Thursday update from Shiela.

Redrant: I'm sort of pre-occupied with the RNC convention but I soon be digging up a lot of good stuff. Greg Lang

Hello Everyone -

Just a sampling of what's to come if we do not stop the madness. I don't know about you but I personally do not appreciate the government's interference in my private life. I can raise my own children and take care of my own health....I'm not STUPID you know !! I resent the fact that government thinks they need to make choices for me !! Sorry.....but it is my life and not theirs! Stay OUT of my life!

Remember elections this November and lets change the tide! Visit http://www.banthebanminnesota.com/ and view the government scorecard and blog. Know who is running and who the incumbents are...be an informed voter and pass information on....WE CAN DO THIS!! Don't forget to visit the http://www.freedomtoact.com/ website....an interesting article on Alabama state workers, "Obese workers Told to Get Fit". Another good site to get all kinds of information on incumbants is http://www.votesmart.org/mystate_summary.php.

Have a Great Day!
Sheila


France bans tot TV By CHRISTINE OLLIVIER The Associated PressThu. Aug 21 - 4:47 AMPARIS — France’s broadcast authority has banned French channels from airing TV shows aimed at children under three years of age to shield them from developmental risks it says television viewing poses at that age.The High Audiovisual Council, in a ruling published Wednesday, said it wanted to "protect children under three from the effects of television."France’s minister for culture and communication, Christine Albanel, issued a "cry of alarm" to parents in June about channels dedicated 24 hours a day to baby-targeted programming. In a newspaper interview, she called them "a danger" and urged parents not to use them to help their children get to sleep.She was referring to two foreign channels that can be seen in France on cable television, BabyFirstTV and Baby TV.The council’s ruling aims to prevent the development of such programming on French channels. It also orders French cable operators that air foreign channels with programs for babies to broadcast warning messages to parents. The messages will read: "Watching television can slow the development of children under three, even when it involves channels aimed specifically at them."The ruling cites health experts as saying that interaction with other people is crucial to early child development."Television viewing hurts the development of children under 3 years old and poses a certain number of risks, encouraging passivity, slow language acquisition, over-excitedness, troubles with sleep and concentration as well as dependence on screens," the ruling said.When BabyFirstTV first aired in the United States in 2006, it escalated an already heated national debate. The American Academy of Pediatrics has said babies should be kept away from television altogether.http://www.thechron%20icleherald.%20ca/World/%201074393.html

France mulls raising tax on fatty, salty, sugary foods
Updated Wed. Aug. 6 2008 2:19 PM ET
The Associated Press
PARIS -- Cheese, pastries, foie gras -- France's culinary delights are full of dietary sins. Now child obesity is rising and the myth is fading that French people can eat anything and stay thin. So the government is fighting back.
The latest anti-fat idea being presented to French officialdom: an increase in sales taxes on extra-fatty, salty or sugary products.
Previous government efforts included posters suggesting that subway riders take the stairs instead of escalators, and advisories prominently displayed on ads for junk food telling people to eat at least five fruits and vegetables a day.
An expert report suggesting increasing taxes on unhealthy food items from the current 5.5 per cent to up to 19.6 per cent, was submitted to the health and budget ministries in late July, an official from the Budget Ministry confirmed Wednesday. The official could not be cited by name because of ministry rules.
The findings of the report -- which remains confidential because it is still under discussion -- were leaked to Les Echos newspaper Tuesday.
Details of the tax remain to be hammered out.
It was not yet clear, for example, whether it would apply to famously fatty cheese that French consumers buy at outdoor markets and to eclairs from the bakery, or just processed junk foods that have nutritional content listed on their packaging.
The higher sales taxes, if implemented, would go in part toward patching a huge deficit in the French state health-care system.
Last year, France's senators had called for so-called nutritional taxes, but then stepped back from the plan, instead commissioning the expert study to look into its feasibility.
The findings will be presented to legislators in September, said the Budget Ministry official. Legislators could then debate the measures suggested, either in part or as a whole package.
However, the idea of increasing the sales tax already faces stiff opposition from Budget Minister Eric Woerth.
"It is out of the question to raise sales taxes on food products, even more so given the difficult context of the French population's purchasing power," he said Wednesday.
Decreased purchasing power -- caused by inflation and stagnant salaries -- is a growing concern in France, as gas and food prices have shot up over the past year. President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative government has been working on reforms to make good on his campaign promise to improve spending power.
The expert report was written by France's inspection agencies on social affairs and on finances.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080806/france_tax_080806/20080806?hub=Health

Time for tough action on alcoholTOO many words and not enough action is being used to tackle alcohol abuse in Scotland, medics in Edinburgh have said.The British Medical Association has urged the Scottish Government to implement legislation and practical action rather than hard-hitting messages.Dr Peter Terry, the organisation' s chairman, said doctors were in the best position to judge how alcohol affects people's lives.He said: "Doctors witness first-hand how alcohol misuse destroys lives. The facts are simple - voluntary measures implemented by the drinks industry are not effective and do not reduce the damage of alcohol misuse in Scotland."
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/health/Time-for-tough-action-on.4413253.jp