August 2007
News, updates, & pronouncements from Pat Ballard,
the Queen of Rubenesque Romances

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent. 
Eleanor Roosevelt

Something to think about....

A man who does not think for himself does not think at all.
Oscar Wilde

Recently a new "study" came out that said "obesity can be contagious." That hanging out with a fat friend could make you fat. The study went so far as to say that "even social interaction with a friend of a friend could have an impact on a person's weight."

I've seen people's initial knee-jerk reactions, "Well, that makes sense." But does it really? Let's do a little critical thinking here.

Given the pressure that is put on fat people of today's generation to lose weight, and given the nearly $60 billion dollars that these same fat people spend on the weight loss industry each year, if this were a true study―a true science―doesn't it stand to reason that thin would be contagious and the fat people would become like their thin friends? I mean, after all, just about everybody wants to be thin!

Following are some criticisms of the New England Journal of Medicine study that will shed the light of truth on this latest nonsense―nonsense that just enables people who are already eager to jump on and downgrade fat folks.

Below is an article by Peggy Elam, Ph.D. on her site "On The Whole."
http://www.onthewhole.info/2007/07/is-fat-hatred-c.html

UPDATE 7/30/2007: Sandy Swzarc has an excellent post on the study and its "virtual reality" at her Junkfood Science blog.

She points out that although the NEJM reported the authors had no conflicts of interest, in fact [the first author] Christakis is on the Robert Wood Johnson Scholars in Health Policy Program at Harvard, which is a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The RWJF is the largest organization in the world funding policies against "obesity." (See my April 4, 2007 post about the foundation funding the war on fat kids here.) And they call that "no conflict of interest"...?

Following is the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) press release regarding this subject. Read very carefully. The points that are made in this press release are very good.

------NAAFA News Release--------

For Immediate Release
July 25, 2007

Oakland, CA―The report released today by the New England Journal of Medicine is flawed. These so-called researchers took collected data from an existing study whose focus was not on weight and size, the same study just used to report that diet soda is just as bad for you as regular soda, did some data mining and presented selected results tailored to support their own prejudices. None of their statistics are standard. Shame on the New England Journal of Medicine for publishing this insidious report. This is one more attempt to create hysteria, hatred, fear and prejudice toward fat people.

As an example of the misinformation, this report stated, "The fact that the increase in obesity during this period cannot be explained by genetics…." More and more legitimate research is finding the genetic link to size. Let's look at an example. Studies by Dr. Albert Stunkard of the University of Pennsylvania showed that:

• 70 percent of the variation in peoples' weights may be accounted
for by inheritance, meaning weight is more strongly inherited than nearly
any other condition, including mental illness, breast cancer or heart
disease.

• There is a clear relation between the body-mass index of biologic
parents and the weight class of adoptees, suggesting that genetic
influences are important determinants of body fatness.

• There is no relation between the body-mass index of adoptive
parents and the weight class of adoptees, suggesting that childhood family
environment has little or no effect on body size."

• Identical twins have nearly identical body mass indexes, whether
they have been reared apart or together.

Bob Schwartz, author of Diets Don't Work, found that by putting his thin clients on weight-loss diets, they gained weight. Maybe we should take a closer look at the influence of weight loss dieting. Quite possibly when thin friends go on diets with their fat friends to lend their support, they end up gaining weight. It has already been proven that pounds lost plus additional pounds are regained after one has stopped the severe restrictions of weight loss dieting in more than 95% of dieters.

We already know that fat people are discriminated against on their jobs and by insurance and healthcare providers. We believe that this report indicates that thin people tend to exclude fat people from their social networks and now proves that there is social discrimination against people of size. We believe that this report encourages even further discrimination against fat people. It's time to stop the discrimination now!

Founded in 1969, NAAFA is a non-profit human rights organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for fat people. NAAFA works to eliminate discrimination based on body size and provide fat people with the tools for self-empowerment through public education, advocacy, and member support.

On the web: http://www.naafa.org

-----------------------------------

Let's all remember to keep our common sense in these crazy times, and do our own thinking.
 

A Word From Pat

August already! Impossible! That means fall is just around the corner. YES!

July has been a period of unrest for the Ballard household. My husband, Joe, has been aware of some blood in his urine for a while, so finally―after much nagging on my part― he decided to get tested. So far, after several tests, it looks like he may have some kidney stones. He has to have a CT scan done next week. I never thought I'd actually pray for kidney stones!

These sudden bumps in the road have a tendency to make us stop and evaluate our lives. So July hasn't been the regular "ho-hum" kind of day-in-day-out month. It has been a month where I've actually looked at my husband closer. Actually thought what I might have to watch him go through. And what my life would be like if I lost him. So when the doctor said he thought the blood was caused from kidney stones, we both breathed a huge sigh of relief.

I did manage to start my next fiction book and to finish a couple of chapters on 10 Steps To Loving Your Body―No Matter What Size You Are.

I saw my grandkids, Shaun and Kayla, a couple of times and got to play with them. Shaun is very active in sports. He's six years old and loves baseball. This is the first year that my son Eric and daughter-in-law Tiffany have signed him up for football, so it will be interesting to see if he likes it. Kayla will start kindergarten this month. She's looking forward to going to school like her "big brother."

Everyone have a wonderful August.

                                               Love,

                                                                    Pat

Visit Pat's Place at www.patballard.com | Write me at patballard@bellsouth.net
 

New from Pearlsong Press:
Pat's new Romantic Suspense novel,
The Best Man

Sparks fly the night Lana Clarke meets to plan her sister's wedding―and not just because curvaceous Lana announces she's stopped dieting and doesn't care if she's fat as maid of honor.

The strong-willed sister of the bride attracts the attention of the groom's devastatingly handsome best man, Anthony Angelino. But when the sparks become flames, Lana's in trouble.

Tony's first wife died mysteriously. Will Lana be next?


Read an excerpt online  | More info at the Pearlsong Press website.

Links About The Queen & Her Books

Pat's Place website
The Queen's Blog
About Pat Ballard
Dangerous Curves Ahead
The Best Man
Abigail's Revenge
Wanted: One Groom
Nobody's Perfect
His Brother's Child
A Worthy Heir
Pearlsong Press blog posts about Pat

Weighty Matters

Still staying with the "fat is contagious" subject," I'd like to share an excellent letter written by Deb Lemire of Queen Bee Productions. She gave me permission to print it here.

Fat HATRED is Contagious

A recent report (Obesity Contagious, Study Finds, Beacon, July 26) on the study that appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine draws the conclusion that “obesity appears to spread through social ties.” NEJM Volume 357:370-379, July 26, 2007, Number 4. Recommended remedy is to avoid having fat friends.

Up until now as a collective community we have ignored the fact that over the recent decades the average increase in weight has only been about 6-11 pounds. Hardly epidemic proportions.

We have ignored the fact that according to the World Health Organization, the U.S. is not even in the top 10 fattest populations in the world ( U.S. ranks 20th)

We have ignored the fact that overweight people live as long as “normal” weight people and some studies suggest longer than thinner people.

We have ignored the fact that the majority of those that diet regain the lost weight and often more.

We have ignored the fact that science has never shown that losing weight prolongs life, although some studies show intentional weight loss increases risk of dying early from certain diseases-not to mention high risk surgeries.

We have ignored the fact that health indicators, such as insulin sensitivity and cholesterol levels can be improved through changing health behaviors regardless of whether weight changes.

We have ignored the fact that if we truly cared about the health of fat people we would make sure they had equal access to health coverage so they could obtain affordable, appropriate health care instead of denying them based on their weight.

But, we can NO LONGER IGNORE that the escalation of obesity hysteria now infringes on the human rights that all people can and should expect according to The International Bill of Human Rights.

People are being denied healthcare, housing, employment, personal safety and dignity, and now, apparently, the right to personal relationships based on their BMI.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states (parenthesis and emphasis are added):

Article 1: All human beings (including fat human beings) are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brother-hood.

Article 2: Everyone (including fat ones) is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Article 3: All people (including fat people) have the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 5: No one (including fat patients and fat children) shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 12: No one (including fat public figures) shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation.

Article 17: (1) Everyone (every fat one) has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. (2) No one (fat person) shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 23: Everyone (including fat employees) has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. Everyone (including fat employees) without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.

Maybe you are not a fat person or you don’t have any fat people in your life you care about, so you figure you don’t need to do anything about this. But according to the most recent pseudo science, it is only a matter of time before your human rights are in jeopardy too.

Deb Lemire
Member of the Association of Size Diversity and Health
www.sizediversityandhealth.org
 

Reader Review of the Month

Editor's Note: We're now featuring reader reviews of Pat's books in The Queen's Proclamation. Post a review at an online bookstore, magazine, or public website and email us at proclamation @ pearlsong.com to let us know, and we'll consider yours for inclusion in The QP. 

This month's Reader Review of His Brother's Child was posted by Brenda Condit on Amazon.com.

Well, I am a big fan of Pat Ballard's work. I love how all her heroines are plus sized beauties and have great hunks who love them that way. I also love that her heroines have class and style. They are strong women who can handle any situation put before them.

In His Brother's Child the heroine, Faith, is pregnant. The result of a one night stand at a party. She is also the victim of a cruel joke. The baby's father wants nothing to do with either of them, so it's up to his brother, Edward, to pick up the pieces. The kicker is that to Edward, Faith is a dream come true. He knows he loves her from the get go, but because of her distrust of men, thanks to his brother, she is afraid to open up her heart again.

Its not only a love story but a story about hope. How it only takes one person who, with loving patience, can give a person the strength to overcome fears and to embrace life.

I hope to read many more of Pat's books. Each one is a treat.
 

Communicate with Pat via her "Amazon Connect" blog on Amazon.com!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/blog/id/AC8LT66HFJQ1Y/ref=cm_blog_blog/102-0429066-5275365

Pat's romantic suspense novel Abigail's Revenge is featured on the Beautiful Portal website: http://www.beautifulportal.com/news.php?item.900034.8
and has been reviewed by AmaZe eMag: http://www.venusimaging.com/Magazine/2005/decjanrealistic/jennifer.htm

 An article on Pat has been posted at:
http://eastmanpublishing.com/epextra/articles/eparticle1007.htm.
And an EP Extra review of Abigail's Revenge is posted at
http://eastmanpublishing.com/epextra/articles/eparticle1011.htm 

Look for an interview with Pat on Lonnie Cruse's blog at
http://www.lonniecruse.blogspot.com.

Calendar of Events

New from Pearlsong Press—Pat's latest Romantic Suspense, The Best Man.

See http://www.pearlsong.com/thebestman.htm to order. Read an excerpt online at http://www.pearlsong.com/thebestmanexcerpt.htm.

Pat regularly guests on the Health At Every Size show with Dr. Peggy Elam on WRFN Radio Free Nashville. Check the show blog at http://www.healthateverysize.info for mentions of Pat's next guest appearance. The show is streamed live over the Internet 10-11 a.m. CST Mondays and now can also be listened to live over your phone via UPSNAP.COM.

Listen to or download the mp3 recording of Pat's July 23, 2007 guest spot on the show at  http://www.pearlsong.com/audio/HAES07232007.mp3. (Right click on the link & "save as" to download.)

Listen to the live broadcasts over the Internet at http://www.radiofreenashville.org/.

You can also listen to the live broadcasts through your telephone via UPSNAP.COM. It's free for wireless internet enabled phones, but there's a small monthly charge for other phones. See the Health At Every Size show website or the Radio Free Nashville website for details.

For more on the show, check out the show blog at http://www.healthateverysize.info. You can also listen to or download recordings of some of the shows at www.pearlsong.com/audio.htm.

Pat will spend the next few months promoting The Best Man. She's in the process of setting up booksignings with local Borders bookstores, and others.

You can still hear the taped radio shows from Size Matters with Veronica, WCRS Radio, on Pat's website.

Show #1 discusses Pat's romance novels
http://www.wcrsradio.org/RadioStage/size/SIZE051.mp3

Show #2 discusses women of size and their sexuality
http://www.wcrsradio.org/RadioStage/size/SIZE052.mp3

And check out the photos from the Nov. 6, 2004 Mississippi Authors Festival that are online at The Queen's Proclamation blog and The Pearlsong Letter blog. (Click on the Mississippi Authors Festival link under the "Photo Albums" heading in the lefthand column of either blog to view the photos.) While you're visiting, post a comment on the blog!
 

Give someone a good read as well as support in loving themselves.
Pat's books make great gifts!
 

Book Contest

Register to win a free copy of the Pat Ballard book of your choice at
Top 100 Women Sites: http://www.top100womensites.com/contest.htm.
 

Read previous issues of The Queen's Proclamation at http://www.pearlsong.com/newsletterarchives.htm.
 

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