Fat

Did you know that 2/3 of American's are overweight? That's 200 million people, with half of those people classifed as obese. That's absolutely crazy. So a couple of interesting tidbits that I randomly came across this past week:

First, it costs over $117 billion a year to treat obesity-related illnesses. No wonder our health care system is in shambles. Hopefully, part of that 1,000 page health care bill provides some kind of preventative education coverage where we can educate people on how to avoid putting on the pounds and, thus, reducing the total cost of our health care.

The next interesting thing was that I was talking to an OB/GYN and he said that cases of infertility have been rising over the years and they think here is actually a correlation with obesity. His overweight and obese patients have a much harder time getting pregnant than those that are skinnier and in shape. Now, perhaps that has something to do with obesity-related illnesses, but that brings us back to point number 1.

KFC just launched a new sandwich in two test markets this week (Nebraska and Rhode Island): the Double Down. It's bacon, two kinds of cheeses and sauce, all piled between two pieces of fried chicken. That's right - no bread, so you don't have to worry about all those carbs. That sounds disgusting, but I bet it's testing great in the markets.

And lastly - and the most disturbing thing I've seen in a while - is the CDC's data and trends on obesity in America over the past 20 years. Wow. You can watch the slideshow here.

I'm not trying to say all this to be mean. Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect and there are circumstances where no matter what people do, they are still going to develop obesity for whatever reason. But our culture and lifestyle is clearly fueling this epidemic and perhaps we need to be more open about this situation to educate those who don't know that their food and behaviors can lead to long-lasting health and cost consequences.

Our health is one of the most important things that we have. Without it, we can't be happy, we can't be successful, we can't live. We need to do more as a nation to be healthier and to value our health - it's all we got.

Latte Wisdom

On my Starbucks latte cup this morning, I came across this pearl of wisdom from "The Way I see It" series. This one is #129:

The first person to walk on Mars could be alive today. If so, she's most likely two years old and living in China.

--Andrew Zolli, Futurist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer

The sad thing is, he's probably right. We need to light a fire under our collective American arses and start getting excited about math and science. We're losing the battle and it's more than just national pride - it's about educating our children properly. While children in other parts of the world are learning math and science concepts and longing to get higher degress in these subjects, our children are watching TV or reading up on Jessica Simpson's weight battle. No wonder the Chinese our beating us in the economy and brains. We just don't care any more.

Maybe we need another space race. A race to Mars, perhaps. Something to join us as a nation and get kids and teenagers excited about learning and education.

Washington, DC in love

This past weekend, Scott and I went up to DC for a quick trip. We live so close to the city (about 4 1/2 hours), but we have seldom visited, so we decided the holidays might be a great time to get away for a bit and spend the weekend exploring.

We had such a fabulous time and have decided that we love DC...so much, so, that we might want to move there. Up until now, I've longed to live in NYC. I'm a city girl at heart and I love the chaos and the hustle and bustle of New York. But after visiting DC, I might be changing my mind. DC offers everything New York does, but has more charm and character. I love that you are constantly surrounded by American history and there's always a buzz of politics going on around you. People in DC were so friendly, the prices were no more expensive than they are in Raleigh and the city has all of the bustle, without any of the hustle.

Of course, I'd want to live in Georgetown, but I seemed to have misplaced the $2 million dollars I saved for a house.

It was great catching up with Kristen while we were town. We ate at a fun brunch spot in DuPont Circle (Kramer's Books) with her and chatted over coffee, eggs and waffles. Yum! And I recommend the Newseum - possible the best museum I have ever been in.

I think we're planning another trip to DC in the Spring. We just might be in love.

Whopper Virgins

I came across this Burger King ad and loved it. The premise is that you can never really have a true, blinded taste test because everyone is influenced partly by brand, or has tasted one or the other burgers before. But what if you found people who had never heard of McDonald's or Burger King or the Whopper or the Big Mac? Which would they prefer? Of course, I'm not sure how accurate the tast test would be, given that hamburgers and beef are so outside of these people's cultural sphere.

This was done by Crispin Porter + Bogusky. It’s a little market research, a little ethnography, a little advertising and a lot of American domination of other cultures. After all, if everyone in the world hasn’t eaten a Whopper or Big Mac, then the terrorists have won.

It’s pretty interesting all around…

A free ride

We live in a capitalist society. This means that businesses are born, businesses die based on the market. Successful businesses are able to foresee hurdles and barriers in the marketplace and navigate around them in order to survive in ever-changing times. Those businesses that are unable to do that die or are bought up. It's a kind of Darwinian model.

So I have a little angst around the Big 3 car companies asking the government for help. These car companies did not successfully foresee the hurdles and barriers in the marketplace - or they did, but failed to change their course to navigate them. Now they are hurting in a big way and expect that the government will bail them out. I'm sorry, but that's not how our economy is supposed to work.

Three years ago, I was lamenting to my father (a big supporter of American cars, who will never, EVER buy a foreign car) how the American car companies didn't have any hybrid cars. That honor belonged to Toyota and Honda at the time. Even as the Prius sold out and was back-ordered, the Big 3 continued on their same track - building the big trucks and SUVs because they were still hot sellers at the time. If the car companies did a better job of making smaller, more gas efficient cars a priority, perhaps they could have by-passed some of this mess.

Now, I know that there could be huge repercussions if these car manufacturers go under. Loss of jobs, loss of health care, implications for the supply chain. But our demand for cars, overall, is unlikely to change. Which means the foreign car companies will get bigger and absorb those workers and give business to the supply chain. In the long-run, we would be a a stronger economy.

But no one wants to hurt in the short-run. Maybe that's our problem, though. Maybe the generations, starting with the Baby Boomers, never sacrificed, never suffered. That could be one reason the Iraq war was such a disaster - in WWII, everyone hurt together. Americans had to ration supplies and volunteered for the war effort. But today, we don't even know a war is going on unless we turn on the TV. We don't have to curb our consumption or volunteer for anything. In short, we're spoiled. Maybe if we stick to our guns now, stick to what our economy is supposed to be it will be very painful for a few years. But we'll suffer through as Americans and in the long-run we'll have better run businesses and maybe more efficient cars.

Of course, that means higher taxes in the short run, as we support the millions of people who will be unemployed and without health care. But if we give the Big 3 the bailout, then we'll just have more of the same. We'll be rewarding businesses that did not successfully navigate the market. That's no way to foster new ideas, business savvy and capitalism.

A new chapter

Regardless of who won last night, our country was turning a page and starting anew. But with Obama's win, we're also starting a new chapter. I'm excited to see what this new president will bring (God knows I wouldn't want his job right now) and how he will guide us through all our current troubles. And I'm also excited to see how the election of an African-American to the presidency will speed up the elimination (or, at least, the suppression) of racism in our country.

I thought McCain had a very eloquent concession speech and did a great job of bringing closure to the campaign while encouraging his supporters to support the new president:

I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited...

I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president. And I call on all Americans, as I have often in this campaign, to not despair of our present difficulties, but to believe, always, in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here. Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.

And Obama did his fair share, trying to unite the country. Both speeches moved me to tears.

The one reservation I have is that our government-elect is now made up of the majority Democrats. As a moderate, I like to see balance, and I'm nervous that the pendulum is going to swing the other way without temperance or hesitation. This isn't just for four years - this new government will make several Supreme Court Justice decisions, whose rulings will affect us for decades to come. I just hope that Obama and the Congress keep some moderation in their decision-making and remember that while the Democrats have won in the elections, the make-up of the country is much more evenly split.

So here's to a new president, a new chapter in our nation's history. May our leaders be guided by faith and temperance and may the next four years bring success and happiness to America.

Financial crisis? What financial crisis?

If I were visiting America from another country, I would cry foul on all the newspaper headlines about America's current economic situation. The images I would conjure up are black-and-white pictures of long unemployment lines, parents stealing bread to stay alive - a la Les Miserables, people tightening their proverbial belt buckels and pulling their money out of banks.

But these images are nowhere to be found. I visited two malls this past weekend (Raleigh-Durham has a lot of shopping centers), only to find them bustling with people, their arms laden with shopping bags, taking advantage of all the Columbus Day weekend sales. I went to Charlotte to see David Sedaris this weekend, only to find the hotel - and concert - sold out, ticket-holders sipping their $8 glasses of wine in the lobby. The restaurants are packed - we had to go to four different restaurants before we found one that could seat us immediately.

Where is this economic meltdown we've heard so much about?

Maybe people are drowning their sorrows in restaurant-prepared meals and retail therapy. Maybe employers haven't felt the tremors of the crisis and have yet to cut their balance, and employee, sheets. Maybe this part of the country has somehow gained immunity. I'm just completely surprised by the reaction.

If I was visiting from another country and never read a newspaper, I would have no idea of the chaos that is going on. After all, even my currency would be weaker against the dollar than it was a month ago.

Holy Dow!

We live in interesting times, indeed.

I've always learned that you play the stock market for the long haul. That there will be ups and downs, but over a multi-year time horizon, the stocks do well and always trend upwards. Over these past few months, as I've watched our funds lose more and more money, I've had to repeat that mantra over and over: "We're in this for the long haul. We're in this for the long haul."

But the end doesn't yet seem in sight. Another "tumble" in the Dow this morning (I love how analysts use that word, like it's Humpty Dumpty sitting on some wall), falling more than 700 points before regaining 300 of those points.

I'm a little sketchy about the details of the bailout plan. One thing I want to ensure, though, is that government doesn't become too involved in our economy. Government involvement in healthcare, surely. Government involvement in the environment, possibly. Government involvement in the market, definitely not. Our markets to very well and the model is good. Of course, it seems like there are things that precipitated this fallout and maybe there needs to be more regulation of some sort, but we start to walk on some thin ice. I know it's unfounded, but I have these visions of our country becoming this communist state and everything that we once held dear and treasured are memories of the past.

A bit gloomy, I know. The strange thing is, no one I know has felt the effects of this economic downturn. We still go on living our lives as normal, driving to work, putting away money into investments. I'm in Kansas City on a project as I type. Nothing has really changed.

I can't decide if that's a good thing or not.

Shattered Ceilings

As we Americans prepare to enter a political sprint until the November 2008 elections, I can't help but look forward to the 2012 elections. This year, we have seen some historic events, with the first African-American presidential nominee and second female vice-presidential nominee. Either way, come November 2008, our country will have made a historic decision - either the first African-American will become president or the first female will become vice-president.

What will this mean for 2012? Will the political scene change forever because of this race? Will we see fewer white faces, fewer men take charge? I wonder if that glass ceiling will be shattered forever and future elections will ever be the same.

While part of me is excited about the potential change in mindset when it comes to the leaders of our country, part of me is also indifferent. And maybe this is the greatest testament to where we, as Americans, are today. It doesn't seem that odd or strange that an African-American or woman is running for president. And while I know that our country - like most countries in this world - still has a lot of ground to cover to forever bash the prejudice and discrimination that continues to live in this country, I think it says a lot that our generation barely seemed to notice that something historic was in the making. That our generation doesn't see what the big deal is that an African-American may be president; that a female may be vice-president.

And if that's the case, then anyone, truly, can be president of this country. I wonder if 2008 will have forever changed the old-school mindset and if 2012 will be more representative of who and what this country was founded for.

Say what?

I think all Americans should be required to learn a second language (at least) in school, starting at a young age. The fact that Americans, as a majority, only speak English is a bit of an embarrassment, especially as we now live in a global economy. Speaking a second language is something I think all parents, as well as the school system, should expect out of their children.

I also love that this country has so much diversity and that it is accepting (usually) of people from all walks of life and from different backgrounds. It's neat to walk in a city and hear different languages being spoken.

Saying that, I also think that America should step up and claim English as its official language. Sometimes I feel that we are so scared of offending someone, of being politically incorrect, that we end up not having a backbone and, as a whole, we suffer as a result. I think those who choose to live in this country should learn to speak English - whether that's an initiative supported by government, religion organizations or personal responsibility. That doesn't mean giving up their own language, culture and customs - but it does mean being able to interact with others around you.

I was in Target the other day and couldn't find an item. So I went up to a sales associate working in the aisle and asked for help. She brought me to a second sales associate, because she couldn't speak English. The second sales associate spoke broken English. My husband was at McDonald's the other day (don't ask me why) and had to literally point to the value meal he wanted because the cashier didn't speak English.

If I was in France or Mexico or Kenya, I wouldn't complain about these incidents. The oneness should be on me to know the language of the country in which I'm visiting. And if I didn't know the language of the company, I wouldn't mind being shuttled as they found a sales associate who could speak my language.

But I'm in an English-speaking country. It is poor business practice for Target or McDonald's to have non-English speaking associates helping customers, unless they are there for the explicit purpose of helping non-English speaking customers. But I guess I can't complain because, after all, English isn't the official language of this country.

Now the LPGA is under fire for requiring all its competitors to know English proficiently in order to compete in its tournaments. The LPGA is a US-based tour, with sponsors and fans and media who primarily speak English. From a business standpoint, it seems to make sense. It will be interesting to see how it plays out legally.

Olympic Fever

I am totally addicted to the Olympics. For the past week, I haven't gone to bed before 1:00 in the morning because I've been glued to the TV. Things that have gone out the window this past week include working out, reading and talking to my husband. All because I am obsessed with the different sports.

I'm a pretty competitive person, so there has been a lot of jumping around the living room and general yelling, hoping that I can send some karma across the world to my American counterparts, propelling them through the water or pushing them to run a few hundreths of a second faster on the track.

Mostly, I just want us to get more medals than China. Preferably, more gold medals than China. Call it ethnocentricity, call it national pride. There's something about getting those medals that helps to shine our tarnished international reputation.

By the way, has anyone else noticed that almost every non-US competitor resides in the US? They are either going to college in the US or just chilling out here. I think there should be some kind of requirement that you have to actually live in the country which you are representing. By that count, we are totally kicking it in the medal department...I think we can take credit for just about every medal that those other countries have earned.

Of course, I'm totally kidding.

Kinda.

The collective media - a soapbox rant

Can I just step on my soapbox for a moment?

Let me preface this rant by saying that I don't like to be told what to do. Ever. Just ask my parents.

I am sick and tired of the collective media making the election decision for the American public. Obama is on the cover of Time Magazine this week, with the caption "And the Winner is...". Fortune's cover has a picture of Obama with a headline about the two candidate's positions on the economy (where's the picture of the second candidate?). CNN seems to only report positive stories about Obama and negative storis about McCain. What happened to telling both sides of the story and letting the people make the decision?

Answer: the media is tired of Republicans in office and have decided not to trust Americans to make the decision at the ballot box again. After all, the American public had been given a second chance and blew it, electing GW into office a second time.

But that shouldn't matter. How is what the media doing any different than when developing countries/dictatorships stuff the ballot box? Or intimidate people when they go vote? Or just having a dictator make the decision himself, without the hassle of an election?

News Flash: we haven't had one debate yet between the candidates nor do we really, truly know what these candidates stand for. All of it is rhetoric at this point, on both sides. How can the winner already be determined if we don't even know where they stand on the issues?

I'm not suggesting that we should swing the other way and glorify McCain. But I am suggesting that we give the relevant information to Americans and let them vote based on the facts and figures. It makes me so angry - physically angry - that the media is essentially making the decision for us. Yeah, our freedom gives the media the right to say whatever they want. But now they are just being irresponsible and a bully.

It's almost enough to vote a certain way, just out of spite.

Sweet Land of Liberty

I believe I saw my first plateau today. It’s strange to use the word plateau outside of a business setting - in recent history, I have used it to describe an area of a graph, a condition or state of being of particular business matters. But it’s been quite a long time since I visualized an actual plateau outside of the business setting.

Flying to California today, I looked out of my airplane window and marveled at the land below. I’m always in awe whenever I fly over the western part of our country. The land takes on different shapes and colors and few highways and cities mar its beauty. In a world of overpopulation and pollution, it’s refreshing to know that land exists that is still – somewhat – untouched by human hands.

Among the wrinkled mountains, snaking rivers and isolated lakes, I saw the first plateau. It looked as if a knife had horizontally cut off its peak, its sides rising from the dusty ground, only to be abruptly sliced flat. The last time I truly thought of a plateau in its most essence form was middle school social studies, learning about different land forms along with Native Americans and cloud formation. But it wasn’t until today when I really saw one in person – or maybe took the time to really notice.

And then I saw another one. And another. Each one took on a slightly different form, one was small and contained, another much larger. And then the mack-daddy of all plateaus – one whose sides rose from the ground, but the flat top extended for as far as I could see from 35,000 miles in the air.

On these western trips, I am constantly amazed by the vastness of our country. And while there are politics in this country that enrage us, war that fractions us, racism that divides us, and miles that separate us, we should all be united in that we are Americans, in that we live on and share this beautiful land. This land is our country and knowing that should bring us solidarity as a common people, as Americans. That no matter how different we are or how much we disagree or how many mistakes we sometimes make, we share this journey, this culture and this land together. Maybe if we embraced that solidarity more, embraced the pride in our patriotism, we would feel more like a family that argues and less like a garment that is ripping apart at its seams.

Pope Mania

I've been surprised by the amount of news coverage that the Pope's visit to America has received. As a Catholic, I know the Pope is a big deal to our religion, but I'm not used to everyone being as interested in him as we are.

JP2 had a big following, and I guess I could understand why he was so popular among Catholics and non-Catholics alike. He had charisma, he did a lot to bridge gaps between religions and countries, and he appealed to a lot of young people. Up until now, I thought if people liked the pope, it had more to do with JP2 than it did with the position itself.

Now I'm not so sure. Every major news channel, including CNN, broadcast the entire Papal Mass yesterday. That's several hours of continuous coverage on just one event. That's amazing to me. Why the interest in the Pope? Why are people from all religions and backgrounds interested in his visit to America? No other religious or political dignitary has ever gotten this kind of press or coverage. No president, no religious leader, no one. What gives?

Maybe it's a mystique around the office. Maybe it had something to do with the sex scandals in the Church. Maybe there's just nothing else going on in the world at this moment.

What is it about a Pope that garners so much interest? Yeah, the Catholic religion is one of the oldest and there's a lot of history (good and bad) with the religion and its leader. Maybe it's that few other religions have a head person like this, but still...there were CNN reporters - non-Catholics - who attended the Mass in Yankee Stadium and whose responses were those you'd expect to hear from someone who was Catholic. What is it about this one man - about this office - that generates this excitement?

It sounds like his visit went really well, and hopefully the first steps were taken to really heal the wounds of those victims and those of US Catholics. It will be interesting to see how his visit energizes our faith. And, it will be interesting to see if this visit will energize the rest of America, even those who just see him as a Pope.