First Lady Michelle Obama

Blog for Arizona is reporting about the April 30 fundraiser reception to hear First Lady Michelle Obama speak at the Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church, 4 p.m.

Fundraiser categories:

$100.00 Gen44 Young Professionals
Limited Availability – 1 General Admission Ticket

$150.00 Guests
Limited Availability – 1 General Admission Ticket

$500.00 Sponsor
Per Person – Includes Premium Seating

$5,000.00 Host
Per Person – Includes Photo Line and Premium Seating

$10,000.00 Chair
Per Person – Includes Greet Committee, Acknowledgement in Program, Photo Line, and Premium Seating

RSVP online here: https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/o2012-April30TucsonReception

During the 2008 Presidential campaign, Democrat Michelle Obama (wife of Presidential nominee Barack Obama) came to Tucson and spoke at the Fox Tucson Theatre (for free!). She’s a former practicing attorney & health administrator, and a terrific speaker.

Latest from ABC news:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/gabrielle-giffords-ready-shuttle-launch-doctors-report-improvement/story?id=13446310&sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4db4674e20f5e3fa%2C0

Endeavour, from wikipedia

“Giffords will have company with her, including her family, her husband’s family, her staff and President Obama, with his wife Michelle and their daughters Malia and Sasha. Her staff has warned this will not be a public appearance for Giffords though they have suggested they may release a photo post launch.”

A launch party is scheduled at the Trident Grill here in Tucson on Friday, April 29:

Space Shuttle Endeavor Launch Watch Party With The Cactus Roots Team

Friday, April 29, 11:00 a.m.: Mark Kelly will command the Space Shuttle Endeavour as it heads to the International Space Station on Friday, April 29, and while we all can’t be at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to see him and his crew lift off into space, we can watch together here in Tucson. Please join us, and if you have any little astronauts of your own — bring them along. Every child who comes out will receive an official STS-134 mission patch! We will be cheering for both Mark and Gabrielle as we watch the launch at the Trident Grill, 2033 E. Speedway Blvd. (East of Campbell Avenue). Appetizers will be served, and the rest of the menu will be available at a discount. All are welcome, and we hope to see you there.

Event info from Blog for AZ website, go to their website to sign up, click here.

And keep praying for the Congresswoman’s full recovery from that tragic shooting on 1/8/11. More about her current medical condition from AZcentral.com:

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/04/24/20110424gabrielle-giffords-medical-condition.html

UPDATE 4/29/11 9 a.m.: Endeavour launch delayed 48 hours due to mechanical problems with power generator. Stay tuned.

General News January 10, 2011
from UANews | “President Obama will speak at a memorial event at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12 to support and remember victims of the mass shooting in Tucson, and to lift the spirits of those who have been personally affected by this tragedy.”

The event, “Together We Thrive: Tucson and America” starts at 6 p.m. at McKale Center (just west of Campbell Avenue, north of E. 6th Street) and is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 4 p.m.

University of Arizona President Robert Shelton, as well as state and federal officials will also speak at the event– Governor Jan Brewer, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, and Justice Anthony Kennedy, Circuit Justice for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit are expected to attend.

“The event will include a Native American blessing, a moment of silence, a poetry reading, and a presentation of a chain featuring messages from the public.”

Attendees should arrive early because a capacity crowd is expected, and there will be increased security due to the President’s presence.

Six people were shot & killed and 13 others injured on Saturday January 8, 2011 at a Safeway store in NW Tucson, by 22 year old suspect Jared Lee Loughner. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of CD 8 was apparently his target, and 3 of her Congressional district aides were also shot — one (Gabe Zimmerman) died at the scene. Federal district court Chief Judge John Roll was also killed, and 9 year old Christina Taylor Green.

UPDATE: video of event online (click here).

Photo of event tshirt from photographer Jon Scanlon (who attended the event);

With that said, over eating and obesity is becoming an American problem. It’s not a problem in Europe or the Far East. It’s not a problem in all 1st world countries, but it is a problem here in America.

A recent report by the Trust for America’s Health ranks Arizona 29 out of 50 states for adult obesity, 15th for childhood obesity. For full report “F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2010″, click here. You can also click on Arizona to see the current report for this state.

What are the root causes? Not sure if anyone truly knows, but it’s due to lack of exercise, lack of self control, lack of education about healthy food choices, and Capitalism.
Yes, I will blame capitalism because we have become a more leisure class of people (non agrarian, non agricultural) and due to that, people have more time on their hands than their ancestors, and thus more time to sit around on their couches at home watching TV, playing video games, eating “junk food”, etc.

My four grandparents all worked as laborers in the sugar & pineapple plantations of Hawaii, and none of them was overweight. They had too much work to do, raising all their numerous children and grandchildren as well.

According to Down to Earth website: (www.downtoearth.org)

“America is home to the most obese people in the world. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), obesity in adults has increased by 60% within the past twenty years and obesity in children has tripled in the past thirty years. A staggering 33% of American adults are obese and obesity-related deaths have climbed to more than 300,000 a year, second only to tobacco-related deaths. Not excluded from this statistic, Native Hawaiians have alarmingly high rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. The number of Hawaiian children suffering from obesity is double that of children throughout the nation. In May 2001 the University of Hawaii Kinesiology and Leisure Science Department along with the Brigham Young University Exercise and Sport Science Department conducted a local study and found that more than 20% of Hawaiian children were overweight.”

One such overweight Native Hawaiian was beloved musician Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, aka “IZ”. I just read his biography by my Bess Press editor Rick Carroll and sadly realized how little self control IZ had regarding food, which caused him to grow to 700 pounds and contributed to his death at age 38. What a tragedy for such a gifted musician. His death certificate states one of the causes as “morbid obesity.” His overweight, older brother “Skippy” predeceased him, by also dying young (of a sudden heart attack) at age 28.

Why don’t diets work? Because food is such a wonderful reward and easy to obtain, and eating is not illegal, like drugs or alcohol (to under age people) or gambling (most states).
And American fast food is being blamed of course, as it is readily available and less expensive.

As Americans we need to wake up about this growing health crisis and help our children and grandchildren learn to eat healthily, exercise more, and keep that weight off. Over eating is becoming an addiction, and we need to recognize that and work towards solutions together.

Enjoy food, but in moderation. And teach your children about good nutrition.

And if you want to do something about this problem in Tucson, become a “connector” for Pro Neighborhoods, and create a project to help reduce obesity (click here for info).