The obesity epidemic

The American Enterprise Institute hosted a conference on obesity, individual responsibility, and public policy yesterday. Reuters summed up the meeting by reporting that the cause of obesity has experts at odds.

The past couple years have ushered an unprecedented rush to tackle the worldwide obesity problem. Experts tell us that it isn't just an American issue, people are getting fat around the globe.

The National Institutes of Health awarded $1.9 million to British scientists to study the role of physical activity in the development of childhood obesity. Does it really take almost $2 million to figure out that the more you exercise the thinner you'll get?


This week, fat news appeared in U.S. News & World Report, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Seattle Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, andForbes to name a few outlets.

And my favorite is this article in Newsday about New York legislators toying with the idea of a "fat tax."

Why has obesity become such a problem? What can we do to lighten up the load the world is carrying?

cartoon courtesy of R.J. Matson and Roll Call

Overheard on the metro

Everyone is talking about the Da Vinci Code. I devoured it over the weekend and am going to give it an 8 star rating - more for originality than for prose.

Anyway, this morning, two women smushed beside me on the metro were arguing over the historical accuracy of the book. This morning on the Today show, Dan Brown was interviewed by Matt Lauer.

I feel as though everywhere I turn, this book keeps popping up. Not that it's a bad thing.