Energy Days, Freedom of Information Act, Diet and Exercise

Ever since the first episode of The View was aired this season (the show's tenth), the show continues every week to make headline news (well, maybe not headline so much as the big story on gossip shows such as Entertainment Tonight). Embracing this newsworthiness, the idea transpired to briefly review the events of each day's show. This way, if you miss it, but catch the highlight reel, you might have a little more perspective than what you otherwise might be shown.

Today, on this ninth day of January, 2007, with the absence of Barbara Walters, The View welcomed guest co-host Kerry Washington, of The Dead Girl and Last King of Scotland. She joined co-hosts Rosie O'Donnel, Joy Behart, and Elizabeth Hasselback.

The show opened with the discussion of astrology and the news that Washington postponed her wedding day as a result of a tip from her astrologer. The co-hosts discussed the concept of "energy days," and O'Donnel mentioned her belief that the tides and planet locations do affect humans, as we are composed primarily of water. If the moon influences the earth's oceans (composed of water), it seems likely that it would influence living things (also composed of water).

The conversation turned to Belize and the concepts of a truthful media. While in Canada, Washington watched the local news, which displayed images of coffins containing the corpses of those soldiers killed in the war. Contrasting this from the media in the United States, O'Donnel mentioned the introduction in 2000 of the media needing the current administration's approval to display images of the war. A brief mention of the Vietnam War and its action being shown on the news could explain this change in media regulation.

Every co-host had something to say about this, culminating with Washington's statement that this "prevents protesting." This was made to relate the difference between this war and the Vietnam War. Whereas huge protests were conducted against the Vietnam War, much of which had to do with the implementation of the draft, without the image of the actual events transposing overseas, the American public really has no way of gaining truth and thereby the American public has no grounds on which to protest.

Behart mentioned the Freedom of Information Act and the release of a few photographs from the war due to its instatement. Hasselback stated that she believes bodies should be shown, but that they should be "shown in honor, not as propaganda" to which Behart responded that not showing the images is propaganda in its own right.

O'Donnell supplied that 3,012 soldiers have been killed to date. (During the time between when this show was recorded and today, 2 more have died, making the grand total as of this moment 3,014.) This figure becomes much more troublesome when taking into consideration the recent discussion of deploying even more troops.

After a few more hot topics, including child matters, Borat, and a visit from David Arquette, two women who both lost weight through diet and exercise (for a combined total of 360 pounds) came on stage.

The first, who was a size 26 in 2005, has lost 130 pounds and currently wears a size 12. She tried diet after diet all of which proved unsuccessful, and after a spiritual revelation, she knew that she would have to take it "one day at a time for the rest of [her] life." Her new way of life includes the following:

1. Cooking better.
2. Packing lunches for work instead of eating out.
3. Removing salt.
4. Using brown rice as a staple.
5. Using oatmeal as a staple.
6. Moving (exercising).

The second woman lost 230 pounds in two years with her trigger being severe abdominal pain and headaches, and the determination by a doctor that these problems were occurring because of her obesity. Two days after a trip to the doctor's during which she became stuck in a chair in the waiting room, she won a drawing for a free Curves workout.
Both women had comments about social actions in relation to diet, the first having stated, "Everyone wants to be socially acceptable." She continued that we live in a society where thin is the norm and anything else is outside of normal. The second woman said that the more people made fun of her, the more she wanted to eat. Having made the decision to lose the weight naturally, she stated as her reasoning, "I put the weight on myself, I did this to myself, I'm gonna take it off." She cut off carbohydrates and began walking along with attending Curves -- "It only takes 30 minutes a day."

The View is teaming up with Curves to challenge everyone to lose 10 pounds in season 10. To learn more about this challenge and print off tracking sheets, check out their website at http://www.abc.com/theview.