More than 15 Grams and It’s Dessert!

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With the legislature considering taxing so-called “unhealthy” food or beverage items as a way to raise revenues while encouraging better diet amongst Americans, each of us should spend some time focusing a little bit on how we eat and what we eat.  As I have written here before, I think it is a mistake to single out individual food items (pizza and soda were recently singled out in one of these new tax proposals) as “unhealthy”.  For one thing, portion sizes are a larger problem than the nature of what we eat.  If you eat one or two slices of pizza at meal time, you’re not packing on the pounds.  Eating 5 slices each time you eat pizza is much more likely to make you gain weight.   Today, I read an article that blew up my conception of what is healthy to eat and what is not.  Often, things we tend to think of as “healthy” foods are worse for us than things we think of as “no-nos”.  Follow me past the jump for the shocking details. Continue reading…

Update: Non-Manufacturing Jobs Up

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April 5 (Bloomberg) — Service industries expanded in March at the fastest pace since in more than three years, a sign the U.S. recovery is extending beyond manufacturing and starting to create jobs. The Institute for Supply Management’s index of non- manufacturing businesses, which make up almost 90 percent of the economy, rose to 55.4, the highest level since May 2006, from 53 in the prior month. Today’s figure exceeded all forecasts in a Bloomberg News survey. Readings above 50 signal expansion. This is good news.  Read the whole article here.

Jobs: Turning the Corner

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They say employment figures are a “lagging indicator” which is stock market speak for measurements that we look back on for perspective.  That is, economic growth happens first, then employment picks up.  This makes logical sense because obviously, companies don’t start hiring before new business picks up.  But once new orders come rolling in for all manners of products and services, companies scramble to hire in order to accommodate the increasing demand.  This is why it is so heartening to see the following chart showing the employment figures over the last two years.  Follow me over the jump for analysis. Continue reading…

In-N-Out in NYC? – April Fools!

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In what has to be among the cruelest April Fools Day pranks I have seen in years, some practical jokers dressed up as In-N-Out Burger employees appeared in Manhattan’s Union Square this morning.  They had a printed banner saying that In-N-Out was preparing to open its first New York outlet.  For those uninitiated, NYC-based Allen School Students, In-N-Out Burger is about the very best burger joint ever!  There is no East Coast analog to speak of.  (Shake Shack is good, but not in the same ballpark I am afraid.) But to give you Northeasterners a point of reference, it would be like telling a West Coaster that Famous Ray’s Pizzeria (or insert your favorite NY pizzeria here) was planning to open up outlets in Los Angeles.  Did you know there is no New York style pizza to be had in California?  I spent 10 years driving thousands of miles around the Golden State without finding any decent pie.  Anyway, now that my burger dreams are crushed, Allen School Online students in California and Nevada: Do me a favor.  Go have a Double Double animal style and animal fries for me please!  Oh and chocolate shake!!!

Obama to Sign Sweeping Student Loan Reform Today

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Lost among the overheated rhetoric of the recently concluded healthcare debate was the following piece of legislation of significant import to students everywhere.  Tonight, the President will sign the legislation that effectively removes Wall Street banks from their position as middleman on all student loans.  The largest rewrite of federal college assistance programs in four decades, the legislation makes the federal government the originator of these loans.  Before the anti-big goverment people get all scared about “takeovers” consider the following after the jump.  Continue reading…

10 Immediate Effects of Health Reform Bill Passed Last Night

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The following was posted by Congressman John B. Larson, Democrat from Connecticut after last night’s historic passage of health insurance reform. As soon as health care passes, the American people will see immediate benefits. The legislation will:
  • Prohibit pre-existing condition exclusions for children in all new plans;
  • Provide immediate access to insurance for uninsured Americans who are uninsured because of a pre-existing condition through a temporary high-risk pool;
  • Prohibit dropping people from coverage when they get sick in all individual plans;
  • Lower seniors’ prescription drug prices by beginning to close the donut hole;
  • Offer tax credits to small businesses to purchase coverage;
  • Eliminate lifetime limits and restrictive annual limits on benefits in all plans;
  • Require plans to cover an enrollee’s dependent children until age 26;
  • Require new plans to cover preventive services and immunizations without cost-sharing;
  • Ensure consumers have access to an effective internal and external appeals process to appeal new insurance plan decisions;
  • Require premium rebates to enrollees from insurers with high administrative expenditures and require public disclosure of the percent of premiums applied to overhead costs.
By enacting these provisions right away, and others over time, we will be able to lower costs for everyone and give all Americans and small businesses more control over their health care choices. If you are interested in joining the health care industry or learning more about the medical assistant profession, check out the Allen School of Health Sciences. Are you satisfied or mortified by the bill’s passage?  Share your thoughts in the comments section.

US Food Producers Getting Healthier

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Several days ago, Pepsico announced that it has agreed to cease sales of high-sugar beverages in soda machines inside schools across the US.  The soft drink giant could no longer turn a blind eye to the direct correlation between its super sugary drinks and the epidemic of childhood obesity.  While I am sure that they were not super enthusiastic about losing this significant (but not critical) piece of their market, I imagine they felt the negative publicity surrounding soda in schools and childhood obesity was more damaging to their bottom line than agreeing to stop promoting the fattening of our children.  Following the Pepsico announcement, Kraft Foods announced that they would be cutting back the levels of salt used in the manufacture of many of their food products for sale in the US.  A nod to the growing numbers of health conscious Americans, Kraft has agreed to be more responsible in the production of foods consumed by millions.   They plan to eliminate 10 million pounds of salt from 1000 products over the next two years.  That’s alot of salt!  I feel like I need a Pepsi to quench my thirst. LOL

In Case You Were Worried…

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Have you ever had to defend your choice of online education to less than supportive family or friends?  Clearly, the Internet has upended many existing paradigms such as how we shop, socialize and study.  And while no one is suggesting that online studies are out of the mainstream, there is a certain newness to the practice of learning via the “tubes” that can raise the eyebrows of those more enamored of the orthodoxy of brick and mortar institutions of higher learning.  If you find yourself having to defend what is clearly a very savvy choice on your part, the following photo slide show can provide you with some truly unorthodox educational choices you can offer to provide some perspective to your debate opponent.  Follow me over the jump to learn more about such schools as Hamburger University and Clown College. Continue reading…

Banksters Feeling Pain from “Move Your Money” Campaign

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Back in January, the Allen School Online Blog featured a post called, “Move Your Money – Beat the Greedy Banksters”.  In that post, I outlined options for people disgusted with their treatment by big Wall Street banks who survived the economic collapse thanks to taxpayer bailouts only to jack up credit card interest and withhold loans for school and small business.  In essence, I advocated for others to do as I and many others had; “voting with our feet” by closing accounts held with Citi, Chase, BofA and other biggies and reopening them with local community banks and credit unions.  At the time, many doubted this small action would have any significant impact on the “too big to fail” crew on Wall Street.  Follow me past the jump to see just how successful this idea has been. Continue reading…

Taxing Soda and Pizza to Combat Obesity?

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This courtesy of Reuters today:

“CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. researchers estimate that an 18 percent tax on pizza and soda can push down U.S. adults’ calorie intake enough to lower their average weight by 5 pounds (2 kg) per year. The researchers, writing in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine on Monday, suggested taxing could be used as a weapon in the fight against obesity, which costs the United States an estimated $147 billion a year in health costs.”
We had written about this proposal once before here at the Allen School Online blog, when the proposed tax was put forth in New York State.  Now it seems the idea has taken hold nationwide.  I can sort of see the value in taxing sodas, which contain ungodly quantities of sugar in a single serving.  I might suggest taxing all items that contain high fructose corn syrup (but that will never fly because our government pays huge subsidies to corn farmers to produce this deadly sugar.)  Furthermore, soda is sold by all restaurants and groceries so a tax on soda would at least be equitably distributed across all foodservice and sales businesses.  However, I draw the line of fairness at singling out pizza for additional taxation.  What, do obese people not overeat fried chicken?  Chinese food buffet?  Ice cream sundaes? Why discriminate against pizzeria owners for this new tax?  Eating pizza specifically is not the only driver of obesity. I could live with a soda tax,but to start singling out individual foods for additional taxation is a very bad idea.  What do you think?