Eat Right, Earn an iPod

TheMster writes "The BBC is reporting on the UK government's latest policy to tackle obesity - through offering iPods and XBoxes to pupils. The lucky lads and lasses of 29 Glasgow secondary schools will be part of the pioneering scheme, which utilises the newly introduced swipe-card canteens to create a system of the 'better you eat, the bigger the treat'."

Comments

poms

[timmarhy]

it's because the english a whingers, they need to just stfu and eat their fucking vegtables

Re:poms

[Stephen Maturin]

First they need to stop boiling their vegetables into a shapeless grey goo or deep-frying them (like their candy bars) and try steaming or sauteeing instead

The Schools are the PROBLEM!!

[John Seminal]

http://www.bristolpress.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=1 4486223&BRD=1643&PAG=461&dept_id=10486&rfi=6

First, lets talk money. Schools make a shitload of money off soda and snack machines. When I was in school, we did not have a pepsi or coke machine. I think the only one in the school was in the teachers lounge.

But these dirtbag peice of scum motherfuckers decided that they would trade the health of children to make a few dollars. So they installed soda machines in middle schools and high schools. Kids could now get a pepsi and twinkies on the way to math class.

Here is the problem. It is a CONFLICT OF INTEREST. Schools use this money to pay their faculty higher wages.

Check this shit out:

http://www.thechampion.org/teach2004/TopTeach.asp

There are so many elementary, middle, and highschool teachers making over $100,000 a year with 3 MONTHS VACATION!!! And they can't be fired.

They found a formula. They have a teachers union. Every 3 or 4 years, no matter how good they have it, they go on strike, and demand more money. They demand tenure for everyone, no matter how bad the teacher is.

So schools must come up with money. They can only tax the people so much. So they find creative ways. They bring in the pepsi machines, charge a dollar for a 25 cent can. They start packing 60 people in general history and english classes.

And this is where it gets really sick!

They devide of the 10% or so of the school that they know will go on to Harvard and the like, students that could make noise in 10 years. And they make an honors program for them, where they get Honors History with 15 students, while everyone else is stuck in the class with 50 people.

Here is a study I would like to do. Take one of those honors students, before they know they were picked or approved for honors. Keep him/her in the general class. Take a random middle of the road student and put him in the honors class. I bet you will find better grades and exams from the smaller class size. Someone is getting gipped.

But back to fat kids. Why do they get fat? Is PE so value-less that the bright kids no longer want to take it. Is PE a time when 50 kids sit around for 10 minutes waiting for the teacher to set up the game, play for 15 minutes, then get 10 minues to go back and change?

I think the I-Pod idea is bad. Someone has to pay for it, and it won't be me!! I want the kids to be healthy, to exersize, to have a good life. But it does not take throwing money on a problem to improve things. Teachers were never paid better, when I was younger, I was told stay away from teaching because it is a low paying job where the only ones who do it really love the work. This is back when you did not find teachers making over $30-40k. Today we have them making over $170,000 a year.

Now, before I finish my rant, let me tell you the solution. It is called "bust your ass". Kids get 5 minutes to change for PE. Class is long enough for them to get 35 minutes of cardo every day school is in session. They throw out the vending machines (which would require putting teachers in line with reasonable pay, removing tenure as an automatic gift). And here is the kicker, have schools feed healthy meals. Instead of high fat food, how about a vegi lasanga one day, baked chicken the next. It should not be hard to have a healthy menu.

Re:sounds easy

[opreto]

And i thought that americans where stupid

Re:Outside food

[RTMFD]

Truthfully, why should I care if a child weighs 300lbs. It's the responsibility of the parents, not society. I know that we'll get stuck with the cost of his/her health care down the road, but that's BS as well, caused by too much government involvement in our lives.

I think we should stop funding farm subsidies, WIC, and Food Stamps. That would be a definite step in the right direction.