obesity, an epidemic ?

The International Congress on Obesity starts on September 3 in Sydeny, Australia. Here is a news piece about the “epidemic of obesity”.

“Obesity is an international scourge,” Prof Paul Zimmet, chairman of the meeting of more than 2,500 experts and health officials, told delegates in a speech opening the International Congress on Obesity. “This insidious, creeping pandemic of obesity is now engulfing the entire world.”

“It’s as big a threat as global warming and bird flu,” said Zimmet, an Australian diabetes expert.

Other experts at the conference said the cost of treating health problems related to being overweight was immeasurable on a global scale, but was estimated at billions of dollars a year in countries such as Australia, Britain and the United States.

The professor boldly said “pandemic…engulfing the entire world”, and I go like – “Did you mean, even in Africa and developing countries in Asia ?”. The last paragraph clarified that obesity, right now, is a huge pain in the (fat) butts of Australia, Britain and the United States. That is not actually so surprising. Development, naturally, causes epidemic of diseases of comfort – caused by imbalance due to surplus, and not scarcity. Personally, I think obesity is as much an epidemic as Chain smoking or Alcoholism.

So now, experts and health officials have gathered to “fight” Obesity. Now what ? A war against fat asses ? I believe obesity has a place in Capitalism. As a business, it makes a sustainable industry with such an wonderful prospects. First, you have fast food restaurants serving junk foods, and, then you have diet and other programs to work it out, and, then you have the biotech companies working for technological developments to fight obesity, and, then there are pharmaceutical companies making magic pills to thin you out, and then there are doctors and obesity specialists advising you, and then finally, you would soon have a special obesity-insurance – all of these contribute to an economical system rich and, well… obese. Obesity will live, because it will make money – a lot of money!!!

So, my advise to you is – Invest in Obesity.

sins of the fathers

When the recent Isreal-Lebanon conflict (12 July - 14 August 2006) was going on, there was an article in BBC about  debates in Germany over involvement of Germans in a Lebanon peace force, before steps were taken to create one. The article is about the debates in German Media on the ethical questions faced by a German soldier, if he is needed to fight an Israeli soldier.

“History is the past, but the history of the Holocaust belongs to the German present,” said the Frankfurter Rundschau. No German soldier should, even theoretically, “be brought into a situation where he has to aim his weapon at an Israeli”, it added. [...]

[...] Austria’s Der Standard said it was “unthinkable” that the grandchildren of Holocaust perpetrators might find themselves shooting at the grandchildren of victims.

Germany is a country with a dark period of history during the reign of Hitler, leading to the second world war.  When it all ended, there were trials, especially the famous Nuremberg Trials, incriminating the war criminals of Second World War. But the punishment for the sins of Third Reich didn’t end there. The most unfortunate were not those who were tried (deservedly so), but the sons and grandsons of the Nazi generation. That regime has left such a deep stain in the German history, that its descendants carry that even today.

In contrast, the way the Japanese handle their history is… well, not quite the same. There have always been questions about the accuracy of Japanese history textbooks, and the accusations that they “justify and glorify the wrongs committed in the past” (especially the Nanjing massacre. Wikipedia entry is here). Even after protests, those textbooks were never changed. Recently, there have been protests over the Japanese prime minister visiting the Yasukuni shrine, where war criminals are venerated. By such attempts, Japanese try to paint a different picture of history to their younger generation. Though their objectives on re-writing Japanese history are political, it probably would make the future Japanese generations carry less burden of the past. Unlike the Germans.

The question is how nations (and its people) choose to handle the sins of their history – either let it burden them for generations OR glorify the sins to make them proud. I couldn’t do an ethical analysis of the Japanese stand on its history OR the reasons why Germans has to confront their history head on (I don’t have access to a good library and, I am no historian. We can’t miss the cultural angle(east vs west) too). 

Bringing the same line of questioning towards ancestral histories, I think, our parents, grand parents, uncles, and aunts had the same two choices. When they had to tell us the inconvenient truths of the past, they either choose to bury them down or pass those burdens over. Of course, they would rather bury them, than do the dad-son karma-transfer. So… I wonder, Do I really believe in everything of what I am told about my family ? (or my country ?) And, Am I going say everything, most importantly every sin of my life to my next generation ?(if by an accident or some act of God, a next generation happens to me!!!)

just give me the news

Was every one thinking about this ? Last week, I was watching one of those 24 hour news channels “covering” the war in Middle-East. The back ground music, while showing the images of destruction, was something like the one for a techno dance party. Whats up with these news channels ? Do they hire a DJs for mixing this music ? What are they thinking ?

The exact same day, in The Daily Show by Jon Stewart had this to say about the “musical montage” of MSNBC about the war in Middle East. In case you haven’t seen Cable TV in the US or heard about Jon Stewart, “The Daily Show” is a half-hour satirical news program produced by and run on the Comedy Central cable television network.. And their host Jon Stewart is know to be “the most trusted name in fake news”. It is one of my favorite shows, where they rip apart and make us laugh at the absurdities in everyday news stories, and the media that brings the news. Now, back to Jon…

Apparently, the war in the middle-east is also taking place in the middle of a rave… What’ve they got ? “Tears for Fears” in the back room of MSNBC ?… I am telling you… What are they doing !?!?

Here the link to this Jon Stewart’s video in You Tube

Seriously, What are they doing ? It has become OK for News channels to create unnecessary drama in News. When does this all start ? Why there should be drama in News ? For drama, I will watch TNT (a TV channel in US cable network know for its “drama”). It seems like an unwritten rule for news channels these days – “If ain’t no drama, it ain’t important”.

I don’t want sound like one of those oldies saying – “When I was kid, I used to milk 321 cows everyday for a living”. But I should say this – News was not drama those days. My initial television watching days in India included an everyday news program -covering local, state, national, international, entertainment, sports and weather – all in just 20 minutes. It was just fine.

I learnt that the Berlin wall went down. I learnt that “Silence of the Lambs” won an academy award. I learnt that Steffi Graff took another Wimbledon. Every knowledge happened in that 1/3 of an hour. It was simple and straight forward. No analysis, No drama. And most importantly – No Noise! 20 minutes was just enough.

Now its on – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and every moment of is made to seem important and dramatic. But now a days, I am not sure, if I know it right. And If i know it enough.

IIT guys’ political party

Really interesting news today, about how 5 IITians have formed a political party

IIT geeks form political party: “Five IITians in their 20s have taken up mainstream politics and formed a party called Paritrana.”

I have always wondered, how the Goverenment of India’s most expensive educational institutions produce citizens who eventually become the non-citizens of the country.

And Wow! This is a very serious involvement in affairs of India. I hope they find some success in their mission.

katrina

I was really shocked to see the images of divesting caused by Hurricane Katrina. And the images from New Orleans are terrible!!! I really didn’t know that the lake near New Orleans had broken its levees (concrete structures used to protect the lake/river from getting into the city), until after two days, when I discussed with my room mate. Very tragic!!!

In the light of this hurricane, Gas(or Petrol) prices here, in the US started to increase. The gas station (petrol bunk) around the corner of my street listed $3.30 this Friday (September 2, 2005). And some parts in the US, gas prices have increased to around $5-$6.

For the first time, in all duration of my being here in the US, I felt a sense of conservation among the people living in the US. And the president had to say this…

We ought to conserve more. And I would hope Americans conserve if given a choice. Secondly, we have done some things to help on the gas prices…

In India, in every corner of the street I would see signs “Save fuel”. “Conserve electricity”. The thoughts of conversation are so imbibed into my mind that I would find every normal usage of the American, a waste. And now in the moment of crisis, America, even you have to say this !!!

If you don’t need it, don’t buy it