The motto of the Center for Science in the Public Interest is "Transforming the American Diet." The group strives to do this through such efforts as improved nutrition labeling, food safety education and getting rid of bad stuff — e.g., trans fats — in commercial foods.

Once a year, CSPI goes on a binge and partakes of fare proffered by the nation's restaurant chains. The post-dining result is called the Xtreme Eating Awards. This year's top "dishonoree" is Red Lobster, with its "Create Your Own Combination" offer of assorted shrimp entrees, pasta, Caesar salad, french fries and a cheese biscuit washed down with a 24-ounce margarita. Total calorie count: 3,600, or nearly twice the recommended daily calorie allotment for an average person hoping to live an average life span.

Other dubious winners: Steak 'n Shake's 7x7 Steakburger, featuring seven beef patties and seven slices of cheese (plus fries); IHOP's chorizo fiesta omelet (1,300 calories), which comes with three pancakes and 42 grams of saturated fat; Sonic's large pineapple upside-down Master Blast shake, weighing in at 2,020 calories, or the equivalent of four Dairy Queen banana splits; and Louisiana chicken pasta (2,370 calories, 80 grams of saturated fat and 2,370 milligrams of sodium) from The Cheesecake Factory, a perennial contender in our enduring effort to eat ourselves to death.

Body of Knowledge

Hair today, gone tomorrow. The average person loses 60 to 100 strands of hair each day, part of the natural process of recycling follicles. The rate is affected by factors such as season, pregnancy, illness, diet and age. The life span of a hair is three to seven years, on average.

Get Me That, Stat!

Nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year, according to the Association for Safe International Road Travel. (Roughly 37,000 are in the U.S.) More than half of the fatalities involve people between the ages of 15 and 44.

Counts

250: number of gallons of water the average American family uses daily.

5: number of gallons used daily by the average African family.

Source: "Troubled Water," by Anita Roddick (2004).

Mania of the Week

Entheomania: abnormal belief that one is divinely inspired.

Observation

"Never eat anything at one sitting that you can't lift." — Miss Piggy

Medical History

This week in 2004, the British Medical Journal published the first study quantifying the health damage of smoking over a lifetime. Researchers looked at 34,439 male British doctors who smoked, following them for 50 years. They found that almost half of persistent cigarette smokers were killed by their habit, and a quarter died before age 70. Those who quit by age 30 had the same life expectancy as a nonsmoker. Even quitting at age 50 saved six years of life compared with those who continued smoking. At age 80, 65 percent of nonsmokers were still alive, but only 32 percent of smokers were.

Curtain Calls

In 1998 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while the Bena Tshadi soccer team was hosting Basanga, lightning struck the field. Half of the players immediately collapsed to the turf, some writhing while holding their ears and eyes.

According to reports, all 11 members of the visiting Basanga team died, but no Bena Tshadi players were hurt. Thirty other people — coaches and spectators — suffered non-life-threatening burns.

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.