t's not its first: the seal has had seven redesigns in its life, and for a few years now has sported a loud red and blue 90's costume. Says graphic designer Louise Fili,'"The last one, that said everything about the ’90s. Nineties branding was the client breathing down your neck and saying, ‘Can you get the type bigger?’ You get the type bigger by having it burst out of the oval."' The new design, which the mag's editor describes as "a difficult design project, but a very juicy one” is clean and slightly retro - a more authoritative seal of approval for uncertain times. [NYT]

According to Campos, "We blame individuals too much for circumstances that are not entirely within their control. We know people living in unsafe neighborhoods are much less likely to exercise. And fast food is cheap compared to fresh fruit and vegetables. To tell a poor person that they made a bad choice because they couldn't afford the salad fixings raises some ethical concerns."

The researchers also found that the ads in Ebony, Jet, and Essence were "primarily for foods high in calories but low in nutritional value." The study's authors put an emphasis on communities creating recreational opportunities and making farmers market goods available to those living in poorer neighborhoods. "The study clearly points to a need for public-health advocates and advocates of the African-American community to push their media to increase coverage of overweight and obesity health issues," according to Campos. Considering three quarters of African American women are considered overweight or obese, is it the job of the government, the community, or the magazine industry to help fix the problem?

Study: Weight-loss Tips Differ In African-American, Mainstream Magazines [University of Iowa]

Congratulations to Ellen Levine, editor in chief of Good Housekeeping, who's moving up in the world of Hearst Magazines.

I marked her down for greatness after reading her GH editor's letter this month, where she confided that among the five things she had just learned from this issue is that baby sitters can be dangerous and you can buy things cheap on the internet.

With such cutting edge savvy, the girl was bound to go far.

From a happy little Q&A on child-abusing baby sitters in Good Housekeeping:

Q: Is it riskier to hire a male babysitter?
A: Yes, as far as sexual abuse is concerned. Seventy-seven percent of reported sexual assaults by babysitters are committed by males.

Q: Does that mean it's safer to hire a girl?
A: Not necessarily. Females commit 64 percent of the reported physical assults - hitting, slapping - against kids by babysitters.

Hmmm. Do they still have wolves that suckle human babies?