Chili's To Fundraise With Customer Money For Anti-Vaccination Austim Group

Enjoying an Awesome Blossom at Chili's on Monday? Some of your money will be going toward anti-vaccination efforts.

On April 7, the restaurant chain will be donating 10 percent of customers' checks to the National Autism Association in honor of National Autism Awareness month. On its website, the NAA claims that vaccinations can expedite autism in "some, if not many, children."

Though the anti-vaccination movement has gained steam in recent years, more and more data shows that anti-vaccination efforts can result in outbreaks of preventable diseases like measles. The Center for Disease Control has repeatedly disputed the idea of a causal relationship between vaccinations and the development of autism in children.

On its website, the NAA doesn't make a definitive statement about vaccinations and autism, instead directing users to the National Vaccine Information Center, a nonprofit organization. In his book Denialism, journalist Michael Specter writes that the "NVIC is the most powerful anti-vaccine organization in America, and its relationship with the U.S. government consists almost entirely of opposing federal efforts aimed at vaccinating children."

Chili's has already felt backlash from its decision to donate proceeds to the NAA, issuing a defensive statement to its nearly 4 million Facebook fans on Friday.

"The intent of our 4/7 National Give Back Event is not to express a view on this matter, but rather to support the families affected by autism," Chili's writes in the post. "Our choice to partner with the National Autism Association was based on the percentage of donations that would go directly to providing financial assistance to families and supporting programs that aid the development and safety of children with autism."

The majority of comments on the post are strongly critical of Chili's' choice to partner up with the NAA.

"I am incredibly disappointed with [Chili's] and their decision to host an event/contribute funds to an organization that will directly result in sick and dead children," one comment reads. "Hosting a fundraiser for an organization that encourages parents not to vaccinate their children is not only irresponsible, but also unforgivable. If your restaurant goes through with the fundraiser on april 7 [sic], I will never eat at one of your restaurants again."

Chili's did not return a request for comment Sunday.

Those looking to contact Chili's can do so through its website.

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Inside The Corrupt Reality Of Government

The only mild complaint against the critically acclaimed TV series Breaking Bad is that the premise is a stretch.

Read the whole story at Reason

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Why is Bacon Called Bacon? and Other Favorite Food Name Origins

It's a little odd to think of the fact that every single word that we say, in any language, has its origins somewhere. From bacon to bread, the name of every single food in existence also got its start somewhere. We rounded up 10 of the most essential foods around, did some digging, and tracked down where their names came from.

Click Here to see The Origins of More of Your Favorite Foods

Like most English words in general, the names of most foods are Latin in origin. But that doesn't mean that every word has ancient roots: certain foods, like sandwiches, are named after people. Many foods have roots with the cultures that first brought them to English-speaking countries; foods that were popular with Eastern European Jews, for example, continue to bear monikers similar to the ones bestowed on them centuries ago.

John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, is largely credited with being this food’s namesake. While eating meat in between two slices of bread was initially more the domain of the lower classes (as a drinking food), the English aristocracy had appropriated it as a late-night snack by the 1700s. While this type of food was originally just called “bread and meat” or “bread and cheese,” the Earl’s friends took a shine to his regular requests for one in order to play cards one-handed, and began to ask the butler for “the same as Sandwich!” And a legend was born. Click Here to see More of the Origins of Your Favorite Foods Photo Credit: iStockPhoto/Thinkstock

By the late 1600s, bagels were one of the most popular foods in the Polish city of Krakow, where they were first invented. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, the spelling at the time was bajgiel, from the Yiddish beygl, from the Middle High German böugel, from the Old High German bouc, which meant, not surprisingly, “ring.” Photo Credit: iStockphoto/ Thinkstock

The earliest word for butter was the Greek bouturon, meaning “cow cheese.” From there the Romans picked it up and started calling it butyrum, and it’s not too difficult to see how that word became butter. Photo Credit: iStockphoto/ Thinkstock Click Here to see More of the Origins of Your Favorite Foods

It’s common knowledge that the hamburger was named after the city of Hamburg, Germany. In the 1600s, Hamburg’s port was a main stop for ships coming from Russia, and Russians brought recipes for chopped steak tartare with them to the city. While the cooked patty version became fairly popular in Hamburg, the word hamburger was actually coined by restaurant owners in New York, in order to lure in recent German immigrants looking for a taste of home. Photo Credit: iStockPhoto/Thinkstock

While it’s debated as to exactly when folks began taking large quantities of fat and deep-frying sticks of potatoes in it, there’s no debate that it began in Belgium. Belgian cuisine was assimilated into that of neighboring France, and soon enough “french fried potatoes” became popular in the U.S., first appearing in English in 1856. There’s a rumor that “French” actually refers to the way the potatoes are sliced, but the food item actually predated the technique known as ‘frenching.’ The U.S. is one of the only countries that calls them French fries; they’re chips in England, frites in France, and patatas fritas in Spain. Click Here to see More of the Origins of Your Favorite Foods Photo Credit: iStockPhoto/Thinkstock

Current Slide

The culinary world is a living, breathing thing, and new foods are being invented all the time. The current rage is portmanteaux, or the fine art of taking two food names and combining them into a completely new word. Take the Cronut, for example, invented last summer by pastry chef Dominique Ansel. It's an amalgam of the words croissant (which is French for 'crescent') and doughnut, a word which was actually first written down by writer Washington Irving, who described them as "balls of sweetened dough, fried in hog's fat" in his 1809 History of New York (they were most likely closer in resemblance to doughnut holes, which look more or less like "dough nuts").

So next time you're munching away on a bagel, take a second and remember that once upon a time, there was no word for that delicious orb of dough, and some baker thought long and hard before christening it accordingly. Maybe one day, when you're tinkering around in your kitchen at 1 a.m., you too can invent a food that nobody's ever eaten before, and you can invent a food name as well. In that case, we'd suggest brushing up on your Latin.

Read on to learn the origins of 10 of the world's most popular foods.

-Dan Myers, The Daily Meal

More Content from The Daily Meal:

America's Best Bagels

America's 25 Best Donuts

The 40 Best Burgers in America

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Gingrich: Remove All Donation Limits To 'Equalize The Middle Class And The Rich'

After last week's Supreme Court decision in McCutcheon v FEC striking down total limits on campaign donations, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Sunday that even more deregulation is necessary to "overnight, equalize the middle class and the rich."

Speaking on ABC's "This Week," Gingrich cited the 1976 decision Buckley v. Valeo, which first equated with money with speech and said that to limit certain contributions was tantamount to limiting freedom of expression. Gingrich said that "you've gone from that original decision to Citizens United, which said, in effect, that corporations could give and created super PACs. Now you've said they're unlimited."

The 2010 Citizens United ruling allowed corporations, unions and individuals to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections through super PACs. Last week's McCutcheon decision lets individuals give an unlimited total amount directly to parties and candidates, so long as they stay within limits for individual campaigns.

Gingrich added, "The next step is the one Justice Clarence Thomas cited -- candidates should be allowed to take unlimited amounts of money from anybody. And you would, overnight, equalize the middle class and the rich."

The former speaker wan't the only panel member offering a counterintuitive take on Wednesday's decision. Bill Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard, argued that not every wealthy donor will embrace the outcome of the McCutcheon case, because they may now be obliged to give more.

"All the donors I know hate this decision, of course," he said. "This used to be a very good excuse to say to a candidate, ooh, I'm maxing out, I just can't help your campaign."

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The Texas-Sized Video Screens At The Final Four Are Bigger Than The Basketball Court (PHOTOS)

Fans attending the Final Four aren't likely to argue against the saying that "everything is bigger in Texas" after getting a look at the enormous video screens at AT&T Stadium.

Even at 94 feet by 50 feet, the basketball court was dwarfed by the colossal screens hanging above it. With AT&T Stadium built in Arlington to be the home of Dallas Cowboys, they were sized for the NFL experience as envisioned by Jerry Jones. According to the Cowboys' official website, these two screens are 160 feet across and 72 feet tall. Those Texas-sized measurements make them about twice the size of the basketball court below during the Final Four.

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Is Your Nonprofit Forward Focused or A Prisoner of the Past?

Governance arguably suffers most ... when boards spend too much time looking in the rear view mirror and not enough scanning the road ahead. *

It has been my experience that nonprofits rarely address the possibilities and perils of "...the road ahead." An endless stream of current and pressing issues cause both Board and CEO to take a myopic view of their nonprofit responsibilities -- either totally ignoring strategic issues or procrastinating a discussion of the subject. The results can be damaging to the organization. Here are some "prompts" that might guide nonprofit board members and CEOs as they attempt to provide leadership in this important but neglected area:

Balanced Agendas - Include and highlight strategic issues on every board meeting agenda (not just when a committee report is presented) until they are resolved with action plans, policy development or thoroughly discussed and removed. This constant emphasis on planning can go a long way towards achieving concrete actions on topics of future concern. A discussion of immediate issues juxtaposed with ongoing strategic concerns will provide a balanced meeting format that may possibly discourage directors' attempts to micromanage, a very common tendency in nonprofit boards!

Short Term Focus - In a recent BoardSource report, 49% of nonprofit CEOs gave their boards academic grades of C, D, or F for their strategy efforts. ** The explanation for weak performance in this area is often attributed to the fact that the directors' terms of service on the board are usually 3-6 years during which time people's interest in the long-term future of the organization may be compromised. Some boards may be disproportionately represented by "millennials" whose participation comes with heavy time constraints. Problems of this type can be mitigated by seeking board members who are partially or fully retired. They are likely to be better equipped to focus on the important governance functions and the fundamentals in which the nonprofit operates. Boards need to look to look further out than anyone else in the organization... There are times when CEOs (those operationally concerned with strategy) are the last ones to see (environmental) changes coming.

Board Recruiting - Nonprofit recruiting can be a hit or miss process, often producing candidates who are readily available and familiar to the current board. Rarely will the committee seek out people who have strong track records as strategists and/or competent visionaries. This is a real challenge, but a forward focused board should make every effort to identify potential directors who have these types of experience and skills. The topic of recruitment is a challenging one and the process should have continual annual evaluation.

Can Nonprofit Boards Work Smarter Not Harder?
As noted earlier, nonprofit board people are often limited in the amount of time they can devote to board participation. Given these constraints, the board chair and CEO can choose from a range of options that will help orient directors to better understand the external landscape in which the organization operates. These initiatives can include visits to comparable facilities, opportunities to attend field related conferences or inviting experts in the same or similar organizations to interact with board members. The purpose is to infuse each member of the board with an informed view of the organization's long-term future and prepare them to take the appropriate action. The CEO and board chair must address this question with a viable plan: What actually helps... (to develop) a board environment that encourages participation and allows board members to derive meaning, inspiration and satisfaction from their (board) work?

Talent: The Key to Nonprofit Success - A nonprofit board has one hiring decision to make: the engagement of the CEO. But it also has a significant responsibility to overview long-term talent development in the staff and management. The board of a family service agency needs to assure that its counselors are up to date on current modalities of counseling. A recreational organization must be operating in the context of accepted fitness practices. Annual talent reviews need to be scheduled with CEOs and the appropriate staff. In addition, individual board members, with the concurrence of the CEO, may want to have occasional professional contact with key people below the senior management.

Make strategy part of the board's DNA - (Many nonprofit) ... CEOs present their strategic vision once a year, the directors discuss and tweak it at a single board meeting (or a short retreat), and the plan is then adopted. The board's input is minimal and there's not enough in-depth information to underpin proper consideration of the alternatives.

An educated nonprofit board will have the depth of understanding to be alert to the future needs and problems of its organization. Typically there is usually an unanticipated "fork" in the road ahead. Status quo, "minding the store," participation by rote are all too easy mindsets that will only hobble the progress of an organization. Board chairs and CEOs are key actors in turning an existing board environment into one that is focused on moving forward.

*Christian Casa and Christian Caspar (2014) "Building a forward-looking board," McKinsey Quarterly, February. Note: Quotations from this article are presented in italics.

** BoardSource (2012) CEO Survey of BoardSource Members, Data Report 1, Nonprofit Governance Index 2012.

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Jeb Bush To Decide On Presidential Run This Year

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jeb Bush says he's all the speculation about whether he'll run for president in 2016 is actually getting him more attention than if he had already entered the race.

The former Republican governor of Florida says that's not by design, and that he'll make his decision before year's end.

He tells Fox News Channel that the state of politics is "crazy right now."

Bush says one factor in his decision will be whether he can deliver an optimistic message without getting drawn into a political "mud fight."

Bush has antagonized many Republicans by supporting an immigration overhaul and educational standards for kindergarten through 12th grade known as Common Core.

He says the other main factor in his decision will be whether it's OK with his family if he ran.

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'Captain America' Sets April Box-Office Record Racking In $96.2 Million

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" has set a record as the biggest domestic April release ever.

The Disney sequel debuted with $96.2 million topping the previous record holder, 2011's "Fast Five," which opened with $86.2 million. Last weekend "The Winter Soldier," which stars Chris Evans as the shield wielding superhero, commanded 32 international markets, gaining $75.2 million in its overseas bow.

Expanding to Russia, Australia and China in its second week, the Marvel comic adaptation has earned $207.1 million internationally.

Paramount's biblical saga "Noah," starring Russell Crowe, took a drastic dip in its second weekend, earning $17 million after debuting with $44 million. Still, it sailed into second place, pushing Lionsgate's young adult science-fiction thriller "Divergent," led by Shailene Woodley, to third with $13 million in its third week.

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States With The Highest (And Lowest) Taxes

During the 2011 tax season, Americans paid 9.8% of their income in state and local taxes — on top of taxes collected by the federal government. This number, according to a report by the Tax Foundation, was up from 9.3% in 2000, but was basically unchanged from 2009.

Read the whole story at 24/7 Wall St.

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'Palo Alto' Trailer Premiere Most Likely Explains James Franco's Recent Instagram Texts

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 19: James Franco makes his broadway debut in 'Of Mice And Men' on Broadway at The Longacre Theatre on March 19, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic) | Bruce Glikas via Getty Images

Just a few days after James Franco's questionable Instagram texts with a 17-year-old girl leaked onto Imgur, the first trailer for "Palo Alto" was released. The film is based on a short story collection of the same name written by Franco. It includes a coming-of-age tale, in which Emma Roberts plays a shy girl named April who becomes romantically entangled with her soccer coach, Mr. B (Franco), while dancing around her feelings for a stoner kid her age named Teddy (Jack Kilmer).

In other words, that whole Franco Instagram scandal was (almost definitely) just a promo stunt for the movie. Watch the trailer below. "Palo Alto" was directed by Gia Coppola and opens in select theaters May 9.

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