F As In Fat

Elementary school ages children are moving into the "severely obese" weight category and are now scoring in the highest weight percentiles for their age and grades. Researcher Marsha Marcus from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center recently published her results in the Journal of Adolescent Health and measured 6,365 middle-school children from across the country and found that 6.9 percent of the 6th grade students landed in the 99th percentile for weight.

Marlene Schwartz, Ph.D., deputy director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, said, “I have been surprised that some children who are severely obese according to their BMIs do not always look heavy. As a culture, we have become used to seeing heavier children so the visual norm has shifted. Because of this, many children are at risk of not receiving help since their parents do not see them as obese.”

The Pittsburgh study showed that ethnic children had higher rates of overweight and obesity, demonstrating health disparities and unequal access to healthy foods and physical activity outside of the school day. Factors that impact the children's weight and health include their access to safe play spaces, like fields, parks, playgrounds and other green-spaces; access to healthy, affordable foods, such as fruits and vegetables and access to safe streets that encourage walking and biking to school and other destinations.

We're In A Recession: A Flying Car Comes To Fruition

Coming soon to a luxury car dealership of a formerly affluent town near you: The Terrafugia Transition.

The FAA is moving towards giving the thumbs up for the plane car to move into a production stage.

Transition Roadable Aircraft, developed by Massachusetts-based engineering firm Terrafugia, will be allowed a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, the same allowance made for aircraft designed to operate on water.

Among the features are a protective safety cage, airbags and an energy absorbing crumple zone.

Eligibility

To operate the Transition, you must be tall enough to ride a rollercoaster, and earn a Sport Pilot certificate that requires a paltry 20 hours of flight training--with programs offering certification in as little as two weeks.

Pretty sure you need to clock in 1000+ hours of on site training in order to earn basic Sports Massage licensure in Manhattan.

Functionality

It's not really meant to be a car but you can use it as one if you want to.

After you land your Transition hybrid, a cockpit-operated system folds up the wings, and the pilot/driver can zoom off to Whole Foods or wherever at highway speeds on the ground of 65-75 miles per hour.

Cost

You might be able to scrape together a downpayment, if you refinance your home and sell off all the scrap gold you've got laying around in your dresser drawer,  cos this unsightly energy gulper will set you back $194,000. Still considerably less money than the obscenely priced electric Mercedes Benz. 

And, in a league of its own is the 8 billion dollar possible earth killer better known as the Large Hadron Collider.

Earthquakes Yesterday And Today

Mexico

A very strong earthquake measuring 6.2 shook Oaxaca, Mexico early this morning. The quake caused no fatalities but did damage buildings in and near the epicenter town Pinotepa Nacional.

The earthquake occurred at 2:22 a.m., 120 kilometers from Oaxaca city and 355 kilometers south/southeast of Mexico City, said the US Geological Survey, which calculated the quake at 6.2 magnitude with the epicenter at a depth of 20 kilometers.

Shaking could be felt in Mexico City which prompted middle of the night evacuations.

The quake occurred at a very shallow depth of less than 5 miles.

France

A rare earthquake today for the French.

4.2 temblor occurred in the French Alps near Grenoble and Albertville. Reports of locals feeling confused are trickling in.

Large Hadron Collider is maybe doing very bad things to the planet.

Day 71: Twelve Foot High Waves+Accepting Help From Others

12 Foot High Hurricane Waves Halts Clean Up

 All near-shore skimmers were idled off the coasts of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi, according to Wayne Hebert, who helps manage skimming operations for BP. "Everyone is in because of weather, whether it's thunderstorms or [high] seas," Hebert said.

Getting The Help We Need

The United States will accept help from 12 countries and international groups to deal with the spill, the State Department said. The identities of all 12 countries and international organizations were not immediately announced. One country cited was Japan, which is providing two high-speed skimmers and fire containment boom.

Cash Compensation

BP says it will give cash and other help to the owners, operators and suppliers of gas stations in the United States that bear its name. The stations have struggled because of boycotts prompted by the oil spill. John Kleine of the BP Amoco Marketers Association says outlets will get cash based on volume, with the rates being higher for outlets in the gulf than for those elsewhere in the country. They also will see reductions in credit-card fees and receive help with national advertising. 

 [Via AP]

Toxic Afghan Sands

The newest threat to soldiers fighting the pointless war in Afghanistan is toxic sand.

War weary American military men and women who must contend daily with the explosion of roadside bombs and attacks by insurgents are now facing a new kind of enemy.

An environmental one:

Preliminary studies conducted by the Navy show the toxic sands of Afghanistan contain manganese and high levels of other potentially lethal metals which can damage brains and induce neurotoxicity. Compounds that are neurotoxic can do irreparable damage to the central nervous system and the brain.

Soldiers are exposed to daily sandstorms during routine procedures such as flying helicopters, killing people in open terrain, or simply just walking down the street. Sand particles are inhaled through the ears, nose and mouth, and when the soldiers go home after being discharged, the health problems begin.

With the recent departure of the Runaway General from this 9 year long shitshow, one can't help but wonder what will happen to the 100,000+ men and women who are fighting a war they seem to be losing.