Michael Bloomberg Proposes Ban on Large Sodas

English: New York Mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I know all too well about the obesity problem in this country.  It is a serious matter.  I have chronicled here on more than one occasion my desire to lose some weight.  Last year, I did lose about 25 pounds over a four month period.  Unfortunately, I ended up gaining most of it back and a few more to boot.  That tends to happen a lot to those of us that continuously struggle with our weight.

Currently, I am back to trying to get down to a more healthy weight.  If you put any stock into the BMI charts or ideal weight charts, the I need to lose about 50-60 pounds.  Currently, my BMI is 32.5, which technically speaking makes me obese.  Now, when I look in the mirror, I think I look average, and most people I talk to say the same thing.  That, I suppose, is part of the problem.  Obese has become average.

I think when a lot of us think of obese, we think in terms of those that would be morbidly obese.  You know, the type of people that we see each season on The Biggest Loser television program.  Most of us have not reached that level of obesity.  The fact of the matter is that there are an awful lot of us who consider themselves normal or average that are clinically obese.

The reason that I bring this up today is because of a news story that was all over the airwaves this morning, first on my morning local news and then again on the talk radio station that I listen to on the way to work.  Michael Bloomberg, the Democratic Mayor of New York City, is proposing an outright ban on sugary drinks (sodas, etc) of greater than 16 ounces in restaurants, movie theaters, sports venues, and several other businesses that serve food and beverages.

Bloomberg says that the ban on soft drinks and other beverages loaded with sugar is needed to help with the ever growing obesity problem in this country.  While I agree that in general there is an ever increasing problem with obesity, and I am sure that Mayor Bloomberg has the best of intentions, it is really not going to do anything to remedy the situation.

How do I know that banning sugary drinks will not help with the obesity problem in this country?  All I have to do is look in the mirror.  I can't tell you the last time that I have had a high sugar drink.  I can tell you it has been years.  I have been married to my wife for over 20 years now.  I know that I have been drinking primarily drinking diet sodas since before I met her.  Coincidentally, I have been battling my weight demons for more than 20 years as well.

I don't know what the answer is for the obesity problem in this country.  If I did I wouldn't be struggling with the issue myself.  Primarily, I believe the answer lies in education, though to be honest, I know all to well what to do, but putting it into practice is the issue.  I do know that I do not believe it is the governments job to decide for us what we can or cannot eat.

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• New York City mayor proposes ban on large sodas at restaurants, movie theaters and sports arenas (nj.com)

Long Weekend Ends, Back to School

Yesterday marked the end of the Memorial Day weekend and back to work.  It also marked the end of my son's long weekend home from school.  Normally, his visits of a mixed bag.  It is always good to have him home, but he is a lot of work.  As much as I hate to admit it, I sometimes look forward to his returning to school so things can return to what is the "new normal" around here.  Don't get me wrong, I love having him home and I am sad that he has to go back, but I am also somewhat relieved.

Due to his disabilities, there is a lot more that has to be done compared to when he is away.  When he is home, we usually have to prepare special meals for him because he would only eat certain foods.  Then there is the issue of his still not being toilet trained.  It is not easy to clean up the dirty Depends of a young man that is 5'10" and 145 pounds.  He also has a tendency to take over the television and my laptop whenever he is home.  We have had computers that he could use, but they are older and slower, and don't work too well, so he often sits with me and we play games and watch videos on mine.

As this past weekend came to a close, there was the usual sadness that he was heading back to school.  However, the sense of relief was not as strong.  Some of the past issues that make having him home so difficult were not as intense.  First, after taking him back from his April break he began eating a much wider variety of foods at school.  We were determined to try to keep up the wide variety of food that he had begun to eat at school.  We made sure to prepare a plate of whatever we were eating and give that to him first.  He ate most of what we put in front of him and we only occasionally had to supplement with chicken tenders when he hadn't gotten enough to eat.

Another thing that made this past weekend better for him was that we bought a new desktop computer for him to use.  When he had his First Communion at school nearly two weeks ago, he received over $100 in gifts.  The next morning, I found a basic computer for less than $300 that would provide him with everything he needed to do the things he likes on the computer.  This consists primarily of watching videos on YouTube and listening to music.  Only occasionally did he want to sit with me and do something together on my laptop.

There still were the other issues that we have to deal with.  His toileting is still a problem.  He usually is OK with urinating in the toilet, but the bowel movements are a problem.  We go through a lot of Depends and wipes whenever he is home.  Often, and sorry to be graphic, we have to give him a bath after a bowel movement.  Bathing is another area that he is not able to do on his own.  And of course, for the most part, when he was home the television was on whatever he wanted to watch, which isn't really that big a deal because I usually only have it on for background.

Since he turned 18, his progress once back at school has been remarkable.  In the past 6 weeks he has made a number of improvements in some of his problem areas.  Previously, he only ate chicken wings or tenders and salty snacks.  Now, he is eating a wide variety of proteins and vegetables.  He even ate ice cream, which he had never eaten, right before he came home.  He is starting to take his medications without having to have the pills crushed and mixed with food or drink.  If he continues progressing as he has recently,  I am sure that some of his other issues will be conquered soon as well.

It is funny, as my son was growing up and it was becoming painfully obvious that he would not have a "normal" life, I was determined to keep him with me as long as I could.  I have a friend that I used to work with who also has a special needs child.  We both talked about how we would want to care for our children because we weren't sure how we could trust anybody else to do it.  I no longer have that fear.  My son is 18, and at the age when a lot of kids are starting to thing of going to college and eventually getting out on their own.  Now, I can see the possibility of him moving on to a group home when school is over and I do not fear it as much as I did.

Music Monday-Trace Adkins "Til the Last Shot's Fired:

It is Memorial Day, a day to remember and pay tribute that those who served in our military and paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep us free and safe.  For all who served in all the wars through our history, thanks.
 

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.   PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

First Communion and Memorial Day

I mentioned on Saturday that it was a big day for our family.  It was our son's First Communion at the school he is attending.  I don't think it could have possibly gone any better, though there were a few potential moments.

The First Communion was scheduled to begin at 4pm, but my wife and I were to get there around 3:30 to meet with the folks that helped my son prepare for Communion.  When we got there, the person we were to meet with was not at the chapel.  I headed up to the dorms to tell the dorm personnel that we were going to take our son out to dinner after his First Communion.  As it turns out, that is where I found the lady we were to meet with.

Unfortunately, nobody had told the dorm worker that my son was going to have First Communion, so she allowed him to take a little nap on the couch in the rec room.  They were trying to wake him up to get him ready but he wasn't cooperating.  Like a lot of us, he gets a little cranky when you wake him up.  I walked in and told him we needed to get ready for church, but he told me he didn't want to go.  I told him that if he went to church and had First Communion that we would take him to Golden Corral for dinner and had a surprise for him.  It worked.

I helped him get dressed and we headed down to the chapel.  We were still pretty early for the service, so we were pretty much the only ones around.  When the priest showed up, my son's eyes lit up and he smiled and said, "It's Father!"  He greeted all of our relatives that showed up and waited patiently.  When the head nun showed up he said "It's Sister Jeanette."  We went over and said hello to her and she told us he had been attending church regularly and was very well behaved.  That is a far cry from the first couple conversations we had with her when he first started to attend the school.

During the service he stayed pretty quiet.  He fidgeted a little now and then.  There were a couple times when he put his head on my shoulders and wanted me to stroke his head or his hands.  When it came time for him to take Communion from the priest, he hesitated at first, but took it with some encouragement.  He then said "just one more time" which got a laugh from everyone.  I know that is something he often says when you get him to do something that he doesn't want to do and are trying to get him to do it again.

After the service, we took several pictures.  He received a number of cards and money as a gift for his First Communion.  He got enough money to cover half the cost of a new basic computer for when he comes home from school for the Memorial Day weekend tomorrow.  As promised, we took him to Golden Corral for dinner after the service.  This was the first time that we had attempted to take him off campus for a visit. I was a little concerned that we would have a difficult time getting him back in the car, but there were no issues at all.

Another concern was whether or not he would eat the same variety of food with us that he has been eating at school for the past few weeks.  The concern was short lived.  He told me that he wanted chicken, ribs, potatoes, and corn.  They didn't have ribs, but I got him a plate of bourbon chicken, pot roast, corn, mashed potatoes, and fried rice.  He ate it all.  In fact, he ate a total of three big plates of food.  He also ate some sesame chicken and another style of roast beef with gravy.  The school nurse also emailed us today to tell us that he ate ice cream at school.  Another new food.

We are looking forward to our long weekend home for Memorial Day weekend.  We have plans to attend a couple of Bowie Baysox games on Sunday and Monday.  Who knows?  Maybe he will even go so far as to have a hot dog or two at the ball park.  All I know is that every day we are more and more certain that we made the right choice in having him go away to school, as difficult a choice as it was at the time.

Poetic Justice and an Expensive Lesson

Have you ever been sitting at a traffic light and have somebody in a high powered, expensive sports car next to you or in front of you? They sit there revving their engine showing off and speed away quickly as soon as the light chnages. Or maybe you are driving along and one passes you at some ungodly speed and you wonder just where a cop is when you need one.

There have been so many times that it has happened to my wife or I while we were driving that somebody will tear down the road.  So often, I end up catching up to them at the next traffic light and laugh to myself.  Other times, I hope that they will get what they deserve, like a big speeding ticket or an accident, though I would not want to see anybody get hurt.

This video gives me satisfaction in knowing that some idiot does in fact get what he deserves.  Unfortunately two innocent bystanders are involved in this particular act of karma.  It is also a very expensive lesson for the idiot driver as he ends up wrecking this $225,000 Lamborghini.

 

Music Monday-The Bee Gees "I Started a Joke"

Yesterday, on Sunday, May 20th, Robin Gibbs of the Bee Gees passed away after a long battle with cancer. Robin, along with twin brother Maurice and older brother Barry formed one of the most popular musical acts of all time with a career that began in the 1960's. Much will be written about how they were a driving force of the disco era. That they were, but they were also very popular for a decade before that and it is that music that I prefer to the disco era. Though I do confess that I did see them in concert during the height of their disco popularity.

Rest in Peace, Robin.  Give our best to Maurice and Andy.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.   PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

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Lenova Speakers for your Tunes

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Lenovo for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love music.  If you went down into my basement, you would find several binders each holding over 100 CDs.  Those binders are organized by genre and, for the most part, are alphabetized by artist.  Most of those have been ripped to my laptop and loaded onto my iPod along with several digital downloads.  

All told, that little iPod has over 6000 songs on it and enough music that I could listen for over 17 days without running out of music to listen to.  It is much easier for me to carry it to and from work than it is to carry all of those binders filled with CDs.  It makes the work day so much more enjoyable to be able to listen to the music I like while putting in my 8+ hours each day.

A lot of my coworkers also listen to music at their desks.  A lot of them use earbuds to listen to their tunes.  I have considered doing that myself, but I just can't bring myself to bring earbuds or headphones in the office.  Call me old fashioned, or just call me old, but to me that just doesn't seem very professional to me.  I need to have some sort of speaker system at my desk to listen to my music.

The Lenovo speaker system would be the perfect device for me to keep on my desk to listen to my iPod.  The Lenova speaker M0520 contains a main speaker, but also has a built in amplifier and a sub-speaker.  It may be small and portable in size, but it produces a rich, high quality sound.  It can connect to your computer through a USB port or connect with your MP3 player or smartphone.

The speakers themselves have a sleek modern look to them.  They speaker wires spool for easy storage, and their compact size makes them highly portable.  They can go from sitting on my desk at work while connected to my iPod to going home and connecting to my laptop so I can always be connected to my music.  Life is good.

If you need a set of portable speakers, you ought to check out the Lenova M0520 speakers.  Right now, through May 21st, the speakers are on sale for the bargain price of $11.99.  That is more than half off of the regular retail of $29.99.  What a bargain!