By Ken Walker- Absent court intervention, New York’s ban on super-sized sweetened beverages will take effect next week. Of course, regardless of whether that state’s supreme court intervenes, the “nanny state” debate will rage on far into the future. I have mixed emotions about Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s step. Having lost weight after double-bypass surgery, I…
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By Ken Walker- The danger of emphasizing healthy living is sounding like a broken record or offending those who struggle with their weight. But since I still know what that struggle is like, I believe this message is one that never goes out of style. Besides the vegetarian lifestyle I adopted, the constant reminders of…
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By Ken Walker- When I saw New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on NBC News recently talking about his weight struggles at 50, I could relate. I will never forget my 50th birthday, and not just because my wife threw me a surprise birthday party. With dozens of guests, I got a lot of gifts that…
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By Ken Walker- The idea that grassroots action can make a long-term difference can often bring ridicule, as shown by Steve Willis’ appearance with Jamie Oliver on the David Letterman show. Steve writes in our book, Winning the Food Fight, “As Jamie discussed his efforts to alter Huntington’s eating habits, Letterman ridiculed the idea that…
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By Ken Walker- Jamie Oliver taught Steve Willis an important lesson. Three years ago the famed British chef and his army marched into Huntington, West Virginia in hopes of revolutionizing what many pundits had deemed “the unhealthiest city in America.” Our area earned that label because of a Centers for Disease Control report that listed…
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By Ken Walker- The recent panic over our nation’s “fiscal cliff” brought to mind another time some 25 years ago, when the Dow Jones average slid more than 500 points in one day. It marked an historic plunge. As we watched the latest news at a friend’s house, his wife walked in and asked, “Well,…
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LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – One of the most pulsating moments of Gene Enlow’s life occurred the night a man burst into his study, threatening to kill him because of the pastor’s opposition to legalizing sales of liquor by the drink. As Enlow pondered what to say, the Holy Spirit prompted him to pray that God help…
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By Ken Walker- When famed British chef Jamie Oliver came to Huntington, West Virginia in the fall of 2009 to produce his first Food Revolution mini-series for ABC, I never imagined that I would become part of a healthy reformation that continues to this day. Filming stretched to April of 2010, when Oliver’s crew taped…
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By Ken Walker- In the blur of “content” zipping by daily through every electronic device imaginable, you might assume that the written word makes little difference. However, the director of a residential drug treatment center in central Kentucky would disagree. Mark LaPalme of the Isaiah House knows the joy of opening an envelope with a…
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