1.)     It turns out that low calorie options on restaurant menus isn’t just a good move for our waistlines, but it’s a good business move for any eating establishment.     A report from the Hudson Institute shows that between 2006 and 2011, sales at restaurants that increased their healthy menu choices were up 5.5 percent.    Sales were down that same amount at restaurant that didn’t increase the healthy choices.    And, those results hold true for both sit-down, and fast food restaurants.

2.)     The song “Monkey Drums” by Chase Bush now holds a spot in music history.    On Wednesday, it became the 25 billionth song to be downloaded on iTunes.      It was 10 years ago that “Let It Snow” from Frank Sinatra was the 25 millionth song downloaded from iTunes.    A Coldplay song was the 1 billionth download in 2006, while a tune from Johnny Cash was the 10 billionth song in 2010.    The person who ordered “Monkey Drums” is from Germany, and will receive a $13,528 dollar iTunes gift card for being the 25 billionth downloader.

3.)     In New Jersey, a town has come up with a low-cost plan to cut down on pedestrian deaths.   The Borough of Metuchen, where an average of one person a month is stuck by a vehicle, intends to arm pedestrians with bright orange flags to wave furiously while crossing its streets.     The plan eventually may include flashing lights at crosswalks.    But with municipal budgets tight, the flags are Plan 1, as flashing lights cost about $80,000 each, while the flags are $1.25.     The program is scheduled to take effect this month.    Of course, the potential glitch is the possibility of all the flags ending up on one side of the street at one time, or them simply being stolen.