February 9, 2012

You are here: Home / 2006 / Archives for December 2006

U-of-I study: parents with kids at home eat more fat

December 30, 2006 By

A University of Iowa study finds having children in the house could be hazardous to an adult’s waistline.

The study found adults living with children eat more saturated fat — the equivalent of an entire pepperoni pizza every week — than adults who don’t live with children.

Dr. Helena Laroche, a U-of-I professor of internal medicine and pediatrics who is the study’s lead author, says adults with children ate one-point-seven grams of saturated fat more per day, about a slice of pepperoni pizza per day, or about a full pizza more every week.

“Some of this may have to do with time pressures of taking care of a family, but also there could be (the) advertising aimed at children, the children bring things like potato chips into the home and then they’re around for everyone,” she says.

Laroche says adults with kids living in the home may have to work a little harder to avoid packing on extra pounds. “We can do simple things like choosing lower-fat snacks like low-salt pretzels, fruit, carrots,” she says. “We can think about how we’re cooking by not using butter, lard or solid-stick margarine, things like baking in olive oil. And if you’re going to eat fast food or pizza, try to limit it to once a week or less.”

The study will appear in the January 4, 2007, online edition of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

Laroche recommends several websites for healthy food information including the American Heart Association at www.americanheart.org, the American Academy of Pediatrics at www.aap.org/healthtopics/nutrition.cfm and the U.S. Department of Agriculture at www.usda.gov” — click on the “Food and Nutrition” section.

Related web sites:
American Heart Association
American Academy of Pediatrics
USDA

Filed Under: Health & Medicine

Cities throw New Years events

December 30, 2006 By

More and more communities are putting together New Year’s Eve programs designed to give people an alternative to the traditional celebrations.

Ames is the latest to get involved with what’s being called “Oh, What a Night.” Lynn Bolin, the spokesperson for the event, says they’re trying to promote an alternative to the traditional New Year’s Eve that promote “a lot of negative things.”

She says it allows families to be out and about and have fun. Bolin says they’re stressing community involvement, hoping that some of the older residents will come out too.

Bolin says they’ve structured the day to let people set their own schedule. There are staggered start times beginning at 1 p.m., so people can plan out what they’d like to do. You can go to www.OHwhatAnight.org to find a schedule. Bolin says they’re selling buttons that allow you in to a number of events for $10 or you can buy a family pass for $35.

Related web sites:
Oh What A Night schedule

Filed Under: Human Interest

Trash collector says don’t chuck old computer

December 30, 2006 By

Iowa trash-collection experts say the holidays may pose special challenges.

Tony Colosimo runs Artistic Waste Services, a major traffic collection agency in Iowa, and he says if you got a new computer or other electronic equipment, you should probably wait and ask for advice before throwing out the old ones. Most cities have programs for electronic recycling, so call your local government or waste hauler and ask how to dispose of that old computer.

Amy Horst with Metro Waste Authority in Polk County says the 23 communities they serve in central Iowa produce a lot of material so there are alternatives for where to dump it all. People who have an old television, computer or other electronics to dispose of may throw it in the garbage as she says “unfortunately there are no rules and regulations” telling them not to do that. Still, she says there are more environmentally conscious ways to recycle them, so people are welcome to take those to the household hazardous-waste facility that’s in Bondurant.

Any product you’d find under the sink, she says, probably shouldn’t go into the garbage. That includes labels saying “caution,” or words like hazardous, warning or toxic, mean that product shouldn’t be tossed into the trash.

Other Iowa communities operate centers or hold certain days of the year for the disposal of dangerous things like bug spray, paint and other items that would be bad environmental news at the dump.

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation

Massachusetts expert says "energy" in Iowa for health care reform

December 30, 2006 By

A woman who helped write the new Massachusetts law that’s moving that state toward universal health care coverage for all its citizens was in Iowa earlier this month to talk about the process.

Christie Hager, chief health counsel to the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, says it came down to the public and politicians agreeing that everyone shares responsibility for the problem. “The notion that individuals as well as employers as well as government would all have to contribute to the solution,” Hager says.

The law requires citizens in Massachusetts to carry health insurance, the same way Iowa law requires motorists to buy car insurance. Massachusetts residents who can’t afford health care premiums get coverage paid for by their state government. Businesses in Massachusetts are also are required to pay a fee to the state if they do not provide adequate health care benefits to their employees.

It’s called the “fair share contribution” in Massachusetts law, for businesses that have 10 or more people on the payroll. Employers who don’t provide adequate health care coverage to their workers must pay the state as much as $295 per employee, per year. Hager says it’s one way to level the playing field for businesses who’ve been providing health care benefits while their competitors do not.

The Republican governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, joined with Democratic state legislative leaders to craft the new rules. “It was a bipartisan priority and certainly there were disagreements about how to get to the shared goals, but in the end the consensus was achieved,” Hager says. “It was a long process. It was a difficult process, but it was one that everyone was committed to getting towards.”

Hager says during her visit with Iowa policymakers, she got the impression this state may take some significant action on the issue because Massachusetts has shown people don’t have to wait for Washington to resolve the problems in the health care system. “All of the stakeholders present…are all really energized,” Hager says.

Filed Under: Politics & Government

Culver will nominate new director for D-N-R

December 29, 2006 By

Governor-elect Chet Culver announced that he is appointing 42-year-old Richard Leopold as the new Director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources — the agency that’s been at the center of much of the discussion over the regulation of livestock operations in the state.

Leopold is the executive director of the Iowa Environmental Council, a nonprofit coalition made up of 76 organizations and over 600 individual members that it says work to improve Iowa?s natural environment.

Leopold would replace current D-N-R director Jeff Vonk. Vonk was appointed by current Governor Tom Vilsack in 2001 to replace Paul Johnson who resigned from the job.

A spokesman for Culver says there were 25 people who applied for the DNR job and they cut that to a handful of finalists, but he could not say if Vonk was one of the people who applied.

Leopold has worked for the D-N-R in the past and from 1999-2002 served as the coordinator for IOWATER, Iowa?s statewide volunteer water-quality monitoring program.

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation, Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

December could set a record for lack of snowfall

December 29, 2006 By

Iowa’s on the verge of setting a second record December low for snowfall this decade. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says there’s just not been a lot of the white stuff around. Hillaker says the current record is four-tenths of an inch average for snow statewide, set in 2002 and in 1979. So far this month we’re only had an average of two-tenths of an inch of snow.

The forecast is calling for some precipitation this weekend, but Hillaker says so far Iowa’s caught more rain than snow. Hillaker says the first big Colorado snowstorm brought Iowa a lot of rain, and so far the temperatures and moisture haven’t been mixed right to yield snow. Hillaker says while we haven’t had snow, the state hasn’t suffered for lack of moisture.

Hillaker says the month is averaging just a little bit wetter than usual. Hillaker says most of the snow we had in December came on the first day. Part of the reason for the lack of snow is an upturn in temperatures. Hillaker says right now were averaging about seven-and-a-half degrees above normal, which would rank it the 16th warmest December in 134 years of state records.

Hillaker says the first week of December was colder than normal, but things have been warmer since then. The forecast is calling for the possibility of snow this weekend on the last two days of the month and year.

Filed Under: Weather

Fallon supports Edwards for President

December 29, 2006 By

The man who was the third-place finisher in this past June’s Democratic primary for governor is now backing John Edwards’ bid for the White House. Ed Fallon, who garnered 26 percent of the votes Iowa Democrats cast in June’s primary, says many of his primary supporters were in the crowd at the Edwards event last (Thursday) night in Des Moines.

“He was my second choice last time and everything I’ve heard since the last election has only caused me to be more excited about him,” Fallon says. “I love the fact that he’s taking on poverty. I like the fact that he doesn’t take money from PACS and federal lobbyists. I like the fact that I think he is articulating an intelligent foreign policy when it comes to Iraq and I like the fact that he is really well-organized. That means a lot in a political campaign. I can speak from experience on that.”

Fallon had an Edwards button on his lapel and he was wearing a brand new “One Corps” t-shirt last night. The Edwards camp is encouraging people to join the “One Corps” and perform public service projects. That is the kind of “grassroots” organizing that Fallon says will benefit Edwards.

“He’s got a very strong organization,” Fallon says. “I think it’s only going to get stronger.” Fallon’s term as a state legislator ends soon. His replacement will be sworn in on January 8th. Fallon isn’t ready to say what he’ll be doing next. “There’s still a lot of questions as to what I’m going to be doing with my time,” Fallon says. “There’s several niches that I’m looking at. Certainly helping John Edwards is one of them.”

Fallon, who was criticized by fellow Democrats for endorsing Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader in 2000, says he’s “in discussions” with the Edwards campaign about what role he’ll play in the candidate’s Iowa effort. Despite Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack’s candidacy, Fallon says Edwards is the front-runner in Iowa.

“Nationally, I think it’s too early to tell,” Fallon says. “I think once you start deflating the balloon of the celebrity poll that either Hillary or Obama gets, I think Edwards is probably the strongest candidate.”

At this point in the 2004 election cycle, 2000 vice presidential nominee Joe Lieberman was running ahead in public opinion polls, but Lieberman dropped out of the race a few months before the Iowa Caucuses because he wasn’t getting the backing of hard-core party activists who prove crucial in early states like Iowa.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: ,
« Older Posts