DESCRIBING PICTURES

At the top left                                                                                                                      At the top right

hand corner                                                                                                                               hand corner

X  At the top                                                                           X  In the background                      X On the left                                                         XIn the centre                                     X On the right In the foreground                                                                                                                                                                                  At the bottom

a

At the bottom                                                                                                                       At the bottom

Left-hand corner                                                                                                             right-hand corner

Expressions in English to describe pictures:

In picture A/B,   I can see…….

In picture A/B,   there is/are….

In the picture,  I can see….. / there is/are….

In the centre,   there is/are …..

On the right/left, there is/are…

At the top, I can see…..  / There is/are….

At the bottom, …….   /   

In the foreground    (parte central delantera  ó a primera vista abajo en la foto),  There is/are….

In the background  ( fondo o paisaje, arriba en el centro),,  I  can see….

At the top left/right –hand corner,  there is/are   (esquina o parte superior izquierda/derecha ),   I can see…

At the bottom left/right-hand corner,  (esquina o parte inferior izquierda/derecha), there is/are…

About people in the pictures:

·         Where you can see them in the picture

·         Talk about there age:   The man/woman/boy/girl  is about 10,12,40 years old

                                                       I think He/She is  in her 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, …..

·         If they are sitting or standing

·         Their job/profession:  He is a policeman/fireman/actor-actress/teacher/pupils/doctor...  and what they are doing in the picture

·         Physical description:  He/She is tall/short/slim/fat/well-built…

·         He/She has got long/short hair / straight/curly hair / brown hair/ Blond hair/  He/She is bald (calvo)  … /  He’s got a beard/moustache  

·         Clothes:  He/She is wearing  warm clothes / sport clothes/ He is wearing a suit / She is wearing a smart dress / He has a red/green jumper/coat, yellow/blue socks/shoes….

About Objects/Things:

·         What it is and what you can use it for:  a musical instrument, a TV, a sharpener, eraser, rubber, a spoon, a knife….

·         Where it is  in the picture:  at the top, at the bottom, on the left/right…..

·         Size:  big, small, long, narrow, wide

·         Colour:  red, green, blue, …

·         Opinion:  awful, nice, pretty, cool,….

·         Is someone in  the picture taking, catching or using it?.... Is it in someone’s right or left hand?...

About the picture itself:

·         Say who think took the picture and why if posible

·         Where the picture is from, country, city,  town, village… 

·         Was the picture taken in the morning/afternoon/night?

·         What kind of place is it? … Monument, famous street, avenue, Museum, school, library, a house, what kind of house,….. 

Say as much as you can about the picture itself, from the concrete and particular that you find in the picture and relate it to your personal life. For example, if it is a picture of Paris, London or any place, say if you have already been there and if not, if you would like to go there, why or why not.

Remember  too, once you have described the picture and all its elements, things, people,  tell how the picture is connected to your personal life and experience. This is very important!!!

Note:    IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER:

When we are describing people or things in English, if we are not fully sure about something regarding the person or object that we are talking about, it is always better to add probability to what you say about that person/object. Example:

DON’T   SAY:   The man on the left is 35 years old (you don’t know this by just looking at him in the picture unless you know the person of course because it is a relative of yours)

SAY THIS:  I think the man on the left is about/around 35 years old     or

                   Probably he/she is  on his/her 20’s, 30’s…

This is very important to bear on mind because you can not say something is this or that when you are not completely sure. Remember, add probability or say it is what you think about the person or object and why you think so. 

WOW! THIS IS AN ADVANTAGE OF TECHNOLOGY AT THAT!

GOOGLE EARTH FINDS WOMAN TRAPPED ON DESERTED ISLAND FOR 7 YEARS In 2007, Gemma Sheridan and 2 friends set out on a voyage that was to take them from their home town of Liverpool, across the Atlantic to the Panama Canal and then onwards to the beautiful island of Hawaii. The first stage of the voyage went without incident. However, after passing through the Panama Canal and into the Pacific, things started to take a turn for the worse. There was a huge storm that took out the boats electronics and washed her 2 friends overboard and seriously damaged her boat. Without any electronics and with a damaged boat, Gemma drifted for 17 days until she was hit by another major storm. During the storm, Gemma was knocked unconscious and the rest is history. Gemma awoke on a beach, surrounded by wreckage from her boat. Here is a short account of some of the things she endured: Within the first hour I had a major panic attack. It was a disturbing feeling, being alone, isolated, so far from home without a hope. I had been on water rations for the last 2 weeks, so finding water was the first priority. There where no pools of fresh water, so I had to rig up a contraption that drew the water away from the rock and I managed to get one drop every 50 seconds. That was my only source of water, so it was coconuts until it rained. Not the best start. The amount of energy required to do anything massive and it was mentally taxing. For the first 2 weeks I stayed in a mock shelter i made from debris that washed ashore. I needed to find real shelter, I found a large tree that looked perfect. I nibbled away at the bark of a tree with a giant clam shell for 11 days just to build a shelter. It might have been bomb-proof and waterproof in the end and it’s probably still standing but if I’d had a machete, just that one tool, I would have been able to build it in a few hours. It was four weeks before I managed to light a fire – you have no idea how happy that made me. There were eight feral goats on the island, three adults and five kids. I seen them occasionally, but they would always get away. I made a bow and arrow, but this just went twang and fell on the floor. And my spear wasn’t sharp enough. So, when the hunting tools didn’t work, I spent seven days building a coral-type trap with spikes on it and everything. I thought “Yes. This’ll do it”. It didn’t. One day I was walking round the island looking for crabs and saw what I thought was driftwood caught up in the bottom of this tree. Then it bleated. This goat had been eating the leaves, got its horns caught and panicked. It was a massive thing, about 45 or 50 kilos and it was meat, so I tried squeezing its windpipe but that wouldn’t do it and then I had to bash it on the head with a clam shell. It took about 15 minutes to kill it and was quite gruesome. It showed me how far I was from being able to hunt because even though it was trapped it still took me quarter of an hour. Fast forward a few years and everything had changed: The physical side was tough but ultimately fine. I did a series of exercises on the beach every day – press-ups, chin-ups on a tree branch, squats with boulders on my shoulders and shuttle runs of about 300 metres. I had managed to get to a stage when I was getting stronger. The difficulty was elsewhere. My mind was lonely and it was begining to dawn on me that I may never be saved. Usually if you’re on a desert island and you start talking to yourself it is an indication that things are going wrong. I had a sign on the beach that was about 10 feet high, but it had sat there all this time and nothing came of it. So I decided to go all out, I spent the next few weeks clearing space and finding materials to build a huge sign in the sand on the beach. My hope was that perhaps a plane might fly over and see it, but in all my time on the island, I had not seen 1 single plane fly over. I didnt give up though. Fast forward a couple more years: I woke up 1 morning to the sound of a plane flying over me which was unusually low, I could not believe it, I thought it was a dream. I ran to the beach screaming and waving my arms like a lunatic, the plane flew over 2 or 3 more times and then dropped a small package. Inside was a radio, fresh water, food and a small medical kit. I switched on the radio and heard the first human voice for years. We talked for what seemed like an eternity, then I asked the voice on the other end "How did you find me" to which they replied "Some kid from Minnesota found your SOS sign on Google Earth" I didnt even know what Google Earth was, but I'm eternally in their debt now. Share this amazing story with your friends.See More : http://news-hound.org/google-earth-finds-woman-trapped-on-deserted-island-for-7-years/

HEALTH: OBSESSED WITH BEAUTY??

According to a new Harris Interactive study commissioned by the Vegetarian Resource Group, the number of vegans in the United States has doubled since 2009 to 2.5% of the population. An amazing 7.5 million U.S. citizens now eat vegan diets that do not include any animal products – no meat, poultry, fish, dairy or eggs. Close to 16 million, or 5%, identify as vegetarian, never eating meat, poultry or fish.If this rate continues, vegans will be 10% of the U.S. population in 2015, 40% in 2019, and in 80 % in 2021! This would mean an end to the exploitation and suffering of billions of farmed animals. The study also revealed that 33% of U.S. citizens are eating vegetarian meals a significant amount of the time and ordering vegetarian meals at restaurants, though they are not vegetarians. That is over 100 million people, one third of the country!

Interestingly, the demographic breakdown of the study discovered that it was equal percentages of Democrats and Republicans eating vegetarian. Perhaps these two parties CAN agree on something- the vegan lifestyle is healthy and compassionate. Conscientious eating is going mainstream so if you haven’t already, reduce or eliminate your consumption of animal products- everyone’s doing it!

http://www.leaderpost.com/news/PETA+reps+brave+Regina+winter/4077067/story.htm

CULTURAL DIVERSITY: MULTICULTURAL CITIES

Fancy yourself as a bit of a Culture Vulture? Next time you feel like flying off to get your fix of cultural diversity why not try one of these world cities?
DayNews has gathered their list of the world's 10 most culturally diverse cities in the world that enable you to experience multiple cultures in one hit! 
10. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The majority of the people living in Dubai are originally from another country: two-thirds of the population is originally from Asia. Even though Arabic is the official language, many languages such as Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali  and even Tagalog can be heard in the shops, restaurants and parks in the richest city in the world. 
Travelling to Dubai on business? Did you know you may not actually meet many local Arabs when doing business? Chances are you'll work with someone from the expat community. Read more > Doing Business in the Middlle East
9. Singapore
A quarter of the Singaporean citizens are of foreign descent and as more than 5.3 million people call the city their home. The four official languages of the country, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English, clearly show that Singapore is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. However, English is the main language in business and education.  
Did you know that business is still quite formal in Singapore? Discover more about Singapore culture and read > Singapore - Language, Culture and Customs
8. Hong Kong
If we say Hong Kong, you say “fusion:” the city has been a mixture of east and west for almost as long as it's existed. The IMB World Competitiveness Yearbook 2011 awarded the city with the highest ranking in Global Competitiveness, not in the least because of the city’s cultural diversity. The “basic law” of Hong Kong allows its residents to practice any religion they wish, whether it’s Taoism or Christianity. 
Did you know you should never give things in odd numbers as many consider it unlucky? Read more at Hong Kong - Language, Culture and Customs
7. San Francisco, United States
This American city is known for its vast population of Asians that make up almost a quarter of  its inhabitants. No wonder the biggest Chinese New Year celebration can be found in San Fran! The Latin community is also fairly large in the City by the Bay, with 21.7% of the people being of Latin American descent. Vallejo and Fairfield, areas nearby the city, even have the highest number of Latin American and Asian immigrants in the entire United States.
Did you know that all Americans in one way or another trace their ancestry back to another culture, whether Irish, German, Italian or Scottish? Read more at USA - Culture and Customs
6. Sydney, Australia
Sydney has a population of 4.6 million people, of which almost 40% were not born in Australia itself. The city’s immigrants have their roots in the UK, Vietnam, the Philippines and even Italy. Add this up to the Aborigines that inhabit the city and you have a population that speaks languages such as Arabic, Greek and Mandarin.

Did you know the initial population of Australia was made up of Aborigines and the British/Irish? After World War II there was heavy migration from countries like Greece, Italy, Germany, Lebanon, and Turkey. Find out more at > Australia - Language, Culture and Customs
4. Los Angeles, United States

A staggering 57% of LA residents speak more than one language. The city is known for its many cultural enclaves which range from the common Chinatown to the more exotic neighbourhoods of Little Armenia and Little Ethiopia. The biggest ethnic group of the city are the Hispanics, which make up 44% of the population. When you include the areas of Long Beach and Santa Ana, whites are second with 32%, with Asians as second runners up with 15%.
Did you know as a result of the high Latin American and Hispanic community in the USA, marketers now specifically target them? Find out how > Marketing to the Latino and Hispanic Community

3. Manchester, England

If you take its size into consideration, Manchester is the most linguistically diverse city in the world. The city’s 503,000 inhabitants speak at least 153 different languages. Compared to much bigger cities such as Paris and New York, this number is massive. It is believed that two-thirds of  children in Mancherster speak two languages, which include Chitralli, Konkani (both spoken in India), Dagaare (spoken in Ghana and Burkina Faso) and Uyghur (spoken in northwest China). 

Heard of Cheetham Hill Road? Read our recent blog post > The UK's most culturally diverse street found in Manchester

2. London, England

Britain’s capital is the home of cultural diversity. Its 8.2 million inhabitants have emigrated to the city from all parts of the globe you can imagine, varying from China, Poland, Jamaica and Nigeria. There are 50 non-indigenous communities in the city of the Big Ben, which adds up to 10,000 residents. In 2011, almost 37% of the city’s inhabitants were born elsewhere, which makes London the city with the second largest immigrant population on the planet.

Did you know over 300 languages are spoken in London? Find out how Twitter identified languages used in London

1. New York City, United States

More than 8 million people inhabit the city that never sleeps; unsurprisingly, this has resulted in a population that is very culturally diverse. Close to half of the New York residents are multilingual, and three million people speak a language that is not English. Almost a quarter of the people in the new York-northern New Jersey-Long Island area is Hispanic, followed by the African Americans and the Asian community that make up 16 and 10% of the population respectively. As new York is home to the biggest immigrant population in the world, it is safe to say it is the most culturally diverse one as well!

http://www.cdn.kwintessential.co.uk/read-our-blog/world-cities-that-speak-cultural-diversity.html

HEALTH: OBSESSION WITH BEAUTY

LOOK UP INFO ON OBSESSION FOR COSMETIC SURGERY IN USA. Perhaps it's fallout from television programming such as Nip/Tuck or Dr. 90210 or reruns of Extreme Makeover, but Internet data shows that younger adults have become the primary audience obsessed with altering their personal appearance. Once the domain of the well-to-do female in her fifties, plastic surgery has become the obsession of the least affluent segment of younger Internet users.

The recent tragic death of Stephanie Kuleba, an 18-year-old high school cheerleader who died as a result of complications during a breast augmentation surgery, brought our attention to the pursuit of a more "ideal" body amongst teenagers. In fact, search data confirms this phenomenon. One of the most popular sites visited from the search term "plastic surgery" is the official site of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (www.plasticsurgery.org). Over 25% of visitors to the site (the largest segment) fell within the 18- to 24-year-old demographic — that's up from 19.6% two years ago.

Plastic surgery has become an American obsession. Checking other markets that Hitwise has data on, such as the U.K. and Australia, the 18- to 24-year-old fascination with plastic surgery is a decidedly U.S. phenomenon.

Looking at other health related sites visited by 18- t 24-year-olds, reveals just how obsessed this age group is with appearance. Unlike their older counterparts who visit sites related to diseases and keeping healthy, younger Internet users flock to sites that dwell on personal appearance, such as those focused on bodybuilding, weight loss and skincare. And definitely plastic surgery.

While surgery-themed television may be driving the interest of a younger audience, one factor appears to be key in tempering appearance-obsessed teens from altering their bodies: the failing U.S. economy.

If we track the trend in searches on topics such as "breast augmentation," "breast implants" or even "plastic surgery," there has been a precipitous decline in all plastic surgery topics over the last year. What's fueling this downturn? It may very well be related to the predominant income group of visitors to cosmetic surgery sites — U.S. households that earn less than $30,000 per year. In fact, if we look at the search patterns around popular surgeries, over the last year the term "cost" is the most commonly appearing qualifier. We see more searches such as "breast implant cost," "plastic surgery cost," and "breast augmentation cost." Checking these same terms in April 2007 reveals that cost sensitivity is a recent phenomenon.

While older demographics continue to search for information on procedures such as face-lifts, liposuction or Botox, it's the younger Internet users who in tough economic times are focusing on improving their outer beauty, albeit at a discount price.

Bill Tancer is general manager of global research at Hitwise.

: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1738111,00.html#ixzz2O22aXicX

CULTURAL DIVERSITY: THE AMISH

UTOPIA MAY NOT MERELY BE A DREAM: A RECONSIDERATION OF THE AMISH’S SURVIVAL AND FLOURISH IN AMERICAN SOCIETY

The Amish as an ethnic-religious group of German descendants living in America have celebrated its three hundred years’ birthday. As the minority, the Amish coexist with America mainstream society. Moreover, they flourish the local agriculture and tourism as well as preserve their unique culture. The phenomenon arouses great interests among sociologists.This thesis aims at probing the causes behind the phenomenon from the aspects of religion and economy. It is religion and economy elements that work together to establish a favorable relationship between the Amish and the mainstream society of America. On the one hand, the Amish and the large Christian population in America stem from the same religion origin-Christianity. The same religion root bridges the gap between the mainstream culture and the minority group. On the other hand, as the prosperous agricultural and tourism economy of the Amish communities, American government has to be more cautious in legislation in order not to harm the interest of the Amish community.In this thesis I will discuss the history and origin of the Amish, the Amish community, the Amish in modern society and American government’s attitude toward the Amish. The focus of my study is on the research of the relationship between the Amish and American government.My thesis consists of five chapters: the first part gives a brief introduction of the thesis; the second part is a general notion from aspects of the Amish’s history and origin, and the organization and the operation of its communities; the third part is an analysis on the Amish in an attempt to search for the factors behind the Amish’s lifestyle and the reasons why the Amish can survive in modern society; the fourth part explores from the religious perspective the reasons why American government provides a favorable environment for the Amish; the fifth part comes to the conclusion that the religious and economic factors play important roles to the prosperity of Amish communities. The Amish embody some virtues that Americans cherish and to some extent Amish community serves as a Utopia in modern Americans’ mind. The way that the Amish coexist with American mainstream society might suggest a way to solve problems between the mainstream society and the minority communities. With the existence of the Amish, some people are left with a slim hope: maybe Utopia is not just a dream?

CULTURAL DIVERSITY: MINORITIES VS MAINSTREAM CULTURE

Minority Birth Boom Raises Major Questions About American Education

Minority Birth Boom Raises Major Questions About American Education

On May17, the U.S. Census Bureau released the latest findings amassed from its 2010 survey. Racial and ethnic minorities—Blacks, Asians, Latinos, Native Americans, and Multiracials, now make up more than half of the youngest Americans. Depending on the perspectives and political alignments of the news source, articles heralded the findings, as a triumphant victory—the moment “minorities surpass Whites”—and an insidious omen—the day “Whites lose.” The findings give a concrete, factual basis to the shifts our society has both implicitly and explicitly known—that American society is increasingly diverse. Yet, while the facts of racial and ethnic diversity surround us, what we choose to do with the significances of this reality is a far different matter.

In the last century, racial and ethnic minorities have gained great strides in both social and civic presence. However, these gains have not resulted in the categorical dismantling of our society’s lingering social and political institutions. The holders of our national wealth and our political leaders are largely White. The failings of civic infrastructure, the ills of poverty and crime, and the implementation of drug laws most adversely affect communities of color. Media and pop culture are rife with pejorative depictions, inferences about, and caricatures of minorities. The 2008 recession only underscored existent divides. Relative to Whites, minorities suffered disproportionate unemployment rates, thus widening social and economic segregations.

For articles that allowed comment, it only took a few downward scrolls to evidence that those progressive, ideological changes that would embrace the nation’s changing racial makeup still have a long way to go. In an ever-diversifying America, racial minorities still suffer the obstacles of old social institutions and perspectives. Of the myriad of implications that arise from the Census’ findings, the most pressing are those of identity and education; different and yet symbiotic, social spheres.

The birthrate data challenges definitions of what it means to be of a particular race—contextually, perceptibly, and historically. We have a specific understanding of the historical meaning and present significance of terms like “full-blood,” “one-drop,” “passing,” and “mixed.” Such terms and check-box racial categories have come to shape how we construct and respond to race. What the Census’ findings evidence is that social practice, interpersonal exchanges, and political rhetoric must change in regard to our expanding diversity, particularly considering socio-economic shifts.  

It will do us no social good (if it ever has) to thrust upon others our attachments to what is appropriately White, necessarily Black, definitively Asian, and characteristically Latino—particularly when we do so to perpetuate bias and prejudice. This does not mean that Americans must abandon their cultural heritages. What the changing composition of our society signals is that the legacies and institutions that gave rise to social inequalities must break down if American identity is to evolve.

In the future, relative to older generations, the younger will expand traditional understandings of race. They will redefine what it means to be “American” and a racial minority in America. These changing definitions are significant to our other great problem, one underscored in several reactions to the Census’ findings—education.

The gaps and deficits in education, income, and long term success between minorities and Whites are well-documented realities. Yet with the Census data, in swept a strangely myopic focus on a small piece of the larger issue. In a New York Times article, William O’Hare, a senior consultant to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, commented that “[E]ducating young minorities [is] of critical importance to the future of the country and the economy.” Ruy Teixeira, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress added that “[The U.S. does] a pretty lousy job of educating the younger generation of minorities.” While true in the broadest sense, their comments are beholden to an increasingly outmoded way of regarding the failures of education and egregiously shade over its stark reality:

We do a poor job of educating, period. This reality transcends both race and O’Hare’s and Teixeira’s inferential, socioeconomic attachments.

Relative to the rest of the world, American education has long been in decline, yet, only in the last decade have communities and government aggressively tackled our downshift. The most egregious failures of education policy have occurred in schools operating in low socioeconomic areas where the poor and working poor reside—rural towns, urban enclaves, and American Indian reservations. Though the rates of poor and working poor within racial groups are higher for Blacks, Latinos, and American Indians, the majority of those who live in these socioeconomics are White.

While the Census data does not provide information on the demographic characteristics of mothers, a Pew Research Center report evidences differences in age, education, and marital status among mothers of different racial groups. Along with the Census’ birthrate data, this may indicate one of two realities—one long-established, the other more expansive. With the former, the inference is that because racial minorities are disproportionately affected by poor education, a majority of American children are now at risk of suffering the extrapolated effects of its consequences. But, the data may also require a shift away from the way we traditionally pair disadvantage and race. If the birthrate data shows a change in racial identity and composition as well as a reorganization of relative socioeconomic status, the expanded perspective divorces the marriage of race and social inequality, and instead brings the disadvantages of low-socioeconomics to the forefront.

The latter would underscore a reality, yet a less prevalent way of framing disadvantage. Though the overlap rate is higher, the greatest civic and political disservices are not to minorities alone, but to the economically disadvantaged. It is in these communities that our society must invest today for a more successful tomorrow--no matter which racial box defines them.

The diversity of America’s least advantaged, least educated, and least successful undercuts both O’Hare and Teixeira’s notion that education improvements should occur through a racial lens. Though we may improve the welfare of Americans part-by-part, splitting the focus between races instead of by socioeconomics creates more complication than solution. The changing racial composition and social definition of our youngest citizens requires that we think critically and differently about our social institutions. Alternately we must focus on transforming and improving poor and working class communities’ access to quality education while also strengthening education services in those more affluent.

The Census’ birthrate findings force our society to confront two of its most contentious issues: the institutionalized conceptions of racial identity, and the problem of education. In both areas, we often speak of a better future, but that future must be more present. A child’s success is directly linked to the circumstances into which he is born—as much an economic issue as it is a racial one. In what kind of future will our youngest Americans find themselves? Will they be saddled with the legacies of our inequitable present? If we recognize that their future will be different than our own, how will our society change, on what principles, and spurred by the actions of whom?

 http://www.policymic.com/articles/8527/minority-birth-boom-raises-major-questions-about-american-education

HEALTH: ADDICTED TO TECH?

Exercise

Lack of Exercise as Deadly as Smoking, Study Finds

By Alice ParkJuly 18, 201219 Comments

inactivity has become a global pandemic, say researchers in a series of related papers  published in the journal Lancet. According to one of the reports, lack of exercise causes as many as 1 in 10 premature deaths around the world each year — roughly as many as smoking.

About 5.3 million of the 57 million deaths worldwide in 2008 could be attributed to inactivity, the new report estimates, largely due to four major diseases: heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, breast cancer and colon cancer. The study finds that if physical inactivity could be reduced by just 10%, it could avert some 533,000 deaths a year; if reduced by 25%, 1.3 million deaths could be prevented. Say we got everyone off the couch and eliminated inactivity altogether: the life expectancy of the world’s population would rise by about 0.68 years (more, if you discount those who were already active), comparable to the effect of doing away with smoking or obesity.

For the study, led by I-Min Lee in the division of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, scientists calculated something called a population attributable fraction (PAF), a measure of the contribution of risk factors like physical inactivity to diseases such as heart disease or diabetes, and even risk of death. The PAF told researchers how many cases of disease could theoretically be prevented if the risk factor were eliminated — that is, if all inactive people in a population were to start exercising sufficiently.

Lee and his colleagues collected data on physical inactivity and outcomes of the four major diseases — heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, breast cancerand colon cancer — as well as rates for death from all causes. They then calculated PAFs for 123 countries. Overall, the estimates suggest that lack of exercise causes about 6% of heart disease, 7% of Type 2 diabetes, and 10% of breast and colon cancers worldwide.

Exercise has long been known to can lower risk factors like high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol, which in turn reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Physical activity also keeps heart vessels healthy and inhibits the formation of atherosclerotic plaques that can cause blood clots.

As for breast cancer, exercise may protect women by reducing fat — particularly dangerous belly fat, whose metabolic activity may trigger tumor growth in breast tissue. Colon cancer may work differently: researchers believe that exercise helps keep digestion regular and prevents potentially cancer-causing waste from encouraging abnormal growths in the colon.

Current guidelines recommend that people get about 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week — a half-hour of brisk walking five times a week would do it. But in another Lancet paper published in the series, Pedro Hallal of the Federal University of Pelotas, in Brazil, and his colleagues found that 31% of adults worldwide (1.5 billion people) and 4 out of 5 teens aren’t exercising enough to meet that standard and therefore putting themselves at risk for chronic disease.

The researchers analyzed self-reports of exercise among adults in 122 countries, representing 89% of the world’s population, and among teens in 105 countries. Rates of physical inactivity were higher in high-income countries than in low-income nations. The Americas were overall the most sedentary region — with 43% of the population not exercising enough — while rates of inactivity were lowest in southeast Asia (17%).

One key reason is that we rely too much on modern conveniences like cars to get around. In the U.S., for example, fewer than 4% of people walk to work and fewer than 2% bike to commute; compare that to about 20% of people who walk to work in China, Germany and Sweden, and the more than 20% who bike their commutes in China, Denmark and the Netherlands, WebMD reports. Add to that the inordinate time most of us spend sitting — at the office, in front of the computer or watching TV.

Hallal estimates that sedentary people have a 20% to 30% greater risk of heart disease and diabetes than regular exercisers. But despite the deadly effects of lack of exercise, Hallal says physical activity doesn’t get the same attention or funding as other health risk factors. “It gets underfunded and undervalued,” Hallal told the Los Angeles Times. “But it’s huge everywhere in the world.”

There was some encouraging news in the results as well: thanks to greater awareness about the importance of physical activity in improving health, about 31% of adults do report engaging in vigorous exercise three or more days a week.

Another paper in the Lancet series also examined what kinds of interventions might help people get active. Researchers analyzed 100 reviews of clinical and community-based efforts to encourage exercise and found some simple strategies that seemed to work: using signs to motivate people to use the stairs instead of the elevator, for instance, or offering free exercise classes in public places such as parks, especially geared toward women, lower-income folks and the elderly, groups who are less likely to get the recommended amount of exercise. Studies from the U.S., Australia, Belgium, Canada, England and Germany indicate that maintaining streets and improving lighting can boost activity levels by as much as 50%.

The authors of the study pointed to a particularly effective program called Ciclovía, which started in Bogotá, Columbia, and has spread to 100 other cities in the Americas. On Sunday mornings and public holidays, the program closes city streets to motorized vehicles, leaving roadways open for walkers, runners, skaters and bikers. Ciclovía attracts about a million people each week, the study notes, mostly people on lower incomes, and accounts for 14% of people’s weekly recommended exercise.

Commenting on the Lancet series, many experts agreed that physical activity should be a global priority, though some took issue with the comparison with smoking. In an interview with WebMD, Timothy Armstrong, coordinator of the surveillance and population-based prevention program for the World Health Organization, noted that if the authors of the first paper had calculated the effects of smoking the same way they had for inactivity, the death statistics wouldn’t be quite so similar. Further, as Dr. Claire Knight of Cancer Research U.K. told the BBC, even if smoking and inactivity kill the same number of people, far fewer people smoke than are sedentary, making tobacco more risky to the individual.

Nevertheless, no one disagrees that the world population as a whole must start exercising more — and soon. “This is a super, super analysis,” Dr. James Levine, professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, told WebMD regarding Lee’s paper in the Lancet. “We know that as soon as somebody gets out of their chair, their blood sugar improves, their blood cholesterol and triglycerides improve, and that’s very consistent. Every time you get up it gets better. Every time you sit down it gets worse.”

The message, he says, is simple — get moving.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2012/07/18/lack-of-exercise-as-deadly-as-smoking-study-finds/#ixzz2O0uG0HQ6