It seems that everyone is buzzing about what a terrible performance Britney put on the other night. And it was pretty awful. But what is all this talk about how “fat” she looked? This from the AP: Out-of-synch lip-synching. Lethargic movements that seemed choreographed by a dance instructor for a nursing home. The paunch in place of Spears’ once-taut belly. The New York Post’s headlines read, “Lard and Clear”. “The bulging belly she was flaunting was SO not hot,” wrote E! Online. Well, forgive Britney for looking like an actual human being. I happen to think that actual human women are attractive, and I am not really all that attracted to women who look like they’re addicted to heroine or who have washboard stomachs that look like they belong to a young male athlete. So the AP and E! calls a healthy looking mother of two fat, and then in a few weeks they’ll run a story trying to figure out why so many young girls have eating disorders. (Speaking of pathetic, how about the fact that this is the 2nd time I’ve discussed Britney this week, and it’s only Tuesday?)
The Donspiracist Presents: Is Big Pharma Conspiring to Make You Sick?
The Donspiracist is back. This time he takes on Big Pharma, and wonders if there is a conspiracy in place to keep us sick.
In the last 15 years, Big Pharma has ramped up their advertising and have flooded the market with drugs treating diseases that were unknown just a generation ago. And they won’t stop until all of you are taking prescription or over the counter medication.
Take this quote from Selling Sickness: How The World’s Biggest Pharmaceutical Companies Are Turning Us All Into Patients by Ray Moynihan and Alan Cassels: “Thirty years ago, Henry Gadsen, the head of Merck, one of the world’s largest drug companies, told Fortune magazine that he wanted Merck to be more like chewing gum maker Wrigley’s. It had long been his dream, he said, to make drugs for healthy people–so that Merck could ‘sell drugs to everyone.’ Three decades on, the late Henry Gadsen’s dream has come true.”
Continue reading “The Donspiracist Presents: Is Big Pharma Conspiring to Make You Sick?”
Question of the Week
On September 12, 1983, a group called Los Macheteros (The Machete Wielders) robbed a bank in West Hartford, CT, then threw much of the money off a high rise building. From what country does Los Macheteros organization originate?
The Weekend
OK, so I went to a Fringe play on Friday with buddy and fellow Metro scribe Bruce. We saw “Hearts of Man” which was about this guy who tries to pick up kids in a chat room and about how his lawyers and the prosecutors handle the case. It was like a bad Law and Order episode. So then we went and got Happy Hour Margarita’s at the Mexican Post. That was followed by a trip to the Bards where I watched the Phils lose and then to a party hosted by a member of a member of Narcotyzing Dysfunktion. A fine time was had by all.
Saturday was spent recovering from Friday and winning a game of Rat a Tat Cat. Rat a Tat Cat is my jam. If anyone would like to become a better Rat a Tat Cat player, please let me know. I am thinking about teaching a Rat a Tat Cat class.
And then there was Sunday and the Eagles game. Watched it with the Sofa Kingdom crew. Needless to say it was a disappointment. It was the first time that I can say with a straight face that if I had been returning punts for the Philadelphia Eagles, they would not have lost the game. The loss was compounded by a loss at RISK, as, after 6 1/2 hours of play (seriously, 6 1/2 hours), Nate dominated the world. Oh well, at the least the Phils won 2 of 3. And oh, Trivia Art was at Lambeau yesterday and is at Wrigley today. Pretty sweet.
Jams Win (repped by JR Reed)
What is a Belgian cartoonist named Peyo best known for giving the world?
Dork Sided Wins at O’Neals
Belgium has three national languages. What are they?
Pics of Winners
Alright, the Economist is calling for the demise of Belgium, saying that it is completely unnecessary. What? First Pluto, then Belgium? Is nothing sacred? Anyways, I am protesting this article the only way I know how, by using Belgian questions under the pics of last week’s winners.
Quick Notes
-Have a meeting at ten, so I’ll post photos in a couple of hours.
-Got a great text message from Rakim of the Axis of Evil Knieval yesterday: “I wouldn’t let Greg Lewis return a phone call.” I then sent out this text message as soon as the game was over: “The Eagles special teams: The Phillies bullpen of football.”
-There was only one person who could take the spotlight off Britney’s bomb (There is no question that my famous dance number was more electrifying than this) last night, and that would be the greatest rapper who ever lived…Kid Rock. He got in a fight with Tommie Lee and was arrested. This is totally going to win Pamela back. Trust me. You want an ex-girlfriend back? Just beat up another one of her ex-boyfriends. Women love it.
-It looks like big things are happening soon. Stay tuned.
The Week in Review
-It was Dorksided at O’Neals with a blowout win, 106-83, over Soylent Green: Now With More Girls. The Young the Old and Restless never got on track, and finished with a 69.
-The Great Mr. Peanut Controversy marred a hard fought contest at the Bards on Tuesday. It was the Sofa Kingdom who got the short end of the stick when Goodtimes 2nd guessed himself, and took off an extra point for loafers, which took the match to overtime. In overtime, it was the Narks taking home the victory.
–The Jams won by a single year at the Rendezvous. The weekly double question was, “Toy Story, Apollo 13, and Seven were all released in what year?” The Jams guessed right (1995) and Why So Angry Bob guessed 1996, and so the Jams took home a 94-85 win.
-The exact same thing happened at the Black Sheep. The Phils Will Win Before We Do guessed 1995 on the weekly double, Duane’s World guessed 1996, and the Phils walked away with a 97-88 win.
-An extremely tough picture round (Name that album cover) kept scores low at the Good Dog, and we had our closest game all week. El Jorge Curioso edged It Ain’t Over Till the Fat Man Sings, 86-85 to record their first ever quizzo win.
-The Sofa Kingdom returned to the Bards angry on Thursday, and took out their anger on the questions, ending the Hurtin’ Bombs four game winning streak, cruising to a 106-94 win.
Arond the Horn, brought to you by Piston Honda
–Jimmy Rollins has his case for MVP made in Sports Illustrated. However, it’s a poorly written article, to be honest. J-Roll will not get MVP. This team will not make the playoffs, and there is no way that a choking, underachieving team is going to be awarded for a 2nd straight year with an MVP.
-We’re gonna start voting for best sequel on Monday.
-You know what I’m sick of? These iphone whiners who are complaining b/c Apple cut the price of the iphone. You see, resourceful (read: cheap) people like myself have made the fairly obvious observation that high technology always comes way down in price quickly (see ipods, HDTVs, computers, everything, etc.) and waited patiently for this to happen. Quit whining. You knew it too. You just wanted to be the first kid in town with a new toy, and you paid $200 extra dollars for that status. Hope it’s working out for you.
-It was on this date in 1978 that one of the most James Bond murders ever occurred. A Bulgarian dissident named Georgi Markov was shot at a bus stop…with an umbrella.