Free Republic

The US economy is in “The Deep.” Deep into yield curve inversion, that is. The US Treasury 10Y-2Y yield curve swam deeper into inverse at -75 basis points. The deepest inversion since just before The Great Recession and housing market crash.

To slow the exponential growth of coronavirus, and lessen the burden on hospitals and healthcare workers, local and state officials have issued sweeping mandates closing non-essential businesses and schools and ordering residents to stay at home. But have these blunt measures started to "flatten the curve" of the virus' spread? Data from recent days, as seen in the charts below, point to encouraging results. We review daily deaths reported in California, New York, and the U.S. as a whole. While case numbers are regularly reported and updated, the number of cases is fraught with bias due to testing constraints and...

Model Ashley Graham has become the first plus size model to ever feature in an issue of Sports Illustrated magazine. The 26-year-old model, who was raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, features in a beautiful new campaign for swimwear brand swimsuitsforall, which was today unveiled as the first ever plus size ad to have been selected to grace the pages of the publication's iconic Swimsuit Issue. 'I know my curves are sexy and I want everyone else to know that theirs are too,' the size 16 fashion star said of her ground-breaking campaign.

To cleanse the palate. As a confirmed beta male myself, I’m no position to judge — although the eight thousand “Do you even lift, bro?” jokes on Twitter today did make me giggle. Remember back in the summer of 2008, at the zenith of Obamamania, when a German reporter claimed she watched him curl 32-kilogram, a.k.a. 70-pound, dumbbells? Either that was part of the Hopenchange hype or he’s lost a lot of mass since, so much so that this practically serves as a metaphor for how far he’s fallen. Don’t be too judge-y, though: In his defense, he’s going to...

Intersting!

Curvy mothers have brainier kids 10 November 2007 From New Scientist Print Edition. CURVIER women may have smart children because hip fat contains polyunsaturated fatty acids critical for the development of the fetus's brain. Using data from the US National Center for Health Statistics, William Lassek at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and Steven Gaulin of the University of California, Santa Barbara, found a child's performance in cognition tests was linked to their mother's waist-hip ratio, a proxy for how much fat she stores on her hips. Children whose mothers had wide hips and a low waist-hip ratio scored...

Men lust for hourglass curves, say researchers By Roger Highfield Science Editor Last Updated: 11:14pm GMT 09/01/2007 The traditional theory of beauty says that for every man who chases the voluptuous type, such as Jordan or Marilyn Monroe, there is another who prefers to woo a waif such as Twiggy or Kate Moss. But this and the idea that beauty is subjective and ever-changing has been overturned by Prof Devendra Singh and his daughter Adrian Singh. The psychologists from the University of Texas today publish research showing lovestruck men have only one thing on their minds: a woman's WHR -...

January 22, 2006 -- Brazen baseball wife Anna Benson blasted the Mets last night for tossing her pitcher hubby a curve via a trade to Baltimore. The buxom Benson feels she was "misled" by management — which insists she's not why Kris was shipped south. "If he was traded because of any potential talks with . . . Playboy or anything like this, that's a dirty, nasty, rotten trick — and I think that's really freedom-of-speech infringement," she charged.

Last Updated: Friday, 3 June, 2005, 10:33 GMT 11:33 UK   Curvier women 'will live longer'   Catherine Zeta Jones is famed for her healthy figure Curvy women are more likely to live longer than their slimmer counterparts, researchers have found.Institute of Preventative Medicine in Copenhagen researchers found those with wider hips also appeared to be protected against heart conditions. Women with a hip measurement smaller than 40 inches, or a size 14 would not have this protection, they said. The researchers say hip fat contains a beneficial natural anti-inflammatory. Narrow hips 'detrimental'They said this anti-inflammatory, called adiponectin, prevents...

Simply Templeton Two financial futures for Social Security. Last week I debated New York Times columnist Paul Krugman at the National Press Club on the future of Social Security. This was about as much fun as trying to eat corn on the cob with braces. Krugman is the leader of the opposition to personal investment accounts. He argues, and most liberals agree with him, that the Social Security system is not facing a financial crisis and that minor tweaks to the system will pull it out of the red for at least the next 50 years. A recent USA Today...

HOLLIS, MAINE - On a winding country road in the middle of nowhere, a building that once housed an antique shop now holds groups of women working out. Curves, a no-frills fitness club for women, can be found in the oddest places. Targeting women in small-town America is part of the company's business strategy — and it's working. Curves has grown to more than 8,400 franchises in all 50 states and 28 countries, making it by far the world's No. 1 fitness center in terms of number of clubs. One in every four fitness clubs in the United States is...

The San Francisco Chronicle yesterday printed a correction to two columns it had run saying the head of a popular women's fitness company had given millions of dollars from the firm to "militant anti-abortion groups," likely heading off a threatened lawsuit by the executive. As WorldNetDaily reported Tuesday, Chronicle columnist Ruth Rosen wrote that Curves founder Gary Heavin "has given at least $5 million of his profits to some of the most militant anti-abortion groups in the country." Wrote Rosen: "In 2003, Heavin and his wife gave away $10 million – 10 percent of their company's gross revenues – to...

With its 30-minute workouts, no men, no mirrors and no exorbitant membership fees, Curves International (search) is the fastest growing fitness chain in America, helping more than 3 million women stay in shape. But in San Francisco, Curves is being called out over abortion because owner Gary Heavin donates millions of dollars to anti-abortion groups. Ruth Rosen at The San Francisco Chronicle (search) took issue with the pro-life, Christian businessman, writing in a recent op-ed piece that Heavin has given at least $5 million to some of the most militant anti-abortion groups in the country and Curves members who are...

What's wrong with Curves? Clarification: A Ruth Rosen column Thursday -- "What's wrong with curves?" -- stated that three "pregnancy crisis centers" that received $5 million from Curves owner Gary Heavin were "supported by Operation Save America." The column was referring to Operation Save America's verbal endorsement of the centers, not financial support.

A successful Christian business owner has come under attack by feminist extremists for using his profits to support pro-life charities. Gary Heavin, the owner of a chain of extremely successful health and fitness centres for women, is a born-again Christian who gives 10% of his gross annual income to charities. Heavin is also the author of two books on fitness that take a Christian approach. His wife, Diana produces Christian music. Curves fitness centres cater particularly to middle-aged women who may be intimidated by other more youth-oriented fitness venues. Curves franchises have surpassed Starbucks in numbers in the United States...

Claim: Gary Heavin, owner and CEO of the fitness chain Curves, supports pro-life causes. Status: True.

A study of the vital statistics of hundreds of Playboy centrefolds has revealed that female models are becoming less curvaceous. Researchers in Toronto and Vienna studied 577 consecutive monthly issues of the magazine to compare models' measurements over nearly 50 years. Playmates have become more boyish or androgynous, with smaller breasts and smaller hips in 2001 compared with 1953. They also weigh less than females in general. From each model's height, weight, bust, waist and hip measurements the researchers calculated their weight in relation to their height, a waist:hip ratio and a waist:bust ratio they called the "androgyny index". The...