Bill Clinton boots burgers, says he's now vegan

(CBS) No more burgers for Bubba. Bill Clinton says he's gone vegan.

The former president - and former heart patient - said in an interview with CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta that he had given up the fatty fare he used to eat and switched to fruits, vegetables, and beans. When asked if that made him a vegan, Clinton said, "I suppose I am, if I don't eat dairy or meat or fish."

Clinton didn't say whether he ate eggs or honey. True vegans avoid those foods as well as meat, fish, and dairy products, according to a definition posted by the Vegetarian Society.

Clinton, who turned 65 Friday, said he had decided to revamp his diet after realizing that cutting calories and working out might not be enough to prevent a recurrence of heart trouble. He has twice undergone surgery to open clogged coronary arteries.

"I had played Russian roulette because even though I had changed my diet some and cut down on the caloric total of my ingestion and cut back on much of the cholesterol in the food I was eating," Clinton said, according to the Boston Herald. "I still - without any scientific basis to support what I did - was taking in a lot of extra cholesterol without knowing it. So that's when I made a decision to really change."

Beans might not be as tempting as a burger, but there's strong evidence that switching to a vegetable-based diet offers some protection against high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer as well as a reduced risk of death from heart disease.

Clinton told Dr. Gupta that he likes the foods he now eats, But, ever the politician, he fessed up that he eats meat "once in a while."

"At Thanksgiving," he said, "I have one bite of turkey."

The Vegetarian Society has more on the health benefits of vegan diets.

Like Every Administration, White House Defends Obama "Vacation"

Every White House is a bit defensive about presidential vacations and President Obama's staff is no exception.

"Whenever you talk about a presidential vacation you ought to put the word "vacation" in quotes because you can bet that there will still be work that he's doing every day," deputy press secretary Bill Burton told reporters yesterday on Air Force One.

Mr. Obama and family are today beginning a 10 day "vacation" on Martha's Vineyard. (Okay, Bill, those quotation marks are for you.")

Burton is right in that a president is never really on vacation. The job follows him wherever he goes as does a sizeable contingent of aides, secret service and communications personnel as well as the military officers who carry the "football," the nickname for the briefcase containing the nuclear launch codes. Some vacation...

Burton made a point of saying that Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan is among those accompanying Mr. Obama to Martha's Vineyard and will give him a national security and intelligence briefing every day.

Like its predecessors, the Obama White House is unapologetic about the president getting away for some rest and recreation. Last summer, Mr. Obama played golf on 4 of his eight days on Martha's Vineyard. It's also billed as time for him to spend with his family before his daughters go back to school in September.

"I don't think there's an American person who doesn't know that the president is working hard to do everything possible to get this economy back on the right track," said Burton to emphasize the point that the president deserves some time away from the White House grind, even if some of the grind goes with him.
This is Mr. Obama's 9th vacation since taking office. As of today, he has spent all or part of 38 days on "vacation" away from the White House. He has also made 14 visits to Camp David spanning all or part of 32 days. It brings his total time away to all or part of 70 days.

It's less than the "vacation" time taken during the same period by his immediate predecessor. (Former President George W. Bush gets the quotation marks too.)

As of this point in his 1st term, Mr. Bush had made 14 visits to his Texas ranch spanning all or part of 102 days. He also made 40 visits to Camp David spanning all or part of 123 days. His "vacation" total at this point in his presidency was all or part of 225 days away.

To show that even as he heads on vacation he's on the job, the White House announced that Mr. Obama would make a statement on the economy before getting on Marine One to begin his trip to the Vineyard.

Burton also said yesterday that Mr. Obama would be getting "constant updates on what's happening in the economy and other issues" while on Martha's Vineyard, where he has rented a house for his time there.

"Like a lot of American people, the president is taking a little time with his family to recharge his batteries," Burton said. But when asked if Mr. Obama really needed a vacation, Burton stopped short of making that assertion.

Relaxing Obama hits bookstore with Malia and Sasha

(AP) VINEYARD HAVEN, Mass. -- President Barack Obama began the first full day of his Martha's Vineyard vacation on Friday by dropping into a bookstore with daughters Malia and Sasha, emerging to shouts of "2012!" and "Four More Years."

Inside the Bunch of Grapes bookstore, Obama, casually dressed in khakis and an untucked blue polo shirt, introduced the girls to some patrons before setting out in search of some vacation reading. The scenario for his daughters seems entirely different, according to the president.

"They've got to buy some books," Obama said of Malia, 13, and Sasha, 10. He added that one of them had an assignment.

One woman who later identified herself as Terry Wilson, 63, of Alexandria, Va., told the president: "Please don't forget the teachers." Obama replied that he loves teachers. "How could I forget them?" he said.

After going upstairs and looking around the store, Obama was seen holding five or six books, including "Brave New World" and "The Bayou Trilogy." He went to the cashier after Malia and Sasha had picked out some books of their own, but disagreed with the $32 price he was quoted, which seemed low for the size of his stack. He paid by credit card, telling the cashiers that he uses it only about three times a year.

"We're counting on you!" one patron yelled as Obama left the store.

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He also found a supportive audience outside the shop.

"He's working all the time. He's getting a little relaxing when he's with his girls," said Virlynn Atkinson, also was on vacation from Washington, D.C. "But for the most part, I'm sure he's working. There's too much going on in the country. He's very conscientious."

Several Republican presidential candidates have criticized Obama for coming to this upscale island resort off the coast of Massachusetts at a time of such economic uncertainty across the country.

The White House defends Obama's desire for time to recharge and spend time with his family before the new school year begins. Officials also note that the president is never really on vacation. Obama received briefings on the economy and national security before going to the bookstore.

Obama arrived on the island on Thursday for a 10-day vacation with his wife and daughters, his third summer vacation here as president.

Eddie Vedder there as West Memphis Three released

 
(CBS/AP) As the so-called West Memphis Three were released from prison Friday, one of their longtime supporters, singer and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, was on hand.
Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr., convicted of murdering three 8-year-olds in West Memphis, Ark., were set free via a legal maneuver called an "Alford Plea." Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley pleaded guilty while maintaining innocence and acknowledging prosecutors had enough evidence to convict them.

Echols' wife, Lorri, sat in the front row of a crowded courtroom, next to Vedder, who became a key supporter of the men after watching a pair of HBO documentaries about the case. Vedder put his arm around her during the proceedings.

MTV reports The Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines, another supporter of the men, was also at the courtroom as they were released. Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder and Tom Waits have also been outspoken supporters of Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley.

 

Boston weather forecast 8/20/11: some sun, possible shower/t-storm

This is a new forecast, starting Friday evening.

Forecast Discussion: A weak cold front is starting to develop some severe thunderstorms over the city of Boston. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is now in effect for the city until 3:45 PM. This front will pass early tomorrow morning. There is the slight chance for a shower or thunderstorm before midnight, then it will remain partly to mostly cloudy. By tomorrow, some isolated showers and thunderstorms may form in the late afternoon or early evening. However, I would not call this day a washout. Beaches should see highs in the upper 70’s to lower 80’s. A weak high pressure ridge will give us drier conditions on Saturday night. But, another cold front in the Northern Plains will move over us by late Sunday afternoon. This front, along with high humidity, will produce isolated areas of heavy rain and strong to isolated severe thunderstorms. The precipitation will end as the front moves offshore Monday afternoon. High pressure will bring drier weather by midweek. But, a new cold front will bring showers and periods of rain Thursday night into Friday afternoon.

REVIEW: 'Fright Night': A remake with real bite

 
Vampires used to be scary. No seriously, hear me out. Oh, sure, nowadays vampires are emotionally tortured softies who long for true love and half-off sales of hair product. But there was a time, not so long ago when vampires were much more interested in eating your face than talking about their feelings.

The 1980s cult classic, "Fright Night," featured such a vampire, one who landed in suburbia and had to square off against a horror-movie-obsessed teen and a washed up actor in a battle to the death that featured as many laughs as it did scares.

Now in 2011, "Fright Night" has returned and managed the rare feat of being a worthy remake that honors the spirit of the original while giving fans something new to sink their teeth into.

Cunningly set in the soulless track housing of the Las Vegas suburbs (Vegas has suburbs? Who knew?), we find our teenaged vampire slayer Charlie Brewster now played by Anton Yelchin.

Charlie's life is a fairly content one. In spite of an absent father, he has a good relationship with his mom (the ever-engaging Toni Collette), a respectable level of popularity and an exceptionally cute girlfriend named Amy (Imogen Poots).

All is well until Charley's nerdy buddy, Ed (Mclovin himself Christopher Mintz-Plasse), becomes convinced that Charley's new next-door neighbor, Jerry (Colin Farrell, who seems to be having the time of his life with this role) is an undead killing machine.

Charley is naturally skeptical until Ed disappears and he finally witnesses Jerry in all his vampire glory. With no one to turn to for help, Charley tracks down the one person he thinks will believe him, Vegas magician Peter Vincent (David Tennant), who boasts of powers of the occult and numerous vampire conquests.

Naturally, Peter is a drunken fraud, but he does unwittingly possess a lot of helpful information. "Fright Night" then punches the accelerator as Charley leads Amy, his mom and a reluctant Peter through some thrilling action set pieces as they face off against the seemingly unstoppable Jerry.

"Fright Night" boasts all the fun and depth of an amusement park haunted house. Plus it knows its audience because its got nerd-cred for days. Yelchin starred as Chekov in the "Star Trek" reboot; Tennant spent several seasons as Doctor Who; and the script was penned by Marti Noxon, who was a writer/producer on the beloved television version of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

By rounding out the cast with Farrell and Collette, we get some decent actors in pivotal roles, giving the movie just enough weight so as not to spin off into pure camp silliness.

Director Craig Gillespie carries a limited resume with his only previous features being the sweet and quirky "Lars and the Real Girl" and the completely forgettable comedy "Mr. Woodcock." Here Gillespie wisely leans on Noxon's lively script, but also does an admirable job of balancing tension, action, horror and comedy by pushing all the right buttons at all the right times.

"Fright Night" is being shown in totally unnecessary 3D, so you would be wise to save your dollars as the movie is entirely enjoyable in regular ol' two dimensions.

With school back in session and Labor Day not far off, this is the perfect film for the end of summer as movie fans look to squeeze one last drop of popcorn-fueled fun out of what has been a bit of an underwhelming summer at the box office.

And hey, simply seeing a vampire on screen who would rather be ripping out throats than moping around is worth the price of admission for me.

"Fright Night" is rated R for bloody horror violence and language including some sexual references.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/suburban-journals/illinois/life/matdekinder/article_6290ad53-65d8-5f46-9767-66c4e8d653d6.html#ixzz1VVqxfql9

Kim Kardashian Plans to Take Kris Humphries' Name

The bride-to-be revealed what name she'll go by at home, how Nicole Richie helped with her wedding dress choice and how she'll spend her last night as a single woman to Ryan Seacrest Friday.

Tomorrow, Kim Kardashian will say "I do" to fiance Kris Humphries in Santa Barbara, CA.
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"Nicole Richie called me and was like 'Oh my God, I have this vision for your gown, just hear me out please, please, please. I think you should go super classic, really, you know, kind of old Hollywood, think like, museum. You can't go with something trendy, you can't show off too much,'" said Kardashian. "So she came over, and she was like drawing out all of these things and you know, Simone, our stylist was like 'Oh my God, we have this vision.' So it completely changed what I thought I was going to go with. Its timeless."

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And, despite changing her mind "a few times," the reality star says her A-list designer has been more than accommodating.

"Vera Wang has been very patient with me. I've literally flown out there twice. I once flew out there last week for two hours. I think my whole trip from New York to L.A. was a four hour trip that Ii was there with 11 hours in the air, flying. I needed to do it for piece of mind, it just made me feel so much better. "

But, with 24 hours to go, she says all the pre-wedding jitters are out of the way.

"It's so weird how calm I am. But I think I had my freak-out moment about a week ago."

When Seacrest asked what she'd freaked out about, Kardashian responded: "Everything and anything. From Kris' dogs in my space to his shirts on the floor, to going over budget, to everything you could possibly think of. I mean, it's ridiculous issues that I guess everyone goes though, but you just have a freak-out moment where you just like go crazy over every last thing from seating to hotels...planning a wedding is so much work. I had no idea."

As for that famous name, "At home, I'll be Mrs. Humphries," reveals the star. "But out on the streets, I'll be Kim Kardashian."

And, don't expect the nearly-newlywed to spend her last hours of freedom partying. When Seacrest asked what she plans to do tonight, Kardashian said, "Probably spray-tanning, nails, Anastasia midnight call to do my eyebrows."