SIRC – Media Watch 30-04-99
Healthy Exercise? Cycling vs Climbing
On Your Bike
Technology has come to the rescue of the sedentary lifestyle police. David Allison, a US 'obesity researcher' has linked the television set with the exercise bike. Rather than just reaching for the remote the viewer has to pedal to watch his or her favourite soap. In a week that has witnessed the British Cohort study linking obesity with asthma, it remains to be seen if viewing figures plummet or ventolin prescriptions soar. Consolation however is at hand for the couch potato. A £250,000 study is about to commence that is attempting to prove a link between belching and the reduction of stomach ulcers. It appears that all is not lost!
Out of Their Tree
Arguably one of the most bizarre items in this week's news comes from the US. Environmental zeal resulted in a Manhattan father, Anthony Avellino, being fined $1,000 for allowing his children to climb a tree in Central Park. This figure was later reduced by Parks Commissioner Henry Stern to the sum of $100.
