Dem Partners With Olympic Gold Medalist To Fight Childhood Obesity

Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) and Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson announced the “Shawn Johnson Fitness for Life Act” on Wednesday to combat childhood obesity.

“Shawn Johnson has inspired countless young Iowans with her Olympic success,” Braley told reporters. “She’s inspired me with her work as an advocate for improved physical fitness. That’s why naming this bill the Shawn Johnson Fitness for Life Act is such a fitting tribute.”

The Center for Disease reports that one in every four Iowa children is obese or overweight. Such unhealthy lifestyles lead to heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, which becomes a tremendous burden on the healthcare system.

The bill would provide grants to 10 new physical education master programs selected by the Department of Education that would emphasize the use of technology and innovation in their teaching and encourage students to be physically active outside of the classroom. More and more technological equipment is becoming available to help monitor one’s exercise to determine the best physical fitness routine for each individual. By utilizing such equipment in schools, educators can better tailor activities to individual students’ physical levels.

“Expanding technology use in PE class will make fitness more engaging for kids and more effective, teaching students how to stay active and combat childhood obesity,” Braley remarked.

“To me, this is about finding new opportunities to get young people excited about fitness and exercise,” Johnson told reporters. “Kids of all ages use technology in their lives every day, from video games to iPods to cellphones. Using technology in PE class is the obvious next step, an opportunity to make exercise more fun for young people.”

Johnson, who won one gold and three silver medals in gymnastics at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, has advocated for exercise and physical fitness for a long time. Johnson met Braley in March when she was on Capitol Hill lobbying for the Paralympics and discovered a mutual interest in exposing students to the fun aspect of physical education.

“I am so passionate about trying to get kids active, trying to get them healthy and really enjoying physical activity,” Johnson told reporters. “You see in schools nowadays [that] PE is the worst thing to a kid. They hate PE, they don’t want to go to class, they don’t want to be a part of it. This is a wrongdoing on the teacher’s part for making it that way.”

“[The Shawn Johnson Fitness for Life Act] is the perfect next step to make fitness and exercise a part of kids’ lifestyles,” Johnson continued. “You see how much they [kids] enjoy being a part of the technology side of things and if you can incorporate that into exercise and physical activity, hopefully that can spark their interest enough to take the next step to leading a healthier lifestyle.”

Click here to read more about the bill.

Beijing's chance to open up to the world clouded with smog

"My hope is for some enlightened leader at the top within China to bring reform about," said Elizabeth Economy, a writer for Foreign Affairs. She and Adam Segal spoke with Gideon Rose, the managing editor of Foreign Affairs Journal, about an article they co-wrote which argues that the Olympics have become a staging ground for domestic and international protests against China's record on human rights, the environment, and even food safety. They also discussed the likelihood that the Olympic games will bring about change within China.

Economy said that the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games were supposed to be a coming out party for China, allowing it to open its doors to the world. However, she said, the Games have not been the transformative event the nation had hoped for, with rising criticism of its smoggy cities, restrictions on internet use, and infrastructure requirements.

Segal gave the example of Chinese taxis that have been equipped with microphones. He said that while some believe the instruments were installed to spy on people and repress them, he agreed with the government's statement that the microphones were put in place to control dangerous protests. Events like these have drawn immense global criticism, according to Segal.

Both Segal and Economy stated expectations of reform within the nation as a result of the games, and hope that the change would come from within the government itself.

Shinn demands Chinese transparency

In a hearing from the House Armed Services Committee, James Shinn, assistant secretary for Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, urged the Chinese government to become more transparent in their governmental and military dealings. Shinn said that the Chinese people know as much as the American public about what is happening in Congress and with U.S. military, but the United States does not have a clear picture of China because they are more opaque in their actions.

Shinn outlined some things that the United States know the Chinese government is doing. The official Chinese budget is 60 billion dollars, possibly twice that, but the United States can’t be sure, the Chinese are executing a comprehensive build up of their military forces, as well as improving the training and recruitment of military personnel and their actions reflect a deliberate attempt to invest in asymmetric warfare, Shinn said. The military balance in the region is shifting to the mainland power of China, which increasingly put U.S. forces in the region at risk, Shinn said. He was also concerned that the increasing capabilities may alter their intent in their actions with other nations.

The Department of Defense and the United States government are continuing their intelligence collection on the Chinese force build up and intent. Shinn also said that the U.S. military are training, equipping and posturing forces in the Pacific, in a way that responds to shifting capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The United States is continuing to work closely with alliance partners in the region and helping them to build their military capabilities, so they won’t be swayed by the growing power of the PLA. Additionally, Shinn said that the U.S. government will engage the Chinese government at a number of levels to learn more about them, as well as signal U.S. resolve which will reduce miscalculation and build communication links in the region.

Speaking about the situation in the Taiwan Straights, Shinn said that the near-term focus for the PLA continues to be on preparing for military contingencies in the Straights and that the region has “materially increased in danger.” He also said that acting in the terms of the Taiwan Relations Act, the U.S. military will be maintaining their commitment to providing weapons systems as may be required to “oppose military coercion from China and the PLA. When asked about the safety and security of American athletes and spectators, Shinn said that the Chinese government hasn’t asked for U.S. military help in securing the Games, but that the Chinese government has made significant steps to make sure the Olympics will be safe for everyone.

Crimes against humanity not prosecuted in the U.S.

The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and Law discussed violence in Sudan and the United States’ inability to prosecute those who have committed crimes against humanity when the are in the United States. Dianne Orentlicher, a lawyer from the Open Society Justice Initiative urged the committee to promote legislation that would show strong opposition to crimes against humanity.

Orentlicher said the United States should prosecute those responsible for committing human rights violations, in particular those who currently reside in the United States. According to Orentlicher, those guilty of crimes against humanity can be prosecuted in American courts for torture or visa fraud but crimes against humanity are not currently violations of federal law. She said many Americans are unaware that these crimes are not currently punishable under U.S. law. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) noted that Salvadoran military leaders responsible for killings in El Salvador, including the deaths of four American women, currently live in Miami.

Daoud Hari, a Darfuri refugee who currently lives in Maryland, described his experience as a villager and translator to the committee. In his testimony, Hari asked Congress to pressure the Department of State to allow more Darfuri refugees to gain asylum in the United States. Currently, the United States has granted four other Darfuri refugees residence. Hari also asked the United States to fund the UN World Food Programme’s efforts in the region.

Olympic gold medalist and co-founder of Team Darfur Joey Cheek discussed his organizations call for an Olympic Truce, an effort that would promote peace during the Olympic Games through international reconciliation and dialogue. Cheek said that youth are offended by the actions of the Sudanese government and disturbed that mass killings continue to occur knowingly.

Is China dropping the baton?

The summer Olympics and human rights in China were discussed at an event held by the National Endowment for Democracy. Panelists discussed a number of topics including China’s reluctance to permit an open media, response to opposition in Tibet, the Sichuan earthquake, and international pressure that calls for a more transparent Chinese government.

According to Sharon Hom, the executive director of Human Rights in China, assurances from Chinese officials that the Olympics would be a catalyst for increased democratization have largely been forgotten. Hom said that defenders of human rights continue to disappear or be jailed throughout China. She also added that the (International Olympic Committee) IOC has an obligation to oversee decisions made by an Olympic’s host country and should not buckle to the desires of the host as the IOC recently did in Athens by permitting the Olympic Torch Relay to pass through Tibet, an action she considers “provocative.” Sophie Richardson, the media director of Human Rights Watch, said that the numbers of dead from the earthquake in Sichuan province and riots in Tibet are still unknown due to the lack of a free press.

Richardson said China not only lacks democracy but also continues to support regimes that find little support worldwide. Richardson believes that governments in Zimbabwe and Myanmar still exist thanks to Chinese support. Richardson continued, saying that involving itself in foreign affairs contradicts China’s policy of noninterference.

Minky Worden, the editor of “China’s Great Leap: The Beijing Games and Olympian Human Rights Challenges” said that Olympic sponsors are unwilling to address human rights violations in China and thus contradict the actions of the Chinese government. She said the Olympic torch’s presence in Tibet is bad publicity for the three sponsors of the relay: Coca Cola, Lenovo, and Samsung. Richardson also said that defenders of human rights in China look outside of their country for support and that President Bush has an obligation to speak against certain Chinese policies.