Say Goodbye to the Happy Meal

By: Travis Chan
New Rochelle, NY- Goodbye Beanie Babies, Barbie and Hot Wheels and say hello to apple slices. Starting in December 2011, McDonald’s infamous Happy Meal will undergo a drastic change. Earlier this month, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to stop toy giveaways that are included with unhealthy meals in an effort to fight childhood obesity.
A Happy Meal that contains an excessive amount of calories, sodium or fat will not include a toy, unless it contains a serving of fruit or vegetables. The ordinance will apply to all restaurants, not just McDonald’s. Supervisor Eric Mar who promoted the campaign said, "We're part of a movement that is moving forward an agenda of food justice. From San Francisco to New York City, the epidemic of childhood obesity in this country is making our kids sick, particularly kids from low income neighborhoods, at an alarming rate. It's a survival issue and a day-to-day issue."

The law is expected to take effect at the end of next year. Restaurants may include a toy with a meal if the food and drink combined contain fewer than 600 calories, and if the fat content is less than 35% of the total calories. The average Happy Meal contains 550 calories.
McDonald’s argues that the law is a threat to business and that it denies parents the right to choose what they can eat. McDonald’s spokeswoman Danya Proud expressed her frustration, “We are extremely disappointed with today's decision. It's not what our customers want, nor is it something they asked for. Public opinion continues to be overwhelmingly against this misguided legislation. Parents tell us it's their right and responsibility -- not the government's -- to make their own decisions and to choose what's right for their children."

The Happy Meal plays a major role in the food chain’s business. According to the most recent data (2006) gathered by a U.S. Federal Trade Commission report, fast-food industries like McDonald’s spent more than $520 million on toys and advertising to promote meals for children.
San Francisco is not the first California city to put food restrictions in place. Santa Clara County imposed a similar measure in April. Other cities across the country are starting to follow suit. New York City for example, is considering banning food stamp users from purchasing soda with the food benefits.
Time will tell if these restrictions will actually prove effective in improving children’s health and eating habits. Whose side are you on? Should parents have the freedom to feed their child whatever they choose, or can these new guidelines improve the health of our country?


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The Talk- McDonald's Happy Meal Ban

Amount of calories a child needs per day

Sources:
Latimes.com

livestrong.com

moneywatch.bnet.com

newsmaxhealth.com

walletpop.com

loco 4 loko

Brian Brabazon

New Rochelle, NY-- Four Loko dubbed by some as "blackout in a can", has found its way on to college campuses all around the country. And is being blamed for crazy college parties resulting in dozens of underage drinkers being hauled off to the emergency room as a result of the drink. If the effects are so obvious then why go through all of the trouble to get this high energy/ alcoholic drink? Some say that because of it's low cost, in most states cans can be sold for approximately $2.50, other states have sold the drink for $1.99. Others believe the drink has become such a popular commodity amongst college students because of the effects that ensue after drinking a Four Loko.

One college student, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed "the drink gives you energy, and prevents you from crashing, while at the same time still providing you with the same inebriating effects of alcohol." Phusion Products, the company who makes and distributes Four Loko recently came out with a statement saying "people have safely combined caffeine and alcohol for years in the form of rum and colas, Red Bull and vodkas and Irish coffees."

Nine students were hospitalized at Central Washington University on October 8th due to the effects of the drink. Therefore prompting the college to ban the drink on campus. Other Universities have followed as well, such as Rampo College in New Jersey, and the University of Rhode Island.

In large part, these beverages are a combination of very strong stimulants with alcohol as somebody drinks them; the effects of the alcohol get masked. Students, therefore, can over consume and go beyond their limit and not realize it. One source, a senior at Iona College said "If you understand your own limits, Four Loko is no different than any other alcohol."

As a result of recent incidents with 4 loko, also with senator Chuck Schumer heading a campiagn to ban 4 loko. All shipments to New York State will not go past November 19th, with the final date to sell 4 lokos December 10th 2010. It will be interesting to see what new drinks appear on the market as a result of this. Will kids just find a new brand of a high energy/ alcoholic drink to substitute for 4 loko? We will find out.

Expand Your Knowledge:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/14/four-loko-new-york_n_783276.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/11/13/2010-11-13_beer_distributors_four_loko_manufacturer_will_halt_shipping_of_caffeinated_alcoh.html

Major League Baseball

A Deadly Bite

By: Brian Killen
New Rochelle, N.Y.


Lucas Ransom, 19, was killed by a shark last week while body boarding on a Santa Barbara beach, CA.

On October 22, Lucas Ransom and his college roommate, Matt Garcia, were surfing 100 yards outside of the Vandenberg Air Force Base when the shark attacked occurred. Garcia reported to police officers that Ransom was swimmy on his body board when he was pulled under by the shark. He continued to tell police that he saw the color change in the water from blue to red and his board popped up out of the water with a 13 inch bite taken out of it.

"When the shark hit him, he just said, 'Help me, dude!' He knew what was going on," Garcia explained to the press. "It was really fast. You just saw a red wave and this water is blue – as blue as it could ever be – and it was just red, the whole wave."
As the waves continued to break Garcia had a hard time finding his friend who was only 2 feet away from him before the attack occurred. Once he found him he swam him to the shore. Lucas had a severe bite mark on his left leg and was pronounced dead on the shore from large amounts of blood lose. The University of California, Santa Barbara, where the junior was a full-time student, had a severe wound to his left leg and died a short time later at Surf Beach, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

The body board was brought to Federal and state Fish and Game officials where they identified it as a Great White Shark. They were able to discover the shark’s identity due to several teeth fragments which were stuck into the body board. Carrie Wilson, Fish and Game Marine Biologist, stated the shark was estimated 16 to 18 feet and over 4,000 pounds. Also the aggressive shape of the bite gave credit to the Great White Shark’s reputation for being the “Ultimate Predator.”
Wilson also stated, “More people are in the water up and down the coast and we know the sharks are out there looking for food.” “Every once in a blue moon we have these things occur. When you look at the number of people in the water, (the number of attacks is) pretty small. The shark wasn't doing anything sharks don't do. It was just looking for prey.”

Although this doesn’t happen as often as people think, there have been 95 shark attacks on humans on the coast of California in the last 50 years. The last shark on Surf Beach prior to Lucas was in 2008 when a surfer’s board was almost bit in half by a Great White. The surfer was not harmed.
The Great White Shark is known to swim up and down warm water coastlines in search of prey which consists of sea lions and seals. Surfers and body boarders are often confused to be these animals hence the reason shark attacks are becoming a major problem to the water sports.

Surfers and body boarders have to enter the water with caution whenever surfing the waves in California. Ransom’s father stated in an email to friends and family thanking them for their condolences, “He lived real well and he died real well. He was in the water for about 45 minutes before the shark got him and his buddy told us he was getting the rides of his young life, on a day with big swells.”
State officials closed the beach for three days after the deadly attack. No sharks have been seen since the morning of October 22, 2010.


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Investigation regarding fatal police shooting of Pace football player to take months

Danroy Henry, 20, was shot and killed my police.

by Lauren Urban
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. Pace University students were left dumbfounded when a member of their school’s football team was fatally shot by police. Weeks later, there are still many unanswered questions regarding the incident.
Police arrived outside of a Thornwood, New York bar in response to a disturbance on October 17. The football player, Danroy “D.J.” Henry, and his friend Brandon Cox were sitting in a parked car in a fire lane.
A police officer reportedly knocked on Henry’s car window, causing him to speed away. A second officer was thrown onto the roof of the car after trying to stop the vehicle. The officer clinging to the hood, along with another officer, then fired shots at Henry.
The car came to a stop after hitting a police car, and the college junior was pronounced dead at the scene. Cox received a minor gunshot wound.
Henry’s family was left thunderstruck at his death. “Not only are we experiencing this great loss, but we absolutely can't understand how this could happen to our son," Henry's father told ABC Eyewitness News. "He just played a great game. His coach called him today a man of high moral character. His teammates all loved him,” he continued.
According to The Associated Press, Michael Sussman, an attorney for the athlete’s family, argues that the police officer was not in harm’s way when he fired at Henry. He said, after hiring a ballistics expert, it was determined that the same officer fired at least three shots, one into the hood and two into the windshield.
"The first shot was fired by an individual who was not in harm's way, who was not in the path of the vehicle, who was off to the side," Sussman said, according to The Associated Press.
However, Henry’s autopsy adds a new twist to the story. According to a police official’s account to The Associated Press, the autopsy revealed that Henry was driving drunk when he was shot to death.
His blood-alcohol level was determined to be 0.13, compared to New York’s legal limit of 0.08.
In response to this information, Henry’s father said, "If it's a part of the truth, so be it. But at the end of the day, the central question to us is, does that justify killing our son? ... We still fundamentally believe it isn't,” according to CBS News.
Sussman added, "Probably several million college students have levels of 0.13 on Saturday night and early Sunday morning. It had nothing to do with police approaching him."

Expand your knowledge:

Interview with Henry's father
News Report

Miners: Life After Emergence

by KrisTina Antosik

On October 13th 2010, 33 Chilean minors were rescued after being trapped underground for over 2 months. According to CBS.com, medical experts state that the men ranging from the ages of 19 to 33, will experience a series of health complications.

According to ABC News, Dr. Schachter who is a medical director at Mt. Sinai in NYC, expects respiratory infections. Dr. Schachter is the director of respiratory care department. Such infections would due to the poor air quality in the mine.

Another concern is apparently fungal risks according to ABC News. Conditions such as "athlete's foot" and "jock itch" can potentially be experienced by the minors. Although not life-threatening such conditions are known to be extremely uncomfortable while taking months to disappear.

There's been a lot of speculation concerning the minors' eyes. Many worried that light exposure after months of darkness could result in retina damage. Yet, according to Ivan Schwab a professor of opthalmology in University of California Davis School of Medicine, their eyes should adapt over time just fine.

The last physical medical concern is the minors' teeth. Some of the minors reportedly have developed gingivitis according to ABC news. Gingivitis is the inflammation of the gums.



Other than that, the minors seem to be doing well. Doctors state that they are looking at some unknowns considering it's the first time people have been rescued after being trapped for so long. However according to New York Daily News, the minors are doing much better then originally expected.

Edison Pena, 34, was 1 of the 33 trapped Chilean Miners. Pena is planning on running in the New York City Marathon on Sunday consisting of over 26 miles. According to USA Today, Pena stated that he would run 3 to 6 miles a day, in the darkness, while trapped underground for 69 days. Pena stated that before he was trapped he biked 2miles each way to work, which is why he was in such good shape. The other miners reportedly would yell "Beep Beep" as he ran by every day.


Expand Your Knowlege:
Pena's Goal

http://www.content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2010/11/chilean-miner-will-run-in-new-york-city-marathon/1

http://www.content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2010/11/30-stance-video-christine-brennan-on-tiger-woods-world-series-ratings-and-declan-sullivans-death/LINKABOUTPAGE

cbs story

Ditch the Workout, Join the Party

New Rochelle, N.Y.-- Ditch the workout and join the party. This is just one of the slogans that are attracting people to fitness facilities nationwide for Zumba classes. This latest fitness craze is a Latin-inspired workout class that uses almost every muscle in your body as you shimmy and shake your way fit for about an hour each class.

Alberto Perez, a former aerobics instructor from Colombia founded Zumba in 1999. Realizing that he forgot his usual aerobics music at home one day, he improvised using his favorite Latin salsa and meringue tapes from his car and thus, Zumba was born. Zumba began as a workout DVD that was featured on informercials and eventually developed into actual classes being taught by instructors. These classes cover a range of different dance styles including mambo, cumbia, cha-cha, and meringue. Zumba instructors are taught specific guidelines but each instructor designs his/her classes using their own style. Today, there are over 20,000 certified instructors in 40 countries.

"I love Zumba because it's fun and it is the most effective workout that I've ever tried," says Gabrielle Farah, a certified Zumba instructor who teaches Zumba classes at Iona College. "What I love most about being an instructor is that I get to share my passion with others and help motivate them to maintain a healthy lifestyle."

That is what Zumba is all about. It is a fun and different way of working out and being active. You don't have to be an athlete or a dancer to benefit from Zumba. The choreography is simple yet fun and you can even modify some of the moves according to your own ability. Depending on your weight and how much effort you put in, you can realistically burn about 400-800 calories during an hour long class.

"It is clear that people enjoy Zumba by the feedback I get. I have a lot of "regulars" that come to my class twice a week. Each week people bring new friends so I get about 10 new students a week. I can tell people are having fun by their reactions. There is a lot of smiling and cheering when certain songs come on," says Farrah.

Zumba is so popular because people really find it fun. Instead of jogging on the treadmill or pedaling on a stationary bike, you can forget that you're actually working out while you let loose and dance. It is a great way to break from your daily routine. When you enjoy working out, you are more likely to stick to exercising regularly and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Zumba classes are being offered at many gyms across the country, so it's about time to ditch the workout and join the party!