Healthy Grocery Shopping List

From Shereen Jegtvig:

Grocery shopping will be an easier experience and you will likely bring home healthier foods if you start with a healthy grocery shopping list. With a grocery list in hand, you won't be as likely to wander the junk food aisles and make impulse purchases. You can copy or print out this healthy grocery list or you can make your own.

Here's What to Include on Your Healthy Grocery List

• Fresh vegetables and fruits should make up the largest part of your healthy foods grocery list. Vegetables and fruits have vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and they are usually low in calories. We all need at least five or more servings of vegetables and fruits every day. Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables that everyone in your family will enjoy.
  
  
• Most of your grain and cereal products should be made from whole grains, not from refined flours. This part of your list includes whole grain breads, whole grain pastas, and whole grain breakfast cereals. Whole grains are important for vitamins, minerals, and for fiber, which is often lacking in modern diets. Read labels to look for 100% whole-grain or 100%whole-wheat to be sure you are getting whole grain products.
  
  
• Your protein and meat choices should consist mostly of fish, poultry and lean meats. Eggs, nuts, seeds and legumes are also good protein choices. Choose fresh and frozen unbreaded meats and fish. Avoid breaded, deep-fried convenience foods that you put in the oven. They are high in fats and sodium.
  
  
• Beverages should be kept simple. Water, low-fat milk, juices and herbal teas are all good choices. If you choose soft drinks, choose diet sodas and soft drinks to avoid extra sugar.
  
  
• Dairy products should include low fat milk, yogurt and cheese. If you do not want cows' milk, choose soy and rice beverages, calcium fortified orange juice, or goats' milks and cheese.
  
  
• Be careful with dressings, cooking oils and condiments. They are sneaky sources of refined sugar and poor quality oils. Read labels to choose dressings made with olive oil, canola oil or walnut oil. Choose low-fat mayonnaise for your sandwiches and choose canola oil and olive oil for cooking.
  
  
• Frozen foods are a convenient way to keep vegetables on hand. There are also prepared meals that you can pop into the microwave or oven. These can be convenient and healthy if you choose low fat versions with good portion sizes. Read labels and chose frozen foods wisely. Avoid frozen pizzas, pocket-sandwiches, deep-fried appetizers, and breaded foods.
  
  
• Foods in cans and jars are also very convenient. Look for low-sodium soups, vegetables and sauces. Avoid high fat gravies and high calorie foods like canned spaghetti and ravioli products.
  
  
• For sandwiches, choose peanut butter or other nut butters, low-fat turkey slices or sliced roast beef. Avoid processed lunch meats, sausages and hot dogs.
  
  
• Don't load up on high calorie treats and desserts. Choose fresh fruits, healthy nuts, seeds and whole grain crackers for snacks.

Good Deals That Aren't All That Good

From Jeffrey Strain:

If you’re doing some last minute shopping, you may be tempted by all the ‘freebies’ retailers are offering, but be careful. Some carry a hidden price tag. Here’s a run-down of good deals that aren’t all that good:

• “Free with purchase.” Receiving a bonus item when you buy can be a great deal - if you need the item you’re buying in the first place. It’s a waste if you buy something that’ll go unused, just to get a freebie.
  
  
• “Free after rebate.” You can get a bargain this way, but you need to read the fine print and make sure there aren’t restrictions that’ll make getting the rebate difficult. Most rebates go unclaimed because people don’t want the hassle, or don’t follow directions properly. For instance, if you fail to include a copy of your receipt or a UPC code cut from the product’s box, you could be out of luck.
  
  
• The “free trial.” This lets you use a product or service so you can see if you like it. However, there’s a catch: Most free trials require you to cancel once the introductory period’s over. If you don’t, your “free trial” becomes a promise to buy. If you gave them a credit card number, you’ll be changed and not even know it until your bill comes.
  
  
• The “reward.” This is where you receive a gift after doing something like applying for a credit card. Getting another card could hurt your credit score and tempt you to overspend. Which means that gas card, T-shirt, or tote bag could end up costing you hundreds in interest charges.
  
  
• “Free shipping.” We all know that UPS and FEDEX don’t work for nothing. That means the cost of shipping is hidden somewhere. Your best bet is to buy from the place that offers the lowest overall price.

There are some good deals out there, but you have to do your homework. Otherwise, you may find that the offer that looked so good at first - really is costing you money.

Is Sugar Like a Drug?

From Shereen Jegtvig:

Research presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology shows how rats respond to sugar binges just like they would respond to morphine, cocaine or nicotine.

"Our findings with lab rats show that intermittent access to sugar can lead to changes in the brain and behavior similar to those caused by drugs of abuse," said Bart Hoebel, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Princeton University. "In certain models, sugar-bingeing causes long-lasting effects on the brain and increases the inclination to take other drugs of abuse, including alcohol."

Hungry rats were fed sugar water and researchers discovered that the rats' brains released neurotransmitters called dopamines thought to be involved in addiction. Further tests elicited withdrawal symptoms in the same rats.

Interesting research.

I don't usually write much about diet and nutrition studies with rats and other non-human animals because they don't always translate well to human behavior. We still don't really know for sure that sugar is chemically addicting or if there are emotional issues involved with eating too many sweets and suffering from sugar cravings that rats probably don't experience. However, we know there are connections between sugar craving and having low serotonin levels. One thing I find interesting, though, is that the rats in the study were deprived of food for twelve hours before being fed sugar water, so I'm not sure how much of the dopamine response was just from relief of hunger (though the researchers say this shouldn't happen with other foods that apparently are boring to rats) or directly due to sugar. In either case, it suggests possible addictive brain chemistry.

So, since you're not a rat, how does research like this affect you? Now that we're deep into the holiday season, you may have lots of parties to attend with lots of sumptuous foods and decadent desserts. Don't starve yourself all day 'saving up' your calories for the party foods -- it may be bad for your brain and you might go off the sugar-bingeing deep end. Instead, eat normally and choose healthy foods throughout the day with lots of nutrients and fiber (like fruits and vegetables). Then later, when you are faced with all those delicious holiday treats, it may actually be easier to control your cravings.

Health Hazard Alert: Germs!

From Health Magazine

Germ alert! What are you more worried about, touching the trash can or touching your kitchen sink? If you said the trash can – you’ve got it backwards. Here are some of the germiest things you encounter every single day.

• Your kitchen sink: There are typically more than 500,000 bacteria per square inch in the drain! The faucet handles are also crawling with germs, and don’t even get me started on that sponge. So, here’s your best defense: Clean your kitchen counters and sink with an anti-bacterial product after you prepare or rinse foods, especially meats, fruits and vegetables. They carry a lot of potential dangers, like salmonella and E. Coli. That’s the word from Dr. Philip Tierno, author of The Secret Life of Germs. He says you should also sanitize sponges by running them through the dishwasher’s drying cycle, which kills 99.9% of bacteria. Additionally, nuking it in the microwave on high for one minute. Doing that kills virtually all bacteria, yeast, and mold. Just make sure the sponge is wet first or it might burn up in the microwave. Also, clean your sink twice a week with a solution of one tablespoon chlorine bleach, and one quart water. Scrub the basin, then pour the mix down the sink.
  
  
• Your office phone: It has about 25,000 germs per square inch! Experts say phones are pretty gross – they get coated with germs from your mouth and hands. In fact, your desk area in general is pretty bad. Dr. Charles Gerba – also known as Dr. Germ – calls desks “bacteria cafeterias” because of all the food particles he’s found there from desktop diners. Simply cleaning your desk, phone and keyboard with a disinfecting wipe once in the middle of the day will kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses.
  
  
• Protect your kids on the PLAYGROUND. There’s no delicate way to put this: children tend to ooze bodily fluids and spread them around. Blood, mucus, urine – it’s all there. Since kids put their fingers in their noses and mouths more than the rest of us, they need all the help they can get. So, carry alcohol wipes and clean everyone’s hands a couple of times during park visits. Pick warm days for playground trips. The sun’s ultraviolet light is an effective disinfectant. Most bugs won’t survive long on surfaces that are hot and dry.
  
  
• The airplane bathroom. The experts at Health magazine agree that the cramped and overused bathrooms on airplanes are one of the most bacteria-filled places on earth. Much worse than your average public restroom. There are often traces of eColi and fecal bacteria on the door handles because it’s hard to wash up properly in those tiny sinks. The volcanic flush of the toilet spews particles into the air, coating the floor and walls with microscopic bacteria. To wage germ warfare: Use a paper cover on the toilet seat. Afterward, put the lid down before you flush. If there is no lid, turn your back to the commode. Then, wash and dry your hands properly and use a paper towel to handle the sink tap and doorknob.
  
  
• Another one of the most germy places on earth? Your load of wet laundry. Any time you transfer underwear from the washer to the dryer, you’re getting eColi on your hands. Just one soiled undergarment can spread bacteria to the entire load and machine. How’s this for a disgusting statistic: There’s about a gram of feces in every pair of dirty underwear. To wage germ warfare: Run your washer at 150 degrees. If you don’t know the temperature, you can check it with a candy thermometer. Wash your whites with bleach – which’ll kill 99.9% of bacteria. Wash underwear separately, and don’t let your wet stuff linger in the washer. Transfer it to the dryer asap and let it tumble for 45 minutes. Wash your hands after handling the laundry.
  
  
• Public drinking fountains – especially school drinking fountains. They have anywhere from 62-thousand to 2.7 million bacteria per square inch on the spigot! You need only 10 salmonella or 100 E. coli germs to make you sick. To wage germ warfare: Carry your own beverage with you – and some hand sanitizer.
  
  
• Push-buttons. They’re on everything from elevators to ATMs, and they’re not cleaned regularly. So, use your knuckles to push public buttons. This way you won’t spread the germs to every surface you touch. Just remember to wash your knuckles well when you hit the restroom.
  
  
• Purses and wallets. Ladies, the outside of your handbag picks up bugs from anything it touches - so keep it off the ground and floor. Guys, the heat from keeping your wallet in your pocket is like an incubator for germs. So, after you handle the contents of your wallet, wash your hands. If you like to jingle the change in your pocket, don’t worry. The metals - particularly those made of nickel - kill many of the bacteria.
  
  
• Cutting boards. There are 200 times more bacteria on a cutting board than a toilet seat! Why? Because people disinfect their toilets, but usually just give their cutting boards a quick rinse. So, mix an ounce of bleach with a quart of water and wipe down your cutting board and countertops before and after cooking.

Which Place Has More Germs?
From Ediets.com:

Here’s the dirty truth on germs! Some objects like porta-potties give anyone the creeps. However, did you know that picnic tables have more germs than portable toilets? When scientists put common objects in a head-to-head competition, they found harmful bacteria in some surprising places.

• Garbage can vs. bathtub. A recent study found that you’re FOUR TIMES more likely to get an infection from a bathtub than a trashcan. It’s a breeding ground for germs because it’s a moist environment. So, use a disinfecting cleaner in the tub every week and scrub! With bathtubs, elbow grease counts. Since germs love moisture, you’re not done until you dry with a clean towel.
  
  
• Airplane vs. the Office. This one’s a tie. A British study found that the odds of catching cold in an office are one in a thousand. That’s the same as they are in any enclosed space. So, no matter where you are, wash your hands often and disinfect anything you have to touch. That means armrests and trays on airplanes and keyboards, desktops, and phones at work.
  
  
• The ATM machine meets the public restroom door handle! This one’s an upset! ATM’s consistently show higher concentrations of germs than restroom doorknobs. It may seem awkward, but wear gloves or use a paper towel when you hit a cash machine. Or use some hand sanitizer after your ATM transaction before you touch your nose, mouth or eyes.

Can Cell Phones Cause Health Problems?

By now, you know the routine with cell phone science: One day we get a study saying cell phones are completely safe and the next day we find research saying they give you cancer! So why should you care if I say I have some new information on the dangers of cell phones? Well, according to analysis we found in the Bottom Line Personal, all that conflicting research should be your biggest red flag! That’s the word from Dr. David Carpenter, director for the Institute For Health and the Environment in New York.

He agrees there are no definitive studies showing that cell phones cause health problems, but we do know this: New evidence confirms that low-frequency electromagnetic radiation – the kind emitted from cell phones – can cause biological cell mutations and breakage of DNA structure. Admittedly, that radiation can also come from things like high tension power lines or household appliances. Dr. Carpenter was intrigued by a 10-year study which found that heavy cell phone users had a 50% greater risk for developing cancerous tumors – compared to adults who barely use a cell phone.

Even more telling: Many of those tumors developed in areas where a person typically holds a cell phone. Like the salivary gland of the mouth, the auditory nerve of the ear, or on the brain itself. Basically, Dr. Carpenter says people shouldn’t wait for scientists to dot every “i” and cross every “t” before taking steps to minimize their radiation exposure. How can you do that?

• Use the speakerphone option or an earpiece attachment with a wire whenever possible. Just like cell phones themselves, Dr. Carpenter says more research is needed on the safety of those wireless Bluetooth earpieces.
  
  
• Send text messages whenever possible. It’s simply quicker than making a phone call, so it reduces your radiation exposure.
  
  
• Avoid carrying a cell phone on your body. Because phones continue to connect to relay antennas even when you’re not using them.
  
  
• Don’t keep a cell phone in your bedroom! Having one on a bedside table will expose your body to electromagnetic pulses all night long.

Could There Be An Obama Baby Boom?

It’s too soon to know for sure, but experts aren’t ruling out the possibility of an up-tick in births nine months from now. That’s according to Newsweek magazine. They say that often, following an important national event, you’ll see an increase in the birthrate – sometimes it’s after a scary event, like a terrorist attack. Or something positive, like the end of World War 2.

Dr. Manny Alvarez is the chief of reproductive science at Hackensack University Medical Center and he says – right now the mood of the country is optimistic and that’s always related to birthrates. He says he’s gearing up for a healthy increase in babies. Sociologist Pepper Schwartz says euphoria is a serious aphrodisiac and that’s exactly what a lot of younger voters felt after the election. Voters under 30 years old went for Obama by a margin of 2 to 1. In fact, the likelihood of a baby boom already has a listing in the online Urban Dictionary. They’re calling children conceived on or shortly after election night: Obama babies.

So what would classify as an Obama baby boom? Americans would have had to have made more than 390,000 babies in the month of November. We won’t know for sure until next August – 9 months after the election. Know this. Barrack Obama was born almost nine months to the day after John F. Kennedy was elected to the White House. Coincidence or baby boom? Only time will tell.

Surprising Weight Loss Tips

From Rodale Publishing and Dr. David Katz:

Here are a few surprising weight-loss tips backed by the latest research.

• The best bread for your weight loss program is not white bread, whole wheat, or whole grain with barley. It’s sourdough bread! A high-fiber diet reduces your body’s production of insulin, and smoothes out blood sugar levels. Which helps you feel full longer, cuts back on cravings, and makes you less likely to overeat. The fermentation process makes sourdough act like it’s got more fiber than any other bread. Volunteers in a recent study who ate sourdough for breakfast had the lowest and most stable blood-sugar levels all day.
  
  
• What’s the best breakfast for keeping your weight in check? Either eggs or cereal. Eggs are nutritious, low in calories and packed with protein that’ll keep you feeling full well into the afternoon. Fresh berries with whole grain cereal is also a great weight-loss breakfast that’ll help you stay full all day. Just make sure the cereal’s ingredient list starts with the words “whole grains.” Make sure it also contains at least two grams of fiber per serving, and no high fructose corn syrup or partially-hydrogenated oils.
  
  
• Finally, the best diet for losing weight is not low-calorie. According to researchers at Harvard University, you’ll lose more weight and have healthier cholesterol numbers if you stick to a Mediterranean diet packed with whole grains and unsaturated fats, or a low-carb diet high in protein and good-for-you fat. Studies show that both diets help you lose as much weight as you’d lose from doctor-prescribed weight-loss pills. Still, this doesn’t give you free rein to eat all the fat you want! The key to weight loss is still to burn more calories than you take in.
  

Don't Talk and Drive

From ABCNEWS:

Loose lips crash cars! That’s right. We’ve all heard the statistics about how dangerous it is to talk on the cell phone while driving. For example, you’re four TIMES as likely to be involved in a fatal accident if you’re talking on your cell while driving. Well, one company is trying to actually get people to stop talking and driving at the same time altogether. Here are the details, courtesy of ABC News.

David Teator, vice president of a Canadian software business called Aegis Mobility, became an advocate against what he calls “driving while distracted” after his 12-year-old son Joe was killed in 2004 by a driver who was talking on a cell phone. However, Teator knows it’s not easy. He says when he tried to cut back on his own habit, he found it difficult. Why? Because it’s against our nature to ignore a ringing phone. So, Aegis developed software called Drive Assist T. It detects whether a cell phone is in a moving car, and if so, your service provider is alerted and told to hold calls and text messages until the drive is over. Your callers get a message that says the person they’re calling – YOU - appears to be driving.

There is an option to leave an emergency voice mail if they can’t wait, which is put through immediately. Several states have introduced laws against talking on cell phones while driving, but they still allow the use of hands-free devices. Unfortunately, studies show that it’s the distraction of dialing and talking that’s dangerous – not that your hand is off the wheel. The Aegis software uses a GPS system to detect motion. So for it to work, the system has to be supported by a cellular carrier. Although Aegis doesn’t have a deal with any company yet, it hopes to be able to announce its availability early next year. So be on the lookout for it. In the meantime, don’t talk and drive. It’s easy to be immune to statistics, but what we’re really talking about is people dying. People like you and me. So save the calls and texts for when your vehicle is stopped.

Olbermann on Obama’s historic journey

Olbermann on Palin: Socialist, fraud

Governor doesn’t have a problem with Alaska’s socialistic collectivism


Finally tonight, the Campaign Comment, and the real danger when you run a presidential candidate who thinks he's Joe six-pack the Plumber, and a Vice Presidential candidate who thinks she's Huey Long.

It's not that the rhetoric in a desperate flailing last week on the stump can get hyperbolic and dangerous. It's that each person on that campaign hears some of that giddying hyperbolic and dangerous rhetoric and tries to top it.

MyPyramid Tips for Eating More Fruits Every Day

From HealthCastle and Lauren Girdler:

You probably think of fruit mainly as a healthy snack or dessert - but fruits can also be included in entrees. It is recommended that you eat two cups of fruit every day, with the majority coming from whole fruit rather than juice.

Fruit as Snacks

Buy fruits that are dried, frozen, and canned (in 100% fruit juice or water rather than syrup) as well as fresh, so that you always have a supply on hand for a healthy snack.

• Keep a bowl of whole fruit on the kitchen table or counter for easy access any time of the day.
• Dried fruit makes a great, portable snack. Because they are more concentrated, 1/4 cup of dried fruit is equivalent to 1/2 cup of fresh or canned fruit. Try dried apricots, apples, pineapple, bananas, cherries, figs, dates, cranberries, blueberries, prunes, and raisins.
• Top yogurt or cereal with fruits like bananas, peaches, or berries.
• Make a fruit smoothie by blending fat-free or low-fat milk with fresh or frozen fruit.
  

Add Fruit to Meals

Fruits make great snacks, but they can be a healthy addition at meal-time too.

• At breakfast, add blueberries to pancakes.
• At lunch, always pack a portable fruit like a tangerine, banana, or grapes.
• At dinner, include fruit like mandarin oranges or apples with salads. Or try meat dishes that incorporate fruit, such as chicken with apricots and mango chutney.
• For dessert, have baked apples or a fruit salad.
  

Make Fruit Appeal to Children

If you make fruit an important part of your diet, your children will get excited about fruit as well.

• Let children pick which fruits they pack in their lunch.
• Instead of candy, give your children dried fruits like raisins or mangos.
• Pack a 100% juice box in school lunches instead of soda or other sugar-sweetened beverages.
• Make fun fruit kabobs using chunks of apple, banana, pineapple, and berries.
  

Bottom Line:

Fruits are versatile foods that can be eaten with meals or as a healthy snack. Make sure that most, if not all, of the fruit you eat comes from real fruit sources as opposed to fruit juice.

Olbermann: Joe the Failed campaign gimmick

McCain's latest strategy doesn't resonate well with the voters




Finally as promised tonight's Campaign Comment and John McCain's announcement today of the start of his "Joe the Plumber Tour." Senator, whaddya mean start?

Every day since the last debate, eight long days ago, when you mentioned this guy more often than Jackie Mason mentions his tour dates, every day has been your "Joe the Plumber" tour.

Olbermann: McCain's clumsy hypocrisy

Baseball and clothes become latest GOP campaign mistakes



Finally, as promised, tonight's Campaign Comment and the issue of $150,000 being spent by the Republican National Committee so it could play vice presidential Color-Forms with Sarah Palin and her family is almost literally window-dressing.

But even this saga of the Would-Be Empress's New Clothes does emphasize a point about the campaign, worthy of deep consideration. One hundred and fifty thousand dollars in clothes, Sen. McCain? To make what might as well be an actress playing your running mate look more like a vice president, Sen. McCain?

Olbermann: Divisive politics is anti-American

I have frequently insisted I would never turn the platform of the Special Comment into a regular feature. But as these last two weeks of this extraordinary, and extraordinarily disturbing, presidential campaign project out in front of us, I fear I may have to temporarily amend that presumption.

I hope it will be otherwise, but I suspect this will be the first of nightly pieces, most shorter than this until further notice. And thus a Special Comment tonight about the last five days of the divisive, ugly, paranoid bleatings of this Presidential race, culminating in the sliming of Colin Powell for his endorsement of Sen. Obama.

MyPyramid Tips to Help You Eat Calcium-Rich Foods

From HealthCastle and Lauren Girdler:

Calcium is an important part of a healthy diet, especially for women. Adults should consume three cups a day of dairy, or a dairy alternative. (Children should consume two cups.) Most people get their calcium from dairy products, but there are still plenty of other food sources of calcium that can help keep your teeth and bones strong.

Choosing the Right Kinds of Dairy

Whenever you have a calcium-rich dairy product, make sure it is either low-fat or fat-free.

If you drink whole milk, gradually switch from a higher-fat (2%), to low-fat (1%), and finally to fat-free (skim). Other ways to include milk in your diet include:

• Drink milk as a beverage at meals.
• Prepare coffee and tea with milk instead of cream.
• Add milk instead of water to oatmeal and hot cereals.
• Use milk when making condensed cream soups (such as cream of tomato or cream of chicken).
• For dessert, make chocolate or butterscotch pudding with milk.

Yogurt is another great source of calcium that also contains beneficial probiotics. Some ways to include more yogurt in your diet:

• Have yogurt as a snack.
• Make a dip for fruits or vegetables from yogurt.
• Make fruit-yogurt smoothies in the blender.
• Top a baked potato with yogurt.

Low-lactose/Dairy Alternatives

Milk, cheese, and yogurt all have lactose-free alternatives. In fact, some regular cheeses are naturally low in sugar and lactose-free! Always check the sugar content on the Nutrition Facts label - the lower the sugar level, the less lactose the product contains. In addition, there are many other lactose-free, calcium-fortified foods:

• Eat soy products, including cheese, yogurt, milk, tofu, and tempeh.
• Drink calcium-fortified beverages such as rice milk and orange juice.
• Choose a variety of fish that are high in calcium, including sardines, salmon, perch, and trout.
• Leafy, green vegetables are not only low in fat, they are also a good source of calcium. Select from collard greens, kale, and bok choy.

Bottom Line

There are many great ways to get your daily required amount of calcium, from dairy and non-dairy sources. Even if you have no problem consuming dairy foods, many of the dairy alternatives are healthy and delicious additions to your diet. Always choose a low-fat or fat-free calcium source.

Obama preparded dirty election tricks

Olbermann: McCain, suspend your campaign

Is the Economy Stressing You Out?

These tough economic times are stressing people out. According to the American Psychological Association, the economy is a top source of stress for eight out of 10 of us. What's happening to people nowadays, as huge companies go bankrupt, and jobs, homes and nest eggs are crumbling? Psychologists say that we’re:

• Preoccupied by worries and unable to focus on work
• Irritable with family members or even pets
• Pessimistic
• Unable to sleep
• Self-medicating with food, sweets, or alcohol

If that sounds like you, try this survival guide from MSN Health:

• Keep your friends close. According to George Howe, a professor of psychology at George Washington University, it used to be that people got security from their families and communities - but that safety net isn’t as strong today. Some people feel embarrassed and don’t want to share their problems with other people, but Howe says it’s important to build up that protective network.
  
  
• Talk to your boss. Mitchell Marks, a management consultant and psychologist, says if you’re worried about your job, you should talk to your supervisor to make sure you remain a valued employee. Find out exactly what your priorities should be on a weekly basis.
  
  
• Focus on your relationship. Facing hard times together brings people closer. So, don’t hide your worries or problems from your spouse. Men in particular tend to shut their spouse out when things go wrong financially or on the job. However, you need to look at your financial situations long-term, and come up with goals together.
  
  
• If you’re really freaking out, turn off the TV news. Many programs talk about the worst possible scenario, and that can cause your blood pressure to spike – even if you just have it on in the background. According to the Duke University School of Medicine, watching more than 30 minutes of television news per day can give people clinical levels of psychological stress. Instead, turn off the TV and focus on what YOU can control, in YOUR economic situation, right now.
  

Olbermann: It's Palin doing the pallin

My Own Grandfather

By Mark Twain:

After long years as a bachelor I was tired of being alone and married a widow with a grown daughter. My father fell in love with the daughter and took her as his wife. This made me my own son-in-law and my stepdaughter became my mother. After a year my wife gave birth to a son. Now, my son was my father's brother-in-law and at the same time my uncle, since he was my stepmother's brother. But my father's wife also gave birth to a son. So this was my brother and also my grandson, since he was the son of my daughter. This meant I'd married my grandmother, since she was the mother of my mother. As my wife's husband, I was also her grandson. And since the husband of a grandmother is always a grandfather, I am my own grandfather.

Do-It-Yourself Health Cures

Here are do-it-yourself tricks that can help you relieve certain health problems...found in Woman’s World Magazine.

• The first health problem: Restless legs. More than 12 million Americans are kept awake by the creepy, crawly feeling in their legs known as “Restless Leg Syndrome” – or RLS. So what’s the fix on this? Try drinking TONIC WATER. Researchers found that quinine - the compound that gives tonic water its bitter taste – cuts the number of muscle cramps in HALF for 80 percent of RLS sufferers. So if RLS is keeping you awake at night, try drinking a 6-ounce glass nightly. Know this: Quinine can interact with some medications, so talk to your doctor before drinking tonic water regularly.
  
  
• The next health problem: Smoking. I don’t have to tell you about how bad smoking is for your health. If you’re ready to quit, grab your cell phone and start TEXT MESSAGING. A study found that sending daily text messages more than doubled the chances that wanna-be quitters would succeed at tossing their cigarettes. Why would text messaging help you quit smoking? According to lead researcher Dr. Anthony Rodgers, it’s a great distraction that lets you do something else with your fingers. If your cell phone isn’t nearby when you get a cigarette craving, find other ways to occupy your hands – like knitting. Just like with a food craving, if you can distract yourself and keep your hands busy for 10 to 15 minutes, it’ll pass.
  
  
• The final do-it-yourself health cure is for nighttime heartburn. Try sleeping on your LEFT SIDE. How can this stop the pain? Lying on the left side relaxes a muscle in the lower esophagus, allowing less acid to come in contact with delicate tissues and cause burning. Plus, it creates more room in the stomach for acids to pool, making it less likely they’ll come back up and bother you.

Lincoln and Kenndy Connections

Strange coincidences found on random sites:

• Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
• John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.
• Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
• John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.
• Both Kennedy and Lincoln were deeply involved in the civil rights issues of the era, in Lincoln's day, the issue was slavery, in Kennedy's, it was segregation.
• Both wives lost a child while living in the White House.
• Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
• Both Presidents were shot in the head.
• Both wives were present during the assassination.
• Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy who warned him not to go to the theater the night he was killed. Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln who warned him not to go to Dallas where he was killed.
• Both were assassinated by Southerners.
• Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.
• Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln , was born in 1808.
• Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.
• John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.
• Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.
• Both assassins were known by their three names.
• Both presidents' names contain 7 letters, their successors' names contain 13 letters, their assassins contain 15 letters.
• Lincoln was shot at the theater named "Ford."
• Kennedy was shot in a "Lincoln" car made by "Ford."
• Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.
• A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe, Maryland.
• A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with (in) Marilyn Monroe.
• Booth shot Lincoln in a theater and ran into a warehouse; Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse and ran into a theater.

What's the Best Day to Send an Email?

From Fortune Magazine:

According to a new study, that day is Sunday. Why? Research shows it’s by far the slowest day for internet email traffic. In fact, only 3% of all emails are sent on Sundays. That’s a tiny amount compared to the 24% of emails sent on the busiest day of the week: Tuesdays. Of course, there’s a good reason why fewer emails get sent on Sunday. Because fewer people bother reading email that day. Think about it: Most people would rather spend their ‘day of rest’ at home or in church, cooking barbeque, solving crosswords or watching football. The last thing they think about is going online and checking email.

When people DO check their email on Sunday, studies show they’re more likely to read the entire message. They’re also more likely to devote their full attention to writing a meaningful response – rather than a quick one or two line reply. That’s why many small businesses are now using Sundays to fire off quick brainstorming emails or memos to their employees – because that’s when they get the best responses and freshest ideas! Now, nobody’s saying this is a good thing. In fact, psychotherapists recommend making your weekend a “no-work zone” – where you devote all your time to relaxing with friends and family. That gives your brain a chance to refocus before another grueling workweek. However, a recent Career Builder survey found that 20% of workers routinely stay in touch with the office while at home for the weekend – via cell phone, Blackberry, email or voice mail. Most say it’s a “necessary evil”. They believe that staying in touch helps them stay ahead of the competition, and gives them the tools they need to take their career to the next level.

So, if you must send emails on Sunday, treat it like any other day of the week. In other words: Set aside a specific time of the day to do it. Then focus the rest of your day on family activities, or spending time with your spouse. After all, if everyone started emailing on Sundays, you know what’ll happen: Fortune would do a new study – declaring the best day to do email work is Saturday!

Break Your Bad Habits

From Forbes Magazine:

You know that unhealthy habits can cost you – in time, energy and money. So here’s a step-by-step guide to the most effective ways to break your bad habits.

• Admit that you’ve got a bad habit! Researchers at the University of Alberta say that most people already know the dangers of vices like smoking, overeating, and not exercising. However, few stop to think about why they do any of those things. The fact is, most bad behaviors are adopted as an easy way to fit in with friends. So ask yourself: “What habits do I turn to in social situations that I’d never do alone?”
  
  
• Stop justifying your habits. Remember when you were a child, and Mom told you to stay away from the cookie jar? That only made you want a cookie even more, right? Well, that kind of childish thinking is what keeps most people shackled to their bad behaviors. Like when a doctor scolds you for smoking, and you say something like: “I know it’s bad, but if I stop smoking I’ll get fat.” The only way to change your bad habits is to stop justifying them.
  
  
• Be specific about what you want to change. Experts say you’re doomed to fail if you make resolutions like: “I want to eat better, exercise more, and lose weight.” Why? Because those goals aren’t specific enough! To truly succeed, you need to lay out precise, achievable goals. Like: “I’m going to eliminate fried food from my diet,” and “I’m going to start jogging to the corner store for coffee instead of driving.”
  
  
• Multi-task your goals. Researchers at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute found that a lot of bad habits are intertwined. So you can eliminate them faster if you tackle two at a time. For example: To quit smoking AND get more exercise, start jogging around the block each morning. When you run out of breath by the end of the block, you’ll find more motivation to stop lighting up, and get in better shape.
  
  
• Here’s one last trick for breaking a bad habit: Get help. Studies show that buddying up with a spouse, friend or co-worker can improve your odds of breaking bad behaviors – especially if that other person is ALSO trying to change. Each of you will become a cheerleader for the other and you’ll find yourself feeling accountable to that person every time you get the urge to sneak out for a quick puff or skip your next workout.

Burn After Reading - Review

Over the last decade and half, Joel and Ethan Coen have carved out their own niche in American cinema. Their films offer usually sparse landscapes, questionable characters, a good deal of idiocy and of course, some very very disturbing horror. They work to portray the every man faced with unordinary circumstances such as the Dude in "The Big Lebowski (1998)" or Llewelyn Moss in "No Country for Old Men (2007)." In this years "Burn After Reading," the brothers add another chapter to their American landscape. Unfortunately, all the characters are one dimensional, the timing is frought with numerous lulls in the plot, and America, which the Coen brothers have always depicted in a new and often surprising light, are now the target of much ridicule and cynicism for the team.

The story is an ensemble act loaded with talent that has questionable pay offs. Frances McDormand portrays a fitness center employee who is desperately seeking two things: human companionship and cosmetic surgery. When another employee discovers a disc containing what appear to be government secrets, she, accompanied with her idiotic friend Chad(Brad Pitt) sees this as her chance to finally be able to make the changes in her life that she desires. This disc belongs to Osbourne Cocks(the ever talented John Malkovich) as a bitter and recently fired CIA analyst. The story is is teeming with infidelity, alcoholism and sexual depravity, but perhaps this rounds out the black comedy well.

What I must commend for this piece is that it does offer some fresh perspectives for the stylization that comes with a Coen brothers film. With each movie they make they seem to tighten their lens on a distinctly different part of the U.S. With "Fargo" it was the culture and crime of the deep north. With "The Big Lebowski" it was the dirty, decreped parts of LA that took center stage, and with "No Country for Old Men" the arid South West and it's Spanish culture was splayed out. But here we are privy to the mansions of D.C., the refined suburbs of Maryland and the sleek offices of our government intelligence agencies.

Now, do not let it be mistaken that although this is in my opinion a weak Coen brothers film, this work ranks leaps and bounds above what is more than often playing at the multiplex. The film is satisfyingly funny and dark, it is always fun to see the U.S. government personified in varies shades of bumbling ignorance. And things like fitness centers, online dating, sex fetishes, morning talk shows and divorce are all things that are easily relatable, albeit easy targets. This film succeeds to paint a vision of extreme black comedy in a world of work-a-holics and complete morons, but if you are looking for fresh takes on old shlock espionage spoofs, you might come up empty handed.

Man on Wire - Review

In 1974 Philip Petit, a street performer from Paris tight-rope walked between the World Trade Center towers. It's common in history to find truly moving and completely honest tales of extraordinary acts, but few are told so effortlessly by the players themselves. Here is story of eccentricity and discipline like never before, and here's the best part: there is no why.

The story is constructed like a heist inter meshing actual footage and recreations, laying out the covert ascent the two teams took to the tops of the two towers. The building of models and the making of fake IDs. The story contains a surprising amount of humor, the gathering of information involved posing as a french news crew reporting on the constructing the two towers as a way to examine the roof tops and make their plans, also the surprising benefits to walking with crutches. It's impossible to not be drawn in by the intelligence and poinancy of the team that planned and executed this amazing feat of art.

The true magnetism of the film all lies in Petit himself whose personality jumps from the celluloid. His brilliance isn't so much in his feats, as in his life style, his courage and his candid attitude. For example, as a preparation for the twin towers heist, he tight rope walked across a bridge in Sydney, Austrailia. When he was arrested afterward, he stole and pocketed one of the officer's watches. He is fearless and animated to the end.

After the stunt, Petit learned of celebrity. He made headlines world wide and gave the World Trade Centers come much needed good press. When asked why he did this he said: il n'ya pas de pourquoi, there is no why.

Tricks for Feeling More Confident

From Shape Magazine:

Remember the last time you spoke your mind without thinking twice about how you look, or what people might think? For most people, those days stopped around the time they turned 10! Here’s your chance to reawaken your self-esteem, restore your confidence, and become that vibrant person you were back in the good ol’ days.

• Stop trying! That means eliminate statements like: “I’m trying to lose weight,” “I’m trying to get a raise” or “I’m trying to get a date.” Trying to do something means you’re accepting – and possibly expecting – failure. That’s just not okay! So instead of trying, set goals you can actually start doing!
  
• Stand up straight. One study found that 100% of people who completed a posture-improvement program felt more confident. Why? Dr. Shawn Talbott wrote the book The Cortisol Connection and he says poor posture locks negative emotions inside the body, which sets up a cycle of low self-esteem. Hunching also sends a message to others that you’re not confident!
  
• Get more sleep. Sleep-deprived people are cranky, and have trouble concentrating. Research also shows they're more likely to suffer from low self-esteem and blue moods. So try going to bed 15 minutes earlier each night until you're getting between 7 and 8 hours of sleep a night.
  
• Get more exercise, but don’t expect to run a marathon right from Day 1. The key to making exercise a daily habit is to take baby steps. So commit yourself to doing 10 minutes of walking first, then slowly do more as your energy and confidence increases.
  
• Find something you’re good at and stick with it. Remember Michael Phelps at the Olympics? He could have easily gotten down on himself after being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. Instead, he channeled his extra energy into something he was passionate about – swimming! You can do the same. Simply find a hobby you love, and pour yourself into it at least once a week. It’ll reduce your stress, and it’ll give you a sense of mastery that’ll spill over into everything else you pursue in life.

Sept. 10: In a Special Comment, Keith Olbermann

Election 2008 Article

Thanks for Scott for sending this from AlterNet.org:

In early December 2007, at a time when Hillary Clinton was tracking 20-plus points ahead of the Democratic field in national polls, I published an article contending that Hillary Clinton was an inherently weak candidate, a beatable candidate, and that Barack Obama would be a stronger match against Republicans.

I argued that she had the highest "unfavorable" rating of anyone who ever had run for the presidency; that she was the only Democratic candidate who could unite and energize the Republican base; that she was running 10 to 15 points behind in generic Democrat vs. Republican presidential polls; that her head-to-head matchups with the Republican candidates were poor; that in Iowa, where she was the only female candidate with seven men, she was polling only 26 percent; that several Democratic U.S. Senate candidates had told me she would pull the ticket down in their states; and that Bill was a potentially large, uncontrollable liability (even I did not know how true that prediction would become!). Hillary never was "inevitable." The evidence of her imminent demise was there for anyone who wanted to look.

OK, that was then, this is now.

The November presidential election is not going to be close. Barack Obama is going to beat John McCain by 8 to 10 points in the national popular vote and win 300 to 350 electoral votes. Obama is going to wipe out McCain mano a mano.

I am far more confident making this prediction than I was in predicting Hillary's demise. There are many reasons why.

The Political Environment

The Republican Party is led -- and branded -- by an extraordinarily unpopular president, whose policies McCain has staunchly defended and supported (95 percent voting congruence in 2007). In the recent CBS News/NYTimes poll, Bush is at 28 percent approval, 65 percent disapproval; in the Hart/Newhouse poll, he is at 27 percent approval, 66 percent disapproval. While some presidents have fallen to low levels in the past, what is truly remarkable about Bush is how long-term and persistent voter disapproval of him has been, and the depth of voter sentiment: A May 12 Washington Post/ABC poll showed only 15 percent of voters "strongly approve," while 52 percent "strongly disapprove."

Voters think, correctly, that the country is on the wrong track. In the Hart/Newhouse poll, 15 percent of voters said the country was headed in the "right direction," while an astounding 73 percent said "wrong direction." Remember, these polls include all voters, not just Democrats.

On issues, Republicans are on the short end of everything except the military and national security. Among voters, in the NYTimes/CBS poll, when asked which party is better, on health care 63 percent say Democrats while only 19 percent say Republicans; the economy, 56 percent say Democrats, 28 percent say Republicans; sharing your moral values, 50 percent say Democrats, 34 percent say Republicans; and, dealing with Iraq, 50 percent say Democrats, 34 percent say Republicans. The Democratic Party has a 52 percent favorable and 41 percent unfavorable rating; the Republican Party has a 33 percent favorable and 58 percent unfavorable rating. A whopping 63 percent say the United States needs to withdraw from Iraq within 12 months; McCain wants to stay roughly forever -- and attack Iran. The Washington Post/ABC poll asked, "Which party do you trust to do a better job coping with the main problems the nation faces over the next few years?" Democrats were chosen over Republicans, 53 percent to 32 percent.

The U.S. economy is sinking (while McCain has said he doesn't know much about the economy); gas prices are skyrocketing; the housing market has collapsed and people are losing their homes; and the Iraq Recession shows no signs of abating.

McCain has been able to stay close to parity in polls matching him with Obama, but that is the product of the bashing Obama has taken from the Clinton campaign. Once that internal scrap is behind him and he can go head to head against McCain, his polling is going to soar.

Even in fund-raising, a traditional Republican strength, the Republicans are at a disadvantage. At last reported count, Obama had $51 million in cash on hand; McCain had $11 million. In the combined cash of the national party committees, Republicans had $55.5 million; Democrats $87.1 million. The netroots has raised unprecedented amounts of money for Democrats, especially Obama; labor unions have gone deeper into their pockets and are raising more money for Democrats than in prior elections; and, even business PACs have given more money to Democrats! Business blows with the wind, and it knows which way the wind is blowing.

Simply put, this is the worst possible time for any Republican to be running for president. And this is not simply my opinion; it is an opinion that has many adherents in the Republican Party and among traditional Republican supporters. Representative Tom Davis, from Virginia, in an internal memo to Republicans, recently wrote, "The political atmosphere facing Republicans this November is the worst since Watergate and is far more toxic than the fall of 2006.The Republican brand is in the trash can. [I]f we were dog food, they would take us off the shelf."

The Candidates

While many ardent Democrats would disagree with this assessment, I personally consider McCain to be an honorable, decent man. I have enormous respect for -- and cannot forget -- the fact that he declined the opportunity to be released from a North Vietnamese prison because his father had been a Navy admiral and chose instead to stay with his comrades for 5½ years. Very few of us would have done that -- I know I would not have. There is a loyalty and integrity there that we need to remember and honor. And, despite efforts to disparage the "maverick" label, the reality is that, for a substantial part of his political career, he was a Republican maverick on a variety of issues, including the environment, immigration, campaign reform, taxes and the budget. These are not inconsequential disagreements with the Republican Party, and he has been almost singular in being willing to disagree with the Republican establishment. But that is the previous incarnation of McCain, not the version we've seen for the last four years or the version who has to run between now and November.

The problem with McCain is that his brain is no longer working. There is something wrong. Many doctor friends of mine hypothesize Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which is consistent with his 5½ years of great stress in prison and which can explain his violent temper, his memory lapses and his frequent mental disconnects. It also is possible that he is suffering mini-strokes, which cause momentary double vision, partial blackouts and confusion, and which could explain why he can say incredibly stupid things, sometimes the same dumb thing several times in one day, without appearing to understand what he just said. Whatever the specific cause, he is not healthy, and mentally he is struggling to hold it together.

What we are going to see in the general election from McCain is a ton of mistakes. The very thing the press likes about him, his candor and shoot-from-the-hip style, is going to kill him when the full weight of media attention is trained on him. He never has been a good speaker with a prepared text (last night, his speech was characteristically wooden, with several word confusions). The media has always loved the quick, gritty, candid McCain, but that version is gone; he now is a damaged, slower-thinking McCain, but his habits will remain the same. He will still try to be the quick wit, the maverick; it just isn't going to work. And while McCain is still capable (with help) of firing off some zingers that hit, he will be unable to sustain a narrative -- or fool the American voters -- for the next five months. This is not just about being 71; it is about being a very old 71. It might be sad to watch, but I for one will have no sympathy. There is too much at stake.

Obama is the perfect candidate for Democrats, and a nightmare for McCain. Obama, who by every metric is a brilliant strategist, thinker and speaker, is going to run circles around McCain. McCain, who is not a very good speaker even on his best day, will appear slow, befuddled and confused; he will make gaffes. Obama will be charismatic, smart, thoughtful, high-minded, alert and substantive. It will be no contest. And adding to Obama's natural advantages, McCain has just enough integrity to try to match up with Obama on issues. In that debate on substance, Obama's overwhelming intellectual superiority and mental alertness will become obvious. There will be the believers, who have jumped aboard the Obama campaign and will continue to multiply, but there also is going to be another type of vote that is going to swing heavily to Obama: the default vote. Voters are going to default to Obama because it will become obvious that McCain simply is not up to the task of being president.

This is going to be the first not-close presidential election since 1988. You heard it here first.

Make Yourself Valuable in Your Workplace

From Bottom Line Personal:

Things are tough these days – every day in the newspaper you read about more downsizing, stores and entire businesses closing, and employee layoffs. To AVOID getting laid-off, you have to do a lot more than just fulfill your basic duties. So, here’s how to make yourself especially valuable to your company:

• Show a willingness to learn. Employees who show that they’re excited to learn new things tend to be valued beyond the contributions they’re already making. Dr. Peter Uher is a workplace consultant who specializes in leadership development. He says these employees are labeled “high potential” and often wind up on the promotion fast-track. Employers see their ability to absorb new skills as a sign that their job performance will continue to improve. So, volunteer for projects outside your department, or take a night class to learn a new skill.
  
  
• Job security tip #2: Speak up without hogging the spotlight. If you keep your head down and quietly do your job while your coworkers toot their own horns, you’re going to get overlooked. Overlooked employees wind up undervalued. So, inform your boss when you accomplish one of your goals, or when you reach a milestone in a long-term project. Also, speak up in meetings with concrete, new ideas – or solutions to potential problems. Simply agreeing with what others say isn’t enough. The trick is to speak up and get noticed without coming off as overbearing. So ask a trusted colleague to cut you off if you start talking too much.
  
  
• One last way to make sure you never get fired: Stay one step ahead of the company. Is your employer about to launch a new product line? As soon as you hear rumors about a major project or corporate decision – position yourself to be an asset in that area. If your company is opening an office in China, start learning the language. Research a new product by reading up on similar products. You’ll always be valued if you’re already where your company is headed.

Compare Barack Obama and John McCain on Major Issues

From Associated Press:

WASHINGTON -- A look at where Democrat Sen. Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain stand on a selection of issues as they go head-to-head for the presidency:

Health care

McCain: $2,500 refundable tax credit for individuals, $5,000 for families, to make health insurance more affordable. No mandate for universal coverage. In gaining the tax credit, workers could not deduct the portion of their workplace health insurance paid by their employers.

Obama: Mandatory coverage for children, no mandate for adults. Aim for universal coverage by requiring employers to share costs of insuring workers and by offering coverage similar to that in plan for federal employees. Says package would cost up to $65 billion a year after unspecified savings from making system more efficient. Raise taxes on wealthier families to pay the cost.

Iraq

McCain: Opposes scheduling a troop withdrawal, saying latest strategy is succeeding. Supported decision to go to war, but was early critic of the manner in which administration prosecuted it. Key backer of the troop increase. Willing to have permanent U.S. peacekeeping forces in Iraq.

Obama: Spoke against war at start, opposed troop increase. Now says his plan would complete withdrawal of combat troops by end of 2009, four months sooner than his previous commitment. Before that, had said a timetable for completing withdrawal would be irresponsible without knowing what facts he'd face in office.

Housing

McCain: Open to helping homeowners facing foreclosure if they are "legitimate borrowers" and not speculators.

Obama: Tax credit covering 10 percent of annual mortgage interest payments for "struggling homeowners," scoring system for consumers to compare mortgages, a fund for mortgage fraud victims, new penalties for mortgage fraud, aid to state and local governments stung by housing crisis, in $20 billion plan geared to "responsible homeowners."

Taxes

McCain: "No new taxes" if elected. Twice opposed Bush's tax cuts, at first because he said they were tilted to the wealthiest and again because of the unknown costs of Iraq war. Now says those tax cuts, expiring in 2010, should be permanent. Proposes cutting corporate tax rate to 25 percent. Promises balanced budget in first term, says that is unlikely in his first year.

Obama: Raise income taxes on wealthiest and their capital gains and dividends taxes. Raise corporate taxes. $80 billion in tax breaks mainly for poor workers and elderly, including tripling Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credit for larger families. Eliminate tax-filing requirement for older workers making under $50,000. A mortgage-interest credit could be used by lower-income homeowners who do not take the mortgage interest deduction because they do not itemize their taxes.

Education

McCain: Favors parental choice of schools, including vouchers for private schools when approved by local officials, and right of parents to choose home schooling. More money for community college education.

Obama: Encourage but not require universal pre-kindergarten programs, expand teacher mentoring programs and reward teachers with higher pay not tied to standardized test scores, in $18 billion plan to be paid for in part by delaying elements of moon and Mars missions. Change No Child Left Behind law "so that we're not just teaching to a test and crowding out programs like art and music." Tax credit to pay up to $4,000 of college expenses for students who perform 100 hours of community service a year.

Immigration

McCain: Sponsored 2006 bill that would have allowed illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S., work and apply to become legal residents after learning English, paying fines and back taxes and clearing a background check. Now says he would secure the border first. Supports border fence.

Obama: Voted for 2006 bill offering legal status to illegal immigrants subject to conditions, including English proficiency and payment of back taxes and fines. Voted for border fence.

Abortion

McCain: Opposes abortion rights. Has voted for abortion restrictions permissible under Roe vs. Wade, and now says he would seek to overturn that guarantee of abortion rights. Would not seek constitutional amendment to ban abortion.

Obama: Favors abortion rights.

Global warming

McCain: Broke with President Bush on global warming. Led Senate effort to cap greenhouse gas emissions; favors tougher fuel efficiency. Favors plan that would see greenhouse gas emissions cut by 60 percent by 2050. Supports more nuclear power.

Obama: Ten-year, $150 billion program to produce "climate friendly" energy supplies that he'd pay for with a carbon auction requiring businesses to bid competitively for the right to pollute. Joined McCain in sponsoring earlier legislation that would set mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions. Supports tougher fuel efficiency standards.

Gay marriage

McCain: Opposes constitutional amendment to ban it. Says same-sex couples should be allowed to enter into legal agreements for insurance and similar benefits.

Obama: Opposes constitutional amendment to ban it. Supports civil unions, says states should decide about marriage.

Death penalty

McCain: Has supported expansion of the federal death penalty and limits on appeals.

Obama: Supports death penalty for crimes for which the "community is justified in expressing the full measure of its outrage." As Illinois lawmaker, wrote bill mandating videotaping of interrogations and confessions in capital cases and sought other changes in system that had produced wrongful convictions.

Gun control

McCain: Voted against ban on assault-type weapons but in favor of requiring background checks at gun shows. Voted to shield gun-makers and dealers from civil suits. "I believe the Second Amendment ought to be preserved -- which means no gun control."

Obama: Voted to leave gun-makers and dealers open to suit. Also, as Illinois state lawmaker, supported ban on all forms of semiautomatic weapons and tighter state restrictions generally on firearms.

Campaign finance

McCain: The co-author of McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, he plans to run his general campaign with public money and within its spending limits. He has urged Obama to do the same. He turned down federal matching funds for primaries so he could spend more than the limits. Federal Election Commission letter said he needs FEC approval before withdrawing from the primary public financing system, but FEC has not had quorum to act. McCain says he needs no such approval. McCain accepts campaign contributions from lobbyists.

Obama: The presidential campaign's fundraising champion has brought in nearly $265 million. Has signaled he will raise private money for his general election, despite his proposal last year to accept public financing and its spending limits if the Republican nominee does, too. Obama refuses to accept money from federal lobbyists and has instructed the Democratic National Committee to do the same for its joint victory fund, an account that would benefit the nominee. Obama does accept money from state lobbyists and from family members of federal lobbyists.

Iran

McCain: Favors tougher sanctions, opposes direct high-level talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Obama: Initially said he would meet Ahmadinejad without preconditions, now says he's not sure "Ahmadinejad is the right person to meet with right now." But says direct diplomacy with Iranian leaders would give U.S. more credibility to press for tougher international sanctions.

Social Security

McCain: Would consider "almost anything" as part of a compromise to save Social Security, yet rules out higher payroll taxes for now.

Obama: Proposes raising cap with an unspecified "small adjustment" that would subject a portion of higher incomes to Social Security taxes.

Stem cell research

McCain: Supports relaxing federal restrictions on financing of embryonic stem cell research.

Obama: Supports relaxing restrictions on federal financing of embryonic stem cell research.

Trade

McCain: Free trade advocate.

Obama: Seek to reopen North American Free Trade Agreement to strengthen enforcement of labor and environmental standards. In 2004 Senate campaign, called for "enforcing existing trade agreements," not amending them.

Cuba

McCain: Ease restrictions on Cuba once U.S. is "confident that the transition to a free and open democracy is being made."

Obama: Ease restrictions on family-related travel and on money Cuban-Americans want to send to their families in Cuba. Open to meeting new Cuban leader Raul Castro without preconditions. Ease trade embargo if Havana "begins opening Cuba to meaningful democratic change."

Ten Reasons to Quit Drinking Soda

From Associated Content:

Americans drink more soda now than ever before. In the last 25 years, soda pop consumption in the United States has doubled. Americans drink, on average, 1.6 cans of soda pop daily or 597 cans of soda pop a year! Additionally, 7 percent of Americans' calories come from soda pop. This makes soda pop the largest single source of calories in the US diet, according to one website.

Do you drink too much soda pop? Is it time for you to cut back, or even eliminate consumption of soda? Here are ten reasons to quit drinking soda pop.

#1 Reason to Quit Drinking Soda Pop: Dehydration

Drinking soda with caffeine and sugar causes your body to become dehydrated. Caffeine is a diuretic and causes an increase in urine volume. When you drink a caffeinated soda to quench your thirst, you will actually become thirstier.

#2 Reason to Quit Drinking Soda Pop: High Calorie

Regular soda pop is high in calories. A can of Coke contains 10 teaspoons of sugar, which is 100% of the daily recommended value for adults. An 8 ounce can of soda has around 100-200 calories. Not only are the calories from soda pop empty of any nutritional value, they also deplete your body of vital minerals.

#3 Reason to Quit Drinking Soda Pop: Caffeine Addiction

Caffeine addiction and withdrawal has been recognized as a medical disorder. A study at Johns Hopkins University revealed a few interesting facts about caffeine. "Caffeine is the world's most commonly used stimulant, and it's cheap and readily available so people can maintain their use of caffeine quite easily," says Roland Griffiths, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins. "The latest research demonstrates, however, that when people don't get their usual dose they can suffer a range of withdrawal symptoms, including headache, fatigue, difficulty concentrating. They may even feel like they have the flu with nausea and muscle pain."

#4 Reason to Quit Drinking Soda Pop: Acid
Whether you drink diet or regular soda, the amount of acid in these drinks is enough to wear away at the enamel of your teeth over time. Teeth with weakened enamel are more sensitive and more susceptible to decay. In tests done on the acidity levels of soda, soda was found to have a pH of 2.5. To put that into perspective, consider that battery acid has a pH of 1 and pure water has a pH level of 7.

#5 Reason to Quit Drinking Soda Pop: Save Money

Soda may be pretty inexpensive when compared with fruit juice and milk. You can purchase 12, 8 ounce cans for around $4. However, a person who drinks just 2 cans of soda a day, will pay $206 over the course of a year to keep her soda habit going. If there is more than one soda drinker in the house, or she drinks more than 2 cans a day, that yearly total could quickly double or triple!

#6Reason to Quit Drinking Soda Pop: Lose Weight

Of course "regular" sodas would not help you reach your weight loss goals, but certainly diet soda can be a useful tool in weight management, right? The word "Diet" is right there in the name, after all. Wrong! Researches at the University of Texas Health Science Center found that diet sodas put a person at a higher risk of becoming overweight. According to their research, "artificial sweeteners can interfere with the body's natural ability to regulate calorie intake. This could mean people who consume artificially sweetened items are more likely to overindulge."

#7 Reason to Quit Drinking Soda Pop: Artificial Sweetener Issues

Often the subject of urban legend, artificial sweeteners have been accused of everything from causing headaches to multiple sclerosis and even death. Most artificial sweeteners have over 20 years of research behind them, proving their safety for most individuals. However, consumption of artificial sweeteners may make some people crave more sweet things which will in turn create more cravings for people who are trying to avoid sweet foods for health reasons.

#8 Reason to Quit Drinking Soda Pop: Mineral Depletion

You may have heard of a recent study that showed women who drink cola everyday have a lower bone mineral density. One of the reasons for this could be that most colas contain phosphoric acid and caffeine which drain calcium out of the bones. Also, because caffeine is a diuretic and increases urine volume, more minerals are leaving the body before having a chance to be absorbed and put to use.

#9 Reason to Quit Drinking Soda Pop: Less Chance for Diabetes
While no research has definitively shown that soda pop causes diabetes, the daily consumption of soda pop does create other problems that could lead to diabetes: specifically weight gain. However, according to a researcher from Children's Hospital Boston, the fact remains "when sugar enters the bloodstream quickly, the pancreas has to secrete large amounts of insulin for the body to process it. Some scientists believe that the unceasing demands that a soda habit places on the pancreas may ultimately leave it unable to keep up with the body's need for insulin. Also, insulin itself becomes less effective at processing sugar; both conditions contribute to the risk of developing diabetes."

#10 Reason to Quit Drinking Soda Pop: Soda Replaces Healthier Drinks

In the 1950's, children drank 3 cups of milk for every cup of sweet drink. Today that statistic is flipped: children drink 3 cups of sweet drink for every cup of milk. One of the biggest problems with soda is it acts as a replacement drink for healthier options. Less amounts of milk in the average diet could account for the lower bone density and higher occurrence of osteoporosis in men, women and children.

Friendship Poem

What Is A Friend?
by Kit McCallum

A friend is someone you hold dear:
Someone who is always there, through thick and thin;
Someone who is only a phone call away.

A friend is someone you can always rely on:
Someone who is there to share your thoughts with;
Someone to listen, no matter the subject.

A friend is someone you can feel comfortable with:
Someone you can sit silently beside, without conversation;
Someone you do not need to fill the quiet moments with.

A friend is someone you can trust:
Someone who will guard your deepest secrets;
Someone who will never let you down.

A friend is someone who is not judgmental:
Someone who will gently offer advice and opinions,
Yet, someone who is not overbearing or critical.

A friend is someone who can keep you grounded:
Someone who can help you see through your obstacles;
Someone to shoulder you through life's trials.

A friend is someone who shares unconditionally:
Someone to laugh and to cry with;
Someone to lean on, through both the good and the bad.

A friend is someone you choose wisely,
For a friend is your own mirrored image:
Someone to compliment your own self;
Someone who indicates who you are as a person.

A friend.... is what you are to me.

Common Health Myths, Take 2

From Prevention Magazine:

When it comes to your health, anyone can give you advice. Know this: bad information can be bad for you. So, here’s the truth behind some common health myths you may have heard:

• Health Myth #1: If you drop food on the floor, it’s safe to eat if you pick it up within 5 seconds. That’s FALSE, according to research at Clemson University. In fact, food scientists there say it’s not even safe to follow a “one second rule” because bacteria transfers from the floor to your food instantaneously! How many bad germs are we talking about? Studies found at least 18-hundred bacteria transferred within 5 seconds and that includes salmonella, which can survive as long as 4 weeks – even on a freshly mopped floor.
  
  
• Health Myth #2: Drinking soda can damage your kidneys. That’s FACT. Numerous studies confirm there’s nothing remotely healthy about carbonated beverages and it doesn’t matter if they’re diet or sugar-free sodas either. The fact is, drinking a minimum of 16 ounces of soda per day doubles your risk of chronic kidney disease, hypertension, and diabetes! Know this: The average North American drinks closer to 20 ounces per day which adds up to a whopping 59 gallons of soda sipping each year!
  
  
• Here’s one more Health Myth: Using a cell phone in a hospital can interfere with sensitive medical equipment. The jury’s still out on that one. Two years ago, research by the Mayo Clinic found no evidence of “clinically important” interference between cell phones and medical machines. However, last year, a Dutch study found that electromagnetic pulses from a cell phone could disrupt life-saving devices like ventilators, syringe pumps, or pacemakers. Especially if the phone was used within a few centimeters of those devices. So, just to be safe, experts say you should only use a cell phone in designated calling areas within a hospital. Or, take your call outdoors – where you can squeeze in some healthy fresh air and exercise while you talk!

Things Your Computer Expert May Not Tell You

From Reader's Digest:

According to a study, when confronted with a dead computer, 19 percent of people admit to wanting to hurl it out the nearest window. Well, the next time you feel like throwing your machine off the 5th floor balcony, perhaps this’ll help: I have a list of things your computer person may not tell you, but you should know.

• If you’ve got a computer problem, turn it off, then turn it back on. Nine times out of ten, rebooting your computer – and any equipment that connects to it – will solve the problem.
  
  
• Remember, public Wi-fi is public. So if you don’t have a compelling reason to check your e-mail or bank account while sipping a latte at the mall, don’t do it. While you’re on a public network – even one that’s encrypted – a nearby hacker can capture your passwords. Consider yourself warned.
  
  
• Another thing your computer person might not tell you: Give your computer a rest. Turning off your computer when it’s not in use saves energy and clears out the RAM – or temporary memory – which would otherwise slow your machine over time.
  
  
• They’re like Santa. In other words, they know if you’ve been bad or good. So you might as well ‘fess up to what really happened right before the system crashed. It’s going to save time – and the computer person is going to figure it out anyway. So if you couldn’t resist opening that e-mail titled “You’ve just won a million dollars!”, just say so.

Countdown with Keith Olbermann (# 3 - Bushed)

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Losing a Little Sleep Affects More Than Attention Span

SLEEP RESEARCH
By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 9, 2005; A01

With a good night's rest increasingly losing out to the Internet, e-mail, late-night cable and other distractions of modern life, a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that too little or erratic sleep may be taking an unappreciated toll on Americans' health.

Beyond leaving people bleary-eyed, clutching a Starbucks cup and dozing off at afternoon meetings, failing to get enough sleep or sleeping at odd hours heightens the risk for a variety of major illnesses, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity, recent studies indicate.

"We're shifting to a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week society, and as a result we're increasingly not sleeping like we used to," said Najib T. Ayas of the University of British Columbia. "We're really only now starting to understand how that is affecting health, and it appears to be significant."

A large, new study, for example, provides the latest in a flurry of evidence suggesting that the nation's obesity epidemic is being driven, at least in part, by a corresponding decrease in the average number of hours that Americans are sleeping, possibly by disrupting hormones that regulate appetite. The analysis of a nationally representative sample of nearly 10,000 adults found that those between the ages of 32 and 49 who sleep less than seven hours a night are significantly more likely to be obese.

The study follows a series of others that have found similar associations with other illnesses, including several reports from the Harvard-run Nurses' Health Study that has linked insufficient or irregular sleep to increased risk for colon cancer, breast cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Other research groups scattered around the country have subsequently found clues that might explain the associations, indications that sleep disruption affects crucial hormones and proteins that play roles in these diseases.

"There has been an avalanche of studies in this area. It's moving very rapidly," said Emmanuel Mignot of Stanford University, who wrote an editorial accompanying the new obesity study in the October issue of the journal Sleep. "People are starting to believe that there is an important relationship between short sleep and all sorts of health problems."

Not everyone agrees, with some experts arguing that any link between sleep patterns and health problems appears weak at best and could easily be explained by other factors.

"There are Chicken Little people running around saying that the sky is falling because people are not sleeping enough," said Daniel F. Kripke of the University of California at San Diego. "But everyone knows that people are getting healthier. Life expectancy has been increasing, and people are healthier today than they were generations ago."

Other researchers acknowledge that much more research is needed to prove that the apparent associations are real, and to fully understand how sleep disturbances may affect health. But they argue that the case is rapidly getting stronger that sleep is an important factor in many of the biggest killers.

"We have in our society this idea that you can just get by without sleep or manipulate when you sleep without any consequences," said Lawrence Epstein, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. "What we're finding is that's just not true."

While many aspects of sleep remain a mystery -- including exactly why we sleep -- the picture that appears to be emerging is that not sleeping enough or being awake in the wee hours runs counter to the body's internal clock, throwing a host of basic bodily functions out of sync.

"Lack of sleep disrupts every physiologic function in the body," said Eve Van Cauter of the University of Chicago. "We have nothing in our biology that allows us to adapt to this behavior."

The amount of necessary sleep varies from person to person, with some breezing through their days on just a few hours' slumber and others barely functioning without a full 10 hours, experts say. But most people apparently need between about seven and nine hours, with studies indicating that an increased risk for disease starts to kick in when people get less than six or seven, experts say.

Scientists have long known that sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy and chronic insomnia, can lead to serious health problems, and that difficulty sleeping may be a red flag for a serious illness. But the first clues that otherwise healthy people who do not get enough sleep or who shift their sleep schedules because of work, family or lifestyle may be endangering their health emerged from large epidemiological studies that found people who slept the least appeared to be significantly more likely to die.

"The strongest evidence out there right now is for the risk of overall mortality, but we also see the association for a number of specific causes," said Sanjay R. Patel of Harvard Medical School, who led one of the studies, involving more than 82,000 nurses, that found an increased risk of death among those who slept less than six hours a night. "Now we're starting to get insights into what's happening in the body when you don't get enough sleep."

Physiologic studies suggest that a sleep deficit may put the body into a state of high alert, increasing the production of stress hormones and driving up blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes. Moreover, people who are sleep-deprived have elevated levels of substances in the blood that indicate a heightened state of inflammation in the body, which has also recently emerged as a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes.

"Based on our findings, we believe that if you lose sleep that your body needs, then you produce these inflammatory markers that on a chronic basis can create low-grade inflammation and predispose you to cardiovascular events and a shorter life span," said Alexandros N. Vgontzas of Pennsylvania State University, who recently presented data at a scientific meeting indicating that naps can help counter harmful effects of sleep loss.

Other studies have found that sleep influences the functioning of the lining inside blood vessels, which could explain why people are most prone to heart attacks and strokes during early morning hours.

"We've really only scratched the surface when it comes to understanding what's going on regarding sleep and heart disease," said Virend Somers of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "I suspect as we understand more about this relationship, we'll realize how important it really is."

After several studies found that people who work at night appear unusually prone to breast and colon cancer, researchers investigating the possible explanation for this association found exposure to light at night reduces levels of the hormone melatonin. Melatonin is believed to protect against cancer by affecting levels of other hormones, such as estrogen.

"Melatonin can prevent tumor cells from growing -- it's cancer-protective," said Eva S. Schernhammer of Harvard Medical School, who has conducted a series of studies on volunteers in sleep laboratories. "The theory is, if you are exposed to light at night, on average you will produce less melatonin, increasing your cancer risk."

Other researchers are exploring a possible link to other malignancies, including prostate cancer.

"There's absolutely no reason it should be limited to breast cancer, and it wouldn't necessarily be restricted to people who work night shifts. People with disrupted sleep or people who are up late at night or get up frequently in the night could potentially have the same sort of effect," said Scott Davis of the University of Washington.

The newest study on obesity, from Columbia University, is just the latest to find that adults who sleep the least appear to be the most likely to gain weight and to become obese.

Other researchers have found that even mild sleep deprivation quickly disrupts normal levels of the recently discovered hormones ghrelin and leptin, which regulate appetite. That fits with the theory that humans may be genetically wired to be awake at night only when they need to be searching for food or fending off danger -- circumstances when they would need to eat to have enough energy.

"The modern equivalence to that situation today may unfortunately be often just a few steps to the refrigerator next door," Mignot wrote in his editorial.

In addition, studies show sleep-deprived people tend to develop problems regulating their blood sugar, which may put them at increased risk for diabetes.

"The research in this area is really just in its infancy," Van Cauter said. "This is really just the tip of the iceberg that has just begun to emerge."

© 2005 The Washington Post Company