Dr. Siegal's COOKIE Diet!?

Yup, you read it right, "Cookie Diet." Apparently Dr. Sanford Siegal, D.O., M.D created this dieting approach back in 1975, but this is the first I have heard of it.

The premise is that no one will stick to a diet if they are hungry. So the diet was created around eating 6 cookies a day and a reasonable dinner in the evening. Unfortunatley, you don't get to choose the cookies; sorry Girl Scouts. The secret cookie recipe includes a blend of amino acids that reduce hunger throughout the day. These days he has shakes available as well.

The bottom line of course is a daily diet of around 1000 calories. Almost anyone can loose weight eating only 1000 calories a day, but will they stick with it for the long haul without the help of the special cookies? Hundreds of thousands of people have tried, but I couldn't find any information on long term results. Hmmm...

Katie Holmes Debuts Hair Extensions In Tokyo

This week Tom Cruise attended the Japanese premiere of his movie "Valkyrie" in Tokyo. Who is that on his arm as walks down the red carpet? None other than wife Katie Holmes of course, sporting shiny and gorgeous locks down past her shoulders. I'm sure it caused a few second looks.

It seems that Katie is done with her functional, but cute, mommy bob hairdo for now. Although I'm not a big fan of hair extensions in general, I must say, the sensational debut of her flawless hairstyle makes me think there may be a few exceptions.

Even with baby Suri hiding from the cameras in her shoulder, it was clear that Katie is no longer sidelined as a full time Mom who used to act. She is clearly a young, vibrant movie star with a kid.

Samsung a877

Word on the street is that at&t will be releasing the new Samsung a877 phone before the end of the month. It is supposed to be all that and a bag of chips. It has a full touchscreen and a pull-out QWERTY keyboard (I am a fan of the full keyboards).

Among the additional bells and whistles being touted are:

• 3 mega pixel camera with geotagging
• Telnav GPS Navigato
• Full HTML browser
• Bluetooth
• MP3 Player
• etc.

It seems the big headline is the 3.2-inch WQVGA AMOLED touchscreen. I've picked up some on the WQVGA stuff over the last couple years, but "AMOLED?" Sounds like something off a mexican fusion restaurant menu to me.

Here is how Wiki explains it, "AMOLED is the acronym for active-matrix organic light-emitting diode, an emerging display technology for use in mobile devices like mobile phones. OLED describes a specific type of ultra thin, ultra bright display technology which doesn't require a backlight and AMOLED refers to the technology behind the addressing of pixels." It goes into more detail after that if your interested....

Doesn't need a backlight huh? That does sound pretty cool. I am not currently an at&t user so I'm no exactly on the edge of my seat for the a877, but I'm sure the competitors are brewing something up to compete as we speak. I hope they hurry up. I need a new phone.

Happy Birthday Chuck Norris & Osama bin Laden

OK, so I wouldn't be so broken up if Osama isn't having his best birthday yet. I'm sure he's not. Receiving dialysis in a cave usually puts a damper on things.

On the brighter side: Chuck Norris is 69! Can you believe that? I was no fan of "Walker Texas Ranger" and I didn't buy the Total Gym, but you have to give recognition where it is due. He is in pretty darn good shape for 69. Rock on Chuck!

COBRA Health Insurance Continuation Premium Subsidy

I stumbled upon some "New Found News" last night that I can't believe I haven't heard about sooner. Actually my Mother stumbled on it reading a magazine (thanks Mom).

For all those of you out there who have experienced an "involuntary termination" since September 1, 2008 and through the end of 2009, there has been a recent change to the laws regarding COBRA coverage (continuation of health insurance benefits) you will want to hear.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) includes assistance for your monthly COBRA payments to the tune of 65%. That's right; if you qualify (check links below) you can maintain full COBRA benefits for 35% of the total cost for up to 9 months. This went into effect February 17, 2009 and I haven't heard a thing. I don't watch a lot of news but I am online every day.

If you think you may be able to benefit from this new law or "Act" or whatever, I encourage you to do the research and/or call your provider to learn more. I found a ton of information on the Department of Labor and IRS sites listed below. Good luck!


http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=204505,00.html

http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/cobra.html

Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince

This week, as irked Harry Potter fans await the sixth movie in the ongoing series, Warner Brothers released additional footage of the upcoming film. The newest addition to the series is titled, "Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince." It is currently due to be release mid July. What has some fans irked is that the Prince was supposed to have been released last fall, before Warner Brothers decided to push it.

Despite some bitter feelings, I have no doubt that The Fresh Blood Prince will continue to deliver blockbuster sized crowds to the theaters. The other movies being release this July include: "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," "2012" and "The A-Team." I'm confident Harry can taken 'em.