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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Dec 3, 2013
December 3, 2013
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Food and Nutrition:
If you're trying to avoid a weight gain this holiday season, switch to red plates. A new study suggests people tend to consume less of things presented on red dishes, whether it's chocolate or hand cream even.
Writings published in the journal Appetite explain it's not contrast between the plate and what's on it that does the trick; it's the actual color red that causes people to cut back on what they consume. (Page)Human Nature:
If you want to make your baby smarter, feed it messy food.
Scientists say encouraging toddlers to make a mess while eating helps them learn. The idea is to place the kid in a high chair and give them lots of "gloopy non-solid food" like Jell-O or oatmeal. Psychologist LARISSA SAMUELSON says, "It may look like your child is playing in the high chair, throwing things on the ground ...but they are getting information out of those actions. And, it turns out, they can use that information later." (Still)Broadcast, cable and video news:
BARBARA WALTERS is out with her list of the "10 Most Fascinating People of 2013," and it's probably no surprise that MILEY CYRUS is on it.
The rest of the names on the list include KIM KARDASHIAN and KANYE WEST (who count as one), and the cast of "Duck Dynasty" (who also count as one). There's also PRINCE WILLIAM and KATE MIDDLETON's son, PRINCE GEORGE, POPE FRANCIS, JENNIFER LAWRENCE, ROBIN ROBERTS, DIANA NYAD and NSA whistleblower EDWARD SNOWDEN. That's nine if you're keeping track, and of course, as usual Barbara will unveil the number one most fascinating person during the special, which will be her last, since she's retiring next year.
The special airs Dec 18 on ABC.Sucking the life out of the wire services:
While BARBARA WALTERS has released most of her "Most Fascinating People of 2013," those crazy kids over at GQ magazine are bucking tradition by honoring the LEAST influential people of 2013. Some of the lucky contenders include LADY GAGA, twerk-a-licious MILEY CYRUS and JUSTIN BIEBER, who was reamed for dressing like a blind magician and making his bodyguards carry him up the Great Wall of China. DENNIS RODMAN topped the list, followed by PAULA DEEN, sexting fiend ANTHONY WEINER, "The Bieb" and POPE BENEDICT XVI. (Lee)
Chic Sh*t:
Nerd Alert! GEORGE TAKEI, also known as Sulu from the original "Star Trek" series, has his own fragrance coming out... And it's all kinds of awesome. The perfume is being called "Eau My," playing off of his character's signature "Ooohh Myyyy" catchphrase. The 76-year-old sci-fi legend is known for his sense of humor, but he's serious about the scent. It's described on his popular Facebook page as a "clean, freshing fragrance for Men and Women." It's currently available for pre-order on Amazon. (Bartha)
Cyber Monday bonanza:
Big sales for Cyber Monday. Some are calling it the biggest online shopping day in history.
As of 6 pm Eastern last night, sales were up anywhere from 17.5 percent to 19 percent over last year. Smartphones and tablets drove nearly a third of traffic, and or some retailers, more than half.
And why stop a good thing. USA Today notes that retailers from Target to Sears are morphing Cyber Monday into a sort of Cyber Week, stretching deals well beyond yesterday.
Editor's note: Not me. I held out for today, Tardy Tuesday, where we all don foam helmets and storm the local grocery store to buy as much pudding as we want. (Maiman) -
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