U.S. Society is screwed

[Oldman]

A quick surf on the interwebz suggests about 10 different candidates for 'fattest' nation, and Australia doesn't feature on some 'top 5' or 'top 10' lists. But we're told we're more than a wee bit chubby these days:

http://nutritionbusinessjournal.com/nutrition-industry/news/0624-fattest-nation-world-who/





Oldman, can you clarify the bits I bolded? Cheers.

Yes. Americans can legislate change in the type of food they feed kids in school. They can change the type of food they buy...it's their responsibility.

As for believing any media; Rupert Murdoch's Fox News is the hysterical source of much corporate nay-saying about any public threat in the US. It appears as many Aussies know their vulnerability so my response was to the single ****er that thought the US had cornered the market on fat, gullible people. Glad to see that's not the case.

 

[BroDeal]

It's not just the U.S. Researchers studied the food portion size in paintings of the Last Supper. Portion size has increased 66% over the last 1000 years. Cool idea for a study.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20100324/last-supper-paintings-point-to-ungodly-portions

 

[Hugh Januss]

Chicken fried bacon. First place snack food 2008 Texas State Fair.
Lance may have had too much of this recently.

 

[Spare Tyre]

And for culinary contrast, this article on lunches provided in French nursery schools:


"The variety on the menus is astonishing: no single meal is repeated over the 32 school days in the period, and every meal includes an hors d'oeuvre, salad, main course, cheese plate and dessert."

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1967060,00.html

 

[ihavenolimbs]

Friends who have spent time in your country [Oz] and New Zealand feel similarly; except that here we have the right to change things in the US.

I don't understand your point, we get to change stuff here too. Even though Oz & NZ are still officially constitutional monarchies, we are representative democracies too. NZ is probably more democratic than the US since we have changed to a proportional representation election system, from a winner-takes-all system. This means that small parties, like the Greens, get input into policy (if in a ruling coalition).

Also, lobbying and campaign financing is probably more regulated and transparent here (only just).

 

[Oldman]

I don't understand your point, we get to change stuff here too. Even though Oz & NZ are still officially constitutional monarchies, we are representative democracies too. NZ is probably more democratic than the US since we have changed to a proportional representation election system, from a winner-takes-all system. This means that small parties, like the Greens, get input into policy (if in a ruling coalition).

Also, lobbying and campaign financing is probably more regulated and transparent here (only just).

I shouldn't have said "except". I should have said US citizens have the right and obligation to change things. Sorry for poor thought transition on an important subject: Food and health.

 

[Anonymous]

It's not just the U.S. Researchers studied the food portion size in paintings of the Last Supper. Portion size has increased 66% over the last 1000 years. Cool idea for a study.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20100324/last-supper-paintings-point-to-ungodly-portions

via the west for sure...methinks portion size as gone done quite abit for africa and starvation countires...of the folks at the last suppr were eatng well...cool idea? It's a painting and a myth...any research you might want to do looking at calorie intake since the beginning of this stuff will tell you wildly differ crap...things that fall on class and swindle...nice painting, but pure propaganda...

 

[BroDeal]

via the west for sure...methinks portion size as gone done quite abit for africa and starvation countires...of the folks at the last suppr were eatng well...cool idea? It's a painting and a myth...any research you might want to do looking at calorie intake since the beginning of this stuff will tell you wildly differ crap...things that fall on class and swindle...nice painting, but pure propaganda...

It's not _a_ painting. It's more than fifty paintings. And comparing an iconic image that has been painted many many times over a thousand years is a cool idea. Although the meal size I am sure has more to do with changes in standards of living than obesity.

 

[Oldman]

It's not _a_ painting. It's more than fifty paintings. And comparing an iconic image that has been painted many many times over a thousand years is a cool idea. Although the meal size I am sure has more to do with changes in standards of living than obesity.

There are probably cultural and periodic changes. Ruebens didn't paint many skinny people.

 

[53 x 11]

There are probably cultural and periodic changes. Ruebens didn't paint many skinny people.

but then Playboy aint full of tubbies.

 

[Oldman]

but then Playboy aint full of tubbies.

I haven't seen Hugh Hefner's approved version of the last supper but I'm sure everyone in it is hoping for a happier ending....