Sarah Palin Drinks Big Gulp During CPAC Speech: ‘Shoot, It’s Just Pop!’

During a dynamic and lively speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday, Sarah Palin poked fun at New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s campaign to reduce obesity by limiting the availability of large sugary drinks.

Halfway through her speech, while describing exchanging guns with her husband Todd for Christmas, the former Alaska governor pulled out a Big Gulp from behind the podium, smirked, took several sips, and remarked, “Oh Bloomberg is not around, our Big Gulp is safe! We’re cool. Shoot, it’s just pop!” The crowd erupted in applause. Watch it:

The gag was funny, but the Big Gulp is more than just pop — increasing serving sizes are one of the causes of the nation’s obesity epidemic.

As portion sizes have spiraled out of control, soft drinks sizes have seen one of the largest increases, ballooning by over 50 percent since the mid-1970s, just as rates of obesity nearly tripled. The average American child now consumes approximately 270 calories from soft drinks each day and nationally U.S. children drink about 7 trillion calories from soda each year.

The obesity epidemic now accounts for 21 percent of national health care spending — costing the nation more than $160 billion every year — a figure that will continue to rise since 42 percent of Americans are projected to be obese by 2030.

And while Bloomberg’s ban won’t single-handedly slim down the nation, public health advocates believe that it will discourage people from consuming “excess quantities of sugar-sweetened beverages” and change “social norms and unhealthy behaviors.” Palin may not need that kind of persuasion — after finishing her speech, she left her Big Gulp behind.

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NASA’s Startling Satellite Data Shows Massive Drop In Mideast Freshwater Reserves During Warming-Driven Drought

Variations in total water storage from normal in the Tigris and Euphrates river basins (from 1/03 through 12/09), as measured by NASA’s GRACE satellites (Full image here).

By Alan Buis, Steve Cole, and Janet Wilson, via NASA

A new study using data from a pair of gravity-measuring NASA satellites finds that large parts of the arid Middle East region lost freshwater reserves rapidly during the past decade.

Scientists at the University of California, Irvine; NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.; and the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., found during a seven-year period beginning in 2003 that parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran along the Tigris and Euphrates river basins lost 117 million acre feet (144 cubic kilometers) of total stored freshwater. That is almost the amount of water in the Dead Sea. The researchers attribute about 60 percent of the loss to pumping of groundwater from underground reservoirs.

The findings … published Friday, Feb. 15, in the journal Water Resources Research, are the result of one of the first comprehensive hydrological assessments of the entire Tigris-Euphrates-Western Iran region. Because obtaining ground-based data in the area is difficult, satellite data, such as those from NASA’s twin Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites, are essential. GRACE is providing a global picture of water storage trends and is invaluable when hydrologic observations are not routinely collected or shared beyond political boundaries.

“GRACE data show an alarming rate of decrease in total water storage in the Tigris and Euphrates river basins, which currently have the second fastest rate of groundwater storage loss on Earth, after India,” said Jay Famiglietti, principal investigator of the study and a hydrologist and professor at UC Irvine. “The rate was especially striking after the 2007 drought. Meanwhile, demand for freshwater continues to rise, and the region does not coordinate its water management because of different interpretations of international laws.”

Famiglietti said GRACE is like having a giant scale in the sky. Within a given region, rising or falling water reserves alter Earth’s mass, influencing how strong the local gravitational attraction is. By periodically measuring gravity regionally, GRACE tells us how much each region’s water storage changes over time.

“GRACE really is the only way we can estimate groundwater storage changes from space right now,” Famiglietti said.

The team calculated about one-fifth of the observed water losses resulted from soil drying up and snowpack shrinking, partly in response to the 2007 drought. Loss of surface water from lakes and reservoirs accounted for about another fifth of the losses. The majority of the water lost — approximately 73 million acre feet (90 cubic kilometers) — was due to reductions in groundwater.

“That’s enough water to meet the needs of tens of millions to more than a hundred million people in the region each year, depending on regional water use standards and availability,” said Famiglietti.

Famiglietti said when a drought reduces an available surface water supply, irrigators and other water users turn to groundwater supplies. For example, the Iraqi government drilled about 1,000 wells in response to the 2007 drought, a number that does not include the numerous private wells landowners also very likely drilled.

“Water management is a complex issue in the Middle East — an area that already is dealing with limited water resources and competing stakeholders,” said Kate Voss, lead author of the study and a water policy fellow with the University of California’s Center for Hydrological Modeling in Irvine, which Famiglietti directs.

“The Middle East just does not have that much water to begin with, and it’s a part of the world that will be experiencing less rainfall with climate change,” said Famiglietti. “Those dry areas are getting dryer. The Middle East and the world’s other arid regions need to manage available water resources as best they can.”

Study co-author Matt Rodell of Goddard added it is important to remember groundwater is being extracted unsustainably in parts of the United States, as well.

“Groundwater is like your savings account,” Rodell said. “It’s okay to draw it down when you need it, but if it’s not replenished, eventually it will be gone.”

GRACE is a joint mission with the German Aerospace Center and the German Research Center for Geosciences, in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., developed the GRACE spacecraft and manages the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. For more about GRACE, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/grace and http://www.csr.utexas.edu/grace.

– This piece originally appeared at NASA.gov.

Related Post:

Reds and oranges highlight lands around the Mediterranean that experienced significantly drier winters during 1971-2010 than the comparison period of 1902-2010.

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Michelle Obama dismisses 2016 speculation during 'Let's Move' TV tour

Michelle Obama laughingly dismissed speculation that she could run on a two-woman ticket with Hillary Clinton in 2016 during her appearance on the “Late Night Show with Jimmy Fallon” Friday night.

The popular first lady – two-thirds of Americans have a favorable view of her – is on a TV tour to promote the third anniversary of her “Let's Move” initiative to combat childhood obesity. She told the comedian that she has other ambitions than the presidency.

"You know, I have my eye actually on another job,” she told Fallon. “And I hear that when Jay Leno retires that 'The Tonight Show' position is going to open and I'm thinking about putting my hat in the ring.”

During the show, Obama also participated in a comic dance routine - “Evolution of Mom Dancing” - with Fallon, who was dressed as a woman.

The TV appearance is one of several planned over the next week, the Associated Press reports, including segments to run Tuesday on ABC's “Good Morning America” and Thursday on “The Dr. Oz Show.” She is scheduled to travel to Mississippi, Missouri and her home town of Chicago on a two-day tour starting next Wednesday.

Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2010, almost 18 percent of children between the ages of six and 11 were considered obese – up from 7 percent in 1980.

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States Worry About Rate Shock During Shift To New Health Law

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn announce conditional federal approval of the state's plan for a health insurance exchange under the new healthcare law. Even states that back the law are worried about an initial rate jump in some premiums. (Scott Olson / Getty Images / February 18, 2013)

WASHINGTON — Less than a year before Americans will be required to have insurance under President Obama's healthcare law, many of its backers are growing increasingly anxious that premiums could jump, driven up by the legislation itself.

Higher premiums could undermine a core promise of the Affordable Care Act: to make basic health protections available to all Americans for the first time. Major rate increases also threaten to cause a backlash just as the law is supposed to deliver many key benefits Obama promised when he signed it in 2010.

"The single biggest issue we face now is affordability," said Jill Zorn, senior program officer at the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, a consumer advocacy group that championed the new law.

Administration officials have consistently downplayed the specter of rate increases and other disruptions as millions of Americans move into overhauled insurance markets in 2014. They cite provisions in the law that they say will hold down premiums, including new competitive markets they believe will make insurers offer competitive rates.

Exactly how high the premiums may go won't be known until later this year. But already, officials in states that support the law have sounded warnings that some people — mostly those who are young and do not receive coverage through their work — may see considerably higher prices than expected.

That is because of new requirements in the law aimed at making insurance more comprehensive and more affordable for older, sicker consumers.

Insurance regulators in California, which has enthusiastically embraced the law, cautioned the Obama administration in a recent letter about "rate and market disruption."

Oregon's insurance commissioner, another supporter of the law, said new regulations could push up premiums for young customers by as much as 30% next year. He urged administration officials to slow enactment of the new rules.

A leading advocate for consumers in their 20s, Young Invincibles, sounded a similar caution, suggesting in a letter to administration officials that additional steps may be needed to protect young people from rising premiums. Young Invincibles mobilized in 2010 to help pass the healthcare law.

And regulators in Massachusetts, which was the model for Obama's law, recently warned that although many residents and small businesses in the state "will see premium decreases next year, a significant number will see extreme premium increases."

The law does include many new protections for consumers. Even those now sounding alarms emphasize the importance of those provisions, including guaranteed coverage for Americans with preexisting medical conditions.

"For most people, this will be a dramatic improvement," Zorn said.

The new law also is designed to make insurance more affordable for many consumers. Millions of Americans who make less than four times the federal poverty level — or about $92,000 for a family of four — will qualify for federal subsidies to offset the cost of their premiums if they don't get insurance through employers.

But these new protections and benefits — largely intended for Americans who do not get health coverage through their employers — also threaten to drive up costs.

Next year, there will be new limits on how much insurers can charge older consumers. Insurers will be banned from charging more to women or people with illnesses.

The industry will have to offer plans that cover a new basic set of benefits, including prescription drugs, mental health, pediatric dental care and other services. And insurers will be prohibited from placing annual or lifetime limits on coverage.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that insurance premiums for those who buy coverage on their own probably will be 10% to 13% higher in 2016, in large part because health plans will be much more comprehensive. Many consumers will probably pay less, however, because of the subsidies available in the law.

The healthcare law also includes a new tax and new fees on insurance companies that the industry says it will pass on to consumers.

The provision that will prevent insurance companies from charging older consumers more than three times what they charge young consumers has generated particular concern among regulators. In many states, insurers now can charge five times as much or more to people in their 50s and 60s.

The requirement was a top priority of the influential AARP. It is designed to make insurance more affordable to a group that often most needs insurance. But as rates come down for older people, they may increase for consumers in their 20s, regulators worry.

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CBS to interview Obama during Super Bowl pregame show

President Obama will give a live interview to CBS before it airs the Super Bowl on Sunday.

At 4:30 pm, Obama will field questions from CBS's Scott Pelley, continuing a long-standing tradition of providing interviews to the network airing the NFL championship, usually the most-watched television event of the year. Last year, Obama spoke with Matt Lauer before NBC broadcast the big game.

Pelley told The New Orleans Times-Picayune that he will talk pigskin with the president, but also has a range of "serious questions" to tackle.

"We have suddenly had some headwinds in the economy. Growth in the fourth quarter of last year shrank. We had negative growth. The unemployment rate went up, as we learned [Friday]. I'm going to talk to the president about what he thinks is going on there, and if he knows how to get us back on the track we want to be on," he said.

In addition, Pelley will ask about recent terrorist attacks targeting U.S. officials in North Africa. He may even ask about Lance Armstrong's recent admission of using performance-enhancing drugs, and ongoing concerns about the safety and injury concerns surrounding professional football.

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Is Washington DC Trying To Hide Its Homeless Population During Inauguration?

This weekend, as many as 800,000 people will show up in downtown Washington D.C. to watch President Obama’s second inauguration. What they won’t see, however, is D.C.’s homeless population.

That’s because on Thursday, the city issued a special order requiring homeless shelters, which normally close during the day, to remain open on Sunday and Monday. As a result, many of the city’s homeless people will be indoors on inauguration weekend, out of public sight.

In and of itself, giving homeless people a refuge during the day is laudable. Doing so solely on the two days when world’s eyes will be on D.C. raises questions about whether the city is simply trying to hide its homeless residents.

On a typical day, shelters open in the afternoon or evening and accept people who need a place to sleep. Everyone must then leave early the following morning. The only times shelters are required to stay open during the day is during a hypothermia alert when the temperature dips below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

However, as confirmed to ThinkProgress by phone Friday, the city has already made a special declaration because of the inauguration that all shelters shall remain open during the day on Sunday and Monday, regardless of the weather. There is currently a high of 47 degrees on Sunday during the day, though it will be cold with wind chill.

Willis Johnson, a 53-year-old man who has spent time in the DC shelter system after moving here last year, didn’t take kindly to the city’s move, but he understood their motivation. “D.C. wants to look good for visitors,” Johnson told ThinkProgress. “Its an unfortunate means to an end.” He went on to call it a “band-aid measure to a neglected ongoing social challenge.”

Indeed, the District’s homeless population is growing. In 2012, 6,954 homeless people in Washington D.C., a 6 percent increase from the year before.

Another man currently living in a shelter, Charlie, told ThinkProgress he didn’t necessarily take umbrage at the city’s move, saying that perhaps it’s necessary for security. He was looking forward to being able to stay inside over the weekend.

It’s hard to criticize the District for devoting more resources to helping homeless people get shelter this weekend. But the question is are they willing to be as generous when the cameras are off and the city isn’t the center of attention? Last year’s city budget, which cut homeless services by $7 million even as the District enjoyed a $140 million surplus, might be an indication.

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Florida Business Leaders Vow To Block Paid Sick Day Laws During Worst Flu Season In A Decade

The U.S. is currently experiencing its worst flu season in a decade, but many workers can’t heed the advice of public health experts to stay home when they’re sick due to a lack of paid sick days. And Florida business leaders are looking to keep it that way:

The Florida Chamber of Commerce said Wednesday that one of its top legislative priorities this year would be blocking local governments from adopting paid sick-time measures such as the one pending in Orange County.

At a news conference in Tallahassee, Chamber President Mark Wilson said his powerful business group wants a law that would ban cities and counties from creating varying paid-sick-leave rules across the state.

The passage of local sick-time laws would, Wilson said, “make pockets of Florida very uncompetitive.”

Conservatives have spent a significant amount of effort to block paid sick days laws in Florida and elsewhere in the country. Wisconsin Republicans even went so far as to pass a law preventing any city in the state from passing a paid sick days law after Milwaukee adopted one.

But the complaints from businesses about paid sick days making Florida “uncompetitive” ring hollow. As Jane Farrell and Joanna Ventnor noted, “A study of Connecticut’s policy mandating five days of sick leave found that full use of this leave would cost an employer only 0.4 percent of their sales revenue on average. Without paid sick days, employees come to work unhealthy, costing employers $160 billion per year due to lower productivity levels.”

40 percent of private sector workers, 79 percent of food workers, and 80 percent of low-income workers have no paid sick days. The U.S. is alone in the developed world in not mandating some sort of paid sick leave for workers. And Florida’s business community is doing its best to keep it that way, despite the consequences.

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Persistent Exporters Recognized for their Achievements during E-Awards White House Ceremony

Ed note: This was cross-posted from tradeology, the official blog of the International Trade Administration

Today Commerce Secretary John Bryson presented 41 U.S. companies and organizations with “E” Awards and “E Star” Awards recognizing their significant contributions to the expansion of U.S. exports. These awards fall into two categories. The “E” Award for Exports honors manufacturers and service businesses, demonstrating a sustained increase over several years in selling U.S. products and services to overseas consumers. The “E” Award for Export Service honors export service providers that demonstrate how over several years they have assisted businesses to increase their exports.

The “E” Award was created by President John F. Kennedy on December 5, 1961, “to award suitable recognition to persons, firms, and organizations making significant contributions to the increase of American exports.” The “E Star” Award, which was authorized by the Secretary of Commerce in 1969, recognizes previous “E” Award winners for their continuing significant contributions to U.S. export expansion.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the “E” Award and since its inception, more than 2,500 companies and organizations have been recognized for their excellence in exporting. The honorees this year are the largest group to be recognized with the “E” Awards and “E Star” Awards for their export achievements and the diversity of industries and communities represented is impressive. The 2012 recipients come from across the United States, from Bakersfield, Calif., to Baton Rouge, La., Bolingbrook, Ill., and Bradford, Pa. Of the companies recognized at today’s ceremony, 35 are small or medium-sized enterprises, 20 are manufacturers, and 17 companies are both.

For example, the 2012 recipients include:

Ambient Technologies is a small, Hispanic-owned business that has been providing geological consulting, drilling, geophysical and geographic services since 1993. With offices in Florida and Panama, Ambient employs more than 32 individuals in the United States and more than 12 internationally, mostly professional scientists, technicians, drillers and administrators. Ambient contracts with international consultants and engineering firms to deliver support services on projects in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean region. These projects include major construction and remediation projects with worldwide recognition, including the Panama Canal Expansion.

Founded in 1997, MyUS.com of Sarasota, Florida is a leader in international package forwarding and shipping, servicing more than 100,000 global consumer and business customers’ annually.  MyUS.com employs shipping experts to handle its customer’s international shipping logistics, package consolidation, export compliance and customs documentation needs for the approximately 2,000 packages MyUS.com receives daily.  With a global footprint in over 200 countries worldwide, MyUS.com has sustained its commitment to export expansion by continuing to provide excellent service to its customers. 

DeFeet International Inc., of Hildebran, North Carolina, manufactures high-quality, technical-performance sports socks, gloves, and base-layer apparel. Established in 1992, DeFeet has always manufactured its own products. In September 2001, the company lost their entire factory to fire. DeFeet was able to continue knitting and rebuild. The company is committed to making quality products using locally sourced materials, employing skilled craftspeople, and minimizing waste.

NuStep of Ann Arbor, Michigan, manufactures a recumbent cross-trainer designed for general fitness, as well as rehabilitation physical therapy of individuals unable to use regular exercise equipment.

McWong Environmental and Energy Group of Sacramento, California provides environmental design services and equipment for wastewater treatment projects in China.

These are just a few examples of the companies recognized today. Each story differs, but at the heart of their success is their willingness and ability to tap into markets outside of our borders.

Today people want products “Made in America” and these manufacturers, service companies, and export service providers from across the country are helping to make that possible.

Cory Churches is a Communications and Outreach Specialist in the Office of Public Affairs within the International Trade Administration

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