Eat This Not That

Not losing the weight you want, even though you are working out?Since January I have lost 20 pounds. Ten of those pounds dropped of just from changing how I eat. One small bag of chips could be adding 360 calories to your body.It is important that you know what you're consuming. Eat This, Not That! scoured the delis and the sub shops from coast to coast to come up with this list of the worst sandwiches in America. We’re not the least bit willing to give up our handheld food of choice (grilled cheese and turkey sandwiches are basically American birthrights, after all), so we’ve provided you with plenty of ways to get your fix--without mainlining calories. Herewith, our best and worst list. And while you’re at it, make sure you're not washing down the vast majority of your lunch with one of these high-calorie drinks.WORST BREAKFAST SANDWICH Au Bon Pain Sausage, Egg and Cheddar on Asiago Bagel810 calories47 g fat (23 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)58 g carbs1,540 mg sodium A healthy breakfast sandwich can be a great start to your day—the protein-packed eggs and meat will keep you feeling fuller longer. But Au Bon Pain’s breakfast bagel isn’t what we had in mind. Cut calories by switching to bacon and Swiss there, and cut carbs by choosing an English muffin over a bagel, roll, or croissant.EAT THIS, INSTEAD! Scrambled Eggs Tomato and Spinach Wrap390 calories15 g fat (4 g saturated)47 g carbs650 mg sodium(For other early morning sandwiches to dodge at home, check out THIS list of the 12 worst breakfast foods at the supermarket.)WORST TURKEY SANDWICH Atlanta Bread Company Turkey Bacon Rustica960 calories56 g fat (19 g saturated)62 g carbs2,480 mg sodium Sandwiches shouldn’t top much more than 500 calories; this one gobbles up almost half your daily allowance. While it’s loaded with protein, it’s also packed with saturated fat and more than a day’s worth of sodium (the blame falls largely on the one-two punch of mayo and pesto). EAT THIS, INSTEAD! Turkey on Nine Grain370 calories6 g fat (2 g saturated)50 g carbs1,240 mg sodium WORST STEAK SANDWICH Quizno’s Prime Rib Cheesesteak Sub, Large1,490 calories92 g fat (22.5 g saturated, 2 g trans)102 g carbs2,620 mg sodium At 670 calories, even the small version of this sub is pushing the bounds of reasonable consumption. But in this big guy, you’re taking in a day’s worth of sodium, along with a day’s worth of saturated fat, and nearly a whole day’s caloric intake as well. A survival strategy for eating at Quiznos: If you’re going to order a sub, order it small and without dressing or cheese. Better yet, skip the subs altogether in favor of the more restrained Sammies. You’d be better off with two of them than with most regular-sized sandwiches at Quiznos.EAT THIS, INSTEAD! Bistro Steak Melt Flatbread Sammie280 calories13 g fat (4 g saturated)26 g carbs645 mg sodium WORST GRILLED CHICKEN SANDWICHRomano’s Macaroni Grill Grilled Chicken and Artichoke Sandwich1,260 calories80 g fat (17 g saturated)71 g carbs2,990 mg sodium Most people know by now that grilled equals good in the world of chicken, but Romano’s somehow manages to challenge that well-established nutritional tenet. The heavy-handed Italian chain takes two reasonable foods—lean chicken and nutrient-rich artichoke—and turns them into a monster of a fat-laden sandwich that comes with almost a day-and-a-half’s worth of sodium and the caloric equivalent of 27 chicken McNuggets.EAT THIS, INSTEAD! Pollo Magro 320 calories5 g fat (1.5 g saturated)29 g carbs1,630 mg sodium WORST FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH Chili’s Cajun Crisper Bites Sandwich1,410 calories79 g fat (18 g saturated)124 g carbs3,930 mg sodium Words on the Chili’s menu to avoid: “Cajun” and “Crisper.” In Chili’s land, they translate to fat- and calorie-packed sauces and frying oil. Put them between two slices of bread, and you’ve got one of the worst sandwiches we’ve found on all counts—with the sodium equivalent of 120 saltine crackers and the same number of calories as you’ll find in 56 strips of bacon. Taste the same bold flavors and save more than 1,000 calories and 2,000 milligrams of sodium by opting for the Fajita Pita instead.EAT THIS, INSTEAD! Fajita Pita Chicken380 calories12 g fat (2 g saturated)1570 mg sodium WORST VEGGIE SANDWICH Blimpie Special Vegetarian 12 Inch1,186 calories60 g fat (19 g saturated)131 g carbs3,532 mg sodium “Vegetarian” doesn’t automatically translate to “healthy” (the same holds true for salads—check out this list of America’s worst salads to see what we mean). Sure, this sandwich has vegetables, but it’s also loaded with fatty oils and sauce, and it’s on bread that’s 12 inches long. No wonder it contains over half a day’s worth of calories and an explosion of carbs. Portion control is key to keeping weight off. Your strategy with this sandwich: Share it with a Little League team.EAT THIS, INSTEAD! VeggieMax 6 Inch522 calories20 g fat (6 g saturated)56 g carbs1,272 mg sodium WORST “HEALTHY” SANDWICH Noah’s Deli Chicken Salad Sandwich1,150 calories95 g fat (14 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)61 g carbs1,190 mg sodium Don’t be fooled because it’s got the word “salad” in its name. This trans-fatty Noah’s sandwich is not a healthy choice for your arteries or your waistline. (Click here for an indispensable list of other health food imposters.)EAT THIS, INSTEAD! California Chicken Sandwich360 calories7 g fat (2 g saturated)49 g carbs840 mg sodium WORST SANDWICH IN AMERICA Quizno’s Tuna Melt, large1,760 calories133 g fat (25 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)92 g carbs2,120 mg sodium Tuna melts are scary because they sound so harmless—in almost all other forms, tuna is usually a smart and healthy choice. So what’s with the insane caloric overload? Blame the fat-packed mayo the tuna is mixed with, along with Quizno’s larger-than-life portion sizes. Even though they’ve managed to trim this melt down from the original 2,000-plus calorie mark when we first tested it, it still remains the worst sandwich we’ve found.EAT THIS, INSTEAD! Sonoma Turkey Flatbread Sammie280 calories14 g fat (4 g saturated)26 g carbs760 mg sodium We hope this list will help you sidestep diet disasters when you’re ordering out. You might also enjoy our list of the best fast food meals under 500 calories and our 10 ways to make fast food healthy. Swaps like these can help you lose 10, 20, or 30 pounds in a year!- - - - - - - - - - - - -Are you watching what you eat and looking to lose weight even faster? Try the Belly-Off Diet and join the club that’s lost 2 million pounds and counting!Also, sign up for the Eat This, Not That! Premium site, where you’ll find nutrition information for all your favorite restaurants and grocery items. It’s like having a nutritionist on call, 24/7! And try our FREE biweekly Eat This, Not That! Newsletter for hundreds of tips, tricks, recipes and other nutrition secrets, delivered straight to your inbox!Get more nutrition, health, and fitness secrets from Men's Health: Subscribe today with this special offer and save 50% off the cover price.Build wealth, beat stress, and live at the top of your game! Tap the money, romance, and weight-loss power of Best Life. Save 80% off the cover price!Take care of yourself.

Gossip Girl and Her Gay: Kate Winslet, Britney Spears, Mandy Musgrave

When a fun-loving pair of gossipy homos gets together, nobody is safe. Sure, instant messaging is a wonderful tool for workplace communication and for late-night, ahem, romantic dalliances. But during those down times in the gay media business, what else is there to do but eviscerate the glitterati? Senior Editor Tracy E. Gilchrist and Editor-in-Chief Ross von Metzke prove that lesbians and gay men do get along… especially when they’re getting bitchy over the latest dirt in Hollywood. This week this terrible twosome rips on Marie Osmond and ponders Kate Winslet's oft naked breasts in The Reader. Meanwhile Tracy waxes teary-eyed over Mandy Musgrave, Gaby Christian and the end of South of Nowhere. Plus The Golden Globes honors Kate, Cate Blanchett and Penelope Cruz while Milk gets the shaft. RvM: Hey girl. TEG: Hey you. I was enrapt in Marie Osmond's NutriSystem commercial. RvM: Oh God no. I wonder how long before she makes a Botox commercial. TEG: She looks pretty good. Not quite as botoxy as a few others. RvM: Yeah, she's aight. Big ole drunk though. TEG: Hey... don't hate on the drunks. I'm a big fan of a good ole fashioned drunk. And I thought she couldn't drink or drink coffee being a big ole MO. Mormon that is. RvM: Oh, who knows? They find a way. She probably has OJ and Xanax cocktails. TEG: My favorite kind. So, I'm sorry I had to drag you out of bed with your hotass bf to chat with me. But not really. I've spent my weekend virtually alone with wine and a 22 year old girl's computer loaded with South of Nowhere episodes. Have I officially become that sad girl? RvM: You borrowed the whole computer? TEG: It was the only way to get all the episodes without downloading them myself. RvM: Food Lord girl. Well, not sad. Just crafty. It's too bad you don’t have like a five-year-old kid. You’re in MILF territory now, girl. TEG: Hahahaha. I know. I guess my cat doesn't count. I'm too selfish for children. RvM: No, sorry... it doesn’t and me too on the having kids thing. TEG: Maybe in a year or two I'll adopt. You know, pull a full-on Angelina. RvM: I’d be that girl who went shopping for a tennis bracelet at Tiffany's and left my baby with the guard. TEG: Okay Karen Walker. RvM: Hahaha. So what shall we talk about? I’m so lame when it comes to gossip these days. TEG: Well...there is that little matter of Kate Winslet's hoots in The Reader. RvM: Good Lord! Those things… I gotta say. I'm an open minded gay man. But between her sandbags and her pressing her naked arse against that pre-pubescent twink's crotch, it was almost too much. TEG: Haha... Well, it is a pretty nice naked arse. And he was 18. RvM: Not in the movie he wasn't. What did you look it up when you got home? TEG: Of course I did, and the actor was of age when they shot Kate climbing all over his business. But I must admit I preferred her girls pre childbirth and when she had a little more meat on her. RvM: Well, you know... she wasn’t even supposed to make that movie... she was still in kick ass shape from smacking around Leo in Revolutionary Road. She looks like the kind of girl who could throw back a pint. TEG: Hang on....Sorry, the lovely and wild Patricia Rae just stopped by my apt. to say hello. It's like Tales of the City here. RvM: Hahaha.. Awwww. Does she live there too? TEG: Oh no. This is too low rent. She and Mona were on a dog / coffee / girl talk outing. RvM: So breakfast and lunch? TEG: But I got a kiss on the cheek from a Latina with big boobs first thing in the morning. Could be worse. RvM: I did too... that bitch at the donut place is fresh. TEG: Lucky you. Anyway...back to Kate... If that hot bitch doesn't land an Oscar this year I'm going to boycott forever! RvM: I think she’s gonna be the Susan Lucci of the Academy. It'll just make her more famous. TEG: I think it's she’s my one unreasonable crush on a celeb, other than Valerie B. that is. RvM: She'll win an Oscar at 50 for doing something lame like a romantic comedy starring her and a then 52 year old James Franco who suddenly came into his own. TEG: Speaking of romantic comedies and pets. I might actually see Marley and Me. Owen Wilson's schnoz is endlessly fascinating to me. RvM: Oh no... I know what happens when you get near Aniston. TEG: What happens with me and Aniston? RvM: It just gets ugly... between her and the Cox, you’re uncontrollable. TEG: Oh. I'm all about the Cox. Courteney that is… But I love Jen. I'm not jumping on the I hate Rachel Green bandwagon just cuz she makes poor career choices and she was cuckolded by the hottest piece of man ass on the planet. RvM: Yeah, maybe that’s why the gays hate her so much. But my love. This is a lesbian column. And we've spent an awful lot of time on man ass. Wha are the ladies up to? Other than you, selfish. TEG: Lesbians like Brad Pitt. He looks like a girl sometimes. RvM: I can see that. TEG: Ah well... South of Nowhere series finale. I cried a little. It might have been the wine but with that and the L Word almost over I'm dangerously close to actually having a life.RvM: I thought that shit went off the air in 05 and you were just trying to catch up. TEG: Well, Mandy Musgrave and Gaby Christian are in their mid-thirties and married with children now since the show has taken so long to air but no, this was the big end. Why do you think I couldn't wait to bolt on Friday? RvM: Oh no... You're like the gays and Queer as Folk. Never got into that. Sorry, but I don’t relate to 35-year-old men who need cock rings, Viagra and a mirror to stay hard. That’s just not how I roll. TEG: That's cuz you're not 35 yet. And you forgot about poppers. RvM: Eh, ill never roll like that. I'm so not that PTown kind of gay. TEG: Back to my teen angst fixation. I already have Degrassi, My So Called Life and the OC lined up for retro-viewing. RvM: Oh sweet Jesus. You’re probably gonna go on a Dawson’s Creek tangent and escape into Paula Cole “I Don’t Want to Wait” hell. TEG: I looove Paula Cole. She called me intelligent in a phoner. Said it was refreshing... I nearly popped a vein. RvM: Awww. The only person who ever called me intelligent in a phoner was Jessica Simpson and that’s because compared to her I'm fucking Plato…the philosopher not Dana. TEG: Poor Dana. Yeah well, then I asked Paula to meet me at my place with a bottle of Veuve Cliquot and season two of the L Word and she hung up on me. RvM: She probably got nervous because she knew the follow up question was, do you mind shaving your pits before you come over? Speaking of hairy pits. more on next page... (continued) TEG: Oh Lord. RvM: I see Kate went au natural for The Reader. Nice to see Meryl isn’t the only method actress left out there. TEG: Oooh Yeah. I think that shit was taped on though. Those pits looked suspicious. RvM: Kate probably found her character's center of gravity in her pit fuzz. TEG: Is it bad that I find Kate in The Reader and Meryl in a habit kind of hot? I feel so guilty. I might need to hold my palms out for the ruler. Mmmmm. RvM: Well, let’s see. Gay men the world over flocked to Broadway to watch Harry Potter fuck a horse. So I’d say you’re safe. TEG: Oh good. Safe by gay male standards. So....Globe noms. What'd ya think? RvM: Hmmm. You know I love Penelope Cruz and Kate and Cate and Kate (Beckinsale that is -- bitch finally got some love)... but what’s up with the Milk shaft. And I'm not talking about Franco or Brolin, though I'd gladly take either. TEG: I know. That's such bullshit. I thought the old, straight, white fuckers who run the awards shit would throw the gays a proverbial bone and by bone I don't mean Franco or Brolin. RvM: Aww. You get a girl all riled up. TEG: Beckinsale got a nom? I missed that. RvM: I maybe misspoke. TEG: Her best work was topless in a pool with Frances McDormand and some British dude. RvM: Sorry, she got Critics Choice and Broadcast Critics. TEG: So. I'm happy for Brit Brit. RvM: Because she had a hit album. Or because she’s not dead? TEG: Oh both for sure. RvM: She's doing better than Tara Reid at least. TEG: Oh that mess. RvM: Awww. Remember when I partied with her at Sundance and you waited out in the lobby to find out if she was in a coma. Funny thing is, its probably not booze or meds. She probably od's on Dexatrim and Emergen-C or some shit. That’s a ghetto girl. TEG: For sure. Yeah, The Enquirer had me staked out to find out what was up with Tara and all I wanted to do was go home and bang my then new gf. Who knew Tara would prove to be more a better bet? RvM: Yeah. Rumpled tummy and all. Well love... I hope you don’t hate me for this too much... but I'm supposed to meet the bf for Frost/Nixon in 35 mins, and if I’m late, he spanks. TEG: I'd be late but that's just me. RvM: Well, if I’m a little late, he spanks in public. TEG: One mo thing... Amy Poehler said goodbye to SNL. RvM: if I’m a lot late, well…Awww. I said goodbye to SNL in 1999. LOL. TEG: Now there’s absolutely no reason to tune in. They devolved back into the frat boy humor of the early nineties. If I want that I'll just undo my top and head over to UCLA with a beer bong. RvM: I did appreciate Tina Fey. But I’m more the girl who watches skits on YouTube. I’m either drunk or unconscious Saturdays at 11:30. TEG: Anyway...have fun at Frost / Nixon. RvM: I will. And you have fun with Mischa Barton, that nasty white haired girl and your bottle of Ernest Gallo. TEG: Haha. Fuck you. I was going to see Doubt but I might actually interact with human beings for a bit today at Andrea Meyerson's annual Women On A Roll Xmas party. RvM: Tell Andrea I said HEY TEG: I will. RvM: Then cop a feel on whomever she has working the door. TEG: Definitely. Ciao bella.LW

Statewatch: California: Under the tarnish, still golden

Its economy is dismal, its politicians worse. But nowhere can reinvent itself so capably as CaliforniaPITY California. Not only must it endure an epidemic of foreclosure, a 10.5% unemployment rate and the lowest bond rating of any state. It is also suffering a critical assault. In the past few weeks Forbes, Fortune, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal have all published scathing reviews of California. Even this newspaper has called it ungovernable. Although many other states have been knocked by the recession, none has been kicked so enthusiastically while down. The most trenchant critic is Joel Kotkin, an urbanist at Chapman University. Mr Kotkin, who defended California during the early 1990s recession, now believes it is decaying. In his view, the state has been captured by environmentalists and slow-growth zealots who are stymieing house-building and running down dirty industries like agriculture and manufacturing. They are turning California from a place of working- and middle-class opportunity into a playground for the rich and a trap for the poor. ...

Best Buy $10 Game Sale

Major thanks to Guidrage for providing CAG with the heads-up on this $9.99 game sale that starts today. Click the console links to see what's in-stock online or click the Show List buttons to see all the games eligible in-store. Xbox 360 007 Quantum of Solace Alone in the Dark Blitz 2 Bolt Bourne Conspiracy C&C 3: Kanes Wrath C&C: Red Alert 3 Clive Barkers Jericho Condemned 2 Devil May Cry 4 Enemy Territory Quake Wars Fracture Golden Compass Hellboy Infinite Undiscovery NBA Ballers Chosen One NFL Head Coach 09 NFL Tour NHL 2k9 Operation Darkness Pure Ratatouie Rock Revolution Silent Hill: Homecoming Solder of Fortune 3 Soul Calibur 4 Spiderwick Chronicles TNA Impact Too Human Turning Point Turok Universe at War Unreal Tournament 3 Wall-E Warhammer Battle March WWE 2008 PS3 007: Quantum of Solace Blitz 2 Bolt Bourne Conspiracy Cliver Barker's Jericho Disney Sing It w/Mic Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Ferrari Challenge Fracture Guitar Hero 3 Guitar Hero Aerosmith Hail to the Chimp Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions MLB 08: The Show NBA Ballers Chosen One NFL Head Coach NFL Tour Overlord: Raising Hell Pure Rock Band Rock Revolution Singstar ABBA Singstar Vol 2 Soul Calibur 4 TNA Impact Wii Battle Of The Bands Naked Brothers Band W/Microphone Petz Crazy Monkeyz Popstar Guitar Rubiks World Samba De Amigo Tales Of Desperaux The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor DS Cheetah Girls: Passport Disney: Cory in the House Energy Dance Squad Engergy Gym rockets Igor Imagine Ballet Star Imagine Movie Star Imagine Rock Star Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon My Fashion Studio Naked Bros Band Neopets Ninja Gaiden: DS Ninja Reflex Petz Rescue Endangered Prince of Persia Quantum of Solace Rock Revolution Tales of Desperaux Tecmo Bowl Ultimate Band WWE 2009 Smack PS2 Dancing with the Stars Disney's High School Muiscal (It ends there, so I'm not sure if it's 2 or what) Disney Sing It w/ Microphones High School Musical 3 (Two versions are listed??) Monster Lab Naked Brothers Band w/microphone Shrek's Carnival Craze Singstar Country Bundle The Golden Compass The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Think Fast with controllers

Hey,girl!

Sandy Allen

I Might Just Be The Last Person Alive To See This Movie

Several weeks before Christmas, Master J was gifted High School Musical 2 on DVD at a special needs kids Christmas party. As we had not seen the first one - shameful, I know - we were waiting until we could rent it before watching Js new movie. As predicted, the boys started to go cross-eyed about three-quarters of the way in but my very girly-girl Miss Moo stared wide-eyed at the screen the entire time. I do believe we have a convert, folks! And then - good grief - we had to sit through the DVDs special features, including the dance moves. Thats when J jumped back into the fray. Boof, turned off by the obvious romantic interest between the two main stars, and who had began rolling his eyes since about sixteen minutes in, declined to join in the impromtu show. For that I am grateful because, um - Master J cannot dance and two children attempting to do so would have just multiplied the horror, LOL. Its a fun kind of movie but THOSE SONGS ARE STUCK IN MY HEAD. I am hoping some of you seasoned HSMers will have tips on how to get rid of the endless loop of Bop To The Top now playing inside my brain. At eleven. Disney, you slay me with your saccharin-sweetness. Sigh.

Ten years of Permission Marketing

When I wrote Permission Marketing, people thought I was some sort of crackpot (some people still do, fortunately). One author wrote that I was "delusional" and skeptical marketers were sort of amazed that the idea caught on. The Direct Marketing Association viewed the very concept as a threat to their future.The best ideas are like that. The book published on May 6, 1999, which feels like six lifetimes ago.Ten years later, ethical email marketing is a billion dollar industry. Many companies have been built on the foundation of this simple idea, and some of them are quite profitable. Daily Candy sold to Comcast for more than $120 million and it is nothing but a permission marketing engine. More important, I think, the attitude of anticipated, personal and relevant messaging is changing the way organizations come to market.A search on the term shows a bazillion matches, though I wish spammers would quit using the term to pretend that they are actually doing something worthwhile. It delights me to see my neologism enter the language, used by people who didn't even know that it came from a book that's only ten years old.The biggest impact of Permission Marketing isn't that there is less spam. In fact, there's more, because it's so cheap. No, the biggest measurable impact is the growth of truly opt in marketing, from close to zero to a number big enough that we've all seen it and are part of it. Not just email lists, of course, but RSS feeds and yes, Google AdWords.Some lessons about accidental success: Fred Hills, the editor who worked with me at Simon & Schuster, had worked on books by Nabokov and others. The fact that he didn't do a lot of business books gave me the freedom to write the book I wanted to write. Thankfully, he largely left me alone to make my own mistakes. Because I got a small advance and wasn't a key book on their list, I had a lot of freedom. They let me art direct the cover, which ended up being a big win for the book and for my brand. Brian Smale, who took the cover photo, was one of the new breed of magazine photographers who worked hard not to take boring photos. In those days, that was a revolutionary idea. This was the first book where I started my tradition of using the ideas in the book to market the book. In this case, a simple permission offer: if you visit permission.com, I'll send you the first four chapters of the book for free. And you'll never get another note from me as a result. The only reason my publisher approved this idea is that they believed it would never work. Ten years later, I have no idea how many millions of people have written to that address, but it's a lot. (Yes, it still works). I didn't have a grand organized promotional plan. I didn't orchestrate a movement. I just wrote a book and talked about it and tried to take my own advice. There's a lot of updating that the book could use, because when I wrote it there was no Google, Facebook, Twitter, universal email access, widespread high bandwidth connectivity, browsers that rarely crashed or iPhones. But I'm going to let it stand as is, because keeping it up to date is a never ending task. I hope the general concepts stand the test of time. The biggest thing I'd change is the emphasis on games and prizes over promises and connection and information. I think the latter end up scaling better and are more universal and reliable.Short version: Don't be selfish. You're not in charge. Make promises and keep them. It's like dating. It's an asset, it's expensive and it's worth it.

This one is for Amy

I have turned the heel on the first Monkey sock and am in the home stretch. I am trying to finish it up this week, so I can cast on for the second one in time for our camping trip next weekend.You will notice that it is on dpns...I had knit it using Magic Loop, but one of our new kittens found my knitting bag and used the cable of the circular as a teething ring, and after that the stitches did not slide as well and I had to trash the needle. Leaving me no option but to knit it old school style. It hasn't been too bad, actually, I got a replacement circular needle in the mail the other day, but I haven't switched over again. I'm not sure I will at this point. I will definitely cast the other one on the new circular needle (a really nice Addi Turbo Lace one, I haven't used them before, so that will be interesting, to see how I like it).I am still also working on the 2x2 ribbing on my back to school u-neck vest, but that has kind of fallen by the wayside. I think I am going to cast on for the Elizabeth Bennet Cable Cardigan soon, fall is coming...and I will want that sweater!

Do You Celebrate Your Pets Birthday?

Padre' is one of my sister in law's dog. It's birthday this Sunday and we are going there to celebrate it along with Mother's day. Nannie bought Padre' a toy and he loves it so much.He was so cute and like a baby who carries his toy anywhere. Last May 1, it was Boggy's birthday. His "mom" took him to an ice cream parlor for pets . Do you celebrate your pets birthday? Do you give them toys or presents?

(Healthcare) Industrial Engineer

Location: Palmdale,CA Job Description: Yoh Aviation is seeking enthusiastic contract Industrial Engineers to optimize sequence of operations and work elements and establish systems to maximize operations, manufacturing, and production. We currently have four contract positions expected to last until March 2010. Job Details: Performs statistical studies and analysis (parametric & non-parametric). Knowledge and application of extensive technical expertise in the principles, theories, and concepts of Industrial Engineering, Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, and Single Event Discrete Simulations (Stochastic & Deterministic). Work is performed with direction, daily updates, and expectations. Progresses the successful completion of assignments and projects. Job Requirements: Basic Qualifications: BS/BA degree in Math, Statistics, or Industrial Engineering and a minimum of 5 years experience in Industrial Engineering or related manufacturing/production experience. Proficiency in MS Project, MS Excel, and MS Access is a must. Preferred Qualifications: Visual Basic, DOE, Linear/Non-Linear Programming, CPM. Type: PermanentLocation: Palmdale,CACountry: United States of AmericaContact: Yoh Managed ServicesAdvertiser: YohReference: JSJ8A4DT70M7CXDR8420S

Communications Director

The Marijuana Policy Project, the nation’s largest marijuana policy reform organization, is seeking a Communications Director for MPP’s office in Las Vegas. MPP’s ultimate goal in Nevada is to pass a statewide ballot initiative that would tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol in Nevada, thereby ending marijuana prohibition in the state. This position is an exciting opportunity to play an integral role in a groundbreaking organization that seeks to significantly and permanently reform marijuana policy. RESPONSIBILITIES The overarching goal of the position is to maximize the level of public support for ending marijuana prohibition in Nevada. To this end, the Communications Director is responsible for: * Assisting in building a statewide coalition of organizations, editorial boards, and opinion leaders who endorse ending marijuana prohibition, including elected officials, physicians, business leaders, local government leaders, religious leaders, community groups, current and retired members of law enforcement, drug treatment specialists, and parents groups. * Aggressively pitching reporters and doing interviews to get MPP-NV’s message into the news at every opportunity. * Writing news releases, op-eds, and letters-to-the-editor; * Arranging media interviews for the MPP-NV Director; * Giving public speeches and engaging in public debates; and * Conceiving of and writing blog posts for MPP’s Web site. The Communications Director reports to MPP’s State Campaigns Director, who heads up the Las Vegas office. COMPENSATION The salary for the position is $45,000 to $55,000. The position includes full health insurance and an optional retirement package. ABOUT MPP With 36 employees, 27,000 dues-paying members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, MPP is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP works to minimize the harm associated with marijuana - both the consumption of marijuana and the laws that are intended to prohibit its use - and believes that the greatest harm associated with marijuana is imprisonment. Thank you for your interest.

Babi doll

Have I Gone Mad?

I watched the Superbowl. I am ashamed to admit this.For the past 44 years, I have been able to stay above this brutality.Oh, I admit, I would sometimes look at their bums in that shiny spandex and gaze on their arms under all that padding, and sigh.Sometimes I would make fun of the stupid men in my life as they wrapped their arms around the TV set in Caveman pose. I would snarkily count out for them (usually the men in my life couldn't count themselves) exactly how long the play lasted before the whistle blew (four seconds. Count it yourself). Then I would feel superior as I began a lecture on how my favorite sports, such as art and culture and great literature, have plays that never end. . .before I was told to shut up and fetch them another beer.So how did I come to watch the Superbowl? And actually (gak) enjoy it?It began with a bet. And a great sacrifice on my husband's part.We won't discuss what the bet was. Cept it was goooooooddddd."Who do I pick for?" I said, eagerly."Tell you what," he said. "I'll give you the favored team. You are Pittsburgh. I will be (oh, geeze, I can't remember now the name of the other team. But they were the underdogs. And I thank and salute them for their game. Truly I do.) that team."We negotiated. Should we do the bet in quarters? Half time? At the end of the game?It all depended on the rules, he said. Of the game. And who sacked whom and first downs and safeties and shit like that.Which gave him the advantage he was lacking. Brilliant bastard.Because, damn him, he knew I did not know the rules of football. How would I? They break so many fashion rules I gave up even wanting to ever know the rules of such a brutal sport. Therefore he could just make up the rules as he went along and (here's the trick) I would never know!!!!Men, take this as a lesson. This is how to get your wife to watch boring football with you.So, we commenced a'watching. After I made snacks, of course.My team was doing great. Especially number 92 on my team (which I mistakenly thought, through much of the game, was named the Green Bay Packers).He is my new boyfriend, that 92. I can't remember his name (Harrison?) but he made a good play. He's a great big fat dude and he shouldn't have done what he did. I believe he's still on oxygen. But I still love him. Because that was a good play.Then I was able to discuss, at length, the fatness of several men of both my team and my husband's team. And wonder how on earth they could walk, let alone run. This led to a great debate about the realtive merits of "fitness" as opposed to "perception" and a whole lecture involving lifting volkswagens.Then came half-time, and it was clear my team was a shoo-in. And lo and behold: there was Bruce Springsteen. This is how I learned what the phrase "I'm going to Disneyland" actually means.Who knew?The first part of the bet was paid out at about this time. But only the first part, due to a complex set of rules and downs and time-outs and sacks. What's a sack? I still don't know. But I believe. . . because I won the first part of the bet.Second half, the anticipation was building. At first, I thought it was over, and started reading The Globe and Mail Review of Books (which, coincidentally, had an article about a new book about The Superbowl, and that review said the second half of the game is usually a disappointment.)It was wrong. Because my husband's team picked up. Some dude named Fitzgerald, with really bad dreadlocks, but who apparently can catch the ball half-way to the moon, and (I learned) was being shut out of the first half, made an excellent play. A really excellent play. Even I had to appreciate it. Who knew big lugs could jump and catch at the same time? With such seeming grace? My husband said he does this all the time.My husband's team (shit, what is their name? Orioles? I know they had a bird on their helmet) took the lead, thanks to bad dreadlock boy. It seemed unassailable. I kept looking for my hero, number 92. But he appeared to have brain damage from running so much as a fat man in the first half, because he kept getting penalties for violence. . .that's okay. I still love him.Oh, and then the fun began. There was less than 2 minutes left. Some guy named Holmes on my team caught the ball, at a really good place, and rolled. Apparently, he had both his feet on the ground, and in the zone, almost as though he was trying to keep them there. I learned that if my husband's team had only grabbed him by the legs, instead of the shoulders, I might now be paying out a bet.But I wasn't. And I didn't.In fact, I collected, yet again.So now I say: Go Green Bay! Good try, Orioles!Thanks to you, I had an ejoyable evening. And I learned what "I'm Going to Disneyland" means.

With the Old Breed at Peleliu

This is a great memoir if you want to understand what it was like to fight in the Pacific in WWII. It affected me very much as my reading of Norman Mailer’s The Naked and the Dead did when I first read that. I could feel the pain—the dirt or worse yet on Peleliu the coral one couldn’t dig into—the bad food and dirty water, dirty and wet clothes, the fear. It’s painful to read, though, and if you won’t want to know the gory details faced by young men barely out of school and inexperienced with the world, then you don’t want to read this book.I hate war, but I feel compelled to know what it’s like so I don’t take for granted what we asked young people to experience in war. Eugene Sledge (who became Sledgehammer to his buddies) had had one year of college when he joined up—as did most of his generation (few in fact staying to finish college which is one reason why we needed the GI Bill). He joined the Marines (the “old breed” of the title).This book is different from other memoirs because of the detail. It’s not brilliantly written or “literary”. That’s its genius says Paul Fussell who reviewed it for a 1990 edition (Fussell has written about both WWI and WWII and was a soldier in the Pacific himself). Sledge explains how comradeship worked with soldiers to form lifelong bonds. He talks about officers they admired and those they hated and feared. He details the hardships and how hatred of the Japanese developed and hardened even the most sensitive among them. He explains how everything worked or happened, from the human waste in foxholes they couldn’t leave, to stripping a Japanese corpse for souvenirs, to descriptions of wounds and dead Americans lying covered up on the battlefield until they could be retrieved, to water that was dirty because those in the rear had put it in insufficiently cleaned oil drums, to how the mortar he used worked and the problems placing it in the muddy ground of Okinawa. He explains how ammunition was delivered (or not in some cases) which the movies never show. He explains how everyone was afraid and how some handled it differently from others. He explains how Japanese soldiers who spoke English tried to move in on their foxholes at night and how occasionally a buddy was mistakenly shot for an enemy.Sledge never romanticizes war. The only good was the friendship and interdependency men developed, but he doesn’t romanticize that either.

Muddy Jeans

{continued, sort of}After we moved to the "new house," I had even more room to do kid things.I played in the woods all the time. I would make up entire adventure stories, usually narrated in an English accent. We'd have to escape dragons and all sorts of bad guys, running, jumping, flying over hill and dale -- which usually meant navigating around pricker bushes and rocky streams.I would explore my neighborhood with my "new" next-door neighbor, a girl a year older than me, and find endless surprises. We had special trees to climb. We discovered these great, hidden hills, which were steep and loose enough with dirt that you could slide down them without sleds! (I don't think my mom ever got those mud stains out of my jeans.)In the summer, we'd spend almost the entirety of every sunny day in the pool. My mom supervised to a degree, and checked on us often, but she didn't hover. She never hovered. In fact, I'm hard-pressed to remember my mom being in any of my adventure memories. She was around, somewhere...But no. I was not supervised constantly. I was given tremendous freedoms as a kid. (Frankly, I was given tremendous freedoms throughout my whole life.) I was never on a short leash. Hell, I was never on a leash. I walked to and from school. I'd spend entire days outside, away from the house, without having explicit times to be home and without anything like a kid-Lojack or cell phone.This, of course, blows my mind.Times have changed. The world has changed. We have changed.I cannot picture saying to my child, "Be home by dark!" and then letting her go run off to God-knows-where for the whole day.But there's got to be an in-between. And I need to write this, to remember, to remind myself. My parents trusted me a lot, and I (for the most part) deserved to be trusted. They also implicitly trusted the world I lived in.So just because I cannot trust the world anymore does not mean I can't trust my kids. There must be balance, and I want to strive to find it.That's Lesson #1 I Hope I RememberBut I was also circling around Lesson #2 yesterday.Here's another memory I can't shake:When I was somewhere around 10 years old, I was having a conversation with my uncle -- a man I didn't see very often and whom I didn't know very well. He was talking about his car, which I believe he'd just bought. He told me it had a sunroof. He may have asked if I knew what a sunroof was, thus prompting my response, or maybe I just felt it was appropriate to throw in, but I excitedly announced that our van had a HUGE sunroof!To which he replied -- and this part I do remember vividly: Always have to be better.This has stayed with me over the last 25 years for many reasons. First, I tried very hard as a child to never, ever do anything wrong. But I had. I'd clearly been "wrong" in what I'd said, and immediately felt horrible shame and embarrassment. It hadn't occurred to me that I would sound like I was bragging about the sunroof, or that it could even sound that way (especially not to a grown-up). I don't think I apologized. I think I just stewed with mortification.For years.Until I was old enough to think, "You know what? I was a child," and to realize that my uncle's issues had little to do with me.Which is the other point I was just barely touching on yesterday.For the first five, hopefully ten-plus years of a child's life, it is not about bigger, better, fancy, expensive. Things just sort of are. We had one house and then we had another. My address didn't matter to me. Nor did the color of my room or size of our van except in the context of my child-world.Looking back, our van was hideous. My dad had gotten it about a year before "mini-vans" hit the market, so it was totally obsolete within months of purchasing it. It was an 80s-ized Volkswagen Vanagon -- like a bad "modern" interpretation of the VW Bus. It drove on diesel fuel, and was super loud, and if you were going uphill on a highway, even with the gas pedal totally depressed, you'd be lucky to hit anything over 30 mph. (I'm not kidding; we were once passed by a cement mixer on I-95.)It came with an 8-track.Nothing for a grown adult to be jealous of.But as kids? Are you kidding? It was HUGE! We could STAND UP in the back! And the sunroof was big enough that if you stood on the backseat, as many as 5 of us could stick our heads out of it. Not that this was condoned while we were in motion on regular streets, but sometimes Dad would let us do it in driveways and private side streets (when Mom wasn't in the car).I nearly died of shame from the Vanagon by the time I was a freshman in high school. But bouncing around in the back of the van with the sunroof open listening to the Annie soundtrack at full-blast (yes, on the 8-track) was simply divine.And that's all that the 10-year-old self of mine knew. Meant. Thought of. I wasn't trying to be better than my uncle (or than anyone). I was just excited about our big, slow, stupid fun van.Kids don't know.Well, okay. Maybe some do, and maybe some know early and maybe some are malicious. But I didn't know, and I'm also going to assume that mine won't, either.I had no concept of Darien v. Norwalk. I didn't know that cars are used as status symbols. I didn't know what a status symbol was, except maybe if you were The Queen and had a castle and a crown and a magic pony.But really. Kids don't know. And I say allllllll this (to myself) for two big reasons.One, because I want to establish firmly in my mind that our peanut will not know the difference between Napa v. San Francisco v. Connecticut v. Arizona v. the rest of the world. Ish and I absolutely made this home decision (and spent a bloody fortune) with baby in mind, but let's be real: she will not care about her home's resale value. She doesn't care that we decided to buy this place versus, say, a loft apartment in the city. Sure, she may notice if one home has a driveway and one home has an elevator, but one won't be intrinsically better.And two, because holy shit.There's A LOT OF STUFF OUT THERE.It starts now, and I see no end in sight. The boppy, and slings, and bouncers, and 42 trillion strollers and cribs-bassinets-Pack-n-Plays and bottle sterilizers PLUS a bajillion-and-a-half ways you can do irreperable and LIFELONG harm to your baby that never seemed to exist before. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.So I keep telling myself: The baby just wants to be comfortable. Everything else was designed for me. But gosh, it's all so crazy.Except it doesn't have to be. Babies care about status symbols even less than kids do. As I sit and stare at these overwhelming baby registry options, I have to repeat: She doesn't care if her stroller costs a mortgage payment -- because if she doesn't like it, she doesn't like it. She doesn't care what color her room is, or if her lampshade matches her curtains...Babies, kids, do not have any of the perceptions we do about their surroundings or their belongings. They just want to be loved as babies and as kids.No matter how much you worry or fret or posture or spend, if you're doing it right? It won't matter what you buy, they'll always just want to play with the box. They will squeal with delight about your ugly van with the super-fun sunroof. And if you let them, they will turn your ugly yard into a giant, beloved sandbox.

Cabrera Homers Twice

In light of the Tiger's unfathomably disappointing 2008 season, Miguel Cabrera obviously provided one of the lone bright spots. Amidst the heaping steamy pile of losses, Cabrera stashed away a .292 batting average, 37 home runs, and 127 RBIs in what was not quite a MVP caliber season, but it wasn't that far off either.Well, thus far in the 2009 season, Cabrera looks like he wants a full scale run at it. Through three games, Cabrera notched 3 multi-hit outings and currently wields a modest .700 average. Last night, he tallied two dingers and 4 RBIs to give the Tigers their first win of the season, and more importantly, avoid the 0-7 start that we were all thinking of in the back of our minds.Sure, it's early and this could be a flash in the pan, but once Ordonez and Granderson start hitting, the top of this order should be one of the best in baseball. And hey, we're already better than the Yankees.