Junk Food

A day has passed since Kobe Bryant turned 34, but that's hardly going to prevent friends and Lakers fans from showering him with gifts. Of course, the NBA's Larry O'Brien championship trophy remains the best present Bryant would ever want, even if he already has five of them. But no one can buy that. Not even Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss. They may have built a championship-contending roster by acquiring Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, but the Lakers still have to play together. So that puts the onus on Bryant's friends and fans to come up with different gift ideas, if they haven't already.

Junk food is everywhere. We're eating way too much of it. And we're getting fat. Most of us know what we're doing and yet we do it anyway. So here's a suggestion offered by two researchers at the Rand Corp.:  Why not take a lesson from alcohol control policies and apply them to where food is sold and how it's displayed? “Many policy measures to control the obesity epidemic assume that people consciously and rationally choose what and how much they eat and therefore focus on providing information and more access to healthier foods,” note Dr. Deborah A. Cohen and Lila Rabinovich of Rand.

Did anyone happen to catch Honey Boo Boo Child and her family on their new show "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" on TLC last night? The show chronicles the Georgia family of "Toddlers and Tiaras" alum Alana Thompson as they help Alana, a.k.a. Honey Boo Boo Child, on her quest to becoming a beauty queen. On last night's premier episode, Honey Boo Boo Child and her family visit the " Redneck Games " fair, where sister “Pumpkin” (Lauryn) bobbed for raw pig's feet, Alana and her sister “Chubbs” (Jessica)

Mitt Romney used a speech at a Chicago fundraiser Tuesday to make a point about individual initiative and entrepreneurship. To do it, he used the example of McDonald's, the family-owned burger stand that grew into a worldwide behemoth. What could be homier and more American than enjoying a little McDonald's and the company's success story? Politicians like cozying up to fast food because, well, they might actually like it, but it also gives them a chance to show they can be just regular folk.

YELP, DRAMATIZED A video series of professional actors reading Yelp reviews . It's moving. (Gawker) WHITE RUSKIES Momofuku's cereal milk meets White Russian : the recipe.  (Leite's Culinaria) MEATLESS MONDAY FLAP The beef industry isn't pleased when a USDA staffer suggests "Meatless Mondays" in the cafeteria. (Los Angeles Times) JAMIE OLIVER VS. DAVID BECKHAM Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver criticizes athletes such as soccer star David Beckham who promote junk food for endorsement deals.

On second thought, maybe the original Dream Team was better. So says Kobe Bryant, who lighted a metaphorical fire around his feet earlier this month by saying this year's U.S. team would beat the original cast of NBA stars from 1992. This time, though, Bryant indicated that Michael, Magic and Larry were more talented than LeBron, Kevin Durant and himself. "I didn't say we were a better team," Bryant said Friday amid a mob of reporters at an introductory Olympic news conference.

Mayor Bloomberg strikes again. In his latest move to curb obesity, New York's mayor has asked grocers in the Bronx, where 70% of the residents are obese or overweight , to push the sale of fruits and vegetables over junk food. Instead of chips and candy at the checkout counter, customers at 80 participating stores will find healthy snacks.  Bloomberg's new initiative comes on the heels of banning super-sized sodas and trans-fats before that.  Next, he'll launch an ad campaign targeted at people who shop with food stamps.

Just as New Yorkers are adjusting to the idea of doing without super-sized sugary sodas, those on the hunt for fattening food and drink could be facing another hurdle. Shoppers in some markets will have to walk past -- gasp -- apples, bananas and other healthful items before they reach the junk. It's all part of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's drive to combat obesity in New York City, a fight that has the backing of many health and nutrition experts but is a thorn in the zaftig sides of people who say they should be able to eat and drink what they want.

Marshall Reid was bullied at school because he was overweight. He found a way to fight back that has kept the bullies at bay and changed his life: He's a healthy eater and a successful author. He and his mother, Alexandra, wrote the book “ Portion Size Me ” about how their family changed habits and how other people can too. For almost three weeks now, Marshall and his family have been traveling the country in their vintage Airstream. They'll spend 7 1/2 weeks on the road, talking about their book.

In written testimony to Congress, Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen said the satellite broacaster's controversial new commercial-skipping feature will help protect children from the marketing efforts of the fast food and alcohol industries. Called the "AutoHop," the feature on Dish's digitial video recorders allows its subscribers to avoid commercials on recorded shows from broadcast networks ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. Although consumers can already fast-forward through commercials on recorded shows, the AutoHop has caused concerns for the networks because it goes a step further.