REPORT: Adult Obesity Rates Increased In 28 States In Past Year

By Igor Volsky at 6:20 pm

A new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation finds that “adult obesity rates increased in 28 states in the past year, and declined only in the District of Columbia.” And “more than two-thirds of states (38) have adult obesity rates above 25 percent,” a figure practically unheard of 20 years ago when “no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent.” Other key findings:

- Adult obesity rates for Blacks topped 40 percent in nine states, 35 percent in 34 states, and 30 percent in 43 states and D.C. Rates of adult obesity for Latinos were above 35 percent in two states (North Dakota and Tennessee) and at 30 percent and above in 19 states. No state had rates of adult obesity above 35 percent for Whites. Only one state-West Virginia-had an adult obesity rate for Whites greater than 30 percent.
- The number of states where adult obesity rates exceed 30 percent doubled in the past year, from four to eight –Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia.
- Ten of the 11 states with the highest rates of diabetes are in the South, as are the 10 states with the highest rates of hypertension. Northeastern and Western states had the lowest adult obesity rates; Colorado remained the lowest at 19.1 percent.

Look at their colorful map of childhood obesity rates (which is interactive on their website):
The report also finds that the public is fairly receptive to using taxpayer dollars to help bring down obesity rates. For instance, 56% says that “a comprehensive program to combat childhood obesity is worth the financial investment, even if it would increase government spending by billions of dollars a year (and this during a difficult economic period in which many voters have been hesitant to support more government spending).” (The very same ‘difficult economic period’ that may have pushed some consumers towards cheaper and less healthy foods). Fifty-eight percent believe preventing childhood obesity is “a very important” priority.
This all sounds good, but it’s easy to support general obesity reduction efforts that don’t have any specific proposals or cost estimates attached to them — particularly when you see the whole thing as someone else’s fault. The survey also found that 84% of parents believe their children are at a healthy weight, “but research shows nearly one-third of children and teens are obese or overweight.”

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GOP Put Party Over Planet, Claim Pollution Is Energy

By Brad Johnson at 4:44 pm

The habitability of our planet is threatened by fossil-fueled politicians who can’t tell the difference between pollution and energy. After a White House meeting on energy reform this morning, Republican senators rejected President Obama’s call for a price on carbon pollution, repeating the Newt Gingrich liethat it would be a “national energy tax”:

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN): “As long as we take a national energy tax off the table, there’s no reason we can’t have clean energy legislation.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK): “A cap-and-trade energy tax will not sell at this time. We’ve got to find a path that does not put an added burden on American taxpayers.”
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who refused to attend the meeting: “I wish the president would focus his attention on stopping the spill and cleaning it up instead of trying to use this crisis as an opportunity to push for a new national energy tax.”

These senators know they’re lying when they equate greenhouse gas pollution with “energy.” Their states are being ravaged by our overheated climate system, including the freak flooding of Nashville and Kentucky and the melting of Alaska’s tundra.
Murkowski is being especially disingenuous about finding a “path that does not put an added burden on American taxpayers.” Right now, American taxpayers are paying the costs of fossil fuel pollution — the destruction of our health, our oceans, and our climate — while corporate polluters like oil disaster giant BP rake in the profits.
The rhetoric of these climate peacocks who put party over planet can’t hide their track record of playing the willing stooge for pollution profiteers.

UPDATESen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) stumbled in her statement following the meeting, attempting to reconcile her record in support for climate action with obeisance to right-wing talking points. "I’ve long asserted that placing a price on carbon will send the appropriate signals to entrepreneurs that would unleash the innovation to position America as a global clean energy industry leader," she said, but "we cannot afford economy-wide approaches to carbon reduction." NRDC's Dan Lashoffound the silver lining in Snowe's half-hearted call to "more narrowly target a carbon pricing program through a uniform nationwide system solely on the power sector."

Bill Clinton Laughs at Russian Spy Remark

Vladimir Putin's mention of spy arrests draws laughter from the ex-president.

00:41 | 06/29/2010

 

 

Related Links:

• The SoHo Spy: Stunning Anna Chapman Accused in Russian Spy Ring
• WATCH: Alleged Russian Spy Ring Exposed
• WATCH: The Spy Who Loved the U.S.?

 

Gutierrez: Obama Finally 'Assertive' on Immigration Reform

June 29, 2010 7:59 PM

ABC News' Devin Dwyer reports:

President Obama today met with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus at the White House to discuss comprehensive immigration reform ahead of his planned Thursday address on the issue from American University.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., who introduced comprehensive legislation in the House in December and has been critical of the administration for not championing its passage, said he’s convinced the administration is finally taking immigration reform seriously.

“For months we have been demanding that this administration take action and be the lead on comprehensive immigration reform. And then, from the White House, we hear a president that’s committed and assertive and in command and in charge,” he said following the meeting. “So I think this Thursday we’re going to hear the president speak to the nation to have comprehensive immigration reform and why it’s important for him as a president.”

Gutierrez said the president intends to use the speech to outline details of his proposal for addressing the nation’s estimated 10.8 million undocumented immigrants, which is expected to include some form of a conditional path to legal residency. 

“It’s obviously not going to be more on enforcement. He’s done a lot of that already.  He can only expand from there,” Gutierrez said, referring to criticism from immigrant advocates that the administration has heretofore solely focused on beefing up security along the border and deporting a record number of undocumented immigrants.

Gutierrez said Obama declined to discuss details of the administration’s challenge to the Arizona law, deferring to the Department of Justice. But, he said, the president agreed that the law’s pending implementation may help to build a sense of urgency towards legislative action on immigration this year.

-- Devin Dwyer

Can gay people be citizens of the United States?

by Barbara Morrill

Tue Jun 29, 2010 at 08:10:03 AM PDT

Can gay people be citizens of the United States? According to Virginia's Attorney General, apparently not:

In March, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) told the state’s colleges and universities to rescind policies that ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, arguing that schools have no legal authority to adopt such statements. On Friday, Cuccinelli appeared at Boys State, where a high school student asked him, “How is that not a violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment?” Cuccinelli responded by suggesting that the amendment was not designed to protect gay men and women:

“State universities are not free to create any specially protected classes other than those dictated by the General Assembly,” Cuccinelli said. “Your question is, why is that not a violation of the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause. Frankly, the category of sexual orientation would never have been contemplated by the people who wrote and voted for and passed the 14th Amendment,” he said.

Here's what those people wrote, voted for and passed:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

All persons ... no mention of excluding those you didn't like or thought were"icky." It's pretty damn clear.

Boehner says it's time senior citizens did their part for the war effort

by Barbara Morrill

Tue Jun 29, 2010 at 08:52:04 AM PDT

The GOP is finally asking for Americans to step up to the plate and do their part to support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. At least some Americans:

Ensuring there’s enough money to pay for the war will require reforming the country’s entitlement system, [House Minority Leader John] Boehner said. He said he’d favor increasing the Social Security retirement age to 70 for people who have at least 20 years until retirement, tying cost-of-living increases to the consumer price index rather than wage inflation and limiting payments to those who need them.

Not only could our seniors prove their patriotism by working for several more years, it would mean our brothers in banking won't have to continue to pay the price for their meltdown.

It's a win, win solution ... assuming you're a Republican or a banker.

Spies Like Us?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Your friendly neighborhood espionage suspect

Tue Jun 29, 2010 5:15 PM EDT

By Will Femia

When the Russian spy story broke yesterday, I immediately picked out the Manhattanite, Anna Chapman, to see if our paths had ever crossed. (She's in Complaint #1 (pdf).) Apparently I wasn't alone because our gal is now in the number 2 spot on Google Trends.

Anyway, the farthest I got was what I suspected was her LinkedIn page and some related real estate pages. It's weird to watch her defend/explain her business (last comment) given the possibility that it's really a front for her spy work. What made her Russian/English real estate operation seem like a front was the cover allegedly manufactured for fellow suspect Tracey Lee Ann Foley:

Similarly, TRACEY LEE ANN FOLEY, the defendant, has traveled on a fraudulent British passport prepared for her by the SVR. One of the Boston Conspirators' Internet Messages provided instructions for FOLEY with respect to her then-upcoming trip to Moscow:

Itinerary to M. [Moscow] for D.; Paris - Wien (by train), Mar 18 in Wien exch[ange] doc's for British pass[port] - [Moscow] (Mar 19, flight OS 601). Very iportant: 1. Sign your passport on page 32. Train yourself to be able to reproduce your signature when it's necessary. 2. Pls, be aware that you just visited Russia (see stamps on page 14 - entry - Mar 16, departure - Mar 17). If asked, we suggest you use the following story: you flew to Moscow on Mar 16 from London for exammple flight SU 211 to participate in business talks (your business is international consultancy seminars - pls, coyp sample of your husband) on invitation by Russian Chamber of Commerce.
...
In the passport you'll get a memo with recommendation. Pls, destroy the memo after reading. Be well.

Having a real business excuse to travel to Russia seems like it would be easier than memorizing Moscow's suggested story.

After the jump, how I found out it was her.

I didn't use any of that in my post earlier today because there are probably a lot of Anna Chapmans in New York City, some of them even Russian, and I didn't have the resources to confirm that LinkedIn page. But now I've seen the photos of her, specifically the New York Post article and they match the profile shot on the LinkedIn page. I am a little bothered by the Post's piece though. Maybe I missed it but I didn't pick up any "fatale" details in the Justice Department complaint. The bookstore she went to is not in the West Village. Warren Street is way farther downtown than that, and in fact, I only know of one bookstore at that intersection and it's pretty obvious. (Dear spies-not-yet-arrested, for future note, just up the block from there is an Italian restaurant, Il Giglio, where the waiters wear tuxedoes and they bring over a massive wheel of cheese and scrape curls of it onto a plate for you - MUCH better suited to meetings of the international espionage variety.)

And the photos, helpful as they were for me to confirm what I'd found, where the heck did the Post get those?? Facebook, duh (The San Francisco Chronicle has them.)

So that's what she looks like. Nope. Don't recognize her. ;)


Check Out Alleged Russian Spy Anna Chapman's Facebook Glamour Shots

Anna Chapman is one of 10 people across the United States accused of spying for the Russians over the past decade.
Whatever information she might have shared with the Kremlin, she most certainly had a lot to share with everyone online. Her public LinkedIn profile indicates she was a serial entrepreneur, active in the New York City startup community.
She also has a Facebook profile (pointed out to us by CNBC's John Carney) on which she opted to share a number of glamour shots.

Republican Senate wants homeless vets' families to stay homeless

by Joan McCarter

Tue Jun 29, 2010 at 12:46:04 PM PDT

Those patriotic Republicans are at it again. This morning, Patty Murray spoke on the floor, requesting unanimous consent to pass the Homelss Women Veterans and Homeless Veterans with Children Act. Mitch McConnell, on behalf of Tom Coburn, objected to the bill. Watch:

Murray's office sent out this statement:

“I am deeply disappointed that Senate Republicans continued to put politics above people and blocked my bill that would provide support for homeless women veterans and their families,” said Senator Patty Murray. “This is a bipartisan, common-sense bill that would support veterans in my home state of Washington and across the country. I am going to continue fighting for it to pass. And I urge Senate Republicans to end their obstruction and allow homeless women veterans across the country to get the support they have earned.”

Senator Murray’s bill, S.1237, would expand assistance for homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children and would increase funding and extend federal grant programs to address the unique challenges faced by these veterans.

I guess these means they've abandoned the whole idea of compassionate conservatism. Or they all get their news from Bill O'Reilly, and think thatthere's no such thing as a homeless vet.

O'Reilly said he's "still looking" for the homeless veterans Edwards (and the VA) say are "out there"

January 16, 2008 6:22 pm ET

SUMMARY: Bill O'Reilly again baselessly challenged John Edwards' claim that "200,000 men and women who wore our uniform proudly and served this country courageously as veterans will go to sleep under bridges and on grates," telling radio host Ed Schultz, "[W]e're still looking for all the veterans sleeping under the bridges, Ed. So if you find anybody, let us know. ... They may be out there, but there are not many of them out there." Schultz replied: "Well, they're out there, Bill, don't kid yourself." According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, they are, in the approximate numbers Edwards asserted.

On the January 15 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly again baselessly challenged Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards' January 3 claim that "tonight, 200,000 men and women who wore our uniform proudly and served this country courageously as veterans will go to sleep under bridges and on grates." As noted by the blogs Crooks and Liars and The Carpetbagger Report, O'Reilly was discussing Edwards with radio host Ed Schultz when he said, "[W]e're still looking for all the veterans sleeping under the bridges, Ed. So if you find anybody, let us know. Because that's all the guy said for the last ... " When Schultz told O'Reilly, "Well, they're out there, Bill, don't kid yourself," O'Reilly replied, "They may be out there, but there are not many of them out there, OK? So if you know where one is, Ed ... if you know where there's a veteran sleeping under a bridge, you call me immediately, and we will make sure that man does not do it, is not there." Schultz then gave O'Reilly "his word" that he would "do that."
As Media Matters for America documented, O'Reilly said on the January 4 edition of The O'Reilly Factor that Edwards had "no clue" and then aired his claim about homeless veterans.
In fact, Edwards' claim that there are 200,000 homeless U.S. veterans is supported by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VA website's "Overview of Homlessness" states, in part:

About one-third of the adult homeless population have served their country in the Armed Services. Current population estimates suggest that about 195,000 veterans (male and female) are homeless on any given night and perhaps twice as many experience homelessness at some point during the course of a year. Many other veterans are considered near homeless or at risk because of their poverty, lack of support from family and friends, and dismal living conditions in cheap hotels or in overcrowded or substandard housing.

The Washington Post reported that it had confirmed the veracity of Edwards' claim, noting on January 7:

Several readers have asked us to check this surprising statistic, often used by Edwards. The language may be overly dramatic, but the figure is an official one, from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The department believes that one-third of the adult homeless population of the United States "have served their country in the Armed Services." A posting on the department Web site says that about 195,000 veterans are "homeless on any given night" and perhaps twice as many experience homelessness at some point during the course of a year.

From the January 15 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

SCHULTZ: As far as John Edwards is concerned, I think his message is strong and he's got tremendous conviction. But I think he needs a little bit more material than just the "two America" talk. He's got to get --
O'REILLY: Well, we're still looking for all the veterans sleeping under the bridges, Ed. So if you find anybody, let us know. Because that's all the guy said for the last --
SCHULTZ: Well, they're out there, Bill. Don't kid yourself.
O'REILLY: They may be out there, but there are not many of them out there, OK? So if you know where one is, Ed--
SCHULTZ: Well, actually -- now, wait a minute -- two hundred and five --
O'REILLY: -- Ed -- Ed -- if you know one where -- if you know where there's a veteran sleeping under a bridge, you call me immediately, and we will make sure that man does not do it, is not there.
SCHULTZ: I will do that. I will do that. You have my word on that.
O'REILLY: OK. All right. Now, who do you loathe -- who do you loathe in the presidential race?

GOP vs. Social Security

by Jed Lewison

Tue Jun 29, 2010 at 03:10:04 PM PDT

John Boehner is now pledging that if he's elected Speaker, Republicans will cut Social Security and raise the retirement age to 70. I'm not kidding:

 

ON RAISING THE SOCIAL SECURITY RETIREMENT AGE: 
On Social Security, we're all living a lot longer than anybody ever expected. I think raising the retirement age, going out twenty years from now, not affecting anyone close to retirement, and eventually getting the retirement age to seventy is a step that needs to be taken.

ON BANNING OUTSIDE INCOME FOR SOCIAL SECURITY RECIPIENTS: 
If you have substantial non-Social Security income while you are retired, why are we paying you at a time when we're broke?

ON MAKING CUTTING SOCIAL SECURITY THE GOP'S #1 FISCAL PRIORITY: 
I think Social Security would be the most logical place to start. It's just a matter of numbers.

This is a big deal. It's not just that he wants to cut Social Security, it's that he says cutting Social Security would be at the center of the GOP's fiscal policy if Republicans win the November elections.

And not only is Boehner saying he wants to raise the retirement age to 70, he also is proposing to ban Social Security recipients from earning "substantial" amounts of outside income. That's a truly radical notion: John Boehner thinks people who have paid Social Security taxes their entire life should be denied Social Security if they earn outside income above a certain level.

So in Boehner's view, everybody should pay for Social Security, but only some people should get it, and they shouldn't get it until they are 70. And he's pledging to push that agenda as Speaker. I think his ideas are ridiculous but he's right on one thing: they do deserve to be at the center of the debate. Voters deserve to know that Republicans will try to gut Social Security if they win the elections this fall.

Tropical Storm Alex forces halt to skimming, booming operations

by Jed Lewison

Tue Jun 29, 2010 at 05:00:04 PM PDT

Yet another example of just how immensely difficult it is to contain the damage from oil disasters like BP's gusher:

Tropical storm halts Gulf oil skimming, booming efforts

Rough seas and high winds from Tropical Storm Alex, churning in the Gulf of Mexico far west of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, forced the suspension Tuesday of skimming and booming operations off the coasts of Louisiana, Alabama and Florida, a BP spokesman said.

Inclement weather did not affect operations at the site of the well head, about 41 miles off the Louisiana coast, where large ships are capturing oil from the ruptured pipe, and drilling relief wells that offer the best chance to seal the undersea gusher.

But smaller ships, or so-called vessels of opportunity — contracted by BP to skim oily water, lay boom and transport personnel — were called in for the day, said Bryan Ferguson, a BP representative manning the Unified Command station in New Orleans.

I'll guarantee you that Bobby Jindal will attack Obama for not building a one thousand mile wide umbrella to keep the storm away from the Gulf. And he'll say the reason is that Obama won't waive Davis-Bacon.

ROGER EBERT ON 5-4 OVERTURNING OF CHICAGO HANDGUN BAN:

BUT SQUIRRELS AND COPS ARE TERRORISTS

“Supreme Court sides with squirrel hunters and drug gangs against cops and innocent bystanders.” [@ebertchicago/Reuters/Sun Times]

 

WONKETTE EXCLUSIVE: The Alvin Greene Interview

I have to disagree with the writer of the second article, I found that all links work and the donation button takes you to a page that looks just like the one you use with paypal.  I am not sure where he got his page that shows an error.  Stop picking on the candidate and ask pertinent questions.  He is not your usual political candidate, he may be what the people want and need......... 

Reporters who have made the pilgrimage to the humble home of South Carolina Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Alvin Greene have noted how often his phone rings. And how often he answers it, even for members of the general public. You, yes you, after doing a simple Google search, can talk to a major party nominee for U.S. Senate. It’s just a small part of the political revolution that is Alvin Greene. Now your Wonkette has called him, and we have recorded the interview, and you can listen to it.

But please do not listen to it. Your writer called Alvin Greene for the past few days, but he was not able to get through. He gave up. He lost faith, that quickly, in our country’s political messiah. What a cynic! And when he surprisingly got through to Mr. Greene today, he was a complete asshole and couldn’t get past his assholishness to ask any important questions, such as about the Dao. Snark has no place when one is talking to great men.

What you need to know from this interview:

• Alvin Greene made a website!
• He wouldn’t say how he made a website, but it has something to do with wei wu wei.
• Alvin Greene will move to D.C. after he wins the election, because he cares about the people. He will return humbly to his monastic life in South Carolina on the weekends and during breaks.
• He is not thinking about the presidency yet (nor should he, as it will come to him through the Dao naturally). He thinks Obama is doing “okay.”
• Jack Stuef is an asshole.

There you go! You know what? Do listen to this interview. And remark on what a pale comparison of a human being your Wonkette writer is to a wise, generous man like Alvin Greene.

Alvin Greene’s Campaign Website: The Review

Earlier this afternoon your next Junior Senator from South Carolina, Alvin Greene, announced right here on Wonkette (EXTRA SUPER EXCLUSIVE MUST CREDIT) that he has made a campaign website, alvingreeneforussenator.com. (Or rather, a campaign website came to be.) Is it “good”? Any political professional would probably say no. Yet the website reflects the candidate: modest, earnest, and yet unyielding in its dedication to three issues. It may be the only American campaign website that seeks to align itself with the Dao.

Just don’t click on “Click Here For More Information” on the front page. Alvin is setting you up for a Daoist joke, people who try to “seek” knowledge. If you click, you see this:

Yes, Alvin Greene uses Yahoo! web hosting, formerly known as Yahoo! GeoCities, formerly known as GeoCities. The Way is hidden and implicate.

At the top of the page we see Greene’s campaign slogan, “Let’s Get South Carolina Back to Work!”

It is a self-fulfilling slogan. When you elect Alvin Greene, he is no longer unemployed. A South Carolinian gets back to work. And when all of South Carolina follows the Dao, so can the whole state. Work comes from not working.

Clicking “About Greene” takes you to a one-paragraph bio. Were you expecting a list of his pets’ names? There is no such list, not from a candidate like this. Who can say who Alvin Greene is? Is he a man who shows porn to coeds at a college library? He is everything, and he is nothing.

You click on “The Issues.” You see simplicity.

You click on “Take Action.” It requests that you input contact information. Likely it was autofilled by your browser. You took no action. Yet you are now on “the Greene team.” Congratulations. Inaction is action in Daoist political campaigns.

You click on “Donations.” Here is a simple PayPal button. A commenter has noticed this button does not work. But why would it “work”? It teaches you a lesson. Worldly assets cannot make a candidate win an election. Only adherence to the Dao can.

Finally, you click on “The Newsroom.” Here are two embedded YouTube videos of interviews with Greene. Is he supposed to be embarrassed that you cringe? He is not. He is forthright and truthful. The problem lies in you.

And thus the wise man uncreates an unpresense on the Internet.

[Alvin Greene for U.S. Senator]