- While most people are simply ignoring the action at the
ongoing Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, one person affected directly by the
Games is choosing a different path. Philadelphia Flyers chairman Ed Snider is none too happy about the NHL taking its normal
Olympic break to allow players to participate for their respective nations and
he made no effort to hide his anger after the Flyers skated past the Colorado
Avalanche 3-1 on Thursday night. The Flyers are playing their best hockey of
the season, with goalie Steve Mason pitching two shutouts in his past three
games. They have scrapped their way to a tie for seventh place in the Eastern
Conference and have won three straight entering their two-plus-week Olympic
hiatus following tonight’s matchup with Calgary. Asked about the days off,
Snyder didn’t hold back. "I hate them," said Snider, the team’s
founder. "It's ridiculous, the whole thing is ridiculous. I don't care if
it was in Philadelphia; I wouldn't want to break up the league. I think it's
ridiculous to take three weeks off, or however long it is, in the middle of the
season. It screws up everything. ... How can anybody be happy breaking up their
season. No other league does it; why should we? There's no benefit to us
whatsoever. If anything, I can only see negatives." Snyder probably could
have used a trip to his team’s trophy room or at least the history section of
any sports website before making his remarks, as all of those things would have
reminded him that the Flyers reached the Stanley Cup finals after the last
Olympics in 2010. "Maybe I like them," he said. "I forget about
that." Think before you speak, Ed, think before you speak………
- The debate is on and a few months remain for Scots to
decide the future of their nation. A vote for Scottish independence is
scheduled for this fall and ahead of the vote, various think tanks and research
outfits are dissecting the relevant issues to the independence movement. The
latest round of research was released this week and Dr. Angus Armstrong of the National
Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) urged the United Kingdom’s government
to state clearly if a currency union with Scotland could be agreed upon in the
event of a yes vote in September's referendum. Prime Minister Alex Salmond's government
has proposed plans for Scotland to retain the pound if the country becomes
independent, establishing a ''Sterling zone'' with the UK. Various U.K.
ministers have expressed doubt over such a plan would work and said it was
unlikely their government would back such a move. Armstrong decried the
uncertainty around the issue and urged the leaders of both nations to talk
about the subject as soon as possible. He warned of possible
"vulnerabilities" if there was a currency union between an
independent Scotland and the rest of the U.K. on account of the high debt level
the new nation could have. Armstrong and NIESR colleague Monique Ebell of estimated
Scotland's share of the U.K.’s debt on independence could be £146 billion ($239
billion), giving Scotland a debt-to-GDP ratio of approximately 81 percent,
according to the report. Ratios of 40 percent or less are generally considered
safe, so doubling that would be a bad formula for starting a country’s
independence. Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney cited the research as
evidence that Scotland is in a stronger fiscal position than the rest of the U.K.
right now, which is technically true but not necessarily the whole picture. "On
any calculation an independent Scotland will have lower levels of debt than the
rest of the U.K. and the firm foundations we need to build a stronger and
fairer economy," Swinney said……….
- He cranks out the most overrated song of the year with a
couple of bizarre French electro-popsters who look like a cross between storm
troopers and Olympic bobsledders, he occasionally records his own music and has
produced a long list of mainstream pop artists, but Pharrell Williams has loftier aims in this
world. One of the most theoretically impossible tasks in music today is the act
of bringing the ever-feuding Gallagher brothers together for anything other
than a verbal sparring match in the media. Since the breakup of Oasis in 2009
and the differing stories of blame the two have hurled at one another in the
past five years, the one thing both men have agreed upon is that they have no
interest in putting their successful band back together. Each has moved on and
built a new band they believe to be superior to their brother’s new group, but
Williams seems to view himself as something of a hip-hop Winston Churchill who
can bring the brothers together once more. "Who wouldn't want to work with
the Gallaghers? Yeah, both of them," Williams said. Umm…who wouldn’t want
to work with the Gallaghers? Anyone who doesn’t enjoy icy death stares being
shot across the studio on a constant basis, those who aren’t fans of angry
members of a band slamming doors and stomping out of the studio and folks who
generally dislike being the awkward third wheel in a simmering sibling feud.
Williams is much more likely to achieve his other big musical goal of working
with flamboyant pop singer Elton John. "I really respect Elton John's
music and I'd love to do something with him," Williams added. Aim high, P………
- The home-carbonating industry is amping up and two power
players in the beverage world want a piece of the action. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Coca-Cola
have agreed to a 10-year deal to develop the Keurig Cold at-home beverage
system, company officials confirmed in an official statement. As part of the
deal, Coca-Cola will buy a 10 percent equity stake in Green Mountain Coffee
Roasters for $1.25 billion. In exchange, GMCR will be Coca-Cola’s exclusive
partner for Coca-Cola-branded single-serve, pod-based cold beverages. While not
the same as SodaStream and its homemade soda contraption, this idea is the
latest attempt to put home beverage-making on a level where more people can
enjoy it. To promote the partnership, the two companies issued a statement in
which Brian P. Kelley, president and CEO of GMCR, went so far as to invent a
new word to hype the endeavor. "With The Coca-Cola Co. as a global
strategic partner in our multi-brand at-home Keurig Cold beverage system, we
believe there is significant opportunity to premiumize and accelerate growth in
the cold beverage category by empowering consumers with an innovative,
convenient way to freshly prepare their favorite cold beverages at the push of
a button," Kelley said. Premiumize? You can't just invent words and
pretend they’re legit, Brian. When it hits the market in 2015, Keurig Cold will
use single-serve pods to dispense cold beverages including carbonated drinks,
enhanced waters, juice drinks, sports drinks and teas, officials said………
- More excuses for FAT people? Thanks, science. Those without
willpower and with a hankering for the sort of fatty, greasy food that is a
part of so many weekend get-togethers now have an extra crutch to lean on
thanks to researchers at Cornell University who found that humans
have a
natural weight cycle that fluctuates over the course of a week. The researchers
studied 80 people ages 25 to 62. After weighing themselves before breakfast
each morning over a minimum of 15 and maximum of 330 days, participants
were divided into three groups based on total weight change over the week.
Weight gainers were classified as those with a gain of more than 1 percent,
losers were those with a 3 percent or greater decline and maintainers were
those who fell in between the two extremes. Even among those who lost weight,
the researchers found that 59 percent of participants were at their heaviest on
Sundays. The key difference between gainers and losers was that among those who
lost weight, 60 percent were able to compensate for their weekend woes by
losing weight during the week and reaching their lowest weight on Friday.
Conversely, gainers hit their minimum and maximum weights at seemingly random
points of the week. “Almost to a person, we weigh the most Sunday night and we
weigh the least Friday morning,” said study co-author Brian Wansink, a
professor of consumer behavior at Cornell. Sadly, the numbers make some sense
within the context of American culture. The weekend is a time to relax, go to
parties and depending upon the time of year, binge eat while watching football
and doing no physical activity because it’s simply too damn cold outside. “Weight
loss occurs during the weekdays. It’s less important what happens during the
weekends,” Wansink added. Wrong-O, Brian. It matters what happens every day and
when you give excuses to the fat, lazy American populace for their excess
girth, you’re only enabling their unhealthy ways………
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