<http://online.wsj.com/article_print/0,,SB111213215637492319,00.html>
The Wall Street Journal March 30, 2005 REVIEW & OUTLOOK French Women Do Get Fat March 30, 2005 Of the "50 Good Reasons to Detest Americans," a recent Parisian coffee table book by Antoine Chereau and Yann Le Poulichet, No. 15 is la gastronomie. From the Big Mac to Velveeta cheese, "American cuisine boxes in the heavyweight category," the authors write, nurturing a nation of Fat Alberts. Throughout this slim volume of cartoons and text, the (ugly, arrogant, philistine, etc.) American is depicted supersized, holding a hot dog here or a mega-Coke there. New research may soon send the peddlers of Yankee bashing scurrying for a new trope to replace the "fat American." In terms of expanding waistlines, Europeans are catching up to and passing the U.S. Most EU countries show a rise in obesity across all segments of society, according to an International Obesity Task Force study released earlier this month. Finland, Germany, Greece, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Malta have a higher share of overweight men than the U.S. Among women, only Greece's obesity rate (38%) tops America's (34%). And though the U.S. still takes the cake overall among rich countries, the gap is narrowing. European children in particular are getting plumper at a worrying clip: More than 30% of Spanish, Portuguese and Italian seven to 11 year olds are obese or overweight. Not even the nation with a claim to its own "French paradox" -- eat rich, stay lean -- is immune. In a book out today, "Obesity: A New French Illness," Jean-Marie Le Guen reports that 19.8 million of his compatriots are overweight, including 35% of French women. So much for Mireille Guiliano's best-selling diet book, "French Women Don't Get Fat." In Paris, obesity is up 70% since 1997. How chic. If the Europeans are mimicking U.S. eating habits with predictable results, they are also learning to politicize it a la America. Mr. Le Guen, a doctor, happens to be a French parliamentarian. Yesterday he called for action against the "obesity epidemic" -- a phrase used and abused in the U.S. for years. His solution is, naturally, to legislate on the private behavior of Frenchmen. Mr. Le Guen proposed a new "high commission" and an "observatory" to track and regulate eating habits. He and over 80 French deputies want new rules for exercise and diet at schools, and seating on public transport that accommodates the horizontally challenged. All the hubbub surely won't hurt his book sales either. -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Give underprivileged students the materials they need to learn. Bring education to life by funding a specific classroom project. http://us.click.yahoo.com/FHLuJD/_WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
