Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Oct 12, 2011

Men in Uniform:

As the Army faces a prospective drawdown, the Army surgeon general says a growing percentage of soldiers aren't medically fit for duty --about 15 percent, according to Lt Gen ERIC SCHOOMAKER, and many of those involved weren't injured in combat.
The Army's deputy surgeon general, Maj Gen RICHARD STONE, says 25 percent of recruits come into the service with low iron and low bone density, and recruits overall have the highest body mass indexes ever recorded --as in, they're overweight.
Some of these issues can be addressed during boot camp with better nutrition, improved fitness programs and lifestyle education, but the Army plans to roll out an electronic health profiling system to better monitor soldier fitness and improved diet initiatives.
Editor's note: Surprise: The Army is not a video game.
--Military mess halls don't help. They serve burgers & chicken fried in trans fat, hotdogs, pizza, soda and other junk food. (Maiman)

Bid'ness is Bid'ness:

The machine used by JACK KEVORKIAN in over a hundred assisted suicides is up for auction.
CNN News says over a hundred items belonging to the late doctor will be auctioned October 28th at the New York Institute of Technology. Besides the so-called Thanatron machine, built by Kevorkian, his pearl flute, doctor's bag, a master lock from prison and his signature blue sweater will also go under the gavel.

Kevorkian died back on June 3rd at the age of 83. (Still)

Rating News:

Like you care: That E! Entertainment TV two-day KIM KARDASHIAN wedding show sucked in 4.4 million viewers Sunday and another four million Monday night as well. You'll undoubtedly be excited to find out that provided the cable network with its most-watched day ever on Sunday.
"Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event" also functioned as a nice lead-in for KENDRA WILKINSON's reality show, "Kendra" on Sunday night as well as "Chelsea Lately's" most-watched broadcast ever on Monday.

ROSIE O'DONNELL's new talk show, featuring an appearance from RUSSELL BRAND on all five Discovery network channels Sunday night pulled in nearly a half-million viewers for its debut. That's a bit down from SHANIA TWAIN's reality show, "Why Not? With Shania Twain," which had 839-thousand for its premiere earlier this year on all the networks.

Grace notes from Vinny Marino:

Remember "Rico Suave?" It was a huge hit in 1991 for GERARDO. He was a one-hit-wonder and stopped performing to take a job at his record label, Interscope. TMZ.com says he left that gig to become a personal manager for a hot new talent named FERNANDO GARIBAY. Fernando went on to be the musical director for LADY GAGA's "Born This Way" album. But, Gerardo claims he got Fernando that gig and is owed lots of money in commissions. So, Gerardo is suing Fernando for at least four-million dollars. (Marino)

Your Body:

Hitting the gym a lot could really change your life, especially if you’re a woman.
A Japanese study printed in the journal Menopause explains women who exercise frequently go through the so-called “change of life” earlier. Researchers found female volunteers who exercised the most or ate the most polyunsaturated fats were at least 15-percent more likely to reach menopause sooner than other women in the study.
Menopause is a time during a woman’s life when her ovaries stop producing eggs, ending her ability to get pregnant. For most women, that happens between the ages of 41 and 55.

It’s important to note that the study doesn’t prove working out and eating healthy foods actually trigger menopause. But researchers do believe findings could help play a vital role in preventing cancer. That’s because women going through menopause have less exposure to high estrogen levels. It’s estrogen that promotes breast tumors, and that could explain why early menopause is tied to a lower risk of breast cancer. (Page)