tech crunch

The sedentary hours kids spent watching television have often been blamed for America's growing obesity problem, but new research from UCLA says the real culprit is junk food advertising. The study compared children who watched DVDs or commercial-free programs, such as Sesame Street, and kids who watch regular TV and commercials. TV viewing contributed to childhood obesity only among the kids who watched commercials, which predominantly market unhealthy food and drinks.

Commercial television pushes children to eat a large quantity of those foods they should consume least: sugary cereals, snacks, fast food and soda pop   -Frederick Zimmerman

 

The Bracketology field is based on how the tourney looks "as of this moment." The field below is not based on who I think deserves to be in, but a prediction of what the committee would do as things stand. Beginning this week, I'll be posting Bracketology updates every Tuesday & Friday.  

Despite the recovering global economy, Taiwan's small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) are less bullish than their counterparts in Asia with their business confidence remaining at the lowest level in the region, an HSBC survey showed. The semi-annual survey, which polled 6,031 businesses from 20 markets in December, said all Asian markets showed increased confidence levels except for Taiwan, which dropped one point. Taiwanese SMEs' confidence index in terms of economic outlook stood at 97 in the fou  

In truth, Carter was due for a breakout performance. He began February on a positive note, filling up the stat sheet to help upend the Bucks last Wednesday and continuing on with solid play in subsequent outings leading up to yesterday's explosion. Significantly, his breakout from a month-long slump that had him riding the pine in the crunch coincided with the Magic's hiring of former mentor Lawrence Frank as "consultant," his insistence that his confidence doesn't ever waver notwithstanding.  

10 PM ET/PT….  

"Snookin' For Love" no longer! Meet bodybuilder Emilio Antonio — the tanned "guido" who's keeping one Jersey Shore starlet on her perfectly-pedicured toes. "He is just like my typical guido juicehead with like a good personality," Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi told RadarOnline.com on Sunday, before Tweeting several images of the heavily-gelled hottie she's dubbed "My Baby." "He is freaking banging. We're the sexiest couple I have ever seen in my entire life so I am excited for everybody to see that," Snook ad  

Calvin Klein has revealed that his professional relationship with Kate Moss was anything but a walk in the park, calling the British stunner a "difficult" person to work. The 67-year-old designer – revered for his controversial promo campaigns — has confessed that Kate was not exactly his favorite person when he cast her to appear alongside Mark Wahlberg in a series of advertisements for CK Underwear in the early nineties. Klein says that while Moss was "a great model," she was also a "difficult" pers  

Tim Robbins has joined the cast of Warner Bros.' Green Lantern , the superhero movie based on the DC Comics character, The Hollywood Reporter revealed on Tuesday. Robbins — who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in the Clint Eastwood's Mystic River — will play Senator Hammond, the disapproving father of the movie's villain, Dr. Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard), who becomes infused with psychic powers. This is the second comic book movie for Robbins — who last seen in the 2008 sci-fi fil City  

If the influx of original movies and unscripted hits like The Hills and Jersey Shore weren't enough of a giveaway, MTV is making it official — the network no longer counts music as its cornerstone. As of Monday, MTV is sporting a redesigned logo with the phrase "Music Television" removed as its tagline.  

Lindsay Lohan posted a close-up snap of her trout pout on Twitter.com in a bid to kill off rumors that she had her lips plumped up with collagen injections. In a message accompanying her close-up, LiLo Tweeted: "Why are all of my friends asking me if I have a cut on my lip? Lol coz I don't…..see! my lips are just as they've always been :) lol-it's nuts that i feel the need to give proof!"