<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1252"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1106" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#d8d0c8> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Somebody wrote yesterday saying obesity wasn't as bad in Canada as in the US.  Of course, what matters is the trend, not the present statics.  The CBC says obesity is "on the rise in Canada." <A href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/bigpicture/obesity/statistics.html">http://www.cbc.ca/news/bigpicture/obesity/statistics.html</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Corporate capitalism is an engine of mass obesity in its richer areas.  The bottom line requires fatter butts.  It's one of the last frontiers of unexhausted "growth opportunities."</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I also think it's hard to over-emphasize the degree of TV-addiction in the US, which is also a logical by-product of corporate capitalism.  This is also an international trend.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The US is merely fatter and more TV-addicted because our lack of a Labor Party and the weakness of our welfare state gave capitalists a head start here.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>IMHO, Pollan does a major disservice by diverting attention from such basic realities.  Changing ag policy would do little or nothing to slow the food marketing juggernaut.  On the other hand, if people had more free time, better wages and incomes, and some viable alternative product, transportation, and recreation choices, corporate marketers would be in trouble and health trends would reverse.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>