Low fat (lost weight) 77 (10.31%)
Low fat (failed) [5.76%] 43 (5.76%)
Low calorie (lost weight) 89 (11.91%)
Low calorie (failed) 37 (4.95%)
Low carb (lost weight) 324 (43.37%)
Low carb (failed) 41 (5.49%)
Something else (lost weight) 55 (7.36%)
Something else (failed) 81 (10.84%)

dietandbody.com Voted 747

eDieters tried:

Weight Watchers 49.57% 1507

Jenny Craig 8.95% 272
Nutri/System 5.89% 179
Slim Fast 29.70% 903
Nutrio .39% 12
LA Weight Loss Centers 5.49% 167

eDiets.com Voted 3040

Dieters? worst problems:

Carbohydrates addiction 1482
Being Weight Watchers victim 210
Overeating 448
Genetically obese 181

lowcarb.ca Voted 2713

What Low Carb Diet Did You Try?

Email webmaster@bestlowcarbs.com to tell you story!

Atkins (lost weight)
Atkins (failed)
Protein Power (lost weight)
Protein Power (failed)
Carbohydrate Addict (lost weight)
Carbohydrate Addict (failed)
Other (lost weight)
Other (failed)

View current results.
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Dieters crave:

Pastries and cakes 14%
Salty snacks like peanuts and chips 22%
Carbohydrates, including pasta and rice 29%
Chocolate, candy or ice cream 35%

buildingbetterhealth.com Voted 719

Why dieters exercise:

Improved General Health 190 (12%)
Increased Strength 150 (9%)
Larger Muscles 300 (19%)
General Weight Gain 38 (2%)
Weight Loss 176 (11%)
Lower Body Fat Percentage 138 (9%)
Smaller Stomach 108 (7%)
Smaller Butt 45 (2%)
Increased Sexual Appeal 268 (17%)
I’m just here for the babes 94 (6%)

ttfit.com voted 1507

Dieters? problem areas:

Thighs/Legs 14%
Hips/Butt 20%
Stomach 65%
Arms 2%

forums.about.com/ab-weightloss Voted 184

How many people are comfortable with their bodies

Yes
No
Didn’t try
I don’t believe in exercising for weight loss

VOTE
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I’ll tell you a secret. For several years I’ve made it a habit to see bands play that I’ve never heard of. Especially if I am traveling, I’ll pick up a newspaper and find a show that sounds cool and go. Why? Because I may thus see Beck before he was signed by Bongload, or members of Sonic Youth playing with friends, all under assumed names. And since so many of the brightest stars in music and art burn out early, none of us wants to miss the next Hendrix playing in coffeehouses or the next Van Gogh showing in neighborhood parks. You never know where that coffeehouse or park will be and so you keep your vigilance up, ready to pounce and proclaim the Next Thing.

To some, it is vitally important to be on top of the Next Thing before everybody else has caught on. These are the nice boys and girls that know the short list for the Booker Prize in fiction before it has been made public. They have inside information. Nine months before your British and French friends were telling you Daftpunk was It, these boys and girls had found Daftpunk and looked at you tenderly when your eyes looked uncomprehendingly at the debuts from St. Etienne and Helium. But there is another reason to adore the fine debut: it is like falling in love.

It is like falling in love in many respects. The artist may only produce one or two more albums and then disappear. Then you revisit your thorough investigation of American pilseners. Or the artist may do the same exact thing four times in a row and you lose interest and become disillusioned after the third album. A handful of times you will catch an artist as they begin and follow them faithfully. But, like falling in love, you must forget that chances are you will be disappointed and disgruntled eventually. Put it out of your mind and play the record again, it sounds like the songs always existed and the singer clairvoyant and mesmerizing. Below, in alphabetical order, a remembrance of debuts that felt like the first sip of an ice-cold martini.

10 Splendid Debuts, 1990-2000

Air, Moon Safari (Source, 1998). Before Ms. Coppola brought them to worldwide attention, this debut felt like a snowstorm, pretty and a little wicked.

Belle and Sebastian, Tigermilk (Matador, 1996). Scottish, brilliant, and ambitious.

Digable Planets, Reachin’: A New Refutation of Time and Space (EMD/Pendulum, 1993). Stunning, luminous, smart. Hip-hop was changed irrevocably with this album.

PJ Harvey, Dry (Island, 1992). Chilling and unforgettable. Ms. Harvey’s blend of drama, vulnerability, and intensity is singular.

Magnetic Fields, Distant Plastic Trees (Red Flame [UK], 1991). Stephin Merritt’s first release, featuring Susan Amway on vocals, ushered in a quintessentially new pop sound evolving out of ABBA and Phil Spector. The last track on this album, 100,000 Fireflies, was covered by Superchunk.

Massive Attack, Blue Lines (Virgin, 1991). Haunting in places and consistently brilliant.

Pavement, Slanted & Enchanted (Matador, 1992). Like Nirvana, Pavement sold a ton of records all the while marketed as an indie act. Playful, catchy, and varied, this album endures.

Tortoise, Tortoise (Thrill Jockey, 1994). Insisting on abandoning classical blues and punk influences, Tortoise releases enchant and elude. Comprising the brightest stars of Chicago’s indie community, Tortoise singlehandedly invigorated experimental rock music in America. The remixed Tortoise albums are extraordinary.

A Tribe Called Quest, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythms (EMD/Pendulum, 1990). Tribe redirected hip-hop with this and the release of the seminal LP Low End Theory the following year.

White Stripes, White Stripes (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 1999). Rather like malt liquor on a hot night.

The book is glossy, and nicely presented, with botanical drawings mingling with the large, lush food photographs. Generally speaking, the preparations aren?t difficult, relying instead on showcasing the natural flavours and exquisite ingredients, rather than on sophisticated culinary techniques. However, unless you live in France, where superb seasonally oriented and epicurian food markets abound, you may find it difficult to pick up the range of exotic mushrooms, game birds, and seafood listed. Robuchon?s featured ingredients are not for those on a budget either. Sliced Scallops and Cavier, Truffle and Smoked Bacon Pancakes, Warm Foie Gras with Lentil Cream Sauce, or Truffled Christmas Capon might set you back a little (plus I doubt my little boys would appreciate the effort).

Not all the ingredients are fancy and rare. There is plenty that a home cook can learn from the master about things like the humble carrot, the melon, bread, grapes, apples, vanilla, turnips, potatoes, and lemons. New Turnips Steamed in Gravy is sublime, and will change the way you look at the funniest vegetable in the supermarket. There are hints for making really smooth mashed potatoes, for peeling and pureeing chestnuts, for making a versatile soup base, and a very tasty sourdough bread. I doubt that the average cook will use this book every day. Robuchon?s reputation is daunting, and you feel that you would be failing him dreadfully if you were to substitute, play around with the recipes, or take shortcuts (mea culpa). Its emphasis on products and produce rather than meals makes it less practical than a book which provides simple and quick family meals. However, La Cuisine De Joel Robuchon is as enjoyable to read as the food is to eat, providing an informative guide to seasonally available ingredients. The book will increase your knowledge of many different types of foods, and you will be a better market shopper as a result. The recipes themselves are simple, and there are some innovative and very easy winners which you will certainly add to your daily meal creation such as “Carrots with Cumin” (a wonderful combination), “Ratatouille”, “Apple Upside Down Cake” (I tried it without the Calvados ? don?t tell Joel, and it was still delicious), and even “Braised Green Cabbage” or “Cream of Pumpkin Soup”. It is kind of special to prepare a Robuchon meal, even if you don?t take on the Capon, Caviar, Morels, or Truffles, and you don?t need fancy French flourishes. Just a good knowledge of the ingredients you are using, and a philosophy which insists on always cooking with the seasons, using the freshest ingredients possible, cooked in a manner to take advantage of its singular flavour. Ah bon.

The director of the study remarked, “Despite flat national trends in overall binge drinking, there was a progressive rise in the number of binge drinkers at all-women schools between 2000 and 2009.” Way to be progressive, ladies!

According to Meredith Sayles Hughes in her book, Cool as a Cucumber, Hot as a Pepper, the “Jamaicans are credited with giving the avocado the nickname ‘alligator pear’. The English-speaking people of this West Indian island - once a Spanish colony - substituted the word ‘alligator’ for aguacate, the Spanish term for ‘avocado’, and added ‘pear’ for the fruit’s pearlike shape. The commercial avocado industry discourages the use of this name, perhaps fearing that consumers won’t want to buy or eat something associated with a ‘gator.”

Nutrient content Avocados are sodium and cholesterol free. There is only five grams of fat per serving, most of which is monounsaturated. The National Cancer Institute and the Produce for Better Health Foundation include recipes for avocados in their meal plans. UCLA has recently discovered that lutein, a carotenoid, found in avocados helps to protect or prevent prostate cancer. Vital nutrients contained in avocados are:

* vitamin E, which helps “mop up” free radicals that can damage cells and lead to disease
* glutathione, which functions as an antioxidant like vitamin E
* beta-sitosterol, which helps lower blood cholesterol

In addition to Lutein preventing prostate cancer, it also helps prevent eye disease. Ounce for ounce avocados contain more fiber, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate than any other commonly eaten fruit.

Peak season: Available year round. Ninety-five percent of the United States’ avocados are grown in California’s warm climate which lends itself to year round growing. The other five percent is grown in Florida.

Selection: Test avocados by feeling the skin. If the skin yields to slight pressure, then it is fully ripe.

Storage: Avocados can be refrigerated for a short period of time if sprinkled with lemon or lime juice and placed in an airtight container. If the avocado is not completely ripe, it can be wrapped in newspaper and stored with an apple or banana. Another way to ripen is to store one to three days at room temperature. For fully ripened avocados, they can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days in the vegetable compartment. Avocados will spoil at temperatures below 43° F.

Preparation: Cut in half around the pit. You can use both hands and twist the two halves in opposite directions to break away from the pit. Remove the pit by hand or a knife if it does not come away easily. Immediately sprinkle the flesh with lemon or lime juice to prevent browning. You can use a vegetable peeler to take skin off if avocado is going to be used in salads.

REPORT CARDS - Kerrey Madler’s Reality Check

6:30 am
I’m not a morning person, so I need motivation to get out of the warm, cozy comfort of my bed. So I think of miso soup and soy milk, yum. While water boils for miso soup, I squint at the list of freezer stuff on the fridge door. I think I’ll thaw the All-around turkey burgers for dinner. I drink my miso with two cubes of tofu and pepper added, and scarf down a banana. While the soy milk is heating up in the microwave, I throw on some clothes for work. I add multigrain Cheerios, a store brand cause it’s cheaper, to my soy milk, and grab a frozen entre’e (Taj Gourmet Chicken Tandoori with Vegetables),a bottle of frozen iced tea, a fruit yogurt cup and an orange for lunch, grapes for snacking.

8:00 am
I power-walked to work from the train station for 20 minutes and my runners squeak on the tile floor. There’s a cafe’ in the building, and I buy a tall latte with milk and sugar, and grab a small blueberry muffin to snack on later.

10:30am
The nutman came around, so I buy a package of pistachios and chocolate chip cookies from him. And I scoop some orange juice concentrate I’ve kept in the fridge at work straight from the container to my mouth.

12:30pm
Why didn’t the printer work, I don’t get it. The manual doesn’t help at all. I mull over the printer and layout problems as I heat my Taj Gourmet entre’e in the microwave. (Chicken and veggies in a tangy tomato sauce with brown rice and peas.) My iced tea is partially melted, and I sip the liquid. Fruit yogurt and orange polished off, I head for my walk with my powerwalk buddies, Claire and Rina. It’s 2 blocks to their office building, and 4 miles to the parliament grounds and back.

3:00pm
Ah, the pleasures of afternoon tea. If only I didn’t have to do that layout over. The iced tea is mostly melted, and the cold liquid is soothing. I go for a stretch in the ladies’ washroom and come back to savor my blueberry muffin, green seedless grapes and a V8 I bought from the convenience store.

7:00pm
Worked overtime to get work done before deadline. I don’t like heavy dinners, but I make sure they’re balanced just the same. The turkey burgers go between whole wheat slices of bread melted with a pile of grated Cheddar cheese. While the burgers are cooking in the microwave, I get some frozen peas, fresh broccoli florets, cans of beans, corn kernels and tomato paste and a scoop of couscous for dinner. I use a lot of olive oil, garlic for my vegetable concoctions. Dinner is interrupted by a phone call from a friend I haven’t seen in awhile. Josh and I plan to take a walk and lunch together tomorrow.

8:30pm
I watch tv snacking on almonds, a peach, baby carrots and a slice of berry pie. I take Squibbles, my pooch, out for a walk, check my mail and email, and brush my teeth. Then I pick up a book and read till 11:00pm or so before catching some zzzs.

Report Card
Our in-house R.D. Heather Simmons-McKinnon gives Kerrey’s diet a passing grade. Overall, this one day in Kerrey’s eating life is a picture of balanced nutrition, but she gets a bit less calcium than she needs. Kerrey is 22 and needs at least 1 000 mg of calcium a day. Kerrey is getting somewhere around 900 mg.

But she gets high marks elsewhere: Kerrey gets more than 200 percent the recommended dietary intake for vitamins A, Bs, C and E with servings of fruits and vegetables all day. She also gets a good dose of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. She’s getting enough zinc from the nuts, and she gets lots of iron and enough fat and cholesterol for health from a combination of nuts, raw fruit and veggies, whole grains and indulgences.

Kerrey’s physical activity leaves room for indulging in berry pie, chocolate chip cookies and lattes with milk. Kerrey’s total calorie intake is around 1500 calories after subtracting the ones she spent on exercise. Kerrey can boost her calorie intake by eating a heartier breakfast or a bigger dinner.

First of all, do comparison shopping before you select a prepaid calling card. Don’t purchase the very first prepaid calling card you see. Examine various prepaid credit cards available from other phone companies and do a comparison of the cost and usage terms. Although it is tempting to buy a card with the cheapest price, don’t do it unless you have examined it thoroughly.

All cards display their calling rates for each minute boldly on their cards and their commercials. But, the other issues such as call connection fees and the usage terms are barely mentioned. Second, always notice the little print that is usually unexpected. The reason for this is that when you begin to use the lesser priced calling cards you might discover that the connection fees are very expensive and you will pay more in the long run than you pay for the calls.

The issue is that the amount the business loses each minute when they charge a cheaper rate is surely compensated for by higher rate they charge to connect you. This can be very costly for the ones that pretty much make short calls. It might cost several dollars to be connected, even though the charge for each minute might be a few cents. For example if the connection fee is $1.50, then you will have to pay $1.50 each time you use the card for making calls. If you only make short calls, you will wind up making many more calls for the specific face value of a particular card than if you bought a card with a per minute call rate that costs just a little bit more but that has a low or even no connection charge at all. So make an adequate comparison between the prepaid cards that are available considering the purpose and length of the calls you intend to make.

Remember the price for connecting calls for long distance and international calls since most likely the price for those will be higher. Some of the prepaid calling cards have a maximum charge of $3 for every international call. More than the already discussed hidden fees are taxes, rounding and maintenance costs. For instance if the card has a 5 minute rounding standard then you will have to pay for 5 minutes although your telephone conversation just lasted for 2 minutes. A lot of people don’t realize that they are paying these hidden fees, and they end up spending a lot of money.

It is also essential to examine the billing increments for every card. Learn about the available billing increments for the cards. For instance, if calls are billed in three minute intervals then you are required to pay the amount of 6 minutes although you only talked for 4 minutes. You can save a lot of money if you have the right billing increments.

That there is a fee to be paid if you call from a pay phone is another factor that you must consider. The fee is mandated by the FCC, however it can also be different for each company. Various charges might apply when calls are made with a cell phone and a prepaid calling card is used. In addition you need to know if the type of card you are considering can be recharged. It is important to shop around and find the best card for your needs.

Looking for love,

I walk to Starbucks
for an iced latte — watch
a man, sitting at a table,
cut open a mango
and eat it with a spoon,
in tidy, delicate bites.

I eat my mangos in private–
standing over the sink
slurping, while juices run
down my elbows,
hairs catch between my teeth
golden pulp gluts my throat
in orgiastic pleasure.

Iced latte is good,
anywhere.

You should also peruse pages just like these pages at this web site, so that you become familiar with what is out there. See what publishers are buying. Are they interested in free verse more than fixed verse? (That is a no-brainer) Are the publishers looking for short plays? Find out what new contests are over the next horizon. There is a treasure trove to be discovered here. You will get tips on writing of course, but there is much, much more. You will learn where to sell specialized articles. You can find addresses of hundreds of magazines like golf magazines, bowling magazines, Internet magazines, etc.

Don’t be afraid of email. Why? This is for the simple fact that the best job sources are usually newsletters and newsgroups for writers. To get a detailed list of these, subscribe to the last issue of The Write Site and immediately you will be sent the latest newsletter with thousands of jobs and countless writing lists, including job listings for writers.

Also, the Internet is another source of many publishers. Do many Internet searches for poetry publishers, prose publishers, magazines. **Always be sure to check additional web sites at the bottom of the search window.**

Before submitting, familiarize yourself with the ezine or magazine. Also read some of the content before submitting. This is possibly the most important thing that any writer must do. Pay very careful attention to the guidelines. Word count, deadlines, and query information MUST be followed to the letter.

Should I be giving away all these tips? Why, of course, we are fellow writers! Now start clicking those keys, guys:)

Is there any wonder why it’s harder than ever for a girl to get a date at college?

Drum roll please….Penn State University feminists showed their true colors by presenting C**tFest and SexFaire. Both events were funded by the university and “celebrated” women through tactics such as live nude performances, a “Tent of Consent” (later shut down by the university), and the proclamation of white males as the common enemy of all oppressed. Enlarged papier-ma^che’ female genitals were used as cups to serve punch. Soaps in the shape of private parts were passed out as favors. In the hypocritical tone reflected by most of today’s radical feminists, Penn State activists protested when a Hooters franchise threatened to move into the campus community, claiming the restaurant objectified women and threatened women’s safety on campus. The message sent to campus males was pretty obvious: women like objectification, but only when they are the objects of other women.

Next up….Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, which graced college campuses in 43 states. As part of the V-Day Initiative (yes, “V” stands for “vagina”), college feminists were encouraged to perform the play in an effort to “reclaim the word,” or as one participant exclaimed, turn the word “vagina” into something positive for women-such as mother goddess. Regardless of how the rest of campus women or men felt about the play, posters with painted renditions of female genitalia were scattered across many college campuses and participants were encouraged to buy V-Day Initiative t-shirts that contained the aforementioned graphic. Traditional Valentine’s Day celebrations were shunned in favor of V-Day. No men with candy or flowers allowed, unless in a manner celebrating, or reclaiming, a body part that was once considered private.

Item number three: Author and commentator Ann Coulter was excessively harassed while speaking at Duke University and, more recently, Cornell University (her alma mater). At Duke the campus feminists berated her for her views on abortion and the Violence Against Women Act. Cornell was even less kind, hurling oranges at her before she was almost physically attacked. All in all, women’s groups were militant, settling for low blows to Coulter’s intelligence and appearance and practicing their pitching with oranges.