Our favorite performance of the night: 11 year old Anna Graceman rocking Motley Crue!

Maggie is looking for her forever family; could she be searching for you?

This gorgeous girl is Maggie, a 9 year old German Shepherd mix.  Maggie was surendered to Animal Services by her owner, due to foreclosure.  Maggie is FULL of personality and a wonderful, affectionate energy.  She is very smart, great on the leash, and she LOVES everybody!  We were so happy to have in the studio with us this morning!  She would make a perfect addition to your family!

For more information about how to make sweet Maggie the newest member of your family, call the Alachua County Humane Society at 352-373-5855.

Marshmallows!

The marshmallow probably first came into being as a medicinal substance, since
the mucilaginous extracts comes from the root of the marshmallow plant, which
were used as a remedy for sore throats.

Marshmallow candy originated in ancient Egypt. It was a honey candy that was
flavored and thickened with Marsh-Mallow plant sap.

Technically, marshmallows are a confection — a candy.

Homemade Marshmallows

Ingredients

   1. 3 cups white sugar
   2. 1/4 cup corn syrup
   3. 1/4 teaspoon salt
   4. 3/4 cup water
   5. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
   6. 1 cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Generously coat a 9×13 dish with cooking spray. In a large saucepan, combine
sugar, corn syrup, salt and water. Heat to between 234 and 240 degrees F (112 to
116 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a
soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat
surface. Remove from heat and beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks
form, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Chill in
refrigerator 8 hours or overnight. To cut, loosen edges with a knife. Dust
surface with confectioners’ sugar, and turn out onto a waxed paper lined
surface. Dust with confectioners’ sugar again and cut with a knife. Makes 24
large marshmallows.

Now before you turn your nose up like a 3 year old being force-fed broccoli, America’s most notable convenience store says they are delicious!  7-11 stores have begun to sell Hot Dog Flavored Potato Chips and just as the name implies, they taste like a hot dog;  specifically the 7-11 Big Bite Hot Dog.  But that’s not all, 7-11 also markets ketchup, mustard and relish spiced chips too.  So in theory, you could enjoy all the flavors of a hot dog without an actual hot dog! Although I have not eaten these new concoctions, early reviews say they are delicious.  So the next time you stumble across a 7-11, stop in for a hot dog in a bag!

Gothamist

Seems like the “A Lister’s” we were promised, backed out…

Behold: Season 13 Cast

The new cast of Dancing With the Stars has been revealed. Last night ABC confirmed rumors that Chaz Bono and Rob Kardashian would be among the contestants on season 13 of the reality competition series.

Among the surprises? HLN host Nancy Grace and U.S. soccer star Hope Solo will be taking the dance floor.

Season 13 will premiere September 19th on ABC.

The new contestants are as follows:

HLN host Nancy Grace
Reality star Kristin Cavallari
Talk show host Ricki Lake
Singer Chynna Phillips
Soccer star Hope Solo
George Clooney’s ex, Elisabetta Canalis
Actor David Arquette
Reality star Rob Kardashian
Soap star J.R. Martinez
Chaz Bono
Basketball player Ron Artest
Fashion guru Carson Kressley

Fabulous Freebies in 2011 from Kiplinger’s!

At Kiplinger, we believe you can have the best of both worlds: that you can live frugally and live well.

To prove that point, we’re back with our fifth annual list of fabulous freebies. We found 31 categories of quality goods and services — from free financial services to free entertainment, no useless junk allowed! — that you would happily pay money for, except you don’t have to.

Welcome to the land of the freebies, the home of the savers.

Check ‘em out here.

Can you believe it????  Gator football kicks off this weekend!  Complete with a new coaching staff and a new tradition in downtown Gainesville.  It’s United Gainesville: The Gator Getdown and simply put, it’s a family-friendly street party  downtown every Friday before home games.  Live entertainment, children’s activities and overall fun!  Finally a activity the whole family can enjoy to get pumped up for Gator football and it’s free!  Just between you and me, come early because we’ll have free tickets for Saturday’s game against Florida Atlantic to give away

It appears the sluggish economy has even affected the Tooth Fairy.  A recent audit of the Tooth Fairy’s business records by Visa, they found that cash for canines, molars and incisors has dropped by more than 13 percent, from $3 to $2.60. Out of 1,000 associates of the Tooth Fairy, 10 percent of children under 12 did not get a single penny for their lost teeth. Last year, only 6 percent got stiffed.  (National Examiner)

Speaking of teeth (nice segue), losing weight can be hard; especially as the holidays get closer.  You’ve worked hard to shed those extra ponds and inches, so follow these 10 tips to keep off the weight that you’ve worked so hard to lose.

1—Throw out junk food — No matter how disciplined you are, if junk food is there, you’ll eventually eat it. All it takes is a long day at work or a rushed meal to push you toward grabbing the quick fix. Do a quick search through your house (cabinets, refrigerator, under your pillow, and so on) and get rid of unhealthy snack food. If your spouse, significant other or kids have junk in the house, throw their stuff out, too. They’ll thank you later.

2—Stay hydrated — Consuming a couple cups of water before you eat will fill up your stomach and cause you to eat less. Research has shown that people using this strategy lose more weight than people who don’t. If you don’t like water, try adding a lemon or lime to it or try drinking a zero-calorie beverage with a little more flavor like green tea or low calorie sports drinks. The important thing is that you’re staying hydrated and filling up your stomach with liquid while not taking in additional calories.

3—Get a dog — A big part of keeping weight off is maintaining an active lifestyle. It sounds ridiculous, but research has shown that people tend to become more active when they have a pet. Letting your dog take you for a walk at night will get you off the couch and keep your hand out of the junk food that you should have thrown out already.

4—Eat breakfast — Your metabolism plummets while you sleep. The best way to jump-start your metabolism and give your body the fuel it needs for the day to come is to eat a quality breakfast. At a bare minimum, your breakfast should have at least one serving of fruits and vegetables, a lean protein source and a glass of water. You can also add a quality whole-grain carbohydrate source, such as steel cut oats, to your breakfast.

5—Avoid sugars, pasta and white bread – When you take in a whole-grain carbohydrate source, it takes time for your body to break down the food. As a result, you receive a slow, consistent supply of food, similar to a time-release drug. On the other hand, foods like pasta, white bread or anything high in sugar are rapidly digested and give your body a quick supply of a ton of energy. Since your body doesn’t need all of this energy at once, it defaults to storing it as fat. Overall, these foods have little nutritional value and generally lead to metabolic damage and fat storage.

6—Learn how to cook – Short-term diet interventions never work long-term. In order to keep weight off, you need to change your lifestyle to make it conducive to keeping weight off. This sounds simple, but for some men it can be a rough transition. If you associate healthy eating with bland foods, you probably won’t continue to eat healthily for too long. Learning how to use spices and prepare foods in different ways that you enjoy will help ensure that you’re eating the right foods for the rest of your life. You can start by perusing the grocery store for prepackaged spices like Cajun, Italian seasoning, Montreal steak and/or chicken, and seasoned salt. Eating healthily does not need to be boring.

7—Lift weights — Muscle has a significantly higher metabolic rate than bone and fat. Simply put, this means that it takes more energy to fuel muscle than it does other tissues within the body. By lifting weights and adding some muscle mass, you keep your metabolism and the number of calories you burn at rest high. This is one of the most overlooked aspects of a quality fat-loss program and is essential as part of a weight-loss maintenance program.

8—Eat every 2 to 3 hours – One of the best things you can do to keep weight off is to set up an eating schedule and stick to it. Eating regularly tells your body that you are going to supply it with a consistent supply of quality nutrients and that it doesn’t need to hoard anything. It will also ensure that you don’t binge eat because you’re “starving.” Figure out when you usually wake up in the morning and when you go to bed at night, then plan meals every two to three hours in between. Remember that keeping weight off is about keeping your metabolism high. Skipping meals lowers your metabolism, too, so stick to your schedule.

9—Allow yourself cheat meals – Sticking with the idea that keeping weight off needs to be a lifestyle change, it’s important that you don’t deprive yourself of everything you like. Eating healthily doesn’t mean you can’t ever have foods like burgers, ice cream and pizza. In fact, when most people start a diet like that, they fall off the wagon within the first month, overcompensate by eating a ton of the foods they tried to cut out of their diet, and end up gaining weight. The solution is to allow yourself to eat “cheat meals” as 10% of your meals. If you eat every two to three hours, you’ll eat around six meals per day. Six meals per day times seven days per week is 42 meals per week. This means that about four of your meals throughout the week can be cheat meals. The key to a successful cheat meal is to eat something you enjoy, but do not overeat. In other words, have a couple slices of pizza, but don’t eat the whole pie.

10–Surround yourself with healthy people – Your behavior inevitably mirrors that of the people you spend the most time with. If you surround yourself with heavy drinkers, you’re likely to end up drinking more. If you surround yourself with junk food enthusiasts, you’re likely to end up eating more junk food. On the contrary, if you surround yourself with people who play flag football more than they watch football on TV, you’re likely to be more active. In a nutshell, if you spend the majority of your time with people who } are active and health-conscious, you’re more likely to be so yourself.

How can you find out where your homes is most energy inefficient?

Do you tremble when you open your monthly utility bills? If so, it’s probably time for an assessment of your home’s energy efficiency to help you to identify problem areas, like leaky ducts or ill-fitting windows, where heated or cooled air escapes.

Chris had Bertie Heating & Air evaluate her home.  They are partnered with GRU to provide this comprehensive service for FREE.  The team took about 2 hours, and examined every aspect of Chris’s home for energy efficiency.  They found leaking ducts, inefficient windows, poor and absent insulation, an oversized air conditioning system and poor A/C returns.   Once these thinsg were corrected, Chris’s electric bill fell from an all-time high of about $580.00 to $250.00 last month.  The difference was astonishing and immediate.  To have the same energy evaluation done on your home, call Bertie Heating & Air: 352.331.2005!  Thanks to Jim Bertie for joining us in the studio this morning for our 1 Thing segment!

Listen to our conversation with Jim this morning: 8.29.11.4.1 Thing – Home Energy Evaluation with Jim Bertie

WOW!  Over $84,000 raised for during the 11th annual Children’s Miracle Network Radiothon last week!  It is so nice to be in a community that supports itself with a big, warm heart!  I know all the doctors, nurses, researchers, families and patients of Shands Hospital for Children appreciate your donations!  I personally thank you!

For some time, there have been non-user fees that companies charge their customers and rationalize them by saying it costs money to administer a non-active account…which doesn’t maker sense to me.  Usually these are fees of gift and pre-pay credit cards and are a ripoff in my opinion!  Now it appears a phone company is jumping on the non-user fee by charging land-line customers who do not have a long distance plan a monthly fee.  In other words, if you do not use your land-line phone to make long distance calls and to save money you discontinued your long distance plan, you now will be charged a monthly fee of $2!  Sounds silly doesn’t it?  The phone company says it is a way to keep access to land-line customers who wish to make a long distance call from time to time.

So why not charge a $2 fee to people who DO make the call rather than everyone who has a land-line phone?  Well, because that’s common sense and not a profitable string of revenue! I can certainly see why more and more people are canceling their land-line phones for a cell phone.  Silly fees like this will only make the switch even faster, so be careful corporate America.

Have a great day!~Chris Malone

Read the whole story here in Cleveland Live

You now have the power the end the unhappy surprise of logging onto Facebook and seeing that you’ve been tagged in an embarrassing or unflattering photo. As it stands now, friends can tag you in a photo without your consent or knowledge, and even though you can remove it, that could happen after lots of other people have already seen a photo of you you’d rather they hadn’t. However, Facebook announced Tuesday (August 23rd) that users will now be able to require pre-approval for them to be tagged in photos, as well as for written posts that others tag them in. Users will also have the option of pre-approving what others tag on their own photos and posts. Facebook said that the change was made in response to requests from users, with pre-approving photo tags being the most requested. The changes start going into effect Thursday.

Thanks Launch Prep!:)

So, till then.. either, keep a paper bag over your head, or just Behave!!