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magidIn Louisiana, there was another way one could state one's anti-abortion views: on license plates, ones with storks on them. Until the courts struck this down as illegal, apparently because there was no plate available for pro-choice people. I'd never thought of state 'causes' plates as another place for that debate.
There was an article on Morning Edition today about how, by 2006, nutrition labels will have to include trans fats in its own category. This segued into a story about increasing obesity rates in the U.S. and foods being changed (they mentioned Kraft's reformulating foods). There was no mention of exercise, which wasn't surprising, I suppose. And yet, as I see articles about corporations doing things to make the public health better (presumably), no one mentions rethinking our architecture and landscaping. People will get out more, walking, biking, etc, if the area they live in is more designed for those activities. There should not only be sidewalks (some places don't have them), but places to walk to; many people are not motivated by exercise for its own sake. I've never understood why there always has to be residents fighting bike paths, which give people destinations, possibly even a new way to commute, or be tourists.
A study in NYC grew saplings in the city and in the country... and the city trees grew to be twice as big (NYTimes article (registration required)). Not what I would've expected, at all. Apparently the difference is ozone, which, on lower levels of the atmosphere, stays around a lot longer in the country.
There was an article on Morning Edition today about how, by 2006, nutrition labels will have to include trans fats in its own category. This segued into a story about increasing obesity rates in the U.S. and foods being changed (they mentioned Kraft's reformulating foods). There was no mention of exercise, which wasn't surprising, I suppose. And yet, as I see articles about corporations doing things to make the public health better (presumably), no one mentions rethinking our architecture and landscaping. People will get out more, walking, biking, etc, if the area they live in is more designed for those activities. There should not only be sidewalks (some places don't have them), but places to walk to; many people are not motivated by exercise for its own sake. I've never understood why there always has to be residents fighting bike paths, which give people destinations, possibly even a new way to commute, or be tourists.
A study in NYC grew saplings in the city and in the country... and the city trees grew to be twice as big (NYTimes article (registration required)). Not what I would've expected, at all. Apparently the difference is ozone, which, on lower levels of the atmosphere, stays around a lot longer in the country.