Yahoo!
Mon Sep 11, 10:50 AM ET
Overweight and obesity levels are increasing at an alarming rate within the European Union, with over a quarter of men and a third of women considered obese in some countries, the European Commission has warned.
The EU's executive arm presented the results of a major public consultation on diet and exercise, prompted in part by the 14 million overweight children in Europe of whom over three million are considered obese.
"Up to 27 percent of European men and 38 percent of women (are) now considered to be obese depending on the EU member state concerned," the Commission said in a statement Monday.
The highest prevalence of overweight children is found in southern European countries at around 20-35 percent as opposed to 10-20 percent in northern Europe.
"This is now an urgent public health issue requiring co-ordinated action at EU level, as well as within member states," the Commission said.
According to the consultation's results, it is necessary to increase the availability of healthy foods in canteens or in vending machines, reduce the availability of foods that are high in fat and sugar and to promote sports and other physical activity.
There were also calls for better and clearer consumer information on nutrition.
EU Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said: "The prevalence of obesity has been rising fast in Europe and there is already evidence that this is leading to increasing rates of conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease."
While respondents from industry favoured self-regulation, healthcare professionals, consumer organisations and NGOs remain sceptical about the impact of self-regulation on advertising of foods high in calories but poor in nutrients.
The commission will consider the policy options "and fine-tune its action with the right balance between voluntary agreements and legislative action", its statement said.
Poor nutrition and insufficient physical activity are among the leading causes of avoidable death in Europe.
Obesity-related illnesses are estimated to account for as much as seven percent of total healthcare costs in the 25-nation bloc.
.aC Sidebar
Three words, the Full-English Breakfest (the Full Monty). Yes, that and the northern England/Scotland tradition of Fried Snickers can't be healthy either. Plus, Octoberfest in Germany, great cheeses of France, and Swiss/Austrian chocolate isn't an ideal methods of diet too.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Friday, July 14, 2006
Give Me a Break!
MSN
What happens when you combine the complex codependent subtext of "Toxic" with the deep and meaningful posterior shout-out that is "PopoZao"? Scarily enough, we could soon find out. Britney Spears, apparently not content just to make chubby-cheeked tots with Kevin Federline, tells Harper's Bazaar (via USA Today) that she's also planning to make music with her would-be rapper hubby.
"I'm so proud of Kevin," the erstwhile pop starlet tells the August issue of the magazine, which features her on the cover sporting chocolate locks, a swelling belly and no clothes. "He's been working so hard on his own album since I got pregnant with Preston. I'm so lucky. He's a doll; he's adorable."
Let's hope that when the scruffy, overly fertile former backup dancer takes a breather from "working so hard," he'll return the compliment to his meal-ticket missus, who could probably use some words of encouragement. The beleaguered Britney, 24, admits that while it's "empowering" to have a bun in the oven, "you don't feel the most beautiful all the time."
She fesses up that she was "paranoid" while pregnant with Sean Preston, 10 months, but says that with "this one, I was like, I've just got to wing it. It was weird for me at first because of who I am. Wherever you go, they expect you to look a certain way. I'm not supposed to be this big huge pregnant superstar."
Spears says she has every intention of returning to form -- and performing -- after her second K. Fed kid arrives in the fall, insisting, "I'm going to get really intense with it."
In other Britney news, did she let her New York condo go for a song? The New York Post reports that after several price reductions, she finally managed to unload her 4,000-square-foot, three-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath, four-level Manhattan penthouse.
The lucky buyer reportedly picked up the palatial pad, once occupied by Keith Richards, for a mere $4 million, far below the nearly $6 million Spears wanted when it was originally listed in July 2004.
The digs, which come complete with a library (barely used, we're sure), terrace, media room and solarium, set Britney back $3 million in 2002.
aC. Sidebar
How can you be proud of a husband that works hard on a non-existent, widely available record that's listenable. Also, how would you feel if your husband is concentrating more on a record than a baby and mother? I don't know how indepth the relationship and quality of communication and maturity, but I would take care of my wife and baby over a stupid album.
I have nothing against Britney, just the fact that I am a viable contender to be a good father, friend, and husband that wooud respect and be very gentlemanly to her drives me nuts. I think the media and world backs me up when we wish to see more out of K-Fed in this relationship. Where was K-Fed when Britney had issues with driving Sean Preston on her lap or when the car seat was in the wrong position. It's not all Britney's fault. K-Fed is a father, heck, he's a father of four counting his ex-girlfriend. This is sad. Having a good weekend Mr and Mrs. Spears.
What happens when you combine the complex codependent subtext of "Toxic" with the deep and meaningful posterior shout-out that is "PopoZao"? Scarily enough, we could soon find out. Britney Spears, apparently not content just to make chubby-cheeked tots with Kevin Federline, tells Harper's Bazaar (via USA Today) that she's also planning to make music with her would-be rapper hubby.
"I'm so proud of Kevin," the erstwhile pop starlet tells the August issue of the magazine, which features her on the cover sporting chocolate locks, a swelling belly and no clothes. "He's been working so hard on his own album since I got pregnant with Preston. I'm so lucky. He's a doll; he's adorable."
Let's hope that when the scruffy, overly fertile former backup dancer takes a breather from "working so hard," he'll return the compliment to his meal-ticket missus, who could probably use some words of encouragement. The beleaguered Britney, 24, admits that while it's "empowering" to have a bun in the oven, "you don't feel the most beautiful all the time."
She fesses up that she was "paranoid" while pregnant with Sean Preston, 10 months, but says that with "this one, I was like, I've just got to wing it. It was weird for me at first because of who I am. Wherever you go, they expect you to look a certain way. I'm not supposed to be this big huge pregnant superstar."
Spears says she has every intention of returning to form -- and performing -- after her second K. Fed kid arrives in the fall, insisting, "I'm going to get really intense with it."
In other Britney news, did she let her New York condo go for a song? The New York Post reports that after several price reductions, she finally managed to unload her 4,000-square-foot, three-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath, four-level Manhattan penthouse.
The lucky buyer reportedly picked up the palatial pad, once occupied by Keith Richards, for a mere $4 million, far below the nearly $6 million Spears wanted when it was originally listed in July 2004.
The digs, which come complete with a library (barely used, we're sure), terrace, media room and solarium, set Britney back $3 million in 2002.
aC. Sidebar
How can you be proud of a husband that works hard on a non-existent, widely available record that's listenable. Also, how would you feel if your husband is concentrating more on a record than a baby and mother? I don't know how indepth the relationship and quality of communication and maturity, but I would take care of my wife and baby over a stupid album.
I have nothing against Britney, just the fact that I am a viable contender to be a good father, friend, and husband that wooud respect and be very gentlemanly to her drives me nuts. I think the media and world backs me up when we wish to see more out of K-Fed in this relationship. Where was K-Fed when Britney had issues with driving Sean Preston on her lap or when the car seat was in the wrong position. It's not all Britney's fault. K-Fed is a father, heck, he's a father of four counting his ex-girlfriend. This is sad. Having a good weekend Mr and Mrs. Spears.
Give Me a Break!
MSN
What happens when you combine the complex codependent subtext of "Toxic" with the deep and meaningful posterior shout-out that is "PopoZao"? Scarily enough, we could soon find out. Britney Spears, apparently not content just to make chubby-cheeked tots with Kevin Federline, tells Harper's Bazaar (via USA Today) that she's also planning to make music with her would-be rapper hubby.
"I'm so proud of Kevin," the erstwhile pop starlet tells the August issue of the magazine, which features her on the cover sporting chocolate locks, a swelling belly and no clothes. "He's been working so hard on his own album since I got pregnant with Preston. I'm so lucky. He's a doll; he's adorable."
Let's hope that when the scruffy, overly fertile former backup dancer takes a breather from "working so hard," he'll return the compliment to his meal-ticket missus, who could probably use some words of encouragement. The beleaguered Britney, 24, admits that while it's "empowering" to have a bun in the oven, "you don't feel the most beautiful all the time."
She fesses up that she was "paranoid" while pregnant with Sean Preston, 10 months, but says that with "this one, I was like, I've just got to wing it. It was weird for me at first because of who I am. Wherever you go, they expect you to look a certain way. I'm not supposed to be this big huge pregnant superstar."
Spears says she has every intention of returning to form -- and performing -- after her second K. Fed kid arrives in the fall, insisting, "I'm going to get really intense with it."
In other Britney news, did she let her New York condo go for a song? The New York Post reports that after several price reductions, she finally managed to unload her 4,000-square-foot, three-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath, four-level Manhattan penthouse.
The lucky buyer reportedly picked up the palatial pad, once occupied by Keith Richards, for a mere $4 million, far below the nearly $6 million Spears wanted when it was originally listed in July 2004.
The digs, which come complete with a library (barely used, we're sure), terrace, media room and solarium, set Britney back $3 million in 2002.
aC. Sidebar
How can you be proud of a husband that works hard on a non-existent, widely available record that's listenable. Also, how would you feel if your husband is concentrating more on a record than a baby and mother? I don't know how indepth the relationship and quality of communication and maturity, but I would take care of my wife and baby over a stupid album.
I have nothing against Britney, just the fact that I am a viable contender to be a good father, friend, and husband that wooud respect and be very gentlemanly to her drives me nuts. I think the media and world backs me up when we wish to see more out of K-Fed in this relationship. Where was K-Fed when Britney had issues with driving Sean Preston on her lap or when the car seat was in the wrong position. It's not all Britney's fault. K-Fed is a father, heck, he's a father of four counting his ex-girlfriend. This is sad. Having a good weekend Mr and Mrs. Spears.
What happens when you combine the complex codependent subtext of "Toxic" with the deep and meaningful posterior shout-out that is "PopoZao"? Scarily enough, we could soon find out. Britney Spears, apparently not content just to make chubby-cheeked tots with Kevin Federline, tells Harper's Bazaar (via USA Today) that she's also planning to make music with her would-be rapper hubby.
"I'm so proud of Kevin," the erstwhile pop starlet tells the August issue of the magazine, which features her on the cover sporting chocolate locks, a swelling belly and no clothes. "He's been working so hard on his own album since I got pregnant with Preston. I'm so lucky. He's a doll; he's adorable."
Let's hope that when the scruffy, overly fertile former backup dancer takes a breather from "working so hard," he'll return the compliment to his meal-ticket missus, who could probably use some words of encouragement. The beleaguered Britney, 24, admits that while it's "empowering" to have a bun in the oven, "you don't feel the most beautiful all the time."
She fesses up that she was "paranoid" while pregnant with Sean Preston, 10 months, but says that with "this one, I was like, I've just got to wing it. It was weird for me at first because of who I am. Wherever you go, they expect you to look a certain way. I'm not supposed to be this big huge pregnant superstar."
Spears says she has every intention of returning to form -- and performing -- after her second K. Fed kid arrives in the fall, insisting, "I'm going to get really intense with it."
In other Britney news, did she let her New York condo go for a song? The New York Post reports that after several price reductions, she finally managed to unload her 4,000-square-foot, three-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath, four-level Manhattan penthouse.
The lucky buyer reportedly picked up the palatial pad, once occupied by Keith Richards, for a mere $4 million, far below the nearly $6 million Spears wanted when it was originally listed in July 2004.
The digs, which come complete with a library (barely used, we're sure), terrace, media room and solarium, set Britney back $3 million in 2002.
aC. Sidebar
How can you be proud of a husband that works hard on a non-existent, widely available record that's listenable. Also, how would you feel if your husband is concentrating more on a record than a baby and mother? I don't know how indepth the relationship and quality of communication and maturity, but I would take care of my wife and baby over a stupid album.
I have nothing against Britney, just the fact that I am a viable contender to be a good father, friend, and husband that wooud respect and be very gentlemanly to her drives me nuts. I think the media and world backs me up when we wish to see more out of K-Fed in this relationship. Where was K-Fed when Britney had issues with driving Sean Preston on her lap or when the car seat was in the wrong position. It's not all Britney's fault. K-Fed is a father, heck, he's a father of four counting his ex-girlfriend. This is sad. Having a good weekend Mr and Mrs. Spears.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
FYI Guys...
Darwin Revisited:
Females Don't Always Go for Hottest Mate
May 5, 2006; WSJ.com
At first glance, the "sexy son hypothesis" makes perfect sense. According to this pillar of evolutionary biology, a female who chooses a high-quality male will have sons who inherit dad's allure. They, too, will therefore have their pick of females, allowing mom to hit the jackpot: grandmotherhood.
But when scientists followed male flycatchers whose dads were real catches (as judged by a forehead patch that is this bird's equivalent of perfect abs), they found no such thing.
The sons "did not inherit their father's ... mating status," the Swedish researchers wrote in the February issue of American Naturalist. As a result, mom got fewer grandkids than did females who settled for less-attractive males. The studs were so busy mating they had no time to raise offspring, causing their health and fecundity to suffer. Homelier birds were better dads, raising sons who had more mating success.
Poor Darwin. After he developed his theory of how organisms change through variation and natural selection, his thoughts turned to sex. Because females have few eggs (compared with males' limitless sperm), their best strategy is to select the highest-quality males for mates, he wrote in 1871. That way, their progeny also would have superior traits. The offspring would survive and reproduce better, making mom's fondest wish -- to become a grandmother -- come true. (In evolution, success means reproduction, not only for you but for your descendants unto the nth generation, too.)
The theory of sexual selection -- that females choose males with the best genes, causing those genes to become more prevalent in succeeding generations -- is invoked to explain why peacocks have rococo tails and bucks have huge antlers. Neither trait has real survival value, but females choose males that have them, exerting selective pressure for ever-showier versions.
Or so textbooks say. Just as Darwin's theory of natural selection is under attack by America's religious right, his less-known theory of sexual selection is catching flak from some biologists. "In a number of species, reproductive behavior does not conform to Darwin's theory of sexual selection," says biologist Joan Roughgarden of Stanford University. "The idea that females choose the genetically best males is wrong. Instead of choosing mates who will increase the genetic quality of their offspring, females make choices that will increase their number of offspring."
As in the flycatcher study, mating with "sexy" males isn't necessarily the way to a plethora of descendants. True, in species where males contribute nothing but genes to offspring, this strategy may work. But biologists are finding more and more examples where females benefit from a different strategy.
Female crickets mate with just about any male that asks, for instance. Through promiscuity, not choosing the "best" male, they increase the genetic diversity of their offspring, improving the chances that some will survive no matter what pathogens and enemies the kids encounter.
Other females are not as enamored of sexy traits as theory claims. While big-antlered red deer are busy fighting each other to show a female who has the best rack, the doe sneaks off to mate with less well-endowed stags. Female red-winged blackbirds are not easily impressed, either. Having the most macho plumage has no detectable effect on how many offspring a male sires, David Westneat of the University of Kentucky reported in American Naturalist this week.
Nor is flaunting their charms and competing against other males necessarily the best reproductive strategy, as Darwin thought. In some species, cooperation can bring greater success. Bluegill sunfish, for instance, form trios of one small female, one large territory-holding male and one small male that infiltrate that territory when the female releases her eggs. That lets the little scrawny guy, despite the lack of female-attracting heft, become a dad.
Such strategies, Prof. Roughgarden says, show that "each kind of male has its own way of going about its life. Each works out fine." As she and colleagues wrote in February in Science, "animals cooperate to rear the largest number of offspring possible."
Another problem with sexual selection is that it fails to explain the persistence of, shall we say, homely males. If females choose the male with the best traits, as claimed, then after enough generations every peacock should have a tail to die for. But they do not. Every flock has studs and duds. "Shouldn't all the tails be great?" asks Prof. Roughgarden.
Other scientists are not ready to jettison sexual selection, calling it (as biologist Jerry Coyne did in a review) "powerful and largely correct." But some aren't so sure. Primatologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy (pronounced "herdy") calls it "ill-advised" to "give precedence to [females'] quests for supposedly the 'best' genes" when they choose a mate.
Mating can indeed be a competitive sport (see: spring break). But many traits that attract females have nothing to do with good genes. For mysterious reasons, females just developed an attraction for them. Men on a quest for perfect abs can take that as fair warning.
Females Don't Always Go for Hottest Mate
May 5, 2006; WSJ.com
At first glance, the "sexy son hypothesis" makes perfect sense. According to this pillar of evolutionary biology, a female who chooses a high-quality male will have sons who inherit dad's allure. They, too, will therefore have their pick of females, allowing mom to hit the jackpot: grandmotherhood.
But when scientists followed male flycatchers whose dads were real catches (as judged by a forehead patch that is this bird's equivalent of perfect abs), they found no such thing.
The sons "did not inherit their father's ... mating status," the Swedish researchers wrote in the February issue of American Naturalist. As a result, mom got fewer grandkids than did females who settled for less-attractive males. The studs were so busy mating they had no time to raise offspring, causing their health and fecundity to suffer. Homelier birds were better dads, raising sons who had more mating success.
Poor Darwin. After he developed his theory of how organisms change through variation and natural selection, his thoughts turned to sex. Because females have few eggs (compared with males' limitless sperm), their best strategy is to select the highest-quality males for mates, he wrote in 1871. That way, their progeny also would have superior traits. The offspring would survive and reproduce better, making mom's fondest wish -- to become a grandmother -- come true. (In evolution, success means reproduction, not only for you but for your descendants unto the nth generation, too.)
The theory of sexual selection -- that females choose males with the best genes, causing those genes to become more prevalent in succeeding generations -- is invoked to explain why peacocks have rococo tails and bucks have huge antlers. Neither trait has real survival value, but females choose males that have them, exerting selective pressure for ever-showier versions.
Or so textbooks say. Just as Darwin's theory of natural selection is under attack by America's religious right, his less-known theory of sexual selection is catching flak from some biologists. "In a number of species, reproductive behavior does not conform to Darwin's theory of sexual selection," says biologist Joan Roughgarden of Stanford University. "The idea that females choose the genetically best males is wrong. Instead of choosing mates who will increase the genetic quality of their offspring, females make choices that will increase their number of offspring."
As in the flycatcher study, mating with "sexy" males isn't necessarily the way to a plethora of descendants. True, in species where males contribute nothing but genes to offspring, this strategy may work. But biologists are finding more and more examples where females benefit from a different strategy.
Female crickets mate with just about any male that asks, for instance. Through promiscuity, not choosing the "best" male, they increase the genetic diversity of their offspring, improving the chances that some will survive no matter what pathogens and enemies the kids encounter.
Other females are not as enamored of sexy traits as theory claims. While big-antlered red deer are busy fighting each other to show a female who has the best rack, the doe sneaks off to mate with less well-endowed stags. Female red-winged blackbirds are not easily impressed, either. Having the most macho plumage has no detectable effect on how many offspring a male sires, David Westneat of the University of Kentucky reported in American Naturalist this week.
Nor is flaunting their charms and competing against other males necessarily the best reproductive strategy, as Darwin thought. In some species, cooperation can bring greater success. Bluegill sunfish, for instance, form trios of one small female, one large territory-holding male and one small male that infiltrate that territory when the female releases her eggs. That lets the little scrawny guy, despite the lack of female-attracting heft, become a dad.
Such strategies, Prof. Roughgarden says, show that "each kind of male has its own way of going about its life. Each works out fine." As she and colleagues wrote in February in Science, "animals cooperate to rear the largest number of offspring possible."
Another problem with sexual selection is that it fails to explain the persistence of, shall we say, homely males. If females choose the male with the best traits, as claimed, then after enough generations every peacock should have a tail to die for. But they do not. Every flock has studs and duds. "Shouldn't all the tails be great?" asks Prof. Roughgarden.
Other scientists are not ready to jettison sexual selection, calling it (as biologist Jerry Coyne did in a review) "powerful and largely correct." But some aren't so sure. Primatologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy (pronounced "herdy") calls it "ill-advised" to "give precedence to [females'] quests for supposedly the 'best' genes" when they choose a mate.
Mating can indeed be a competitive sport (see: spring break). But many traits that attract females have nothing to do with good genes. For mysterious reasons, females just developed an attraction for them. Men on a quest for perfect abs can take that as fair warning.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Current Events Quiz for March
1. Chief Executive Dick Kovacevich received a $7 million bonus for 2005 from which major U.S. bank?
Bank of America
Chase
Citicorp
Wells Fargo
2. What country did Rolling Stone magazine enter for the first time this month with a new edition?
Australia
China
India
Japan
3. AT&T’s planned acquisition of BellSouth comes with a pretty high price tag -- $67 billion, and according to AT&T’s chief financial officer, how many jobs?
None
7,500
10,000
15,000
4. What major airline has decided to take the gloves off and go wing-to-wing with low-cost Southwest Airlines on flights out of Love Field in Dallas?
American
Coninental
Delta
United
5. BlackBerry users are finally letting out a collective breath after Research In Motion Ltd., the maker of the handy little e-mail device, announced Friday it has settled its long-running patent dispute with NTP for $612.5 million. In what state is NTP based?
Connecticut
New Hampshire
Pennsylvania
Virginia
6. Toledo, Ohio-based supplier Dana Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection for its U.S. operations. In what business does Dana operate?
Auto parts
Bakery foods
Electronics
Steel
7. What was the best-selling new product of 2005?
Budweiser Select
Gillette M3Power razors
Slim-Fast’s Optima diet line
Tide with a touch of Downey
8. AK Steel Holding Corp. played hardball with workers after their contract ran out, operating a plant with salaried and replacement workers after locking out nearly 2,700 union employees. Where is the AK plant located?
Ashland, Ky.
Erie, Pa.
Middletown, Ohio
Rockport, Ind.
9. Starbucks has announced it will start buying coffee for its Blue Bourbon brand from which central African country?
Central African Republic
Chad
Rwanda
Zambia
10. What company recently announced it will spend $300 million to build a new plant in Vietnam?
GM
Intel
Kimberly-Clark
Nestlé
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11099319/
Bank of America
Chase
Citicorp
Wells Fargo
2. What country did Rolling Stone magazine enter for the first time this month with a new edition?
Australia
China
India
Japan
3. AT&T’s planned acquisition of BellSouth comes with a pretty high price tag -- $67 billion, and according to AT&T’s chief financial officer, how many jobs?
None
7,500
10,000
15,000
4. What major airline has decided to take the gloves off and go wing-to-wing with low-cost Southwest Airlines on flights out of Love Field in Dallas?
American
Coninental
Delta
United
5. BlackBerry users are finally letting out a collective breath after Research In Motion Ltd., the maker of the handy little e-mail device, announced Friday it has settled its long-running patent dispute with NTP for $612.5 million. In what state is NTP based?
Connecticut
New Hampshire
Pennsylvania
Virginia
6. Toledo, Ohio-based supplier Dana Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection for its U.S. operations. In what business does Dana operate?
Auto parts
Bakery foods
Electronics
Steel
7. What was the best-selling new product of 2005?
Budweiser Select
Gillette M3Power razors
Slim-Fast’s Optima diet line
Tide with a touch of Downey
8. AK Steel Holding Corp. played hardball with workers after their contract ran out, operating a plant with salaried and replacement workers after locking out nearly 2,700 union employees. Where is the AK plant located?
Ashland, Ky.
Erie, Pa.
Middletown, Ohio
Rockport, Ind.
9. Starbucks has announced it will start buying coffee for its Blue Bourbon brand from which central African country?
Central African Republic
Chad
Rwanda
Zambia
10. What company recently announced it will spend $300 million to build a new plant in Vietnam?
GM
Intel
Kimberly-Clark
Nestlé
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11099319/
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