A supersized America

If you have looked in the mirror lately and wondered where those extra pounds came from, you are not alone.  A new study today showed what most of us already know… Americans are getting fatter… a lot fatter actually.

Last year the obesity rate in America rose in 23 different states, and did not decline in a single state. We have known for a while that American children are having a hard time with their weight, but adult obesity rates are on the rise as well.

Today’s report shows that adult obesity rates are greater than 25% in 31 of the nations states. This is up from 28 states the previous year. For children, it is even worse, with 30% of children between the ages of 10 and 17 being obese in 30 states. We are definitely becoming a fatter nation.

It is pretty easy to understand how it happens. Try to drive 5 minutes from your house and not pass a McDonald’s. Chances are, unless you are living in the woods, you will have a hard time not seeing the golden arches on your drive. American’s work a lot, and for a lot of us, we just dont have time to worry about eating healthy. It is much easier to grab that Big Mac than to go home and put together a healthy meal. We are a fast food nation, and it is catching up with us.

Of course it is unfair to blame it all on McDonalds. There are so many different fast food joints out there, but McDonalds just happens to be the biggest and most widespread across America and the world in general.

It is not a pretty picture, and with more and more fast food restaurants going up every day, it is hard to avoid the trappings of the fast and easy food. Maybe next time you decide to pull into a McDonalds you will think twice about what you are putting in your mouth.

I am not trying to preach… I love a good quarter pounder with cheese myself, but me and my wife are pretty good about staying away from the fast food, typically only eating it while we are on road trips and do not really have many other options. Having said that, I do realize that there is always a better option to fast food… so the next time you need something fast and easy, try to make it to a Subway instead, where you can at least get something that will not weigh you down quite as much as a Big Mac, large fries and super sized cola.

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Michael Jackson dead at 50 from cardiac arrest

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop has died today. Michael Jackson suffered from a cardiac arrest and died today in Los Angeles.

Jackson was 50 years old, and was hoping to rejuvenate his carrer this summer with a comeback tour. The King of Pop was once the biggest thing on this planet, but over the past 10 years he had definitely fallen out of the pop world. The last time Michael Jackson had a serious tour was back in 1997, and he had not released an album since 2001.

Through his musical career, Jackson definitely was on top. He sold more than 750 million albums world wide, and won 13 Grammys for his work.

Despite his amazing musical achievements, his carrer will always be tainted by all the accusations of child abuse that were made against him. In 2005, Jackson was acquitted of child molestation in California, and has rarely made his way into the public eye since.

Michael Jackson was divorced 2 times, and leaves 3 children behind.

Despite all the craziness around his personal life, Jackson was still very famous around the world, especially in Europe. He had scheduled 50 London concerts between July and March… and they all sold out in just a matter of minutes, proving that Michael Jackson was, is, and probably always will be considered the true King of Pop.

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Captured American, Capt. Richard Phillips, tries to escape from Somali pirates

Capt. Richard Phillips, who has been held captive by Somali pirates since Wednesday apparently tried to make a get away today, reportedly jumping out of the lifeboat into the ocean before being recaptured.

It is likely that Phillips was hoping that he would be able to jump overboard and make it to the safety of one of the American war ships that have been keeping watch over the situation.  It has been a pretty tense situation since the failed attempt on Wednesday by the pirates to capture the Maersk Alabama and apparently there have been some additional Somalian pirate ships approaching the lifeboat to help out their countrymen.

At the moment, the Navy has two large vessels in the area, and will try to keep any additional pirate ships from approaching the lifeboat in an attempt to help the pirates escape or even just to help re-supply the pirates in the lifeboat. The Navy hopes that their negotiation position is going to get stronger as supplies start to run out on the lifeboat.

Officials stated that they saw Capt. Phillips on the lifeboat after the escape attempt and that he did appear to be unharmed.

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Christian Bale tirade on Shane Hurlbut

British actor Christian Bale is no stranger to bad press, and he is once again in the news today after an audio tape of a verbal tirade by Bale has been released.

The guy on the receiving end of the verbal assault was Shane Hurlbut, the director of photography for the Terminator Salvation film. The encounter went on for almost four entire minutes, and Bale used the f-word at least 37 times, and at one point threatened physical harm against Hurblut. It all started when Hurlbut apparently walked on set, and ruined the scene that was being filmed. The reaction was a bit intense, and Hale went so far as to threaten to quit the film if Hurlbut was not removed from the project.

The event apparently occurred just days after the actor was arrested and accused of assaulting his mother and sister in London. Definitely a week that I am sure the actor wishes he could take back.

You can hear the entire verbal assualt online. (just be warned, the language is not pretty!)

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Phish 2009 summer tour dates

Still upset that you weren’t able to get your hands on tickets for Phish’s 3 day run at Hampton this March? Join the crowd, but the band has announced some more tour dates this summer, so starting January 30 you will get your chance to buy some Phish tickets for a host of dates this summer.

Here are the dates:

June 4-5 at Jones Beach in Wantagh, N.Y.,
Comcast Center outside Boston June 6
Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, N.J. - June 7
The Civic Center in Asheville, N.C. - June 9)
The Fox Theatre in St. Louis - June 16
The Post-Gazette Pavillion in Burgettstown, Pa. - June 18
The Verizon Wireless Center in Noblesville, Ind. - June 19
Alpine Valley in East Troy, Wis. -June 20-21

The band is also rumored to be among the list of performers for this year’s Bonnaroo Festival, and the lineup for that festival is due out in early February

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