I randomly came across this news item earlier today: The Fattest Place on Earth.

Nauru, population 14.000 has the highest obesity and diabetes rates in the world. ABC News decided it might set a valuable example for the fattening population of the USofA -an most of the western world. According to the ABC 95% population in the island are overweight and 80% of the male population are clinically obese. 50% of the population suffers type II diabetes.

The message is simple enough: processed food will kill you if you only feed on it. Big news, right? Now, can we just blame the food for this obesity pandemics? I’m sure a sedentary lifestyle doesn’t help, and the reporter notes that the Government of the little Republic is in fact trying to encourage its population to be physically active sponsoring free aerobic lessons. Unfortunately, due to a fuel shortage, attendance is low.

Wow. That is a shocker. The Island is 10 times smaller than Amsterdam. Cycling at 15 km/h, it would take you less than 2 hours to go around the whole island. Yet, you only see two -and a half- bikes through the whole video. The reporter openly questions the food, but not the car culture that somehow makes it impossible for people to go to an aerobic lesson in a tiny island due to a fuel sortage. In fact, the first thing he does is drive around the island using the only paved road available. It takes him 17 minutes to cruise its 24 km.

How come walking and cycling to places is not an option in such a small place? Western civilisation has created a good number of evils, junk food is no doubt one of them, but the sedentary lifestyle associated to it is playing a big a role in the obesity pandemic. If we are going to go around pointing fingers and trying to educate the audience into a healthier lifestyle, maybe we could start with car culture.

Let’s question the logic that linked car ownership and progress, that brought the sprawl and multiple car lane streets inside cities. Let’s question the need -or even the point- of counting calories and driving to the gym. Maybe there is an easier solution: ride a bike, walk to places and eat sensibly. Stay active.

Just for reference, obesity rate in The Netherlands is at 10%. But of course, this doen’t mean that everyone you’ll see around looks like Barbie or Ken, that’s just silly, isn’t it?

How’s this for awesomeness…Kristin Tieche of Velovogue fame shot a great, great video, showing how football unites, how ‘Orange’ is not exclusively a Dutch thing and literally is to be found everywhere, mixing pleasure with biking and visa versa, on to watch the NED-BRA match:

World Cup 2010 Quarterfinals… KT roots for the SF Giants brother team – Dutch Oranje! Joined by Rob and Dan from PUBLIC Bikes, it’s an Oranje and Black attack comin’ at ya! SF love direct to Amsterdam!

Thanks for showing that and sharing, Kristin! This support will surely get us into the final, enjoy the battle with Uruguay today!

I’m sitting here, going through tons of pictures, reorganizing, cleaning up, the works. This morning the summer seems to have come to an end, chilly, windy, you can just smell it, it’s over.

It’s been a great summer and an unbelievably good year for Amsterdamize, ever since I decided to expand on my cycling endeavors and day-to-day shenanigans in May 2008.

Browsing my pics I realized that over this period of time taking Panda Portraits has really grown on me. It started out here and it evolved beautifully & massively.

Well, I like to pay tribute to this summer, cycling and all you good people by asking you to submit your best Panda Portrait to Amsterdamize and I’ll make a fitting collage.

You don’t have one? Then go do one! Anything goes, as long as it’s a self-portrait, either of you on your bike or the perspective of you riding, put the bicycle that you love front and center, on the fly.

It’ll be fun, trust me. Cheers!

Now, if you’ll excuse me for the next few days, I have to organize my stuff for my move into my new house ;).