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Reaching Out to End Childhood Obesity

September 17th, 2012

Reaching Out to End Childhood Obesity

 

Jasmine Noel and child. The many faces of obesity

With childhood obesity being so prevalent in society more people and organizations as a whole are stepping up to reach out and help children who are suffering with obesity.  In Bowie, Maryland Jodi Evans whose 9 years old is doing her part to help others who struggle with obesity.  She is 1 of 20 youth who have been selected to serve on the youth advisory board for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which is an organization that has dedicated itself to fighting the childhood obesity epidemic by empowering children to make healthier lifestyle choices.  Ms. Evans believes that her passion for Taekwondo will help other children battle obesity. She plans to show others how martial arts can help them lose weight, become more disciplined, and live a healthier lifestyle while having fun.

 

Shay and Trinity Walker are just two of the children Gina Morris mentors

In Washington, DC, Gina Morris talks with children about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.  She tries to reinforce to them that they are all special and loved.  “When I was a child I didn’t feel normal like the rest of the kids, I stayed to myself to avoid being taunted about my weight” says Ms. Morris.  The message she wishes to relay to parents of obese children is to listen to your children, encourage healthy eating without being over baring, encourage play time outside, and tell them you love them no matter how they look. This she says is the key to a healthy lifestyle.

 

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Jammin’ Jensen in Jensen Beach, Florida

July 29th, 2012

                                 Jammin’ Jensen in Jensen Beach, Florida

Photo by: Natalie Douglas/Beaufortfiles

Jensen Beach Florida is not only known for it’s uninhabited beaches and quaint storefronts it boast a lively nightlife to include the weekly Jammin’ on Jensen. It is a weekly street festival held every Thursday from 6pm – 10pm on the streets of Jensen boulevard. Local artist display their crafts, music, and provide entertainment for the entire family.

Photo by: Natalie Douglas/Beaufortfiles

The streets are adorned with booths set up to display artwork, jewelry, and other goods to sell to the locals and visitors alike. One customer of a local art vendor said she enjoys shopping local for her artwork because she feels it’s made from the heart. Jammin’ Jensen is a fun local street festival you can bring your whole family to while shopping for trinkets and other great items.

For more information please contact http://jensenbeach.biz/

Photo Courtesy of: Gabe Sanders/www.stuartfloridarealestatenews.com

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The Sierra Club

July 9th, 2012

 

Have you ever wanted to help endangered species preserve their lives?  Do you even know where to begin to help?  The Sierra Club has all the information you need to help preserve our wild life and continue helping maintain peace for our sacred animals.

The Sierra Club was founded May 28, 1892.  Throughout the years they have helped many causes related to our wild.  From defeating reduced boundaries of the Yosemite National Park in 1892 to defeating 150 proposed new coal-fired power plants, and reaching 1.4 million members and supporters in 2011. The Sierra Club is the place to be when you what to be in the know.

Right now they are seeking supporters to help them preserve the lives of the Grey wolf.  Congress has for the first time ever has removed them from the endangered species list.  What this means is they can be hunted and eventually become extinct. The Sierra club is America’s oldest environmental organization and has been on the forefront in protecting endangered species. So, help protect the Grey Wolf today!

The Sierra Club needs your help so please visit www.sierraclub.org

Photo and logo courtesy of Sierra Club

 

 

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Privacy in the Age of Social Media

June 18th, 2012

In the age of social media privacy has become a huge concern. Many people do not realize just how much personal information is floating around on the web free to anyone who seeks it out. Is it legal one might ask, well yes it is. According to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse your privacy can be breached by a number of things including using company email for private use. They can and do have the legal right to inspect all emails going to and coming from their servers along with web pages visited.

Facebook’s privacy issues stem from users putting too much personal information on the net. The vast array of pages you go to is tracked and could be used against you later in life says Consumer Reports. Many people who use Facebook put fictitious information down to protect their privacy. Nicole Bryant of Washington, DC says that she tries to never put much information down on social networks. “ I know that whatever you feed to the Internet comes back eventually so I don’t feed it much that way I’m covered if privacy ever becomes a concern”. Others try to set their privacy setting high in order for net intruders to be blocked. Facebook games are another way for your information to be leaked out according to the consumer report data. It displays your name, profile picture, geographic location, and friends.

The Obama Administration is doing something to help prevent tech companies from invading the privacy of its consumers called the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights. It has not been approved as of yet but is a step in the right direction when it comes to consumer privacy. It suggests that companies outline their privacy rules in terms that anyone can read and understand. There will be a better way to help consumers not be tracked and lessen the information obtained by these companies.
“ I read the privacy information on these sites but most of the time I just click accept and keep moving along. I figured they all are the same but I think it is in my best interest to start reading all of them,” says Nicole Bryant.
Some companies are now asking for user names and passwords to these social network sites during the interview process. It is best to leave personal information personal if not then it may come back to haunt you later on in life.

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Invasion of Privacy towards Celebrities

June 6th, 2012


In the times of reality television many celebrities are baring it all for the sake of entertainment. We as consumers watch on and form our own little relationships with the stars. They become part of our family. When we see them it’s like we’re already friends but where do we draw the line? Stars are contracted to do a job and when that job is over for the day, month, year, etc.… they have a personal life that should not be intruded. Their privacy should be respected just as we would respect our neighbors/ friends. Unfortunately that is not always the case.

What is considered invasion of privacy you may ask well it’s a persons right to keep his or her life private and free from the intrusion of others. When that right has been violated it is considered an invasion of privacy.

Courtesy of: scarlettejohansson.org

Last year nude pictures of Scarlett Johansson were leaked to the public via her iPhone. She said they were pictures that were sent to her husband privately. Her lawyers filed a motion to have the photos removed from the website and the FBI was called to aid in this situation. Later Ms. Johansson spoke out about the incident.

This was just one account of how celebrities are targeted and potentially put in harms way.

Courtesy of: VH1.com

Madonna had a stalker who wrote her letters, showed up at her house a few times with weapons to include a knife and an ice pick. His case was initially dismissed due to not going to trial with in the allotted time of 180 days but later was reinstated because of judicial miscalculation.

Some people believe that celebrities have no privacy as it “comes with the territory”. While others understand that behind the person they are portraying on television they are still human and deserve the same rights as everyone else. Carla Parris of Washington, DC said, “I don’t believe it is my business to know what celebrities are doing every step of every day in their lives”. Where do we draw the line and step over our boundaries? What are the boundaries when so many celebrities expose themselves everyday to the public eye for the sake of their career? “ Everyone needs something that’s just theirs and not up for grabs, I have mine in my music” says Ms. Parris. What is that something one might ask, it’s the privacy of their own lives away from the set of their television show, movie, or production studio. It is the place where the spotlight does not belong.

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The Effects Obesity has on Children

May 28th, 2012

 

Generations of obesity

 

 

Children across America are becoming more obese than ever before.  The numbers are alarming says the Center for disease control.  Upon my research I have found a wealth of information on childhood obesity and its psychological effects.  One such website is www.circleofmoms.com it’s a site that host a database full of information on things important to parents such as Childhood Obesity and the psychological issues associated with it.  BBC Health has an interesting article on how to encourage and build your child’s self-esteem through praises and showing interest in what they enjoy.  This will help them achieve a higher sense of self and build self- esteem.  Children are a product of their environment so if the parents are active then the children will be as well.  There are lots of activities to help build better eating habits as well as physical stamina in children.  When a child is overweight they tend to lose interest in school, friends, outside activity, and they become withdrawn to most everyday life.  They are either bullied or become the bully to avoid the teasing from the other children.

 

 

 

 

Courtesy of: aidsawarenesskolkata.org

 

Based on a survey conducted through surveymonkey.com and posted on Facebook and Twitter exercise and healthy eating seemed to top the list in creating a healthy lifestyle for children.  The warning signs that topped the list were lack of interest in normal activities and weight obsession.  Survey participants suggested regular eating schedules, less TV, more music so children can dance around, and teaching young children to love who they are regardless of their size.

Courtesy of: My Fight With Fat

 

 

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Childhood Obesity What Next?

May 21st, 2012

1 in every 3 children are obese and the numbers aren’t getting any smaller. Along with health issues that normally wouldn’t be seen until adulthood there are severe psychological effects in children that pose plenty of cause for alarm. Low self-esteem and body image issues are a few of the effects obesity has on children, now the question is how do we work on making the change and allowing these children to reclaim their youth, health and happiness.

Please complete a short survey about child obesity and the psychological effects it has on them.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world’s leading questionnaire tool.

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Choosing the Right School for your Children

April 16th, 2012

Choosing the right school for your children

 

As parents you want the very best for your child and that includes a quality education.  Many years ago that would have been easier said than done but today with the vast array of options one has to wonder what is defined as a “Quality Education”.  There are the standard public schools, Magnet school, academic school, charter, private, semi private, and career-centered school.  Each boasting a different claim to its quality of service.

Duwon Buie

eHow.com says a quality education provides a safe, nurturing environment that fosters the proper development of young children geared towards their particular needs and abilities.  Christine Thompson a mother of 2 school age children said “When looking for schools I try to imagine the worst case scenario and that determines if I will select the school or not.  If I can’t see my child being harmed, the classrooms are small in child to teacher ration, the facilities are clean, and the curriculum is challenging I see that as a school giving my child a quality education”.  When asked why she chose the schools she did for her children her reply was simply because it had a challenging curriculum, a music and art program with extra activities outside of the classroom.  Ms. Thompson’s children attend charter schools in Stuart, FL.

 

Waiting for the children to come into class

Muktar Raqib an elementary school teacher in Washington, DC suggested more teachers get involved with their students success across the board not just in your particular classroom.  “The success of a child falls on the teachers ability to teach each child no matter their learning curve,” said Mr. Raqib.  The quality of the education relies heavily on the relationship of the teachers with the students said Mr. Raqib.

 

“Some parents don’t have a real choice in choosing the best school for their children.  Economically a lot of people can’t afford the nice private school and the charter school are too far to travel if no school busses come into your neighborhood so you are stuck with the local school down the street no matter how bad or good it may be” said Ms. Thompson.  “In some of the more urban schools the students don’t get the new books their air conditioner is never working and the staff walk around with attitudes not realizing the students pick up on the fact that they are either not wanted or not cared for enough for their administration to fight for them to have equal rights to quality updated books etc.… said Mr. Raqib.

 

courtesy of: mn2020hindsight.org

 

Quality education for each person may be different but the bottom line is that all students deserve the same level of education and have certified professional teachers who love what they do.  A happy teacher makes for happy students.

“I am just happy I was able to send my children to schools where their education comes first and their teachers are invested in their future,” said Ms. Thompson as she dropped her children off to school.

 

 

 

 

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Beaufort Files

Local and Global News you can Use