Kenyans too love Barack!

I read an old but interesting article on yahoo!news about the American election day in Kisumu, Kenya.

We all stayed in front of our TV on November , 4 2008 because of the election. We wanted to know who would be the next president of the US. We all know that the father of President-elect Barack Obama is from Kenya but the journalist who wrote that article actually went to Kenya and spend the election day with local people. He saw how Obama is popular in Africa. Many people stayed awake all night to have all the information and miss nothing. They sensed a victory of Obama and they were “ready to feast.” Because of the time difference, it was early morning when the results came out, and people were more than happy all around the country. In neighboring countries such as Uganda and Tanzania the atmosphere was the same. Some headlines in some newspapers even called Obama a “black Phoenix.”

I was surprised by this article because I forgot how the election in America is important all around the world, especially in Africa where people expect a lot from someone who has origins in their continent

Store brands or Brand products

Yesterday I saw an interesting newscast on NBC about saving money in this time of national crisis.

The news was comparing Store brands and Brand name products. As we know store brands are “brands which are specific to a retail store or store chain.” The retailer can manufacture goods under its own label, re-brand private label goods, or outsource manufacture of store brand items to multiple third parties – often the same manufacturers that produce brand label goods.  Store brand goods are generally cheaper than national brand goods.

“A brand is a collection of images and ideas representing an economic producer; it refers to symbols such as a name, logo, slogan, and design scheme that convey the essence of a company, product or service.” Brand names have become increasingly important components of our culture and they play an important role in our economy.

We are too often so worried about the name on the label of products that we don’t pay attention anymore to the fact that the products we are buying are very expensive. The reporter was explaining that most of the food products coming from store brands have the same taste and are made from the same substances; the only thing that changes is the Marketing and Advertising costs that the company has to sustain. Brand name products are more expensive because companies invest a lot of money in marketing and advertising campaigns and their costs are usually applied in the final price of the product.

It is just a little step but buying store brands instead of brand products can be a good beginning to save some money.

New study: Media exposure harms kids

Being and Early Childhood Education major, I am always really interested in articles like that. Even if it is well known that TV and video games are a negative influence on children, it makes me sad to realize that it is becoming a danger.

I understand that sometimes working parents need a break and the TV can be used as a “babysitter”, but this should never become a habit and never for prolonged amounts of time.

The solution, as often, starts with role modeling. If the parents use TV and even video games as their main form of relaxation and entertainment, this will clearly send a strong message. Parents should get motivated, if not for they for their children, to limit their own time on the screen. They should pick a book instead, which, is a much more active way to get lost into a story or another world. This will send a message that reading is for pleasure, not for homework.

Of course I understand that It is not easy, especially for parents that work all day, but it would be great to try to do it for a better future of the children.

Reading does not address the risk of obesity, but it’s a valid alternate. For the rest, parents and teachers should promote and model active lifestyles. For example when I was young, in Rome  we used to have a dog and walks for the pet became a family habit, something to do together, a way to explore new neighborhood and talk about things.

I think that children should not be allowed to have their own computers in their room. That way it is harder for a parent to really see how much time is spent in front of the screen. The PC should be in the family room or even in the kitchen.

Last, to help parents take the matter into their own hand, I believe there should me more ads and TV commercial education the crowds about this important matter and its long-term consequences.

 

 

High Salt Levels Common in Many Foods

“There can be plenty of sodium — commonly known as salt — in foods that seem to be health-friendly, and shoppers should know that lower-fat foods can have much more sodium than full-fat products. Researchers analyzed 37 common supermarket items and found large amounts of sodium in unexpected places ( a cup of Kellogg’s Raisin Brain cereal contains 350 milligrams of sodium; a half-cup of Friendship 1 percent low-fat cottage cheese has 360 milligrams of sodium).”

The expert of this article is Jamie Hirsh, associate health editor at Consumer Reports and with this article the message that he wants to send is to pay attention at all the products we eat. Many items can have a large amount of sodium even if these products don’t even taste salty. With this article he wants to encourage people to look at labels and to read everything. He is providing this message because a high-sodium diet can increase the risk of high blood pressure and also increase the risk of asthma, kidney stones, osteoporosis and stomach cancer. “A 50 percent reduction in Americans’ dietary sodium intake could save 150,000 lives a year, according to the American Medical Association”. Healthy adults should consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day (the amount in one teaspoon of table salt) but, the average American consumes 2,900 to 4,300 milligrams a day.

I think everyone can benefit from this message and especially people that have high blood pressure. It is really important to eat healthy, to have an adequate diet rich of fruits and vegetables, to do physical activity at least 3 times a week and to avoid drinking and smoking.

We have just one life, for what I know so far, and we should live it as best we can.

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