Rob's Screwy News - Tuesday 3-27

Mar 27th, 2012

This has to fall under the "life changing studies" category.  A new study has found that eating chocolate makes you SKINNY.  People who ate a moderate portion of chocolate five times a week had lower BMIs than people who had chocolate less frequently.  The scientists say eating chocolate has a psychological effect that helps you keep a diet AND provides antioxidants that can help you slim down

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Most career fields still don't feel like they're growing.  If anything, they still feel like they're shrinking.  NOT THIS ONE.

--If you need a job . . . and you're willing to occasionally breathe in a few toxic chemicals . . . check out the rapidly-growing world of METH LAB CLEANUP.

--It takes some training . . . you generally need to take some classes and get some field experience . . . but with more and more meth labs being busted, private cleanup companies all over the country need more staff.

--Once a meth lab has been found, the area is considered toxic until a thorough cleaning has been completed.  Owners can't rent or sell property that housed a meth lab until it's been decontaminated by a cleanup company.

--There's a big range in salary for meth lab cleanups, but most companies charge about $2 to $3 per square foot.  As an employee, it's definitely possible to hit $35,000 to $45,000 in a year, depending on how much you work.

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Our life expectancy these days is somewhere between 75 and 80.  But babies born today can expect to live a whole lot longer.  According to a new report, one out of every three babies born in 2012 will live to be 100.  Advances in everything from medicine to diet to safety are major factors.

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FEEL GOOD STORY!!! 

Megan Ramirez is a fifth-grade teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School in Moline, Illinois.  (--Moline is about 150 miles west of Chicago.)  And her six-year-old daughter, Madison, has a genetic disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. 

--Madison needs a therapy dog, but they cost $5,000 to $15,000 and Megan can't afford one.  Luckily, she has some students who really like her.    

--Four girls in her class have started a dog-walking business to raise enough money to buy Madison a dog.  They posted fliers and went door-to-door, charging two dollars for a 15-minute walk.  They pulled in $400.

--Then a neighbor, Nancy McDonald, heard what they were doing and offered them a deal.  She had four dogs, and had each of the girls walk one.  Then she turned over a check for $2,000.

(WQAD)