Lettuce in the Desert

Check out this NYT article about efforts to bring fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthier options to corner stores / convenience marts in low income urban neighborhoods. Many residents of urban neighborhoods rely on mini-marts for the majority of their food purchases as chain grocers do not build stores in the communities and transportation options are limited. Public health types have labeled these communities as "food deserts" - areas with low availability of healthy affordable foods. Back when I lived in Baltimore, my teacher roommates said that the standard breakfast for many of their students was a bag of chips, little debbie or a candy bar and one of the little jugs of artificially flavored sugar water. They could pick it up on their walk in to school for a dollar.

Will these same kids start grabbing an apple over a pack of mini doughnuts? Not if there is no apple there to begin with.

getting closer

Today's Miami Herald and the AP say the current PM is all but on her way out... but that she won't got without a fight. She refused to answer the Senate's summons today which would most likely result in a vote for her removal. Interesting comment by the MH author that foreign governments are more interested in protecting support for the Clinton investment plan that standing behind a strong leader like Michelle Pierre-Louis who doesn't have political alliances in Haiti.

real deal environmental health

According to this NYT article Sweden recently released new dietary guidelines and food labeling that give equal weight to the environmental impacts of food production as they do to nutritional value...brilliant! The challenge is making the information meaningful to the consumer in a way that doesn't overwhelm them and really helps them make balanced decisions.

Biotech and world hunger

Highly recommend this debate in the NYT a few days about whether or not biotechnology is the solution to world hunger. PP Anderson is a faculty member in my program - a very smart guy and a really nice one too!

here we go again... already?

News report from Miami Herald reinforcing rumors that the Haitian prime minister is on the verge of being ousted. According to several Haitians I deeply respect, Michelle Pierre-Louis is(was?)a ray of hope in a largely corrupt and ineffective government. It is almost laughable that members of the Haitian senate would accuse her of being ineffective given then until only a few months ago 1/3 of the senate seats were unfilled due to more than 18 months of election delays. How can a PM lead a non-existent government? As the article suggests, accusations against her likely have more to do with political wrangling/positioning for next year's presidential election than what she has/has not accomplished over the last year. Sigh - time will tell.