White House-related stories
Michelle Obama Hula Hoops For Kids' Health
Win McNamee, Getty Images
First Lady Michelle Obama has killer arms, is in the best shape of her life and loves living a healthy lifestyle. She is certainly leading by example as she encourages America's children to get fit, too. The First Lady recently held a Healthy Kids Fair on the South Lawn of the White House, where she gave some healthy advice to some very lucky kids. And she drew from her own experiences, not only as a mom, but as a child to her own mother. "When I was growing up, fast food was a treat," she said. "We had pizza ... once every semester when we got good grades." In very motherly fashion, she then told the kids to eat their veggies: "We don't want to hear the whining. We want you to eat it. Just eat it, right?"
Mrs. Obama isn't just taking on unhealthy eating habits though. She issued a challenge to kids to be more active every day. "Turn off the TV on your own. Get up and throw a ball. Run around the house. Don't break anything, but move," she says. It's pretty obvious advice, but advice that needs saying these days nonetheless. And, of course, she practiced what she preached by having a go with a hula hoop and jumping rope.
She's taken on a tough cause -- changing the diet and exercise habits that are the foundation of our country's obesity epidemic -- but the First Lady seems up for the job. What do you think? Can Mrs. Obama inspire America to change its unhealthy ways?
Click on the gallery below to learn about Michelle Obama's workout routine.
Michelle Obama might be known for her incredibly toned arms, but she isn't the only lady rocking gorgeous guns. Check out who has the best arms in Hollywood.
Activists want to see an organic food garden at the White House
Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements
We planted our first vegetable garden this past spring and enjoyed it so much that we just spent the weekend doubling its size for next year. With a very small financial investment and a little bit of physical labor, we've been able to contribute fresh, healthy, organic foods to our menu and teach our kids some lessons about food production as well. Rising food costs, food safety concerns, and an increased awareness about environmental issues have lead to an increase in backyard gardening. And some food activists are hoping to encourage that trend by putting an organic garden on one of the most well-known lawns in Amercia ... The White House.
When OnDayOne.org asked citizens to share their ideas for a better world, Eat the View shot quickly to the top. Eat the View is a program that advocates the placement of edible landscapes in high visibility places. You don't get much more visible than the White House! Activists hope that by promoting these kinds of gardens, backyard gardeners will again be encouraged to pull out their seeds and hoes. The idea is, if people start growing more of their own food, there will be less pollution created by food miles, pesticides, and waste.
So will the next President grow a garden at the White House? Time will tell. Sustainable practices aren't a new idea at the Presidential home; in 1917, President Wilson replaced power lawn mowers with a herd of sheep.
Global warming health risk evidence edited by White House?
We've seen this before -- the Bush Administration seems to get hold of evidence of testimony related to global warming and evidently puts it through the meat grinder before public release.In the latest edition, the White House is accused of severely editing congressional testimony given this past week by CDC's director on the impact of climate change on the country. Specifically, the CDC addressed issues like the impact of global warming changes on human health -- which were apparently removed from the documents for unknown reasons.
While it's hard to take this at face value, the agendas of different Presidential administrations always edit things of this nature depending on who's looking. While global warming has its supporters and detractors, the truth is, well, still lurking in the shadows somewhere.
Laura Bush says her skin cancer was "no big deal"
Celebrities and Entertainment, Celebs & Entertainment
Just a few weeks ago, first lady Laura Bush had a cancerous lesion removed from her right shin. It was found to be the second most common form of skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma. When asked why she didn't say anything about it sooner, she answered simply "It's no big deal and we knew it was no big deal at the time." The lesion was about the size of a nickel, and the whole subject came up finally when somebody asked why she was wearing a bandage on her leg at a Hanukah ceremony recently.
As for her "no big deal" comment: squamous cell carcinomas are responsible for less than 0.1 percent of cancer deaths, but they are also more likely to spread to other areas of the body than basal cell (the most common form of skin cancer) and do require more follow-up monitoring.
There also seems to be some debate on whether or not she should have made the issue public sooner, and I have to side with her on this one. Getting a diagnosis of cancer is scary (whether she admits it or not), and since she's not personally an elected official (and so isn't required to disclose the same way the President is) I can't blame her for wanting to keep this to herself and close family -- at least until she knew what she was dealing with.
