This is fairly interesting, I think. The more you know...

Taking pix of meals and snacks helps those on a diet lose weight. Makes so much sense, and, in an age where just about everyone's phone has a camera, it would be so easy to do!

WATCHING what you eat really does help, at least if you do it through a camera lens. That's the conclusion of a study of dieters' eating habits comparing the effect of written food diaries with taking a snapshot of each meal.

Food diaries track food consumption during weight loss programmes, but now taking a snapshot of each meal is replacing the laborious task of writing down everything you eat. To see if photos might also prompt healthier eating, Lydia Zepeda and David Deal at the University of Wisconsin-Madison told 43 people to record what they ate for one week in words and as pictures.

When they quizzed the volunteers, photo diaries seemed to be the most effective. Not only did they provide powerful visual documentation of snack binges, they also triggered critical evaluation at just the right time - before the food was eaten (International Journal of Consumer Studies, DOI: 10.1111/j.1470-6431.2008.00725.x). "I had to think more carefully about what I was going to eat because I had to take a picture of it," was a typical response.

In contrast, written diaries are often completed long after the meal and do not create as powerful a reminder of the quantity and quality of the food that was eaten.

"Nutritionists see diaries as recording tools. Now they should explore the role of photo diaries as intervention tools," says Zepeda.

By the way, the schools in California basically suck.

I could be wrong, but isn't California the 10th largest economy in the world? How is this even vaguely acceptable?

For all the bitching about No Child Left Behind, I like reading that failing schools can be closed up. Yes, I know there will be unintended consequences to that, but I think we need some kind of shock to this failing system. This is complete and utter bullshit:

California has 2,241 schools in Program Improvement, including 1,441 new ones announced Thursday. That's about 37 percent of all those eligible. (Schools can also raise scores and leave Program Improvement, as 116 have just done.)

The federal law is up for renewal, but has stalled in Congress until a new administration takes office in January. How much federal money to spend on No Child Left Behind, and just how much to relax its many rules and regulations, will all become part of the presidential debate on education this fall.

"We can probably expect some changes from the next administration regardless of which administration it is," said David Silver, a testing expert at UCLA's Center for Research on Education Standards and Student Testing.

"I don't think it reflects well on an administration if suddenly school performance appears to be dropping dramatically, which is what will happen as the standards rise substantially each year between now and 2014."

Silver, echoing educators across the country who marvel at the seeming impossibility of having every student proficient in six more years, called that requirement a major shortcoming of No Child Left Behind.

"It's really a political statement," he said. "We all want schools to have high standards and meet them. But it's not a realistic policy."

So a whole lotta failure leads to the hope that standards will lower. Even though the global economy is becoming all the more competitive. Makes real sense. Yeah.

Mike Murphy isn't backing away from his 'hot mic' opinions of Palin. Good.

Instapundit has his panties bunched over the media's treatment of Sarah Palin. The coverage has been unfair, apparently.

I definitely disagree. So he's whining about Rezko, Ayers, etc. Fine.

I know. I've learned he's not long on analysis. What's my point?

I'm waiting for the next 'Dude, where's my recession' post. You know, this economic hiccup is all mental, according to armchair assholes like him. It's the MSM's fault: they're putting ideas in everyone's head. They're mad that newspaper ad revenues are dropping, and they're trying to take the rest of America down with 'em, because they're that evil (and powerful). That damn Wall Street Journal! Those damned economists! What do they mean the latest jobs numbers 'scream recession'?! How dare they?

Maybe he'll suggest alternative economic analysis done by bloggers under the Pajamas Media masthead?

Whatever. I understand he's got to lampoon the MSM as an out of touch echo chamber. How else is he to sell his own out of touch echo chamber?

Which brings me to this AMAZINGLY funny comment Andrew Sullivan makes about Sarah Palin and her education:

If she applied for an internship at National Review, they would turn her down.

Brutal.

Fuck. I just realized where I've seen this before. Bob Dole. They propped up the company man in a year they knew they were going to lose. Gave him his send off with the gold watch.

That's all there is to this.

AMATEURS!

(ed.note: Special bonus snark: That's not stock photo keyword searching we can believe in.)

Brilliant!

After seeing Huckabee on The Daily Show, I have to say I hope Obama can work him into his Administration somewhere.

I don't agree with the guy on a lot, but he's genuine. I think he builds serious bridges when he does stuff like come on The Daily Show. He's charming. I would hope he'd have the grace to accept something under a President Obama. I think it would be great.

I must need some sleep.

This may be stupid, but could McCain's speech tonight have been so disjointed and odd because he had to take some red meat out?

Could last night have backfired so badly monetarily that he decided to try to tone it down?

Could be dumb, but I'm filing it under predictions to see if anything comes out about it later...

The brutal truth:

Awesome line from a McMegan commenter:

Trying to solve the energy crisis by drilling is like trying to pay off an ARM by selling your plasma.

Oh yeah... POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!
Convinced yet?

There's the top of your ticket, GOP. The same uninspired guy you've hated for years.

Kinda takes the bloom off the Palin rose, eh?

Awful delivery. More of the biography shit, which had been played out by the time the fucking video came on. I think the GOP needs some new strategists. I really do.

I think when this guy faces off against Obama, it's over.

I know I want Obama to crush him, but... I just have a hunch that's when the real distance opens up between the candidates in the polls.

I know a lot was made of the rift between Obama and Clinton, but it's pretty weird to watch the GOP circle jerk over John McCain: a man they all hate.

Yeah... It's another link to Sullivan. But I think this is a stunningly obvious but very necessary point to make:

What the reader doesn't get, I think, is that all the revelations about Obama took place over a very long period of time - months and months. Because Palin is a total unknown and because her past is so colorful, to say the least, and because there are only two months before the election, the media has jumped all over it. That's our job. They have compressed in five or six days what was raised about Obama over twelve months. Of course it seems tougher right now. But I don't believe it is. If Obama's family were as colorful as Palin's, you can bet the press would have been all over it. If Obama's sister had nine kids from two fathers neither of whom she is currently living with, do you really think the press would not have written about it?

This is an illusion created by a very compressed schedule and a totally unvetted candidate who is utterly unready to be president of the United States. And it's being sustained by the Republican machine because at this point, targeting the media is all they've got.

I think all that's been left out of this is to mention again the fact that both the Right and Hillary have already used the kitchen sink against Obama. Thus, you have people looking into all her dealings, her church, etc. That shit is already on the table. That's nothing new, and it stuns me that people are taking offense to most of the treatment Sarah Palin has gotten.

Again: this should have been expected. If it was expected, it was to get this kind of sympathy from the base (rally against the media). If it wasn't expected, then the McCain campaign is fucking stupid.

Neither of those scenarios impress me much.

After the crappy jobless surprise this morning comes this little stink bomb:

The weak go first, and people take comfort from the very weakness of the fallen. The fact it is only the weak who are suffering is taken as proof that there is no general problem.

That is how it was with the mortgage mess, which is still called the subprime crisis even though it has long since spread. Now there are more prime mortgages going into foreclosure than there are subprime ones.

The world of corporate loans now looks like mortgages, circa 2007. Defaults are on the rise, but they are concentrated among small companies in industries with big problems.

I blame the media. I mean, why would the phrase 'shoot the messenger' be so popular if the strategy doesn't work? PINKOS! SCUM! You just can't stand the GOP's Prosperity Message and magical thinking! Losers!

Of course, I have to ask why the media is reporting bad news for publishers?

Brilliant:

I have a soft spot for Ben Stein, despite his unfortunate belief in intelligent design. So I don't mind agreeing with him about Sarah Palin:

Yeah... The media is definitely giving the McCain campaign the finger. This Politico thing is pretty amusing. It would be nice if the press would grow some fucking balls and ask some adult questions.

But where did we go wrong with Sarah Palin? Let me count the ways:

First, we should have stuck to the warm, human interest stuff like how she likes mooseburgers and hit an important free throw at her high school basketball tournament even though she had a stress fracture.

Second, we should have stuck to the press release stuff like how she opposed the Bridge to Nowhere (after she supported it).

Third, we should never have strayed into the other stuff. Like when The Washington Post recently wrote: “Palin is under investigation by a bipartisan state legislative body. … Palin had promised to cooperate with the legislative inquiry, but this week she hired a lawyer to fight to move the case to the jurisdiction of the state personnel board, which Palin appoints.”

Why go there? What trees does that plant?

Fourth, we should stop making with all the questions already. She gave a really good speech. And why go beyond that? As we all know, speeches cannot be written by others and rehearsed for days. They are true windows to the soul.

Unless they are delivered by Barack Obama, that is. In which case, as Palin said Wednesday, speeches are just a “cloud of rhetoric.”

Fifth, we should stop reporting on the families of the candidates. Unless the candidates want us to.

Sarah Palin wanted the media to report on her teenage son, Track, who enlisted in the Army on Sept. 11, 2007, and soon will deploy to Iraq.

Sarah Palin did not want the media to report on her teenage daughter, Bristol, who is pregnant and unmarried.

Sarah Palin thinks that one is good for her campaign and one is not, and that the media should report only on what is good for her campaign. That is our job, and that is our duty. If that is not actually in the Constitution, it should be. (And someday may be.)

Awesome.

I know I like to link to Sullivan too much, but this sums up the GOP for me. There's nothing conservative or prudent about them:

Increasingly, it seems to me, the GOP reflects some of the most ADD elements in the culture. There is no sense of accountability, no real pretense that anything is for much more than the present, and reality is constantly shaped to fit the demands of the micro-news-cycle. I thought McCain was unlike that. But he's the leader of this party, and he cannot change it overnight. My worry is: he doesn't seem to be trying any more.

In other news, you'll be paying even more for health insurance next year.

But you knew that, didn't you?

On average, health care costs will go up by an estimated 5.7 percent next year for both workers and their employers, the study found. That repeats this year's 5.7 percent hike and a 6.1 percent jump in 2007.

The growth of health care costs has hovered at around 6 percent since 2005, according to Mercer. While that's down from the double-digit growth in previous years, it's still moving at a faster clip than inflation or workers wages.

"It's not something to cheer about, especially since costs are getting passed on to employees," said Blaine Bos, author of the survey.

It does look like the press is all too willing to go to war with McCain. Will this be another miscalculation along the lines of Palin?

Huh? The Republican message about the Palin offspring comes across as contradictory: Hey, media, leave those kids alone — so we can use them as we see fit.

If you doubt this scenario, consider this: On Wednesday morning, a teenage boy from Alaska stood in a receiving line on an airport tarmac, being glad-handed by the potential next president of the United States — because he got his girlfriend pregnant. TV cameras were lined up in advance. The mind boggles.

"Either the children are out of bounds, and you don't put them in the photo ops, or you don't complain when somebody wants to talk about them. You can't have it both ways," said John Matviko, a professor at West Liberty State College in West Virginia and editor of "The American President in Popular Culture."

As I stated in a comment I left on McMegan's blog: The press should oblige McCain and turn their cameras off when the kids are trotted out. That would be fuckin' brilliant.

I like this statement from the Obama camp. All they do is point out it was written by W.'s speechwriter. No attacks. No defense.

I do think giving 'em enough rope is the right way to go here. Let the GOP lead with their chin.

UPDATE: Here's their full-on deconstruction of the speech. I like that they hit back fast.

I will hand it to Rudy. He's doing what the GOP does best: smear the other guy.

There's certainly no record to defend.

He's giving the folks what they want. I imagine this is playing very well in Kentucky.

I know I'm not inclined to like what I'm hearing from the convention at this point.

I'm actually sorry I missed Huckabee, because I always like him more than I think I will.

9ui1ian1 is giving 'em what they want, but it sounds like a high school speech. No specifics. Low taxes to grow the economy. Take it to the terrorists. Drill.

Maybe Rudy's problem wasn't that he sat out of the early primaries? Maybe he just really can't inspire?

Every time I hear someone on the Right run down Obama's experience, I wonder why their arguments didn't keep them from voting for W.

Did anyone else receive the email with Rudy's speech a few months ago?

Haha. Job applicants. Haha.

Noonan explains herself in an addition to her column.

I do think she's fairly canny, so I was hoping she'd come up with something.

The something... Eh. It's all tied to the idea the GOP can win, and I don't think they will. We'll see. I do think she tells an interesting story about Quayle, however.

Two more thoughts.

1. Given this hurricane season is for real, will I have the energy to search out posts from last year that whine about how global warming alarmists are ruining science?

2. If Palin did, indeed, have an affair, should we just consider having affairs as living up to the image of the 'Maverick?'

I didn't read the thing about how a gene determines whether or not men are faithful, but I guess one can extrapolate from that one should look for a mate (assuming one is looking) with parents who are still hitched, thereby betting they have the gene?

Or am I oversimplifying?

I've been having such a good time this afternoon that I just saw this Enquirer thing about a possible affair Palin had with her husband's erstwhile business partner.

OMFG. This is the craziest day ever.

And I love the response to the McCain Campaign's threatened lawsuit:

"The National Enquirer's coverage of a vicious war within Sarah Palin's extended family includes several newsworthy revelations, including the resulting incredible charge of an affair plus details of family strife when the Governor's daughter revealed her pregnancy. Following our John Edwards' exclusives, our political reporting has obviously proven to be more detail-oriented than the McCain campaign's vetting process. Despite the McCain camp's attempts to control press coverage they find unfavorable, The Enquirer will continue to pursue news on both sides of the political spectrum."

While the Right continues to ignore the Murphy and Noonan soundbites (though I notice Drudge has finally pulled down the latest Noonan column), I give you this amusing link to Balloon Juice.

The Right is truly not ready to be hit back. Not this year. It really does look like the last gasp of a dying giant. It's been a long time since they were off balance and off message in this way.

I'm still convinced this is going to be a Jimmy Carter implosion for the Republicans. They're going to lose a generation over this, I think.

Ideally some of these folks are pushed to look at the Libertarians. But I'll believe that when I see it...

I guess the press can fight back, and Time is calling out the McCain campaign.

Wow. This is getting AMAZING!

Steve Schmidt has decided, for tactical reasons, to slime the press. He wants the public to believe that there is an unfair--sexist (you gotta love it)--personal assault going on against Palin and her family. This is a smokescreen, intended to divert attention from the fact the very real and responsible vetting that is taking place in the media--about the substance of Palin's record as mayor and governor. Sure, there are a few outliers--and the tabloid press--who have fixed on baby stories. That was inevitable....the flip side of the personal stories that the McCain team thought would work to their advantage--Palin's moose-hunting and wolf-shooting, and her admirable decision to have a Down Syndrome baby. And yes, when we all fix on the same story, whether it's a hurricane or a little-known politician, a zoo ensues. But the media coverage of the Palin story has been well within the bounds of responsibility. Schmidt is trying to make it seem otherwise, a desperate tactic.

There is a tendency in the media to kick ourselves, cringe and withdraw, when we are criticized. But I hope my colleagues stand strong in this case: it is important for the public to know that Palin raised taxes as governor, supported the Bridge to Nowhere before she opposed it, pursued pork-barrel projects as mayor, tried to ban books at the local library and thinks the war in Iraq is "a task from God." The attempts by the McCain campaign to bully us into not reporting such things are not only stupidly aggressive, but unprofessional in the extreme.

I turned on MSNBC to see if anything was showing up there, but they were interviewing Trent Lott (click through and what do you see on the top right?), who was touting Palin as a reformer.

Yeah. They're as fucked as I've been saying they are...

Oh my fuckin' ears! This is a disaster!

I guess this is going to undermine anything else Mike Murphy has to say for the rest of the GOP convention!

I do feel kinda bad for Noonan and Murphy, but... On the other hand, this proves they're smarter than they're pretending to be on TV.

Of course, this is only gonna fuel Conservative resentment of the media and MSNBC in particular...

Yeah, I did see Noonan's latest, earlier. I wasn't inclined to throw out a link until now. Public v. private thoughts... Quite a gap, indeed. And the Right has been going after Sullivan? At least he's saying what he fuckin' thinks.

For all the talk about 'Obamabots' from the Right, it's been funny to watch everyone line up behind John McCain, a man half the Right viscerally dislikes. Recall what Limbaugh said last year about what would happen to the GOP if either McCain or Huckabee got the nomination.

It does seem that a crack up is inevitable.

In the meantime, it's funny to read even independent Right-leaning bloggers talking about the pregnancy story to tell us it should be off limits. So, the thing they don't want to talk about they're willing to discuss. Everything about the Bridge to Nowhere, Ted Stevens, the AIP, and her pastor's remarks about how the Jews are being blown up because they haven't accepted Jebus is not up for discussion on those blogs. Even though most were willing to discuss Obama's relationship with Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers.

Then again, I always found it hilarious that folks on the Right were pretending to get upset by any pastor, reverend, or whatever 'man of the cloth' you'd like to trot out.

Watching them circle the wagons around Palin just reinforces my thought that, were I still inclined to vote for the GOP, I'd be voting for Barr this go-'round.

What amazes me is that every time a Right knee jerks in this country it's to blame the media. So why didn't they anticipate the media shit storm that's descended on Alaska? Are you kidding me? Either this was planned as a way to rally the base or it is a legitimate surprise. Whichever it is, I'm not impressed.

Anyway, I'm linking to a Sid Blumenthal post from HuffPo. Fine.

Here it is. Ouch.

Almost certainly, Bush had to cancel his planned speech while Gustav loomed. But the sources say he didn't like the idea and felt pushed. Bush is described by sources as "furious" at McCain for being deprived of his last appearance before his party, which nominated him twice, as a sitting president. He believes he is being treated disrespectfully.

Shuttering the convention for a night was probably inevitable given the hurricane, but to provide a cover-up for scratching Bush and Cheney it became absolutely necessary. But once the hurricane passed, Bush asserted his primacy as president and forced his way back on the schedule to deliver a satellite speech to the convention.

Makes sense to push a rift after the GOP was pushing for one at the Donk Convention.

Also makes sense to amp the drumbeat of 'Palin's an also-ran' for as long as possible.

I keep hearing the kid's kid's father is going to be at the GOP convention.

Does that mean it's only private when McCain says it's a private matter?

Stay tuned!

Megan is watching the Fox coverage of the GOP convention and getting upset.

The stupid really does burn.

Just another minute...

I'm not exactly used to linking to Sidney Blumenthal, so give me a minute...

Go Obama, go!

Go Obama, go!, originally uploaded by vinnieFM.

Fuckin' A!

If La Pasadita were for McCain, I might even reconsider.

We've been to a couple taco windows in this town, but nothing compares to La Pasadita. Jonathan wouldn't know, however, as he went with the tongue. Oy!

I'm reminded of what a tool I thought Lieberman was in the VP debate against Cheney.

At the time I was excited about Cheney. Now I wouldn't mind seeing him hanged.

C'est la vie.

I guess re: Lieberman, I have a new line. I'm supporting Obama because country matters more than party.

While I don't necessarily mind the low tax message that Fred Thompson ended with, I would ask him how he proposes to deal with the debt. I believe the numbers have been picked over, and Obama's budgeting is more detailed.

Both men are giving us pipe dreams, I realize. But to pretend we don't have to look at spending and that tax rebates and the GWOT cost us nothing offends me.

Listening to Fred Thompson list the techniques of the Viet Cong, it's impossible for me not to hear W. on a loop saying, "We do not torture."

I wonder if it's having the same effect on others?

Wow. This looks like it's going to be a crazy hurricane season.

Wow. Top 20%. I wonder what that will mean, looking back from December?

I fuckin' mean it...

This is too much. This Election is high camp. It's a fuckin' John Waters film.

It's actually really funny to read criticisms of Lefty 'citizen-journalists' coming from the Right, who have always been proud of being able to get in on top of the story before the mainstream press... I guess they understand some of the complaints the press has been raising about Bloggers, after all!

What the hell did the McCain campaign expect from this announcement? They're on the defensive over what they should have been disclosed and spun in the beginning.

They may win points with the Conservative base by fostering the impression they're being unfairly 'attacked' by the Media. The gamble here is that the Independent/Center voters don't run way the hell away from the tabloid aspect of the choice.

I guess selling a tabloid Presidential run is a bet on what typically sells in America. I think Palin represents what McCain thinks an American Celebrity is, these days. Maybe he's right?

The gamble is that people want this in their Leaders. I'm inclined to believe not, given our situation. Obviously, I don't think we're as bad off as the Donks are painting us. I guess I'm out of touch, and I'm willing to admit as much.

I'm still sticking with my original pronouncement: Weird!

Some are trying to paint Palin's association with the Alaska Independence Party as a negative, but I think it will play well with some GOP voters in the south. Secession for those guys is something laudable.

I keep making jokes about how her kid's pregnancy will appeal to folks in Kentucky, West Virgina, etc. But...

Maybe she appeals to a big enough cross section of jes' folks that she's actually a smart pick? I doubt it, but I guess I see the calculation?

UPDATE: As much fun as I'm having with the pregnancy thing, I have to say I'm once again disappointed that much of the Right is concentrating on the pregnancy thing. More interesting to me are the corruption, the earmarks, the abuse of power. Of course, they're ignoring it. They're basically lampooning the Democrats for 'pointing out families aren't perfect' or some shit, calling hypocrisy.

Maybe that's somewhat true in some cases. I was definitely uncomfortable with some of the stupid sexism that got trotted out over the weekend.

However, it sounds like she's not all that good at budgeting, and she was sucking in earmarks as fast as she could. So... I'll be curious to see if the Right absorbs this and how.

This Sullivan post is a fucking must read! It's at least the beginning of your opposition research if you're the Obama campaign! Hahahahah!

Drudge has posted three opinion pieces by women rejecting the Palin pick. I liked Sally Quinn's point best:

McCain claims he knew about the pregnancy, and was not at all concerned. Why not? Not only do we have a woman with five children, including an infant with special needs, but a woman whose 17-year-old child will need her even more in the coming months. Not to mention the grandchild. This would inevitably be an enormous distraction for a new vice president (or president) in a time of global turmoil. Not only in terms of her job, but from a media standpoint as well.

Add to this a tale of taking a job you're bound to fail in:

I don't blame Palin for accepting the position. How could she or anyone turn down such an opportunity? I was once in a similar position. After four years of reporting at the Washington Post, I was chosen by CBS to be the first network anchorwoman in America, to co-anchor their Morning News. I had never been on TV a day in my life. I was 32. There were women at CBS who were much more qualified than I was and certainly other men. They chose me because they wanted a woman. I didn't even want the job, but I didn't feel I could turn it down. Of course it was a disaster. I lasted four months. I wasn't ready for Network TV. Palin isn't ready to be leader of the free world.

Maybe this admission of failure reminds you of our current President?

New York City's Dutch heritage emerges in the face of higher gas prices! Ha!

“Eighty percent of the jobs done in a van I can do,” said Hodari Depalm, the owner of Checker Courier, a cargo messenger company in Manhattan that s