truesee's Blog

Why America's teachers are enraged

 

Diane Ravitch

Special to CNN

February 21, 2011 5:56 a.m. EST

Teacher Terry Grogan of Milwaukee takes part in protest at Wisconsin State Capitol on February 16.

 

• Diane Ravitch: Teachers are rallying against Wisconsin plan to cut their benefits, union rights
• She says teachers have been singled out for blame on America's education problems
• Ravitch: How can we improve schools while cutting funding and demoralizing teachers?

Editor's note: Diane Ravitch is a historian of education and the author of the best seller "The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education."

(CNN) -- Thousands of teachers, nurses, firefighters and other public sector workers have camped out at the Wisconsin Capitol, protesting Republican Gov. Scott Walker's efforts to reduce their take-home pay -- by increasing their contribution to their pension plans and health care benefits -- and restrict their collective bargaining rights.

Republicans control the state Legislature, and initially it seemed certain that Walker's proposal would pass easily. But then the Democrats in the Legislature went into hiding, leaving that body one vote shy of a quorum. As of this writing, the Legislature was at a standstill as state police searched high and low for the missing lawmakers.

Like other conservative Republican governors, including Chris Christie of New Jersey, John Kasich of Ohio, Mitch Daniels of Indiana and Rick Scott of Florida, the Wisconsin governor wants to sap the power of public employee unions, especially the teachers' union, since public education is the single biggest expenditure for every state.

Public schools in Madison and a dozen other districts in Wisconsin closed as teachers joined the protest. Although Walker claims he was forced to impose cutbacks because the state is broke, teachers noticed that he offered generous tax breaks to businesses that were equivalent to the value of their givebacks.

Thousands protest Wisconsin budget cuts

  

Fifth day of Wisconsin protests

 

Wisconsin businessman avoids chaos

The uprising in Madison is symptomatic of a simmering rage among the nation's teachers. They have grown angry and demoralized over the past two years as attacks on their profession escalated.

The much-publicized film "Waiting for 'Superman'" made the specious claim that "bad teachers" caused low student test scores. A Newsweek cover last year proposed that the key to saving American education was firing bad teachers.

Teachers across the nation reacted with alarm when the leaders of the Central Falls district in Rhode Island threatened to fire the entire staff of the small town's only high school. What got their attention was that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and President Obama thought this was a fine idea, even though no one at the high school had been evaluated.

The Obama administration's Race to the Top program intensified the demonizing of teachers, because it encouraged states to evaluate teachers in relation to student scores. There are many reasons why students do well or poorly on tests, and teachers felt they were being unfairly blamed when students got low scores, while the crucial role of families and the students themselves was overlooked.

Teachers' despair deepened last August when The Los Angeles Times rated 6,000 teachers in Los Angeles as effective or ineffective, based on their students' test scores, and posted these ratings online. Testing experts warn that such ratings are likely to be both inaccurate and unstable, but the Times stood by its analysis.

Now conservative governors and mayors want to abolish teachers' right to due process, their seniority, and -- in some states -- their collective bargaining rights. Right-to-work states do not have higher scores than states with strong unions. Actually, the states with the highest performance on national tests are Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Vermont, and New Hampshire, where teachers belong to unions that bargain collectively for their members.

Unions actively lobby to increase education funding and reduce class size, so conservative governors who want to slash education spending feel the need to reduce their clout. This silences the best organized opposition to education cuts.

There has recently been a national furor about school reform. One must wonder how it is possible to talk of improving schools while cutting funding, demoralizing teachers, cutting scholarships to college, and increasing class sizes.

The real story in Madison is not just about unions trying to protect their members' hard-won rights. It is about teachers who are fed up with attacks on their profession. A large group of National Board Certified teachers -- teachers from many states who have passed rigorous examinations by an independent national board -- is organizing a march on Washington in July. The events in Madison are sure to multiply their numbers.

As the attacks on teachers increase and as layoffs grow, there are likely to be more protests like the one that has mobilized teachers and their allies and immobilized the Wisconsin Legislature.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Diane Ravitch.

Huckabee throws a Mitt fit

 

 

MAGGIE HABERMAN

2/21/11 12:47 AM EST

Updated: 2/21/11 1:07 AM EST

Disdain for Romney could make Mike run. | AP

 

Mike Huckabee may be especially tempted to run in 2012 by a lingering feud between him and Mitt Romney, a severe hangover from the 2008 campaign that has created a lasting and bitter rift between the two, Republicans who know both men say.

“[Huckabee] hates Mitt, and his goal in Iowa last time was to stop him,” said one prominent Republican, who’s known both men for years. “If he sees an opportunity to cut Mitt off [during the nominating process], he will take it.” 

 

Huckabee and Romney were never exactly pals before the Iowa caucuses two years ago — and none of the other contenders had much affection for Romney either — but the battle for the Hawkeye State permanently turned the former Massachusetts governor and Huckabee into lasting enemies, sources say.

As Huckabee weighs whether to run again, several Republicans with ties to Huckabee say his disdain for Romney is a real factor in his decision-making about whether to mount a second campaign for the White House.

Ed Rollins, a national GOP strategist who ran Huckabee’s 2008 effort, recalled the “personal animosity” that the former Arkansas governor felt for Romney, citing the rawness over the negative campaign Romney ran as Huckabee started surging as the dark horse with no money or national establishment support in Iowa in January 2008.

“I don't think he particularly likes Romney,” Rollins said, although the strategist insisted Huckabee “doesn’t’ think much about Romney or Palin” and would only run if he believes the time is right. “I don't think he felt that Romney had a real core of convictions.”

Hogan Gidley, the executive director of HuckPAC, strongly denied that that Huckabee is driven by any score-settling with Romney.

"Only someone who knows precious little about running for president would put forth the ludicrous notion that a person would go through the rigors of running for president due to some personal grudge,” he said. ”That's beyond absurd — it's idiotic."

Former Des Moines Register political columnist David Yepsen, now the director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University, traces the ongoing dislike in part to socio-economic differences between the two.

“This is a little bit about class differences,” Yepsen said. “It was the populist versus the country club. Huckabee did come up the hard way, and like a lot of politicians, and lot of people who do, they have a bit of a chip on their shoulder for people who have a dime more than they do.”

Even if he decides not to run, Huckabee is in a prime position to be influential in a GOP primary contest where Romney is the nominal frontrunner — and one who’s seen as beatable, Yepsen and others say.

“If he's not a candidate, he's arguably more of a threat to Romney sitting on the [sidelines],” Yepsen said. “I think he could really be needling Romney a lot and hurting Romney with a lot of [social conservatives and religious voters] he needs to attract.

“Mike Huckabee is quick on his feet and he is glib and he can be genuinely funny," Yespen added. "I can see him making some glib [comment about] Romney that will wind up being the story of the day on the campaign trail. That is a narrative that Romney's just got to hate and I'm not sure that Huckabee's got it out of his craw yet.”

Huckabee certainly wasn’t alone in disliking Romney in 2008. A memorable anecdote in the book “Game Change” by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann featured Huckabee, Giuliani and McCain standing on a pre-debate urinal line, mocking the well-coifed Romney.

University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato said, "I can't see Huckabee offering Romney a cabinet post."

Yepsen said part of the dynamic between the two men was questions about "Romney's authenticity," and people's' ability to relate to Huckabee, a former pastor whose good-guy persona resonated with caucus-goers. That issue is definitely going to come back for Romney, Yepsen argued, and Huckabee could end up being the person who nails it.

Yepsen also recalled a subplot involving Romney's faith.

“It was a story that all of us were looking for and it was hard to find because people don't talk openly about it,” Yepsen said, referring to Romney’s Mormonism and Huckabee’s strong appeal with evangelical Christians.

It did come up, from Huckabee himself, at one point in December 2007, when the candidate, in a New York Times story, was quoted saying, "Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?"

Asked to comment for this article, Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom said in an e-mail that “Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee ran a competitive race against each other and had their differences, but Mitt has always had high regard for Mike Huckabee as a person and as a governor.”

Huckabee is on tour promoting his new book, “A Simple Government,” which hits stands on Tuesday. Currently the star of his eponymous Fox News show and the host of a radio show, he has spoken little about Romney publicly in recent months.

But he laid out his grievances with Romney in his post 2008 campaign retrospective, “Do the Right Thing,” which made major headlines for its candid portrayal of the political scion and wealthy former businessman as a phony, an elitist, one who flipped positions and who snubbed his rivals unnecessarily throughout the campaign.

"He spent more time on the road to Damascus than a Syrian camel driver. And we thought nobody could fill John Kerry's flip-flops!" Huckabee wrote in the tome, adding at another point that the Massachusetts pol "was anything but conservative until he changed all the lightbulbs in his chandelier in time to run for president.”

During an interview on Fox News the day before that book came out, Huckabee explained: “What I pointed out was that on every major position, whether it was the sanctity of life or the Second Amendment, or whether it was taxes, whether it's the Bush tax cuts... same-sex marriage, he had had a dramatic conversion to every one of those issues.”

 

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/49895.html#ixzz1EZvnEfgb

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2049243,00.html

http://cnn.com/video/?/video/bestoftv/2011/02/19/exp.nr.kids.for.cash.judge.cnn

February 20th, 201102:04 PM ET

CNN 

Yes, oral sex is sex, and it can boost cancer risk

 

Here's a crucial message for teens: Oral sex carries many of the same risks as vaginal sex, including human papilloma virus, or HPV. And HPV may now be overtaking tobacco as the leading cause of oral cancers in America in people under age 50.

"Adolescents don’t think oral sex is something to worry about," said Bonnie Halpern-Felsher professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. "They view it as a way to have intimacy without having 'sex.'"

Halpern-Felsher and other researchers presented the latest information about the risks of contracting an HPV infection Sunday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting.

  The latest data suggest that 64% of oropharynx cancers - growing in the middle part of the throat - in the United States are caused by HPV, which is more than tobacco causes, said Maura Gillison of Ohio State University. And as the number of partners on whom you have performed oral sex goes up, the risk of oropharnyx cancer goes up.

About 37,000 people per year receive a diagnosis of  oral cancer, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation.

Just about everyone has had at least one of the 130 strains of HPV; not all of them are cancer-causing. Certain types cause warts on the hands and feet that are benign.

About 5 percent of cancers worldwide are caused by HPV, and some turn up in some surprising places. A University of Washington study found that some men carry HPV 26 under their fingernails, which can lead to a form of cancer called digital squamous cell carcinoma. Proper hand-washing can help prevent this from happening, said Dr. Diane Harper, leading HPV researcher at the University of Missouri in Kansas City.

But this isn't nearly as common as HPV causing cancer in other areas of the body, such as the oral cavity and the cervix.

In the countries that have cervical cancer screening, the prevalence of cervical cancer is five times lower than in other countries, indicating that the testing is effective, Harper said.

Why HPV causes cancer in some people and not others is still mysterious. Studies of the cervix have found that 70% of infections resolve by themselves within one year, and 90% within two years. It's that remaining 10% that actually turn into more serious infections, and 5% lead to treatable precancerous lesions, Harper said.

Two well-established mechanisms of prevention in terms of sexually transmitted HPV are condom usage and circumcision, although neither completely eliminates the risk, Harper said.

A large ongoing study called HITCH is examining questions of HPV transmission and infection in greater detail. So far, it's found that couples can "ping-pong" HPV back and forth to each other, which is one reason  that the virus may take so long to clear naturally.

As for getting HPV from kissing, that's not clear, and there isn't enough data to say anything about it yet, Harper said.

It's very hard to get teens to listen to abstinence messages about oral sex, or to get them to use any kind of barrier method for these behaviors, Halpern-Felsher said. And since any risk factor under 50% sounds low to a very young person, throwing these precise statistics at them most likely won't make a difference.

But parents should have honest conversations with their teenagers about oral sex, Halpern-Felsher said. Tell them that the consequences of HPV may not happen right away, and while the risks may not be huge, they are significant. Potential long-term outcomes of cancer are quite concerning.

http://www.miamiherald.com/video/index.html?media_id=64385051

House votes to strip Planned Parenthood of all federal funding

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) offers an amendment to a massive spending bill that is approved, 240-185, by the Republican-led House and would prohibit federal funding for the nation's largest provider of abortions.

The Republican-led House on Friday approved an amendment to a massive spending bill that would prohibit federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

The measure offered by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) was approved 240-185, with several Democrats joining Republicans in support. The organization would be prohibited from receiving federal funds for any of its activities. It is already banned from using federal funds to perform most abortions.

The House continues making its way through hundreds of amendments to a spending bill to fund the government through Sept. 30. The bill makes more than $60 billion in cuts for the remaining seven months of the fiscal year, but is unlikely to be supported by the Democratic-controlled Senate. Failure to pass a bill when the current spending plan expires on March 4 could lead to a federal government shutdown.

Pence has made himself the leader of a coordinated effort to defund Planned Parenthood, which is the nation's largest provider of abortions and a longtime target of abortion foes.

The congressman has introduced legislation that would deprive the organization of funding used for contraception, cancer screenings and health services for low income patients. His amendment went a step further by depriving the organization -- and each of its local affiliates -- of all federal funds. Planned Parenthood receives funding from federal, state and local government grants.

Sunday, February 20th 2011, 4:00 AM

Brandon/APDonald Trump waves after addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington this past Thursday.

Donal Trump's name is splashed across casinos, condos and skyscrapers - yet despite years of speculation, it's never appeared on a ballot.

The latest buzz about candidate Trump comes courtesy of the Draft Trump 2012 Committee, which hopes to get The Donald into the race for The White House.

The group - neither funded by nor connected to Trump - is angling to put the billionaire developer's name on the ballot in four early battleground states: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

The driving force behind the campaign is Missourian Nick McLaughlin, a Marine and Iraq war veteran.

"I have never met Mr. Trump," McLaughlin said. "But I am certain he is the man America needs."

New York political veteran Lynn Krogh, one-time deputy press secretary for Gov. George Pataki, is working as the group's national political director.

Trump's "straightforward, no-nonsense response to the problems facing all Americans is a breath of fresh air," she said.

And legendary GOP dirty trickster Roger Stone has been fanning the flames for a Trump bid.

"No one understands the power of television like Trump," Stone crowed on his website. "Trump could dominate 2011 debates and emerge as a real candidate."

Trump has indicated he's thinking about a 2012 run, with a decision to come in the future.

He stole the show with an impromptu speech at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference, telling the audience he's "pro-life" and against gun control, higher taxes and President Obama's health-care law.

Continuing his theme that "the United States has become a whipping post for the rest of the world," he told MSNBC last week: "What I would be doing is, I'd be taking in hundreds of billions of dollars from other countries.

"As an example, we protect South Korea. Why aren't they paying us? We have thousands of troops in European countries. ... If we're protecting countries, why aren't they paying for it?

"I would tax China because they are manipulating the currency. They are taking all of our jobs. China is an absolute abuser of the United States. They have no respect for our leadership. ... We would take in hundreds of billions of dollars."

It's hardly the first time Trump's name - and hyperbole - has been linked to a presidential race. He first broached the subject in a 1988 interview, admitting the idea had crossed his mind. In 1999, Trump considered plunging into the race as a Reform Party candidate.

He eventually decided the public scrutiny, the financial disclosure forms and the weekends in Nashua, N.H., weren't worth it.

Despite his lack of campaign experience, the 64-year-old Trump has never lacked confidence in his ability to run the country as easily as he runs a boardroom on "The Apprentice."

"My record has been that of a winner," he told the Boston Globe back in 1988. "If I run, I'd win."

Skeptics abound.

When Trump toyed with the idea of an earlier national run, longtime critic Ed Koch suggested his campaign was merely an effort "to sell condos."

Trump already is sparring with presidential hopeful Ron Paul, telling CPAC the 11-term congressman had zero chance of winning.

The Texas Republican fired back quickly: "How many times has Donald Trump been elected?"

The answer, of course: zero.

The Real Losers In A Government Shutdown

Howard Fineman
First Posted: 02/18/11 04:44 PM 

Updated: 02/20/11 02:54 AM

WASHINGTON -- The plane hasn't taken off, let alone crashed, but the pilot and co-pilot are already on the intercom blaming each other for catastrophe.

That's what's going on as President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner maneuver toward a March 4 deadline for extending or changing this year's federal budget. They are issuing preemptive "I told you so"s, hoping to insulate themselves from blame if no deal is reached and the government shuts down.

The president moved first. He rarely issues veto threats, never mind carrying them out. But he ordered his Office of Management and Budget to issue one on his behalf last Tuesday. In essence, he said that if Congress sent him a deep-cut bill like the one House Republicans are gleefully crafting, he'd veto it. Having warned them in advance, he was saying, he couldn't be blamed if the GOP went ahead.

On Tuesday, Boehner -- eager to stay ahead of his Tea Party Republican Guard -- answered back. For his part, he said, he would refuse to consider a plain bill to temporarily extend the existing budget in its current form past March 4. Having warned the president in advance, he was saying, he couldn't be blamed for the shutdown.

So, if there is one on March 4 -- and we seem headed almost inexorably in that direction -- who will suffer the most politically?

History is not really a guide. The last big shutdown, in 1995, ended up being a clear winner for then-President Bill Clinton, but primarily because of the hubris and overreach of the then-Republican Speaker (and potential 2012 presidential candidate) Newt Gingrich.

Gingrich managed to make the whole drama look like a matter of personal pique. Go back and look at the famous -- and, for Gingrich, devastating -- front page of the New York Daily News. It showed Newt as a baby with a bottle; politics is a game of comparison, and he made Bill Clinton look mature.

Boehner is no Gingrich, which is a good thing for Republicans. Obama, for that matter, is no Clinton, which may also be a good thing for Republicans. The current president, for all his earnestness, doesn't have Bubba's desperate, savvy sense of quick public maneuver. The president is not as good at spur-of-the-moment survivalist spin.

(If you want to see Clinton's shrewd skills in action, check out my MSNBC colleague Chris Matthews' hour-long documentary Monday night at 10 pm. It's about Clinton's successful effort to become a "global" leader in his post-presidency.)

Still, the likelihood is that the Republicans will lose politically if there is a shutdown. First, it's clear that many of them want one, whatever their leaders say. Some of them will celebrate it on the floor of the House if it happens. They won't be able to help themselves.

The 80 or so first-year Tea Party types in the House are as eager as college protesters taking over the Ad Building a generation ago. They want to shut the place down as an act of protest against what they regard -- not entirely without reason -- as a runaway, run-amok government.

But you know they are way out there when Rep. Michelle Bachmann -- yes, her -- says shutting down the government would be a bad idea.

And they would be shutting things down in the name of some cuts that it will be easy enough for the president and his Democratic allies to cry havoc about: cuts to the FBI, state and local law enforcement, and the Food and Drug Administration, just to name three.

Nor will the Republicans be operating on favorable political terrain.

To be sure, Obama is not popular: his approval rating is 47 percent in Gallup; his "reelect" against a generic Republican is only 45 percent. People take a dim view of his handling of the economy, and remain gloomy about where the country is headed economically, even if they feel a little better about their own situation.

But the Republicans' approval rating is 47 percent, too, and that of Congress as a whole remains a starkly anemic 25 percent. That doesn't suggest the Republicans are dealing from strength.

More important, even though people say they care about balancing the budget, polls show that they care much more about unemployment and maintaining their government benefits. If the GOP is shutting down the government in the name of fiscal responsibility -- and that will be the claim -- they will have to answer for the immediate disruptive consequences of doing so. It'll be a hard sell. And if a million or more federal workers are suddenly sent home, that looks like more temporary unemployment, no matter who the employer is.

Republicans have decided to make enemies of public employees, but it is hard to demonize them when they have suddenly been told to stay home.

And other consequences will be real. Forget the hyperbole and focus on the one thing that matters most: Social Security. The last time there was a shutdown, in 1995, the distribution of checks was disrupted. This time, there are more people involved and fewer of them will have to wait for the mail before voicing their displeasure.

Some 60 million Americans now receive Social Security payments of one kind or another. According to the Social Security Administration, some 80 percent of them receive their money in the form of a direct deposit. And keep in mind that, in 2008, voters 65 and older went heavily Republican, voting by a 52-to-44 margin for Sen. John McCain over then-Sen. Barack Obama. Does the GOP really want to risk its rep with one of its own constituencies?

The first wave of Social Security deposits after a shutdown -- to about 12-15 million people -- is scheduled to go out on March 10.

That's the date when the plane really does crash.

President Obama takes over coach duties for daughter Sasha's basketball team

 

Saturday, February 19th 2011, 2:26 PM

 

 

Somodevilla/GettyPresident

Obama is a huge basketball fan.

President Obama spent part of Saturday giving executive orders as coach of his daughter's basketball team.

The commander in chief grabbed the reins of 9-year-old Sasha's team even though his wife Michelle, Sasha and oldest daughter, Malia, were on a ski holiday in Vail, Colo.

No White House journalists were inside and the results of the game, played at a community center in Maryland, were unknown.

The President attends most of Sasha's games. He coached on Saturday because the usual parent who runs the team was absent, The Associated Press reported.

 

The Obamas at a college hoops game last November. Vucci/AP

Basketball is by far Obama's favorite sport and he's attended several college and NBA games since becoming President and frequently shoots hoops at his White House court.

With News Wire Services

A Murray State University professor has resigned after allegedly making racial remarks to a black student.

Mark Wattier, a political science professor, told freshman Arlene Johnson last August that he wasn't surprised that she didn't show up on time to a film he started 15 minutes before class began.

The Murray Ledger and Times has more:

Arlene Johnson, a freshman from Sikeston, Mo., told the Ledger & Times in a telephone interview that one day in August, she came to class early to find that a film was already in progress. She said that after class, she and another student asked professor Mark Wattier why the film had started before the official start time of the class, and she said he told them that when screening films, he typically started them 10-15 minutes before class.

"We said, 'Well, we didn't know that. It wasn't on the syllabus, so we were unaware,'" Johnson said. "And then he said, 'Well, it's OK, I expect it of you guys anyway.' We asked him, 'What did that mean?' And he said the slaves never showed up on time, so their owners often lashed them for it. He just didn't have the right."

 

Wattier was originally suspended without pay from the university. He appealed his suspension and claimed that he was depressed. According to the Western Kentucky Star, Wattier wrote in an e-mail that he challenged the suspension so he could "express his regret" to Johnson.

Johnson, at the very least, wants an in-person apology. "I deserve that," she said.

 

LINK TO PHOTO OF WATTIER:

http://www.westkentuckystar.com/News/Local---Regional/Western-Kentucky/Wattier-Resigns-From-MSU-Following-Suspension

Son accused of helping man rob his father in fatal Perry Hall home invasion

Victim shot, killed intruder in March; younger Bozman arrested in Fla.

William Bozman Jr. (Handout photo / February 18, 2011)

Peter Hermann

The Baltimore Sun

6:59 p.m. EST

February 18, 2011

 

Police have said that Marvin Cook Jr., 29, broke into the Bozman house shortly before 6 a.m. March 28, 2008, and made his way to the master bedroom. There, police said, he threatened the elder Bozman with a handgun and demanded money. Police in Florida said Cook ordered the victim to open a safe.

Baltimore County police said the elder Bozman retrieved his own gun and pointed it at Cook, who walked toward him. Police said Bozman than shot Cook several times in the chest. Police did not charge the elder Bozman and said the shooting appeared justified.

Police found Cook's driver's license, which led them to his mother's house in Baltimore, but she told them she had not spoken to her son in years. Cook had a lengthy criminal record that included a conviction for attempted murder in 2002 and two drug offenses.

The elder Bozman declined to comment after the incident, and he did not return telephone messages left on his business phone at B&B Towing. There was no answer at his Perry Hall home. Relatives for Cook also could not be reached.

Police in Fort Lauderdale said that members of the FBI Joint Fugitive Task Force arrested the younger Bozman about 9:15 p.m. Tuesday at a house on Southwest Way. Baltimore County police did not provide any information about the arrest.

The younger Bozman has faced several criminal charges in Maryland, most involving charges of failing to obey protective orders issued in domestic cases. But he has had more serious trouble in Florida, where he has been convicted of several felonies dating back to 1985.

He had been sentenced in 1988 to two years in jail in Broward County for cocaine possession, to eight years in prison in Fort Lauderdale for auto theft and gun possession in 1992, and to five years in prison in 1993, also in Fort Lauderdale, for robbery.

http://www.wftv.com/news/26901183/detail.html?cxntlid=cmg_cntnt_rss

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/galleries/the_x_factor_amazing_xrays/the_x_factor_amazing_xrays.html

America's healthiest fast-food breakfasts

 

Nicole DeCoursy

Health.com

February 18, 2011 8:26 a.m. EST

Starbucks sampler scores high for having all the components of an ultra-satisfying breakfast.

• Some items from Panera Bread serve up as much protein as a 3.5-ounce fish fillet
• Egg substitute contains mostly egg whites
• A veggie omelette is a great way to sneak more nutrient- and fiber-rich produce

 

Used to be, when you grabbed breakfast on the go, it was a diet disaster: nothing but fat-and-calorie bombs like butter-soaked croissants and jumbo muffins. Now, it's much easier to do right by your body: Fast-food legends like McDonald's and IHOP, as well as newbies like Cosi and Panera Bread, offer surprisingly healthy options that are filling, light, and much easier on your arteries.

The key to finding a healthy breakfast, says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, is finding a good-for-you mix of complex carbs (like whole grains), protein, and healthy fats to keep you satisfied.

So with that in mind, we asked our team of experts to choose and rank the best a.m. grub. Here, the standouts -- and why each one made the cut.

1. Spinach Florentine Breakfast Wrap (Cosi)

Meet the breakfast wrap that packs nearly as much protein as a burger. That's an award-worthy benefit: "When you wake up, your body hasn't had fuel for about 10 to 12 hours," says Dr. Gerbstadt, one of our judges. So this standout refuels you and keeps you satisfied so you don't overnosh the rest of the day.

"With most other breakfasts, you would need to add another food to get this much protein," Gerbstadt explains. "Plus, the fiber content is much higher than you'd usually find in such a high-protein meal."

Calories 334; Fat 21g (sat 8g); Protein 24g; Carbohydrate 21g; Fiber 11g; Sodium 516mg

Room for improvement: The fat content is on the high side (since the wrap is made with eggs), so eat low-fat fare throughout the day -- or split this hearty pick with a friend.

2. Protein Artisan Snack Plate (Starbucks)

This Starbucks sampler scores high for having all the components of an ultra-satisfying breakfast -- protein, fiber, whole grains, and fresh produce, says panelist Frances Largeman-Roth, RD, senior food and nutrition editor at Health magazine.

You get to nibble on yummy fare -- hard-boiled egg, cheddar and apple slices, multigrain muesli bread, grapes, and honey peanut butter spread -- in the right portions, Largeman-Roth explains: "It's like a healthy tapas plate for breakfast."

Calories 370; Fat 19g (sat 6g); Protein 13g; Carbohydrate 36g; Fiber 4g; Sodium 470mg

Room for improvement: Along with all that protein and fiber, you get 19 grams of fat. Tip: Eat half of either the honey peanut butter spread or the cheese.

3. Berry Topper Ideal Meal (Jamba Juice)

The name is spot on. "It really is an ideal meal because it meets all of your nutrient needs," says judge and nutrition expert Robin Miller, the host of Quick Fix Meals on the Food Network.

It's made with yogurt and soy milk, great sources of calcium and vitamin D two nutrients women often lack. Also blended in are vitamin C--packed strawberries, blueberries, and bananas. And the organic pumpkin flaxseed granola gives you a dose of healthy fats for heart health.

Calories 300; Fat 4.5g (sat 0.5g); Protein 9g; Carbohydrate 59g; Fiber 7g; Sodium 85mg (for 12 ounces)

Room for improvement: Stick to the small (12-ounce) size -- larger serving sizes load on the calories.

4. Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal (Au Bon Pain)

It's no surprise that two oatmeals made our list. Oatmeal is a favorite among dietitians because it contains two kinds of fiber: the insoluble kind, which helps prevent constipation, and the soluble type, which digests slowly to help regulate blood sugar.

"Oatmeal is more filling than many other cereals," Gerbstadt explains. Au Bon Pain's oatmeal edged past the McDonald's version (#6) because it has less saturated fat and sodium, plus more protein and fiber. Still, you can't go wrong with either.

Calories 280; Fat 4g (sat 1g); Protein 8g; Carbohydrate 56g; Fiber 7g; Sodium 10mg

Room for improvement: The protein content is a bit low: Make it more filling by eating a few nuts or a yogurt on the side.

5. Scrambled Egg Whites, Chicken Sausage, and Fruit (Denny's)

Yes, you can have eggs and sausage! But pass over the Grand Slam menu and look for these better-for-you breakfast "sides" to design your own morning meal. "This is a really well-rounded breakfast," Largeman-Roth says. It's not too high in sodium, either; a surprise for a sausage breakfast, she says.

Calories 230; Fat 9g (sat 0g); Protein 19g; Carbohydrate 19g; Fiber 3g; Sodium 447mg

Room for improvement: Order a piece of whole-grain toast (without butter or margarine) to increase the fiber factor, adding about 100 more calories.

6. Fruit & Maple Oatmeal (McDonald's)

The judges praised McDonald's for adding this good-for-you pick with fresh fruit to its menu (breakfast antioxidants at the drive-through -- nice). This tasty treat includes diced green and red apples, dried cranberries, raisins, a touch of cream, and brown sugar. Plus oatmeal's soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol and control blood sugar, helping to fight off diabetes, Largeman-Roth says.

Calories 260; Fat 4.5g (sat 1.5g); Protein 7g; Carbohydrate 48g; Fiber 5g; Sodium 115mg (for oatmeal without brown sugar)

Room for improvement: Watching calories? Order it without the brown sugar to save 30 calories. "You won't miss it with all the fruity flavors," Largeman-Roth explains.

7. Simple & Fit Veggie Omelette (IHOP)

A veggie omelette is a great way to sneak more nutrient- and fiber-rich produce into your power breakfast, Miller says. In this case you get a flavor-fest of green peppers, mushrooms, onions, and oven-roasted tomatoes. "And the side of fruit adds a nice (sweet) touch," she says.

Calories 320; Fat 10g (sat 1g); Protein 21g; Carbohydrate 40g; Fiber 8g; Sodium 420mg

Room for improvement: This omelette is made with "egg substitute" (which contains mostly egg whites); if you prefer the real thing, ask your server to substitute egg whites instead.

8. Western Egg White & Cheese Muffin Melt (Subway)

For just 160 calories, this melt with egg whites, Black Forest ham, green peppers, American and Monterey Jack cheeses, and red onion stacked on an English muffin lets you eat light without feeling even a little bit deprived.

Don't like peppers or onions? Order your melt with fresh tomatoes and spinach instead. If you want something more substantial, round out your meal with Subway's packaged apple slices or yogurt.

Calories 160; Fat 4g (sat 1.5g); Protein 15g; Carbohydrate 19g; Fiber 5g; Sodium 680mg

Room for improvement: This pick didn't show up higher on our list because the sodium count is high.

9. Egg White Turkey Sausage Wake-Up Wrap (Dunkin' Donuts)

No need to deprive yourself if you're watching calories and fat: The reduced-fat cheddar cheese, egg whites, spinach, and turkey sausage in this winner from Dunkin' Donuts make this a healthy indulgence.

Calories 150; Fat 5g (sat 2.5g); Protein 11g; Carbohydrate 14g; Fiber 1g; Sodium 400mg

Room for improvement: This pick tastes rich, but it's small, so it may not keep you full for as long as the egg options higher on our list, Largeman-Roth explains. It's also low in filling fiber, so pair it with a piece of fruit for more fuel.

10. Breakfast Power Sandwich (Panera Bread)

This egg, Vermont white cheddar, and smoked lean ham sandwich serves up as much protein as a 3.5-ounce fish fillet, Gerbstadt says.

Also praiseworthy, she adds, is Panera's whole-grain bread. Made of rye, spelt, amaranth, and flax, it's brimming with good-for-you nutrients like vitamin B2, niacin, manganese, iron, magnesium, and selenium.

Calories 330; Fat 14g (sat 6g); Protein 22g; Carbohydrate 31g; Fiber 4g; Sodium 830mg.

Room for improvement: "This sandwich has a lot of sodium," Largeman-Roth notes. But you can slash 300 milligrams simply by ordering it without the smoked ham