| Strectching, good shoes crucial for fun running
Whether its blaring sunshine, daunting lightning bolts, wind, rain or intense humidity that persists even after the sun has set, the weather promises to be a challenge for people hitting the walking trails for an outdoor workout in the Rio Grande Valley. Regardless of these conditions, countless runners, walkers, and joggers can be spotted in the evenings hitting either the Bicentennial or 2nd Street trail in McAllen or any of the numerous parks that provide walking trails. Running is a simple solution for those trying to get fit without the hassle of a gym membership or complicated workout regimen. For those willing to face the elements, hitting the trail can improve overall cardiovascular health and bone strength, decrease stress and result in weight loss according to therunnersguide.com.
Battle of the bulge, Iraq-version
As the nation celebrates the liberation of Burger King from the chains of trans-fat and the Senate awaits the food industry's ideas for self-imposed restrictions on advertising to our nation's youth, we learn that the soldiers fighting in Iraq are putting on pounds like a dairy-belt freshmen. Apparently, along with democracy, we've exported our taste for fast foods to Baghdad's green zone. Soldiers there can dine on the finest American-style fried chicken, burgers, pastries, cheese steaks, and sodas. The Army & Air Force Exchange Service there operates outlets for Burger King (NYSE: BKC) , Pizza Hut and KFC (Yum Brands, NYSE: YUM). According to a Los Angeles Times report, military doctors report some soldiers return to the States with a serious cholesterol problem and the "Baghdad 15" due to the ready supply of trans-fat rich foods.
Ford finds its not easy being green
From the mid-1950s to the late 1970s, Ford operated an assembly plant in northern New Jersey, and dumped tonnes of toxic waste nearby. The car giant has yet to make the site safe By RON STODGHILL
NY Times News Service, New York
Sunday, Jul 29, 2007, Page 17 In the summer of 2005, around the time that residents of Upper Ringwood, New Jersey, began to wonder whether the skin rashes, nose bleeds and bronchitis that plagued their community were more than bad luck, the Ford Motor Co and the Environmental Protection Agency made a request: The automaker and the regulator wanted access to the yards around two families' homes to remove waste that had been dumped in the area. Ford boasts in its ads that "It's Easy Being Green," but residents feared the request suggested something not so easy at all.
Burma's economy: The Junta's Achilles' hell
Over the past nineteen years the majority of people have got poorer and poorer, as a select few with strong links to the generals, have successfully accumulated substantial wealth. But the deteriorating economic situation and the rising poverty have fuelled increased anger and even recently occasional public protests. The government's new found wealth in gas and oil reserves is only likely to exacerbate the situation as Burma's military rulers care little for the plight of the country's civilian population. There is a real danger of Burma becoming another authoritarian Petro-dollar regime like Nigeria, a UN economist told Mizzima on condition of anonymity. As yet there are few signs of conspicuous consumption amongst the Burmese elite, with the exception of the lavish wedding party, the country's top general Than Shwe throw for his daughter more than a year ago.
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