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USDA food pyramid out, food plate in

USDA ditches food pyramid for new design

(Credit: istockphoto)

(CBS) After almost two decades, the USDA food pyramid is history. First Lady Michelle Obama today unveiled the USDA’s update on America’s visual nutrition guide, replacing the familiar – and much maligned – pyramid with a plate.

PICTURES – Bye-bye pyramid, hello plate: Timeline of food guidelines

The food pyramid has been around since 1992, but nutrition experts don’t seem to be mourning its demise.

“It’s going to be hard not to do better than the current pyramid, which basically conveys no useful information,” Dr. Walter C. Willett, chairman of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health, told the New York Times.

The new design incorporates seven key dietary messages:

Enjoy your food, but eat less
Avoid oversized portions
Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
Drink water instead of sugary drinks
Make at least half your grains whole grains
Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1 percent) milk
Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals – and choose the foods with lower numbers.

Experts argued the now-defunct pyramid lumped all types of foods in its design – including unhealthy ones at the top of the pyramid . That made it hard to tell which foods were better choices.

“The original icon was a bit misleading, e.g., all fats are bad,” Dr. Sara Bleich, an assistant professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University, told ABC News.

USDA spent $2 million to design and promote the plate, the Times reported. Will this costly venture cause Americans to eat better?

Dr. Robert C. Post, deputy director of the USDA, told the Times that he hopes the new visual will prompt “consumers to say, ‘I need to be a little more concerned about what I choose to build a healthy day’s diet.’ “

The USDA has more on the new food plate.

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Victims’ family files suit against Joyce Meyer

Angela DeCicco wants $10 million to $20 million from Joyce Meyer and her ministries for failing to stop the murders of her daughter and grandsons.

And if successful in the lawsuit, she plans to use the money for charitable work to keep their memories alive.

The 27-page lawsuit was filed about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in Monroe County Court against DeCicco’s son-in-law, Chris Coleman, and his employer, Joyce Meyer Ministries, as jurors were about to hear closing statements in Chris Coleman’s murder trial.

Meyer’s attorney, Mike King, said he was disappointed the suit was filed because there is no evidence that Joyce Meyer or her son, Joyce Meyer Ministries executive Danny Meyer, were personally negligent. He said it does allow him to build a defense now.

He said a lot of people knew about Chris Coleman’s infidelities and that he’d beaten his wife, including Sheri Coleman’s friends and other church members at Destiny Church. He said only Joyce Meyer Ministries was named because they are the only ones with money.

The attorney bringing the suit, Antonio Romanucci, said that’s true.

He said had someone investigated a little and found seven threats came from Chris Coleman’s work laptop, Columbia police might have investigated and his wife and young sons might be alive today.

A wrongful death lawsuit was filed on behalf of the family of Sheri Coleman in 2010 against Chris Coleman and named Joyce Meyer as a “respondent in discovery.” She and her ministry were later dropped from that suit.

Romanucci, a partner in the Chicago injury law firm Romanucci and Blandin, filed against Meyer on Wednesday and has attorney Jack C. Carey, of Belleville, as local counsel.

The suit alleges the ministry failed to recognize that Coleman was a threat to his wife, Sheri Coleman, 31, and two sons, Garett, 11, and Gavin, 9. Jurors are currently deliberating whether Christopher Coleman, 33, strangled his wife and sons.

Coleman worked as the security chief at Joyce Meyer Ministries based in Jefferson County and sought marital counseling from his own employer, according to the suit.

The lawsuit claims Joyce Meyer Ministries should have known Coleman was a threat to his family because he was sending threatening messages to his family from his employee-issued laptop computer and cell phone. He was also traveling extensively for his job and was being accompanied by a woman who was not his wife with the knowledge of Joyce Meyer Ministries.

Coleman was having an extramarital affair with a woman who was his wife’s friend, and he wanted a divorce from his wife. He developed a ruse through the ministry to murder his family so that he could be with his girlfriend permanently, the suit states.

“This tragic murder would have been preventable if Joyce Meyer Ministries had responded to the threats and the extramarital affair and warned Sheri appropriately,” Romanucci said. “As a result, the surviving kin, including Sheri Coleman’s mother, Angela DeCicco, and other close family members, have been permanently deprived of their love, companionship, society, support, guidance and affection during and for the remainder of their lives, and have incurred and become liable for large sums of money in funeral and burial expenses.”

The ministry was dropped from the suit against Coleman in February 2010 after a judge ruled that because depositions were not conducted on time, witnesses could not be compelled to testify. However, if the ministry was added to the suit as a defendant instead of a respondent in discovery, the deposition process would begin again and witnesses could be forced to testify.

Editors note: Due to the nature of this story, commenting has been removed from it.

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Small ball returns to the college game

College baseball takes its annual bow in the national spotlight with this week’s opening of the NCAA tournament.

Stadiums with typically a smattering of fans will be filled and, as is customary, ESPN will saturate the airwaves with games and highlights on the road to the College World Series.

But over the next month fans will witness something new.

Or rather, something that conjures the past.

Bat specifications introduced this season turned back the clock in college baseball.

Improving safety, standardizing bat performance and eliminating tampering were the goals. The result: A drastic reduction in home runs, scoring and earned-run averages.

So-called “Gorilla Ball” offenses of the 1990s and lesser-but-still powerful descendants of the last decade are extinct. Small ball is in.

“It’s changed the game,” UCLA Coach John Savage said.

Whether that’s good or bad depends on who’s asked.

Savage and other coaches and observers say the emphasis on pitching, defense and run manufacturing has made the college game “more pure.”

But some, such as Oregon Coach George Horton, lament the loss of the fan-friendly home run and the offensive excitement and interest the power game generates.

“It’s changed our game for the worse,” he said.

A little bit of history

When a player hits a fastball with a wood bat — a collision that generates thousands of pounds of force — the ball is no match. Cowhide and tightly wound yarn momentarily flatten and must regain their original shape, an inefficient process wasting energy that might otherwise contribute to a towering home run.

Now watch the same thing with a metal bat.

This time, both bat and ball compress a little, and because aluminum rebounds better, its “trampoline effect” can increase the speed of the hit from the low 90s to more than 100 mph.

College baseball adopted metal bats as a cost-saving measure in the 1970s. As scoring through that decade and the ’80s increased, a worried NCAA turned to researchers for help. Setting weight limits appeared to stem the tide until USC and Arizona State combined for 35 runs in the championship game of the 1998 College World Series.

“That was the tipping point,” said Dave Keilitz, executive director of the American Baseball Coaches Assn.

Looking for a better standard, researchers settled on the ball exit speed ratio, a complicated formula that sought to slow down hits. But offensive production continued to increase amid concerns that manufacturers had sidestepped the limit by, among other things, shifting the center of gravity inside their bats.

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Romney charges that Obama has "failed America"

STRATHAM., New Hampshire (Reuters) – Mitt Romney, the multimillionaire former governor of Massachusetts, will kick off his second bid for the White House on Thursday with a hard-hitting economic message charging that “Barack Obama has failed America.”

The Republican front-runner so far, Romney starts his campaign in New Hampshire, the early-voting state where a win in February’s primary election is crucial to his chance of winning the party nomination to face President Barack Obama in the November 2012 election.

In a speech on Thursday, Romney will blame “the Obama economy” for the job losses and home foreclosures that have plagued Americans during the Democratic president’s first term.

With unemployment high and the housing market still soft, the economy is Obama’s main weakness, although polls say the president is still favored over all potential Republican opponents.

Americans are also concerned about federal spending, the mounting national debt and a budget deficit projected to reach $1.4 trillion this year.

“Government under President Obama has grown to consume almost 40 percent of our economy. We are only inches away from ceasing to be a free-market economy,” Romney will say in his speech, according to excerpts released by his campaign.

Romney, who lost the Republican nomination to John McCain in the 2008 race, has a slimmer campaign team this time around. The former head of venture capital firm Bain Capital, Romney has a powerful campaign finance apparatus in place.

He raised an astounding $10.25 million in an eight-hour phone-a-thon in Las Vegas last month.

Romney’s biggest stumbling block could be his support as governor for a Massachusetts healthcare program that became a model for Obama’s national healthcare overhaul. Many Republicans detest what they derisively call “Obamacare.”

There are also doubts about whether Romney is conservative enough for the current Republican Party. With Tea Party movement activists on the rise, the party has shifted to the right since the 2008 campaign.

“In a relatively open field, Mitt Romney at this juncture is the front-runner from an organizational and fund-raising standpoint,” said Republican strategist Ford O’Connell.

The fight for the Republican nomination has been slow going and a number of party heavyweights have stayed out of the race.

PALIN IN THE SHADOWS

But Republican media star Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential nominee, has been creeping up behind Romney in some polls. She is expected in New Hampshire later on Thursday as part of a bus tour that has fanned speculation she could soon announce her own White House bid.

Other Republican hopefuls like Newt Gingrich and Tim Pawlenty trail Romney in the polls.

Romney’s Mormon faith also might be a hindrance to winning votes from evangelical Christians in the south.

The tag of flip-flopper haunts Romney after he shifted positions on issues such as abortion, gay rights and gun control to position himself for the Republican nomination in 2008, having governed more from the center in Massachusetts.

By all reckoning, Romney should win the primary in New Hampshire, where he is ahead in the polls and has a natural advantage as ex-governor of a state next door.

“He’s going to be hard to beat but you can mortally wound him by beating him in New Hampshire. If you beat him in New Hampshire the narrative for his candidacy falls apart,” said Republican strategist Matt Mackowiak.

Romney has been expected to struggle in more conservative states like Iowa and South Carolina but a new Public Policy Polling survey in Iowa shows him leading there too.

Romney’s personal style has also been tweaked. After being criticized for his overly formal, CEO-type look in 2008, Romney has gone business-casual, often appearing tie-less in open-necked shirts and crisply pressed jeans.

“A lot more people like this Romney more than the 2008 Romney,” O’Connell said. “But he has to demonstrate himself to be a fiscal conservative.”

(Additional reporting by Steve Holland and David Morgan in Washington; editing by Mohammad Zargham)

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Powerball Winning Numbers Worth Monstrous $200M Jackpot in June 1 Lottery Drawing

Feeling lucky tonight? The Powerball winning numbers—if you’re lucky enough to match all six of them—will make you filthy rich! $200,000,000 richer in fact.

The June 1, 2011 Powerball numbers are worth $200 million annuity, or $105.2 million cash-value lump-sum before Uncle Sam comes knocking at your door.

Photo credit: alvimann from morguefile.com

When Was the Last Time Someone Won the Powerball?

This is the eleventh Powerball drawing since William “Bill” Swanson II of Houston, TX, won the $74,000,000 Powerball jackpot in Indiana while visiting his mother over the Easter weekend on April 23, 2011. Swanson chose the cash-value of $37,728,064.69 instead of stretching it out over a period of 29 years, or 30 payments. Wonder if Mom got any of his Powerball winnings?

Don’t Miss Tonight’s Powerball Drawing

The Powerball winning numbers are being drawn tonight, Wednesday, June 1st at 10:59pm ET. The Powerball lottery game is played in 42 States, Washington D.C., and the US Virgin Islands. Don’t miss out by not buying your ticket on time. Some Powerball retailers cut off ticket sales earlier than others.

You can check here for a list of TV stations that announce the winning Powerball numbers in your local viewing area. The live Powerball drawing can also be viewed online at PowerBall Live, also at 10:59pm ET.

Please Play Responsibly

Remember, playing the lottery should be fun, but sometimes too much lottery fun can be addictive and could ruin lives. Please play responsibly, and don’t spend more than you’re willing to lose. Good luck on matching all six Powerball numbers tonight!

Be sure to check the COMMENTS SECTION AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE shortly after the drawing tonight for the Powerball winning numbers.

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Billy Bob Thornton’s daughter Amanda Brumfield guilty of manslaughter after ‘killing best friend’s baby’

By Paul Bentley

Last updated at 4:58 PM on 2nd June 2011

Guilty: Brumfield was convicted on Friday of aggravated manslaughter of a child in her care

The eldest daughter of Hollywood actor Billy Bob Thornton has been found guilty of aggravated manslaughter after her best friend’s baby died in her care.

Amanda Brumfield, 32, who is Billy Bob’s eldest daughter from his first marriage, had claimed one-year-old Olivia Madison Garcia died at the Orlando home of her friend Heather Murphy in October 2008 after the child hit her head when she tried to climb out of her playpen.

But prosecutors insisted the injuries sustained by the child, including a three-and-a-half inch fracture to the back of the her skull and bleeding and swelling to her brain, were not consistent with an innocent fall from a low height.

Mrs Brumfield was acquitted of first-degree murder and aggravated child-abuse charges. She is expected to face sentencing on the manslaughter charge in July.

Her father, Billy Bob Thornton, has starred in many hit films, including Oscar-winning Monster’s Ball, but is best known for his bizarre short-lived marriage to Angelina Jolie.

 

They were said to have worn vials containing each other’s blood around their necks while they were together as a sign of commitment.

Billy Bob claims he is no longer in contact with his eldest daughter, Mrs Brumfield.

PDA: Billy Bob Thornton became renowned for public displays of affection while married to Angelina Jolie a decade ago

After Mrs Brumfield was charged in relation to the child’s death in 2008, an autopsy revealed the baby had suffered a fractured skull and a brain injury due to blunt trauma – a type of physical injury to the head.

Brumfield said she noticed the baby’s tongue was bleeding after the supposed fall from her playpen and cleaned it with a paper towel.

She claimed she then played with the child, who seemed ‘happy’, and fed her bananas and fruit snacks.

Brumfield told police she lay the child next to her on the couch and fell asleep.

Billy Bob: The actor seen here in Monster’s Ball, the film which famously earned Halle Berry an Oscar

The right side of the law: Billy Bob starring in 2008 film Eagle Eye

When she later woke and went to take the child back to the playpen, she found her body was limp, she said.

Police say Brumfield’s call for help did not come until two-and-a-half hours after the original fall.

Billy Bob Thornton has been married five times and has had four children by three women.

His first marriage, in the late Seventies, was to Amanda Brumfield’s mother, Melissa Parish.

The actor famously married Angelina Jolie in 2000 after they filmed the film Pushing Tin together.

The couple were renowned for outlandish public displays of affection and are said to have worn vials containing each other’s blood around their necks.

While they were still together, Jolie adopted her first child, Maddox, from Cambodia.

 

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VERSUS to broadcast WSOP Circuit events

VERSUS to broadcast WSOP Circuit events
1 June 2011

LAS VEGAS, Nevada — (PRESS RELEASE) — After a very successful WSOP Circuit (WSOPC) season, it’s now time to see how it all unfolded on television.

VERSUS, a national sports network in more than 76 million homes, is slated to air 10 hours of high stakes tournament poker action from the WSOPC in the month of June.

Each Thursday night at 9 pm ET, VERSUS will air two one-hour episodes from the 2010-2011 WSOP Circuit season, culminating with the National Championship on June 30, which awards the lucky winner a WSOP gold bracelet, the highest recognition in poker.

“It was a tremendous year for the WSOP Circuit with many amazing stories and improbable outcomes,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart. “With the Stanley Cup playoffs coming to an end on VERSUS, we look forward to filling a weekly primetime slot each Thursday night in June.”

Poker Productions, the television production arm for World Series of Poker Europe, High Stakes Poker, the National Heads Up Championship and this upcoming World Series of Poker, produced the WSOP Circuit action airing on VERSUS.

“We are very excited to present coverage of the World Series of Poker Circuit tour to a national audience,” said Jeff Goldberg, Vice President of Programming for VERSUS. “The WSOP tour is one of the most successful in the business and we knew it was a great opportunity for our first venture into poker tournament coverage.”

The WSOP Circuit tour just completed its seventh season. It is a series of individual poker tournaments featuring 15 different tour stops from mostly Caesars-owned properties around the country. Buy-ins range from $200 to $10,000, and players amassed points for each recorded in-the-money finish they had. Those garnering the most points or winning or placing at the final table of select events, automatically qualified for the WSOP Circuit National Championship just held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas – just days before the start of the 42nd annual World Series of Poker.

A list of players who are expected to receive prominent television coverage can be found here.

The 2010-2011 WSOP Circuit tour began on August 19, 2010 at Horseshoe Council Bluffs in Iowa and continued through May 22, 2011 at Harrah’s New Orleans Casino.

VERSUS is expected to feature encore presentations of the WSOPC in July and August. Check local listings for details.

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Phil Ivey is Boycotting the World Series of Poker

Phil Ivey, who has won one World Series of Poker title and is considered by some to be the best poker player today, is boycotting this year’s WSOP because of the actions of his Team, Full Tilt. Back in April, when the Department of Justice begin its crackdown on poker companies, Full Tilt locked the accounts of every customer in the United States. Depending on where you get your poker information, as much as $150 million could be sitting in Full Tilt accounts right now. That’s pretty messed up considering the Feds want (and are helping) companies to refund their customers.

Ivey posted this statement on his Facebook page:

“I am deeply disappointed and embarrassed that Full Tilt players have not been paid money they are owed. I am equally embarrassed that as a result many players cannot compete in tournaments and have suffered economic harm. I am not playing in the World Series of Poker as I do not believe it is fair that I compete when others cannot. I am doing everything I can to seek a solution to the problem as quickly as possible.”

“My name and reputation have been dragged through the mud, through the inactivity and indecision of others and on behalf of all poker players I refuse to remain silent any longer. I have electronically filed a lawsuit against Tiltware related to the unsettled player accounts. As I am sure the public can imagine, this was not an easy decision for me.”

“I whole heartedly refuse to accept non-action as to repayment of players funds and I am angered that people who have supported me throughout my career have been treated so poorly.”

“I sincerely hope this statement will ignite those capable of resolving the problems into immediate action and would like to clarify that until a solution is reached that cements the security of all players, both US and International, I will, as I have for the last six weeks, dedicate the entirety of my time and efforts to finding a solution for those who have been wronged by the painfully slow process of repayment.”

Pretty impressive stand for Ivey to take. I’d expect Full Tilt to respond within the week.

[H/T Bob Futon]

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