Science

Despite the difficult economy, more Americans have health insurance than a year ago, according to newly released census data. One reason: the new “Obamacare” law allows young adults, up to age 26, to stay on their parents’ insurance. Many others qualified for government programs in 2011, such as Medicaid and Medicare.The pattern is different, though, in Washington state.Young adults were given the right to join their parents plans back in 2007, so there was no sudden boost in 2011. Meanwhile, 27,000 people were forced, by budget cuts, off of the state’s Basic Health Plan.And the decade-long trend continues, of people losing private coverage.“People are dropping their insurance because can no longer afford the cost,” says Stephanie Marquis of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner’s. “If they get employer-sponsored health care, either the employer is dropping the coverage, or they're being laid-off from their jobs and, therefore, no longer have health insurance.”Overall, about 51,000 people in Washington lost coverage last year.The Insurance Commissioner’s office predicts people will continue to lose coverage until the federal health law takes full effect – which is supposed to be in 2014.Other highlights from the US Census "2012 Current Population Survey (CPS)" regarding health insurance: The number of people with health insurance increased to 260.2 million in 2011 from 256.6 million in 2010, as did the percentage of people with health insurance (84.3 percent in 2011, 83.7 percent in 2010). The percentage of people covered by private health insurance in 2011 was not statistically different from 2010, at 63.9 percent. This was the first time in the last 10 years that the rate of private health insurance coverage has not decreased. The percentage covered by employment-based health insurance in 2011 was not statistically different from 2010, at 55.1 percent. The percentage of people covered by government health insurance increased from 31.2 percent to 32.2 percent. The percentage covered by Medicaid increased from 15.8 percent in 2010 to 16.5 percent in 2011. The percentage covered by Medicare also rose over the period, from 14.6 percent to 15.2 percent. The percentage covered by Medicaid in 2011 was higher than the percentage covered by Medicare. In 2011, 9.7 percent of children under 19 (7.6 million) were without health insurance. Neither estimate is significantly different from the corresponding 2010 estimate. The uninsured rate also remained statistically unchanged for those age 26 to 34 and people age 45 to 64. It declined, however, for people age 19 to 25, age 35 to 44 and those age 65 and older.

Despite the difficult economy, more Americans have health insurance than a year ago, according to newly released census data. One reason: the new “Obamacare” law allows young adults, up to age 26, to stay on their parents’ insurance. Many others qualified for government programs in 2011, such as Medicaid and Medicare.The pattern is different, though, in Washington state.Young adults were given the right to join their parents plans back in 2007, so there was no sudden boost in 2011. Meanwhile, 27,000 people were forced, by budget cuts, off of the state’s Basic Health Plan.And the decade-long trend continues, of people losing private coverage.“People are dropping their insurance because can no longer afford the cost,” says Stephanie Marquis of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner’s. “If they get employer-sponsored health care, either the employer is dropping the coverage, or they're being laid-off from their jobs and, therefore, no longer have health insurance.”Overall, about 51,000 people in Washington lost coverage last year.The Insurance Commissioner’s office predicts people will continue to lose coverage until the federal health law takes full effect – which is supposed to be in 2014.Other highlights from the US Census "2012 Current Population Survey (CPS)" regarding health insurance: The number of people with health insurance increased to 260.2 million in 2011 from 256.6 million in 2010, as did the percentage of people with health insurance (84.3 percent in 2011, 83.7 percent in 2010). The percentage of people covered by private health insurance in 2011 was not statistically different from 2010, at 63.9 percent. This was the first time in the last 10 years that the rate of private health insurance coverage has not decreased. The percentage covered by employment-based health insurance in 2011 was not statistically different from 2010, at 55.1 percent. The percentage of people covered by government health insurance increased from 31.2 percent to 32.2 percent. The percentage covered by Medicaid increased from 15.8 percent in 2010 to 16.5 percent in 2011. The percentage covered by Medicare also rose over the period, from 14.6 percent to 15.2 percent. The percentage covered by Medicaid in 2011 was higher than the percentage covered by Medicare. In 2011, 9.7 percent of children under 19 (7.6 million) were without health insurance. Neither estimate is significantly different from the corresponding 2010 estimate. The uninsured rate also remained statistically unchanged for those age 26 to 34 and people age 45 to 64. It declined, however, for people age 19 to 25, age 35 to 44 and those age 65 and older.

Despite the difficult economy, more Americans have health insurance than a year ago, according to newly released census data. One reason: the new “Obamacare” law allows young adults, up to age 26, to stay on their parents’ insurance. Many others qualified for government programs in 2011, such as Medicaid and Medicare.The pattern is different, though, in Washington state.Young adults were given the right to join their parents plans back in 2007, so there was no sudden boost in 2011. Meanwhile, 27,000 people were forced, by budget cuts, off of the state’s Basic Health Plan.And the decade-long trend continues, of people losing private coverage.“People are dropping their insurance because can no longer afford the cost,” says Stephanie Marquis of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner’s. “If they get employer-sponsored health care, either the employer is dropping the coverage, or they're being laid-off from their jobs and, therefore, no longer have health insurance.”Overall, about 51,000 people in Washington lost coverage last year.The Insurance Commissioner’s office predicts people will continue to lose coverage until the federal health law takes full effect – which is supposed to be in 2014.Other highlights from the US Census "2012 Current Population Survey (CPS)" regarding health insurance: The number of people with health insurance increased to 260.2 million in 2011 from 256.6 million in 2010, as did the percentage of people with health insurance (84.3 percent in 2011, 83.7 percent in 2010). The percentage of people covered by private health insurance in 2011 was not statistically different from 2010, at 63.9 percent. This was the first time in the last 10 years that the rate of private health insurance coverage has not decreased. The percentage covered by employment-based health insurance in 2011 was not statistically different from 2010, at 55.1 percent. The percentage of people covered by government health insurance increased from 31.2 percent to 32.2 percent. The percentage covered by Medicaid increased from 15.8 percent in 2010 to 16.5 percent in 2011. The percentage covered by Medicare also rose over the period, from 14.6 percent to 15.2 percent. The percentage covered by Medicaid in 2011 was higher than the percentage covered by Medicare. In 2011, 9.7 percent of children under 19 (7.6 million) were without health insurance. Neither estimate is significantly different from the corresponding 2010 estimate. The uninsured rate also remained statistically unchanged for those age 26 to 34 and people age 45 to 64. It declined, however, for people age 19 to 25, age 35 to 44 and those age 65 and older.

Despite the difficult economy, more Americans have health insurance than a year ago, according to newly released census data. One reason: the new “Obamacare” law allows young adults, up to age 26, to stay on their parents’ insurance. Many others qualified for government programs in 2011, such as Medicaid and Medicare.The pattern is different, though, in Washington state.Young adults were given the right to join their parents plans back in 2007, so there was no sudden boost in 2011. Meanwhile, 27,000 people were forced, by budget cuts, off of the state’s Basic Health Plan.And the decade-long trend continues, of people losing private coverage.“People are dropping their insurance because can no longer afford the cost,” says Stephanie Marquis of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner’s. “If they get employer-sponsored health care, either the employer is dropping the coverage, or they're being laid-off from their jobs and, therefore, no longer have health insurance.”Overall, about 51,000 people in Washington lost coverage last year.The Insurance Commissioner’s office predicts people will continue to lose coverage until the federal health law takes full effect – which is supposed to be in 2014.Other highlights from the US Census "2012 Current Population Survey (CPS)" regarding health insurance: The number of people with health insurance increased to 260.2 million in 2011 from 256.6 million in 2010, as did the percentage of people with health insurance (84.3 percent in 2011, 83.7 percent in 2010). The percentage of people covered by private health insurance in 2011 was not statistically different from 2010, at 63.9 percent. This was the first time in the last 10 years that the rate of private health insurance coverage has not decreased. The percentage covered by employment-based health insurance in 2011 was not statistically different from 2010, at 55.1 percent. The percentage of people covered by government health insurance increased from 31.2 percent to 32.2 percent. The percentage covered by Medicaid increased from 15.8 percent in 2010 to 16.5 percent in 2011. The percentage covered by Medicare also rose over the period, from 14.6 percent to 15.2 percent. The percentage covered by Medicaid in 2011 was higher than the percentage covered by Medicare. In 2011, 9.7 percent of children under 19 (7.6 million) were without health insurance. Neither estimate is significantly different from the corresponding 2010 estimate. The uninsured rate also remained statistically unchanged for those age 26 to 34 and people age 45 to 64. It declined, however, for people age 19 to 25, age 35 to 44 and those age 65 and older.

It's not officially called Human Genome 2.0. But, key scientists say the research results published Wednesday should re-kindle some of the promise of the Human Genome Project.One of those key scientists is John Stamatoyannopoloulos of the University of Washington, along with his team of about 40 researchers."One of the important hopes here is that this will reinvigorate drug development that’s built around the genome," he says.The main project is called the "Encyclopedia of DNA Elements," or ENCODE. Stamatoyannopoloulos is one of seven principal investigators, located around the world, involved with the work.The Human Genome Project showed that only about 1.5% of our DNA is actually in the form of genes – the code that makes every cell in our body run -- but the other 98.5% was considered far less important. Since then, scientists have begun to appreciate how vital that other DNA is.For example, much of that extra code determines when a gene is turned "on" or "off."The UW team showed how more than 400 different diseases are related to these portions of the genome that once were labeled "junk DNA," because they were considered unimportant. Their study was published in the journal Science.In the interview (audio above), Stamatoyannopoloulos explains why switching genes on or off makes all the difference in the world.---To explore more about this huge project, which made a splash with 30 different scientific articles published simultaneously this week, check out these sites devoted to ENCODE: http://www.nature.com/news/encode-the-human-encyclopaedia-1.11312 http://www.nature.com/encode/#/threads http://www.encodeproject.org/ENCODE/

It's not officially called Human Genome 2.0. But, key scientists say the research results published Wednesday should re-kindle some of the promise of the Human Genome Project.One of those key scientists is John Stamatoyannopoloulos of the University of Washington, along with his team of about 40 researchers."One of the important hopes here is that this will reinvigorate drug development that’s built around the genome," he says.The main project is called the "Encyclopedia of DNA Elements," or ENCODE. Stamatoyannopoloulos is one of seven principal investigators, located around the world, involved with the work.The Human Genome Project showed that only about 1.5% of our DNA is actually in the form of genes – the code that makes every cell in our body run -- but the other 98.5% was considered far less important. Since then, scientists have begun to appreciate how vital that other DNA is.For example, much of that extra code determines when a gene is turned "on" or "off."The UW team showed how more than 400 different diseases are related to these portions of the genome that once were labeled "junk DNA," because they were considered unimportant. Their study was published in the journal Science.In the interview (audio above), Stamatoyannopoloulos explains why switching genes on or off makes all the difference in the world.---To explore more about this huge project, which made a splash with 30 different scientific articles published simultaneously this week, check out these sites devoted to ENCODE: http://www.nature.com/news/encode-the-human-encyclopaedia-1.11312 http://www.nature.com/encode/#/threads http://www.encodeproject.org/ENCODE/

It's not officially called Human Genome 2.0. But, key scientists say the research results published Wednesday should re-kindle some of the promise of the Human Genome Project.One of those key scientists is John Stamatoyannopoloulos of the University of Washington, along with his team of about 40 researchers."One of the important hopes here is that this will reinvigorate drug development that’s built around the genome," he says.The main project is called the "Encyclopedia of DNA Elements," or ENCODE. Stamatoyannopoloulos is one of seven principal investigators, located around the world, involved with the work.The Human Genome Project showed that only about 1.5% of our DNA is actually in the form of genes – the code that makes every cell in our body run -- but the other 98.5% was considered far less important. Since then, scientists have begun to appreciate how vital that other DNA is.For example, much of that extra code determines when a gene is turned "on" or "off."The UW team showed how more than 400 different diseases are related to these portions of the genome that once were labeled "junk DNA," because they were considered unimportant. Their study was published in the journal Science.In the interview (audio above), Stamatoyannopoloulos explains why switching genes on or off makes all the difference in the world.---To explore more about this huge project, which made a splash with 30 different scientific articles published simultaneously this week, check out these sites devoted to ENCODE: http://www.nature.com/news/encode-the-human-encyclopaedia-1.11312 http://www.nature.com/encode/#/threads http://www.encodeproject.org/ENCODE/

It's not officially called Human Genome 2.0. But, key scientists say the research results published Wednesday should re-kindle some of the promise of the Human Genome Project.One of those key scientists is John Stamatoyannopoloulos of the University of Washington, along with his team of about 40 researchers."One of the important hopes here is that this will reinvigorate drug development that’s built around the genome," he says.The main project is called the "Encyclopedia of DNA Elements," or ENCODE. Stamatoyannopoloulos is one of seven principal investigators, located around the world, involved with the work.The Human Genome Project showed that only about 1.5% of our DNA is actually in the form of genes – the code that makes every cell in our body run -- but the other 98.5% was considered far less important. Since then, scientists have begun to appreciate how vital that other DNA is.For example, much of that extra code determines when a gene is turned "on" or "off."The UW team showed how more than 400 different diseases are related to these portions of the genome that once were labeled "junk DNA," because they were considered unimportant. Their study was published in the journal Science.In the interview (audio above), Stamatoyannopoloulos explains why switching genes on or off makes all the difference in the world.---To explore more about this huge project, which made a splash with 30 different scientific articles published simultaneously this week, check out these sites devoted to ENCODE: http://www.nature.com/news/encode-the-human-encyclopaedia-1.11312 http://www.nature.com/encode/#/threads http://www.encodeproject.org/ENCODE/

It's not officially called Human Genome 2.0. But, key scientists say the research results published Wednesday should re-kindle some of the promise of the Human Genome Project.One of those key scientists is John Stamatoyannopoloulos of the University of Washington, along with his team of about 40 researchers."One of the important hopes here is that this will reinvigorate drug development that’s built around the genome," he says.The main project is called the "Encyclopedia of DNA Elements," or ENCODE. Stamatoyannopoloulos is one of seven principal investigators, located around the world, involved with the work.The Human Genome Project showed that only about 1.5% of our DNA is actually in the form of genes – the code that makes every cell in our body run -- but the other 98.5% was considered far less important. Since then, scientists have begun to appreciate how vital that other DNA is.For example, much of that extra code determines when a gene is turned "on" or "off."The UW team showed how more than 400 different diseases are related to these portions of the genome that once were labeled "junk DNA," because they were considered unimportant. Their study was published in the journal Science.In the interview (audio above), Stamatoyannopoloulos explains why switching genes on or off makes all the difference in the world.---To explore more about this huge project, which made a splash with 30 different scientific articles published simultaneously this week, check out these sites devoted to ENCODE: http://www.nature.com/news/encode-the-human-encyclopaedia-1.11312 http://www.nature.com/encode/#/threads http://www.encodeproject.org/ENCODE/

The rush is on, to get healthier lunches into public school cafeterias. But administrators say you almost need an advanced degree to comply with the latest rules.Training for food workers amounted to two intensive days just before school started this week in Highline Public Schools, a district just south of Seattle."This all came down, just boom," says Chris Neal, Nutrition Services Director for Highline.Whole grains, more vegetables, fewer calories and other changes to the national School Lunch Program were announced last January by First Lady Michelle Obama. But the details of how to translate rules into menus weren't delivered to schools here until late May."I think its all for the good of kids. It just involves a great deal of planning and education to put this out on a spreadsheet and make it work," says Neal.School districts around western Washington – and across the country – are all scrambling. Seattle plans to announce how it's coping with the changes after school starts, next week.Schools must submit all of their lunch and breakfast menus for an audit, and if any part of those menus is out of compliance, they miss out on bonus payments.Highline thought it was ahead of the curve. Through a federal grant, they've been overhauling their menus and making them healthier. But, some of the details caught them off-guard.Extra pressure to try a fruit or vegetableOne of the most visible changes is the requirement that every child take a portion of fruit or vegetable every day. No excuses.The lunch line was moving slowly on the first day of school, Thursday, at Cascade Middle School, in the White Center area south of Seattle. Kids had  trouble remembering their PIN numbers, which is how you pay for lunch these days.Then, they meet Trish Gossage, the friendly lunch lady. She offers a choice of ravioli or chicken nuggets. If they skipped the self-serve veggie and fruit bar, they get a reminder."Okay, make sure you grab a fruit or salad for me, hon'," she says to one seventh-grade boy. As he drops a few pieces of cut-fruit on his tray, she follows-up.  "A little more. You have to get at least a half a cup."He frowns at the fruit. It may end up in the trash. The next kid to get a reminder says he's happy to take a banana. "I just didn’t know the banana was there," says Josiah, also a seventh-grader.If kids skip the fruit and veggie section, the school district could be docked part of its payment. That would come later, when the school gets audited. But they're building habits and not taking any chances.Another rule in play affects what veggies the kids see. Schools must serve vegetables in categories such as red, green, and leafy.At Cascade, that translated into broccoli, carrots, peppers, and a lettuce salad.Another new rule – calorie limits – means many middle school kids will get fewer choices. For the first time, their lunches must have fewer calories than high school lunches, and some entrees will be cut.Limits on PBJ ... and thinner pizzasIn Kent Public Schools, one popular standby has been the peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich. It was available every day, no matter what else was on the menu. No more."We can't do that any more," says Nina Sykes, of the Kent nutrition office. "Now, it will be two or three times per week."There are limits on how many servings of breads can be offered each week.That particular change also means all the pizza dough has to be reformulated, with a thinner crust. The main supplier of dough for schools, Schwan Food Company of Minnesota, reportedly can’t produce the new dough fast enough – creating challenges. Most schools will use the older formula temporarily, and cut back on other bread servings.Overall, the goals of the new lunch menus are: Ensuring students are offered both fruits and vegetables every day of the week; Substantially increasing offerings of whole grain-rich foods; Offering only fat-free or low-fat milk varieties; Limiting calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size; and Increasing the focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium.

The rush is on, to get healthier lunches into public school cafeterias. But administrators say you almost need an advanced degree to comply with the latest rules.Training for food workers amounted to two intensive days just before school started this week in Highline Public Schools, a district just south of Seattle."This all came down, just boom," says Chris Neal, Nutrition Services Director for Highline.Whole grains, more vegetables, fewer calories and other changes to the national School Lunch Program were announced last January by First Lady Michelle Obama. But the details of how to translate rules into menus weren't delivered to schools here until late May."I think its all for the good of kids. It just involves a great deal of planning and education to put this out on a spreadsheet and make it work," says Neal.School districts around western Washington – and across the country – are all scrambling. Seattle plans to announce how it's coping with the changes after school starts, next week.Schools must submit all of their lunch and breakfast menus for an audit, and if any part of those menus is out of compliance, they miss out on bonus payments.Highline thought it was ahead of the curve. Through a federal grant, they've been overhauling their menus and making them healthier. But, some of the details caught them off-guard.Extra pressure to try a fruit or vegetableOne of the most visible changes is the requirement that every child take a portion of fruit or vegetable every day. No excuses.The lunch line was moving slowly on the first day of school, Thursday, at Cascade Middle School, in the White Center area south of Seattle. Kids had  trouble remembering their PIN numbers, which is how you pay for lunch these days.Then, they meet Trish Gossage, the friendly lunch lady. She offers a choice of ravioli or chicken nuggets. If they skipped the self-serve veggie and fruit bar, they get a reminder."Okay, make sure you grab a fruit or salad for me, hon'," she says to one seventh-grade boy. As he drops a few pieces of cut-fruit on his tray, she follows-up.  "A little more. You have to get at least a half a cup."He frowns at the fruit. It may end up in the trash. The next kid to get a reminder says he's happy to take a banana. "I just didn’t know the banana was there," says Josiah, also a seventh-grader.If kids skip the fruit and veggie section, the school district could be docked part of its payment. That would come later, when the school gets audited. But they're building habits and not taking any chances.Another rule in play affects what veggies the kids see. Schools must serve vegetables in categories such as red, green, and leafy.At Cascade, that translated into broccoli, carrots, peppers, and a lettuce salad.Another new rule – calorie limits – means many middle school kids will get fewer choices. For the first time, their lunches must have fewer calories than high school lunches, and some entrees will be cut.Limits on PBJ ... and thinner pizzasIn Kent Public Schools, one popular standby has been the peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich. It was available every day, no matter what else was on the menu. No more."We can't do that any more," says Nina Sykes, of the Kent nutrition office. "Now, it will be two or three times per week."There are limits on how many servings of breads can be offered each week.That particular change also means all the pizza dough has to be reformulated, with a thinner crust. The main supplier of dough for schools, Schwan Food Company of Minnesota, reportedly can’t produce the new dough fast enough – creating challenges. Most schools will use the older formula temporarily, and cut back on other bread servings.Overall, the goals of the new lunch menus are: Ensuring students are offered both fruits and vegetables every day of the week; Substantially increasing offerings of whole grain-rich foods; Offering only fat-free or low-fat milk varieties; Limiting calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size; and Increasing the focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium.

The rush is on, to get healthier lunches into public school cafeterias. But administrators say you almost need an advanced degree to comply with the latest rules.Training for food workers amounted to two intensive days just before school started this week in Highline Public Schools, a district just south of Seattle."This all came down, just boom," says Chris Neal, Nutrition Services Director for Highline.Whole grains, more vegetables, fewer calories and other changes to the national School Lunch Program were announced last January by First Lady Michelle Obama. But the details of how to translate rules into menus weren't delivered to schools here until late May."I think its all for the good of kids. It just involves a great deal of planning and education to put this out on a spreadsheet and make it work," says Neal.School districts around western Washington – and across the country – are all scrambling. Seattle plans to announce how it's coping with the changes after school starts, next week.Schools must submit all of their lunch and breakfast menus for an audit, and if any part of those menus is out of compliance, they miss out on bonus payments.Highline thought it was ahead of the curve. Through a federal grant, they've been overhauling their menus and making them healthier. But, some of the details caught them off-guard.Extra pressure to try a fruit or vegetableOne of the most visible changes is the requirement that every child take a portion of fruit or vegetable every day. No excuses.The lunch line was moving slowly on the first day of school, Thursday, at Cascade Middle School, in the White Center area south of Seattle. Kids had  trouble remembering their PIN numbers, which is how you pay for lunch these days.Then, they meet Trish Gossage, the friendly lunch lady. She offers a choice of ravioli or chicken nuggets. If they skipped the self-serve veggie and fruit bar, they get a reminder."Okay, make sure you grab a fruit or salad for me, hon'," she says to one seventh-grade boy. As he drops a few pieces of cut-fruit on his tray, she follows-up.  "A little more. You have to get at least a half a cup."He frowns at the fruit. It may end up in the trash. The next kid to get a reminder says he's happy to take a banana. "I just didn’t know the banana was there," says Josiah, also a seventh-grader.If kids skip the fruit and veggie section, the school district could be docked part of its payment. That would come later, when the school gets audited. But they're building habits and not taking any chances.Another rule in play affects what veggies the kids see. Schools must serve vegetables in categories such as red, green, and leafy.At Cascade, that translated into broccoli, carrots, peppers, and a lettuce salad.Another new rule – calorie limits – means many middle school kids will get fewer choices. For the first time, their lunches must have fewer calories than high school lunches, and some entrees will be cut.Limits on PBJ ... and thinner pizzasIn Kent Public Schools, one popular standby has been the peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich. It was available every day, no matter what else was on the menu. No more."We can't do that any more," says Nina Sykes, of the Kent nutrition office. "Now, it will be two or three times per week."There are limits on how many servings of breads can be offered each week.That particular change also means all the pizza dough has to be reformulated, with a thinner crust. The main supplier of dough for schools, Schwan Food Company of Minnesota, reportedly can’t produce the new dough fast enough – creating challenges. Most schools will use the older formula temporarily, and cut back on other bread servings.Overall, the goals of the new lunch menus are: Ensuring students are offered both fruits and vegetables every day of the week; Substantially increasing offerings of whole grain-rich foods; Offering only fat-free or low-fat milk varieties; Limiting calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size; and Increasing the focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium.

The rush is on, to get healthier lunches into public school cafeterias. But administrators say you almost need an advanced degree to comply with the latest rules.Training for food workers amounted to two intensive days just before school started this week in Highline Public Schools, a district just south of Seattle."This all came down, just boom," says Chris Neal, Nutrition Services Director for Highline.Whole grains, more vegetables, fewer calories and other changes to the national School Lunch Program were announced last January by First Lady Michelle Obama. But the details of how to translate rules into menus weren't delivered to schools here until late May."I think its all for the good of kids. It just involves a great deal of planning and education to put this out on a spreadsheet and make it work," says Neal.School districts around western Washington – and across the country – are all scrambling. Seattle plans to announce how it's coping with the changes after school starts, next week.Schools must submit all of their lunch and breakfast menus for an audit, and if any part of those menus is out of compliance, they miss out on bonus payments.Highline thought it was ahead of the curve. Through a federal grant, they've been overhauling their menus and making them healthier. But, some of the details caught them off-guard.Extra pressure to try a fruit or vegetableOne of the most visible changes is the requirement that every child take a portion of fruit or vegetable every day. No excuses.The lunch line was moving slowly on the first day of school, Thursday, at Cascade Middle School, in the White Center area south of Seattle. Kids had  trouble remembering their PIN numbers, which is how you pay for lunch these days.Then, they meet Trish Gossage, the friendly lunch lady. She offers a choice of ravioli or chicken nuggets. If they skipped the self-serve veggie and fruit bar, they get a reminder."Okay, make sure you grab a fruit or salad for me, hon'," she says to one seventh-grade boy. As he drops a few pieces of cut-fruit on his tray, she follows-up.  "A little more. You have to get at least a half a cup."He frowns at the fruit. It may end up in the trash. The next kid to get a reminder says he's happy to take a banana. "I just didn’t know the banana was there," says Josiah, also a seventh-grader.If kids skip the fruit and veggie section, the school district could be docked part of its payment. That would come later, when the school gets audited. But they're building habits and not taking any chances.Another rule in play affects what veggies the kids see. Schools must serve vegetables in categories such as red, green, and leafy.At Cascade, that translated into broccoli, carrots, peppers, and a lettuce salad.Another new rule – calorie limits – means many middle school kids will get fewer choices. For the first time, their lunches must have fewer calories than high school lunches, and some entrees will be cut.Limits on PBJ ... and thinner pizzasIn Kent Public Schools, one popular standby has been the peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich. It was available every day, no matter what else was on the menu. No more."We can't do that any more," says Nina Sykes, of the Kent nutrition office. "Now, it will be two or three times per week."There are limits on how many servings of breads can be offered each week.That particular change also means all the pizza dough has to be reformulated, with a thinner crust. The main supplier of dough for schools, Schwan Food Company of Minnesota, reportedly can’t produce the new dough fast enough – creating challenges. Most schools will use the older formula temporarily, and cut back on other bread servings.Overall, the goals of the new lunch menus are: Ensuring students are offered both fruits and vegetables every day of the week; Substantially increasing offerings of whole grain-rich foods; Offering only fat-free or low-fat milk varieties; Limiting calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size; and Increasing the focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium.

It might seem like a space-age fantasy, but there will be a lot of a serious talk in Seattle this weekend about a “space elevator.”You might think of it as a space railroad. In theory, the technology could make going into orbit as cheap and easy as buying a first-class airline ticket.The idea calls for a cable that stretches from a spot on the equator out to an anchor orbiting thousands of miles in space. On that cable, a remote-controlled cabin or elevator zips up and down.“That thing just takes off. Zoom – it just accelerates up that cable … really fast," says David Horn, organizer for America’s tenth annual space elevator meeting, held this weekend at the Museum of Flight. A few years ago, a company from Kent tested a model elevator, using a cable that went from the ground to a helicopter, hovering a kilometer above the ground.“You could barely see it, and you couldn’t even hear it up that high. And there was just this cable was disappearing … so it gave you an idea of what this would look like in the future. You would see a cable start up, and then you couldn’t really see it any more.”Nearly all the Space Elevator Conference meetings have been in Redmond or Seattle. Microsoft is a main sponsor, along with the International Space Elevator Consortium, and some key volunteers live in the area.This animation shows one of the leading ideas for how it would work http://youtu.be/_-XoafyJ9K4The concept of a space elevator has been around for decades. The physics is all worked out. They’re already testing ways to propel it from Earth into the sky (the test using the helicopter was to demonstrate how well a high-powered laser could beam energy to the robotic elevator cabin).Inventing a magical fiberBut it’s stymied by one simple problem – the cable itself. It has to be as light as a feather and strong as steel, or it’ll fall down. People have ideas for this – using carbon nanotechnology. But nobody has been able to make carbon nanotubes into a cable.“I feel absolutely confident that this material is going to be developed,” says Michael Laine, who spent much of the past decade investing nearly $2 million of his own money into a space elevator company called Liftport. It could be next year, or it could be in 50 years, he says.“I made the mistake about trying to put a timeline on it, and you cant do that. You cant forecast a breakthrough.”Why the moon might be better for an elevatorLaine has resurrected Liftport, and he and his buddies have a new idea – build a space elevator on the moon. It could use existing Kevlar or Xylon, because the moon’s gravity is so much weaker. They say it would make it landing on the moon about as easy as putting a satellite into orbit today. The same rockets that routinely put satellites into orbit could instead just dock to the elevator, unload their cargo, and it would swoop over to the moon.If that happened, Laine predicts you could have astronauts on the moon every month, from every country that launches satellites.Liftport is still more of an idea than a company. Laine’s trying to raise $8,000 online through Kickstarter.The space elevator meeting, at the Museum of Flight, includes family events for the public on Saturday.Related stories from KPLU: Space elevator passes first test Local company wants to build a space elevator

It might seem like a space-age fantasy, but there will be a lot of a serious talk in Seattle this weekend about a “space elevator.”You might think of it as a space railroad. In theory, the technology could make going into orbit as cheap and easy as buying a first-class airline ticket.The idea calls for a cable that stretches from a spot on the equator out to an anchor orbiting thousands of miles in space. On that cable, a remote-controlled cabin or elevator zips up and down.“That thing just takes off. Zoom – it just accelerates up that cable … really fast," says David Horn, organizer for America’s tenth annual space elevator meeting, held this weekend at the Museum of Flight. A few years ago, a company from Kent tested a model elevator, using a cable that went from the ground to a helicopter, hovering a kilometer above the ground.“You could barely see it, and you couldn’t even hear it up that high. And there was just this cable was disappearing … so it gave you an idea of what this would look like in the future. You would see a cable start up, and then you couldn’t really see it any more.”Nearly all the Space Elevator Conference meetings have been in Redmond or Seattle. Microsoft is a main sponsor, along with the International Space Elevator Consortium, and some key volunteers live in the area.This animation shows one of the leading ideas for how it would work http://youtu.be/_-XoafyJ9K4The concept of a space elevator has been around for decades. The physics is all worked out. They’re already testing ways to propel it from Earth into the sky (the test using the helicopter was to demonstrate how well a high-powered laser could beam energy to the robotic elevator cabin).Inventing a magical fiberBut it’s stymied by one simple problem – the cable itself. It has to be as light as a feather and strong as steel, or it’ll fall down. People have ideas for this – using carbon nanotechnology. But nobody has been able to make carbon nanotubes into a cable.“I feel absolutely confident that this material is going to be developed,” says Michael Laine, who spent much of the past decade investing nearly $2 million of his own money into a space elevator company called Liftport. It could be next year, or it could be in 50 years, he says.“I made the mistake about trying to put a timeline on it, and you cant do that. You cant forecast a breakthrough.”Why the moon might be better for an elevatorLaine has resurrected Liftport, and he and his buddies have a new idea – build a space elevator on the moon. It could use existing Kevlar or Xylon, because the moon’s gravity is so much weaker. They say it would make it landing on the moon about as easy as putting a satellite into orbit today. The same rockets that routinely put satellites into orbit could instead just dock to the elevator, unload their cargo, and it would swoop over to the moon.If that happened, Laine predicts you could have astronauts on the moon every month, from every country that launches satellites.Liftport is still more of an idea than a company. Laine’s trying to raise $8,000 online through Kickstarter.The space elevator meeting, at the Museum of Flight, includes family events for the public on Saturday.Related stories from KPLU: Space elevator passes first test Local company wants to build a space elevator