vocal and easily swayed by misinformation from anti-aquaculture camps. The PR front needs to work in tandem with policymaking now, or else all progress could be stalled.
Related articles:


text:
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Is Your Religion Your Financial Destiny? (from NYT)
Taken from this source.
The economic differences among the country's various religions are strikingly large, much larger than the differences among states and even larger than those among racial groups.
The most affluent of the major religions — including secularism — is Reform Judaism. Sixty-seven percent of Reform Jewish households made more than $75,000 a year at the time the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life collected the data, compared with only 31 percent of the population as a whole. Hindus were second, at 65 percent, and Conservative Jews were third, at 57 percent.
On the other end are Pentecostals, Jehovah's Witnesses and Baptists. In each case, 20 percent or fewer of followers made at least $75,000. Remarkably, the share of Baptist households making $40,000 or less is roughly the same as the share of Reform Jews making $100,000 or more. Overall, Protestants, who together are the country's largest religious group, are poorer than average and poorer than Catholics. That stands in contrast to the long history, made famous by Max Weber, of Protestant nations generally being richer than Catholic nations.
Many factors are behind the discrepancies among religions, but one stands out. The relationship between education and income is so strong that you can almost draw a line through the points on this graph. Social science rarely produces results this clean.
What about the modest outliers — like Unitarians, Buddhists and Orthodox Christians, all of whom are less affluent than they are educated (and are below the imaginary line)? One possible explanation is that some religions are more likely to produce, or to attract, people who voluntarily choose lower-paying jobs, like teaching.
Another potential explanation is discrimination. Scott Keeter of Pew notes that researchers have used more sophisticated versions of this sort of analysis to look for patterns of marketplace discrimination. And a few of the religions that make less than their education would suggest have largely nonwhite followings, including Buddhism and Hinduism. Pew also created a category of traditionally black Protestant congregations, and it was somewhat poorer than could be explained by education levels. These patterns don't prove discrimination, but they raise questions.
Some of the income differences probably stem from culture. Some faiths place great importance on formal education. But the differences are also self-reinforcing. People who make more money can send their children to better schools, exacerbating the many advantages they have over poorer children. Round and round, the cycle goes. It won't solve itself.
2 comments:
- tom sheepandgoats said...
If members of a faith strived to apply the Bible in their lives, would that not, in itself, put them at the low end of the spectrum? Any number of passages advise living simply. For example, from 1 Tim:
"For we have brought nothing into the world, and neither can we carry anything out. So, having sustenance and covering, we shall be content with these things." - May 21, 2011 at 7:10 AM
- Fr. Christian Mathis said...
Not sure that salary in itself necessarily equates not living a simple life. I think of the example of Dr. Paul Farmer who spends half his year working in the high paying field of medicine and the other half working in Haiti for those who need his skills as a doctor.
- May 30, 2011 at 10:38 AM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)


text: I love the female breasts and I love latina babes I found a new section on this hot new live latina camsex show site. I searched several different girls before I found Tonya. Tonya had a bathing suit type shirt on and her huge breasts were sticking out the sides to were you could see her hot sexy pointy nipples as well. I had to get a hot latina sex cam show with this girl or I would lose my mind. She showed me her amazing nipples and hot pussy in private , you guys do not know what you are missing!


text:
Although I don't follow NASCAR but after reason your recent post I wonder if Vince McMahon has something to do with this. Can we expect a NASCAR wwe pay per view soon?
Why I Am Done With NASCAR – It's A Disgrace That's Why
Time to put your big boy pants on because today I am ticked. I am going to post an editorial that will probably cost me readers. Good. If you're a NASCAR fan after yesterday's fiasco, I couldn't care less if you read my site or not. It's time to take a stand.
Don't you dare call what goes on in NASCAR racing, or sport or anything of the kind. It's not. It's a joke. It's a ruse. It's shameful. It's a disgrace. It should be banned. And any company associated with it should be boycotted.
The latest fracas on a NASCAR track was the tipping point for me. You can read about this Jerry Springer moment here – http://on.msnbc.com/SW0B2p
Personally, this doesn't represent any kind of racing I know. Fist fights seem to be the mainstay of NASCAR. Bullying folks, calling them names, threatening them and beating them. That's what NASCAR represents today. It's devolved into something where so-called "professional race car drivers" intentionally crash into each other – endangering themselves, the fans, the crews and the sport. It's absurd and it's garbage and it has no place in motorsports. It reminds me of the old Demolition Derby. (I apologize to Demolition Derby fans. It was unfair of me to taint that with a connection to NASCAR!)
I grew up in Indianapolis. NASCAR was always looked down upon there. I thought it was unfair. To me, back then, racing was racing. I went over to Europe to photograph Formula One. They looked down on Indy-car racing and even more so on NASCAR. Again, I thought it was unfair. To me, back then, racing was racing. I didn't care if you ran top fuel, midgets, karts, open wheel – whatever. If you raced – I respected you and what you did. I looked up to racers. I wanted to be a racer. But after watching the fiasco that has developed over at NASCAR these last few years, I am done considering what happens on a NASCAR track racing. It's not. In my Constitutionally-protected opinion it's a bunch of hopped-up redneck thugs who seem to think they are stars in a badly-scripted B-Movie. Grown men, acting like 13-year-olds trying to prove theirs is bigger than the next guy's. There seems to be more fighting than driving in NASCAR these days and the event in Phoenix is the straw that broke the camel's back.
So from now on – if you're involved with NASCAR, don't tell me you're into racing, or cars or motorsports or anything of the sort. Tell me you're into thugs acting like thugs, throwing cheap punches at a minor league hockey game, desperate for attention and bound to lose because that's obviously easier than learning how to act like a professional and drive a race car in such a way as to bring honor and glory to a sport that deserves both. Tell me you're a washed up professional wrestler. Heck tell me you do UFC fighting. But don't you dare call yourself a racer. You don't deserve that title. It's reserved for honorable people who pursue motor sports with a degree of decorum and sportsmanship. NASCAR can't claim anything close.
If you're a television network broadcasting this pablum, shame on you. If you're a NASCAR sponsor shame on you too. I won't do business with you. If you're a NASCAR fan and you let your kids watch this crap, you should be reported to child services. If you're an aspiring driver and you think NASCAR is for you – go to boxing school instead of racing school because it appears that the thugs have taken over and the race car drivers have all checked out.
What a disgrace.
7 thoughts on "Why I Am Done With NASCAR – It's A Disgrace That's Why"
I am an entertainment production electrician. I work for, amongst other things, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Awards, and the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. There is a clear difference between those we honor at one of those events, compared to the other.
Sad to say the F1 and Rally people have had a lot to look down on for a lot of years. Give me Real Racing on Real Roads by honorable drivers any day!
The sad part is that something like this will only serve to attract even more "fans". Just like in hockey when the fighting begins. Heck no one in the US cared about figure skating until Nancy Kerrigan got whacked in the knees. It's the Springer-like theatrics that attract attention.
There is no real sport anymore anywhere in the pro ranks. I'd rather hop over to a hockey rink in Canada and watch the pee wee and junior kids play rather than the Rangers of the Flyers. as long as you can keep the parents out of things you'll see a good game.
I used to watch Nascar racing with my dad when I was younger. I wanted to be like Dale Sr and Richard Petty. I did some racing during my younger years in quarter midgets and I can honestly say that after reading that article about how Nascar has turned into a 3 ring circus, I want to never watch another race. I have never liked Jeff Gordon, in my opinion I feel he was always out to make a name for himself, which he has, but to deliberately cause someone to wreck is piss-poor sportsmanship and no wonder why F1 and CART look down at Nascar, like you said Scott its nothing but redneck thugs.
I now step down off the soapbox. I can completely understand why you want nothing to do with Nascar.
for the longest time I wasn't a NASCAR fan. Go fast turn left was all thought it was. Then I got into it a few years ago. I see the passion. The fans of the sport cry out to see non sanitized non politically correct drivers speak. This race the drivers in question (Gordon and Bowyer) had a back and forth that boiled over. What tv showed was PASSION. The passion that fans have felt was missing. Good to see it back, sad to see it covered and lends to the painting of the fans a knuckle dragging, mouth breathing cretins that only want to see it. I get excited watching the RACING not the wrecks, not the fights