Cover story in "Today's Brave Young Front" (Mlada Fronta Dnes/MfD) has the left-leaning Social Democratic-kowtowing broadsheet shilling ad infinitum about how our Czech youth are suffering from statistically-high levels of obesity in our fair mitteleuropaische republic. Every fifth pupil in primary school apparently suffers from a weight problem -- according to the cross-country straw poll conducted last week by MfD's galloping reporters -- every tenth suffers from obesity-creep.

Disturbing stats, to be sure...

However, rather than overwhelm (or dazzle?) you with a copious ream of relevant and not-so-relevant numbers, comparing and contrasting the relative caloric contents of the tens of sugary, chemically-induced brands on sale in refrigerated automatic vending machines in our nation's schools, I prefer to highlight the way dietician Alexandra Moravcova (Buh bless her!), of Prague's Vseobecne fakultni nemonice (roughly translated -- and kindly assist me readers if I've got this incorrectly -- Prague's "Public Faculty Hospital") likens the weight problem in Cesko.

In response to a reporter's textbook question as to how a parent should measure their childrens' risk exposure to becoming overwhelmingly fat, she wittily responds: "Have a look at your child's appearance. If your kid's visually overweight, that's a pretty good sign." (Jerry Lewis as Sinatra's straight man couldn't have uttered it any better!).

As a journo, I didn't appreciate the way MfD covered this story, though. Here's why.

First, it's not like the youth or societal weight problem in Cesko is disproportionately higher than in the rest of the EU. In fact, I'd claim it's just about even, or better, and I'm quite certain the stats would bear this out as well (just compare with the numbers in the UK, for example. I remember watching ALL OR NOTHING, starring the talented Tim Spall -- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286261/ -- and watching aghast at what's considered the LCD = lowest-common denominator for bodyweight in Britain).

Second, what the article was critically lacking, IMO, was some semblance of comparative stats for the rest of the continent.

Boom, boom.

If I'm to use Pani Moravcova's "visual test" to gauge whether our nation's youth are fit as fiddles or hefty as hippopotamii, then a quick walkabout and navel-gaze on our nation's capital's streets bears out that we're not a bad-looking bunch (and that's an understatement -- yum!), and we all know what I mean.

What's also more than a bit offputting was the fact that this made front-page news in Prague, compared to, say, the Lisbon Treaty's rejection on the part of the Irish population. Lookit, I'm not nearly as savvy here politically to know why the latter didn't appear. Given that Wenceslas Klaus is perennially against it and his ODS was strongly endorsing, you'd figure a CSSD-tilting rag would give the accord more than a cursory glance -- pA7 in today's MfD. Six feet under, in news-speak.

Yet again, our media shills stories like the US military goes through M16 rifle magazines in Iraq. Rather than save spent mags for another go, grunts in the US Army stomp on them and grab a fresh set from the ever-present supply truck.

Sometimes, it seems, the US military's activities find their cognate in the Czech media.

Wishing you the very best of things,
ADM