Latino Youth Offer Health Care Suggestions
Latino Youth Offer Health Care Suggestions
October 15, 2009
A contingent of Latino youth hit Washington late last month to offer some suggestions for health care reform. The topic of video games and the obesity of today's youth did not escape their scrutiny.
The Washington Youth Seminar, a four-day event sponsored by the League of United Latin American Citizens, brought 56 emerging student leaders from the 11th and 12th grade together to discuss issues impacting the Latin community. The students came from across the United States and Puerto Rico. While in Washington, they adopted several positions that they used at talking points with legislators, private institutions and corporate leaders.
Among the 10 talking points:
Increase Physical Activity: Congress should provide incentives to schools to expand physical education classes and keep school gyms open longer. Because obesity increases with the amount of hours spent watching TV and playing video games; TV shows and game manufactures should receive a seal of approval from the government if they alter their content to encourage physical activity. Likewise, businesses could receive a seal of approval if they provided exercise options for their staff. Congress should consider subsidizing gym membership for low income Americans.
Interesting concept. The Wii, Wii Fit, the Balance Board and most exercise games would already get the seal. But the phrase "alter their content" seems to suggest forcing a change in philosophy on how games are made.
To see the full list of suggestions, check out this report on the trip.
Opinion: Getting the government involved in making "suggestions" to companies on how to make games seems like a slippery slope to increased regulation. I've always been a believer that regulation starts at home. Monitor your own kids, watch what they eat, watch what they play and limit their intakes on both. Letting the government play parent never works well.
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Posted 11/22/09 at 12:06am
JDKJ: You should get Phil McCraken to help you spackle those banisters.
JDKJ: You should get Phil McCraken to help you spackle those banisters.
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:57pm
ZippyDSMlee: Oh in the pirate hunter article I need my song ieda heckled DS,JD,Beemon sic im !!!
ZippyDSMlee: Oh in the pirate hunter article I need my song ieda heckled DS,JD,Beemon sic im !!!
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:56pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:no I am tried from prepping the banisters for painting , worked on them from 12 to 4 and 6 to 8...after I got back from the store...got up early got ready...blah...been up all day..I need a nap...
ZippyDSMlee: JD:no I am tried from prepping the banisters for painting , worked on them from 12 to 4 and 6 to 8...after I got back from the store...got up early got ready...blah...been up all day..I need a nap...
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:42pm
JDKJ: No. You gonna stay up late tonight soldering?
JDKJ: No. You gonna stay up late tonight soldering?
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:41pm
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:Don't you mean Mctite?
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:Don't you mean Mctite?
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:33pm
JDKJ: @Zip: Neil, Bob, and Lik McTaint. The McTaint brothers. LOL!!!
JDKJ: @Zip: Neil, Bob, and Lik McTaint. The McTaint brothers. LOL!!!
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:44pm
Flamespeak: I still think military personell, killing other military personell, on a military complex should be handled by military courts.
Flamespeak: I still think military personell, killing other military personell, on a military complex should be handled by military courts.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:43pm
Flamespeak: I could see this a mixture of the two charges rather than just one or the other.
Flamespeak: I could see this a mixture of the two charges rather than just one or the other.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:43pm
Flamespeak: I think this was mainly a person who snapped, but evidence is showing he definitely had strong inlinations to islamic-extremism.
Flamespeak: I think this was mainly a person who snapped, but evidence is showing he definitely had strong inlinations to islamic-extremism.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:41pm
Flamespeak: People are trying to claim that Hasan's actions were not terrorism. I don't jump on the 'terror train' like others, however
Flamespeak: People are trying to claim that Hasan's actions were not terrorism. I don't jump on the 'terror train' like others, however
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:38pm
mentor07825: Britain certainly does deserve it! And the French! God damn it, it was a hand ball!!!
mentor07825: Britain certainly does deserve it! And the French! God damn it, it was a hand ball!!!
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:34pm
ZippyDSMlee: mentor07825:Well Brittan dose deserve it....
ZippyDSMlee: mentor07825:Well Brittan dose deserve it....
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:33pm
ZippyDSMlee: Alyric:I don;t hasliburton having to pay back billoins... don;t you love it when the rich roll over the goverment without a care?
ZippyDSMlee: Alyric:I don;t hasliburton having to pay back billoins... don;t you love it when the rich roll over the goverment without a care?
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:32pm
mentor07825: I say we nuke the whales, for the benefit of both mankind and the environment.
mentor07825: I say we nuke the whales, for the benefit of both mankind and the environment.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:28pm
Austin_Lewis: I say we try Al Gore too. I always said he was in on the racket.
Austin_Lewis: I say we try Al Gore too. I always said he was in on the racket.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:16pm
Alyric: The leaked information proves these organizations knowingly defrauded governments (i.e., taxpayers) out of billions of dollars. Yet there will probably never be a trial.
Alyric: The leaked information proves these organizations knowingly defrauded governments (i.e., taxpayers) out of billions of dollars. Yet there will probably never be a trial.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:15pm
Flamespeak: working on other things makes me angry. I might have had a jet pack by now. :p
Flamespeak: working on other things makes me angry. I might have had a jet pack by now. :p
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:14pm
Flamespeak: Just thinking of all the time and manpower wasted to try and make things emit less CO2 emmision that could have been spent
Flamespeak: Just thinking of all the time and manpower wasted to try and make things emit less CO2 emmision that could have been spent
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:07pm
Alyric: @Zip: FYI, the construction of solar panels puts out more pollution than any form of energy production. To say nothing of the toxic components of the panels that cannot be recycled.
Alyric: @Zip: FYI, the construction of solar panels puts out more pollution than any form of energy production. To say nothing of the toxic components of the panels that cannot be recycled.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:04pm
ZippyDSMlee: I know I know not the point.
ZippyDSMlee: I know I know not the point.
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Comments
Yes, tell people that cardio is once again the solution to being fat. The attitude that we have in this country about cardio is abusive and self destructive.
Kids eat too much calorie dense nutrient poor food. That is the primary cause of childhood obesity. Everything else is a contributing factor.
Cardio exercise should be used to promote cardiovascular health, it should not be used as a method of weight control in anyone, especially not in children.
Subsidizing gym memberships for anyone will not solve the obesity "epidemic".
We are fat because of what we eat and how we exercise not because of how much we exercise.
Most people don't have even the faintest idea of what is healthy.
TV shows and game manufactures should receive a seal of approval from the government if they alter their content to encourage physical activity.
How about... NO, YOU FREAKIN DUMBASS!!!
This is wrong. Now they try to brainwash children in order to get support for futher goverment intervention.
They will look up and shout "Give ROFLCOPTERS to us"... and I´ll whisper "NO". The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com
"This is wrong. Now they try to brainwash children in order to get support for futher goverment intervention."
Wat? I see no brainwashing involved here.. It's amazing how stupid people are, and it's sad and pathetic to see such knee-jerk reactions from them.. They aren't brainwashing, they are trying to ENCOURAGE HEALTHY BEHAVIOR. Not FORCE it, not MANDATE it, ENCOURAGE IT. If they are petitioning the government to ENCOURAGE healthy behavior, it's a good thing.
There are some of us here who need to lay off of the insanity juice and realize that promoting and ecouraging healthy behavior is a far, FAR cry from "brainwashing."
While I disagree with the idea of "altering content" to recieve a government seal of approval, I can see the benefits of promoting (NOT forcing) games that encourage exercise and living healthy. While the Latino Youth group's phrasing may not have been the best, I can see some good points in what they say.
To add to that, I disagree with putting a form of approval on the games, but if they want to encourage companies to make them, or even offer a subsidy to promote healthy games, I have absolutely no problem with that.
LOL, there is a difference between have a healty life between asking to goverment to "make me do exersice with my games".
The brainwashing comment was for young kids already asking for goverment to regulate an aspect of daily life. That´s a step on the wrong direction, if you ask me.
They will look up and shout "Give ROFLCOPTERS to us"... and I´ll whisper "NO". The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com
There was no mention of regulation or "make me do exercise with my games." If there was, I'd be opposed to it as well. I did mention that I was opposed to MANDATED and FORCED change and FORCING companies to make healthy games.. Promoting and encouraging it, on the other hand, is perfectly acceptable. In fact, I'd like to see more promotion and encouragement of healthy lifestyles. Subsidize healthy foods, make it easier to eat right, make it cheaper to work out, provide healthy living information via a website. All of those things are perfectly acceptable, in my opinion.. It is in no way shape or form brainwashing or mandated exercise.
Like I said before, a knee-jerk "OMG GOVERNMENT IS BAD!" response is just stupid and sad.
Didn´t you feel shivers when you read "seal of approval from the government"? Because I did.
And why is always media and companies responsability? Is not the US goverment eliminating PE from schools?
They will look up and shout "Give ROFLCOPTERS to us"... and I´ll whisper "NO". The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com
Even if you subsidize gym memberships, people still actually need to get off their lazy asses and go. Most folks I know can afford the $25/month average cost per month; that's not the issue for any of them. But you have to want to get in shape, or you won't go even if it's free.
"De minimus non curat lex"
Interesting concept. The Wii, Wii Fit, the Balance Board and most exercise games would already get the seal. But the phrase "alter their content" seems to suggest forcing a change in philosophy on how games are made. Getting the government involved in making "suggestions" to companies on how to make games seems like a slippery slope to increased regulation.
I've always been a believer that regulation starts at home. Monitor your own kids, watch what they eat, watch what they play and limit their intakes on both. Letting the government play parent never works well.
@GP: You forget to add the "Editorial" and "Opinion" tags. Not a big deal but I've come to rely on them as a means of distinguishing news reporting from editorializing.
Point taken. Will modify.
That's interesting.
I think they're suggesting that games be made without the "Do not imitate" tags.
I think it is very inappropriate to place any sort of "Government-approved" endorsement on any form of medium.
First of all how could you make TV and videogames any more physical than the Wii already is? And even that isn't a good substitute for getting off your ass and doing real exercise.
Secondly, exercise is only half of the weight loss equasion. You need to stop eating junk food too. All the exresise in the world won't do any good if you don't do both.
And lastly, free gym memberships wouldn't do shit. You can't make someone get themselves in shape, regardless of cost. They have to want it.
A properly thought out regimine of the bodyweight excercises based on the one included in wii fit plus some pull ups and dips are far better for your overall fitness than getting out and running constantly.
true that, lifting burns a lot of fat and increases your muscle mass. A good amount of running combined wiht weightlifting and sports is a healthy combination for life.
Over eating is a bigger problem in terms of weight gain, but feel free to run as much as you can. It did wonders for Jim Fixx.
here's another solution: un-ban schoolyard games such as Tag and the like
岩「…Where do masochists go when they die?」
I love having a high metabolism, i can eat whatever the heck i want whenever I want hahahah.
but seroiusly people go excercise if you're fat, and even if you are skinny, its healthier to be muscular and skinny rather than flabby and skinny. I used to be a stick figure until i started lifting and its made me a much more confident and stronger person. I'm still skinny but strong for my size.