This May 31, 2012 file photo shows a man leaveing a 7-Eleven store with a Double Gulp drink, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) by Connie CassAssociated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — They are among our most personal daily decisions: what to eat or drink. Maybe what to inhale. Now that the government's banning trans fat, does that mean it's revving up to take away our choice to consume all sorts of other unhealthy stuff? What about salt? Soda? Cigarettes?
by Elise, the Diva Chef This time of the year is all about good food and good company. Family and friends provide the company, that part is all up to you. No doubt you're already starting to plan where the feast will be and who will be on the guest list. Creating a warm inviting atmosphere where love and fellowship can co-exist with candles and maybe a crackling fireplace dancing in the background is next on your list. You start visualizing the comedian of the family providing the laughter, while others catch up on life events over the past year. All the while the older mature ones admire the kids and how much they've grown. But one thing hasn't escaped anyone's notice, the aroma of delectable food permeating the room. After all the fellowship, the food now takes center stage and seals the deal of this wonderful gathering.
First lady Michelle Obama, center, with PBS Sesame Street's characters Elmo, left, and Rosita, right, as they help promote fresh fruit and vegetable consumption to kids in an event in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Oct. 30, 2013. by Darlene Superville Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — A trip down the grocery store produce aisle could soon feel like a stroll down "Sesame Street." Michelle Obama announced Wednesday that the nonprofit organization behind the popular children's educational TV program will let the produce industry use Elmo, Big Bird and Sesame Street's other furry characters free of charge to market fruits and veggies to kids. The goal is to get children who often turn up their noses at the sight of produce to eat more of it. Under the arrangement, Sesame Workshop is waiving the licensing fee for its Muppet characters for two years.
TAKING A STAND—Bartender Latika Pamplin and Pittsburgh police officer Brenda Tate pose with signs on the Black Beauty Lounge’s windows, warning shoplifters never to come inside. (Photos by J.L. Martello) Within hours of the Hicks family opening their SHOP ‘n SAVE in the Hill District in the 1980s, boosters were selling cartloads of merchandise two blocks away. Add to that the employees “giving away” huge quantities of inventory and the store failed in short order; killing any chance of revitalizing the Hill for 30 years. The term “booster,” said Pittsburgh Police Spokesperson Diane Richard, is a professional shoplifter, as opposed to, say, a teenager taking a pack of gum.
AT LAST—Linda Imani Barett celebrates finally being able to buy groceries in her neighborhood. (Photo by J.L. Martello) by Christian MorrowCourier Staff WriterApparently, waiting 30 years and one day for a new grocery store is too long for some Hill District residents. The day before its scheduled opening, Heldman Plaza SHOP ‘n SAVE operator Jeff Ross went to check on the store and found “shoppers” roaming the aisles.
Tortillas and other items are seen in the International food aisle of a grocery store Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013 in Washington. These days, tortillas outsell burger and hot dog buns; sales of tortilla chips trump potato chips; and tacos and burritos have become so ubiquitously “American,” most people don’t even consider them ethnic. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) by Suzette Laboy and J.M. HirschAssociated Press Writers MIAMI (AP) — Salsa overtaking ketchup as America's No. 1 condiment was just the start. These days, tortillas outsell burger and hot dog buns; sales of tortilla chips trump potato chips; and tacos and burritos have become so ubiquitously "American," most people don't even consider them ethnic. Welcome to the taste of American food in 2013.
by Alan Duke (CNN)--"MasterChef" runner-up Joshua Marks was in "the battle of his life fighting mental illness" when he killed himself Friday, his family said Sunday. His family blames the lack of mental health treatment facilities and the easy access to guns as factors in his tragic death.
Actress Kerry Washington arrives at the BAFTA's Los Angeles TV Tea party at the SLS Hotel on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Dan Steinberg/Invision/AP) by David BauderAP Television Writer The Emmys lived up to its reputation as the least predictable entertainment awards show. Television's annual night of honors, where the AMC drama "Breaking Bad" and ABC comedy "Modern Family" were judged the industry's finest on Sunday night, mixed in surprises with expected winners, and ended some winning streaks while extending others. Newcomer Netflix made its presence felt, but not in the splashy way it had hoped for. "Nobody in America is winning their office pool," host Neil Patrick Harris said late in the CBS telecast from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.
