Obesity rates in America reach all time high, experts say bacon to blame

NEW YORK, NY - The obesity rates in America have reached an all time high, with experts pointing the finger at everyone's favorite breakfast meat - bacon.

"People are eating too much bacon," said Dr. Benjamin Kunstler, an obesity expert at Columbia University. "Bacon is unhealthy, and it's contributing to the obesity epidemic in this country."

Kunstler points to a study that shows that people who eat bacon are more likely to be obese than those who don't. And he's not the only one who believes that bacon is to blame for America's weight problem.

"Bacon is killing us," said Michele Simon, executive director of the Plant Based Food Association. "It's loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol, and it's no wonder so many Americans are obese."

But not everyone agrees that bacon is to blame for America's weight problem. Some dietitians say that it's not the bacon itself that is causing the obesity epidemic, but rather the way it's being eaten.

"A lot of people are eating bacon wrapped around everything," said registered dietitian Chelsey Amer. "But if you're eating it in moderation as part of a healthy diet, then it's fine."

So what should you do if you're concerned about your weight? Kunstler says that cutting out bacon is a good place to start.

Swine Flu returns with a vengeance, CDC urges public to get vaccinated

This year's flu season is shaping up to be a bad one, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting an uptick in confirmed cases of H3N2, the same virus that caused the swine flu pandemic in 2009.

"It's not too late to get vaccinated," said CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield in a statement. "We urge everyone who hasn't been vaccinated yet to get vaccinated as soon as possible."

While all age groups are at risk, those over 65 are the most likely to die from complications of the flu, followed by children under 4 and adults aged 50-64. And this year's vaccine may be more effective than ever; a recent study found that it was 41 percent effective against H3N2 viruses similar to the ones causing outbreaks this season.

So far, most of the confirmed cases of H3N2 have been in people who had not been vaccinated, which is why public health officials are urging everyone 6 months and older to get their shots. In addition to getting vaccinated, there are other simple things you can do to protect yourself and your family from the flu:

Cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough.

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you blow your nose, cough, or sneeze. * Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can also be used if soap and water are not available.

Stay home when you're sick.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

Study finds pigs are smarter than dogs, could be used as service animals

Pigs have long been known as clever animals, but a new study has found that they may be even smarter than dogs. Researchers at Queen Mary University of London trained eight pigs to recognize a simple symbol on a screen, and then use it to find food.

The pigs were able to learn the symbol within two days, and responded correctly more than 80% of the time. They were even able to transfer this knowledge to a new task, once they had been taught what the symbol meant.

This study suggests that pigs could potentially be used as service animals, as they are smart enough to understand basic commands. Dogs are often used as service animals, but they may not be the best option for all tasks. For example, dogs can be trained to help people with physical disabilities, but they may not be suited for tasks such as guiding blind people or alerting deaf people to important sounds.

Pigs could be a better option for some of these tasks, as they are intelligent and relatively easy to train. They are also less prone to aggression than dogs, making them safer around vulnerable members of the public.

There are still some challenges that need to be overcome before pigs can be widely used as service animals. For example, there is currently no system in place for training and registering pigs as service animals. There is also the issue of cost; dogs are much cheaper than pigs and many people may not be willing or able to afford a pig-based service animal.

Despite these challenges, the study findings suggest that pigs have great potential as service animals and further research in this area is warranted.

Farmer fined for releasing pigs into wild, says there's too many deer anyways

A farmer who was recently fined for releasing his pigs into the wild says there are too many deer anyways, and that he would have been better off just letting the pigs go.

The farmer, who asked to remain anonymous, says that he released the pigs in order to thin out the herd of deer on his property. "There's just too many of them," he said. "They're eating all the vegetation and I can't even let my cows graze here anymore."

He admits that he knew releasing the pigs into the wild was illegal, but says he didn't think anyone would notice. "I figured they'd just run around for a few days and then go back home," he said. "But the game warden caught me pretty quickly."

He was fined $500 for violating state game laws. Asked if he thought it was worth it, given that the deer are still a problem on his property, he said no. "I should have just let the pigs go," he said. "At least then I wouldn't have had to pay a fine."

Pork prices reaching all-time high, could surge even higher

The prices of pork are reaching historic levels and there could be an even greater surge in prices in the near future, according to a recent study.

The study, which was conducted by agricultural analysts at the University of Missouri, found that the average price of pork is now at $4.06 per pound. That's the highest it has ever been and it's significantly higher than the price just one year ago, when it averaged $3.26 per pound.

Pork producers are attributing the rise in prices to a number of factors, including a decrease in supply due to disease and increasing demand from abroad.

Many experts believe that the prices will continue to rise in the coming months as we head into the busy holiday season. So if you're planning on cooking up a nice pork roast or some pork chops for your family get together, you may want to start budgeting for it now.

One silver lining, however, is that beef prices have also been on the rise recently but not to the same degree as pork. So if you're looking for an alternative protein source, beef may be a good option this year.