Kleptomaniac Crackheads

Why is it that crackheads seem to have unlimited access to things? For instance, just the other night I was walking across Penn's campus to do some studying (and yes, it was Fall Break, so clap it up for my productivity). Mind you, it was only like 9pm, so I wasn't expecting to seeing anything crazy...I tend to expect random events late night, say...after midnight?

And what do I see...? A crackhead...coming towards me on the sidewalk...on a HORSE!!! I kid you not. My jaw literally hit the floor. Now, it takes a lot to stop traffic in Philly or to get people to stop in their tracks, as crazy occurrences seem to happen nonstop around here. But, of the 10-15 people that were on the street or in their cars, every last one of them stopped in their tracks and gawked. Lol...so nonsensical!!!

Like...how did he get a horse?!? This is Philly. Where would ANYONE get a horse, let alone a crackhead?!?

...and that's my random thought of the week.

(lol...so, clearly that's not the crackhead I saw...but, I couldn't resist!)

Red Bull: Wings, Brainwashing, and Strokes

I am the first to admit that I know absolutely NOTHING about advertising. However, from pure observation, it is crystal clear that anyone wanting to market anything needs to take a close look at Red Bull and emulate them. I mean...come on now...their reign on the energy drink market is ridiculous. How many people do you know that drink Red Bull? How many of these people are addicts and seem to always have a can on-hand for any given occasion? The messed up part is that I bet the people you're thinking of range in age from like 10-80 years old...lol. I mean, how is that even feasible?!? How in the world do you get people of all ages hooked on a product in a matter of mere months?!? Maybe, just maybe, they sprinkle a little crack in it...lol.

And what's even more absurd is their marketing campaign. I know we've all seen the crazy commercials, but have you actually really paid attention to them? Half of them make absolutely no sense!!! Whomever thought of the phrase "Red Bull gives you wings" must be a multimillionaire (and, was probably a rather simple individual that lucked out...but, I digress).

I do think that in the past year, Red Bull commercials have come full-circle and are starting to at least address the fact that it gives you a boost of energy, both mentally and physically. Actually, on second thought, most of these latest Red Bull commercials are just overtly sexual. But, I suppose by American standards, sex does sell... These advertisers are genius though. Think of how few pennies it costs to sketch those little cartoons (shoot, they could even do that flip-book style) and think how much any other commercial must cost to film and edit...

It probably doesn't hurt that they run around the country sponsoring ridiculous events, such as the Red Bull Soapbox race that hit here in Philly about a month ago. Oh, and they drive around in those little Red Bull hatchbacks, handing out free drinks. Actually...the more I think of it, Red Bull's campaign is probably based on some subliminal form of brainwashing...but, hey, it's clearly working.

All-in-all, Red Bull's reign has been pretty impressive...even if they might be helping to shorten the average American life-span (to be fair, I only say American because, although its a global product, Americans tend to abuse anything that can increase performance). There is a reason "Red Bull gives you wings" and that is because of the insane about of caffeine and different sugars found packed in that tiny little can. Sure, having one every-so-often probably isn't going to hurt you. But, think of all the people that are truly addicted...those that have at least one every evening, if not 3 through-out the day. Umm, caffeine addiction is REAL people! I know people that have wound up in the hospital due to a Red Bull-induced caffeine OD...no lie. I mean, there is a reason Red Bull is banned in certain countries (i.e. Norway, Denmark, Uruguay). But, do your thing, Red Bull...keep promoting early heart attacks and strokes!!!

Oh, Palin, Palin, Palin...smh...

...you might just possibly be dumber than George W. Bush. I didn't think that it was possible for any public official to have a lower IQ than Dubya, but you may have just proven me wrong. Thanks to my good ol' standby, YouTube, I was able to get caught up on all of Palin's latest political blunders.

Well, first there was the Charlie Gibson interview. Not as bad as her next interview, but horrible, nonetheless. Then came the infamous Katie Couric interview. Now, to the Republican National Committee, "What were you thinking?!?" Seating Palin before Couric all unprepared like that was like throwing a paraplegic in with the sharks... But, since I'm 110% Obama-Biden, I suppose I should be saying, "Thank you!"

Did anyone else notice the change in Palin's voice between the two interviews? Gibson interview, it was normal. Couric interview - high pitched, shaky and screeching...she was probably scared to death, and rightly so...

And just when you thought Palin had been humiliated enough, SNL hit with possibly their greatest skit EVER!!! I honestly believe that Tina Fey deserves an Emmy for her remarkable performance of Palin. Like, I honestly forgot that was Fey a few times. People say Christian Bale was born to play Batman, well I say Tine Fey was born to play Palin. As a friend and I were discussing, possibly the funniest part about the whole skit was that most of it was verbatim from her interviews or public appearances, and yet still so hilariously idiotic!



You might be wondering, where has Palin been this past week? You want to know my opinion? If the Republican National Committee has any sense left in them, they have Palin hidden in a cave, strapped to a chair, eyelids tapped back and are bombarding her with information from all realms of politics (and perhaps throwing in a public speaking class or two).

I really want Palin to go on The View. They say they want to play nice and give her an opportunity to voice herself to America, but I know they'd tear her apart (except for annoying, whiny, conservative Elisabeth). I mean, look what they did to McCain...

Oh, and the Vice Presidential debates are coming up (Oct. 2nd)!!! Biden vs. Palin. Hmmm...who do you think will win? I cannot wait! I wonder if she has ever participated in a debate, as in even back in high school...lol. This should be one for the books.


Lol...THANK YOU, PALIN!!! I haven't laughed this hard in weeks...

Oh, before I forget, does anyone know if Palin would become the presumptive Republican nominee for President if McCain were to become incapacitated during this campaign period?

Last ps, I swear. Please look at Matt Damon going off about the absurdity of McCain's selection of Palin as his VP, when he has a 1 in 3 chance of not surviving through his first term in office...lol. He also likened this entire situation to a Disney movie gone wrong (also, a hilarious clip). Chevy Chase and his wife also went off on Palin...lol...I swear, I could keep going for hours...pure comedy, gotta love it :)

The Touchdown Dance...R.I.P.

Today is Saturday. The day of cleaning, studying, and COLLEGE FOOTBALL. I'll admit, I'm no football fanatic, but I am a fan. I like most sports and can probably enjoy any match-up (including golf). But, to me, football is a little different than other sports. Looking at all the mess of players and bodies flying in the air, it is the perfect combination of an art and brute masculinity that really excites me and revs me up. Now, you might be thinking, I see the masculinity, but art? But to me, when the QB delivers a perfect pass, watching the ball soar through the air, making it safely through all the chaos on the field, and then landing in the soft hands of 250lb man mid-air...mmm-mmm-mmm...now, that's just a beautiful thing folks.

I remember playing tag football after school way back in elementary schools. We played with mixed boys and girls teams, two-hand touch style...but, I remember how much fun we had running around, trying to beat our opponents with "fancy footwork." But, the most fun we had were showing off our touchdown dances! I remember practicing these little dances with friends, imitating what we had seen in games or on commercials.

Fast-forward roughly 15 years...

I'm sitting here watching the VA Tech vs. UNC game, and UNC's Tate made a pretty nice run for a TD, but according to the refs "unnecessarily dove into the end zone," which they call excessive celebration, resulting in a penalty. What in the world has the game of football come to??? I remember days when the touchdown dance was revered and imitated by sports fans everywhere.

...and why are the refs acting like its a game like golf or tennis, where restraint and quietness are encouraged? Not to demean these aforementioned sports, but they are a bit on the anal-retentive end of the spectrum of sports. But, football? Football is nearly the antithesis of golf. As a rather physical sport, the players literally throw their whole bodies into the sport, and I think its only right that they be able to celebrate with their bodies in a little dance. I mean, really...what harm is a little 15 second celebratory dance inflicting? I know that I'd be excited as anything if I scored a touchdown, more so if it was like a 50yd run. Can you imagine how much adrenaline is pumping through those veins?? I think this overregulation of the game is taking a little heart out of it. I mean, a little celebratory exhibition is quite commonly a natural reaction. To restrict that, is to restrict a part of the player...

Cell Phone Cancer

In my personal, non-expert opinion, I'm 99.9% sure that it is about to be proven in the next 10 years or so that cell phones cause brain cancer, or at least significantly increase the risk of developing it. That many electromagnetic waves directed towards the brain...I don't know about you, but I smell cancer. I know the skull is thick and all, but...I'd be careful. Especially those that use the bluetooth accessory...just adding a compounding factor to the equation.

Now, you may be thinking, Aren't there government regulations? Don't products have to undergo numerous rounds of testing to ensue their safety before being released to the general public? And, in a sense, you're right...in a sense. If you know anything about the wonderful US, you also are aware of the history of corruption in amongst our nation's leaders. Would you really put in past greedy politicians and lobbyists to place on the market a product which is potentially damaging to citizens? Especially if its generating millions in revenue? I wouldn't...it has happened time and time again (cough cough: : Pharmaceuticals : : cough cough) The thing about cell phones, unlike many other products on the market, is that no other product before bore any resemblance to it. The closest thing we had were beepers, and let's face it, they are barely related. Unlike beepers, which do transmit signals to our bodies, we use our cell phones all the time, and right next to our brains. In many households, the standard telephone has been partially or completely replaced by cellular phones.

Here's a nice little summary. Cellular phones produce RF (radiofrequency energy...aka radio waves). RFs are a form of electromagnetic radiation. And while the amount of RFs produced by cell phones are supposedly too low to cause damage, the amount of cell phones users had risen exponentially in the past decade...meaning there are a lot more electromagnetic waves flying around all about us.

Pulling some facts straight from the National Cancer Institute's website:

A cellular telephone user’s level of exposure to RF energy depends on several factors, including: 
• the number and duration of calls
• the amount of cellular telephone traffic at a given time
• the distance from the nearest cellular base station 
• the quality of the cellular transmissions
• how far the antenna is extended
• the size of the handset
• whether or not a hands-free device is used

Hmm...has anyone reading this walked around Times Square at any time during the day? According to this description, Times Square is the epicenter of RF. The amount of people crammed in that however-many-block radius, all on cell phones...I don't know about you, but that sounds like a hotbed of RF to me.

While initial studies have indicated they are safe, longitudinal studies have yet to be carried out to fruition. It would truly take decades to properly conduct such a study, and we, as a nation and the entire world, were not ready to wait. Apparently most (but not all) studies show no correlation between cell phone usage and brain tumors. But, it is important to note that these do not take into account years of usage, and let's be real, cell phone usage has just recently become a craze (I'd say only within the past 10 years). My guess is that most of the people being studied, at most, were using cell phones for only 5 years. I know personally, I have been using a cell phone since 6th grade (yes, I was that one kid at school with the big ol' Zack Morris 10lb phone...lol). Where's the study to reassure me that 12 years of cell phone usage has not increased my risk of developing cancer? A: it doesn't exist.

Having studied a little bit of neuroscience, I am particularly concerned about possible cancer development among children. The human brain does not completely stop growing until the early 20s. As we all know, the highest age range of cell phone users are teenagers and young adults. Here is the equation as I see it: young, plastic brain + constant electromagnetic radiation (at low doses, of course) = developmental abnormalities ± brain cancer. (And I'm nearly 100% certain there are no studies on that)

Supposedly, using a hands-free model that distances the source of radiation (i.e. the cell phone) from the head if beneficial, as well as keeping conversations short. However, the newest fad has been the bluetooth. Uh...problem is that unlike the standard hands-free set (that connects the headset to the phone via a chord), bluetooth just adds in another step in the radiation process...yippie! Oh yeah, and apparently, it is safer to keep the cell phone further away from your body (i.e. not in a pocket or a phone clip). Now, for something that's supposedly non-harmful, there sure are many suggestions about how to be safer when using them...

...like the advisory sent out by a doctor to his entire staff to limit their cell phone usage. Actually, the doctor is Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, and he is the head of a prominent cancer research institute (the Univ. of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute). Oh, and yeah, I forgot to mention that our friendly neighbor to the north (Canada) has issued an official warning to adolescents...haha, way to blow the US's cover, Canada...I appreciate yall! You see, Canada and I are on the same page...we already know what the US already knows, but doesn't want to admit: all this cell phone usage is about to kill off people like the Bubonic Plague! (well, hopefully it won't be that serious...but, I wouldn't be surprised) So, when you see me walking around with the old-fashioned, uncool corded headset, you know why...plus, I swear, I can hear better that way ;)