Subway $5 foot-longs a fluke

Interesting article explaining how the Subway chain came up with their successful $5 foot-long campaign from franchises who were innovative and cheap.

Ass-urance on insurance

I'm going to stop the political posts for a while because they make me mental, but some things have been bothering me in the media lately and I need to vent. Even if only to myself and the few people who accidentally view the website looking for legit information that will help aid you in life, like Craigslist's Casual Encounters page or the Drinkers Against Mad Mothers website (BTW, this dude is going straight to hell.)

Anyhell, the U.S. is closer to a healthcare reform bill. Now, I haven't been keeping up with this healthcare debate because I purchase PPO plan through my work. Always have, always will...hate waiting to get permission from HMO's to go see a doctor when I want. So, the bill doesn't have an impact on me directly, other than possibly increasing the amount I pay because insurance companies will raise all rates to cover the fines and increase imposed on them by this bill. But, that's the insurance companies doing for screwing over average citizens, right? Not the government. Isn't the insurance companies who refuse to cover pre-existing conditions that might actually lower the likelihood of developing complex medical conditions that burden the reimbursement system? Yep. Isn't it the insurance companies that raise malpractice rates and force hospitals to up charges in order to cover? Uh huh. Rather than complaining about illegal aliens (BTW, there's a lot more uninsured Americans who receive free treatment in hospitals than illegals...it's called Medicare) ruining things, how about implementing a system that warrants having to provide ID in order to be covered under the public plan?

Nope, let's keep listening to the idiots out there who come up with clever campaigns like this poster:

And by idiots, I'm not talking about the GOP right. I'm talking the big insurance lobby that doesn't want the good times to end for their companies and be forced into competitive rate cuts!!!!

500 Calorie Choices at Fast Food Joints

I'm only posting this 500 calorie fast food menu so I can look it up on my phone when I'm running around. Deal with it. Hope it can help you too.

Here are some of the recommended Eat This! fast-food meals under 500 calories:

Less Than 500 Calories at Dunkin' Donuts
Ham, Egg & Cheese English Muffin Sandwich with English Breakfast Tea
350 calories
15 g fat (6 g saturated fat)
1,045 mg sodium

English muffins have a fraction of the carbohydrates of a bagel, and none of the trans fats of the donuts and croissants. The antioxidant-rich tea is also a great way to begin your day.

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Less Than 500 Calories at Hardee's
BBQ Chicken Sandwich with a small side of Cole Slaw
490 calories
16 g fat (3g saturated fat)
1,340 mg sodium

Barbecue sauce and a reasonably-sized side dish keep this meal in the safe zone. Just opt for a water, rather than a Hardee's shake or malt, and you're good to go. And if you want to steer clear of the liquid disasters that can blow up your waistline without your knowing it, be sure to check out some of these other worst beverages in America.

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Less Than 500 Calories at KFC
3 Crispy Strips with Green Beans and 3" Corn on the Cob, and a Medium Diet Pepsi
475 calories
22.5 g fat (6 g saturated fat)
1,200 mg sodium

Order a side of green beans for a good source of vitamins K, A, and C—key players in maintaining strong bones and reducing cancer-causing free radicals. The corn on the cob will also help fill you up with minimal added calories. Just beware the dipping sauces—choosing BBQ over Ranch can save you over 100 calories.

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Less Than 500 Calories at McDonald's
Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich with a Side Salad with Newman's Own Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette, and a Medium Iced Tea
480 calories
13 g fat (2 g saturated fat)
1,945 mg sodium

Counting calories doesn't mean your meal is healthy. For example: The Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich matches the Quarter Pounder without cheese when it comes to caloric content—but the chicken has no trans fats, while the burger does. Choose the sandwich and side salad for a good combination of protein and veggies.

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Less Than 500 Calories at Pizza Hut
Two Slices Thin ‘N Crispy Pizza (12") with Quartered Ham & Pineapple, and Medium Diet Coke
360 calories
12 g fat (5 g saturated fat)
1,110 mg sodium

Regardless of which pizza chain you favor, ham and pineapple is one of the most trusted combinations you can order. Ham adds extra protein to balance out the crust's carbohydrate load, while pineapple adds low-cal sweetness and a dose of antioxidants.

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Less Than 500 Calories at Taco Bell
Two Fresco Soft Beef Tacos with Mexican Rice, and a bottle of water
470 calories
17 g fat (6 g saturated fat)
1,760 mg sodium

Order almost any menu item "fresco" style and the Bell boys will replace cheese and sauces with a chunky tomato salsa, cutting calories and fat by at least 25 percent. Beyond being nutritious, salsa is also cheap—check out our list of the other healthiest cheap foods you can eat. Finally, the Mexican rice adds a tasty little side (just 110 extra calories) that'll help fill you up without filling you out.


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Less Than 500 Calories at Wendy's
Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich with Mandarin Orange Cup and small Nestea Sweetened Iced Tea
500 calories
7 g fat (1.5 g saturated fat)
983 mg sodium

This is the healthiest sandwich on the menu. Don't order your chicken spicy, though: That's their cue to fry, rather than grill, your bird, tacking on an extra 9.5 fat grams. Adding a small citrus fruit cup side is also a great, low-calorie way to add sweetness—and cold-fighting vitamin C—to your meal.

Firing up the synapses.

Honestly, I have the mind of an 80 year old. So I definitely need to know about potential brain foods.

Swine Flu common sense!

Everywhere you turn, the media and the WHO are making the swine flu sound like the end of the world. Yes, the swine flu is virulent, can be dangerous and seems to be easily spread. However, unless you are immuno-compromised or do experience severe symptoms, the average human immune system should be able to fend off your infection, should you contract the swine flu.

I feel the need to post something (not that too many people view this blog...) because if you're like me, you're getting panicked by the media into thinking you should stay at home and not talk to anyone for days. If you have symptoms, yes, stay home! But there's no need to be hysterical at this point. My recommendation, per my local hospital:

"If you are experiencing minor symptoms at home, please stay home, get rest and drink plenty of fluids. If your symptoms are moderate or severe, please seek care from your primary physician. Reminder: the best way to fight swine flu (and any flu!) is through common sense measures. Stay at home if you are sick. Wash your hands frequently and cover your mouth with a tissue or a sleeve if you cough or sneeze."

I'd like a plate of gum, please.

Here's an article on old wives' tales that are not true, despite most of us thinking they are. I have to admit, I did think some of these were very true like the carrots for better eye health myth. If you don't want to read the article, this is a summary of the old wives' tales that just aren't true:

1. Eating Bread Crusts Will Make Your Hair Curly


2. Swallowed Gum Takes Seven Years to Digest


3. If You Pluck a Gray Hair, Two More Will Grow Back in Its Place


4. Touching Toads Will Give You Warts


5. Don’t Swim for an Hour After Eating, Or You’ll Cramp Up and Drown


6. Eat Carrots for Better Eyesight


7. Chocolate Will Give You Acne

Zambrano hates Wrigley

Obviously, Big Z hasn't heard the phrase "don't sh*t where you eat." He's one of the most popular pitchers today because of Cubs fans (there are plenty of aces in the game who don't get the cheers and jersey sales he gets...) and yet wants Wrigley gone. In favor of another generic, albeit top notch, professional stadium? He needs to visit the Cell more often.

Cubs ace asks for a new ballpark

“You come into a ballpark like this and you see great things...You wish that Chicago’d build a new stadium for the Cubs,” he said.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella couldn’t agree less with his opening-day starter. The former Yankees outfielder and manager was enchanted by the new [Yankees] ballpark in the Bronx, but can’t wait to return to Chicago for the first home game on April 13.

“I don’t see why,” Piniella said when asked if the Cubs need a new stadium. “Wrigley’s got its own uniqueness. There’s no question the facilities need to be redone but that’s going to happen. My favorite time of year is when the ivy turns green. It’s really a great environment to play a ballgame,” he said.

Sweet Lou knows how to play the game. And by "play the game" I mean making Cubs fans happy by telling us exactly what we want to hear. He's right about Wrigley needing some updating...the old gal is falling apart and our team deserves better (the below photo is their dugout pisser). I get they're athletes and not glamour boys, but this is pretty rough looking. I don't want to know what the buckets are for...

And while we're on the subject, any Wrigley renovation can't remove the mens rooms' troughs. If you're a sports fan, you're aware of how bad timeout/halftime/quarter-end bathroom breaks are with urinals. Lines barely move and dudes end up pissing in the sinks. I'm just saying it happens. Don't judge. Guys, if you've been to Wrigley, you've been amazed at how fast troughs make it to get in and get out. They can get rid of the handwashing station though. Seriously, it does kind of look like another urinal and accidents happen. Hey, I said don't judge.

Ladies, you're just screwed at sporting events...your lines are always long. You should probably invest in the "Go Girl."

Petland = puppy mills

Not that anyone should be surprised, but those cute puppies you see in mall windows? Yeah, they're crossbred and have lived most of their life in horrible conditions. I know, so why don't moore peopl rescue them by taking htem home? Because you're giving your money to the puppy mill breeders and encouraging them to keep producing, you moron!

Do the pups a favor? Don't shop at Petland and either adopt puppy or buy from an AKC registered breeder.

Getting jacked by big oil companies...AGAIN!

I know, way to state the obvious and there's no point being shocked. But still, I have to ask: why are oil prices going up at the pump if oil crude prices keep dropping? Can it be a more blatant example of price gauging? I think I'm more upset because no one complains until gas gets over $3.50 a gallon. Then, Americans start complaining about how they've had to cut back, can't drive places as much and have financial hardship because of their gas payments. Where are the outcries when the small, incremental increases are happening? The truth is no one cares notices until they're forced to.

When are people going to more of an emphasis on independence from oil?

• Public transit instead of driving


• Drink nalgene bottles with filtered water instead of bottled water


• Buy local products (cuts semi truck emissions)


• Recycle everything possible

Stop oil companies from stealing cash from your wallet. They're having record high profits while the rest of the modern world is getting crushed in a new economic depression.

This is why I drink Diet Coke Plus.

OK, I don't drink Diet Coke Plus. Vitamins in cola must taste like contradiction. I hope people like getting healthy while drinking cola, because the multivitamins they're popping aren't doing anything, according to some recent studies. This article post on Yahoo! summarizes that vitamins aren't worth taking, unless you have special circumstances.

"Folic acid supplements in women who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant...Supplements that contain more vitamin D and calcium than is present in regular multivitamin pills can help older men, and especially women, avoid osteoporosis and bone fractures...Supplements of vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, zinc, and copper may slow the progression of vision loss in people with early macular degeneration. And multivitamins are beneficial for some entire groups of people:
those on a very-low-calorie weight-loss diet
strict vegetarians
heavy alcohol drinkers
individuals who are not getting an adequate diet because they are too sick or too poor--or live by themselves and are unable to prepare proper meals for themselves"

Yeah, because when someone is poor or alone, popping multivitamins is right at the top the list of things to do. And don't the above demographics account for 99% of the population? While I think we all know there's a lot of crap out there on store shelves that won't help you live longer or better, I can't believe doctors would advocate NOT taking a daily vitamin.

"No one denies that an adequate intake of vitamins is essential; however, vitamins can and should be obtained from eating enough healthy foods rather than from swallowing vitamin supplements."

There's a growing global obesity problem due to overprocessed food consumption. Shouldn't doctors appreciate that if someone is taking a daily supplement (and isn't poor, alone, drunk, pregnant or a vegetarian) they at least care enough about their health to give it some thought?

Whatever. When does Grey Goose Plus hit the shelves!

Can I be phat instead of fat?

Now I know I'm a sick mofo. The photo above is from a website called, quite simply, "This is why you're fat." Very self-explanatory: eat this stuff and you'll be fat. Sadly, some of these dishes look decent (see above). What the heck is wrong with me? Actually, what's really pathetic is that even some of the repulsive photos make me think, "Wow, that's friggin' genius!" Deep fried Mars bar? I've heard they're good. Hot dog wrapped in fries? Yep, makes sense. The garbage plate? After a night of drinking, I'm on it.

I've got issues.

H2Oh no.

Maybe Evian is Naive?

The study's lab tests on 10 brands of bottled water detected 38 chemicals including bacteria, caffeine, the pain reliever acetaminophen, fertilizer, solvents, plastic-making chemicals and the radioactive element strontium. Though some probably came from tap water that some companies use for their bottled water, other contaminants probably leached from plastic bottles, the researchers said.