SPECIALSOut to Lunch
First of all, give up three cheers. Three cheers for the farmers, mothers, fathers and teachers, interested parties and activists who have recognized that the industrialized food served in schools — the snacks, sweets, sodas and junk food — are a major explanation of why obesity is epidemic among schoolchildren. Many folks are dedicating energy and time to a wonderful idea: upgrading the food in school lunch programs. But is the school lunch the real problem or just another symptom of an abdication of responsibility? Beginning of a bad idea The National School Lunch Program resulted from a law signed by Harry S. Truman in 1946. America’s fledgling agribusiness conglomerates were struggling due to post-war farm surpluses. Using tax dollars…
entered on 11/10/10 at 03:21 PM | read more »
Dem Bones
Osteoporosis and the milky myth “got milk?” is the ubiquitous catchphrase of the ad campaign launched in 1993 by madmen at Goodby Silverstein & Partners agency in California. It’s doubtful even their most optimistic projection anticipated it would take on a life of its own and become a social phenomenon. The ads’ white-mustachioed figureheads number in the hundreds and include politicians, actors, athletes and other notables. The underlying endorsement is that cow milk “does a body good.” However, science and critics don’t agree. Many say milk does more harm than good. The dairy industry, like other agribusiness giants, is subsidized by federal tax dollars. Pricing has been controlled since the 1930s. Cow milk is virtually force-fed to school kids (by…
entered on 11/03/10 at 02:00 PM | read more »
Be Careful What You Wish For
Marijuana should not be ‘legalized’ Ah, how the times have changed — in most states at least. Yes, possession of an ounce of marijuana in the Sunshine State of Florida can still get you a felony arrest and five years in prison. Simple possession of little more than an ounce in Missouri and you’re looking at seven years in the slammer. You can join Cool Hand Luke for five years on the chain gang for an ounce of dope for personal use in the Bayou State. Though Nebraska was a leading state in reducing punishment for marijuana possession by decriminalizing it in 1979, our state leads the nation in the rate of arrests for marijuana. Yet by and large, pot…
entered on 10/27/10 at 11:24 AM | read more »
Blitzing for Bruno Groning
Visiting European doctors bring spiritual healing Yoda called it the Force. The Kalahari ¡Kung call it num. The Chinese term for it is chi. Continentals and readers of Nobel Laureate Henri Bergson would call it élan vital. In Japanese, it’s ki; Sanskrit, prana; in Hawaiian, mana. Einstein could have called it the unified field. And in his lectures, Bruno Gröning called it “the Heilstrom.” No matter the name, the concept is the same: a singular, all-encompassing energy force that animates and imbues all things with life. Of course conventional Western medicine has no name for it. Not to worry. Sadly, trusting in spirit and acknowledging a Higher Force is outside the normal frame of reference for most Americans. We…
entered on 10/13/10 at 01:35 PM | read more »
Fire Alarm
Chronic inflammation is linked to serious disease and can be avoided Satchel Paige spent decades pitching in the American Negro Leagues. His blazing fastball, quirky pitches and overall unmatched skill on the mound took him to the baseball Hall of Fame. It wasn’t until Major League Baseball broke the color barrier and Paige was signed to the Cleveland Indians by legendary baseball innovator Bill Veeck that Satchel Paige became a household name. Though considered one of the greatest pitchers ever, Paige’s status as a social icon grew after a 1953 interview in Collier’s Magazine. Paige surrendered several quotes in that article that became nuggets of homespun wisdom. Perhaps his most famous uttering was, “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining…
entered on 10/06/10 at 01:26 PM | read more »
Preserving the Harvest
Autumn is finale for storing local goodness Napoleon conquered Europe. But he couldn’t have done it without Nicolas Appert. Appert was a candyman, a confectioner. He dabbled with methods for preserving foods. Napoleon, source of the famous quote, “An army marches on its stomach,” offered a 12,000 franc reward to any inventor who could perfect a method of preserving food so that the French army could travel easily, carrying food as they marched through the Continent. Appert received the money as reward for inventing what we now call “canning.” Appert found that placing food inside a container — in his case, glass jars sealed with cork, wax and wire — and then cooking in boiling water kept the food from…
entered on 09/30/10 at 01:13 PM | read more »
The Worm Has Turned
Change of season marked by festivals and indoor events It’s a challenge to accept that the long days of summer are past and that the season has changed. In legend, the mythical dragon of the Zodiac is called the Worm and it circles through the seasons’ markers in the Heavens. Once the summer solstice is reached, the Worm begins a journey in another direction, toward the beckoning marker of the autumnal equinox, turning once again toward the winter solstice. The Worm turns. As we reach that milestone Wednesday, September 22, the change in season is noticeable. We celebrate in fresh air fests marking the end of clement weather and become drawn to indoor events that invoke coziness in the coming…
entered on 09/24/10 at 02:23 PM | read more »
McDermott Carries Creighton to Valley Title
The stakes couldn’t have been higher. The atmosphere couldn’t have been more electric. And the Jays couldn’t have come up with a more clutch effort...
more »Doug’s sigh said it all. The Jays were mired in a slump, and Illinois State had just come into the CenturyLink Center and handed Creighton another...
more »Seismic shifts in conference alignment have been rocking college athletics over the past few seasons, and it appears likely that Creighton could...
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Cosmic Forecast, Apr. 25-May 1
Happy Full Moon conjunct a retrograde Saturn at 5° degrees Scorpio, at 3 ’til 3:00 on the afternoon of the 25th. Watch out! Responsibility is about...
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Cosmic Forecast, Apr. 18-Apr. 24
Welcome into Taurus, ruler of both the throat (the part of the body astrologically attributed to the second sign), and the planet of love, Venus....
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Cosmic Forecast, Apr. 11-Apr. 17
We just saw the start of the astrological New Year at dawn on April 10th; the Aries New Moon during Aries. That’s when to initiate your spring...
more »Cosmic Forecast, Apr. 4-Apr. 10
The real astrological spring is around dawn on Wednesday the 10th, with the Sun, Moon, Mars and Venus all conjunct in Aries. I see a lot of...
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