The Pyramid - Selling Health Disparity Away
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Ideas and Inventions | August 21, 2010 @ 11:02 AM
Listening to NPR about two months ago, I heard a story of health disparities between races in the United States. By the end of the story, they concluded it was less about race determining the disparity, and more about area/wealth. These things combine to create a lack of access to healthier foods which quite often aren't even available in the area.
Many places, like corner stores (7-11, Quick-marts, Highs, Royal Farms, etc) choose not to carry much fresh (healthy) produce because it can go bad and create a loss for the company if not sold. I think I've figured out a way to greatly reduce the risk of food waste- Selling meals ready to cook, with instructions in all.
The reason I've come up with this conclusion is based on an assumption from personal witness. While not having access to healthier foods is one problem, not knowing how to prepare those foods compounds that problem. With pre-arranged meals, all the ingredients and instructions to cook are all there.
As you can easily tell from any "themed" restaurant, such as Chinese, American Country, Italian, Mexican or any other, with a small variety of ingredients, you can make a large variety of tasty meals. This aspect makes the food more appetizing due to the variety, but also offers great flexibility to reduce food waste. Have too much mozzarella? Sell prepared pizzas- too little? Prepare spaghetti. Prepare meals firstly that are healthy and secondly that are resourceful to reduce waste by creatively using materials. Too much broccoli? Throw it in with the breakfast eggs! (It's good!) The point is, you don't need much over head (storage) to have a large variety meals with lower risk than normal for food waste, since the provider chooses the prepared meals available.
I truly think someone could make a business just out of this idea right here. It could actually be a drive-through and walk-by grocery store. For drive-through and walk-by operations, it would be necessary to have orders other than prepared meals called-in in advance so the line doesn't get slowed up, but then again, a huge variety of items doesn't need to be available to slow things up (just a huge variety of mixing them).
Besides NPR of course, much of this idea was inspired by a grocery store I frequently shop at, Giant who has occasionally given me a postcard with prepared meal ingredients to purchase. Those meals seem to often include ingredients I consider too expensive though. I really wish they handed out more post cards for fresh produce meals. I think the name popped into my head from learning the of the "food pyramid" in middle school. Of course, the title part, "Selling Health Disparity Away" is titled because someone can make an honest and motivated living doing this (creating jobs) and increase health at the same time.
"Neighborhood disparities in access to food are of great concern because of their potential to influence dietary intake and obesity."
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
I hope someone finds this information useful. Who knows, with the right campaign someone could get some financial support such as grants (as long as you don't sell much junk food- if at all).
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Not too far away (one liners)
Posted in
Thoughts | August 20, 2010 @ 10:02 PM
We're a click of a button away- I can almost feel your keystrokes on my skin.
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Where's the good rain?
Posted in
Poems | August 12, 2010 @ 7:08 PM
been a while since i wrote a poem.
the rain drips down
so slowly the sound
creeps up beneath i
pulls underneath me
earths liquid drops
freezing click pops
the rain flys south
i open big my mouth
drink the sky tears
it tastes like dirt
as usually expected
wishing for a clean
embellishing stream
the grounds now wet
toes sides mud goes
no thirst quenching
thunder unrelenting
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6 in 1 Solar Kit for $7.98 Shipped
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Ideas and Inventions | August 01, 2010 @ 11:30 PM
*UPDATE* The dog part sucks! I assumed it would walk, but its tail just spins and makes it vibrate around! LOL! The other projects are still cool, but require a LOT of light. It's a little bit smaller than I imagined, but I didn't imagine it to be very big for the price including shipping either. It actually arrived in a box so totally crushed that it looked like a bag, but the parts were still fine amazingly. For the price? Still 4/5 stars. Just don't expect a cool dog and be ready for a LOT of light (just because the light powers your calculator doesn't mean its enough for a table fan, at least not this one. (I just saved a non-working calculator out of a trashcan for the solar panel :D
This is a FANTASTIC educational kit for future inventors and innovators out there. To see the benefits of solar energy applications first hand, I literally JUST purchased one of these solar kits to build with my daughter- perhaps one day my son.
Normally this puppy goes around $18 bucks, but I'm cheap. That's why I got it for $7.98 on eBay! Now they have it even cheaper! That's right- eBay has got it for $2.99 + $4.99 shipping AND LESS!.
$2.99 purchases are limited to 1 per person. S/he's also selling them at $5.99. Coming direct from Hong Kong, my HK experience says shipping will take 2-3 weeks, though it's not stated on the listing.
Honestly, I really think I would have bought it for the $5.99 too, considering I've been checking these things out for a while at the aforementioned price.
Shipped from Hong Kong, it may take a while, but Christmas is plenty far away.
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Flash File (SWF) to Screen Saver!
Posted in
Internet Technology | August 01, 2010 @ 8:09 PM
Are you a Flash Animator? Is there a funny flash video on the internet you'd like as your screen saver? Well, now you can for FREE with INSTANT STORM! Instant Storm
Convert SWF files to Screen savers. Free, that's the catchword for me. I can squeeze two dimes out of a nickel and even though it's hard work- I enjoy it Although you can download SWF files (or any files for that matter, since you can convert them), I like it for the fact that I can now make my own screen savers.
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