More junk food ads = More obese kids

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans to study links between the marketing campaigns for food targeted at children 12 and under and the rise of childhood obesity.

Umm….??

Yes, of course, kids are going to eat more junk food if they see their favorite cartoon character munching down sugary cereal or candy.

More junk food, more TV time, less time for exercise = more obese kids.

Granted that junk food ads are not the sole reason for the growing obesity in this country, BUT Do we really need a study on the link between junk food ads and increasing obesity in kids?

I’m sure the study will provide some statistical data but how much are numbers going to help? Do we want to wait for some study numbers to come out before we realize that there is a problem?

FCC Chairman Martin cited reports that

The average child watches 2 to 4 hours of TV per day and views about 40,000 TV ads every year, most of them for cereal, candy, toys and fast food.

Kids cannot tell the difference between what’s real and what’s marketing - They don’t care if Sponge Bob or Scooby Doo are peddling food with close to zero nutritional value. If it’s good enough for Sponge Bob, it’s good for them

American companies spend about $15 billion a year marketing and advertising to children under age 12.

I know that most TV channels don’t want to loose the ad revenue but how about Sponge Bob talks about broccoli or celery for atleast a quarter of the time that he shills for sugary cereal.

For more news on the FCC article, go here.

Wacky Quotes

 Here are a collection of really good quotes by (some) famous (and some Here are a few really good quotes from (some) famous and (not so famous) people

Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. THAT’S relativity- Albert Einstein

The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get into the office.- Robert Frost

The trouble with being punctual is that nobody’s there to appreciate it.- Franklin P. Jones

We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don’t like?- Jean Cocturan

He vs She …at work

How the company views its employees.

1. The family picture is on HIS desk.
  Ah, a solid, responsible family man.

  The family picture is on HER desk.
  Umm, her family will come before her career.

2. HIS desk is cluttered.
  He’s obviously a hard worker and a busy man.

  HER desk is cluttered.
  She’s obviously a disorganised scatterbrain

Coloring pages for Durga Puja

 Kids can get into the spirit of Durga Puja with these coloring pages

Click on the picture thumbnail to enlarge

 

 

Three-year-old bought £9,000 car on eBay

This kid must be a computer genius .

My four year old daughters are very proficient at banging on the keyboard but have still not figured out online shopping (atleast as far as I know !)

Must say he has good taste :)

A three-year-old boy used his mother’s computer to buy a £9,000 car on the internet auction site eBay.

Jack Neal’s parents only discovered their son’s successful bid when they received a congratulations message from the website about the Barbie pink Nissan Figaro.

The following morning Jack woke and told his parents: “I’ve bought a car”.

Read more here

Sand Durga at Puri Beach

Beautiful sand sculpture of Goddess Durga at the Puri Beach – better than just a plain ole’ sand castle

Top 10 Powerful Women

Forbes came out with the most powerful women list for 2006.

I’m glad to see that there are more women from the government and fewer from the entertainment industry (not that I have anything against Oprah or Couric)

Indra Nooyi made it to the list too

1.  Angela Merkel 
 2.  Condoleezza Rice 
 3.  Wu Yi, Vive-premier of China  
 4.  Indra Nooyi, Chief Executive-Designate, Pepsico (way cool woman) 
 5.  Anne Mulcahy, Chairman & CEO, Xerox 
 6.  Sallie Krawcheck, CFO, Citigroup
 7.  Patricia Woertz , CEO & President, ADM
8.  Anne Lauvergeon, Chariman of Areva, French nuclear engineering co.
9.  Brenda Barnes, Chairman & Chief Exec., SaraLee
10.  Zoe Cruz, Co-President, Morgan Stanley

“Angela Merkel, the first woman to become chancellor of Germany, has displaced Condoleezza Rice as No. 1 on our list of the 100 Most Powerful Women.  Merkel won a tight election last year to unseat Gerhard Schröder as chancellor. She’s a former physicist from East Germany and a firm believer in free-market capitalism. Since taking office, Merkel has won respect on the world stage and popular appeal in Germany for her quiet diplomacy.  Despite her short time in office, Merkel has been dazzling world leaders.”

The most…..

The most destructive habit…….  Worry

 The greatest Joy……..  Giving

The greatest loss…….. Loss of Self Respect 

The most satisfying work……..  Helping Others

Today is Family Day

Today, September 25 2006 is th 5th Family Day….a day to pledge to eat dinner regularly with your children.

Eating dinner together as a family reduces substance abuse by 70% among children and teens.

Substantially reduced substance abuse is not the only benefit – Kids are half as likely to try cigarettes, one third as likely to try alcohol and get better grades in school.

According to recent statistics, less than half the families eat dinner together atleast 3 nites a week so it’s a habit we as a nation need to start practising more religiously.

Of course, our family dinner times consist of more talking and less eating by the kids  

Some of the recommendations to have fun family dinner nites are

Start the pattern of family dinners when children are young.

Encourage your children to create menu ideas and participate in meal preparation.

Turn off the TV and let your answering machine answer calls during dinnertime.

Talk about what happened in everyone’s day: school, work, extracurricular activities or current events.

Establish a routine to start and end each meal. Light candles, say grace or tell a story.

After dinner play a board game or serve dessert to encourage the family to continue the conversation.

Keep conversation positive and make sure everyone gets a chance to speak.

For more information, go to http://www.casafamilyday.org/

Quote about children

“Children are not vessels to be filled, but lamps to be lit” – Swami Chinmayananda