Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

Afghanistan:

Well-intentioned Americans send lots of care packages to troops in war zones, but it seems they sometimes forget to think about what those soldiers might miss from home.
   WESLEY MORGAN writes in the Atlantic magazine about how soldiers in war zones often puzzle at what exactly people are thinking when they send a big stack of AARP magazines or a box of toothpaste, or even a "Hello Kitty" t-shirt.
   Cookies are a popular item, and while no soldier would reject the treats, it seems they have more than enough, though one soldier in Kandahar said: "If they really want to support their troops, folks should quit it with all the other stuff and just send more dip." (Maiman)

What to send:

Send your stuff to Afghanistan. It's a pretty Spartan existence right now. We checked in with the appropriate military honchos on exactly what to send. If you're thinking about a care package, consult this list; it's legit:
   --Disposable razors; ones that last a while like Bic, Schick and Mach 3.
   --Deodorant, shampoo, lotion, aftershave, Febreeze (people go weeks without showers or laundry), and axe style body spray.
   --Baby wipes. This is huge! Best are the camping wipes that you can buy at REI.
   --Running shoes, size 8-14. Everyone there runs pretty often and shoes are in demand. Any brand will do.
   --White running socks (sizes 8-12), the kind that go above the ankle.
   --Individually wrapped candy like Butterfingers, Reeses, M&Ms, Snickers. Those candies you get for Halloween trick or treaters? Send those.
   --Good coffee. Pre-ground is better. Or try something called Cup of Joe for a Joe. It's the military version of Starbucks, and this program is a great way to do something nice without the carbon footprint of sending a package.
   --Local foods from home that travel well. If the chow hall is serving pork ribs, a bottle of BBQ sauce from home makes the meal. Green chili salsa? Cool salad dressings. Bring it on.
   --College hats. Any college will do since its football season there are people in country from everywhere.
   --Swiss Army type pocket knives. The multi-tool types are handy.
   --Cigars (handmade or machine made) dip, chewing tobacco. Flavored stuff is popular.
   --Fitness magazines (Runner's World or muscle mags), People magazine, and believe it or not, the National Enquirer is popular. Other magazines: Smithsonian (yeah, really), gun magazines, Maxim and anything with attractive females.
   --Mp3 players. Everyone has music on their computer, but not everyone has an mp3 player.
   --Headphones or ear buds.
   --Action DVDs (Stallone, Schwartzenegger and plenty of others.) Think of who's watching this stuff: Lots of 18-25-year-olds. Think what they like to watch. Buy that.
   --Rewritable CDs. They're not allowed to use thumb drives, so all data from a PC must be saved on a CDRW disk.
   --Letters to the soldiers. Put pictures in, too, especially of kids or a picture your kids drew. Big morale booster. Maybe you can get your class to do it. If you happen to be a cute young lady, send two photos of yourself --no, seriously: Arguing over who gets the photo for their bunk will boost morale. And this is straight from a soldier's mouth: When you write --quote-- "you don't need to dwell on the 'how proud we are of you' stuff. We get it. Thanks."

Top talkables of the day:

Congrats to SONYA "the Black Widow" THOMAS, who broke the world record for chicken wing eating over the weekend.
   The Buffalo News says Sonya ate 181 chicken wings in 12 minutes at the ninth annual National Buffalo Wing Festival. It's her fourth consecutive Chicken Wing Eating Championship, and she beat JOEY CHESTNUT, who won this year's Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. Joey came in second, eating 169 wings.
   In case you're interested, Sonya ate 4.86 pounds of chicken, which rolls in at 4,583 calories and 198.7 grams of fat (54 g saturated). But Sonya was still hungry after the competition and ate another 20 pieces of wings after winning the title!

Pet Food Recall:

About 75-thousand bags of dog treats are being recalled because of a concern over salmonella.
   Hartz Mountain Corporation initiated the recall after FDA testing showed salmonella organisms in 8-ounce bags of Hartz Naturals Real Beef Treats for Dogs.
   There haven't been any reports of sickness among pets or humans, but if you've got these treats at home stamped with the lot code BZ0969101E, you should throw them away immediately.
   FYI: Read more here. (Page)