Stupid voters enable broken government

(CNN) -- Whenever I visit Washington, I can't help but think this is the town that elected a crackhead as its mayor.

I know, I know it's not PC to say, but just because it's insensitive doesn't mean it isn't true.

But think about this: There is footage of Marion Barry in a room of crack smoke saying, "Bitch set me up." And yet that image, that video did not disqualify him from being seen as a viable political option in the mind of voters. In fact, not only was he re-elected mayor after serving time in a federal prison, today he sits on the City Council, all because he managed to convince enough black people that the video of him with the crack pipe in his mouth was white people's fault.

When analyzing what is wrong with our government, allow me to present this example as Exhibit A.

Exhibit B would be Newt Gingrich, who cheated on two wives and is the only speaker of the House to have been disciplined for ethics violations. And yet somehow he is running for president of the United States as a religious conservative and managed to get 8% of the votes during last week's straw poll in Florida.

Are you freaking kidding me?

The fact that he is even on camera discussing the country's sense of morality during the GOP debates should be offensive to any thinking person regardless of party affiliation. And yet someone, right now, is thinking about sending his campaign a check.

And who can forget Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who last year, in trying to push a controversial immigration law, said law enforcement officials found headless bodies in the desert, the work of a Mexican cartel. But she was forced to admit that wasn't true, that she had "misspoke." What she didn't speak about was her close ties to the private prisons that were set to profit because of the new law. Ties like her campaign manager and her spokesman being former lobbyists for private prison companies. And despite the obvious conflict of interest, she won easily, saying on election Tuesday, "Tonight, the people have redeemed and renewed America."

Nice work, people.

I could go on but I think you see what I'm getting at: The biggest reason government is broken is because of voters.

Let's face it. A lot of us are just plain stupid.

Or at the very least lazy.

We want our candidates to use easy-to-digest buzz words such as "family values" or "clean energy" so we don't have to actually invest too much time thinking. We can just slip our brains into auto-pilot and cruise on into November.

Do I believe our politicians need to be perfect? No.

But damn, you would think people would draw the line at crack.

Or blatant hypocrisy.

Or just making stuff up as a candidate goes along.

Each time Rep. Michele Bachmann insinuates falsehoods into her arguments, as she did earlier this month on the "Today Show" by suggesting HPV vaccinations cause mental retardation, I think: A group of people on auto-pilot in Minnesota did this to us.

When you know important debates are influenced by people who don't like being bothered with facts, you question just how many of the country's problems over the years have been caused by people who should not have been involved in the process in the first place.

But they are because of us. So can we genuinely complain about government without accepting a lot of the blame? I don't think so. After all, they didn't elect themselves. So if we want government to work, we have to be smarter about our choices. It's one thing to have a population with a variety of political sensibilities; it's another to be a country full of idiots. Too many times we vote and consequently govern like the latter.

We have to move away from easy-to-repeat campaign slogans and promises of easy solutions, because we're a country with more than 300 million people, a complicated racial and religious history and the world's largest GDP. There are no easy solutions.

So if you're the kind of person who likes to say "I don't follow politics," let me remind you that no one lives in a vacuum and that sentiment epitomizes what is wrong with our government. I don't blame Sarah Palin for thinking she can still toss her hat in the ring. I blame us voters for creating an environment in which a Palin or a Gingrich or even a reality TV star like Donald Trump can feel as if they can run and even be taken seriously.

Last week I was bombarded with e-mails from readers who said Social Security should be protected because they paid into it, but they didn't care about Medicaid or Medicare because the government pays for those. And in 13 months some of these people will be voting for president.

You want to know what's wrong with government? 

STOP EATING AT MCDONALDS

Well it  time to retire Ronald McDonald? Not according to the top brass at McDonald's.

The fast-food giant hit back at a group of 550 doctors and health-care professionals who took out ads in U.S. newspapers demanding that the company do away with its redheaded clown mascot and its other marketing towards kids.

"Stop making the next generation sick -- retire Ronald and the rest of your junk-food marketing to kids," said Dr. Steven Rothschild, an associate professor of preventative medicine at Rush Medical College in a release on Wednesday.

Fast food is very tempting to consumers because of its convenience. It’s so easy to swing through the drive thru on your way home from work, starving, and order a super size extra value meal for yourself, spouse, and kids. The food is fairly cheap and you usually won’t spend more than five minutes in line. If the food that fast food companies are serving were actually good for you this would be an ideal situation. However this is not the case. Instead, fast food companies are profiting off of clogging your arteries resulting in heart disease.

Here's Why Fast Food is Bad for You

By fast food, I'm not just talking about products that are processed and pre-prepared so that they can be cooked fast and handed over to the customer within a matter of minutes, such as is popular in the almost omni-present burger and fries restaurants that are advertised on TV all the time. I'm also including a lot of stuff that you buy at the supermarket that you pop into the microwave and have a ready meal for the family in a matter of minutes.

Convenience foods, or foods that require no preparation or traditional cooking by busy mothers trying to juggle a full time job with looking after a family are equally as unhealthy and unwholesome as the burgers and pizzas you get from fast food outlets. Here's why.

Foods that are processed and made into what can best be described as ready meals often contain few in any nutritional ingredients. They are bulked out with pasta, breadcrumbs, corn flour, processed potato, processed egg and milk products as well as hydrogenated vegetable oil, saturated fats, gums, sugar substitutes etc, then made to taste good by the addition of herbs and spices, salt, monosodium glutamate and sugars. They also contain artificial colours and preservatives as well as some artificial flavourings just to complete the unhealthy package!

As long as fast food companies are making money off of their 1,000 calorie burgers, they will continue to sell them. The best way to prevent weight gain associated with a fast food diet is to completely cut fast food out of your diet. Drive right by those golden arches and hurry home where you can make a healthy meal. Completely removing fast food from your diet is similar to detox; it removes the addictive properties found in fast food.

Also, exercise is a vital aspect that is missing in most people’s daily lives. This is an essential piece of the puzzle to reverse the effects of high calorie fast food diets. Incorporating some type of a daily exercise routine will decrease your risk of heart disease ten fold.

STOP EATING FAST FOOD

Most fast food is bad for your health. Ground beef is okay to eat once in awhile in moderation, but I wouldn’t make a habit of eating beef every day.
 Not only is fast food proven to be bad for the health because of its high fat content and the probable health hazards fast food chains are prone to, but also its effect on employment and agricultural concerns. 
Studies have proven that vegetarians and those people who only eat poultry, fish, and turkey, with small amounts of beef are healthier. They have lower cholesterol levels, less digestive disturbances, and way less colon cancer incidence.


Unfortunately, many folks in America have become dependent on fast food dining because it is fast and it’s convenient. Fast food is addicting not just because of the food, but because it is convenient to people’s pocket book as well as place of work.

But are there other ways that people can still get these benefits, but eat a healthier lunch? Sure there is.

There are far better ways to eat and still make it convenient and money saving. If you must go out to fast food once in awhile, only eat foods that are grilled and not fried. This can be a grilled chicken salad or sandwich.

Some days of the week you can either bring your own soup or salad from home, or you can find a sit down restaurant that serves healthy fare.

Don’t let yourself become addicted to the conveniences of fast food. There are other options. Sometimes we have to choose health over convenience. If you think it is already too late and you’ve gained needless weight from too much fast food, you can opt to do a colon cleanse and clean out your system.

Fast food is bad due to the cravings it creates. Doing a colon cleanse and eliminating toxins will take the cravings for greasy and sugary food away from you. It will also get you back on track to getting healthy once again.

Stop eating fast food today

 The impact to health from fast food is quite staggering when it is consumed on a regular basis. Unfortunately, an ever growing number of households are doing exactly that, as fewer and fewer families rely on someone doing any conventional cooking using fresh food ingredients. Far too many households feed themselves on a constant, daily diet of microwaved ready meals with very little or zero fresh fruit or vegetables. Then they "treat" themselves to a meal out, by visiting a burger or pizza restaurant, or if they're feeling in need of a healthy meal, a steak and fries restaurant!

Here's what's wrong with that.

When your diet is lacking in fresh fruit and vegetables, your intake of essential nutrients that are derived from these sources is almost zero. Your intake of dietary fiber is also low to nonexistent.By replacing fresh wholesome food with processed, additive laden food, you do the following things to your body:

*Raise your blood pressure
*Increase the levels of bad (LDL) cholesterol
 *Retard your metabolic rate (the rate at which you digest, process and eliminate food)
*Weaken your immune system
*Destabilize your blood sugar levels
*Reduce the ability of your colon to function properly 


5 Tips To Stop Eating Fast Food

1. Make a firm decision - Every road starts with a single step and a decision. You need to be firm in your desire to give up fast food. If you don't really want to do this, you will probably be tempted and won't be able to resist. Just keep thinking how bad it is to your health and figure.

2. Eat Before going out - One of the reasons we fall prey to fast foods is simply because we are hungry when we go out to the mall or anywhere else where these restaurants are present. If you eat a little something before going out, you won't feel the need to eat anything more.

3. Carry a snack - a good habit is to carry a small and healthy snack around with you to fight off any sudden pangs of hunger. A granola bar or a piece of tasty fruit make great snacks. They will help you fight off temptation and eat healthy.

4. Eat more often - One of the rules of a good diet is to eat small and often. We feel more satiated when we eat often as out body constantly has something in it. Eat 5-6 small meals each day and you will feel a lot less hungry and will also be able to better fight off food cravings.

5. Find a buddy - Eating is a social action and often we eat fast food simply because our friends eat it. We don't want to be left alone. To overcome this social pressure, you need to find an eating buddy with whom to share more healthy meals. This will help you to stop eating fast foods and still have company when you eat.

College student stabs roommate to death

(CNN) -- A college student stabbed her roommate to death in the apartment they shared at a university in Maryland, police said Friday

The incident occurred at Bowie State University on Thursday night. The victim, 18-year-old Dominique Frazier, was found unconscious and bleeding in the hallway of the student housing, police said.

The victim's 19-year-old roommate was arrested. Her name was not released.

"The preliminary investigation indicates the victim and suspect became involved in an argument in their suite that escalated into a physical confrontation," Maryland State Police said in a statement.

Nevada air race crash

Reno, Nevada (CNN) -- A pilot lost control of his vintage plane during an air race over the skies of Reno, Nevada, plummeting toward thousands of spectators before narrowly missing a grandstand and slamming into box seats.

At least three people died and more than 50 people were transported from the scene with injuries, officials said shortly after the crash Friday at the National Championship Air Races and Air Show.

According to one local hospital, Renown Medical Center, they received 27 patients, 12 who were in critical condition. It reported that two patients -- a male and a female -- died.

On Saturday morning, patients were either in surgery, awaiting surgery, or transferred to a room, the hospital said.

Renown South Meadows Medical Center received four patients, all in fair condition.

St. Mary's Hospital in Reno said it had accepted 25 patients Friday evening from the accident. A spokeswoman for the hospital did not release the conditions of the patients.

The pilot, identified as Jimmy Leeward, a real estate developer from Ocala, Florida, was killed in the crash, according to a show official.

The 74-year-old was flying a P-51 Mustang. The event has been canceled and a memorial service will be held for the pilot Saturday afternoon, the show said.

A day before the crash, in an interview from Airshow TV, Leeward expressed confidence about his prospects in the race -- while hinting that his team would fly even faster in the days to come.


"We're as fast as anybody in the field, and maybe even faster," he said. "We've been playing poker since last Monday, so we're ready to show a couple more cards (so) we'll see what happens."

Several witnesses were calling the pilot a hero because he maneuvered the plane away from the crowded grandstands at the last moment.

Ben Cissell said the plane crashed about 100 feet from where he was seated.

"I think that pilot in the last seconds pulled up because he saw the bleachers and saved about 200 or 300 others," Cissell said.

"I don't mean this as a disrespect to others injured, but that pilot is a hero. He saved a lot of lives today. It could have been much worse."

Kim Fonda said she also saw the plane streaking toward where she was seated in the grandstand.

"I closed my eyes and said I am going to die now," Fonda said. "I was literally preparing to die and then he jerked the plane away and it landed like 25 feet from us. I want his family to know he was a hero."

Video of the crash, posted on YouTube, showed a plane plummeting from the sky, sending up clouds of dust and debris. Shocked spectators rose to their feet.

Fred Scholz, a witness, said he saw the plane seemingly "coming straight down."

"I thought he was coming right on top of us," he said, noting that the aircraft hit about 100 feet from him.

"Luckily there was no fire, which surprised me," said Scholz, 59, from Truckee, California, who says he goes to air races ever year. "It just happened so quickly."

Another witness, Greg Mills, added that the pilot "didn't have enough altitude to pull up," with the aircraft shuddering before slamming to the ground about 50 to 75 yards from where he was standing.

"We got showered by little stuff," said Mills, who works at the Pacific Aviation Museum based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, describing a chaotic scene afterward. "Everybody was running."

The National Transportation Safety Board has sent a team to investigate the crash.

The plane, called the "Galloping Ghost," was taking part in a qualifying round in the "unlimited class" division of the air race when it went down around 4:15 p.m. PT Friday, said Mike Draper, the show spokesman. The final rounds had been slated for the weekend.

The aircraft was about a lap into the race when the pilot sent out a "Mayday signal" and pulled "out of the lap" before crashing into a box seat area that is in front of a grandstand about 15 miles north of Reno, Draper said.

"It was clear that (the plane) was pulling up and was in distress," he said.

He added that authorities do not know why the aircraft went down.

Besides the Federal Aviation Administration personnel already there to assist the National Transportation Safety Board in the investigation, the show's spokesman said that National Guard members -- who were on-site practicing before the incident -- are helping emergency personnel to clear the area.

"There are people still being escorted out of that area with various injuries," Draper said.

Reno Mayor Bob Cashell told CNN that "700 or 800 emergency personnel showed up in a matter of minutes."

"You couldn't believe how fast they came," said Cashell, adding that residents and some troops on site also helped with the injured. "Just watching these people and the way they responded, and it's been magnificent."

Local fire officials are reporting multiple fatalities and critical injuries, according to Ian Gregor, a spokesman with the FAA.

He said the aircraft did not catch fire, but there was a wide debris field following the crash.

Gary Arthur, another witness to the accident, said the plane wavered a few times, suggesting the pilot had tried to get control before going down.

"Just the sound of the impact was unbelievable," he said. "Almost can't believe you saw what actually happened."

In 2007, a mid-air collision during the annual National Championship Air Races in Reno claimed the life of one of the two pilots involved. The collision was the latest in a string of accidents that plagued the races that week, killing three pilots.

3 dead and hundreds injured after crash at Reno air show

RENO, Nev. — As thousands watched in horror, a World War II-era fighter plane competing in a Nevada air show race suddenly pitched upward, rolled and did a nose-dive toward the crowded grandstand.
 At least three people were killed and more than 50 injured. It was feared the death toll could rise. Air race officials said an update would be provided within the hour.

The plane, flown by a 74-year-old veteran Hollywood stunt pilot, slammed into the concrete in a section of VIP box seats and blew to pieces in front the pilot's family and a tight-knit group of friends who attend the annual event in Reno.

"It absolutely disintegrated," said Tim O'Brien of Grass Valley Calif., who attends the races every year. "I've never seen anything like that before."

The crash, which happened just before 4:30 p.m. during the National Championship Air Races at the Reno-Stead Airport, left a horrific scene strewn with smoking debris.

Bloodied bodies were spread across the area as people tended to the victims and ambulances rushed to the scene. Video of the aftermath showed a man with his leg severed at the knee.

Obama pauses for beer with future Medal of Honor recipient

Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama enjoyed a beer with Dakota Meyer on the patio outside the Oval Office Wednesday. The president will present Meyer with the Medal of Honor Thursday during a ceremony at the White House.

According to a series of tweets by White House spokesman Jay Carney, when a member of the president's staff called Meyer over the weekend to prepare, Meyer made a special request.

"On 9/8/09, Meyer, then a 21-year-old Marine corporal, repeatedly risked his own life to save the lives of 36 U.S. and Afghan troops," Carney tweeted. "Over the weekend, the president's staff called Meyer in preparation for Thursday's Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House."

"Meyer asked the staffer if he could have a beer with the President," Carney said.

"POTUS invited Dakota to come by the White House this afternoon."

STOP EATING AT MCDONALD'S TODAY

 In 2007, the employees of an Orlando-area McDonald’s were caught on camera pouring milk into the milkshake machine out of a bucket labeled “Soiled Towels Only.” That particular restaurant had already been cited for 12 different sanitary violations. Though McDonald’s proudly stands by its safety standards, and not every restaurant has such notorious incidents, the setting of a fast food restaurant staffed with low-paid employees at a high turnover rate arguably encourages bending the rules. (McDonald’s isn’t alone in this, of course – Burger King is actually ranked as the dirtiest of all the fast food chains.

You would have to walk 7 hours straight to burn off a Super Sized Coke, fries and Big Mac. Even indulging in fast food as an occasional treat is a recipe for weight gain…unless you’re planning to hit each treadmill in the treadmill bay afterwards.


How about those arteries? Surely all that food can’t be bad, right? Well, while there are some fast food restaurants out there that are trying to keep better items on their menus, most still offer the same old thing that they always have. So, not only do you run the risk of gaining weight where you don’t want to, you also run the risk of a heart attack or worse. So, now, are the health risks of McDonalds food really worth the burger that they came on?

And these are just two of the risks that are associated with fast foods. To learn more about what other problems these foods cause, you can check on the Internet or you can head down to your local library to find books on the subject. Any way you cut it though, fast foods are just not good for you or for anyone.

STOP EATING AT MCDONALD'S TODAY

 Here’s the Truth About McDonalds Food

1. Beef contains significant quantities of the most toxic organic chemical known - dioxin. This chemical is toxic in the trillionths of grams. (A trillionth of a gram, called a picogram, is one million millionth of a gram. A gram is about 1/30th of an ounce.) Dioxin has been linked to cancer, endometriosis, Attention Deficit Disorder (hyperactivity in children), reproductive systems defects in children, chronic fatigue syndrome, immune system deficiency, and rare nerve and blood disorders. A single hamburger (a little less than 1/4 lb, or 100 grams) contains up to 100 picograms of dioxin. That is 300 times as much as the EPA says is "acceptable" for a daily dose for an adult! There are some scientists who say that there is no acceptable dose; they say that any dose can cause toxic effects, because dioxin is a hormone disrupting chemical which changes the functioning of our cells, against which we have no defense. The dioxin comes from microscopic particles of ash from incinerators that have settled on grass and crops eaten by the beef cattle, pigs, and chickens. All farm animals are affected - even herds grown on "all-natural" feed.

2. The huge amount of beef that we consume, in combination with the usual side-orders of other fatty foods (such as french fries) and caffeine and refined sugars (cola beverages) appears to be one of the major causes of obesity in the U.S. and Europe. Beef is "dumped" into our schools by the beef industry and the USDA - beef producers are paid by the government for "surplus" beef (the vast amount they cannot sell) which is subsequently "donated" to school lunch programs, helping our children to get hooked on this unhealthy food.

3. Beef production is the major cause of the destruction of the world's rainforests. The high price of beef encourages ranchers to burn the forest to create new rangelands. The fragile, thin rainforest soil cover is quickly destroyed by grazing in 1-2 years, and the ranchers move on to burn another area, in a never-ending cycle of destruction. Thousands of species of plants and animals have already been destroyed forever, as well as straining the earth's ability to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. At current rates, the rainforests will be totally destroyed in 30-50 years.

4. Beef production is the major cause of "desertification" around the world - the rapid degradation of marginal, low-rainfall soil areas into desert. The constant pounding of the hoofs of cattle disturbs and eventually destroys the delicate root systems which keep the topsoil layer intact. Erosion by winds or storms removes the topsoil, leaving the sand or clay subsoil layer behind.

5. Beef production is a serious social justice issue. Beef cattle and their grazing land take up nearly a quarter of the land mass of the earth, to supply beef to the U.S., Europe, and Japan. About one third of the world's grain harvest is used for feed for cattle instead of food for people. In the U.S., that figure is over 70 percent. It takes 16 pounds of grain to produce a single pound of beef. This, in a world where nearly a billion people lack enough food, is unjust. Beef production for the developed parts of the world is severely limiting the amount of food available for people in the poor and developing world.

6. Beef can harbor a deadly new germ, called e. coli O157:H7. This new germ is now a major cause of serious food poisoning. Beef and dairy cattle can carry the germ with no apparent adverse health effects. The germ, found in cattle feces, has contaminated beef and produce grown with cow manure. So far it has killed dozens of people and sickened thousands. In August, 1997, 25 million pounds of beef were recalled, the largest food recall in the world's history, because of O157:H7 contamination of beef destined to Burger King restaurants. The precautions against the germ - including cooking to 160º F (71º C) - reveals a disgusting side of beef production - there is no way to prevent fecal contamination during slaughter.

7. The consumption of beef and fast food "restaurants" that promote it have created a new, super-exploitative work environment. High school students and people in poverty have learned an old social order - the sweatshop. The frenetic pace of a McDonalds or Burger King at lunch or dinner time is easily a match for the non-unionized factories and garment shops of the '20s in the U.S. (or most developing countries today). But this is the modern U.S. sweatshop, where we are all members of a "team" working for the common good - minimum wages and windfall profits.

8. Beef consumption has created a self-perpetuating and rapidly-expanding distortion of local economies all over the world. As more McDonalds "restaurants" are established and beef consumption rises, more arable land is consumed for grazing and cattle feed. In developing countries, the local economy changes from one based on local food markets and trade to one based on beef exports, enriching a few wealthy landowners and merchants and impoverishing the rest.

9. The "fast-food" industry giants that promote beef - McDonalds, Burger King, and Wendy's - have created and encouraged an artificial, plastic, uniform, standard "restaurant" environment that, because of their powerful advertising media, discourages diversity and local and ethnic culture in restaurants and in food choices. Beef - served as hamburgers - has been the driving force for this shift in how we view food and eating in the U. S.

10. The beef "fast-food" industry, notably McDonalds and Burger King, especially targets children in its marketing. As a result, millions of children (and in many cases, their parents) associate eating at those "restaurants" as a fun, positive, healthful eating experience. Obesity and other afflictions associated with excess animal fat intake and sedentary lifestyle are now affecting young adults and children in increasing numbers.

Sources: 1994 EPA Dioxin Reassessment, Dying From Dioxin by Lois Gibbs, Beyond Beef by Jeremy Rifkin, fact sheets from the McLibel case (Great Britain), Diet For A Small Planet by Francis Moore Lappe, Mother Jones magazine.

Obama and jobs

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama is preparing to roll out proposals Thursday totaling $300 billion or more to strengthen the shaky economy and stimulate new job growth, according to Democratic sources.

While some sources put the size of the package at roughly $300 billion, one Democrat familiar with the president's plan said Wednesday that the working figure was growing and could top $400 billion.

The plan would be paid for partly by closing corporate loopholes and raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans in the future, one Democrat familiar with the plan told CNN.

Obama is expected to unveil his proposal -- focused largely on infrastructure spending, targeted tax cuts and aid to state and local governments -- during a Thursday evening address to a joint session of Congress.

"I'm going to propose ways to put America back to work that both parties can agree to, because I still believe both parties can work together to solve our problems," the president said in a Labor Day speech in Detroit.


White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Wednesday that the plan would comprise steps that are "reasonable, pragmatic and effective" by "any objective analysis." Carney also repeatedly insisted the package would be fully paid for, though he refused to provide details.

The measure could include $120 billion to extend the current payroll tax cut, according to the source familiar with the plan. The cut, which cost $112 billion so far, allows employees to pay 4.2% instead of 6.2% on their first $106,800 of wages into Social Security.

Obama's proposal could also include $50 billion to extend further unemployment benefits, which were lengthened to the current 99-week maximum in 2009. Top Democrats argue that such money will immediately be pumped back into the economy in the form of new consumer spending.

In addition, the plan could propose $100 billion for infrastructure development such as repairing roads and bridges.

The plan's prospects in a sharply polarized Congress entering a new presidential election season appear murky at best. Some Republicans have already dismissed it, saying any proposal from the president will amount to little more than a continuation of what they characterize as his failed 2009 stimulus plan.

Rep. Paul Broun, R-Georgia, is not planning on attending Obama's speech, choosing instead to comment on it via Twitter, according to his office.

Steve Bell, senior director of the bipartisan Economic Policy Project, said Wednesday that the scope of the plan is too small.

"It doesn't even sound good," he said, arguing instead for a $640 billion, 12-month payroll tax holiday for employers and employees.

Greater access to credit and more economic predictability is what's important to business owners, said Patty Briguglio, who owns a public relations firm.

"I want leadership that gives me an environment where I can plan for the future," she said.

Among the other options believed to be under consideration by the administration: $30 billion to refurbish schools, along with more money in state aid for both teachers and first responders.

Cash-strapped municipalities could receive federal assistance through a new version of the expired Build America Bonds program, which allowed state and municipal agencies to issue taxable bonds with the federal government subsidizing 35% of the interest payments. Money raised through a renewed version of the program could be used for a variety of infrastructure projects.

Obama's proposal could also include patent reform and the creation of an "infrastructure bank" started with as little as $10 billion to help spur new private-sector projects. Ultimately, interest paid on the loans would make the bank self-sufficient.

Meanwhile, small businesses could be targeted with a number of incentives designed to encourage hiring, including an employer payroll tax cut, tax cuts for hiring Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, and tax credits for hiring the long-term unemployed.

Obama may also propose a new jobs training program modeled on a Georgia initiative that allows those receiving unemployment insurance to be placed at a local company for up to eight weeks of training.

In addition, a repatriation tax holiday has been under consideration. American corporations currently have more than $1 trillion stashed overseas to avoid paying the 35% corporate tax rate. If lawmakers were to pass a repatriation measure, companies may be allowed to bring that money back to the United States while paying a reduced tax rate.

Proponents of such a measure argue that corporations could use the funds to hire more workers.

Looking abroad, the president is considered likely to renew his push for congressional approval of stalled free trade deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama. The measures, despite the congressional roadblock, have relatively broad bipartisan support.

huge Texas wildfire

An elite search team was set to arrive Wednesday in Bastrop County, Texas, where firefighters were battling a huge blaze that has killed at least two people.

"I cannot emphasize enough to Texans in the impacted areas the importance of heeding all warnings from local officials, especially evacuation orders, as these fires are mean, swift and highly dangerous," Gov. Rick Perry said.

The 600-member Texas Task Force 1 will assist local officials and first responders, Perry said.

A leadership team from the task force arrived Tuesday. "Based on the needs of local officials, a wide area search team consisting of approximately 100 members and nearly one dozen search canines will be in Bastrop Wednesday morning to work with the local incident management team and assist with search operations," Perry's office said in a statement.

The announcement did not say that anyone was missing, but said Perry made the decision to send in the team after being "briefed on the potential loss of life."

Wildfires, which have been raging across the state for nearly 300 days, have claimed 120,000 acres in the past week alone.


The Bastrop County Complex fire, near Austin, is the largest. It began Sunday and has spread across 33,000 acres, forcing the evacuations of at least 5,000 people, officials said Tuesday.

Winds are expected to be relatively calm Wednesday, as they were Tuesday, but humidity is likely to drop "into the very dry 10% to 20% range this afternoon," said HLN meteorologist Bob Van Dillen. "That's the real danger today."

There is an air quality alert Wednesday for San Antonio, Austin, Victoria, Houston and Galveston, said CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen.

At the local convention center in Bastrop, evacuees were stopping by to pick up supplies and water.

"It's shocking, mostly, not knowing what the end result is going to be," Bill Ludwig said.

Linda Arebalos said that while her house can be replaced, "all the memories is what really hurts, hits the heart." She said she thought about the baby pictures, the things her children made in elementary school, "the things I put up to save to give to their kids. And it's gone. It hurts."

Jerry Hooten found little more than ashes when he returned to his home and the burned-out shells of cars he had to leave behind.

"We ain't happy about it, but we're all alive," said Hooten, who is staying at an RV park outside the danger zone.

"I don't think it's registered in our brains that our house is gone and that, really, half of Bastrop is gone," said evacuee Claire Johnson.

The Bastrop fire was 30% contained Wednesday morning, the Texas Forest Service said.

The two people killed by the blaze were not public safety personnel, according to incident command officials, who declined to offer details.

The deaths raise the overall toll from the outbreak of fires to four lives lost. A wildfire killed a woman and her 18-month-old child Sunday when flames engulfed their home near Gladewater, officials said.

The Texas Forest Service said it has responded to 181 fires over the last week.

The fires have destroyed more than 700 homes since Sunday, according to the forest service. More than 1,000 homes have burned in the state since fire season began in November.

The danger from a fire near Houston -- called the Magnolia fire -- appeared to be lessening for the most populated areas. Officials in Harris County, which includes Houston, said the fire was no longer a threat there. Also, many residents were allowed back into their homes Tuesday in neighboring Montgomery County.

About 4,000 homes in Montgomery had been evacuated, according to Lt. Dan Norris of the county's emergency management office. Firefighters continued to battle hot spots in Montgomery, but the bulk of the problems from the Magnolia fire appeared to be centered in Waller and Grimes counties, Norris said.

Another blaze in Grimes County, the Riley Road fire, has destroyed 20 homes and has hundreds more in its path, the forest service said. It had burned 5,000 acres by late Tuesday, according to the forest service.

So far in 2011, 7.2 million acres of grass, scrub and forest have burned in wildfires nationwide. Of those, some 3.5 million acres -- nearly half -- have been in Texas, according to Inciweb, a fire-tracking website maintained by state and federal agencies.

Wednesday marked the 296th consecutive day of wildfires in Texas, according to Inciweb.

More than 2,000 firefighters are working fires across the state, said Tom Boggus, director of the Texas Forest Service.

Two major fires in Travis County destroyed 44 structures and damaged 74 others, Roger Wade, a spokesman for the Travis County Sheriff's Office, said Tuesday.

Authorities allowed residents of the Steiner Ranch area, burned by one of those Travis fires, to return to their homes Tuesday afternoon. Nichelle Bielinski was among those.

Standing amid the ruin of her two-story house, where smoke was still rising, she took stock.

"I'm OK," she said. "I am the luckiest person in the world. My family is safe."

The drought in Texas has cost the state an estimated $5 billion this year in loss of crops and livestock, said CNN meteorologist Chad Myers. "Now fires are adding to that number."

Obama and $300 billion jobs package

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama is preparing to roll out a roughly $300 billion plan to strengthen the shaky economy and stimulate new job growth, according to multiple Democratic sources.

The president is expected to unveil his plan -- focused partly on new infrastructure spending and targeted tax cuts -- during an address to a joint session of Congress Thursday evening.

"I'm going to propose ways to put America back to work that both parties can agree to, because I still believe both parties can work together to solve our problems," Obama said in a Labor Day speech in Detroit.

The plan's prospects in a sharply polarized Congress -- particularly with the 2012 presidential primary season looming -- appear murky at best. Some Republicans have already dismissed it, saying any proposal from the president will amount to little more than a continuation of what they characterize as his failed 2009 stimulus plan.


Rep. Paul Broun, R-Georgia, is not planning on attending Obama's speech, choosing instead to comment on it via Twitter, according to his office.

Steve Bell, senior director of the bipartisan Economic Policy Project, told CNN Wednesday that the proposed scope of the plan is too small.

"It doesn't even sound good," he said, arguing instead for a $640 billion, 12-month payroll tax holiday for employers and employees.

Greater access to credit and more economic predictability is what's important to business owners, said Patty Briguglio, who owns a public relations firm.

"I want leadership that gives me an environment where I can plan for the future," she said.

Among the options under consideration: an "infrastructure bank" started with as little as $10 billion to help spur new private-sector projects. Ultimately, interest paid on the loans would make the bank self-sufficient.

The president may also propose the creation of a new tax credit for businesses that hire unemployed workers. A similar measure -- the $13 billion HIRE Act -- was in place for much of 2010, but has since expired.

Obama is also expected to push for another extension of unemployment benefits, which were lengthened to the current 99-week maximum in 2009. The 13-month extension came with a price tag of $56.5 billion, though top Democrats argue that such money is immediately pumped back into the economy.

Patent reform is also on the president's agenda, along with a continuation of the current payroll tax cut. The cut, which cost $112 billion so far, allows employees to pay 4.2% instead of 6.2% on their first $106,800 of wages into Social Security.

Christopher Zane, owner of a bicycle shop, told CNN Wednesday that the current cut is not enough to entice him to hire additional employees.

"When you look at the payroll tax breaks, they are minimal," he said. "There's not enough behind it to justify the pain that can be created by hiring people if you don't necessarily need them."

Obama may also propose a new jobs training program modeled on a Georgia initiative that allows those receiving unemployment insurance to be placed at a local company for up to eight weeks of training.

Cash-strapped municipalities could also receive new federal assistance through a new version of the expired Build America Bonds program, which allowed state and municipal agencies to issue taxable bonds with the federal government subsidizing 35% of the interest payments. Money raised through a renewed version of the program could be used for infrastructure projects such as the rebuilding of highways and upgrading of rail systems.

A repatriation tax holiday has also been under consideration. American corporations currently have more than $1 trillion stashed overseas in order to avoid paying the 35% corporate tax rate. If lawmakers were to pass a repatriation measure, companies may be allowed to bring that money back to the United States while paying a reduced tax rate.

Proponents of such a measure argue that corporations could use the funds to hire more workers.

Looking abroad, the president is considered likely to renew his push for congressional approval of stalled free trade deals with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama. The measures, despite the congressional roadblock, have relatively broad bipartisan support.

New York City Prediction Earthquake or Tsunami coming March 2011 Elevated Ocean Water Temperatures

tags: 2011, 2011 at 245 pm our time 7 am est) Ocean City MD, 2011 based on high water temperatures linda randall photos, disaster predictions march 12, east of australia and south of japan (tsunami hit and earthquake of 9.2 march 11, GA? USA Samoa, Galveston Channel TX, IL, linda randall, Marquette County high, md, MI, MI USA Boston MA, new jersey, new jersey earthquake tsunami prediction march 12, new york city, New York City Prediction Earthquake or Tsunami coming March 2011 Elevated Ocean Water Temperatures, New York City Prediction Earthquake or Tsunami coming March 2011?, new york city usa, ocean temperature levels high in maryland, president barack obama twitter, the idea girl, USA, USA **MD is really high - going from double to triple the temperature**, USA - this is out in the north pacific ocean, USA Harbour Beach, USA Reddy Point, USA Solomons Island, USA Wake Island, writing

if you look at the difference in ocean temperatures you will see that japans is higher just before the earthquake hit. compared to earlier data.

I had a prediction of a meteor or something to hit new york city – new jersey on |Feb 22, 2011

http://victoriastaffordapsychicinvestigation.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/meteorite-collision/

when i googled some numbers that came to mind i got

60 N -73.98765

New york, new jersey. on map

I assumed it was a meteor coming to hit the earth but maybe it’s a earthquake or a tsunami?

I just sent a tweet to obama i don’t know who else to send this too but the temperatures in and around new york city for the oceans and waters have doubled.

It’s been bugging me since earlier this evening around 330pm today.

I sent a tweet around 8 pm (guessing) to obama when i got home after the movie “battle La” which i’ll do a review on my other blog for.

here’s the data to compare too.

i looked for any temps higher then the average and they are all centered in that area around new york city.

http://www.sea-temperature.com/country_water/usa/31

i just figured this out at 131 am, i’ve been trying to figure out a way to back up my dream/ vision with

scientific evidence and i look for it on google , couldn’t find anything.

i went and did a long meditation from 9pm till 12 midnight and dozed off and just woke up because it’s bugging me to blog it and

give you the details on what to look at.

you need to compare the temperatures of the oceans buoys, if they spike match it with earthquake data and see if i’m right.

the temp of the water doubles or is significantly higher just before the earthquake hits.

now on the charts you will notice theres a large portion of areas which normally are 20 degrees in temp and they are at 0 which is a sign

of instability according to your hurricane formation data for the gulf of mexico.

since i don’t have a clue where any cities are in the united states i google map them in a cluster here

http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

these are the cities with higher or double water – ocean temperature readings at 134 am EST March 12, 2011 – Sat

Galveston Channel TX, USA

*i put new york city in to see where it is it’s in the MIDDLE of ALL these HIGH temperatures*

Marquette County high , MI, USA

Wake Island, IL, USA

Solomons Island, MD, USA

Reddy Point, MD USA

Samoa, USA – this is out in the north pacific ocean, east of australia and south of japan (tsunami hit and earthquake of 9.2 march 11, 2011 at 245 pm our time 7 am est)

Ocean City MD, USA

Harbour Beach, MI USA

Boston MA, USA

**MD is really high – going from double to triple the temperature**

If I’m right they need to evacuate the lower mainland in new york city if an earthquake occurs it will be a big one as the scientists have been predicting since 2010 (youtube and blog posts from labs were found on the net). Which could cause a Tsunami?

I don’t know everything but just in case, I’m blogging the details of my findings.

will post on obama’s twitter and hopefully they will take a look and see it.

there is earthquake activity in greece west of japan and east of new york city it’s at 2.7 7 hours ago and 3 hours ago it’s at 3.4 so there is pressure building in that area which can richochet or hit italy too haven’t checked water temps there

need to find the buoys readings page (google for it)

latest readings on earthquakes in past 24 hours is mostly in around Greece and Agean Sea in Europe.

http://www.emsc-csem.org/#2

papua indonesia 5.5 earthquake 2 hours ago this is south of nyc.

5.7 tonga 5 hours ago near papua.

and turkey 2.9 and 3.0 several times today.
Advertisement

To create jobs, let us drill more for a BIG OIL

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- With job creation taking center stage in American politics, the oil industry Wednesday made a pitch for drilling more widely. With looser restrictions, the industry says it could deliver 1.4 million new jobs, boost tax rolls by $800 billion, and increase domestic energy production almost 50%.

To hit those numbers, the industry would need to drill off the East and West Coasts, in waters off Florida's Gulf Coast, in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and on most federal public land that's not a national park. These areas are currently off limits to drilling, except for some public land in these regions.


In addition, the industry says it would need approval to build new pipelines to facilitate a doubling of production from Canada's vast oil sands, a halt to the gradual tightening of rules governing shale gas development, and the preservation of favorable tax policies the industry currently enjoys.

"Poll after poll shows that job creation is the top concern of most Americans," American Petroleum Institute President Jack Gerard said in a letter to President Obama. "We provide more than energy; we offer real-world solutions that will create jobs, strengthen our energy security and generate significant government revenue without raising taxes."

The industry has long sought more places to drill and less regulation, and it's hoping this latest report will find a receptive ear among lawmakers struggling with a sputtering economy.

But standing in the way is a long line of competing interests.
A fight in New York

Those interests include Judi Whittaker, who runs a 500-cow dairy farm in upstate New York right atop the Marcellus Shale.

New York has been the scene of a bitter fight between supporters and opponents of shale gas development. The development relies on a controversial practice called hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking" for short, where vast amounts of water, sand and some chemicals are injected deep into the earth to unlock the gas.

The industry says the process is safe, but other are concerned over its effects on the water supply. New York has until recently banned the practice, but recently said it would allow it under tight new regulations.
Obama's stimulus gambit

Whittaker supports increased gas drilling on and near her farm, but she wants it done with the kind of regulations recently proposed by New York's Department of Environmental Conservation.

"We depend on clean water for our animals to drink," she said. "We produce milk, and it goes to the general public."

But the industry says that to boost jobs and production, it can't be restricted by what the report calls "unduly burdensome" shale gas regulations.

In July, the API said New York's regulation proposal "falls short" and that a "more effective balance is necessary to be sure [the state] is not just paying lip service on an issue that could create thousands of American jobs and billions of dollars in government revenue.''

From Canada to Florida
 
Environmentalists have been getting themselves arrested on the White House lawn for the last several weeks, protesting the planned expansion of a pipeline from Canada's oil sands region to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

They are concerned that extracting crude from the oil sands, which have a higher carbon content than regular oil, will exacerbate global warming.
 

Still drilling deep in the Gulf

Florida's tourism industry, which supports nearly one million jobs in that state, also looks askew at industry attempts to drill off its coast, especially after the BP disaster last year.

"The Florida Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus is against opening Florida waters in the Gulf of Mexico to drilling," said Robert Skrob, the association's director. "Employees and employers throughout Florida were negatively impacted by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill even though there was little direct impact to the state."

More oil no matter what: Even if the industry doesn't get its way, and regulations tighten and development slows, the report forecasts a growth in oil production.

Domestic oil production is expected to go from 7.8 million barrels a day in 2010 to 9 million barrels a day in 2030, according to the study, which was authored by energy consultants Wood Mackenzie. The gains are largely due to increased production from shale oil and deepwater drilling.

That's a significant jump, but it's not nearly the bounty predicted if the country grants the industry's wishes.

Under that scenario, the country could be producing 15.4 million barrels of oil a day -- not far from the 19 million barrels it currently consumes.

Natural gas production would rise by 30%.

It'll be up to politicians - and ultimately voters -- to decide if it's worth it.

STOP EATING AT MCDONALD'S TODAY

Ever heard of the old McDonald’s burgers people keep that never go bad? Ever wondered why? I’ll give you what I think is the most logical, fact based explanation, and I’m afraid it’s going to be devoid of any evil-meat-industry-conspiracy-theories and references to all those scary chemicals.

And if you’re not too keen on a McDonald’s burger even after reading that, there’s a recipe for chicken burgers and wholemeal buns! Yay!


Among the big burger-based chains, McDonald's is leading the way in overhauling its menu to offer more heart- and waist-friendly fare. Take the Happy Meals, which you can order with a side of apple dippers (with low-fat caramel) instead of fries and low-fat milk or fruit juice instead of soda. (Now the trick is just getting your kid to go for them!) And if you've gotta have fries, McDonald's are made in a healthy canola-blend oil and come in at just 230 calories for a small. The Grilled Chicken Classic sandwich and wraps are healthy choices, too (just skip the mayo or sauce). So is the salad with Paul Newman low-fat balsamic vinaigrette. Registered dietitian Moore notes that an Egg McMuffin, at 300 calories, is a smart alternative to other "calorie-laden biscuit breakfasts." And our whole panel commends McDonald's for spelling out the nutritional information right on the back of its tray liners


Pet Food Comparison

According to a study by NEQ ATUDY, in which experts compared 30 human meals and 15 pet foods such as Gourmet Gold Cat Food, pet foods are less fattening than a McDonald's Big Mac. They are much healthier than the restaurant's overall options as well.
Fat Gain

According to the Super Size Me website, it would take you seven straight hours of walking to burn off all the calories gained from a Super-Sized Coke, fries and a Big Mac. A Big Mac by itself is 590 calories. A McDonalds's large-size biscuit is 790 calories. A McDonald's Deluxe-Sized breakfast without syrup or margarine comes with 1,140 extra calories.
McNuggets

While McDonald's may tout its nuggets as being "100 percent white meat," the reality is the nuggets actually contain much more than just that. McNugget ingredients also include baking soda, bleached wheat flour and citric acid. The nuggets are prepared in vegetable oil with tertiary butylhydroquinone, or TBHQ. According to the World Health Organization, TBHQ is an artifical antioxidant made from petroleum. One gram of TBHQ can cause you to suffocate, throw up or even bring about delirium, while 5 grams of TBHQ can be fatal.
Erectile Dysfunction

A study performed by cardiologists at the University of Maryland found endothelial dysfunction in subjects who ate McDonald's Egg McMuffins with sausages and hash browns. This dysfunction is known to deposit plaque on the inner layers of heart artery walls, increasing blood cholesterol levels and chances for a heart-attack, among other complications. Endothelial dysfunction can also bring about erectile dysfunction, further proved by "Supersize Me," Morgan Spurlock's 2004 documentary on the dangers of fast food.

STOP EATING AT MCDONALD'S TODAY

 McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily. Headquartered in the United States, the corporation was founded by businessman Ray Kroc in 1955 after he purchased the rights to a small hamburger chain operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald

Let's start with the classic, the Big Mac. The Big Mac is ordered very often and are a pain to make if I'm on food assembly. After toasting the bun through our toaster two squirts of Big Mac sauce are placed on the middle and bottom buns. Diced onions and shredded lettuce are also added on the middle and bottom buns. Pickles are added to the middle bun and one slice of American cheese is added to the bottom. Slap on two pieces of 10 to 1 meat on it and that completes the sandwich for a total of 540 calories according to the nutritional facts on the McDonald's website. If someone orders the meal, you have to add the fries that go with it (standard is medium), which, also according to the McDonald's website, is 380 calories, or supersized (large fries) is 500 calories. The standard drink is medium coke (21oz), which is 210 calories, or 310 for a large one. So for a standard Big Mac Meal with medium fries and a coke that would be 1130 calories. That's about half if not more than what your body needs for the entire day. If you think this is bad, let's move to the worst of them

McDonald's food may speed up people's risk of clogged arteries that can lead to heart attacks. Researchers at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in San Francisco have demonstrated that a certain type of fat, called oxidized fat, can accelerate the buildup of plaque in arteries. And many types of fast food such as hamburgers, pizza and French fries are loaded with oxidized fat. The conclusion is fast food meals are high in saturated fat and low quality carbohydrates, white bread and lots of soda. Our bodies require fiber and more healthful types of fats. Fast food represents a dietary pattern that is the opposite of what is recommended for a healthy body.

Many people believe that fast food is not only synonymous with the American lifestyle, but also had its origins in the United States, and that it is a modern phenomenon. To some degree, these beliefs are understandable when one considers the significant impact on traditional cultures that the American media has had, that the term “fast food” did not appear in the popular vocabulary until 1954 (followed by “take-out food” in 1962), the success of McDonald’s since Ray Kroc took over management control in 1955, and that the top ten global fast-food brands are US-owned and generate sales of over US$75 billion collectively.  

Rising Gas Prices

The scary news is that just about everything we need to survive will go up in price as a result of high gas prices. This includes our food supply, which depends on enormous amounts of diesel to fuel tractors, as well as fuel to haul our bread, canned goods and fruit all over the country.

Travel will be more expensive, and the prices of all the goods and services we use daily will likely go up as well.

The good news is that we can take action to prepare for the possibility of rising gas prices in the years to come. And even if the experts are wrong and we don’t hit $5 per gallon gas in 2012, we’ll still be better prepared for emergencies, and we’ll know how to save money on gas.


The Obama administration is considering deploying the USA's 727 million-barrel strategic oil reserves to ease prices, William Daley, White House chief of staff, told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday.

The economic recovery is vulnerable to rising gas prices, says Ryan Sweet, senior economist at Moody's Analytics. "

"Gas prices are rising, and the stock market has stumbled," he says. "We could potentially see consumers take a step back and slow spending."

Gas prices rising

Gas prices jumped more than 11 cents over the past two weeks, but the pace of higher pump prices has slowed and they may have peaked, according to a survey published Sunday. The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular is $3.88 in the United States, not including Alaska and Hawaii, the Lundberg Survey found. The previous survey three weeks ago found an average of $3.76. The average gallon is just 23 cents off the all-time high of $4.11 set in July 2008, but weakening demand for gasoline and a slower rate of rise in crude oil prices may keep it from hitting that mark, said publisher Trilby Lundberg.

 Well, the federal government is supposed to limit speculation, but so far it hasn’t.

A lot of buying and selling of oil happens on the trading floor, with investment houses, banks, and pension and hedge funds all betting big on oil. They’ll never see the oil they buy and sell. They’re trading paper. It’s not energy, it’s a financial instrument.

“It’s a gambling casino without regulation,” says Sean Cota, the president of the Petroleum Marketers Association which represents gas stations and heating oil dealers.

“They’re going to play the market as much as they can for as long as they can until people say they can’t do it anymore,” says Cota.
And we all feel it at the pump.

The unprecedented upheaval in the Middle East and northern Africa has taken the blame for price increases, but the fact is, there’s been no major change in supply. Other nations are pumping more, making up for the small amount that’s been lost.

Some financial institutions say the run up in oil prices is a function of free market forces — sometimes oil is up, other times down. But a majority of the U.S. Congress didn’t see it that way last year. That’s when it passed, and the President signed, the Dodd-Frank Act, a sweeping financial reform law that called for new regulations that would control some of this speculation and moderate large price swings. 

STOP EATING AT MCDONALD'S

Many people eat fast food because they “can’t cook” or “won’t cook”, but that’s hogwash. Cooking is just like any other skill – it can be learned, and with the right tools, support, resources, and enough practice you will learn how to do it well.

Still reluctant? How about just learning one recipe per week? That’s not a tall order, is it?

As you learn to cook more and more healthy recipes, these meals will gradually replace your fast food meals until you hardly feel the need to eat junk food.

Look for recipes that are simple, fun, fast and easy to make. If you’re looking for low-fat, low-calorie, well-balanced recipes tailored specifically for optimum fat loss, Vince DelMonte’s Empowered Nutrition Done-For-You Fat Loss Meal Plans suits the bill perfectly. It will really help you if you are intimidated by grocery shopping and are ready to cut back on all the take-out and drive-through fast food. 


If you would still like to consume McDonald’s sometime this life, do not read this post. It might ruin those dreams. Sally Davies is an artist who has been photographing a McD’s Happy Meal (burger and fries) for 137 days to check out the aging and mold process on these fast food staples. The thing is, nothing’s happening. The microbes in the air that should be breaking down and moldifying (word check) the food aren’t powerful enough to affect any part of a Happy Meal.  

STOP EATING AT MCDONALD'S TODAY

McDonald’s Happy Meals are getting their fat and calories trimmed, the fast food giant announced Tuesday. The seemingly ubiquitous Happy Meals that have drawn the ire of health advocates and have been blamed for contributing to childhood obesity, will carry apple slices, reduced portion of french fries and a choice of beverage, including new fat-free chocolate milk and 1% low-fat white milk.


The core of the Happy Meal will remain the same as kids will still get fries (a smaller portion) and a choice of a hamburger, cheeseburger or chicken nuggets. All beverages, including milk, fruit juice, water and soda, continue to be options for the Happy Meal.

The changes are scheduled to begin September with the hopes that all 14,000 restaurants will transition to the new Happy Meals by the first quarter of 2012.

The suggested retail price of the Happy Meal will not change, remaining between $2.99 and $3.49.

“By adding fruit in every Happy Meal, McDonald’s hopes to address a challenge children face in meeting the recommended daily consumption of produce,” according to the corporation’s statement.

 

Here’s a few meal ideas (for starters) to provemy point.

3-MINUTE APPLE CINNAMON OATMEAL

* natural oatmeal (like Quaker old fashioned rolled oats)
* natural (unsweetened) applesauce
* cinnamon
* for protein, serve with scrambled eggs or egg whites on sideor stir 1-2 scoops of vanilla protein powder into the oats

I eat this almost every morning. It’s faster, easier andcheaper than going to the donut place or getting sausage,cheese, bacon breakfast muffins at the fast food joint!(you don’t have to wait in line, either!)

10-MINUTE LAZY PERSON’S CHINESE STIR FRY

* Brown rice (I like basmati)
* frozen oriental vegetables
* chicken breast, grilled (try foreman grill)
* bragg’s “liquid aminos” (or light/lo-sodium soy sauce)

This takes 30 minutes, however, if you geta rice cooker and make a giant batch, you canhave your rice on standby for instant eats andthis will take less than 10 minutes.

It doesn’t get much easier than that. (I likethose chinese veggies that come with the littlemini-corn-on-the-cobs… reminds me of thatTom Hanks Movie, BIG)

2-MINUTE BLACK BEANS AND SPICY SALSA

* black beans (15 oz can)
* Medium or hot salsa
* 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic or chopped garlic to taste
* salt and pepper to taste

This one takes you all of 2 minutes to make.No cooking required! And it’s good! It’s vegetarianas listed above, but if you’re a high-proteinmuscle-head like me, just add chicken breast orlean ground turkey.

Best part: this is all inexpensive food!Oats, rice, beans… doesn’t get much cheaperthan that – buy your healthy staples in bulkand the cost per serving is probably lessthan mickey D’s! (yes, even the “Value” meals)

I’ll share some more recipes in future newsletters,and will compile my recipe project into a book orebook later this year. Plus I’m already publishingall my recipes for my inner circle members one byone as I create them.

Every one of these recipes is compatible withmy Burn The Fat program

This means that my way of eating makes you moremuscular and leaner… so you can look hot wearingvery little clothes this summer… and be healthier…and save money too.

Train Hard, Eat Right, and Expect Success!