| Food shortage sparks Cuba-style rationing
Venezuela has adopted an unprecedented system of food rationing similar to the ration cards used in Cuba, after several months of food shortages that have caused popular discontent. The Ministry of Nutrition announced last week that beneficiaries of the government's food distribution program would only be allowed one purchase a day. The amount of food allocated to each family would be based on a ''social study'' the government performed, it said. QUEUING FOR FOOD Earlier this year, the government created a distribution network known as Pdval -- financed by the state-run oil company Petróleos de Venezuela, or PDVSA -- to solve shortages of groceries like beef, eggs and milk that have sparked long lines in recent months. According to Asdrubal Chávez, President Hugo Chávez's cousin and the coordinator for Pdval, the distribution centers will now keep a registry of families shopping at each center to ensure that no home receives a ''surplus'' of staple products.
Unzipped: Can you wear it like Beckham?
Now comes soccer megastar David Beckham in mega low-rise Emporio Armani briefs courtesy of Italy's Giorgio Armani. A giant, 3,300-square-foot billboard of the chiseled Galaxy player, who relocated to L.A. late last year, hasn't hit the United States — yet. For now, gawkers can gaze at the "Wear it like Beckham" ad at the via Cusani and via Broletto intersection in Milan. The billboard marks the worldwide debut of the underwear line's 2008 campaign that was unveiled to promote Saturday's start of men's fashion week in Milan. But starting next month, the bared-there Beckham — bronzed, buffed and boldly going where few men have gone before — will be coming to the United States in prime outdoor locations in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami and San Francisco, reports Gabriela Meriles, an Armani publicist in New York.
Study questions saccharin benefits
Casting doubt on the benefit of low-calorie sweeteners, new research released Sunday reported that rats on diets containing saccharin gained more weight than rats given sugary food. The study in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience found that the artificial sweetener appeared to break the physiological connection between sweet tastes and calories, driving the rats to overeat. Lyn M. Steffen, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota, who was not involved in the report, said the study offers a possible explanation for the unexpected association between obesity and diet soda found in recent human studies. Researchers have puzzled over whether diet soda was a marker for poor eating habits, or whether the ingredients in diet soda caused people to put on pounds, she said.
Voters pass school expansion referendums in Unit 5
The other goal was to upgrade technology and security at existing schools to the level of the new schools.Voters OK'd building two new elementary schools and a middle school, expanding Sugar Creek Elementary School, renovating existing eight schools and installing security and technology improvements to 15 schools.The eight schools to be renovated are Carlock, Hudson, Towanda, Brigham, Fairview, Glenn, Oakdale and Colene Hoose elementary schools. These renovations, including new doors and windows, storage and computer interactive Smart board technology, will begin this summer.New elementary schools and the expansion of Sugar Creek Elementary School will be completed in fall 2010. The new middle school will open in fall 2011.Sugar Creek Elementary School will double its capacity, adding classrooms and amenities for 288 more students.
TMQ: High school offense works
Romo ended up tossing three interceptions in the second half, one when Dallas was yet again at the Giants' goal line. So both Dallas quarterbacks ended the game in the doghouse, and TMQ thinks bad coaching is the explanation. Early in the contest, G-Persons leading 7-0, Dallas had a first-and-10 on its own 1-yard line, the most dangerous spot on the field. Dallas' coaches called for Bledsoe to take a five-step drop backward into his end zone; he barely avoided a safety. Now it's second down, and what do Dallas' coaches call? Another dropback: sack, safety. The Cowboys' offensive line messed up on this play -- LaVar Arrington came through the "B gap" untouched, the right tackle and right guard both ignoring him. But the key mistake was the coaches' calls, not the players' performance.
The People’s Magic Bus
Mod Vespa purists may scoff, but Piaggio's latest scooter, the MP3, is way more gear than its reverse-tricycle appearance suggests. Twin front wheels keep the bike upright on the bumpiest streets, while an innovative electrohydraulic suspension system lets them tilt independently, which means the rider can lean aggressively into corners at angles of up to 40 degrees. An automatic suspension-locking system stabilizes the rig at speeds under 7 mph and eliminates the need for a kickstand. Plus, there's enough storage for two full-face helmets, a small bag, and objects up to a meter in length — like, say, a Genoa salami. — M.S. .
Eric Harr: Time is on your side if you take time to set it aside
A RECORD 68 PERCENT of American adults are overweight or obese. Seventy-eight million Americans- roughly one-quarter of the U.S. population - exercise zero times a year. Zero times a year! This widespread avoidance of physical activity, coupled with poor eating habits, have created an unprecedented health crisis in this country. The time for change is now. If we accept that physical activity and healthy eating confer benefits such as a healthier weight, a more beautiful body, higher energy levels, more confidence, a longer life and a better life, why do so many people struggle to exercise and eat right? Most puzzling is the quiet resignation of Americans, whose collective apathy toward exercise, and the uninterest with which we do it, marks the eye-popping escalation of obesity in this country.
Chew This Over: Munchable Ice Sells Like Hot Cakes
When Kyle Burkhalter gets up in the morning, he goes into the kitchen and fixes himself a nice cup of ice. The 24-year-old director of research for a Web site chews the ice in the car on his way to work in Atlanta. He downs two or three more cups before lunch. He orders ice from drive-thru windows and dips into the office ice machine. Sometimes, his tongue gets so numb he can barely talk to clients. Still, he munches on. "It's something that you want to do and you think about doing on a constant basis," he says. Ice isn't just for chilling drinks anymore, or for packing fish and treating sprains. It's a hot snack. Some Sonic Drive-In franchises sell it in cups and in bags to go. Ice-machine makers are competing to make the best chewable ice, with names like Chewblet, Nugget Ice and Pearl Ice.
Senate Bill 1959 to Criminalize Thoughts, Blogs, Books and Free Speech ...
The end of Free Speech in America has arrived at our doorstep. It's a new law called the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, and it is worded in a clever way that could allow the U.S. government to arrest and incarcerate any individual who speaks out against the Bush Administration, the war on Iraq, the Department of Homeland Security or any government agency (including the FDA). The law has already passed the House on a traitorous vote of 405 to 6, and it is now being considered in the Senate where a vote is imminent. All over the internet, intelligent people who care about freedom are speaking out against this extremely dangerous law: Philip Giraldi at the Huffington Post, Declan McCullagh at CNET's News.com, Kathryn Smith at OpEdNews.com, and of course Alex Jones at PrisonPlanet.com
This bill is the beginning of the end of Free Speech in America.
Does Alan Greenspan Deserve Credit For The Dot Com Bubble Too?
Over the last few months, there's been an increasing finger of blame pointed at Alan Greenspan, suggesting that his policies while running the Fed created the housing bubble which recently burst. However, others are going even further. A new book is suggesting not only is Greenspan responsible for the housing bubble, but he should take credit for the dot com bubble as well. While the book suggests this in a negative manner, as we've pointed out for years, bubbles aren't necessarily a bad thing -- except for the people who got swept up in the hype and invested at the wrong time. Historically, bubbles tend to act as a great driver of innovation by getting a lot of innovative ideas thrown against the wall quickly to see what sticks. While bursting bubbles tend to be painful, the "good" things that come out of them tend to be quite important.
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