are begging for liposuction to remove any excess they may have around their waists so they can pass the body fat test. “They come in panicked about being kicked out or getting a demerit that will hurt their chances at a promotion,” said a Maryland surgeon.
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But defense officials have defended the test and say only a small fraction of those who exceed body fat limits perform well on physical fitness tests. “Those incidences are far and few between,” said Bill Moore, director of the Navy’s Physical Readiness Program. “We want everybody to succeed. This isn’t an organization that trains them and says, ‘Hey, get … out.’” The checks are designed to ensure troops are ready for the rigors of combat. Pentagon officials say the military does not condone surgically altering one’s body to pass the test, though liposuction is not banned. The Defense Department uses what is called a “tape test” to make a body fat estimate by taking measurements of the waist and neck. Those who fail are ordered to spend months in a vigorous exercise and nutrition program, which Marines call the “pork chop platoon” or “doughnut brigade.” Even if they later pass, failing the test once can halt promotions for years, service members say. Military officials say failing the test three times can be grounds for getting kicked out. The number of Army soldiers booted for being overweight has jumped tenfold in the past five years from 168 in 2008 to 1,815. In the Marine Corps, the figure nearly doubled from 102 in 2010 to 186 in 2011 but dropped to 132 last year.
While some soldiers resort to liposuction to pass the test. Others go on crash diets or even use weights to bulk up their necks to make them more in proportion to their larger waists. Dr. Pasquale, a former soldier, admits, “I’ve actually had commanders recommend it [liposuction] to their troops. They’ll deny that if you ask them. But they know some people are in really good shape and unfortunately are just built wrong,” he pointed out. Others say that the tape test is only meant for those in the normal population but not for those with bulkier bodies, like athletes. Air Force Gen. Mark Walsh noted only about 348 of 1.3 million airmen have failed the tape test but excelled otherwise. Even so, his branch heeded the complaints and modified its fitness program in October. The Air Force obtained a waiver from the Pentagon so airmen who fail the tape test but pass physical fitness exams can be measured using the Body Mass Index, which is a chart based on an individual’s weight and height.
More Americans Receive Government Funding than Full-Time Workers According to recent data released by the Census Bureau, Americans who were recipients of government benefits in 2011 outnumbered year-round full-time workers. In the fourth quarter of 2011, there were 108,592,000 people in the country who received one or more means-tested government benefit programs. In the same report published last week, it was listed that there were 101,716,000 people who worked full-time year round in 2011, including both those in the private-sector and government workers.
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Recipients of means-tested government programs included “anyone residing in a household in which one or more people received benefits from the program.” That extended itself to include those who live in households that receive more than one form of government programs. Among the 108,592,000 people who fit the Census Bureau’s description of a means-tested benefit recipient in the fourth quarter of 2011 were 82,457,000 who receive Medicaid; 49,073,000 who receive food stamps; 20,223,000 on Supplemental Security Income; 23,228,000 in the Women, Infants and Children program; 13,433,000 in public or subsidized rental housing; and 5,854,000 in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Also included were those who receive free or reduced-price lunch or breakfast, state-administered supplemental security income and means-tested veterans’ pensions. Individuals who receive government benefits from non-means-tested government programs were not included in the number. Non-means-tested government programs include those who receive Social Security, Medicare, unemployment, or non-means-tested veterans’ compensation. Those numbers were also released in the Census Bureau: 49,901,000 people received Social Security benefits, 46,440,000 received Medicare benefits, 5,098,000 were on unemployment, and 3,178,000 received non-means-tested veteran’s compensation. Time to get out and work, America!
Do you believe in stereotypes? It is known that the U.S. has regional stereotypes; New Yorkers are rude, Texans are friendly, and Californians are laid-back. But where do these assumptions come from and are there any real facts to back them up? A new study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology by a team of researchers in the UK analyzed American behavior in an attempt to prove these stereotypes. The 13-year study mapped out the “American mood” by rating personality and temperament on a
state-by-state basis. It included nearly 1.6 million respondents from the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia. Some less obvious results from this study include: Wisconsin residents are the most extroverted in the nation, Vermonters are the most reserved, residents Utah is the most agreeable, and Washington, DC, is the least agreeable place in the country (shocking!). West Virginia is also considered the most neurotic state, while Utah is the least. Even though the study has concluded that these stereotypes may be true, it’s each individual in the state who determines their own personality and character.
35 Contenders for Mayor’s City in Minneapolis
Minneapolis is a metropolis, but it’s the Wild West when it comes to the mayoral election this year. Due to a few factors— including no incumbent on the ballot and a low candidate filing fee of just $20—35 people are vying for the role of mayor in Minnesota’s largest city. The list of those running includes two City Council members, two former City Council presidents, a former county commissioner, and Captain Jack Sparrow. “It’s like mayor soup,” said Katherine Milton, a Minneapolis voter and arts consultant who is one of many trying to figure out the city’s “ranked choice” voting system. “It’s like putting together a 5,000-piece puzzle.” This is an important time for the city as its population has begun to increase after decades of decline. The outgoing mayor, R.T. Rybak, was instrumental in luring many young professionals and empty nesters to the city by highlighting the area’s parks, lakes, bike trails and thriving restaurant and nightlife scene. But after 12 years of working for his constituents, Rybak, 57, is calling it quits. And now voters have to learn how to use the novel ranked choice voting system, which asks voters to pick a first, second and third choice for the job. Those selections come into play if no candidate gets more 50 percent of the first-choice votes, triggering a series of automatic runoff counts. That’s put the candidates in an unusual position. “It’s an unnatural act for a politician to ask to be somebody’s second choice,” said Mark Andrew, a Democratic former county commissioner who’s among a handful of front-runners. “But if people tell me they are supporting someone else, then I ask to be their second choice.”