Worst Mall Drink

Jamba Juice Peanut Butter Moo’d (22 oz)

770 calories

20 g fat (4.5 g saturated)

108 g sugars

The scary thing about this 22-ounce shake is that you can consume nearly half a day’s worth of calories in 3 minutes of spirited sipping, all under the pseudohealthy banner of the sacred smoothie. What’s even scarier is you’ll be slurping up the sugar equivalent of 6 packs of peanut M&M’s, all while thinking you’re doing your body a favor. While at Jamba, stick to their impressive list of smoothies in the All Fruit and Light categories.

Worst Slice of Pizza

Sbarro Stuffed Pepperoni Pizza (1 slice)

890 calories

42 g fat

3,200 mg sodium

The architecture of this thing makes it less like a slice of pizza and more like a pizza-inspired Chipotle Burrito. It relies on an oversize shell of oily bread to hold together a gooey wad of cheese and pepperoni. The net result is a pizza pocket with two-thirds of your day’s fat and more than a day’s worth of sodium. And the traditional pizza slices aren’t much better; few fall below 600 calories. If you want to do well at Sbarro, think thin crust with nothing but produce on top.

Worst Chinese Meal

Panda Express Orange Chicken with Fried Rice

970 calories

38 g fat (7.5 g saturated)

1,540 mg sodium

It’s unfortunate that this dish happens to be one of the most popular on Panda’s menu. Consider the recipe: Battered and fried, then coated in a sugary syrup. It’s like Colonel Sanders meets Willy Wonka. Pair with a scoop of fried rice and you’ve got a dish with serious flab-enhancing potential. Here’s a better survival strategy: Skip the rice altogether and choose steamed veggies instead. Then pick any entrée besides orange chicken.

Worst Sandwich

Panera Bread Full Chipotle Chicken on Artisan French

990 calories

56 g fat (15 g saturated, 1 g trans)

2,370 mg sodium

Panera, home to soups, salads, and a general feeling of well-being (not to mention free Wi-Fi!), benefits from a beaming health halo—a perceived virtuousness that doesn’t necessarily play out in the hard realities of their nutritional stats. Yes, you can carefully construct a well-balanced 500-calorie meal, but you can also unknowingly consume 1,500 calories without breaking a sweat. Take this sandwich: It begins innocently enough (chicken and white bread), but is supported by a scurrilous cast of bacon strips, high-fat chipotle sauce, and a tarp of cheddar cheese, the most fattening of cheese choices.

The Worst Mall Food in America

Cinnabon Regular Caramel Pecanbun

1,100 calories

56 g fat (10 g saturated, 5 g trans)

47 g sugars

141 g carbohydrates

Cinnabon and malls are inseparable. Consider it a symbiotic relationship: Researchers have found that we’re turned on by the smell of cinnamon rolls, and further studies have shown that we’re more likely to spend money when we’re thinking about sex. But just because Cinnabon might be good for Gap doesn’t mean it’s all good for you. This dangerously bloated bun contains nearly an ENTIRE day’s worth of fat, two and a half times the unhealthy trans fats you should get in a day, and more than half of your daily allotment of calories. (For those keeping score, that’s as much as you’ll find in 8 White Castle hamburgers).

To read more, go to http://bit.ly/c3EJK2

Tickets get costlier as movie chains seek to cash in on consumers’ willingness to pay more for 3-D

Major U.S. movie-theater chains, seeking to accelerate the surge in revenues fueled by such 3-D hits as “Avatar” and “Alice in Wonderland,” are imposing some of the steepest increases in ticket prices in at least a decade.

The new prices take effect Friday in many markets across the country in theaters owned by such major exhibitors as Regal Entertainment Group, Cinemark Holdings Inc. and AMC Entertainment Inc.

The increases, in one case as much as 26%, vary from theater to theater, but many cinemas are raising prices most—or even solely—for 3-D showings, which accounted for the vast majority of last year’s 10% jump in domestic box-office sales. 3-D movies generated 11% of domestic ticket sales in 2009, up from just 2% in 2008.

At an AMC theater in Danvers, Mass., a Boston suburb, 3-D ticket prices are jumping more than 20% to $17.50 from $14.50, while the adult admission price for a conventional film will remain at $10.50. At one Seattle multiplex, adult admission is rising to $11 from $10 for a conventional film, to $15 from $13.50 for a regular 3-D showing and to $17 from $15 for Imax 3-D.

A 3-D Imax movie at New York City’s AMC Loews Kips Bay will cost $19.50, up from $16.50.

The increases weren’t announced by the theater operators, but were reflected in prices posted Wednesday on movie-ticketing Web sites, such as Fandango.com.

AMC and Cinemark declined to comment. Comment from Regal wasn’t immediately available.

The industry’s move comes on the heels of a record-setting year at the domestic box office, with revenue surpassing $10 billion for the first time. Movie attendance in the U.S. and Canada grew 5.5% in 2009, with 1.42 billion tickets sold, the most since 2004. Ticket sales so far this year are running 10% higher.

Movie theaters typically charged $2 to $3 extra for 3-D movies. But the brisk demand for the premium-priced tickets led many exhibitors to conclude they were still underpriced. About 83% of the record $2.6 billion in ticket sales for “Avatar” came from 3-D and Imax screens. AndWalt Disney Co.’s “Alice in Wonderland” also set records when it hit 3-D screens earlier this month.

While the new prices could boost theater owners’ already buoyant revenues, some industry watchers think they could also spark a consumer backlash. Studios, theater operators, and trade groups have long touted films as a bargain, compared with other forms of entertainment. A decade ago, the average ticket at a multiplex was $5.39, but prices have edged up between 2.7% and 6.1% a year since then, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.

To read more, go to:

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgetingk/article/109177/higher-prices-make-box-office-debut?mod=family-love_money

An expansion team is rarely favored coming out of the gate. Players haven’t played together long, the coaching system may not have been fully implemented, and well, it’s an expansion team – how many of those do well in their first go-around?

For the Philadelphia Union, traveling to Seattle to take on the Sounders is no easy task. One of the most successful expansion teams in recent sports history, Seattle has raised the bar as far as what to expect from a new team in the league. On Thursday night, the Union will try to raise it further by taking the match to the home side and heading back east with a victory.

Here are five reasons why I think this can happen.

The New Team Mystery

Philadelphia come in to the match having played exactly zero league games. Their pre-season hasn’t been televised. Their training has been all over North America. So it goes without saying that the opposingSeattle Sounders brass know very little about the product that the Union will put on the field this Thursday evening. In effect, this gives Peter Nowak and his team the upper hand as they know what they plan on doing and they know generally who/what Seattle will put on the field. To use and amend the old adage, the Union are playing their cards close to their chest, and Seattle has never seen them play before. Should definitely push things in Philly’s favor.

Versatility

The Union’s roster is filled with players that can fill various slots and can be worked around the pitch accordingly. They are shifty and many of the players are happy working in different areas. This will be a big boost for Peter Nowak as he can keep his line-up quiet up until kickoff, which ties into the mystery thing, which will give Seattle coach Sigi Schmid fits. Gameplanning for a player taking up one position and then as the game kicks off he’s in another one will really cause trouble for a Sounders squad that has never seen the Union play before.

The Forwards

Though their dry preseason may suggest otherwise, the Union do boast a talented group of players up top. A mix of veterans and younger guys will be able to pop up at any time during the match and knock in a cheeky winner or the like. Led by former Sounders player Sebastian Le Toux, the group is rounded out by MLS veteran Alejandro Moreno, #1 overall pick in this year’s MLS SuperDraft Danny Mwanga, and fellow rookie Jack McInerney. The chances may not be many but these guys are strong finishers, Mwanga in particular, and should do well to slot in a couple when the favored Sounders don’t expect it.

High Expectations

As previously mentioned, Seattle went through one of the most successful seasons for an expansion sports team in this country’s recent history. Like they were shot out of a canon, the Sounders took last year’s First Kick and had a strong season that saw them make the playoffs (something the league’s earlier expansion club, Toronto FC, hasn’t been able to do) and were even able to snag the U.S. Open Cup by beating D.C. United. Point is, they weren’t expected to do that much in their first season. Now that they have, they have greater expectations for this season, ones that could be too hard to reach. An early crack in the armor could be exposed quite easily by a talented Philadelphia side.

Peter Nowak

The guy is a winner, through and through. He already has two MLS Cups to his name, one as a player and one as a manager, the wily Polish team manager will have his boys prepared for the match in every way possible and may just out-coach Sigi Schmid if it comes to that. Simply put, with Nowak in charge, you always have a chance, even if the odds are against you.

So there it is. The five reasons why I think the Union could take this year’s opening match. It’ll be a difficult season, for sure, but coming into this match, the Union have every reason to believe the three points are theirs for the taking.

Los Angeles Galaxy Forward Landon Donovan has tested positive for H1N1 flu virus, the athlete told SI.com on Thursday evening.

The player said he wasn’t feeling well when he arrived in Miami on Sunday and went to the doctor who performed a swab-test and confirmed the illness. Donovan learned of the illness Thursday afternoon – a day after playing for 90 minutes in a World Cup qualifying match in Mexico. Mexico has been the epicenter of the ongoing H1N1 flu pandemic began.

Donovan will have to rest.

He told the Web site that he contracted the virus – also known as swine flu – in the U.S. He also told the site that he is unsure whether he will play in Saturday’s Los Angeles Galaxy game against the Seattle Sounders.

He said that he doesn’t see why he cannot play, but that he will have to see how he feels. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta reports that persons infected with H1N1 may no longer be contagious a week after illness onset, providing their symptoms have resolved.

http://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/stories/2009/08/10/daily33.html

"No smile for you just yet", explains Victoria.

For good? Nah, we don’t think so. Victoria Beckham, has had the hardest time in the States…professionally. She is still trying to break through the Hollywood scene, either by landing a role in a box-office movie, or even becoming a spokesperson for a non-profit org. We believe that is keeping the Beckham’s in Southern California. They want to make it.

David Robert Joseph wants to be part of the England team on the upcoming World Cup. England’s boss, Fabio Capello, has told him several times that he could only have chances to play if he performed at a higher level. The MLS is somewhat of an irrelevant football -aka soccer- league. Despite their efforts, the US can’t keep bringing in finger food to their guests. At some point, they will get sick.

"Ah yeah...whatever".

In the meantime, Beckham and angry Galaxy fans might want to ignore each other.

(Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090803/ap_on_re_us/us_flight_diverted_miami)

Thanks to the L.A. Times for sharing their video of UCLA’s Undie Run 2009. Here at the office we sure feel old.

Excellent – the highest quality.

Origin

Hard to tell if we need an etymologist or an entomologist for this one.

Bees carry pollen back to the hive in sacks on their legs. It is tempting to explain this phrase as alluding to the concentrated goodness to be found around the bee’s knee. There’s no evidence for this explanation though. It is sometimes said to be a corruption of ‘business’, but there’s no evidence to support that either.

Nor is there any connection with another phrase, ‘a bee’s knee’. In the 18th century this was used as a synonym for smallness, but has since disappeared from the language:

Mrs. Townley Ward - Letters, June 1797 in N. & Q. “It cannot be as big as a bee’s knee.”

There’s no definitive origin for ‘the bee’s knees’, but it appears to have been coined in 1920s America. The first printed reference to it I can find is in the Ohio newspaper The Newark Advocate, April 1922, under the heading ‘What Does It Mean?’:

“That’s what you wonder when you hear a flapper chatter in typical flapper language. ‘Apple Knocker,’ for instance. And ‘Bees Knees.’ That’s flapper talk. This lingo will be explained in the woman’s page under the head of Flapper Dictionary.” [an 'apple knocker' is a rustic]

Clearly the phrase must have been new then for the paper to plan to take the trouble to define it. Disappointingly, they didn’t follow up on their promise and ‘the lingo’ wasn’t subsequently explained. Several U.S. newspapers did feature lists of phrases under ‘Flapper Dictionary’ headings. Although ‘bee’s knees’ isn’t featured, they do show the time as being a period of quirky linguistic coinage. For example, from one such Flapper Dictionary:

• Kluck – dumb person.
• Dumb kluck – worse than a kluck. 
• Pollywoppus – meaningless stuff. 
• Fly-paper – a guy who sticks around. 

There’s no profound reason to relate bees and knees other than the jaunty-sounding rhyme. In the 1920s it was fashionable to devise nonsense terms for excellence – ‘the snake’s hips’, ‘the kipper’s knickers”, ‘the cat’s pyjamas’, ‘the sardine’s whiskers’ etc. Of these, the bee’s knees and the cat’s pyjamas are the only ones that have stood the test of time. More recently, we see the same thing – the ‘dog’s bollocks‘.

(Note: knickers weren’t underwear then – even for kippers. At least, one would hope not – the edition of the Newark Advocate above also had the headline ‘Bride Wears Knickers To Wedding’.)

One possible connection between the phrase and an actual bee relates to Bee Jackson. Ms. Jackson was a dancer in 1920s New York and is credited with introducing the dance to Broadway in February, 1924, when she appeared at the Silver Slipper nightclub. She went on to become the World Champion Charleston dancer and was quite celebrated at the time.

It’s not beyond the bounds of possibility that the expression was coined in reference to her (and her very active knees).

Whatever the derivation, the 1920s date look’s right – so long as we ignore this bizarre cartoon. It is from the May 5th 1914 edition of the Fort Wayne Sentinel. Make of it what you will.

(Source: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/the-bees-knees.html)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California may soon be able to stop printing IOUs now that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders have agreed on a compromise plan to close the state’s $26 billion shortfall without tax increases.
The governor and lawmakers announced the compromise late Monday, nearly three weeks after the state began issuing pay-you-later warrants to thousands of state contractors and vendors. Many recipients had trouble finding someone to take them after several major banks stopped accepting IOUs.
The four legislative leaders will begin selling the plan to other lawmakers Tuesday as the best way to get the state back on firm financial ground and prevent further sinking of the state’s credit rating, already the lowest in the nation. A contentious vote is expected Thursday.
The agreement composed of cuts, borrowing and fund shifts was not expected to resolve California’s financial problems as the economy continues to struggle and tax revenue lags far behind the level of the boom years.
“This is, of course, one of the most difficult economic times to face our state since the Great Depression, so none of these were easy choices,” said Assembly Minority Leader Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo. “I think we selected a path which will lead the state back to the point where we will be strong.”
Personal income fell this year in California for the first time in 70 years, leading to a 34 percent plunge in income tax revenue during the first half of the year.
The $26.3 billion shortfall amounts to nearly 30 percent of the state’s general fund, the account that pays for day-to-day state services. The sheer size of the deficit meant that any effort to balance the state’s books would be felt throughout the state, from college students seeing a sharp increase in fees to local police and fire departments that face cuts as the state takes about $4 billion from city and county governments.
Monday’s agreement reduced general fund spending from $92 billion to $88 billion, taking California back to 2005 levels.
The compromise includes billions in cuts to education, health care, prisons, welfare and other programs. The rest of the deficit will be made up by a combination of borrowing from local governments, shifting money from other government accounts and accelerating the collection of certain taxes.
The cuts include $6 billion to K-12 schools and community colleges. Nearly $3 billion will be cut from the California State University and University of California systems, while the state prison system will be cut by $1.2 billion.
Medi-Cal, the state’s health program for the poor, will be cut by $1.3 billion.
Welfare, in-home support services and a health care program for low-income children also would suffer cuts but would not be eliminated as Schwarzenegger had originally proposed.
In exchange, the budget includes some of the reforms to social programs Schwarzenegger desired, including changing the duration that welfare recipients can continuously receive benefits.
Schwarzenegger also succeeded in having a proposal to expand oil drilling off the Southern California coast included in the budget agreement.
Under that plan, drilling would be allowed from an existing rig off the Santa Barbara coast, generating about $1.8 billion in revenue over time. The proposal, opposed by many conservation groups, would be the state’s first new offshore oil project in more than 40 years.
The governor will get authority to sell some state assets, such as the Orange County Fairgrounds and state office buildings. He initially proposed selling high-profile properties such as San Quentin State Prison and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, but those sites were not included in the agreement.
Some state parks also will have to close, but the majority of the 220 initially scheduled to be shut down will remain open.
“This is a sober time because there isn’t a lot of good news in this budget,” said Senate Majority Leader Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento. “We have cut in many areas that matter to real people but I think we have done so responsibly.”
Small business owner Linda Rhodes praised Schwarzenegger for holding out for a budget that didn’t raise her taxes, even though her business is staying afloat with state-issued IOUs.
“I do not want them to raise taxes. I will take vouchers over them raising our taxes,” said the owner of Rhodes Consolidated Inc. in Galt, 30 miles south of Sacramento.
The family firm has just four employees: Rhodes, her husband, Fred, and their two adult daughters. It supplies state agencies with plumbing and electrical equipment like air conditioners, along with other hardware.
Vendors were not the only ones affected by the cash crisis.

"We will be fine", explains T-800.

Some 200,000 state government employees already have been ordered to take three days off a month without pay, the equivalent of a 14 percent pay cut. Those furloughs will continue through next June, shutting many government offices for three Fridays a month.
The leader of the largest state employees union declared the furloughs “just plain wrong,” and criticized Schwarzenegger and lawmakers for refusing to include tobacco and oil taxes in the plan.
“We’re furious about the failed leadership in Sacramento,” said Yvonne Walker, president of the Service Employees International Union Local 1000. “Their decision shows a lack of political courage to stand up to corporate giants and wealthy special interests.”