Billie’s Quickies … Urban birds rap? And, cows have regional dialects?

When will we all stop acting as if if politicians won’t ever politick?  Now that that’s out of the way …

• A great laugh … I wonder if we could all do this?  What a great prank – disturbing yet HIlarious!  H/T Neatorama

• Well, this is sh**ty news:  AIDS is top cause of death for young women
• DAMN addictive typing game! Very useful.
• The GOP always will have a “women problem” as long as they keep insulting feminism.
• Urban birds rap? And, cows have regional dialects?
• Rumsfeld was both the youngest AND oldest Secretary of Defense in history … hmm.
• Oldish news that has doubtfully improved ... MRSA on hospital keyboards … ugh: “Research shows as many as 25% of keyboards carry MRSA – one of a number of hospital-acquired infections which kill 5,000 people each year in the UK.”
• Tips on how to survive a plane crash.
• Where was I when scientists decided the egg was first?
• Camels milk to go with your camel’s milk chocolate?
• Salon.com has some pretty amazing stuff in its gift shop
• Where have these Firefox tricks been all my life?
• Part AT-AT part cannon or what?
• I’m sure knowing how to make a Bechamel sauce will eventually come in handy.
• Beautiful drawing.
• “Matt Taibbi is wrong about enough things that’s it’s getting to be hard for me to take him seriously even about the things he’s right about. I’m not going into the litany right now, though Tim Fernholz’s TAPPED post about his latest piece is more important than he’s been given credit for. Taibbi admits he confused two Jamie Rubins in his Rolling Stone article on Obama economic team, but in his correction, he says, ‘there is indeed a factual error in the piece — a minor biographical detail that identifies Bob Rubin’s son Jamie as a former Clinton diplomat.’ Yes, but. The mistake is one that someone familiar with the territory in DC wouldn’t have made.”
• I s’pose we oughtta keep this on hand.
• I’d eat at one of Morimoto’s street food kiosks or restaurants. … whatever, I’d eat anywhere Morimoto said was good.
• Very neat painted sketch.
• Bizarre bizarre bizarre: “Who is a Jew? And who gets to decide?”
• Well if this peanut butter frozen pie with candied bacon doesn’t look like the yummiest thing ever, I don’t know what does!
• It’s always nice when Big Bird does an interview.

Billie’s Quickies…Early week news predictions

This week should be fascinating, what with the new Veteran death panel talk, @mccainblogette on The View, Chuck Todd gettin’ cold yelled at about Blackwater, the reality show dude who killed his ex allegedly committing suicide, and the continuing debate about what constitutes a “right” in America.

Well, here are my predictions as to what will make the news, along with some just plain interesting, cool, or weird linkage.

• The Lutherans are letting in teh gays in committed relationships, so WTF is the wrong with the rest of us? “Under the new policy, individual ELCA congregations will be allowed to hire homosexuals in committed relationships as clergy.” Seems to me that if the Lutherans can accept it, and Iowa can accept it, then maybe the rest of the US can quit getting its panties in a bunch about relationships that don’t concern them.
• Texas is in the education news again.  Well, allowing a Bible study class to become a mandatory elective I could kinda let slide – it is an elective after all – but, revisionist history?! I THINK NOT! “Texas high school students would learn about such significant individuals and milestones of conservative politics as Newt Gingrich and the rise of the Moral Majority — but nothing about liberals…”
• Oh, hey, here’s HR 3200 in case you haven’t read it yet.
• And, here’s the science behind finding all those undecided voters to sway with political ads.
• Community organizers are so useless, and are such troublemakers ;):  “…the middle class is very thin,” said a 38-year-old graphic designer who in 2004 helped found an undercover nonprofit group that recruits potential political leaders. ‘We need to grow, strengthen that. Most democratic countries have a broader middle class. It is the only way to go forward.'”
• This quote says it all: “‘When a woman walks into a gun store and says she’s looking for a weapon for her own protection, there aren’t going to be a lot of questions,’ the chief said.”
• OMG, people are test firin’ missiles again! 😉
• A medical student spends 10 days in a nursing home: “’As a doctor, my job is to help patients live the life they want to,’” she said. ‘And if they’re in pain, you have to say ‘That’s O.K. if you want to spend your time in a wheelchair.’  For me that’s such a different place to be. Because I hate this chair. It still startles me that that’s the choice.’”
• 5 medical tests that could save your life – Cardiac CT angiography, virtual colonoscopy are worth the time.
• Mmmkay – “Until recently, most Americans traveling abroad for cheaper non-emergency medical care were either uninsured or wealthy. But the profile of medical tourists is changing. Now, they are more likely to be people covered by private insurers, which are looking to keep costs from spiraling out of control.”

Best health care in the world, eh?

• LET.THE.MANUFACTURED.BIRTH.CERTIFICATE.CONTROVERSY.GO!
• Oh, hey, Mike Huckabee visited Israel and said there is no such thing as a Palestinian.  Just so you know. Oh, and it’s ON TAPE, BABY!
• Here’s the ‘scary’ booklet the VA used to hand out until recently….boogedy boogedy!
• Finally….FOOD PR0N!

If they’re so poor, why are they so fat?

Why are so many Oklahomans overweight?

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Oklahoma ranks eight on the list of hungriest states and seventh in food insecurity.  However, Oklahoma also – according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) – is the 10th fattest state in the Union.

How can this be?  If so many are going hungry in the Sooner State, how is it possible that so many are overweight?  One possibility may surprise you.

The nation’s poor, when faced with hunger, have few options to fill their bellies.  The first trip probably is to the local Food Bank.  Food pantries provide what could be lifesaving sustenance to low income – or no income – folks with photo identification, proof of address, proof of income (or lack thereof), and a social security card.

While the food bank or local charity may ease the hunger pangs, does the food provide proper sustenance?  I took a trip to the local food bank to find out.

Make no mistake, the food bank is an excellent source to feed yourself and/or your family.  They do their very best to fill the baskets of those in need with a variety of food to satisfy a variety of cravings: snacks, canned vegetables and fruit, bread, beans, rice, and occasionally meat and one or two soda pops.  Variety is all well and good, but what about quality?

A diet consisting solely of donations from the food bank will be high in carbohydrates, sugar, and salt – but, don’t get me wrong…they don’t do this on purpose.  It isn’t likely that anyone visiting the food bank is apt to complain or look a gift horse in the mouth – far from it.  When you are hungry you take what you are given, and you are happy to get it.

But let’s take a look at what five of the 10+ cans’ first few ingredients hold per serving:

Black Eyed Peas – black eyed peas, water, sugar, salt, and bacon.  20g carbohydrates, 550mg sodium, and 4g sugar.

Sauerkraut – sauerkraut (cabbage), salt, and water.  1g carbohydrate, 180mg salt.

Green Beans – beans, water, and salt.  390mg sodium, 2g sugar.

Vegetarian Vegetable Soup – water, vegetables, egg, tomato, etc.  430mg sodium, 2g sugar.

Diced Tomatoes – tomatoes and salt.  200mg sodium

One canned product you will rarely find at a food bank is something such as “smoked oysters.”  Interestingly, the oysters have only 160mg of sodium, while tuna (more likely on the list) has about 250mg of sodium per serving.

The USDA recommends – based on a 2,000 calorie diet – a daily sodium intake of 1500mg (lowered from 2300 this year), and a daily sugar intake of 40g.  So, if a hungry person visits the food bank, eats one can of green beans and one can of vegetarian vegetable soup, he or she has consumed 12g of sugar and 2460mg of sodium in only one meal.  Multiply that by three – 7380mg sodium and 36g sugar.  Most surprising is the amount of sodium in the can of vegetables – what one would think should be the healthiest item to choose.

The problem with Oklahoma’s obesity rates and its connection to Oklahoma’s poor could be more easily solved than you may think.  If you donate food to your local food bank, it needn’t always be canned – even here in Lawton.  The Lawton Food Bank has a refrigerator and freezer, and fresh items can be kept for a little while.  Not everyone who is in need of food is homeless, and more than a few probably need help filling the gaps, but must choose between electricity and food, or prescriptions and natural gas.  A little fresh food can go a long way, and a nutritious instant meal or fresh ingredient dropped off at a food drive location probably would be appreciated.  While a donation of delicate fresh herbs or salad greens most likely is not the best idea, hearty fruits and vegetables such as sweet potatoes and apples keep quite well and are considered by some to be amongst those of nature’s most nutritionally perfect foods.

Occasionally, with hushed tones, those who are better off may wonder how the overweight mother could possibly be paying with food stamps and weigh so much, or how the impoverished chubby child could become so if he wasn’t being fed a lot of expensive snacks.  The answer may surprise you, and you could contribute to the solution.

Please cal 555-555-5555 to find your local food bank.

Why are so many of our nation’s poor overweight?

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Oklahoma ranks eight on the list of hungriest states and seventh in food insecurity.  However, Oklahoma also – according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) – is the 10th fattest state in the Union.

How can this be?  If so many are going hungry in the Sooner State, how is it possible that so many are overweight?  One possibility may surprise you.

The nation’s poor, when faced with hunger, have few options to fill their bellies.  The first trip probably is to the local Food Bank.  Food pantries provide what could be lifesaving sustenance to low income – or no income – folks with photo identification, proof of address, proof of income (or lack thereof), and a social security card.

While the food bank or local charity may ease the hunger pangs, does the food provide proper sustenance?  I took a trip to the local food bank to find out.

Make no mistake, the food bank is an excellent source to feed yourself and/or your family.  They do their very best to fill the baskets of those in need with a variety of food to satisfy a variety of cravings: snacks, canned vegetables and fruit, bread, beans, rice, and occasionally meat and one or two soda pops.  Variety is all well and good, but what about quality?

A diet consisting solely of donations from the food bank will be high in carbohydrates, sugar, and salt – but, don’t get me wrong…they don’t do this on purpose.  It isn’t likely that anyone visiting the food bank is apt to complain or look a gift horse in the mouth – far from it.  When you are hungry you take what you are given, and you are happy to get it.

But let’s take a look at what five of the 10+ cans’ first few ingredients hold per serving, and we’ll ignore calories:

• Black Eyed Peas – black eyed peas, water, sugar, salt, and bacon.  20g carbohydrates, 550mg sodium, and 4g sugar.
• Sauerkraut – sauerkraut (cabbage), salt, and water.  1g carbohydrate, 180mg salt.
• Green Beans – beans, water, and salt.  390mg sodium, 2g sugar.
• Vegetarian Vegetable Soup – water, vegetables, egg, tomato, etc.  430mg sodium, 2g sugar.
• Diced Tomatoes – tomatoes and salt.  200mg sodium

One canned product you will rarely find at a food bank is something such as “smoked oysters.”  Interestingly, the oysters have only 160mg of sodium, while tuna (more likely on the list at your local food bank or pantry) has about 250mg of sodium per serving.

The USDA recommends – based on a 2,000 calorie diet – a daily sodium intake of 1500mg (lowered from 2300 this year), and a daily sugar intake of 40g.  So, if a hungry person visits the food bank, eats one can of green beans and one can of vegetarian vegetable soup, he or she has consumed 12g of sugar and 2460mg of sodium in only one meal.  Multiply that by three – 7380mg sodium and 36g sugar – and that’s without the soda or juice!  Most surprising is the amount of sodium in the can of vegetables – what one would think should be the healthiest item to choose.

Some studies have indicated that a diet high in salt can contribute greatly to obesity, not to mention hypertension and various other health problems.  And, with the number of Native Americans with diabetes who live on limited income in Oklahoma, eating a diet high in sodium could be fatal.

The problem with Oklahoma’s obesity rates – and probably many other states –  and its connection to Oklahoma’s poor could be more easily solved than you may think.  If you donate food to your local food bank, it needn’t always be canned.  Your local Food Bank probably has a refrigerator and freezer, and fresh items can be kept for a little while.  Not everyone who is in need of food is homeless, and more than a few probably need help filling the gaps, but must choose between electricity and food, or prescriptions and natural gas.  A little fresh food can go a long way, and a nutritious instant meal or a fresh ingredient dropped off at a food drive location probably would be appreciated.  While a donation of delicate fresh herbs or salad greens most likely is not the best idea, hearty fruits and vegetables such as sweet potatoes and apples keep quite well and are considered by some to be amongst those of nature’s most nutritionally perfect foods.

Occasionally, with hushed tones, those who are better off may wonder how the overweight man or woman at the grocery store could possibly be paying with food stamps and weigh so much, or how the impoverished,  yet chubby, child could become so if he wasn’t being fed a lot of expensive snacks.  The answer may surprise you, and you may be able to help.

Donate fresh foods to your local food bank.

White House: Iran Can’t Come to Our Barbecue

On the heels of reports that the White House was considering rescinding invitations to Iranian diplomats to attend July 4th celebrations around the world, the White House now confirms that the invites are kaput.

This might not sound like such a big deal, especially in light of what’s happening in Iran, but the White House is really serious about its grilling.  They’ve got a fleet of Weber Sputnik grills for use by the family and staff, and they even got Chef Bobby Flay to do their Father’s Day cookout.  This is no joke, the Iranians will hurt from this.

If the violence in Iran continues, look for even stricter sanctions.  If I was an Ayatollah, I wouldn’t even bother researching my fantasy football draft.

This is, obviously, not a big deal, but whoever talked to reporters anonymously about this really blew it.  I mean, really:

The Obama administration is seriously considering not extending invitations to Iranian diplomats for July 4 celebrations overseas, senior administration officials tell CNN.

The officials said intense discussions on the issue were taking place, but the final decision had not been made.

You’re having intense discussions about whom to invite to your barbecue?  God, I hope that’s not true.

If any question should have been laughed at, it was this one.

Right Wing Creaming Over Obama and Iran – Ice Cream, Cream Puffs

While President Obama has rolled out a still-stronger statement on the unrest in Iran, there are some on the right who are more obsessed with cream than with productive diplomacy.

First, there was GOP Congressman Dana Rohrbacher’s assertion that President Obama is a “cream puff.”  It’s a nice sound byte, unless you spend a second or two thinking.  Along with the rest of the chorus saying “Do something, do anything!”, Rohrbacher seems to forget what happened when the last Decider-in-Chief felt a little impotent and went off half-cocked.  Isn’t that really what the “cream puff” dig was about, another veiled shot at the President’s masculinity?

Now, the loons on the right are up in arms about the President taking his daughters for ice cream while Iran suffers violent turmoil.  The uproar was so instantaneous and fierce that fellow White House reporter Mark Knoller had this to say only moments after tweeting about the dessert run:  (via Twitter)