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A possible buyout of Budweiser's parent company by InBev of Belgium is tough to swallow for residents of St. Louis, home to the last big brewery majority owned and operated in the US.By The Associated Press

St. Louis residents have grown accustomed to seeing local corporations gobbled up by outside firms. But losing Anheuser-Busch (BUD, news, msgs) could be the cruelest cut of all.

The largest U.S. brewery has long been a point of pride as a hometown attraction. The company's massive red-brick brewery draws tourists from around the country to see the Clydesdale horse stables, brewing vats and Busch family memorabilia dating back generations.

Reports that the company might be purchased by brewer InBev of Belgium have residents worried they might lose a company as closely identified with St. Louis as the iconic Gateway Arch.

"St. Louis has gotten to the point where we have the brewery and the Cardinals (baseball team) -- that's it," said John Schute, owner of the Sage restaurant and bar just across the street from the Anheuser-Busch brewery.

Like many St. Louis bar owners, Schute is loyal to the hometown brewer. With the notable exception of Guinness Stout , Sage carries only Anheuser-Busch products on tap.

"They support us and we support them," he said.

Schute said his customers who work at the brewery have been nervous that an acquisition could mean job cuts. He worries InBev may not only lay off some of the company's 6,000 St. Louis employees, but also cut back on expense accounts, which Anheuser-Busch employees use for meetings and meals at his restaurant.

There's good reason to worry that InBev, which makes Stella Artois and Beck's, will make dramatic changes if the deal goes through, said Juli Niemann, an analyst with Smith Moore in St. Louis. While Anheuser-Busch has made strides to cut costs in the face of rising ingredient prices, InBev has a reputation for making new operations as lean as possible.

"The way InBev does it, they send in the surgeons and their scalpels are sharp. And they cut and cut," Niemann said.

Virtually every administrative job at Anheuser-Busch headquarters could be on the chopping block, she said. InBev would likely keep the company's distribution network in place and probably would not close the St. Louis Brewery to tourism that helps build the brand name, she said. St. Louis residents have seen one local company after another move their corporate headquarters out of town. May Department Stores announced in 2005 it would be purchased by Ohio-based rival Federated Department Stores just after Pulitzer, publisher of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, announced it would be bought by Iowa-based Lee Enterprises (LEE, news, msgs). More recently, brokerage firm A.G. Edwards was purchased by Wachovia (WB, news, msgs) of Charlotte, N.C.

InBev has not yet made an official offer for Anheuser-Busch. But recent media reports have cited anonymous sources close to the European brewer who said the company was considering an offer of $46 billion, or $65 a share, for Anheuser-Busch.

If InBev makes such an offer, it could be too sweet to refuse for Anheuser-Busch shareholders, even if executives oppose the move. The stock closed at $55.13 on Wednesday and has traded as low as $45.55 this year.

"Nobody has seen $65 (a share) ever," Niemann said. "The stock has been as flat as two-year-old beer." Anheuser-Busch has been struggling along with other brewers in recent years as consumers have turned to cocktails, wines and craft beers. Rising ingredient costs have further pinched profits. Other big brewers are consolidating to compete. Miller Brewing, the second-largest U.S. beer-maker, and No. 3 Molson Coors Brewing (TAP, news, msgs) are planning to combine U.S. operations by midsummer.

If Anheuser-Busch is absorbed by InBev, many St. Louis residents worry the new company won't have the same dedication to charitable giving and supporting the city's cultural life. The brewer supports local festivals, including the downtown Mardi Gras parade and a new beer heritage fair in the city's Forest Park.

"Anheuser-Busch does more for the community than anyone knows," said Andy Lohr of Lohr Distributing, which distributes the brewer's products in St. Louis. Lohr was making the rounds earlier this week and said his customers have been abuzz with worries about a possible InBev purchase.

Schute said he is taking a wait-and-see approach. He laughed at the thought that the downtown Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, might one day be renamed InBev stadium.

"If we're lucky, they'll keep the brewery here," he said.

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

ID theft CEO who had identity stolen defends service

LifeLock chief dared thieves to take his Social Security number... so they did

 

Thieves hit ID theft CEO May 23: TODAY’s Matt Lauer talks to Todd Davis, CEO of the identity-theft protection company LifeLock, about getting his own identity stolen. NBC’s Mike Taibbi reports.   By Mike Celizic TODAYShow.com contributor updated 7:01 a.m. PT, Fri., May. 23, 2008 Todd Davis, CEO of an identity-theft protection service called LifeLock, kept putting his Social Security number in TV commercials and daring somebody to take it. So he shouldn’t have been surprised when an identity thief did just that. But Davis says it just proves that his LifeLock identity protection service works. “My Social Security number has been out there for two years,” the jovial exec told TODAY’s Matt Lauer Friday. “There’s been one instance where someone was successful in trying to turn my identity into money. There have been 87 other attempts to steal my identity, but the system works.” But some of his customers disagree with that claim. Attorney Davis Paris has filed a class action lawsuit in Maryland, West Virginia and New Jersey saying that Davis and LifeLock engage in false advertising by seeming to offer absolute protection against identity theft in their ubiquitous ads. Another lawsuit in Arizona alleges that his $1 million “service guarantee” is misleading and covers only defects in LifeLock services and not actual identity theft. Another lawsuit has been filed against LifeLock by Experian, the credit-report company, alleging that Davis’ company deceives customers about the depth of its service. Experian claims LifeLock doesn’t give consumers any more protection for its $10 monthly fee than they can get for free on their own. What does he guarantee? Davis called the customer complaints “unfounded” and accused Experian of trying to protect its own practice of selling customer information. He also said that his company does not guarantee that a customer’s identity won’t be stolen. “No one can stop all identity theft. We say that on our Web site,” he told Lauer. “We even tell people some of the steps we do that they can do for free. But we also tell them they need to know their rights to put this front line of defense in place to minimize their risks.” So what does he guarantee? “What we guarantee is that if something happens, we’re going to do everything the law allows us to do to fix the problem for you,” Davis said. LifeLock claims more than a million customers, and the class action lawsuit filed against the company is on behalf of four unhappy customers. Davis said that indicates that most of his customers are happy with the service provided. ‘Jabba T. Hutt’ Lauer told Davis that TODAY researchers used readily accessible databases to find more than a dozen people who have applied for driver’s licenses using Davis’ Social Security number: 457-55-5462. Among them were people who gave their names as “Joe Blow” and “Jabba T. Hutt,” and one person who gave an address of “123 Fake Street.” Davis countered that none of the people who applied for licenses actually got them. “Those are attempts,” he told Lauer. “Those are some of the 87 people who tried to use my identity. The system worked exactly as it was supposed to. They were turned away. It proves it does work.” Lauer asked Davis if his company actually offers services that consumers can’t get for free on their own. “Absolutely,” he said. “Beyond the fraud alerts and opting out of preapproved credit cards, we are out there scanning over 10,000 Web sites where people buy and sell people’s personal information. We’re going to authenticate when someone puts in a change-of-address form for you, which is a great indication you’ve been victimized.” He expressed confidence that LifeLock would prevail in court. “We’re going to spearhead the change and prevent this crime from affecting so many people,” he said, speaking with the same enthusiasm he puts into his commercials. At the end of the interview, Lauer had just one more question: “What’s your bank account number?” Davis laughed and shot back, “I’ll give it to you later — as long as I can get yours, too, Matt.”

 

 

 

 

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A natural second banana, Korman gained attention on "The Danny Kaye Show," appearing in skits with the star. He joined the show in its second season in 1964 and continued until it was canceled in 1967. That same year he became a cast member in the first season of "The Carol Burnett Show."

His most memorable film role was as the outlandish Hedley Lamarr (who was endlessly exasperated when people called him Hedy) in Mel Brooks' 1974 Western satire, "Blazing Saddles."

"A world without Harvey Korman it's a more serious world," Brooks told the AP on Thursday. "It was very dangerous for me to work with him because if our eyes met we'd crash to floor in comic ecstasy. It was comedy heaven to make Harvey Korman laugh."

On television, Burnett and Korman developed into the perfect pair with their burlesques of classic movies such as "Gone With the Wind" and soap operas like "As the World Turns" (their version was called "As the Stomach Turns").

Another recurring skit featured them as "Ed and Eunice," a staid married couple who were constantly at odds with the wife's mother (a young Vickie Lawrence in a gray wig). In "Old Folks at Home," they were a combative married couple bedeviled by Lawrence as Burnett's troublesome young sister.

Korman revealed the secret to the long-running show's success in a 2005 interview: "We were an ensemble, and Carol had the most incredible attitude. I've never worked with a star of that magnitude who was willing to give so much away."

Burnett was devastated by Korman's death, said her assistant, Angie Horejsi.    

LOS ANGELES (AP) Gary Dourdan won't do time.

The "CSI" co-star pleaded guilty to two of three counts of felony drug possession Wednesday but will not face prison following his drug arrest outside of Palm Springs last month, according to his lawyer. Dourdan could have served up to three years and eight months behind bars.

"Once Gary completes 30 hours of a diversion program, his case will be entirely dismissed," lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley told The Associated Press in an e-mail. "There is no jail time involved."

The 41-year-old actor was arrested after police found him asleep in his car outside of Palm Springs on April 28. He was allegedly parked on the wrong side of the street with the car's interior light on. Dourdan was charged with felony possession of heroin, cocaine and ecstasy.

Dourdan has played crime scene investigator Warrick Brown on CBS' "CSI" since 2000. The character was recently shot and killed during the eighth season finale.

Note: This last sentence is somewhat in question though. I have read in other places that he is supposed to recover from the shooting but if this is true, then justice was done. The guy had it good for a long time and just got a big head thinking that he was immune.

Any comments out there?

 

 

 

Posted: Tuesday, May 27 at 06:00 am CT by Bob Sullivan

Like arriving home to see a broken window, Holli knew something was wrong when she pulled up the statement from her new 401(k) account and saw a stranger's name there. Under her name and account information, she found a second name: Paulino Rodriguez. But was it an accident, random vandalism or a serious crime? She opened the virtual door to her account and sorted through the broken glass. Her worst fears would soon be confirmed.

After some frantic research, Holli pieced together part of the story. Rodriguez, the 401(k) Web site revealed, lived in Escondido, Calif., about 90 minutes south of Holli’s home in Fountain Valley. He was a restaurant worker in an Escondido Burger King. This was no prank -- though Holli would soon feel like several government agencies, corporations and a criminal were having fun at her expense. She was a victim of something experts call Social Security number-only identity theft, generally committed by immigrants who don’t have the necessary credentials to work legally in the U.S.

Holli wondered what else the imposter had done to her credit and her good name. (Msnbc.com has agreed to conceal Holli’s identity in this story.)

Escondido is Ground Zero of the immigration debate. Just a few minutes north of the Mexican border, near San Diego, Escondido is home to thousands of Mexican immigrants who battle their way every day into the country and into gainful employment. Mexicans have been fighting in Escondido for a long time. Not far away, in 1846, U.S. forces were routed in the Battle of San Pasqual during the Mexican-American war, the worst American defeat of the conflict. Today, some say, Mexicans are again overwhelming American forces in a different kind of battle.

For the past three years, Paulino Rodriguez used Holli's Social Security number for the right to work at the Escondido Burger King. Recently, with his wife and four children, he took up residence in a middle-class subdivision on Espanas Glen Street in Escondido, a short block near Interstate 15.

Rodriguez, according U.S. immigration officials, is a Mexican national with no right to work in the United States. But thanks in part to Holli’s Social Security number, he had found a decent life for his family in Escondido, which means "hidden" in Spanish. But that that life was safe only if no one found out he was sharing Holli's identity.

Across America, perhaps millions of U.S. citizens are sharing their identities with undocumented workers who are virtually hiding behind Social Security numbers like Rodriguez. The data on the subject are incomplete, but each year nearly 10 million workers pay their taxes using the wrong Social Security number. While this can happen for a variety of reasons, most often it involves restaurant and farm workers, suggesting many of those 10 million workers are employees who are using someone else's SSN to satisfy federal employment requirements.

Information at her fingertips

Holli, a woman in her 50s, panicked one month ago when she saw Rodriguez’s name on her 401(k) account, then she started putting the pieces together. It wasn't hard -- she had all of Rodriguez's personal information right there on her screen, including his age: 38. She called his employer, Reddy Restaurants Inc., which supplies workers to Burger King. Holli says she was told that nothing could be done because Rodriguez fulfilled the requirements for employment when he started work -- namely, he supplied what appeared to be a valid Social Security card.

Mike Holly, owner of Reddy, confirmed that Rodriguez was an employee but refused to otherwise discuss the situation.

Holli then called the local police, who took a report but said nothing could be done. She contacted the Social Security Administration, the Federal Trade Commission, even her 401(k) administrator. The message she heard from each was the same: We can’t help you. She even went to an attorney, who delivered bad news.

"(He) said since my credit hadn't been affected, they couldn't do anything for me," Holli recalled.

But Holli was persistent. She eventually convinced her local police department to take a report, and to forward it to Escondido police. Then, she pestered the dispatcher in Escondido enough that the file was passed on to the investigations department. Detective Damon Vander Vorst took an interest in the case.

Rodriguez entered the country nearly 20 years ago, public records suggest. It's unclear where in Mexico he grew up, or how he crossed the border. At about the same time, Holli was just starting her career.
Precisely when their lives were blended isn't clear. But about three years ago, Holli remembers getting a funny look from a clerk while she was filling out insurance paperwork at an optometrist’s office. "There's someone else's using that (SSN) number," she remembers being told. Then, "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but the name Paulino Rodriguez."

Holli assumed it was an error. But around that same time, Rodriguez signed up with Reddy Restaurants and began working -- using her SSN -- at Burger King.

Holli has no solid information on how her number was stolen, but she has one guess: About five years ago she was laid off from her job and went back to school to finish her college degree in finance. Her school, Long Beach State, used her SSN as her ID number during that time. Her first brush with Rodriguez happened within a few months of her graduation.

Three years passed without incident. Then in April, she opened up the Web site for a new company benefit – a 401(k) plan – and saw the name Paulino Rodriguez again. Holli’s heart sank and her quest began. It ended a month later when she talked to Vander Vorst. On May 13, Vander Vorst staked out a home in a gated subdivision named Villas Espanas, waiting for his suspect.

While there is an obvious Latino majority, the neighborhood looks just like any other middle-class San Diego suburb, full of neat white stucco townhomes with red-tile roofs. Most store signs are in English only. A dry cleaner, grocery store, and school are just a few blocks away. During a recent visit by an msnbc.com reporter at midday, the neighborhood was quiet. The subdivision has a large pool; hanging in Rodriguez’s front window, three pairs of child-sized goggles were visible from the sidewalk.

Just outside the home, Vander Vorst arrested Rodriguez. Police allege he had falsified Social Security card and work visa.

Getting such documents is hardly an obstacle for illegal immigrants seeking work. Fake Social Security cards and work visas can be purchased in Los Angeles for around $200, law enforcement officials say -- a small investment for the opportunity to work in the United States.

Rodriguez was charged with identity theft and with falsifying government documents, according to Escondido police spokesman Lt. Craig Carter. He was shipped to nearby Vista Detention Facility, where he awaits his fate on the criminal charges. meanwhile, the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency has placed a "hold" on him. That means he is "subject to deportation," according to Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for ICE.

Rodriguez refused an interview request by an MSNBC.com free-lance reporter who visited the jail.

Mixed feelings

Holli had mixed feelings when she began her quest to track down her imposter.

"When all this began a month and a half ago, I was worried I might be ruining his life when all he wanted to do was work," she said. But the bureaucratic tangle had changed her. "Now after spending numerous hours of my time trying to find out what is going on as well as worrying, losing sleep and using my work vacation time, I no longer feel bad for Paulino. He made the choice to steal my number. And the fact that privacy laws keep me from being able to see what he is doing with my number infuriates me."

She also fears possible retribution for her actions; that’s why she insisted that msnbc.com preserve her anonymity. She also wants to prevent Rodriguez from finding out who she is. Generally, SSN imposters don't commit full-blown identity theft, and don't know who their victims are – Rodriguez likely never even knew Holli’s name.

Immigrant imposters usually just provide a Social Security card to their employer on their first day of work to fulfill what's known as the “I-9” requirement. Since new employment rules took effect in 1983, U.S. workers must supply documentation to prove they are eligible to work; nearly always, a Social Security number is used. While employers can call the Social Security Administration to perform limited verification of the information, that's seldom done. So it's possible -- in fact common -- that employees’ names and numbers don't match. When that happens, no one gets credit for the taxes paid by the worker. The money simply ends up in the U.S. Treasury. Since 1983, more than $500 billion in uncredited Social Security wages have been earned by so-called "no match" employees like Rodriguez. That hidden financial benefit for the government is one reason, Holli suspects, that agencies don't act more quickly on reports of SSN-only identity theft.

San Diego-based immigration rights advocate Lilia Velasquez sees similar cases in her practice all the time. Imposters run the spectrum from hardened criminals who ultimately take out loans in the victim's name to well-intentioned Mexicans who are simply doing what they need to do to get a job and feed their families.
"It's not that these people intentionally and maliciously stole someone's name and identity. ... They may feel that they are using the number out of sheer need," she said.

But victims like Holli should do what they need to do to protect their identities, Velasquez said. "That's a situation which needs to be investigated until the issue is resolved."

37 people shared one SSN
If not, what appears to be a simple bout of ID theft can spin out of control. Immigrant workers who successfully use someone else's identity can pass the information around. Three years ago, a Chicago-area victim named Linda Trevino discovered that her Social Security Number had been used by workers at 37 different companies.

When another person is using a consumers' Social Security Number for employment purposes only, there is almost no way to discover the identity theft. The misuse will not show up on a credit report; it won't be detected by credit monitoring. Because the wages earned are not credited to the victim, they won't show up on annual Social Security statements either. In fact, there is no way for anyone to inspect the history of their Social Security Number, or to find out where and when it's been used. Only an anomaly or coincidence – such as having an imposter show up on a 401(k) Web site -- betrays the theft.

That's why this is an important victory for Holli; she's among the first to find her SSN imposter and stop the ID theft. Of course, she has no way of knowing if her identity is now secure, because her number may have been used by other immigrants.

"The fact that I can check my credit but not my whole credit is absurd," she said. "In any case, this is my identifier that follows me around and I should be able to protect myself (and my identifier) by knowing what is attached to it." She plans on urging Congress to fix the problem. Meanwhile, she’s left with a sour taste in her mouth -- she acted in self-defense, but worries that some will see her as a villain who caused Rodriguez’s arrest. She’s angry at the criminal who stole her identity and at the system which put her in this compromising situation.

The future of Rodriguez and his family is unclear. If his children are U.S. citizens, law enforcement officials say, he may be allowed to remain in the U.S.. Otherwise, deportation is a likely outcome, but not right away. Before the immigration issue is settled, he will likely face state criminal ID theft charges in state court.

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TWO LIVES, ONE SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

 

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I am really sad to hear this but when I was driving home tonight from work, I heard about Syndey Pollack had died.

 

 

By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON - Associated Press Writer

 

LOS ANGELES(AP) Academy Award-winning director Sydney Pollack, a Hollywood mainstay who achieved commercial success and critical acclaim with the gender-bending comedy "Tootsie" and the period drama "Out of Africa" while often dabbling as a television and movie actor, has died. He was 73.

 

 

Pollack died of cancer Monday afternoon at his home in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, surrounded by family, said publicist Leslee Dart. Pollack had been diagnosed with cancer about nine months ago, said Dart.

 

Pollack, who occasionally appeared on the big screen himself, worked with and gained the respect of Hollywood's best actors in a long career that reached prominence in the 1970s and 1980s.

 

"Sydney made the world a little better, movies a little better and even dinner a little better. A tip of the hat to a class act," George Clooney said in a statement from his publicist.

 

"He'll be missed terribly," Clooney said.

 

Last fall, he played law firm boss Marty Bach opposite Clooney in "Michael Clayton," a drama that examines the life of fixer for lawyers. The film, which Pollack co-produced, received seven Oscar nominations, including for best picture and a best actor nod for Clooney. Tilda Swinton won the Oscar for supporting actress.Pollack was no stranger to the Academy Awards.

 

In 1986, "Out of Africa" a romantic epic of a woman's passion set against the landscape of colonial Kenya, captured seven Oscars, including best director and best picture.

 

 

In accepting his Oscar, Pollack commended Meryl Streep, who was nominated for best actress but didn't win.

 

"I could not have made this movie without Meryl Streep," Pollack said. "She is astounding personally, professionally, all ways."

 

Over the years, several of his other films, including "Tootsie" and "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" got several nominations, including best director nods.The list of actors he directed reads like a who's who of Hollywood A-listers: Sally Field and Paul Newman in "Absence of Malice," Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn in "The Interpreter," Robert Mitchum in "The Yakuza," Tom Cruise in "The Firm," Robert Redford in "Three Days of the Condor," and Redford and Barbra Streisand in "The Way We Were," and other big-name actors in other films.

 

"Having the opportunity to know Sydney and work with him was a great gift in my life," Field said in a statement. "He was a good friend and a phenomenal director and I will cherish every moment that I ever spent with him."

 

In later years, he devoted more time to acting, appearing in Woody Allen's "Husbands and Wives," Robert Altman's "The Player," Robert Zemeckis' "Death Becomes Her," and Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut."

 

His last screen appearance was in "Made of Honor," a romantic comedy currently in theaters, where he played the oft-married father of star Patrick Dempsey's character.Pollack had an occasional recurring role on the NBC sitcom "Will & Grace" playing Will's (Eric McCormack) father, and also appeared in the "The Sopranos," "Frasier" and "Mad About You."

 

Pollack also produced many independent films with filmmaker Anthony Minghella, who died in March, and the production company Mirage Enterprises. His recent producing credits include "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "Cold Mountain."

 

The Lafayette, Ind. native was born to first-generation Russian-Americans. In high school in South Bend, he fell in love with theater, a passion that prompted him to forego college and move to New York and enroll in the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater.

 

Studying under Sanford Meisner, Pollack spent several years cutting his teeth in various areas of theater, eventually becoming Meisner's assistant."We started together in New York and he always excelled at everything he set out to do, his friendships and his humanity as much as his talents," said Martin Landau, a longtime close friend and associate in the Actors Studio, through spokesman Dick Guttman.

 

After appearing in a handful of Broadway productions in the 1950s, Pollack turned his eye to directing where he would ultimately leave his biggest mark.

 

"Sydney let the dialogue and the emotion of a scene speak for itself. Not given to cinematic tricks, his gentle and thoughtful touch and his focus on the story let us inhabit the world he created in each film," said Michael Apted, president of the Directors Guild of America.

 

In the "The Interpreter," that world was the United Nations. The first feature film to be shot inside the U.N., Pollack had never been inside the Manhattan landmark until starting work on the film in 2004.

 

"I am ashamed to admit that I went to school here in New York. I got married here, I worked here, I walked by this building a thousand times," he told reporters. "I had never been inside it until the first location scouting trip, and I was awed by it."

 

Pollack, who stood over six feet tall and had a striking presence on the screen, never totally gave up acting."Most of the great directors that I know of were not actors, so I can't tell you it's a requirement," he said. "On the other hand, it's an enormous help."

 

At the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival, Pollack said "Tootsie" star Dustin Hoffman pushed the director into playing the actor's exasperated agent.

 

Pollack said Hoffman repeatedly sent him roses with a note reading, "Please be my agent. Love, Dorothy." At that point, Pollack hadn't acted in 20 years.

 

In the 1982 movie, Hoffman plays an out-of-work actor who pretends to be a woman to land a role on a soap opera."I didn't think anyone would believe him as a woman," Pollack said. "But the world did, they went crazy."

 

Pollack is survived by his wife, Claire; two daughters, Rebecca and Rachel; his brother Bernie; and six grandchildren. Pollack's son, Steven, died in a plane crash in 1993.

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

 

 

 

5 things you should never rent

 

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Fill up for $5? You can in Utah

 

 

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I was surfing the 'net and found this really cute recipe to make cookies that will be fun for this holiday weekend.

 

Hot Dog Cookies

 

Hello everyone!

 

They should have done it as soon as she found out she was pregnant but at least they did it before the baby came!

 

MSN Entertainment

Jessica Alba and Cash Warren have officially tied the knot, People.com reported on Tuesday.

They were married in a quiet ceremony on Monday, Alba's rep, Brad Cafarelli told People.

Alba, 27, who is expecting the couple's first child this summer, met Warren on the set of the film "Fantastic Four."

The couple got engaged last December.

In 2005, Alba told Cosmopolitan magazine: "He might be the one. The first week that we kind of got together, he gave me a note and signed it with a dollar sign, because his name is Cash. It just said, 'I really, really like you.' And that was exactly how I felt at the time."

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

 

BOSTON(AP) A cancerous brain tumor caused the seizure Sen. Edward M. Kennedy suffered over the weekend, doctors said Tuesday in a grim diagnosis for one of American politics' most enduring figures.

 

 

Doctors for the Massachusetts Democrat say tests conducted after Kennedy suffered a seizure this weekend show a tumor in his left parietal lobe. Preliminary results from a biopsy of the brain identified the cause of the seizure as a malignant glioma.

 

His treatment will be decided after more tests but the usual course includes combinations of radiation and chemotherapy.

 

"I'm really sad," former Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., said when told in a Senate hallway about Kennedy's condition. "He's the one politician who brings tears to my eyes when he speaks."

 

The 76-year-old senator has been hospitalized in Boston since Saturday, when he was airlifted from Cape Cod after a seizure at his home.

 

"He has had no further seizures, remains in good overall condition, and is up and walking around the hospital," said a joint statement issued by Dr. Lee Schwamm, vice chairman of the Department of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Dr. Larry Ronan, Kennedy's primary care physician.

 

The doctors said Kennedy will remain in the hospital "for the next couple of days according to routine protocol.""He remains in good spirits and full of energy," they said.

 

Kennedy's wife and children have been with him each day but have made no public statements.

 

Malignant gliomas are a type of brain cancer diagnosed in about 9,000 Americans a year and the most common type among adults. It's a starting diagnosis: How well patients fare depends on what specific tumor type is determined by further testing.

Average survival can range from less than a year for very advanced and aggressive types such as glioblastomas or to about five years for different types that are slower growing.

 

Kennedy, the second-longest serving member of the Senate and a dominant figure in national Democratic Party politics, was elected in 1962, filling out the term won by his brother, John F. Kennedy.

 

Kennedy eldest brother, Joseph, was killed in a World War II airplane crash. President John Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 and his brother Robert was assassinated in 1968.

 

Kennedy is active for his age, maintaining an aggressive schedule on Capitol Hill and across Massachusetts. He has made several campaign appearances for the Illinois senator in February, and most recently another in April.

 

 

Kennedy, the senior senator from Massachusetts and the Senate's second-longest serving member, was re-elected in 2006 and is not up for election again until 2012.

Were he to resign or die in office, state law requires a special election for the seat no sooner than 145 days and no later than 160 days after the vacancy occurs.

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

 

By DEB RIECHMANN - Associated Press Writer

WACO, Texas(AP)

 

 President Bush spent months joking about being a father of the bride, but on Sunday he was downright wistful about giving his daughter Jenna away to her longtime beau.

 

"Our little girl, Jenna, married a really good guy, Henry Hager," Bush said, standing next Mrs. Bush at an airport in Waco where he boarded Air Force One for his flight back to Washington. "The wedding was spectacular. It's just it's all we could have hoped for."

 

Unlike other first family weddings that have been broadcast live, the Bushes didn't share their daughter's nuptials with the nation. The day after, however, they briefly shared their joy.

 

 

Photo by: Kimberlee Hewitt / The White House / AP

 

"The weather cooperated nicely," Bush said about the wedding at his 1,600-acre Texas ranch. "Just as the vows were exchanged, the sun set over our lake and it was just a special day and a wonderful day and we're mighty blessed."

 

A reporter asked the president if he had been up late partying. Bush winked, then turned toward the plane, ignoring a second question about whether the wedding had given the slumping U.S. economy a boost.

In recent days, the White House has dribbled out details about the bride's dress, the ring, the wedding attire and pre-wedding events. It was part of a carefully orchestrated communications strategy to disclose bits of information, but keep the wedding from becoming a media circus.

 

But it wasn't a complete media blackout. On Sunday, while it disclosed no more details, the White House released 11 photos of the affair at Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch.

 

Former President George H.W. Bush, who did a reading during the ceremony with former first lady Barbara Bush, moseyed back to the press section of the plane, but wouldn't dish. He said he dutifully replied "Yes sir!" when he was told not to disclose details.

A White House official confirmed by e-mail at 9:28 p.m. EDT Saturday that Jenna and Henry, the son of the chairman of the Republican Party in Virginia, had been officially hitched.

The post-wedding party ensued. The more than 200 family and friends were entertained by the Tyrone Smith Revue, a 10-piece party band from Nashville, Tenn. The musicians gave the newlyweds what Smith described as a "get down" party.

 

At Tricia Nixon's White House wedding in 1971, President Nixon and his daughter danced to "Thank Heaven for Little Girls." Bush and Jenna glided across the dance floor to "You are so Beautiful" a ballad made famous by Joe Cocker. The newlyweds danced to "Lovin' in My Baby's Eyes" by Taj Mahal.

 

The bride and groom were reared in Republican families, but this was a bipartisan ceremony. Officiating was the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, an influential minister from Houston and longtime spiritual adviser to the president, has endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

 

Photo by: Shealah Craighead / White House

 

But while the wedding is now a part of presidential history, it was not a night for politics or publicity.

 

As the nuptials drew near on Saturday, tour buses loaded with wedding guests began rolling through downtown Crawford, past souvenir stores that earlier in the day had sold out of Jenna and Henry coffee mugs and mouse pads. An 18-foot rusty metal sculpture of an angel, a gift to the town after Bush's re-election, was adorned with a white veil and bouquet of white flowers. Plastic geese ornaments on a lawn were dressed up with white knit hats and draped in tulle.

 

Unable to get close to the ranch, visitors settled for snapping photos of the Prairie Chapel Road sign.

 

Wedding events were so closely held that even the chef who prepared the rehearsal dinner Friday night in a nearby town didn't find out he was working on the first daughter's wedding until late Thursday night.

 

"It's pretty amazing how they kept it quiet," said Dave Hermann, who with his wife, Katie, own The Range Restaurant at the Barton House in Salado, about an hour's drive from Crawford. In a phone interview, Hermann said the groom's mother, Margaret Chase Hager, used an alias when she called to arrange the event. "Quite honestly, there may have been a handful of people who knew something, but not very early on."

 

For the rehearsal dinner, Hermann served lemon-crusted rainbow trout and grilled pork tenderloin over roasted corn pudding. It was the groom's 30th birthday, so he also served a lemony, vanilla cake. For the rehearsal dinner, Hermann served lemon-crusted rainbow trout and grilled pork tenderloin over roasted corn pudding. It was the groom's 30th birthday, so he also served a lemony, vanilla cake.

 

"Lots of people gave toasts," he said. "Henry shared some funny stories about dating Jenna and said something about how he couldn't wait to be the son" the Bushes never had.

 

Afterward, the rehearsal dinner crowd went to a "Texas-sized" celebration down the street. They were escorted by a high school marching band from Belton, Texas, which played "Happy Birthday" and "The Eyes of Texas are Upon You," Hermann said. Reporters never saw or heard the noisy procession.

"I know the president and I know the family and I think they pulled it off," Doug Wead, a former aide to President George H.W. Bush and author of a book on presidents' kin. "What I mean when I say `pulled it off' is that they were successful in keeping it a private event."

 

Many questions remain unanswered: Did the couple write their own vows? Will Jenna take her husband's name? Are they really going to Europe for their honeymoon? When is Barbara Bush getting married?

 

If the Bush twins follow the lead of President Woodrow Wilson's daughters, Barbara will tie the knot quickly. In 1913, Jessie Wilson was married on Nov. 25 the twins' birthday. Her sister, Eleanor Wilson, got hitched a few months later on May 7, 1914.

 

Millie Martin Bratten, editor-in-chief of BRIDES magazine, said the wedding was a letdown for some who craved a Princess Diana-style event. But she said Jenna's wedding her classy Oscar de la Renta gown and all might even set a trend for future presidential weddings. Bratten foresees future first family weddings that mix protocol and formality with creative individual touches from the bride.

 

"Instead of the event being turned over to the White House social secretary who follows the strict rules of protocol something that comes from our British heritage of royal weddings this one had a lot of input from her," Bratten said.

 

This is a really cool link to a lot of pictures to the wedding and reception ~

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I was surfing the 'net and found something to share; any comments out there?

 

One Person's Trash is One Woman's Treasure

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I found a story that scared me to the core and I sure hope this guy is wrong although I know at least in CA will see $5 a gallon for gasoline soon. With my job driving over 120 miles a week, my poor car cannot take these prices for very long. Any thoughts on this?

 

 

A scary thought: Gasoline at $7.50 a gallon

 

Posted May 06 2008, 09:14 PM

 by Charley Blaine

 

I'm really not here to scare you, but, get ready, I AM going to scare you.

The news got lots of attention: Goldman Sachs analyst Arjun Murti predicted Tuesday that the price of crude oil could hit $150 to $200 a barrel in six to 24 months. (Here's one discussion of the report. Another is here.)

Crude oil in New York promptly jumped to as high as $122.73 a barrel in New York before closing at $121.84. And, as I write this, crude was trading slightly lower in electronic trading. But it also had the perverse effect of pushing the stock market higher. Indeed, the biggest winners in Tuesday's stock market were oil and gas production companies, natural gas companies. (But not refiners; crude oil is rising faster than refiners can push their prices up.)

So, if crude jumps to $150 or $200, how does that translate into prices at the gas pump. Here's the scary part.

If crude hits $150 a barrel, we could be looking at $5 a gallon or so for the retail price of gasoline. That's based on Tuesday's $3.61-a-gallon national average and the rule of thumb that, for every $1 increase in crude oil, the pump price rises 5 cents a gallon.

If crude hits $200, the retail price of gas jumps to $7.52 a gallon. (Plus or minus a few cents) To fill the 10-gallon gas tank on my Honda Civic would cost $75.20, probably more because I live in Washington state, which has relatively high gasoline taxes.

Sure, one could say, well, Murti is a nut, but, as Barry Ritholtz noted on The Big Picture, Murti did suggest in 2005 that crude would hit $105 a barrel.

Gasoline at $7.50 a gallon is something nobody should go into denial over because there are going to be big problems from prices at levels I've suggested, including:Will there be any U.S.-based auto manufacturers left? The answer depends entirely on how fast they can transform their product lines. Chrysler is in deep trouble already. That probably means more stress for the Midwest.

Will there be any domestic airlines left? The so-called legacy airlines (American, United, Northwest, Delta and Continental) would either try to combine into one big carrier or simply disappear. They're having serious troubles surviving as it is. This means big troubles for cities where these airlines operate hubs that generate thousands of jobs like Atlanta, Cleveland, Newark, Houston, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Memphis and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

How will big convention cities survive? Places like Las Vegas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Houston have thriving convention industries, all built around the capacity of airlines to transport conventioneers to and from the destinations relatively cheaply. Emphasis on the word "cheaply."

How will tourist destinations like Florida or Hawaii cope? Add to that places like, say, Williamstown, Mass., whose Williamstown Theater Festival is a big draw, or Ashland, Ore., home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. They're not close to major cities.

Although as Douglas McIntyre noted on Blogging Stocks, gasoline at $3.50 a gallon has not cut demand enough to force prices lower, there are signs that adjustments are being made. Sales of big, gas-guzzling SUVs and pickups are slumping. Consumption of gasoline in California fell 4.5% in January from a year ago.

The Department of Energy believes that domestic consumption is likely to fall more steeply than expected this year, the New York Times reported Tuesday. It is forecasting that domestic gasoline consumption will fall slightly this year from 9.29 million barrels a day in 2007 to 9.23 million barrels a day this year. (That's about 140 billion gallons a year, enough to fill my Honda for, well, a very long time.)

Sales of homes in outer suburbs are falling and not just because of the credit crunch and the subprime mortgage mess. Look at the stock prices of U.S. airlines, down 90% in the last 10 years.

Many commentators have wondered at the ability of Americans to grin and bear higher gas prices. But grinning and bearing it is losing any sense of fun. It's just gotten expensive: Over the first four months of 2008, as Peter Beutel of Cameron-Hanover noted this week, gasoline has cost the United States $757.24 million a day more than in the first four months of 2002. 

That’s more than the estimated $720 million a day spent in Iraq.

 

Hello everyone!

 

 

Local retailer to help families stretch stimulus checks, tax refunds

SuperValu said Thursday that it will allow customers to use their refund checks to buy gift cards in $300 increments, and that its stores will add $30 to each card, bringing their value to $330. Other businesses are participating in stimulus programs as well

By TIM HARLOW, Star Tribune

Last update: April 25, 2008 - 11:11 PM

Families struggling to make ends meet can stretch their economic stimulus checks or tax refunds a bit further if they use them to buy gift cards at Cub Foods or other outlets operated by the grocery store's parent company, Super Valu.

The Eden Prairie-based retailer said Thursday that it will allow customers to use their refund checks to buy gift cards in $300 increments, and that its stores will add $30 to each card, bringing their value to $330. Households an purchase a maximum or $1,200 in gift cards, the retailer said.

The gift cards cannot be used to buy alcohol, lottery tickets, or tobacco products, but might help offset rising grocery prices, which are expected to go up 3.5 to 4.5 percent in 2008, according to data from the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service.

The offer begins May 2, the day the first round of stimulus checks should be in bank accounts of customers who opted for direct deposit, and runs through July 31, the company said.

Besides the Twin Cities area 56 Cub Foods stores, the offer also is good at Acme, Albertsons, Bigg's , Fresh Farm, Hornbacher's, Jewel-Osco, Lucky, Shaw's/Star Market, Shop 'N Save, and Shoppers Food & Pharmacy.

SuperValu is not the only company offering discounts and freebies to consumers who turn the rebate checks into gift cards. Kroger's, a supermarket chain based in Cincinnati, Ohio, is offering a similar program. Sears Holding Corp. said it will offer a 10 percent bonus to every customer who converts their government stimulus checks into gift cards at Sears or Kmart.

The federal government is mailing checks totaling $168 billion to Americans in starting next week in an effort to get consumers spending again and boost a sagging economy, the IRS said.

 

Any comments out there?

 

 

 

‘Miracle’ Marine dies; terribly burned in Iraq

Sergeant dies of complications; 'an inspiration to Americans everywhere'

updated 9:21 a.m. PT, Fri., May. 2, 2008

 

 

Eric Gay / AP

Marine Sgt. Merlin German, 22, of New York City, died on April 11 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, from wounds suffered during combat in Iraq in 2005

A Marine sergeant who became a symbol of resilience as he strove to recover from a roadside bomb blast in Iraq that blanketed 97 percent of his body with burns has died, the Defense Department said. He was 22.

Sgt. Merlin German died April 11 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where he was continuing treatment for the injuries he suffered in combat on Feb. 22, 2005, the Pentagon said Thursday.

The former turret gunner was dubbed the "Miracle Man" for his determination in facing his wounds, which cost the former saxophone player his fingers and rippled his face with scars. He endured more than 40 surgeries, spent 17 months in a hospital and had to learn to walk again.

Meanwhile, he started a charity, Merlin's Miracles, to aid child burn victims and considered college and a career.

"Sometimes I do think I can't do it," he told The Associated Press last year. "Then I think: Why not? I can do whatever I want. ... Nobody has ever been 97 percent dead and survived, and lived to walk."

YANKEE PRIDE: Sgt. Merlin German, 21, here with Joe Torre, was severely burned in an Iraq blast.

Born in New York City, German moved to its suburbs as a teenager. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in September 2003, according to his charity's Web site. He was medically retired four years later, the Defense Department said.

German had been stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that the state Capitol's flags would be flown at half-staff in German's honor, saying the sergeant's "courage and unfailing loyalty serve as an inspiration to Americans everywhere."

 

Here is the background story about how he was wounded ~

Sergeant Merlin German, USMC

On February 20, 2005, an IED exploded underneath LCpl Merlin German's humvee in Fallujah. He was blown out of the turret but he was on fire. After some very brave Marines got to him and put the fire out on their buddy, Merlin was left with 3rd degree burns over 97% of his body. The soles of his feet and the top of his head were the only areas not burned. The IMSFF remembers vividly the day that Merlin flew in from Germany to BAMC. No patient there had ever lived with burns like this before, and no one expected him to survive. Nineteen months later, Merlin moved out of the hospital and eventually moved into a new home in San Antonio, where he continues to undergo additional surgeries and rehabilitation at BAMC.

The donors of IMSFF have helped the German family with a handicap van; they have kept Merlin's mom and dad at bedside; they have helped them keep their home in the Dominican Republic; they purchased a mattress recommended by his physical therapist; they helped with furniture for a temporary apartment; and provided great assistance with Merlin's new two-story house. Merlin and his wonderful family are living testaments to the power of the IMSFF, the capabilities of our military medical system, and the beauty of the indomitable human spirit.

Today, after two meritorious promotions, Sgt German is excited about a trip to NYC to visit his family and celebrate his 22nd birthday. The IMSFF staff and the Marine liaisons at BAMC describe Merlin’s personality as being full of life. He is cheerful, has a great sense of humor, and is mischievous enough to put a smile on the face of any general officer. What a blessing he is to all who know and love him!

 

And another story that has a little more information. I still don't understand why this just hit the papers today.

Marine burned on 97 percent of body dies

Merlin German, left, and Jedd Chesterton pose at the 2003 Woodlands High School prom. (Submitted by Jedd Chesterton)

HARTSDALE - Jedd Chesterton remembers clearly the moment he walked into a San Antonio military rehab center to see his old high school buddy Merlin German for the first time since the explosion.

He said his goal was not to cry, to act normal, even though he couldn't even recognize the man he saw rolled out in a wheelchair; the Marine sergeant had burns over 97 percent of his body, suffered when his Humvee was struck by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

"I was caught off guard at first," Chesterton said. "I had to start talking to him to realize this was the same person I was chilling with all throughout high school. Once we started talking, it was like the injuries were gone."

Chesterton said he hopes to demonstrate some of that same composure this evening, when he pays tribute to his friend during a memorial at Woodlands High School.

The 22-year-old died last month, more than three years after sustaining injuries doctors said he had almost no chance of surviving. He became known as the Brooke Army Medical Center's very own "Miracle Man."

"I'll be talking to a crowd of people that knew him before he got hurt," said Chesterton, a 23-year-old Hartsdale resident. "I want to go in there and talk about his true character."

The ceremony, which will include comments from former schoolmates, a proclamation from the town of Greenburgh and a salute by the Fairview Fire Department's honor guard, will be held at 7 p.m. in the school at 475 W. Hartsdale Ave.

"We want Sgt. Merlin German and his family to know that he will not only continue to be remembered, he will continue to be admired, respected and honored for the service, commitment and sacrifice he has made for the country," said school guidance counselor Joe Foy II, who is helping organize the event for those who couldn't attend the funeral in Florida.

German, born in Manhattan, moved to Edgepark Road in Greenburgh in 2001 and attended Woodlands in his junior and senior years. As an exceedingly friendly and outgoing teen with a knack for delivering sarcastic one-liners, he quickly became one of the school's most popular students.

"He was the most charismatic and personable young man we've ever had," Foy said. "He transferred here as an 11th-grader and by senior year he was voted first runner-up for homecoming king."

Chesterton started laughing as he recalled a few of German's more memorable moments, including his grand entrance to the senior prom, showing up without a date, wearing a tuxedo and designer shades, and holding a giant garbage bag.

"I went up to him and asked what're you doing, what's in the bag?" Chesterton said. "He opens it up and there's at least 50 disposable cameras in the bag. He was selling them to kids. I couldn't believe it."

German knew early on that he wanted to join the military, making his goal clear to his guidance counselor and friends. In high school, he spent most days working out in the gym and joined a program where he'd run with Marines on weekends, trying to get in shape for boot camp.

"He wanted to be a Marine, that was his dream," Chesterton said. "I would say, 'Come on, why don't you go to college?' But that's what he had his heart set on doing."

Chesterton joined him at the bus stop, when he left for boot camp down South. Two weeks later, Chesterton's girlfriend spotted German at Six Flags amusement park. He had been sent home because he had to lose a few more pounds.

"I remember calling him and saying, 'What's going on?' and he responded, 'Yeah, well, it didn't really go as planned.' "

"He had a one-liner for everything," Chesterton said, recalling another story in which German challenged his brother to take a broomstick out of his hand, pretending it was a rifle and that his brother was an Iraqi.

"These guys in Iraq aren't going to know what hit them," he told his brother, who promptly grabbed the gun from him. German's response: "Well, they're not that strong in Iraq."

German, after losing weight, rejoined boot camp and left as a private first class. He was sent to Iraq in 2004. On Feb. 21, 2005, German's squad was on a reconnaissance mission near Ramadi when his vehicle was struck.

After he was airlifted to Germany, doctors gave him a 3 percent chance of survival. He spent 17 months at the hospital in San Antonio, undergoing more than 40 surgeries.

In December, after months of practice, he donned his Marine formals and hit the dance floor at Brooke's Holiday Ball, according to an article by The Associated Press. He surprised his mother, taking her into his arms and dancing across the room to a Rod Stewart's version of "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?"

The crowd stood, applauded and cried, the article said.

Chesterton made several visits during the recovery period.

"It wasn't till my third visit that he started talking about Iraq," he said. "He'd been through so much, but still had a sense of pride. And rightfully so. He shouldn't have even lived in the first place. He defied the odds."

What ultimately killed his friend was a relatively minor operation to his lip.

Chesterton, now a high school teacher in the Bronx, flew to Florida for the funeral.

"Right up till the funeral, I was very sad," he said, but felt lifted by the Marines who approached him there and told him how lucky he was to know German growing up.

He recalled a lieutenant colonel who told him, "I met him after he got hurt and I could only imagine what it was like to know him before he got injured."

"This was a kid I sat next to in English class," Chesterton said. "Through that point, I was sad. But at the funeral, the only word I could think of as far as how I felt was proud. I was proud that I was able to be his friend."

 

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I found something that was a bit of a shock. I knew that when you eat out, the sodium level was high but come on now!

 

 Any comments out there?

 

The 20 saltiest foods in America

Avoid these foods if you care about heart health, blood pressure and stroke Salty food may seem like the least of your worries, especially if you're among the 40 percent of people who mindlessly shake salt on every dish. An extra dash here, a few sprinkles there--what's the big deal? A lot, when you consider the fact that a mere teaspoon of the stuff contains all 2,300 milligrams (mg) of your recommended daily allotment. Yet daily salt consumption is on the rise in the United States--from 2,300 mg in the 1970s to more than 3,300 mg today. And according to Monell Chemical Senses Center researchers, 77 percent of that sodium intake comes from processed-food purveyors and restaurants. Their motivation: Pile on the salt so we don't miss natural flavors and fresh ingredients. Why is that a problem? With ever-expanding portion sizes, supersalty foods are displacing fresh fruits and vegetables, which are rich in potassium. And a 1:2 ratio of dietary salt to potassium is critical for your health. Studies show that a high-sodium, low-potassium diet is linked to a host of maladies, including high blood pressure, stroke, osteoporosis, and exercise-induced asthma. To protect your heart, your bones, your muscles, and your tastebuds, we scoured takeout menus and supermarket shelves to expose the 20 saltiest foods in America. No need to take the information with a grain of salt. These dishes provide plenty.

 

 

20: Saltiest Side Dish Denny's Honey Smoked Ham, grilled slice ·  1,700 mg sodium, 85 calories Calorie for calorie, this is the saltiest dish in America. This side is steeped in salty brine before it's smoked, soaking up 70 percent of your daily sodium intake.

12: Saltiest Beef Entrée Bob Evans Steak Tips and Noodles ·  4,131 mg sodium, 822 calories, 43 g fat Bob lubricates his take on beef stroganoff with a huge ladleful of gravy, damning this dish before you even poke your fork into it. Try your steak without the salt bath: The regular sirloin has half the calories and a commendable 638 mg sodium.

6: Saltiest Salad Romano's Macaroni Grill Chicken Florentine ·  5,460 mg sodium, 840 calories, 53 g fat Salads are often the biggest blood-pressure boosters on the menu, since the innocent leaves play perfect host to a flurry of briny toppings and dangerous dressings. Here, salt-laden olives, capers, and Parmesan collide with Macaroni Grill's massive portions and its cooks' affinity for the saltshaker. The only reasonable insalata on the menu is the Mozzarella alla Caprese: It has 450 calories and 760 mg sodium.

5: Saltiest Mexican Entrée Chili's Buffalo Chicken Fajitas     5,690 mg sodium, 1,730 calories, 107 g fat, 143 g carbs Here are a few offenders to choke on: fried chicken, Buffalo sauce, blue cheese, smoked bacon, ranch dressing, and sour cream. All make this the sodium equivalent of single-handedly downing three and a half baskets of Chili's bottomless tostada chips. Add rice and beans and you've just ordered 3 days' worth of sodium and an entire day of calories. If you're salt-sensitive, avoid fajitas--any kind of fajitas--at all costs. 4: Saltiest Kids' Meal Cosi Kid's Pepperoni Pizza ·  6,405 mg sodium, 1,901 calories, 93 g fat, 190 g carbs Kids under 13 should max out at 1,900 to 2,200 mg sodium a day, according to American Heart Association. This pizza serves up nearly three times that much, plus an entire day's worth of calories. You could feed your child 50 turkey sandwiches at Cosi for the same sodium price tag. (But stick to just one.) 3: Saltiest Seafood Entrée Romano's Macaroni Grill Grilled Teriyaki Salmon   ·  6,590 mg sodium, 1,230 calories, 74 g fat, 79 g carbs Think you're playing it smart by opting for fish? The slather of teriyaki, which is essentially highly sweetened soy sauce in concentrated form, sinks that strategy fast. The grilled halibut, topped with a fresh tomato-basil relish instead, has just a quarter of the sodium. 2: Saltiest Appetizer Papa John's Cheesesticks with Buffalo Sauce ·  6,700 mg sodium, 2,605 calories, 113 g fat, 296 g carbs If you were to split this appetizer with two friends, you'd still be close to downing your daily sodium allowance before you even reach for the pizza. Each stick packs the same amount of sodium as a small slice of cheese pizza, and that's without dipping. Your best bet? Cheese pizza. Thin crust. 1: The Saltiest Dish in America Romano's Macaroni Grill Chicken Portobello ·  7,300 mg sodium, 1,020 calories, 66 g fat With three items on our top 20 list, plus a slew of dishonorable mentions, Macaroni Grill earns its title as America's saltiest chain restaurant. But what makes this the saltiest dish in America? One word: demi-glace, a fancy French name for the viscous salt slick that blankets this disastrous dish. You would have to eat 32 cups of potassium-rich broccoli to compensate for this sodium avalanche.