Olympian Indifference, Missed Breakfasts, Etc.

Are Americans bored with the Olympics or just indifferent to New York? A survey by ACNielsen asked people in various countries to say which of the finalist cities they'd like to see host the 2012 games. In France, 81 percent plumped for Paris; in Spain, 57 percent picked Madrid; in Russia, 85 percent chose Moscow; and in Britain, 68 percent voted for London. In the U.S., though, fewer than half the respondents (44 percent) said they hope New York gets to host the games. Could it be that Americans are simply less parochial than people in those other countries? Too many girls miss too many breakfasts, finds a study described in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. And there's a racial skew to the problem. "At all ages between 9 and 19, African-American girls consistently ate breakfast less frequently than white girls," says a summary on the association's Web site. "At age 9, fewer than 1 percent of white girls and 2.5 percent of African-American girls skipped breakfast on each day of a three-day tracking period. But by age 19, more than 19 percent of white girls and 24 percent of African-American girls skipped breakfast all three days." It's not as if girls who forgo breakfast's calories end up slimmer as a result. "Girls who consistently ate breakfast had a lower body mass index than those who skipped breakfast."Hope to bestow your charming presence on near and dear ones this vacation season? An Associated Press/Ipsos-Public Affairs poll gives an idea of where you're likeliest to find a welcome. Respondents were asked about their preference when friends and relatives travel to their area: Do you like them to stay with you or do you prefer that they stay in a hotel? In all, 73 percent said they prefer the visitors to stay with them, while 25 percent would rather they stay in a hotel. In a regional breakdown, the stay-with-me vote was highest in the West (77 percent) and lowest in the South (70 percent). It was also higher among non-whites (79 percent) than whites (70 percent). Women were slightly more welcoming than men (74 percent vs. 71 percent). Among unmarried respondents, though, men (74 percent) were marginally more likely than women (73 percent) to want visitors to stay with them. Some of these invitations will be politely declined: Asked where they prefer to stay when traveling, 58 percent of respondents opted for a hotel and 39 percent cited friends/ relatives. Elsewhere in the poll, people were asked where they'd go on vacation if they had the time and money to do as they please. Nearly half picked spots in North American countries (46 percent), with Hawaii getting the most mentions. Abroad, Europe (cited by 29 percent) beat the rest of the continents. In real life, fewer vacationers ventured so far afield last year (see the chart below).

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Olympian Indifference, Missed Breakfasts, Etc.

Mark Dolliver

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