| Co-workers upset over photo of stillborn baby | | Posted Tuesday, February 06, 2007 12:51:04 PM by Blog57 Team | | Dear Abby: I am writing on behalf of my friends at work. We have a co-worker, "Madge," who had a stillborn baby last year. It was tragic. Our problem is, she keeps a photo of the deceased infant with its little eyes sewn shut on her desk in plain view, so that if we must interact with her (we have an open cubicle layout) we have to see it. Is this appropriate? Ninety percent of the employees here are women. Most are appalled. Others say, "Well, it's all she has." Madge is expecting again, and we are rooting for her and the baby. However, in addition to all this, she is mean and gossipy. Madge tells everyone what to do and how to do it which is not in her job description. I hope that when the baby arrives she will soften and not be so bitter. But, Abby, how on earth do we blow off that photo? Appalled in the Midwest Dear Appalled: While a person's desktop is usually private territory, I agree that the photograph you describe is inappropriate in an office environment.... | |
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| | | News of the Weird | | Posted Saturday, January 20, 2007 2:54:10 PM by Blog57 Team | | At the December ceremony in Najaf, Iraq, in which U.S. commanders turned over control of the city, Iraqi commandos took the stage carrying frogs and a rabbit and soon were eating the animals raw in a show of feral manliness. As U.S. personnel looked on apprehensively, one Iraqi cut open the rabbits belly, screamed, snatched its heart in his teeth, and passed the bloody carcass down the line, with each commando taking a bite. According to a Baltimore Sun dispatch, locals said that Saddam Husseins special forces used to do similar things, but with snakes, dogs, cats and even wolves. Passing the buck Floyd Kinney Jr., 49, pleading guilty in Northampton County, Pa., in December to indecent assault on two young girls, blamed the incidents on his wifes obsessive bingo habit, which he said took her out of the house three, four times a week.... | |
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| | | Beware of soiled goods | | Posted Sunday, November 19, 2006 12:52:20 PM by Blog57 Team | | A FEW weeks ago, I saw something that put the whole organic food debate into perspective for me. You know those disgusting cola bottle sweets that stick to children's teeth? Well, you can now buy an organic version, made with corn syrup and decaffeinated cola. It costs £1.18 a packet as opposed to the 40-odd pence you pay for the preservative-rich version, but it's worth the extra because it's so much healthier, isn't it? That's the generally accepted version. But could it be that products like this are just a potent symbol of the extent to which, for some people, buying organic is nothing more than a middle-class pose? How else can you explain parents eschewing the notion of eating non-organic carrots, while their children float round soft play areas clutching organic sweeties as a badge of their eco-friendly credentials? If they were truly worried about their children's diet rather than about keeping up appearances, wouldn't a box of raisins, organic or otherwise, be a better substitute? And if they're so worried about the environment, why have they so often got their 4x4s sitting outside? .... | |
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| | | Documentary takes a look at eating disorders | | Posted Tuesday, November 14, 2006 2:55:23 AM by Blog57 Team | | The terms anorexia and bulimia are usually associated with startling tabloid images of such celebrities as Nicole Richie, Kate Bosworth and Keira Knightley. But the documentary "Thin," premiering Tuesday on HBO, takes those eating disorders beyond headlines and statistics for an inside look at a Florida clinic and four patients in a life-or-death battle over food. Photographer Lauren Greenfield makes her film-directing debut with a cinema-verite exploration of the 40-bed Renfrew Center in Coconut Creek, and the women who go there in a desperate attempt to recover from a disease that impacts every aspect of their lives. "I think there is a sense that even people who have lived for many years with them (anorexics or bulimics), like their family members, don't really know what it's like to deal with this on a day-to-day basis, and why it's not easy to just get rid of," she says.... | |
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| | | Health fears over UK speed eating | | Posted Friday, November 10, 2006 10:58:36 PM by Blog57 Team | | The "sport" of extreme eating is coming to the UK - with competitors set to battle it out to see who can devour the most mince pies. The move has angered health campaigners, who condemned the competition for "glorifying gluttony" and sending out a bad message to youngsters. Speed eating is a major phenomenon in the USA, with some of the bigger events televised on sports channels and winners earning thousands of dollars in prize money. One of the biggest names in the sport, Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas is set to compete for the 1,000 prize at the mince pie eating competition, which will be held at Wookey Hole Caves in Somerset. The petite 36-year-old, who weighs 7st 7lb, is the most successful woman in competitive eating, with only two men ahead of her in the world rankings.... | |
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| | | World Championship Posole Eating and Cooking Competitions Return to Sky City Casino Hotel Saturday, November 18, 2006 | | Posted Tuesday, November 07, 2006 6:53:05 PM by Blog57 Team | | The championship posole eating and cooking world championships are returning to Sky City Casino Hotel in Acoma, New Mexico on Saturday, November 18. Sanctioned by the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE), this is the only eating competition of this kind. The IFOCE is also responsible for the world-renown hot dog eating competition held each July 4 in Coney Island. Besides the fame of winning, top posole eaters will receive a total of $4,000 in cash and a piece of the hand-made pottery that the Acoma tribe is known for throughout the art world. Known to its culinary fans as a spicy, hominy based stew with chilies, garnishes and meat (in this case, pork), posole is steeped in Acoma tradition. It is often a holiday or special occasion dish and recipes are passed from generation to generation.... | |
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| | | Eating out 'may encourage bingeing' | | Posted Saturday, November 04, 2006 3:01:37 PM by Blog57 Team | | WOMEN tend to eat more calories and fat when dining out, regardless of what their usual eating habits are, new research suggests. The study, which included both binge-eaters and dieters, found that both groups of women ate out frequently - and downed between 200 and 300 extra calories a day in the process. Moreover, women who were prone to binge-eating problems often overindulged when eating out. One-third of their bingeing episodes over the two-week study occurred in a restaurant, according to findings published today in the Western Journal of Nursing Research. "Restaurants may present a high-risk environment for bingers and dieters, contributing to loss of control and excess consumption," writes study author Dr Gayle M. Timmerman, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing.... | |
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| | | New study shows teenage girls' use of diet pills doubles over five-year span | | Posted Wednesday, November 01, 2006 10:59:28 AM by Blog57 Team | | MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (10/30/2006) A study released today by the University of Minnesota's "Project EAT" (Eating Among Teens) shows startling results of 2,500 female teenagers studied over a five-year period. The study found that high school-aged females' use of diet pills nearly doubled from 7.5 to 14.2 percent. By the ages of 19 and 20, 20 percent of females surveyed used diet pills. "These numbers are startling, and they tell us we need to do a better job of helping our daughters feel better about themselves and avoid unhealthy weight control behaviors," U of M professor and study researcher Dianne Neumark-Sztainer said. Other results from the study include: 62.7 percent of teenage females use "unhealthy weight control behaviors" 21.9 percent of teenage females use "very unhealthy weight control behaviors" Very unhealthy weight control behaviors include the use of diet pills, laxatives, vomiting or skipping meals.... | |
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| | | ECHS raises over $9,500 for Light the Night | | Posted Sunday, October 29, 2006 12:56:52 PM by Blog57 Team | | A crowd gathered in the Effingham County High School cafeteria Friday morning as students had their head shaved in support of two classmates battling leukemia. (Photo: Lisa Saccoia) Having had their head shaved, a group of Effingham County High School students cheer as others lose their locks. (Photo: Lisa Saccoia) .... | |
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| | | Branson sees red over Dr Beetroot's Aids cure 'garbage' | | Posted Sunday, October 29, 2006 6:55:30 AM by Blog57 Team | | Sir Richard Branson has made an outspoken attack on the South African government for causing the deaths of "thousands" of people over its former refusal to accept the link between HIV and Aids. The Virgin tycoon, a major investor in South Africa, said the country's health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang should have been sacked for her "garbage" claim that eating garlic, beetroot and lemon could prevent HIV developing into Aids. In remarks likely to cause embarrassment to the African National Congress, he also blamed President Thabo Mbeki for a failure of leadership over the crisis, which has left more than one in 10 of South Africa's 43 million people HIV-positive. .... | |
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