Fast food for kids incredibly fattening

A new report says parents looking for healthy eating out meal choices for their children are likely to find slim pickings on the menus of top U.S. restaurant chains.

The report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest says nearly every possible combination of children's meals at KFC, Taco Bell, Sonic, Jack in the Box and McDonalds are too high in calories.

Yesterday's report looked into the nutritional quality of kids' meals at 13 major restaurant chains. 93% of 1,474 possible choices at the chains exceed 430 calories – one-third of what the U.S. National Institute of Medicine recommends kids aged 4 to 8 consume in a day.

The report said while there are some healthy menu choices, "parents have to navigate a minefield of calories, fat and salt to find them."

See also:

Obesity in North America

Obesity in Canada

Obesity in China

Oil prices dropping due to American recession

The United States economic slowdown has become so severe it is now effecting oil demand.

Oil prices today fell below $118/barrel, the result of American consumers cutting back on how much they drive. In July oil prices hit a record high of $147.27 due to overseas demand in China and India.

The high price of oil, combined with the American recession, unemployment, and people in general trying to cut back on their driving is resulting in a significant drop in oil demand.

The recession is hurting the automotive industry, including General Motors which has announced $15.5 billion in losses so far in 2008.

Whether General Motors near bankruptcy is a sign that America's economy is collapsing has yet to be seen.

The US dollar's value dropped 20% during 2007 during which time the US growth in GDP fell to only 3% (which effectively means the US economy shrunk 17% in 2007).

Part of America's financial woes is a huge trade deficit with China. China is flooding the United States with cheap products and Americans, who are obsessed with buying things on credit, are going in debt because the American economy lacks manufacturing jobs to pay for all the things they buy.

Barack Obama, if he manages to take the presidency, would be wise to raise tariffs on Chinese imports to the USA.

Canadian headhunter asks for death sentence

Vince Weiguang Li, 40, is charged with second-degree murder in the death last Wednesday of Tim McLean.

Li attacked Tim McLean on a Greyhound bus in Manitoba, stabbing him "40 or 50 times" according to witnesses with a Rambo knife, and proceeded to saw off Tim McLean's head. According to witnesses he also started cutting off parts and eating them.

During his court appearance yesterday Li asked for someone to kill him, suggesting he actually wants a death sentence.

We normally are quite opposed to the death sentence ourselves (Canada doesn't have capital punishment), but in this case many Canadians are questioning whether we should just kill Vince Weiguang Li.

There is a problem with that however...

Its not a punishment. Li wants to die. It would be granting him his wish.

Instead, we should convict him and stick him in prison. That is the suitable punishment.

If he chooses to hang himself by his belt, that is his choice.

If he wanted to die by cop like Kimveer Gill he should have gone on a shooting rampage, but instead Li decided to stab a man to death in an unprovoked attack.

I suppose we should be thankful Canada's gun laws prevented Li from purchasing a gun and going on a shooting rampage.

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