Cormorant (pronounced kawr-mer-uh nt)
(1) A large,
black swimming and diving bird, any of several voracious, totipalmate seabirds
of the family Phalacrocoracidae, as Phalacrocorax carbo, of the Americas,
Europe, and Asia, having a long neck and a distensible pouch under the bill for
holding captured fish: used still in China (with a restrictor-band on the
throat to prevent the swallowing of larger fish) for catching fish.
(2) A
greedy person or organization; a voracious eater; a glutton; by extension it
has been used to describe thing which consume on a grand scale (blast furnaces
etc).
1300-1350:
From the Middle English cormera(u)nt,
from the twelfth century Old French cormarenc
& cormareng (source also of the Modern
French cormoran), from the Late Latin
corvus marinus (sea raven; translated by some Medieval writers as “the sea mare”)
+ the Germanic suffix –enc, the -t in English exists probably because of confusion
with words including -ant. The birds are
proverbially voracious, hence the word has been applied to greedy or gluttonous
persons since the 1530s.
Thought remarkable for the number of fish it can eat in a single session, the water bird has since antiquity been associated with voraciousness. In literature, as imagery to represent gluttony and greed, the cormorant figured as Satan in Milton’s Paradise Lost and represented the insatiable rapacity of time in Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost (1:1).
Let fame, that all hunt after in their lives,
Live register'd upon our brazen tombs
And then grace us in the disgrace of death;
When, spite of cormorant devouring Time,
The endeavor of this present breath may buy
That honour which shall bate his scythe's keen
edge
And make us heirs of all eternity.
The Consequences of Cormorancy
What is described variously the obesity problem, crisis or epidemic, in 2016 attracted the concern of noted fitness advocate, Australia’s deputy prime-minister, Barnaby Joyce. In response to suggestions the imposition of a tax on sugar, thereby raising the price of sugary drinks, could be part of a strategy of amelioration, Mr Joyce said the increasing obesity of Australians was caused by people “sitting on their backsides” and “eating too much food”, adding that the National Party would never support such a tax. “If you want to deal with being overweight, here's a rough suggestion, stop eating so much and do a bit of exercise” Mr Joyce was quoted as saying, adding it was not the job of the taxation office to promote healthy lifestyles. Perhaps sensing a plot by a lean, Green Party-voting, inner-city elite, Mr Joyce said it was objectionable the suggested impost would apply to soft drinks but not lattes.
A Grattan Institute (a think-tank that tends to neutrality) report delivered to government recommended a sugar content tax of 40 cents per 100 grams of sugar on water-based, non-alcoholic, sugar-sweetened beverages which, if imposed, it estimated would increase the average cost of a two litre bottle of soft drink by about 80 cents, assuming the producers passed the increase to the consumer. The institute’s modelling suggested this would reduce overall consumption of sugar contained in soft drink by around 15 per cent. Mr Joyce seemed not persuaded by the research, arguing that rather than taxes to discourage consumption, the solution was for people to try “…jumping in the pool and going for a swim” and when ordering food, “…reducing your portion size”.
In an indication Mr Joyce may be right the whole thing is a plot by a mineral water quaffing urban elite to deny simple country folk their humble lemonade, the Green Party quickly issued a statement saying they would push for a parliamentary inquiry into the rise of obesity and whether a sugar tax on soft drinks is one way to combat the problem. When asked about the tax, the Green’s leader said if the government didn't act, his party would introduce a private member's bill for a sugar tax. There is empirical evidence to suggest sugar taxes do work to reduce consumption. The UK imposed a two-tiered system, graduated according to the sugar content and this had the effect of reducing the quantity of sugar in soft drinks purchased by households by 10% while maintaining aggregate sales at existing levels.
The political economy of the UK however differs from Australia where some politicians, not always with safe margins, represent seats where the sugar industry is a significant source of employment and industrial activity. In the UK, the nature and distribution of its sugar beet sector means it’s less able to generate fear among politicians fearing the loss of their seats if industry-specific taxes are imposed. Although it wasn't clear if his parliamentary colleague George Christensen intended to follow Mr Joyce’s diet and exercise guidelines, he endorsed the leader’s opinion that personal responsibility is the answer, not a tax. “I'm a fat bloke but I made choices”, Mr Christensen helpfully revealed. He's since made the choice that surgery is preferable to diet and exercise, undergoing a sleeve gastrectomy (effectively reducing the capacity of the stomach) in Malaysia and has lost weight, all without the need for what former prime minister Tony Abbott (b 1957; Prime Minister of Australia 2013-2015) called "a big fat tax".
The Mediterranean diet is not exactly defined but it represents the patterns of consumption in the traditional diets of those living in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea and is thought an especially healthy choice because it is based on "whole foods" as opposed to the modern Western diet with its high volume of highly processed foods. The key elements include: (1) Olive oil which is rich in monounsaturated fats, (2) a daily intake of fish and other seafood and although the mechanisms of the process is still not fully understood, the benefits appear real. (3) fresh plant-based foods (whole grains, nuts 7 seeds, fruits & vegetables, legumes (lentils, beans, peas) which provide essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants, (4) poultry, eggs & dairy although the point is (4a) these are consumed in moderation & (4a) the cheese & yogurt are produced in a traditional manner, unlike much of what's sold in the West, (5) a limited intake of red meat (some exclude it completely), red wine in moderation although it does appear whatever benefit exists (an it remains controversial) is obtained only if the wine is taken with food and doesn't alter the fact the main fluid intake of the diet should be water and (6) a reliance on herbs & spices to flavor food instead of large quantities of salt.
No comments:
Post a Comment