Are artificial sweeteners a healthier option?

Are artificial sweeteners a healthier option?

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•by Dr. Ayala, on Mon Dec 21, 2009 5:43am PST
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The Internet is flooded with rumors that artificial sweeteners are dangerous to your health. Is there any truth to these rumors? Should you worry?

A short introduction to intense sweetness

Sweet tasting foods are rare in nature. Fruits and vegetables have some sweetness to them, but they’re also packed with lots of fiber, water, micronutrients and phytochemicals, and are nutritious and quite filling. Honey was hard to find for most of human history and even harder to harvest—it’s protected by an army of stinging warriors.
It’s only in our modern times that concentrated sweetness—in the form of table sugar—grew abundant, and with the invention of high-fructose corn syrup (made from subsidized corn) it became dirt cheap.
Who doesn’t love sweet tasting food? I’ll readily confess—I love chocolate and wish it was on the bottom, roomy part of the food pyramid.
Our preference for sweetness is most likely innate. Food marketers understood its seductive lure, so they started adding sugars to many foods and replaced plain water and milk with sweet drinks. And the consumption of refined sugar skyrocketed. Sweet foods sell!
Alas, too much sugar is a major factor underlying our obesity crisis. It can undermine normal satiety levels, motivating us to eat more than we need while stimulating food cravings. Too much sugar may also raise blood pressure and can elevate blood triglycerides levels (a risk factor for heart disease).
To our alleged rescue came artificial, non-caloric sweeteners, offering the same intense sweetness without the caloric price tag. There are several such products in the market, all FDA approved: Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal), Sucralose (Splenda), Saccharin (Sweet'N Low) Acesulfame K (Sweet One) and Neotame.

Are artificial sweeteners a tool in fighting obesity?
This month, David Ludwig of Harvard and Children’s Hospital of Boston and one of America's foremost obesity experts published a commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association titled: Artificially Sweetened Beverages, Cause for Concern. In this thoughtful commentary, Dr. Ludwig contemplates the potential downsides of replacing sugary drinks with the artificial stuff. Here are some of his main points:
On the up side:

• Short-term clinical trials show that artificial-sweetened beverages may produce short-term weight loss when they replace sugary drinks.
• Artificial sweeteners have been in use for a century, and although there are recurring questions about cancer risk related to their use, no such link has been found.
However:

• There are very few long-term studies looking at what artificially sweetened beverages do to weight, and since body weight regulation is super complex, it very well may be that over time the calories saved by moving to artificial sweeteners are replaced by other foods; in other words, diet drinks may not assist with weight loss. The two long-term studies cited in the paper, which should be interpreted cautiously, surprisingly showed a dose response correlation between consuming diet drinks and the development of obesity, and a correlation between the consumption of diet drinks and the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

• Artificially sweetened beverages habituate (or essentially train) our taste receptors to prefer intense sweetness, leading us to reject less-sweet foods (such as veggies and fruit) and “infantilizing” our taste buds to seek sweetness rather than to “grow up” and seek more complex flavors.
• Diet drinks dissociate between the signal and the outcome: Sweetness signifies to our body that energy and nutritious food are on the way, enacting hormonal and neurobehavioral pathways, yet with diet drinks no calories are actually consumed. The outcome of this disconnect isn’t yet clear, but it’s a concern.
• The popularity of artificially sweetened beverages is rising rapidly, and we’re ingesting very large amounts of these synthetic chemicals that are a relatively new addition to the human diet in what Dr. Ludwig calls “a massive, uncontrolled, and inadvertent public health experiment.”

Dr. Ludwig’s conclusion:
"Ultimately, high-quality, long-term clinical trials comparing all three beverage types are needed: sugar sweetened, artificially sweetened and unsweetened. Even if diet drinks produce long-term weight loss when substituted for sugar-sweetened beverages, they might cause weight gain when consumed instead of unsweetened drinks. For now, diet drinks may best be considered an aid in transitioning from high-calorie beverages to traditional, minimally sweetened beverages like water, mineral waters, teas, and coffee with no more than one gram of sugar per ounce (i.e., two teaspoons per eight-ounce cup).”
A perspective by two other eminent nutrition experts, Richard Mattes and Barry Popkin, in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition came to similar conclusions, saying that: “There are long-standing and recent concerns that inclusion of NNS (nonnutritive sweeteners i.e. non-caloric sweeteners) in the diet promotes energy intake and contributes to obesity.”

Do you drink diet drinks? Have you used them as an aid in transitioning from regular soda to water? Have you turned away from them? Please share some of your personal experiences.
Dr. Ayala

Full disclosure: I’m vice president of product development for Herbal Water, where we make organic herb-infused waters that have zero calories and no sugar or artificial ingredients. I’m also a pediatrician and have been promoting good nutrition and healthy lifestyle for many years.
Read more from Dr. Ayala at http://herbalwater.typepad.com/
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Averting IRS Audits

Keep IRS auditors away: Earn under 200K & & IRS will ignore you 99% of the time
by Larry Margasak, Tuesday December 22, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Want to keep IRS auditors away? Keep your earnings under $200,000 and they won't bother you 99 percent of the time.

IRS enforcement numbers, released Tuesday, show that returns under that amount have a 1 percent chance of getting audited.

Returns showing income of $200,000 and above have a nearly 3 percent audit chance. The percentage jumps to more than 6 percent for returns showing earnings of $1 million or more.

The percentages apply to both individual and joint returns.

The number of audits jumped 11 percent from 2008 to 2009 for returns with earnings of $200,000 or more, but rose 30 percent for returns showing earnings of $1 million or more. For those under $200,000 the number of audits remained steady.

The IRS conducted 1.4 million audits of individual returns in the financial year ended Sept. 30, with more than 1 million conducted through correspondence with the taxpayer. The others were conducted through face-to-face meetings with IRS auditors.

The IRS does not do random audits, but does conduct "research audits" that will test compliance in business tax categories. In 2010, the target will be payroll taxes, according to Steve Miller, deputy commissioner for enforcement.

What happens if you're audited while unemployed? The IRS may give you a break.

"While our assessments were up, the ability to pay went down drastically" due to the economy, Miller said. "We have a series of tools. We can have them pay partially, over time. If the money is not collectible, it's treated as non-collectible. It's going to depend on each case.

"We have to ensure there's a balance between our responsibility to collect taxes with economic realities. We give people more time and determine how fast they can pay and whether they can pay."

The total revenue collected from IRS enforcement actions, $48.9 billion in 2009, is a drop from $56.4 billion in 2008 and $59.2 billion in 2007.

Miller said the higher numbers in 2007 and 2008 reflect collections from settlements of several major tax shelter cases and other enforcement actions.

In 2007, for example, the IRS resolved disputed tax issues with drug maker Merck & Co., Inc. and its subsidiaries. Merck has agreed to pay approximately $2.3 billion in federal tax, net interest and penalties to resolve issues that had been in dispute for tax years 1993-2001.

The resolution was one of the largest achieved in recent years by the IRS and a taxpayer through the examination process.

The IRS has stepped up its examination of tax-exempt organizations, checking the books of more than 10,000 groups in 2009 compared to 7,800 the previous year.

The number of business tax returns examined was down slightly in 2009 from the previous year.

Estate Taxes

Beating the Estate Tax to Death

Sponsored by by Eva Rosenberg

Wednesday, December 23, 2009provided by

With estate tax set to end this year, retroactive lawmaking in 2010 is likely
While the House recently passed a bill to reinstate the estate tax in 2010, last week the Senate rejected a measure to temporarily extend it. But the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 legislation will not be allowed to stand, says Larry Richman, chair of Chicago-based Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg's Private Wealth Services Practice Group.

Look for retroactive action
More from MarketWatch.com:

• DUI Driver Can Write Off Damage

• Heading for Higher Rates

• Tax Pitfalls of Charitable Donations

Richman is right. On Dec. 3, the House of Representatives voted to permanently extend the present 45% estate tax rate, and the $3.5 million, per person, exclusion from estate taxes. While everyone was expecting a one-year extension, no one was expecting any permanent legislation while Capitol Hill is embroiled in the health-care debate.

For a married couple, this means that up to $7 million worth of assets would be excluded from estate taxes. That excludes nearly 60% of all estates. Based on 2008 filings, 22,642 estates out of a total filed of 38,373 are under $3.5 million, according to IRS data.

This did not sit well with the Senate. Democrats and Republicans are at odds over the tax rate and the exclusion amount. Democrats in general are ready to approve the House version, while some Republicans prefer a lower tax rate of 35% and a higher exclusion of $5 million. The end result: The Senate did not pass an estate-tax extension.

Still, there is little doubt the Senate will tackle this in the beginning of 2010. Generally, when a law is passed, it becomes effective on the date of passage. However, this law will be an exception. In order to avoid a complete repeal of the estate tax in 2010, this law is expected to contain a provision making it retroactive to Jan. 1, 2010, according to Wayne Otchis, a certified public accountant in San Diego. Otchis spoke at a Spidell Publishing Inc. (http://www.caltax.com/) tax update seminar in Woodland Hills, Calif. on Wednesday.
The end of the estate tax?

What if Congress does nothing and estate taxes really are repealed?
As we all know, nothing is certain except death and taxes. There is a chance that the Senate will debate this issue to death and no action will be taken at all. What then?

Bruno Graziano, a senior writer and analyst in the estate planning group of CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business, explains the implications for estates originating in 2010. In other words, for folks who die in the coming year.
The good news is, if Congress doesn't act, there will be no federal estate taxes at all. Businesses, stocks, and other assets can be passed on to heirs without being hit with tax rates as high as 45%.

The bad news?

• There are still state estate taxes to consider.
• There will be only a limited step-up in basis. Under current federal estate tax laws, the assets of the deceased get a step-up in basis to the fair market value at date of death (or 6 months later). This eliminates capital gains taxes when heirs sell assets. In 2010, if the estate tax is repealed, the step-up in basis is limited to $1.3 million for the overall estate, plus $3 million for assets transferred to a surviving spouse.

• If Congress doesn't take any action at all, in 2011, the pre-EGTRRA levels return -- estate taxes on all estates over $1 million, with federal tax rates up to 55%.
What not to do this year:

Since there is still confusion about the state of the estate tax, MarketWatch asked Graziano for some guidance on how to avoid foolish actions in 2009. He said:

• Don't believe that the estate tax is going away permanently -- all indications are that it will remain in some form after 2009. Even if Congress does nothing before year-end and allows the repeal to occur, they could reinstate the tax retroactively during 2010 or just wait for the EGTRRA sunset to occur and let the pre-2001 law come back in 2011.

• Don't abandon existing gifting plans for family and charity on the assumption that the estate tax is going away.

• Even without an estate tax, don't forget about estate planning. Other issues such as asset protection, dysfunctional family situations, disposition of retirements assets, and business succession issues can be just as important, if not more so, than the traditional transfer tax issues.

What can you do in the meantime?

Larry Richman suggests this may be a good time to do some last-minute planning to lock in the $3.5 million exclusion while it's still available. Since there are only a few days left this year, if you're really concerned, bully your way into your estate tax professional's office and start asking about Q-TIP trusts (qualified terminable interest property), generation-skipping trusts, reverse Q-TIP elections, and so forth. You can find some pretty useful information, as a starting point, in an "Introduction to Estate Planning" by attorney Robert L. Sommers. See the article on FindLaw.com. Also, see this useful page on the New York State Society of CPAs site, about EGTRRA.

Or you could have faith, and believe that the Senate will hammer out permanent estate tax legislation that will be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2010. Do you believe?
Eva Rosenberg is the founder of TaxMama.com and an enrolled agent licensed to represent taxpayers before the IRS. She is the author of the new e-book, "The 100% Home-Based Business Tax Solution." Reach her at taxwatch@gmail.com .

Copyrighted, MarketWatch. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of MarketWatch content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of MarketWatch. MarketWatch shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

Dave Barrie's Colonoscopy Journal

WARNING-DO NOT HAVE ANY LIQUIDS OR FOOD IN YOUR MOUTH OR NEARBY WHEN U READ THIS-IT'S BEYOND HILARIOUS!!IT BROUGHT ME TO TEARS & IT IS SOO TRUE.

This is from newshound, Dave Barry's colonoscopy journal:

I called my friend, Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon. It’s a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place. At one point passing- briefly through Minneapolis. Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring & patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but didn't -really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR REAR!'

I left Andy's office with some written instructions, & a prescription for a product called 'Movi Prep,’ which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave. I’ll discuss it in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America's enemies.

I spent the next several days productively sitting around, nervously. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my prep. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day. All I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the Movi Prep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug. Then- fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because Movi Prep tastes-& here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit & urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.

The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great, sense of humor, state- after u drink- it, 'a loose, watery bowel movement- may result.' This is kind of like saying that after u jump off a roof, u may experience contact with the ground.

MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here,
But have u ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the
MoviPrep experience with-u-as-the-shuttle. There are times when- u wish- the commode had a seat belt. You spend several-hours pretty much- confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. U -eliminate everything. And then, when u figure u must be totally empty, u have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future & start eliminating food u have not eaten yet.

After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.


At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood
& totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led-me to a room full of other colonoscopy, people, where I went inside a little curtained, space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when u put it on, makes u feel even more naked than when u are actually naked.

Then a nurse named Eddie put a little, needle in a vein in my left-hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, & I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this is, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom. So you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.

When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, & I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen', by ABBA. I told Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' had to be the least appropriate.

'You want me to turn it up?' asked Andy, from somewhere behind me. 'Ha
ha,' I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more -than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.

I have no idea, really. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling 'Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me & asking how I felt. I was excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that it was all over, & my colon passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald.

On- the-subject-of-Colonoscopies... Colonoscopies are no joke, but these comments during the exam were quite humorous..... A physician claimed that the following are actual comments made by his patients (predominately male) while he was performing their colonoscopies:

1. 'Take it easy, Doc. You're boldly going where no man has gone before!
2. 'Find Amelia Earhart, yet?'
3. 'Can u hear me NOW?'
4. 'Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?'
5. 'You know, in Arkansas, we're now legally married.'
6. 'Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?'
7. 'You put your left hand-in, u take your left hand out...'
8. 'Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!'
9. 'If your hand doesn't fit, you must quit!
10. 'Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity.'
11. 'You used to be an executive at Enron, didn't you?'
12. 'God, now I know why I am not gay.'
And- the- best- one- of- all.
13. 'Can u write a note for my wife saying that my head is not up there?'

Santa's Jewish Side

'Twas the night before Christmas and down here in Boca,
I was sitting at Starbucks, drinking my mocha.

I know we're all Jewish, but was wondering still,
if Santa would come here and give us a thrill.

On my way home, no Christmas lights did I see,
on the houses, the windows, not even the trees.

What a strange feeling. Not a decoration in sight.
Was it really December or a warm summer's night?

I drove past the deli, there were lines out the door.
People were waiting for kishka and more.

The restaurants were busy, Christmas dinners not planned.
Never, not here we're in Boca Land.

At home all was quiet. I left out kosher wine,
In case Santa came to Boca for the very first time.

Snoozing came easy to me Christmas Eve.
I wasn't waiting for presents to be left under a tree.

I could hope all I want. I could fuss and then see,
if Santa would make time for little old me.

Then all of a sudden he pulled up in his Jag,
with a sack full of presents each sporting a tag.

Oh Bloomies, oh Saks a computer and more.
He knows where to shop, he frequents my stores!

He looked for the lox, the bagels and jelly.
He came to Boca first to fill up his belly!

"I have a long night ahead, I want you to know.
From Boca I leave for New York and the snow."

He stayed for a while, he chatted and ate.
Then he left in a flash before it got late.

What a great night I thought with a sigh.
That jolly old Santa is a really nice guy.

As I cleared off the table I heard with delight
"Shalom to you all, and OY, what a night!!"

Nazis and Flouride and Complimentary Medicine...

Charles Perkin, a chemist, wrote the following to the Lee Foundation for Nutritional Research, Milwaukie, Wisconsin, on October 2nd 1954:

....In the 1930s, Hitler and the Nazis envisioned a world to be dominated and controlled by a Nazi Philosophy of Pan Germanism. The German Chemists worked out a very ingenious, far~reaching, plan of mass control, which was submitted to & adopted by the German general staff. This plan was to control the population in any given areas thru mass medication of drinking water. This could control the population in whole areas, reduce population by water medication that would induce sterility in women, etc. In this mass scheme of mass control sodium Fluoride occupied a prominent place....

------------------------------------------------
Check today's NY Times Science section. I wonder if Holistic Medicine & Gonzalez can help with Pancreatic Enzymes.
--------------------------------------------------------
My dentist said, "Many drs. can't see beyond their training because they weren't taught to think." He's right: it's not limited to drs: a pharmist runs a Holistic Pharmacy where Gonzalez shops. Yet when he got cancer he choose chemo.

When I told my dr. I was going Holistic he was aggitated. I said u must be open minded. He snapped, "Be careful u aren't too open minded! Your brain will fall out!"

Like all too many health care pros he's dogmatic, compounds & compensates ignorance with arrogance: doesn't know anything about it, yet doesn't believe in it because it doesn't work. He also employs a sanctimonous, witch dr. mentality.

Despite being good, pals with a Holistic dentist one of my drs. said H. Medicine's innevective because I needed radiation. Fortunately, I ask penetrating, insightful, questions: if I did chemo & needed radiation as part of a multi-prong, approach u'd accept that as standard treatment. Why is this different? Luckily, he's very nice & didn't get mad. I never heard another word about it.

I wrote a paper I entitled Holistic Medicine: Fact or Fiction when my ma got breast cancer. I synthesized it for lay people in part from a horrorifically, written Cancer Care phamplet geared for pros because u shouldn't have to be a pro to understand your health. If any of my students submitted anything so poorly I very strongly they drop my class.
It's on my Google Blog: mrmitch06

Never, ever even whisper I'm nice! This is the right thing. Any resemblance to kind or nice is an unfortunate, coindence!

Saving for Children's Education

Consider opening a tuition savings account in children's names. (Check out the "Tax

Benefits for Education: Information Center" at irs.gov); It's a great way to help

ensure a good education.

Aspirin May Save Diabetics' Sight

Reducing the risk of blindness caused by diabetes may be as simple as taking an aspirin every day, a study suggests.

Researchers looking into retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in the United States and a common complication of diabetes, say the condition appears to be caused in part by hundreds of microscopic blood clots that form in the eye.

Writing in this month's issue of the journal Diabetes, they said that aspirin, if taken early enough, might prevent the disease.

The report was prepared by Dr. Mara Lorenzi and colleagues at the Schepens Eye Research Institute at Harvard.

Aspirin is already commonly recommended by doctors for patients at risk of cardiovascular disease because it can help prevent the clots that can lead to strokes

and heart attacks. The American Diabetes Association counsels diabetics to take it for that reason.

But with new research showing evidence that blood clots may also explain the blindness common among diabetics — as many as 24,000 cases a year, the researchers estimate — aspirin may have a new role to play.

The researchers said they had found four times as many blood clots in the eyes of diabetics as in people without the disease. As the number of clots increases, the researchers said, the clots block blood flow to the retina, setting into motion a series of changes in the eye that lead to the blindness.

For aspirin therapy to be effective, they said, it must begin in the early stages of the disease.

Does your writtng speak well of you?...

For Your Career Mobility :


DOES YOUR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION SPEAK WELL OF YOU?

In reviewing and evaluating what you wrote down in our interactive discussions of provocative topics relevant to business and management and in your submitted written assignments and exams, I noticed some hard-to-ignore weaknesses in written communication. Unless these weaknesses are remediated, they will continue to show up under your signature. Like it or not, these weaknesses will most likely shape the image that your co-workers and supervisor will form of you. Some people think that written communication errors are not important because these are supposedly "minor" matters. These people think that what matters is what you "do" or "produce" on the job relative to your job responsibilities, NOT your written communication. But, they seem to forget that a significant part of what you "do" or "produce" at work is written. What you write down and transmit to co-workers and supervisor exhibits a number of things that will inevitably be noticed and reflect on you negatively, such as --

* Writing run-on sentences that confuse your reader ;

* Making statements that are hard to follow or understand because the reasoning is flawed and the language is murky, ungrammatical, and confusing;

* Using words you don't truly understand;

* Making errors in written English that should not be made by people who are
college educated such as (to cite only three examples) :

(1) interchanging "their" with "there" repeatedly;

(2) not knowing the difference between

"you're" (which is a contraction of "you are") and "your" (which indicates a "possessive pronoun")

(3) not differentiating "sell" (which is a verb) from "sale" (which is a noun).

Of course, you may decide to dismiss the above examples as "Unimportant Details" and offer the excuse that "It's nothing serious" because these are "just examples of poor spelling."

It's certainly your right to make that decision just as it's your right to go in a wrong direction.

In closing this "Winding Up" conference, allow me to ask just two questions --

1) Can you think without using language?

(Note: You may not wish to admit it, but it's clear you can't think without using language.)

2) If you are haphazard and careless in the use of language, what happens to your thinking?

I feel sure you KNOW the right answer. But there's no need to tell me. Telling yourself will be best... for you and your career.

By the way, the above advice is appropriate for some members of our class, and not
for others. Since your career is important to you, I feel confident that you know whether to take or leave this advice alone.

Regardless of your decision, I wish you the best in all your endeavors, academic and otherwise.

~ Bing Inocencio, Ph.D. -

TURKEY RECIPE

It sounds good! Here is a turkey recipe that includes popcorn as a stuffing ingredient -- imagine that. When I found this recipe, I thought it was perfect for people like me, who just are not sure how to tell when turkey is thoroughly cooked, but not dried out. Give this a try.

8 - 15 lb. turkey
1 cup melted butter
1 cup stuffing (Pepperidge Farm is Good.)
1 cup unpopped popcorn (ORVILLE REDENBACHER'S LOW FAT IS BEST)
Salt/pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush turkey well with melted butter
salt, and pepper. Fill cavity with stuffing and popcorn. Place in
baking pan making sure the neck end is toward the back of the oven.
After about 4 hours listen for the popping sounds. When the turkey's
ass blows the oven door open and the bird flies across the room, it's done.

And, you thought I didn't cook ....

Christmas...in Boca

'Twas the night before Christmas
and down here in Boca,
I was sitting at Starbucks,
drinking my mocha.


I know we're all Jewish,
but was wondering still,
if Santa would come here
and give us a thrill.


On my way home,
no Christmas lights did I see,
on the houses, the windows,
not even the trees.


What a strange feeling.
Not a decoration in sight.
Was it really December
or a warm summer's night?


I drove past Toojay's,
there were lines out the door.
People were waiting
for kishka and more.


The restaruants were busy,
Christmas dinners not planned.
Never, not here
we're in Boca Land.


At home all was quiet.
I left out Kosher wine,
In case Santa came to Boca
for the very first time.


Snoozing came easy
to me Christmas Eve.
I wasn't waiting for presents
to be left under a tree.


I could hope all I want.
I could fuss and then see,
if Santa would make time
for little old me.


Then all of a sudden
he pulled up in his Jag,
with a sack full of presents
each sporting a tag.


Oh Bloomies, oh Saks
Oh Nieman's and more.
He knows where to shop,
he frequents my stores!


He looked for the lox,
the bagels and deli.
He came to Boca first
to fill up his belly!


"I have a long night ahead,
I want you to know.
From Boca I leave
for New York and the snow."


He stayed for a while,
he chatted and ate.
Then he left in a flash
before it got late.


What a great night
I thought with a sigh.
That jolly old Santa
is a really nice guy.


As I cleared off the table
I heard with delight
"Shalom to you all,
and OY, what a night!!