Editorial voices from elsewhere
Editorial voices from newspapers around the United States as compiled by the Associated Press:
When the U.S. Department of Agriculture handed down stricter standards for school lunches, many feared kids would resist the change, that they might turn up their noses at the healthier food choices and instead come to school with sugary treats and potato chips.
But as word spreads these healthier choices actually taste good, we hope more youngsters will give them a try.
Clearly, the United States has a weight problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of U.S. adults are considered obese.
Weight-related health issues include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. In 2008, medical costs associated with obesity were estimated at $147 billion; the medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than the costs for individuals of normal weight.
Most of us need to take a closer look at our diets. We need to develop some healthier habits. We need fewer soft drinks or more juice or milk or even water. We need less grease and more greens.
And what better place to form those habits than in our public schools?
The Department of Agriculture should be applauded for the steps it has taken to make school lunches healthier, and it’s incumbent upon parents to back up the message nutritionists are trying to send.
As you shop for lunches to send with your children to school, resist the temptation to fill that bag with junk food and encourage your children instead to pick up some of those fruits and vegetables they’ll find in the school lunch line.
Your kids might complain at first, but they’ll thank you in the long run.
A poll released recently suggests that as few as 6 percent of people say they have a lot of confidence in the media. The trust level, according to the Associated Press, is about equal to their faith in Congress (!) and well below the public’s view of other public institutions.
We were of course saddened to read these findings because our reporters and editors work hard every day to bring you straightforward, honest coverage. But we were cheered by the conclusion that much of the public’s view of media is fueled by Americans’ skepticism about what they read on social media. Frankly, we share their concerns.
The goal of many of these sites is more than to provide information; they hope to sell, entertain or persuade, particularly in the political arena. What they offer may be inaccurate, third-hand or simply gossip – but gossip far more dangerous than back-fence conversations because it is read and, often, repeated millions of times with the click of a “like.”
The poll shows that accuracy clearly is the most important component of trust.
Like bells on Christmas morning, Prince songs were blasting through boomboxes, nightclubs and cafe patios in Minnesota April 21 and 22. And that’s just the start of what will likely be our decades-long tribute to the coolest Minnesotan.
Prince helped us define a music culture like no one had before.
Prince came from humble beginnings. His parents, who divorced when he was young, were singers and musicians. He attended public high school, and sometimes stayed with friends because his home life was not so like home.
But he played and sang from a very young age. He was not only a talented musician and arranger, but a songwriter who could capture the crazy world of youth. While his lyrics had a dark edge about “getting through life” in the “dearly beloved” introduction to “Let’s Go Crazy,” they left fans more energized than depressed.
Prince. The coolest Minnesotan who made a difference. We’ll miss him.