U.S. sales of organic foods and beverages increased from $1 billion in 1990 to $20 billion in 2007. People are willing to pay more for organic products because they think they’re healthier. Researchers at Copenhagen University disagree. In a study that included apples, carrots, kale, peas and potatoes, the researchers found organic produce doesn’t contain more nutrients than non-organic produce grown with pesticides. Of course, the study, published in the “Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture”, didn’t look into the health risks of pesticides. JSFA is a chemical industry journal.

Increasing health risks from raw produce led to the FDA’S discovery that modern radiation techniques can kill food-poisoning germs without compromising the safety or nutrient value of some vegetables. As of August 2008, the FDA has allowed food producers to treat fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce with “enough radiation” to kill E-coli and other dangerous germs. Who knows - maybe kids will eat more spinach if it glows in the dark.

There’s no problem, however, getting Americans to eat iceberg lettuce. They eat more of it than any other lettuce variety - 22 pounds per person in 2005. Although romaine is a distant second at 8 pounds per person, acreage for growing romaine is increasing while acreage for iceberg is decreasing. Because iceberg in 95%-96% water and contains few nutrients, it’s becoming the Rodney Dangerfield of lettuces. To give it more respect David Still, a plant science professor at California State Polytechnic University, is trying to cross iceberg with butter lettuce. This would boost iceberg’s levels of antioxidants, as well as vitamins A, C, E and K. Although iceberg has only 1/20 of the vitamins as darker/softer greens, it’s perfect for crunchtimes.

Because being a vegetarian isn’t perfect for everyone, more people are becoming flexitarians - people who eat meat occasionally. A growing number of experts and famous foodies feel that cutting back on meat is a practical compromise that benefits our bodies and our planet. Dawn Jackson Blatner, registered dietitian and author of “The Flexitarian Diet”, believes that vegetarianism is a healthier lifestyle, but too hard to do 100% of the time. Mark Bittman, gourmet food writer and author of “Food Matters” believes the average American eating 200 pounds of meat, poultry and fish a year - twice the global average - affects both global warming and global obesity. As for flexitarians, they believe the meat of the matter is - less meat.

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While other companies curtail advertising spending because of the economic slowdown, Anheuser-Busch has initiated a $50 million campaign to promote its most popular brand - Bud Light. Ads featuring humorous situations tell consumers all beers aren’t the same - that Bud Light has taste but won’t fill them up. The new ads have the tag line “Bud Light, the difference is drinkability”. This tag line replaces “Bud Light keeps it coming”, which replaced “Make it a Bud Light”. In 2007 Bud Light had a 39% share of the light beer market, Miller Lite had 17.2% and Coors Light had 15.3%. To keep Bud Light the world’s most popular light beer Anheuser-Busch is banking on its new campaign not being hard to swallow.

Rolling Stone magazine has downsized - but not because of the economy. With a circulation of 1.45 million, Rolling Stone wants to attract more readers by changing its four-decade-old, one-inch-taller-two-inch-wider format to the standard magazine format. It’s hoped that fitting better into magazine racks will boost 8% single-copy sales. Any reduction in production costs, however, will be offset by more pages and thicker, glossier paper. Interestingly, the cover of the last, oversized issue featured John McCain. The cover of the first, new-format issue featured Barack Obama - playing on his campaign theme of being time for change. What won’t change is Rolling Stone’s liberal politics.

American Airlines is the largest U.S. airline, but it ranks 5th in customer satisfaction behind Alaska, Continental, Delta and Air Canada. To improve satisfaction American is going to give priority check-in and priority security checks to its best customers. Beginning September 30, 2008 American will also provide a boarding lane exclusively for it priority customers. “Priority AAcess” may improve some customers’ satisfaction, but giving more to the haves won’t seem like the American way to the have-nots.

Then there’s Allstate Insurance. Although drivers in their 50’s and 60’s have the lowest accident rate, this rate starts to climb when drivers are in their mid 60’s. That’s why Allstate developed its pilot program “Insight”. The program will give specialized computer games - games designed to reverse age-related cognitive decline and improve visual alertness - to 100,000 Pennsylvania customers ages 50-75. Posit Science, developer of the games, will compare the playing group’s accident rates with those of non players. If playing computer games makes people over 50 better drivers, Allstate may discount insurance to gamers - an idea not to be discounted.

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The four tastes humans are most familiar with are sweet, sour, salty and bitter. In 1908 a Japanese chemistry professor discovered a fifth - savory. Now a behavioral geneticist has discovered that mice have receptors that detect calcium. Because mice and humans have many genes in common, it’s likely calcium is a sixth taste. Supposedly calcium is what gives high-calcium vegetables - like kale and collard greens - their bitter flavor. The reason we don’t detect calcium when we eat dairy products is it binds with fats and proteins. Further research, however, will confirm if human tongues actually have these “miceroscopic” receptors.

Of the five known tastes, most humans prefer sweet, salty and savory over sour and bitter; yet for some people this preference might not be a choice. Studies at the University of Florida revealed that serious childhood ear infections can damage the chorda tympani nerve. Damage to this taste-sensing nerve causes people to prefer sweet, salty and high-fat foods, which makes them prone to weight gain. Among the 2,290 people in the study, those with a history of serious childhood ear infections were 70% more likely to be obese - and 70% more likely to have people get of their chorda tympani nerves about it.

To find out why chili peppers taste hot, researchers at the University of Washington covered 1,000 square miles of Bolivia studying peppers. What they found was that the heat is a defense mechanism. Chili plants make capsaicin, a heat-producing substance, to fight a seed-eating fungus which attacks chili peppers through holes made by insects in the peppers’ skin. Chili peppers in areas with more fungus make more capsaicin and thus are hotter. Birds can eat chili peppers and then spread the seeds because their physiology doesn’t sense burning sensations. Unfortunately, when it comes to chili peppers, humans don’t have the sense of a birdbrain.

Finally, when it comes to sweet tastes, humans usually think about desserts; but based on recent nutrition studies they should think about soft drinks too. Today 20%-22% of the calories in the average American diet - child or adult - come from beverages. That’s 220 more calories a day than we consumed in 1960. Because an extra 10-12 calories a day adds up to an extra pound a year, we need to weigh the benefit of our beverages - like the 150 calories that are in vitamin water - before they weigh heavily on our hips.

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In 1953 Dick and Mac McDonald used golden arches for a sign. They put an arch on both sides of their first, walk-up hamburger stand in Oak Brook, Illinois. When viewed from an angle, the two arches looked like the letter “M”. Although McDonald’s stopped putting golden arches on most of their restaurants in the 1960’s, the marketing of healthy happy meals shows that McDonald’s is still interested in angles.

In 1959 Harry Wheeler, an industrial arts teacher, built a sign for his Western store in Canyon, Texas and named the sign Tex Randall. Tex is a Stetson-topped, jean-wearing cowboy that stands 47 feet high and weighs 7 tons. Today the store is gone, Tex is starting to show his age and the property on which Tex’s size 75 boots stand has been bought by an outsider who - unlike the locals - doesn’t look up to Tex. The good news is Tex was bought for $5,000 by the owner of the local diner. The bad news is it would cost $55,000 to move Tex to that diner. It seems in Texas even the problems are big.

Because the Islamic holy time of Ramadan occurs in September, September 2008 was the time chosen by the grassroots Islamic awareness group, the Islamic Circle of North America, to start an ad campaign. The group sponsored signs in 1,000 of New York City’s 6,000 subway cars. The two-paneled signs featured the words “Islam Head Scarf or Prophet Muhammad” and the phrase “you deserve to know”. The ads also included a phone number and Web site for those people who wanted to learn more about Islam. When the ad campaign was first announced, there were derogatory headlines in the New York Post and angry statements by some local politicians. These were stronger signs - of the times.

Then there’s body language. According to Joseph Navarro, a retired FBI Special Agent, body language that deals with emotions is fairly universal and hard to hide. Biting our lip is a sign we’re insecure. Putting our hands on our hips is a sign we’re not pleased with the present situation. Raising our shoulders is a sign we’re not confident about what we are saying. Although Navarro used his body language skills to read criminals, he’s now teaching them to employers, doctors and poker players. Although it’s possible to have a poker face, don’t bet you can have a poker body.

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Serious people Beware! You are entering an area where your seriousness is under threat.

If seriousness is your forte, be alert to the symptoms of laughter that’s contagious. Run for cover as you feel your mouth corners twitch and unexpected giggles push themselves up continuously - sure signs you’re becoming addicted to laughter.

No! The laughter doesn’t stop there! Ever seen the rolling on floor emoticon? Holding the sides, down on the floor with tears rolling down the cheeks? That’s hitting the peak of laughter, and it is addicting, too.

John had a parrot. The parrot had a bad vocabulary and an equally bad attitude. John tried his best in all possible ways to teach the parrot to clean up its vocabulary. It only got worse with the parrot’s rude behavior.

Irritated by the parrot, John caught the yelling parrot and stuffed it into the freezer. There was silence.

Worried about the parrot, John pulled it out of the freezer. He was amazed to find the parrot on it’s best behavior, using completely appropriate language. John understood completely when the parrot quietly asked, “By the way, what mistake did the turkey make?”

Laughter makes us lose control of ourselves by retrieving our playfulness and innate sense of being light-hearted.

A heart patient won a billion dollars in the lottery, and his friend wanted to make sure the news was passed on to him slowly. He approached the heart patient and asked him, what would you do if you happened to win a billion dollars in the lottery? The heart patient stated that he would surely share it 50-50 with his friend. Shocked by the heart patient’s reply, his friend dropped dead!

There are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened. Needless to say, the heart patient belonged to the third category.

Is there any difference between humor and laughter? Humor is the cause of laughter and laughter is the effect of humor. Trigger your sense of humor to bring out the laughter. Humor is an intellectual capacity to perceive something funny, and laughter is a physical reaction to the stimulation of humor.

A Conversation between God and Man
Man: How much is a second for you?
God: a second equates to 10000 years
Man: What is penny equivalent to you?
God: a penny is one million dollars
Man (mischievously): I am poor so can you spare me a penny?
God: Why not? Give me a second.

Practical jokes live in memory and prank gifts make an ideal item for the young and the old. To play a practical joke or give a funny gift brings moments to cherish forever to those involved.

Laughter and humor help us fight stress by reducing anger and worries. Humor and laughter should be a part of everyday life - a way to bring back the natural smile that is often lost in our transition from childhood to adulthood. Let the child in yourself delight in the following statements made by children:

Nitrogen is not found in Ireland because it is not found in a free state.

When you breathe, you inspire. When you do not breathe, you expire.

Liter: A nest of young puppies.

Germinate: To become a naturalized German.

The tides are a fight between the earth and moon. All water tends towards the moon, because there is no water in the moon, and nature abhors a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.

Ready for some hilarity? You will Laugh for Sure - try it today!

http://www.laughinghumor.com

Embarrassment comes in all shapes and sizes. For example, police forces across the country use unmarked cars in undercover work. The Dallas police recently used a 2004 Infinity they’d seized in a drug raid. They used the car for 2 months before discovering $400,000 worth of cocaine hidden in hydraulically controlled compartments of the car. Obviously, their undercover work didn’t include under their own cover.

Then there was the incident at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. According to The Project on Government Oversight blog, the base was put on security lockdown after it was discovered nuclear weapon launch codes had been lost. In a press release the Air Force said the codes were never missing. The crew guarding the codes had just fallen asleep - which seems to be another way of saying our national security is nothing to lose sleep over.

When the Army Corp of Engineers was called to protect the wetlands around Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana, the engineers set up two-dimensional cutouts of coyotes to scare away geese that were eating the wetland plants. Unfortunately, the geese were fooled for only a couple of weeks; but the engineers’ embarrassment didn’t end there. Concerned citizens who saw the cutouts called the local port authority to report having seen dogs stranded on the lake’s islands. When PETA called about the dogs, an appropriate response would have been, “Doggone!”

Detroit’s embarrassment has to do with its population. Because of the slump in the auto industry, Detroit is now second only to New Orleans in population loss. However, it’s not just people needing jobs who are leaving. According to the Detroit News, dead people are leaving too. Between 2003 and 2008 more than 1,000 of the city’s deceased were disinterred by suburban relatives and moved to surrounding areas. Looking on the bright side, this means Detroit isn’t a dead end city.

Surprisingly, not all embarrassment is embarrassing. For an Indiana man it was lucky. When Bobby Guffey bought his usual lottery ticket, he had forgotten his glasses. Although he always plays the same numbers - a combination of his 5 children’s birthdays - he entered the last number incorrectly. Yes, that mistake earned him $3 million; but because he was embarrassed by his mistake, Guffey went back into the store and bought a ticket with the correct numbers. That ticket won him $1,000 - proving it pays to see your mistakes.

KNIGHT PIERCE HIRST takes humorous looks at life.
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One way to cut the cost of living is to cut the amount of electricity we use. A brick, the box that’s attached to a power cord, consumes electricity even when the laptop, cell phone or other piece of electronics isn’t plugged into it. Televisions and cable boxes use power even when they are turned off and a big screen TV can use as much power as a refrigerator. Then there’s that innocent-looking, electric toothbrush. Leaving that plugged in uses two watts of electricity. That may not seem like much, but it could be more than is used by the bathroom lights. To plug in on electricity savings we have to unplug.

McDonald’s is another way to cut costs. Because of the down economy restaurant-goers are saving money by scaling down from casual dining to fast food. McDonald’s global sales have gone up and its stock reached an all-time high. Because it’s the world’s biggest restaurant chain, its franchises are usually located closer to customers than the competition. Customers can save gas driving to McDonald’s to eat and - according to some - get more gas while they’re there.

As more and more people cut costs by shopping at Wal-Mart, the nation’s biggest grocery seller is cutting costs too. It’s buying local produce. Over the past two years its partnerships with local farmers have increased 50% across the country. In 2008 Wal-Mart expects to buy $400 million worth of local produce, which will mean millions of dollars in fuel savings for the company. Although Wal-Mart stretches the meaning of local to include anything grown in the same state, customers don’t mind because it helps them stretch a dollar.

Stretching a dollar is especially important to people earning minimum wage. Three-fourths of minimum wage earners are adults - not teenagers. On July 31, 2008 the second phase of the three-phase minimum wage increase went into effect. The minimum wage went from $5.85 to $6.55. This means an extra $28 a week for those who work forty hours. That’s not much. That’s why more than half the states have higher minimum wages. The 12% raise means $262 a week and $13,624 a year - which is still $8,000 below the federal poverty level for a family of four. The good news is only 2% of hourly earners are affected by minimum wage. The bad news is 2% of hourly earners are still affected by minimum wage.

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