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A real tuna surprise

It's chuck full of protein, inexpensive, lasts forever and easy on the hips. We're talking canned tuna of course, and while you may be familiar with warnings to eat it in moderation, now the fresh kind is also under scrutiny.

Why? In a nutshell, mercury.

What's happening? Why now?
Just when you thought the fresh kind was okay, a report by the New York Times calls it into question. In a top-read story this week, "High Mercury Levels Are Found in Tuna Sushi," the NYT says lab tests run on fresh tuna sold at 20 different sushi outlets in Manhattan showed high levels of the neurotoxin mercury.

Specifically, the report says eating just six pieces of sushi from most of the places contained about the same amount of mercury that the Environmental Protection Agency considers suitable for a 154-pound adult to eat in a week.

The report says much of the fish tested was bluefin tuna.

Separately, the conservation group Oceana issued its own report on Wednesday, saying mercury levels in fish they tested nationwide exceeded levels the FDA considers safe to sell.

What does mercury do and how does it get in the fish?
Mercury is tied to a number of health issues, including vision impairment, memory loss and cardiovascular problems. But the biggest concern is for pregnant women, women planning to become pregnant, and children because mercury, as the EPA's site puts it, "can adversely affect a baby's growing brain and nervous system."

Methylmercury enters the environment through pollution from coal-powered plants. The older and bigger the fish, the more mercury it accumulates. Hence one reason why the bluefin tuna may be high in mercury—it can be huge, stretching 12 feet long, weighing over 1,000 pounds, and living 30 years. Watch how mercury gets into fish.

How much fish should you eat?
There are of course many health benefits to eating fish. However, the FDA and EPA agree high-risk groups (women and children) should limit their weekly fish intake to 12 ounces. This includes canned tuna, and the EPA suggests eating no more than 6 ounces of the albacore kind. The advisory says to not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish (whatever that is!) at all.

The big picture
It's a bad time to be a bluefin tuna. Recent reports say the fish is being depleted as sushi appetites explode worldwide. Last September Europe banned fishing for bluefin through the end of the year. And while fishing groups deny mercury's threat, other groups are pushing for stricter consumption guidelines. Eating fish, however, is just part of the issue; emission laws are another big piece. So for now it seems, enjoy that tuna—just not too much of it!

Love that tuna? Try the tuna calculator.

Ordering out? Download the Seafood Watch pocket guide.

Burning ring of fire?

Let's not kid ourselves. If you're out for dinner or attending any social event this weekend, there will be talk of the football. The two division championship games are set for Sunday and the winners of each will head to the Super Bowl on February 3.

But after the Dow's 307-point drop on Thursday, a whopper of a loss, you may also hear talk of a recession—of growing concern among voters—and Washington's plan to stimulate the economy.

We know... the economy, ugh. But before your eyes glaze over, consider that the stimulus package could mean a government check in your hot little hand.

In a nutshell, here's what happened on Thursday:

It all came tumbling down
Before the markets even opened on Thursday, the beaten-down housing sector had more bad news—the number of new homes built last year fell to the lowest level in 16 years, indicating potentially bigger problems in the economy (fewer houses constructed equals fewer jobs, less materials ordered, less money being spent). 

Then, the investment bank Merrill Lynch said it lost $10 billion last quarter and wrote off $15 billion in debt. Why? Because of bad credit loans made in the housing market (we wrote about this in August). It was the second major bank this week to report a dramatic loss and huge debt write-off, and the market didn't like it.

Meanwhile, President Bush spoke with Congressional leaders about a possible plan to help the economy. On Friday he's expected to lay out an economic stimulus plan aimed at giving taxpayers and businesses a break. You may recall the last stimulus package in 2001, after the Internet bubble burst, put $300 back in each taxpayer's pocket.

But the real whammy came later in the morning when Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke (the man in charge of the central banking system and key to U.S. monetary policy) told Congress the economy needs a boost. And while he said he does not expect a recession, he did say the boost should come "quickly."

What's a recession anyway?
In short this is when a country's gross domestic product (in a nutshell the value of everything we produce) drops for two quarters in a row or more.

The big picture 
So how does all this impact you? Well, you might get a check in the mail that could mean a little or a lot depending on your financial situation. Whatever steps Bush and Congress take to help the economy will likely be subject to much bipartisan back and forth, especially considering this is an election year. But the fact that the president, the Fed Chief and Congress are all talking this means the economy is in need of some serious help. Basically, it's ugly and the scariest part is, no one knows how ugly it will get. 

Round 2 gets juicy

It was like watching a college football upset. On Tuesday night, Senators John McCain and Hillary Clinton outscored the other teams and took the second campaign matchup—the New Hampshire primary—for the Republican and Democratic parties, respectively.

 

Their wins prompted the press to call McCain's triumph "Lazarus-like," and to partially pin Clinton's win on her "Muskie moment." We had to look up both of these references and thought we'd share what they mean:

 

The Lazarus reference is biblical

After coming in fourth in Iowa last Thursday, McCain won New Hampshire by five points, returning, some thought, from the dead. Over the summer his campaign fell into disarray and was financially broke. The press called his New Hampshire win "Lazarus-like," referring to the Bible and the story of Lazarus, whom Jesus is said to have raised from the dead.

 

The Muskie reference is wonkish

What's in a tear? Apparently a lot if you've followed all the press surrounding Hillary Clinton's emotional comments the day before the Tuesday primary. The press called it her "Muskie moment," referring to Ed Muskie, a presidential candidate from Maine back in 1972 who reportedly teared up at a press conference while defending disparaging comments about his wife. Seems like something only political buffs (a.k.a. political wonks) would remember! (Watch video of her comments)

 

Older women and independents key to wins
Independents and women made all the difference in the New Hampshire primary for the comeback kids. McCain scored high with the state's large number of independents, which accounted for 37% of Republican voters there.

Women, some swayed by her show of emotion, voted overwhelmingly for Clinton—she won in this category over Iowa winner Barack Obama by 12 points. But the biggest win for her over Obama came among women 65 years and over, women who probably remember the Feminist movement best. She took 57%; he 27%.

 

The big picture

There's no rest for the weary. For the candidates it's on to Nevada, Michigan, South Carolina and then Florida—all this month. For the voters like us it's another three weeks of political craziness until Super Tuesday on February 5. But with huge voter turnout and no clear front-runner in either party, we certainly have ourselves a ball game. So get out the popcorn and be sure to pull up a seat!

 

Why you still matter

Sitting here watching the results roll in from Iowa Thursday night (while drinking wine and eating Chinese food) it dawned on us that despite the results from the Hawkeye State, our votes still matter. And so do yours. Here's why:

 

1. Iowa typically does not predict the winner

There's a lot of media and candidate hoopla surrounding Iowa because it's the official kick off for the race to the White House. But in fact only one non-incumbent Iowa winner since 1984 has gone on to win the presidency: George W. Bush.

2. Iowa is 95% white

The point here is that Iowa doesn't look like the rest of the country. Nationally, African-Americans make up 13% of the population and Hispanics 15%. In Iowa they make up just 2.5% and 3.8% respectively. The first relatively diverse states to vote will be Michigan (14% black, 4% Hispanic) and South Carolina (29% black, 3.5% Hispanic), both crucial primaries later this month.

3. Don't forget Tsunami Tuesday
In the 2004 election cycle, nine states held primaries on the same day in March—Super Tuesday. By then 20 other states had already cast votes, meaning the nominations were all but locked up. So in an effort not to be left out and get an earlier say, a slew of states pushed up their primary dates in this election to February 5. You'll hear it referred to as Super Duper Tuesday or Tsunami Tuesday, when about 22 states will hold primaries or caucuses.

The big picture

This isn't to say that Iowa isn't a big deal—it is. For Republican winner Mike Huckabee and Democratic winner Barack Obama, Iowa certainly serves as a boost heading into the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday. Question is, will the momentum last? Plenty of prospective candidates have won Iowa only to stumble later in the primary season. Of course Bill Clinton lost in both states in 1992 but still won the overall election. Bottom line, unless you cast your vote in Iowa, your vote still matters.