The Problem Of Obesity In America

Obesity in America is the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. Approximately 130 million adults in this country are overweight, about 70 million are obese with the Body Mass Index (BMI) more than 30. Approximately 62% of female Americans and 67% of male Americans are considered overweight. Today, there are above 25% of American children are also obese or overweight. An estimated of 400,000 Americas deaths per year may be attributable to poor diet and lack of physical activity.

What can we do?

There is no doubt that obesity in America is growing. Take a look at any of the shopping mall and restaurants and you will see many, many overweight and obesity people. Why US have such a big number of obesity problems, when it is not an issue in many of our countries? What can be done to solve this problem?

Can Lifestyle be the cause?

Lifestyle seems to be one of the causes of obesity in American. Take a look at some foreign countries; people there do not drive from place to place unless they need to. I think part of the reason for this is the high price of petrol and motor vehicles. Come back to America, this is not the case here. Americans drive everywhere, especially if there can avoid walking. From the study, it is believed that almost 75% of county residents may enjoy a completely sedentary or inactive lifestyle. When you combine this eating habit with the American lifestyle and you know why obesity in America is on the rise.

Food Driven Society and Activity-Scarce Environment

Many experts are of the opinion that obesity in America is such an epidemic is because we are a food driven society and having an activity-scarce environments. The movement you switch on the television for few minutes and you will be bombarded with advertisements for fast food, restaurants, sugary drinks, and more! There are many fast food stores around the streets. It is easy to get access to too much food, and usually we eat far more than we need and with new technology making us easier to avoid exercising.

The Worksite Environment

Since the average American adult spends at least 40 hours a week at work, it is important to address nutrition and some physical activity in the worksites. Most worksites have responded to the challenge, and by 1999, a total of 95%of national worksites with above 50 employees offered nutrition, weight management classes, or counseling at the worksite or through their health plans. Individual efforts to have more physical activity at the worksite and eat healthy are confounded by the following.

- More people living farther away from workplace, thus spending more time commuting (driving replace walking/biking)

- Worksites are increasingly automated and less movement for the body

- More soft drinks and high calorie foods and snacks at worksites

The Neighborhood Environment

Modern lifestyles contribute greatly to physical inactivity. Cars are used for short trips, and the number of walking trips the average American adult takes each year has decreased 42% between 1975 and 1995. This was also true that for American child, who decreased walking trips by about 37%. Today, only about 10% of school students walk to school as compared to the majority of students one generation ago. It is no easy and challenge for Neighborhood to obtain the recommended amount of physical activity includes the following.

- The design of Neighborhood is not suitable for walking or biking

- More neighborhoods that are seeming as unsafe

- More time spent in automobiles

Treating Obesity in America

The best way to treat obesity in America is through education. The American public needs to be well informing what type of food is best for them and how can it be prepared. Restaurants should come out with smaller portions meal for the health conscious people. People need to study and know what are carbohydrates and saturated fats related to the bodies, so they can choose and the select a correct healthy food to eat. Another way to treat obesity is to have more exercise, like swimming and walking! Walking is a good exercise that anyone can do. If you can do it everyday, its can help you lost weight quickly and easily.

Help from Government

It is certainly calls for strong will to cope with the problem of obesity and Americans now before it turn to worse. This obesity problem is very serious and it is threatening tobacco to become the No. 1 cause of deaths in the America that may possibly have been prevented. The America government known the problem and has adopted some solutions, like the Medicare has opened the door to covering overweight and obesity treatments, while the Internal Revenue Service has also begun to allow tax breaks for some weight-loss programs in America.

What Does America Say To You?

The flag, apple pie and baseball - what does America say to you?

To me it also says freedom. It says pioneer spirit. It’s our pioneer spirit that inspires us to build bigger and better. Shopping malls, amusement parks and space travel have been new worlds for us to conquer.

We’re the ones who put the super in supermarket. We added florists, pharmacies, banks - even Starbucks to supermarkets. In fact, Starbucks may be the reason we added banks.

Supermarket cards and coupons say America. They give us the feeling we’re getting something for nothing. Of course, some of us might still pay to see the egress at a circus sideshow.

We invented the cotton gin and the assembly line. We invented the Pet Rock and the Segway. Shouldn’t we be able to invent a way to keep our manufacturing in America?

Fast food signs line our highways and cholesterol lines are arteries. Over half our population is overweight; but because we believe in the freedom to eat, we have our stomachs stapled, eat only rice or develop the Cookie Diet. That says America!

Often when Americans travel we expect people in other countries to speak English. As long as we’re saying “He goes” instead of “He says” and “O” instead of zero, we’re not speaking English. We’re speaking American.

At home we complain about the cost of gas, but continue to buy gas-guzzling SUV’s. We literally drive up the cost of gas.

We spend more than we earn and save less than any other industrialized country. Maybe Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny stunted our financial growth by giving us things we didn’t have to pay for.

And then there’s the tooth fairy. She gave us money when we lost a tooth. Now we buy toothpaste to whiten teeth we don’t have examined by a dentist.

There’s a price to pay for being an American. It’s called taxes. Tax laws say bribes, kickbacks and the fair market value of stolen property must be reported.

George Washington couldn’t lie about cutting down a cherry tree and our sixteenth president was known as Honest Abe. On the other hand - the one with the history book - Al Capone went to jail because of tax evasion.

No white picket “fence” for Al Capone; and now that we make white picket fences with plastic wood, no white picket fence for Tom Sawyer to paint.

The Top Golf Course Communities in America: What Makes Them So Special?

When it comes to purchasing a home, you can’t be too picky. After all, most first and even second homes cost a good chunk of change. If you enjoy golf and are interested in a golf course community, you’ve probably noticed lists of the top golf course communities in America circling around the Internet and in trade magazines. But what makes these homes so special? Why, exactly, are they a step above the rest? Are they worth the extra money? Lake Arrowhead definitely makes the cut when describing top communities on golf courses - but why?

First a foremost, the real estate market for golf course communities is booming. As Tiger Woods breathed new life into the sport in the 1990s, younger generations began to invest more time into their new favorite hobby-golf, of course! This surge of players increased the demand for homes along golf course, with an estimated three out of every five course now built in conjunction with community developers. Some of these golf course communities are great, and some…well…some leave a bit to be desired.

That’s the first mark of top golf course communities in America-the homes are new. Because there was not much of a demand for golf course communities in the past, the first communities were little more than your typical housing development, which just happened to be on a golf course. Today’s developments are built with the classy consumer in mind and these really are the top homes for sale in America. At Lake Arrowhead, new homes are being built as you read this-they’ll be available in late 2007.

However the newness of a golf course community isn’t the only aspect that contributes to the neighborhood’s top spot. One must also consider the perks that come with living in a golf course community. While most include membership at some level for the golf course, those that call themselves the top golf course communities in America. These amenities can make or break a golf course community site.

Every location is different in what they offer. At Lake Arrowhead, for example, you’ll find the lake with a marina, a swimming pool, tennis courts, nature trails, an outfitters center, and a fine dining restaurant. In the future, other amenities will also be added. These extra special touches can elevate a golf course community’s desirability immensely.

Course design is crucial as well. The best courses are challenging, but also appropriate for all skill levels, as many different people will be interested in living in the community. Innovation is key. This golf course is where thousands of people will be playing most often, so it has to be interesting and include new and different design elements. Find out who has designed the course if you’re interested in the top golf course communities in America. Where have they designed in the past? Have they worked with PGA professionals? Who consulted with the course design? If possible, play the course once or twice before you make a choice about moving into any course community.

Don’t forget that the houses are important too! The top golf course communities in America have not only amazing courses and features like restaurants, but they also have amazing homes-the top homes for sale in America, in fact. If you can build your own home, that’s even better. Some communities are so populated that you can only buy homes-there’s no land for building new ones.

Homes that are larger and include things like private pools, home spas, and marble countertops can raise the value of the entire community. The neighborhoods that have houses built with care and value in mind are those that are seen as the top communities. One of the best features about Lake Arrowhead is the homes and the ability to design a new home if you want to build instead of buy.

In the end, the best golf course communities aren’t built in a day. Lake Arrowhead and others like it are exclusive places because of the shear time that goes into planning them. If you’re interested in finding a premiere golf course neighborhood, look for the age of the community itself, the amenities, the gold course design, and the housing. Above all else, these qualities will clue you in as to the lifestyle you can expect if you move into the community you’re researching.

Downloadable Audio Book Of 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America

Are you proud of who you are, your conduct, self discipline and what you are as a human being and American? Do you still wear a white shirt, suit and tie to work and when you go out on a date with your girl friend or family? Are you one of the few people who curses little or not at all?

Do you sometimes wonder about who started the downhill slide in America, and the world, that started decades ago? I have found a lot of the guilty culprits in a book by Bernard Goldberg.

There is now an abridged version of this reading book that is available as an audible version in the downloadable audio book of 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America. They should add, the world, to this title also because the aura of civility that used to be world wide has spread, in the wrong direction, like an unhealthy virus to the whole Planet Earth.

A downloadable audio book is a printed book that has been put into an audio or sound format file. The printed versions of books started to go down about 10 years ago when young authors and their promoters or agents learned that they could literally publish whole books on line. This leveled the playing field between established and beginning authors.

A sharp difference between an audio iTunes type audio book and a printed book is the real life part of it. You can literally feel the warm, cool or heated breath of the narrator or, in this case, actual author of a book. It comes with their voice out of your pc speakers, ipod or cd.

You can hear background music that dramatizes the points the authors want to make. You are dealing with a human being committed to the content of the book so the drama deepens dramatically with their reading of their reading book with their passion added to it. This is not possible with a printed book.

Although it is an iTunes audio book and recorded you can feel the emotional fire and passion from the speakers of your pc, mp3 or ipod. There is surely no boredom here as the author, Bernard Goldberg, is clearly flaming angry at the 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America. You will like the passion here as he goes through his list of these rascals one by one.

You can get a free sample of this fiery audio book that is five full minutes long. If you like it and want to know more you can get the whole full six hour abridged version of the 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America on an audio book that is downloaded from the web site promoting it in an mp3 format. If you are as straight laced as I am you will be disappointed and angry with the people who have made this loser list.

In this reading book audio version you will listen to Bernard Goldberg as he takes dead aim at the America bashing cultural elites who look down their snobby noses at ordinary Americans, and people of all countries, and detest so much of what this country is all about. The Hollywood Blowhards who are incredibly dizzy celebrities who think they are smart because they are famous.

Also featured are TV Schlockmeisters, including the one whose show has been compared to a churning mass of maggots devouring rotten meat. Included are the Intellectual Thugs, big wigs at some of our best colleges, whose views run the gamut from left wing to far left wing.

Goldberg does name names, profiling the villains in his rogue gallery, one by one, from 100 down or up to the number one jerk. You know who is number 37.

Goldberg does not just round up the usual suspects we have come to know and get angry at. He also reveals some of the people who operate away from the limelight but still manage to yank a lot of strings and do all sorts of harm to the American and World culture.

This downloadable audio book of 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America is a serious reading book because it reveals those who endanger what is left of our civil lifestyle in America. Sometimes it is discounted at a lower price on the web site. You can find it on the web site by clicking in the name of it in the source box at the top of the page.

Now that you know about it you can get this entertaining and unfortunately real audio book. You can listen to it piece by piece of fifteen or thirty minutes at a time and make it all your own. It can be played repeatedly so you can go back to different parts. You can also burn it onto a cd and put it on an ipod.

The Next Heartbeat for America and Iraq

Each of us lives from heartbeat to heartbeat; no less so, each nation. The world watches the heart-stopper struggles against terrorists; to name a few: Mafia - Sicilian, American, Jewish, or Russian gangs; Hezbollah - Lebanese umbrella organization of radical Islamic Shiite; and al-Qaeda - international terrorist network seeking to replace free governments with fundamentalist Islamic regimes.

When terrorists unite to occupy a nation and thwart its right to freedom, free nations are to stand with the invaded nation; the rhythmic heartbeat for freedom demands it and pounds continually amidst *Textual Imagery- information and communication filtered through all kinds of global media, and *Organic citizenry - access to all the facts to responsibly analyze to act on the truth. In the American/Iraqi stand for freedom, Americans as citizens of a free nation, have two choices - one responsible and one not: 1. believe mainstream media or 2. move to Organic Citizenry, that is, analyze the Textual Imagery to find the truth.

Unfortunately, human beings often shape beliefs and opinions superficially rather than analytically; it is easy to take action (vote, take up arms) related to Textual Imagery alone and call it responsible. We U.S. citizens are no exception though we have access to widely distributed, real-time information: never before has all the information been so available or has a war been fought for which Textual Imagery displays daily each battle, skirmish, or bit of gossip.

So much is given that we have become mired in the muck of complacency assuming we are not responsible to be more than casual, superficial observers of what we once could only imagine. The rationalization prevails that we do not have the time or the expertise to sort through all the information.

Instead, we elect officials and support those whose job it is to disseminate “accurate” information. It is too easy to trust the media so that we can continue enjoying the fruits of freedom born of our forefather’s sacrifice whether any other country has freedom or not.

A trust is misplaced that abdicates responsibility to Organic Citizenry, to willingly putting aside emotion to listen, to hear, to analyze before coming to actionable truth. That we all become news analysts in the sense of broadcasters and journalists is not required. Organic Citizenry requires that each citizen pay attention to what is being filtered, that is, being spun for reasons other than assessing the next actionable truth to promote freedom. Organic Citizenry requires that we desire no longer to be stuck in the veiled truth of complacency or the shadow of false security perpetuated by Textual Imagery of the moment.

Look back to our own history and our own freedom fight. Suppose you were a citizen of England who received the Textual Imagery of happenings in The Colonies and their fight for independence and freedom. Do you suppose that Textual Imagery would have been filtered in favor of the King’s view or the view of the Colonists?

Unless you were privy to a personal visit by Benjamin Franklin or a quick chat with Lafayette or George Washington you would say your information was filtered to you as King George III wanted you to know it. Right? Textual Imagery then was primarily limited to word of mouth and limited text exchanged hands from the King to the uneducated masses. What we are now calling Textual Imagery - information and communication filtered to citizens second by second, heartbeat by heartbeat - did not exist.

In 2007, we can be Organic Citizens, thinking citizens not necessarily engaged in professional journalism. We can search Textual Imagery, line up elements from ALL perspectives, and find the truth. No longer are we in a daily conscious struggle to determine whether going down the block to the grocery and back might result in being shot or maimed.

Did Maslow’s Hierarchy teach us nothing? Freedom only flourishes with Organic Citizenry, when a citizenry is able to move about its nation freely in the pursuit of happiness according to each one’s uniqueness. Are we willing to leave behind a legacy of Organic Citizenry to our young? Or, are we so foolish as to think that Iraq’s struggle is just about Iraq.

It is about belief in freedom based on truth and the willingness to know enough to vote for the people most close to our beliefs regardless of labels and misdirected Textual Imagery; i.e., fear mongering, inaccuracies, or spin for “political correctness”. (A term directly from the Communist Manifesto of 1848, by the way.).

Freedom fighters are U.S. soldiers in Iraqi. They are from your state, city, or block; you can reach many! Have you talked to a U.S. soldier? To more than one soldier’s family members? Looked for facts from someone living or fighting terrorists in Iraqi? From an Iraqi policeperson? From an Iraqi woman? From an Iraqi parent?

Understand, you are going absorb Textual Imagery in every heartbeat regardless of your answers to the above. Be selective and add to what you absorb, what you know to be fact. Choose from all perspectives instead of that randomly fed to you in sensational headlines and bloody pictures as you walk through the airport, channel surf, for browse the internet.

If you were an Iraqi citizen, what might you be thinking about living in America from the headlines or the nightly news? Pause. Think. Consider that same Iraqi citizen and think about what that same citizen now thinks of American based on the soldiers we have sent to help the Iraqi fight to occupy and govern their own land.

Have you seen those pictures of Iraqi gratitude? They are available. Have you seen the physical presence of our soldiers turning Iraqi hearts to hope? Ask the Iraqi citizens; the information is available — Google it! Look, see, listen, and hear the current Iraqi heartbeat, not the current terrorist du jour’s spin on the it.

See the hand, hear the voice, feel the touch of freedom, of heads lifted up to hope. Pass it on with each heartbeat allowed you for a legacy that will live in the heartbeats of future Americans and Iraqi citizens. The legacy you perpetuate in tomorrow’s leaders leaves America and Iraq 1. free and governed democratically offering free choices of worship, work, and play or 2. incarcerated and governed from the dark halls of totalitarianism, by dictators fueled with arrogant lust for power and self-worship.

Organic Citizenry beacons to us for the higher purpose of continued liberty and relationship to hope. We have a chance to pass it on to Iraq. With your help, Iraq can carry the hope baton to another now-suffering land of oppression that they, too, might be free. Your Organic Citizenry as exercised by your vote, your communication to elected officials, and training up youth to the rites of freedom will prove freedom’s ring is everlasting. Without you, we lose the heartbeat of freedom and face the despair of a future in oppression — not a good gift to leave behind!

*From America & Iraq: Seduced by Fear by Amaal Tokars

Starbucks Coffee Has Changed The Way America Drinks Coffee

Starbucks coffee has changed the way American’s drink coffee. Gone are the days when the only choice in coffee at the local 7-11 was regular or decaf. Today’s convenience stores offer not only many selections of flavored coffees as well as flavored creams for your coffee drinking pleasure. The rise in popularity of coffee in America as an any time of the day drink is due largely in part to the growing popularity of Starbucks around the nation.

There is no denying that Starbucks coffee is good. If there’s any doubt, sit back and consider how much we pay for a cup of it. And yet we continue to pay it, there must be something there that we’re not getting in our cups at home. Going from 11 Seattle stores in 1987 to the worldwide chain they have become has turned Starbucks into a modern day Cinderella story of sorts.

Today in America Starbucks Coffee seems almost as plentiful as McDonald’s. Not only has coffee changed, but the very vocabulary of coffee has changed as well. People are drinking double shots of mocha in their coffee, flavored syrups, ice, caramel, chocolate, and any number of other goodies. People are even commonly purchasing chocolate covered coffee beans in order to provide that little extra jolt of caffeine for late night study sessions or those moments when you need just a little extra ‘jolt’ of energy to get you through the night.

Starbucks coffee has even expanded beyond its initial coffee house stage into a more mass-market centered medium. You can now buy Starbucks coffees in your local grocery stores in bean or ground form. You can find Starbucks iced coffees in your convenience store refrigerators and some convenience stores are even offering Starbucks brand coffee to their customers straight from the pot.

Whether Starbucks coffee is your favorite coffee or not doesn’t seem to matter as much as the fact that this company appears to be in it for the long haul. They are constantly building and opening new stores, working for growth and expansion, all the while remaining the pioneers of coffee flavor and experimentation that has made them the famous success that they have become.

If you haven’t bothered to learn the Starbucks vocabulary it’s time you begin. You can start small and work your way up, there’s no need to go all or nothing when it comes to serious coffee drinking. Baby steps are highly encouraged. The first thing you need to learn is size really matters when it comes to drinking coffee and Starbucks even has a vocabulary for this. Short is the smallest cup, followed by Tall, Grande, and Venti.

While you’re learning the vocabulary, it is probably a wise idea to try out some of the flavors that have made this company so famous. I highly recommend checking out the seasonal offerings, as they are generally quite fresh and quite delicious. Remember there is no such thing as an ordinary cup of coffee when ordering at Starbucks so take a moment to behold the menu and your flavor options before stepping up to the counter.

Residing in the Top Golf Course Communities in America

If you’re thinking about residing in a golf community, you should take a look at the top golf course communities in America before making a final decision as to which would be most suited to your own lifestyle. There are hundreds of golf course communities that have already been completed across the United States, with more heading toward completion each year. In the U.S. alone, more than 26 million people consider themselves golfers; consequently, golfing communities will undoubtedly continue to be a popular place to reside. The communities that are located with a view of the golf course often contain other amenities that make them popular, even for those who do not play golf.

In fact, the top golf course communities in America focus on intergenerational living, with good schools, good medical facilities, good transportation flows, and various types and sizes of housing units. All of these factors are important both to retirees thinking of moving to the community and to young families who need to think of educational and recreational opportunities for their growing children. It’s important to keep in mind that different communities focus more on family activities and social interaction with neighbors, while others emphasize the beautifully designed golf course itself.

Of course, the top golf course communities in America have a mixture of all the best features. These communities often will feature the concept of "communities within communities" so that seniors and single adults can select housing units that are separate from noisy children’s playgrounds. Families can select golfing course communities that have planned neighborhood social events or activities as well as facilities where children are welcome and safe. Often, other activities in the community are as important as the golfing for family members. For instance, swimming pools, wading pools, tennis courts, and hiking trails are all amenities that may be of interest to residents.

The top golf course communities in America are obviously built around the top golf courses in America. You will want to pay attention to who the course designer is and whether he or she has other courses that are in their professional portfolio. It is also important to look at whether there are public or semi-private courses associated with the private course and whether the housing location that you choose will be acceptable in the future. The courses associated with your community should be commensurate with your level of play, but should also allow room for growth and improvement of your golf handicap.