Australian political leader Barnaby Joyce (above) came across my screen today, and I couldn’t let him go.

An institute study argues that a national anti-obesity effort should be funded by a tax on sugary beverages, and Joyce decried it as “another moralistic tax.” [Link includes video of interview.]

Joyce calls the idea “bonkers mad” because it would create “massive problems” for the sugar industry. He says the Australian Tax Office isn’t going to make people lose weight, going for a run and cutting portion sizes will. You may be saying, “Yeah, so what? This is how conservatives react to this proposed public-health response to an evident public-health problem.” I would respond that you’re correct.

The reason for writing is to poke at this idea of a “moralistic tax.” There’s nothing moral about it. The ubiquity of refined sugar, most notoriously in sugary beverages, threatens public health. Substantial societal costs result from this threat, and it is the job of government to meet public-health threats.

To say that we should leave public-health threats to personal responsibility — now that's “bonkers mad.”

I spent time with a friend Sunday morning, and searching for a metaphor, I mentioned that Joey, Georgie, and I had attended the Women’s March in Boston the day before. My friend, an older, right-leaning, white woman seemed puzzled. 

“It was for women, wasn’t it?”

Yes, and no. Yes, so-called women’s issues were clearly front of mind for a great many people there, so it would be both wrong and insulting to suggest otherwise. But I could easily have been there “only” to support issues such as freedom to choose, gender-pay equality, and others.

The reason I used “so-called” above is that these issues affect women more, but they are not women’s issues. As a number of signs at the rally said, women’s rights are human rights. I’m for human rights, so why would my attendance surprise anyone?

Welcome to another episode of "10 Words or Less," in which I ask brief questions of interesting people and request brief answers in return. Today's offering belongs to a growing 10WOL subset in which I talk to professional speakers. This particular speaker is a recent past president of the National Speakers Association and a recipient of both its highest earned and bestowed honors. He’ll be presenting ideas and solutions to NSA’s New England Chapter on Feb. 11th, an event that is open to the public. He is the author of four books including "Do It Well Make It Fun." He’s a nationally known humorist whose clients have included the US Senate and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, John Hopkins and Safeway.

Name Ron Culberson
Born when and where “Abingdon, Va., in 1960, but grew up in Emory, Va., which is 10 miles up the road in the middle of nowhere.”
Was there anything unusual about the circumstances of your birth? “Yes. I came in with such force, my mother went deaf in one ear. … She had mumps.”
Wow. Did she hold it against you? “That’s a good question. I need to ask my therapist about that. I’m not sure.”

For birthdays, anniversaries, job promotions, graduations, and so many more, it’s just not a celebration without sweets. Cake, cookies, ice cream — for many of us, they’re the biggest appeal of the event.

That’s because sugar is a mood-altering substance.

True, most often that phrase is pinned on corrosive substances such as heroin, cocaine, tobacco, and alcohol. Only a radical, a killjoy, or worse would apply it to such a cause of merriment and enjoyment, right?

I attended a daylong presentation by Donna Serdula on Saturday in which she conveyed some of her boundless knowledge about LinkedIn. One effect is that I'm trying something slightly different.

Instead of publishing my latest post here, I posted it on LinkedIn Pulse, to see if it would lead to greater activity on that platform. 

Ryan is a leader in the field of worksite wellness, having founded the Worksite Wellness Council of Massachusetts. She's a thriving and authoritative businesswoman and successful professional speaker.

In conjunction with Kick Sugar Addiction World Summit 2017 (link to the 2016 event), I'm offering a free food and weight consultation to you, or to anyone you know. We'll talk for 30 minutes, via phone, Skype, or other electronic conveyance, about the struggles you face, and what I can contribute to your overcoming them.

Donna Serdula is the doyenne of the LinkedIn profile. She speaks professionally on the topic, and employs about 40 writers who craft better profiles for a world of clients. As the guest of the New England chapter of the National Speakers Association, she's coming to Waltham Jan. 7 to present on both topics: How to craft a profile, but also, how to build a business that needs 40-plus contributors to meet the demand for its services. Follow this link to attend her presentation.

For all the time that humans have been afoot, we have been adjusting to “the environment,” very often on the fly, very often in the face of peril. So it’s risible that a study just released by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery asked respondents to opine on the cause of obesity: personal choice or environment and genetics.

In my BNI chapter, I find that before I can successfully make the case that fellow members should refer me as a wellbeing coach, I have to make the case that wellbeing coaching is worthwhile in itself.