Juggling Dynamite

How much sugar do you typically consume? If you have no sweet clue, Jamie Oliver would like a word.

The British chef and food activist joins Shad to discuss the mindless consumption of sugar and why he’s lobbying for a tax on sugary drinks in the U.K.

Oliver notes that consumers used to know when they were being “naughty” — eating cake or chocolate bars — but now that sugar’s everywhere, we have to be much more careful about what we normalize.

“Not caring is an easy place to be,” says Oliver, but deciding you care is an active, ongoing thing.

“All the mistakes happen at the supermarket, they don’t happen at home.” Here is a direct audio link.

Ethical, principled journalism has always been a key check on corruption and abuse of power.  The rise of infotainment, paid promotion and media conglomerates under the guise of journalism has far reaching risks for democracy and truth.  With today’s blurred lines, many people lack the wisdom to know the difference.

Excellent discussion on these issues last night with Steve Paiken on The Agenda in two segments.  The first was with Guardian journalist and author Nick Davies on his new book “Hack Attack”.

His work brought one of the world’s most famous media empires to its knees. Guardian journalist Nick Davies exposed illegal phone hacking and an abuse of power by newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. He joins The Agenda to discuss his years of dogged investigative work. Here is a direct video clip.

The second with journalist Mark Bulgutch was excellent on the profession and principles of investigative reporting.

Like many industries, journalism has seen massive change in recent years. Fuelled by disruptive technology, journalists are reporting their stories in new and exciting ways. However, according to veteran journalist Mark Bulgutch, the change has not been for the better. He joins The Agenda to discuss this idea, and where journalism has gone wrong. Here is a direct video link.

A documentary airing on CBC TV’s The Nature of Things tonight night examines the relationship between our inner microbes, and our expanding waistlines… and much more.

The documentary is titled, “It Takes Guts,” and it’s directed by Leora Eisen who joined Anna Maria in CBC’s Toronto studio.Tim Spector is a Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London, and Author of “The Diet Myth”. He was in London, England.  Here is a direct audio link.

Eat less, move more. That’s been the mantra of the weight loss movement for decades. But as those who have fought the battle of the bulge will tell you, there’s a lot more to obesity than just too much junk food or too little willpower. Even when genes are taken into account, scientists have struggled to explain why one person can eat cake and stay skinny, while another munches on carrots and can’t shed a pound.

Now, exciting new research reveals there is a missing piece to the obesity puzzle, one that is highly complex and intensely personal: gut microbes. Here is a direct video link to the documentary trailer.