"What are YOU doing this weekend?" (Photo by Veronica ML) Ah, the lazy days of summer are here. Wait -- "lazy?" We Americans are lazy enough already, according to this month’s American Journal of Medicine. That means it’s time to get out, get active, and to take advantage of some summertime activities! Nothing on your calendar? No problem! Ours is packed through the season. Here are just a few ideas for just this weekend: In major metropolitan areas, of course, there’s always something going on. If you’re anywhere near Chicago, this weekend is "Taste of Chicago," with free admission and filled with food and music. Speaking of music, everyone in Dallas is likely lined up for the "American Idol" auditions. If you missed registering in Texas, get your plane tickets now for one of the upcoming auditions in Los Angeles, Orlando, or Denver. Are there events geared toward those who want to get or stay fit this summer? Certainly! Remember the "Seinfeld" episode where Kramer swims in the East River because the pool is too constricting? It turns out there's a gaggle of like-minded New Yorkers who are swimming around Liberty Island today. If you can't make it, don’t worry; they have more events scheduled. Of course, you don’t have to live in the big city to find cool things to do. Wherever you are, you can still participate in "Take Your Dog to Work Day" (provided your employer approves, of course!), Some folks in Petaluma, California, however, will be skipping work with their pooches to visit the Sonoma-Marin Fair and enter the "World’s Ugliest Dog Contest." If the thought of big crowds and rats on leashes makes you want to just stay home -- or if you’re just saving all your energy for the Fourth of July weekend -- you can still get involved by watching other people push the limits of hockey, golf, or pure speed. Just don’t say you’re bored!

Directory categories: American Idol, Recreation in Manhattan, Chicago Travel Guides, Activities for Dogs, Sports

Archived under: American Idol, Animals, Boredom, Calendars, Chicago, Cities, Contests, Dogs, Eating, Entertainment, Events, Festivals, Food and Drink, Health, Outdoors, Pets, Recreation and Travel, Regional, Seinfeld, Sports, Summer, Swimming, Tourist Attractions, Travel, Vacations

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Fresh farm food like this nearby? (Courtesy of USDA.gov Photo by Scott Bauer) When you're cooking dinner, you probably consider the tastiness of the meal, the healthiness of the ingredients, the calories, and the cost -- but do you consider the mileage? The local food movement is all about eating closer to home. The philosophy is simple: Food that is shipped long distances isn't as fresh, and therefore isn't as flavorful or healthy. Such foods also have a bigger carbon footprint than those produced locally. Each ingredient on a North American's plate typically travels 1,500 miles to get from field to table. To help reverse that trend, and to get more in tune with the local ecosystem, local food advocates -- or locavores -- look closer to home: often a 100-mile radius from where they live and eat. The movement is also about community responsibility. Buying from local farmers and food producers supports local economies instead of corporations that run factory farms and long-haul shipping lines. Many shoppers also find big discounts at local farmers' markets -- or save even more by eating homegrown veggies from backyard gardens. And foodies know that the fresher the ingredients, the tastier the meal. Gourmet restaurants featuring local menus are cropping up all over. Obviously, there are challenges and limitations to eating local produce. You're not likely to grow avocados in Alberta or produce maple syrup in Arizona. Some locavores make exceptions for region-specific foods, or to supplement limited midwinter diets. In the spirit of health and moral spending, they'll pick organic non-local foods if they can't buy local, family farm products over corporate, and local retailers over supermarket chains. Whether you're a hippie, a foodie, or just a frugal shopper, making an effort to put more local products on your table can have a positive impact on your community, the environment -- and your taste buds. Suggested Sites... 10 Reasons to Eat Local Food - from the environmental to the epicurean. Locavores - a group of Bay Area foodies and environmentalists who attempt to eat only foods produced within a 100-mile radius of San Francisco. Seeing Red: Eating Locally and Debunking the Red-Blue Divide - Barbara Kingsolver, author and avid gardener, recounts her family's efforts to eat only local food for a year. Local Harvest - find local and organic foods close to home.

Directory categories: Local Food, Bioregionalism, Environmental Movements and Philosophies, Sustainable Eating, Sustainable Development

Archived under: Cooking, Environment, Food and Drink, Global Warming, Health, Issues and Causes, Locavores, Recipes, Sustainability

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(Photo by MST7022) It’s no secret that people are obsessed with body image. Those magazine covers at the supermarket check stand (just above all the candy) somehow manage to feature headlines about stars’ weight every week. Today is a day to ignore those gossip rags. International No Diet Day (INDD) is an occasion where we can move our attention away from reducing our body size and focus on expanding our minds. The way we think about weight and about people of different sizes is in need of a major adjustment. One important goal of INDD is to raise awareness about weight discrimination. While discrimination takes many forms, those affected by weightism do not yet have the protection of federal law. Just last month, United Airlines introduced a policy that could result in many overweight passengers being charged for two seats. This news did not sit well with the Association for Airline Passenger Rights. While it's difficult to measure the prevalence and effects of weight discrimination, there is evidence that it's as pervasive as racial bias. Its existence, though, does not seem to inspire the outrage that racism does. In the media, at least, it's taken as normal. Jessica Simpson recently put on a few pounds, and although she was quoted as saying that "curves are better," and that being super thin is not good for your body or mind, after being ridiculed in the press, she dropped two sizes in two months. If the number of advertisements for weight loss products and programs are any indication, we are pouring an incredible amount of money into that industry. While many of those products are most likely legitimate, there are health hazards to crash dieting, weight loss surgery, and, of course, the "miracle drugs" that are peddled aggressively. Last week, one of the most popular weight loss supplements, Hydroxycut, was recalled in response to reports of liver problems and one death. More than 9 million packages of the stuff were sold in the U.S. last year. So, at least for today, let’s take a break from all that. No "dieting." No obsessing. This doesn't mean, of course, to throw your doctor’s dietary advice out the window and have a junk food feast, but rather to take care of yourself, make healthy food choices, and not jump on the latest diet fad. If we can maintain positive, respectful attitudes about our bodies, and the bodies of those around us, maybe we can slowly change the behemoth we know as the beauty industry, and loosen its grip on our psyches. Suggested Sites... National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance - dedicated to ending size discrimination. The Council on Size and Weight Discrimination - consumer advocates in medical treatment, job discrimination, and media images. Body Positive - boosting body image at any weight. Big Fat Blog - more than 8 years of blogging the struggle for fat equality. Size Wise - resources and support for self-acceptance at any size.

Directory categories: Fat Acceptance, Weight Issues, Discrimination, Nutrition, Eating Disorders

Archived under: Diets, Eating, Food and Drink, Health, Issues and Causes, Obesity, Recalls, Society and Culture

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U.S. Army influenza ward, 1918 (Coutesy of National Museum of Health and Medicine) No one really knows where it came from, but before it was done, it had taken the lives of up to 100 million people. We're speaking not of some movie monster, but of the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. Ninety-one years ago, a soldier at Fort Riley, Kansas, complained of flu symptoms. Within hours, 100 more soldiers were ill. By the end of the week, the number had jumped to 500. Thanks to new means of easy travel in the early 20th century, the virus spread quickly to Europe. Wartime censorship kept the worst news of the disease from the public until it hit Spain -- but when it did, the gusher of news burst, giving the flu its misleading name. The 1918 flu was unlike any other, in that it spread directly from birds to humans, and struck hardest in the population that would seem to have had the greatest immunity: young, healthy adults. At its peak, the virus killed hundreds a day. Physicians were helpless to stop it: antiviral drugs were decades away, and the only real "cure" was to quarantine the victims -- not an easy task when 500 million people worldwide were infected -- and hope for the best. Could it happen again? No one knows. Recent outbreaks of bird and swine flu have raised fears that another pandemic could be just around the corner, but so far, the world has escaped a return engagement. But just in case you felt safe, scientists have been able to recreate the flu virus -- and it's as potent as ever. If you feel a little achy tonight, it's probably nothing -- but you never know.... Suggested Sites... Flu Epidemic of 1918 - illustrated guide to the greatest pandemic in human history. Popular Mechanics: Spanish Flu Epidemic: 1918 - information on the outbreak and how to prepare for other emergencies. Nova: 1918 Flu - watch a segment on the recreation of the world's deadliest virus. American Experience: Influenza 1918 - timelines, photos, maps, and documents. Wikipedia: Spanish Flu - overview of the disease's onset, effects, and aftermath.

Directory categories: 1918 Influenza Epidemic, Influenza, Avian Influenza, Infectious Diseases, Flu Vaccination

Archived under: 1910s, Death, Disasters, Disease, Epidemics, Flu, Health, History, Medicine, Science

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Yuck. (Photo by Jason Cartwright) CLEAN YOUR KEYBOARD! PLEASE! Even though spring may be here, the cold and flu seasons are not over. With studies citing that computer keyboards can be breeding grounds for all sorts of icky bacteria, please take a moment today to clean and disinfect your keyboard and your phone receiver. For a healthier you. Suggested Sites... How Many Germs Live On Your Keyboard? - take the quiz. You'll be appalled. All the ‘Dirt’ on Cell Phone Germs - you'll never make another phone call. Office Germs - you just might want to stay home... The Five Key Areas of Illness-Causing Germs & Toxins in Your Home - ...or maybe not. How to Reduce Germs in a Home - relief at last!

Directory categories: Influenza, The Common Cold, Computer Accessory Cleaners, Cleaning Cloths

Archived under: Bacteria, Cleaning, Computers, Cubicles, Disease, Flu, Germs, Health, Telephones

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