The couch potatoes22

Do you like spending evenings in front of the TV eating and drinking while you watch hour after hour of television programmes?

If so, you have already become a "Couch Potato"! The Couch Potatoes are a special group of TV viewers in America who believe that the more television you watch the better. These people sometimes sit in front of the box for twelve hours nonstop. One group of Couch Potatoes in San Francisco meets regularly to watch nine different television sets at the same time. This is no problem in America because in some areas you can watch over thirty TV programmes. Usually the Couch Potatoes just sit in front of the TV with enough Coke to drink and as many bags of potato crisps as they can eat.

Why do they watch so much TV? Jack Mingo, one of the leaders of the Couch Potatoes says, "It makes sense to watch a lot of TV because life is too short to do everything you want to do. More things happen on TV in a month than could possibly happen in your whole life!"

Going to a Camp23

For a lot of families who live in America and Great Britain summer vacations can be a problem. Many mothers work full-time, and there is no one at home to look after the kids while they are off school. So holiday camps are the ideal solution for many families.

About five million American youngsters between 6 and 21 set off for camp every summer. Going to camp is a part of We for millions of them. They can choose among 10.000 camps throughout the USA. Going to camp is becoming popular in Britain, too.

Most of the camps offer traditional activities such as hiking, riding as well as singing round the camp fire. But there are other kinds of camps, where some kids can get help to improve their grades at school. Hi-tech camps teach computer skills. Athletic camps are also very popular. Youngsters can Improve their skills in tennis, golf, or other sports with a training program of about 30 hours a week. They are looked after by counsellors who are often university students and other young people doing summer jobs. A number of these counsellors come from abroad. For native speakers among the counsellors it is a great chance to improve their language skill.

What do parents and their children expect to get out of summer camps? There are a few weeks of healthy outdoor living. Many choose camps especially for the social skills which are taught – making friends, living and working together, and becoming independent.

The young people are often a little nervous and many are homesick at first but usually they settle in very quickly. In the end they often find that some of their best friends are from the camp, not from school. And when they have grown up, they like to send their own kids.

Food safety24

There are two sides of the food issue. In poor countries it's a question of life and death. In rich countries question of health and diet.

Food has become a source of anxiety to many people. Behind it lies a revolution in the way our food is now produced. The problem is that a vast range of chemicals used on the modem farm have crept into our food. Our diet - the food we eat - is not always healthy.

30% of Americans and 25%, of Europeans are fat because they eat too much junk food: humburgers, popcorn, pizza, chocolate. Why is junk food bad for us? The answer is simple. It contains too much sugar and fat. This is the reason why so many people die of heart diseases.

Finally, there are “additives” - group of chemicals which food factories use. They make food look better, taste better, last longer. The best recommendation is to stop eating processed foods. Instead there is a diet of fruit, vegetables, brown bread, fish and other “health” foods.

But even health food isn’t always healthy. People don't just pollute the atmosphere. They pollute themselves too. Modern farmers and food factories use over three thousand chemicals. Some are "fertilizers" - these help crop to grow. Others are "pesticides" which kill insects. The third group are "hormones" - these make animals, like pigs, grow more quickly.

Concern about health risks caused great demand for organic food, grown without chemical! Chemicals are replaced by crop rotation. Organic agriculture is also kinder to the environment, the soil and farm workers.

You may turn your worry about food to action. As a shopper you have a great deal of influence. How you choose to spend your money shape the supply chain policy. Citizens can choose and campaign for food that is safe to eat, healthy for themselves and the environment.