What Caught My Eye This Week Magazine Edition

Newsweek

2008 Presidential Race - According to the experts the leading 3 contenders for the Democratic nomination are John Edwards (dude with cancer-stricken wife), Barack Obama (black dude) and Hilary Clinton (female dude); for the Republicans, we have Rudy Guilani (9/11 dude), John McCain (dude who lost in 2004) and Mitt Romney (Mormon dude).

Here are the early leaders (and their lead over the next candidate) in some key states conducting their primaries or caucuses on or before February 5, date of the so-called National Primary:
Iowa: (D) Edwards +6% / (R) Giuliani +7%
Nevada: (D) Clinton +12% / (R) Giuliani +18%
New Hampshire: (D) Clinton +7% / (R) Giuliani +1%
South Carolina: (D) Clinton +9% / (R) McCain +6%
California: (D) Clinton +13% / (R) Giuliani +18%
Arizona: (D) Clinton +4% / (R) McCain +24%
Missouri: (D) Clinton +12% / (R) McCain +13%

So what does all this mean? Pretty much nothing until Jan 14, when Iowa kicks off this disaster...I mean, primary season.

Health - Here are some interesting health statistics for couch potatoes, those who work out, and those considered fit and healthy:

Couch Potatoes: By the numbers
1.5 million - Number of people who have a heart attack per year
50 million - Number of people who have high blood pressure
60 million+ - Number of people considered to be overweight
Working Out: By the numbers
35% - Percentage of adults between ages 18 and 24 who exercise regularly
28% - Percentage of adults between ages 25 and 44 who exercise regularly
24% - Percentage of adults between ages 45 and 64 who exercise regularly
20% - Percentage of adults over age 65 who exercise regularly
Fit and Healthy: What It Means
Adults can gain 2 hours of life expectancy for every hour of regular, vigorous exercise
For women already being treated for breast cancer, moderate exercise can cut rates of recurrence and death by half
By keeping the arteries flexible and free of plaque, exercise lowers blood pressure and dangerous blood clots
Aerobic exercise prompts the release of mood-lifting hormones that promote a sense of well-being and reduce stress.

Still reading this? Get off your butt and go run a triathon, you lazy good-for-nothing.

Married Life - utango.com is a new shopping site that lets users earn point through purchases and years of marriage. According to the website, stay ture to your spouse and uTango for a decade and you could earn $10,000. So hear's what they don't tell you...unless you read the fine print. Enrollment is limited to single people, those who are engaged and those married less than 3 years. And, in order to qualify for the rewards, you must hit a certain budget target every year. First of all, if love isn't enough to keep you together, I wouldn't bank much on this helping. Secondly, is it just me or does it seem odd that a website whose premise is to incent happily married couples wants nothing to do with any of us who have been together more than 3 years?

The Week
Afghanistan - The number of Afghans involved in the opium trade jumped from 2 million to 3 million in the past year. About 12% of Afghanistan's population now has a hand in drug production or trafficking. Remind me again what we are fighting for in Afghanistan?

God - The number of Internet web pages dealing with God and religion is now nearly a populare an Internet topic as sex. A Google search on 'sex' returns about 408 million hits (that's it?) compared with 396 million hists for 'God'. I don't find this that surprising. After all, if you do it right sex can be considered a religious experience.

Literacy - More than a third of Washington D.C.'s residents are functionally illiterate. The district's functional illiteracy rate is 36% compared to the national average of 21%. In all fairness, these figures could be a bit skewed. It's not the local population's fault that they are stuck with all those morons working at the Capitol.

Entertainment Weekly
Television Salaries - Here is a sampling of top paid television series actors and their value (according to the Magazine):
Worth Every Penny
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men: $350,000 per episode
Simon Cowell, America Idol: $263,000 per episode ($10 million annually)
Marcia Cross, Desperate Housewives: $175,000 per episode
Patrick Dempsey, Grey's Anatomy: $175,000 per episode
Good Investments
Kiefer Sutherland, 24: $400,000 per episode
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order SVU: $300,000 per episode
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer: $250,000 per episode
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock: $150,000 per episode
Not Worth It
Kevin James, The King of Queens: $400,000 per episode
Zach Braff, Scrubs: $350,000 per episode
Brad Garrett, 'Til Death: $200,000 per episode
Jeff Goldblum, Raines: $100,000 per episode

I find it fascinating that so many on this list are former movie stars. For paychecks like this, can't say I blame them.