Boost in Food-Stamp Funding Percolates Through Economy
DAVENPORT, Iowa -- The lush red strawberries caught the attention of Rachel Patrick, a mother of five shopping at a farmers market along the Mississippi River here. She selected two cartons and ignited a little-noticed chain reaction that is an important part of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan. Ms. Patrick handed a plastic card loaded with her monthly food-stamp allocation to farmer Ed Kraklio Jr., who swiped it through his electronic reader. Mr. Kraklio now regularly takes in several hundred dollars a month from food-stamp sales, a vital new revenue stream that has allowed him to hire another assistant to help tend a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables. The new worker, in turn, spends her income in nearby stores, restaurants and gas stations.
True definition of fast food: 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes
Everyone has their own Fourth of July traditions. On Coney Island in New York, it's all about the hot dogs. Joey Chestnut, America's finest example of a "fast-food eater," set a new world record Saturday by knocking down 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes in the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest. That's as good as it gets in the world of competitive eating, as Chestnut destroyed the record 59 he and rival Takeru Kobayashi of Japan both managed last year. Kobayashi made another valiant effort Saturday, but was several dogs down with his final total of 64 1/2. If you're a sporting traditionalist who doesn't think this qualifies as an athletic competition, rest assured the event was broadcast on ESPN, which of course makes it official.
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Study: Even Cockroaches Get Fat From Bad Food
Cockroaches may be tiny enough to slip through the smallest of cracks, but just like humans, these eternal pests can get fat on an unhealthy diet. As part of a decade's worth of research on cockroaches, Patricia Moore of the University of Exeter studied how female cockroaches change their mating behavior in response to their diet, specifically what they eat when they are young. "We already knew that what they eat as adults influences reproductive decisions," Moore said. But just how the food they consumed early in life shaped these decisions wasn't known.
The Only Two Reasons to Own Gold
I always get a real kick out of hearing that “the consumer is 70 percent of the economy,” mostly because it gives me a chance to heap ridicule and scorn on whoever said it, and I say that the consumer is 100 percent of the economy! One CAN say that, with or without the heaping of ridicule and/or scorn, but at least with an arrogant and smug authority that comes from 100 percent certitude, that “The Mogambo is 100 percent certain that the consumer is 100 Freaking Percent (100FP) of the economy!”
Out of work pilots: 'Will fly for food'
SEATTLE -- Two out-of-work Seattle-area pilots have tweaked the panhandler's refrain to "Will Fly for Food." Thirty-four-year-old Chris Campbell of Seattle and 35-year-old Steffen Schmidt of Snohomish stood Thursday along a main commuter route into downtown Seattle with signs that read, "Two Laid-Off Pilots" and "Will Fly for Food."