Weight Gain 5000

I only gained a measly three pounds over Thanksgiving this year.  What gives?  I used to be able to put on the tonnage and let it metabolize while watching football all weekend.  Guess I'm slowing down.  Man, getting old sucks.  Rabble-B

El Camino

Yeah, that's right, the car your creepy, jailbird uncle rolls up onto your lawn in everytime he is released from county.  Of course he has to go to grandma's house to pick it up first because she's the only one left in the family talking to him, which is all the more strange that he's at your house now... 

Well, since Monsanto didn't send a hit man to my house last night I can tell you about El Camino the new Black Keys record coming out on Dec. 2nd.  All I've heard so far is the single Lonely Boy but if it's any indication of the rest of the record I'll be rollin' down to Amoeba the day it's released. 

I finally figured out how to link YouTube videos to my blog so check out the video for Lonely Boy it's awesome, the dude kills it!  Unrabble-B

Iron Man, not so much

This kind of thing should happen more often.  Last story I read of companies trying to push their drugs for unapproved uses was for schizophrenic medication.  I can't remember what company it was but they were telling doctors to prescribe their drugs for all sorts of unrelated ailments, like Alzheimer's and arthritis.  Fuck that!  If you're smart enough to develop a drug that helps schizophrenics you should be smart enough to realize that (much like my blog) you're audience is very limited and therefore you're only going to make so much money.  Of course drug companies invest untold amounts of capital into r&d for plenty of products that never make it to market.  They have to make up the difference somewhere, and of course greed (which we're all prone to) rears it's ugly, wart riddled, pussy blister ridden head too...  So they push their drugs on people that don't need them and push doctors into prescribing them for unapproved uses.  That is fucking despicable.  You're screwing with life and well being here, not hiding your younger brother's favorite Lego spaceship, though you'd probably do that too if it made you money. 

Aaaaannnnnyyyyway, below is the most recent incarnation if this story except this time Merck is shelling out almost A BILLION DOLLARS! in a settlement with the federal government.  Good.  Suck it Merck!  Now if we can figure out how to bring down Monsanto we'd be in business.  They'll probably send a hit man to my house for writing this so if I don't post anything the next few days call the authorities.  Rabble-B

Merck to pay nearly $1 billion to settle US Vioxx charges

Civil charges said drug giant promoted the painkiller for unapproved use

msnbc.com news services

2011-11-22T20:57:52

Merck & Co will pay roughly $950 million to settle criminal and civil charges that it promoted the painkiller drug Vioxx for an unapproved use, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday.

The fine will conclude a long-running investigation into Merck's promotion of the drug, which was withdrawn from the market in September 2004. The Justice Department had alleged that Merck promoted the drug for treating rheumatoid arthritis before it had been approved for that condition by the Food and Drug Administration.

Merck had previously disclosed to investors the anticipated $950 million charge ahead of the government announcement.

Merck said the settlement does not constitute an admission of any liability or wrongdoing.
The FDA approved Vioxx in 1999, but the government did not initially approve the drug for use in rheumatoid arthritis. That meant doctors could write prescriptions for Vioxx for rheumatoid arthritis patients, but Merck could not promote the drug for that use. The Justice Department said Merck promoted Vioxx for rheumatoid arthritis for three years and continued to do so after getting an FDA warning letter in 2001. The drug was approved as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis in April 2002.
Merck stopped selling Vioxx in 2004 after evidence showed the drug doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke. In 2007, the company paid $4.85 billion to settle around 50,000 Vioxx-related lawsuits.
The government will get $426.4 million from the new settlement, and $202 million will be distributed to state Medicaid programs for 43 states and the District of Columbia.

Tis the Season of Giving

But before you donate any money go to Charity Navigator and make sure that your chosen charity is legit. 

I have a child named Steven in Ecuador I give money to through Children International.  From the letters he writes me it sounds like Steven lives a better life than I do in some ways (my grandma does not live in the countryside and have horses for me to come ride whenever I want).  He tells me the same things and draws me the same pictures every couple months... 

Anyway, I'm sure Steven is real and gets some of the money I give him but more importantly (for this rabble anyway) is the CEO of Children International, James Cook, makes $436,000 dollars a year.  Yeah, that's right, almost half a fucking million dollars a year.  Seriously?  You work for a charity, you should earn a living wage, like lets generously say $75K?  That's plenty to live a great life anywhere in the US.  $436K amounts to robbing Steven and me at gunpoint.  Thanks a lot Jimmy!  Happy Thanksgiving, dick.  Rabble-B

Germany or Florida?

Remember Loveline, when Dr. Drew and Adam Corolla played the game Germany or Florida.  Someone would call in with a bizzare-o story that was almost unbelievable.  They had to pick which of the two places the story took place.

They were right you know.  Every time you think you've heard an utterly insane story you can find something more mind melting from either Germany or Florida.  Well, if you guessed Florida for this one you'd be correct...  Rabble-B

Butt injection with 'Fix a Flat' leads to arrest

Transgender woman charged with posing as doctor in Miami area

Miami Gardens Police via NBC Miami

Oneal Morris, accused of practicing medicine without a license.

By Brian Hamacher

NBCMIAMI.com

11/18/2011 5:36:06 PM ET 

A Miami Gardens transgender woman is facing charges of practicing medicine without a license after police say she injected a patient's rear with everything but the kitchen sink in an illegal cosmetic surgery procedure.

Oneal Ron Morris, 30, was arrested Friday after an investigation by Miami Gardens Police and the Florida Department of Health.
According to police, the victim saw Morris in May and was injected in her buttocks with a substance consisting of cement, "Fix a Flat," mineral oil and super glue.
The amateur incision was then sealed with super glue, police said. The victim was later hospitalized with a serious medical condition as a result of the injections.
Morris, who police say is a man but appears to look like a woman and sports an apparently enhanced rear herself in arrest photos, was being held on $7,500 bond. it was unknown whether she has an attorney.
Police believe there may be other victims of Morris who may be afraid to come forward. They said the victims haven't done anything illegal and shouldn't be afraid to come forward.
Anyone with information is asked to call Miami Gardens Police at 305-474-1420.

What About McDougals?

The world is full of bad corporations that lie, cheat and steal.  They spend billions lobbying for deregulation, treat their employees and customers like shit all for the true god of commerce, money.

Well, McDonald's isn't one of them.  Aside the rare Egg McMuffin, I don't eat there or really recommend anyone do so.  I mean, come on, the food is kind of gross and really bad for you. 

But! You can't hate them as a corporation.  The Ronald McDonald House has done more for children with disabilities than any other entity I can think of.  And they're showing corporate responsibility in the following article by dropping a supplier that abuses animals.  That has to be an enormous blow to the vendor and make them clean up their act, or go out of business. 

It'd be nice to see other businesses flex their dollar muscles for good instead of greed.  Unrabble-B


McDonald's drops egg supplier after animal cruelty footage

Mercy For Animals releases footage of animal cruelty at supplier Sparboe Egg Farms

By Alise Blunk

NBCChicago.com

2011-11-18T23:49:12

McDonald's will be looking for a new egg supplier for their McMuffins after Mercy For Animals released footage from an undercover investigation of animal cruelty at Sparboe Egg Farms, one of their suppliers.

After viewing the footage, McDonald's said in an issued statement that they would no longer be accepting their eggs from Spargoe, and said "the behavior on tape is disturbing and completely unacceptable."
(Warning: Video contains graphic images of animal cruelty. Watch with caution.)
"McDonald's expects all of our suppliers to meet our stringent requirements for delivering high quality food prepared in a humane and responsible manner," McDonald's Vice President of Sustainability Bob Langert, said in the statement.
The hidden-camera footage shows hens being crammed into wire cages, workers burning the beaks of young chicks without pain killers, live chicks thrown into plastic bags and workers tormenting the animals.

The president and owner of Sparboe issued a letter on the website saying they are launching an internal investigation and management changes have taken place. They said they have identified four employees involved in the activities, and they have been terminated.

MFA urged the McDonald's Corporation to end its use of eggs from hens in battery cages, and according to their website, there are no federal laws that provide protection for the birds at the factory farm or during slaughter.
Mercy For Animals is a national non-profit organization that works toward preventing cruelty to farm animals.
.

Television of Saints

Listen up!  My dear friend and lovable musician, Rocky Votolato is self producing his new record.  He needs your help so he started a Kickstarter account.  Stop giving money to political parties that don't need it and support something real.  If you donate more than a dollar then you even get something back.  You can get digital downloads or LP's of the new record.  Or, if you are rollin' in dough then Rocky will fly to your house and play a private show for your friends and family.  Pretty bad ass.  Go here and give some money to a worthy cause.  Unrabble-B

Pizza Schmizza is not on the list...

Name the best pizza you've ever had.  Can't?  Well, me neither.  There's really just too much great (and crappy) pizza out there to create a proper hierarchy.  But I can name a few places that have some stellar, addicting, palate exploding potential to put you into a food coma.  In no particular order:

A Pizza Scholls, Portland, OR- Anthony Bourdain rated it best pizza in the country.  I can't say that myself but I can't say he's wrong either.  Maybe the best crust I've ever had.  If want to whine about the slow service and the line then shut up and go to Pizza Hut.  This is definitely a pizza I'd drive to Portland for, no matter where I lived. 

Cheeseboard Collective, Berkeley, CA- Ok, it's actually a cheese shop and it's owned and run by the employees.  And yes, I was disappointed to find out that they never put meat or marinara on their pizzas.  So, why go there?  Because they only do one kind of pizza per day and it's never anything short of kick ass.  The cheese is the star and rightfully so.  I mean, it is pizza after all.  Ever had chile pasilla or corn or French Feta or Swiss Gruyere on your pizza?  You will now. 

Via Tribunali, Seattle, WA- Best Neapolitan pizza in the Northwest (maybe more) hands down.  Suck it Tutta Bella.

Delancy's, Seattle, WA- Another small place with a wait but you're just going to have to suck it up and deal with it.  It's worth it.  Thin crust pizza with fresh and delicious topping and killer crust cooked in a super hot, wood fired oven.  Need I say more.

Smokey Mountain Pizza Works, Ketchum, ID-  I haven't been here in a long time but it was/is awesome.  Big, floppy New York style slices full of cheese and whatever toppings you choose.  Eat!

McKenzie River Pizza, Chain- You know the first time I went to the McKenzie River Pizza in Missoula, MT, like 10 years ago, it was freakin' awesome.  And I've definitely eaten a whole large there before.  I've eaten at probably four other locations too and it was always to die for, until last year, I thought maybe I just caught them on an off night.  Maybe an oven not hot enough or something.  Well, I've eaten there a couple more times since and I can now say that with every new location they add their pizza gets progressively worse, to the point now where I'll probably scout somewhere else to chomp next time I'm in Montana.  Tis a shame.  Unless they burn down all but like three of their locations, then I'm all in.  Unrabble/Rabble-B

Go Us!

Who needs stupid Rhinos anyway, they are stinky and mean and they poop a lot and contribute to global warming.  Assholes. 

Seriously folks, "Stweards of the Earth" as the article calls us isn't just some liberal, hippie shit.  I'm tellin' you I don't even like hippies but it's the truth.  And for the Bible lover, it's in the Bible too, I promise.  It's our job to make sure we don't destroy this planet, which we should be fired from.  As far as I know there's nowhere else close by we can go.  Unless you want to join Willzyk the whale and the Mooninites on the fucking moon!

Also, pretty sure Rhino horn doesn't make your weiner bigger or cure cancer sooooooooooooo...  Rabble-B

From MSNBC below:

Africa's Western Black Rhino declared extinct

Quarter of all mammals at risk of extinction, group says; Northern White Rhino of central Africa also now 'possibly extinct' in the wild

Dan Kitwood  /  Getty Images

A 6-month-old black rhino calf stands with its mother in its enclosure at Lympne Wild Animal Park on June 21 in Hythe, England.

msnbc.com staff and news service reports

updated 11/10/2011 5:56:43 AM ET 2011-11-10T10:56

 

GENEVA — The Western Black Rhino of Africa was declared officially extinct Thursday by a leading conservation group.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature said that two other subspecies of rhinoceros were close to meeting the same fate.
The Northern White Rhino of central Africa is now "possibly extinct" in the wild and the Javan Rhino "probably extinct" in Vietnam, after poachers killed the last animal there in 2010.
A small but declining population survives on the Indonesian island of Java.




IUCN said Thursday that a quarter of all mammals are at risk of extinction, according to its updated Red List of endangered species.
'Stewards of the Earth' But the group added that species such as the Southern White Rhino and the Przewalski's Horse have been brought back from the brink with successful conservation programs.
 

"Human beings are stewards of the Earth and we are responsible for protecting the species that share our environment," said Simon Stuart, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.

"In the case of both the Western Black Rhino and the Northern White Rhino, the situation could have had very different results if the suggested conservation measures had been implemented," he added. "These measures must be strengthened now, specifically managing habitats in order to improve breeding performance, preventing other rhinos from fading into extinction." 


The WWF environmental campaign group last month said that the Javan Rhino found dead in Vietnam in 2010 was the country's last, rendering the species all but the extinct.
  Genetic analysis of 22 dung samples collected in Vietnam's Cat Tien National Park from 2009 to 2010 affirmed that the animal, found dead with a bullet in its leg and its horn removed in April 2010, was the final wild rhino in Vietnam.
  Rhinoceros horns are a coveted ingredient in traditional Eastern medicine and rumored to cure or fend off cancer, although scientists say there is no evidence to support the claim.
WWF said the Javan Rhino was believed to be extinct from mainland Asia until 1988 when one was hunted from the Cat Tien area, leading to the discovery of a small population.

The Associated Press, msnbc.com staff and Reuters contributed to this report.

Occupy the Tea Party

The “Occupy” protesters “are mad at the wrong people," says Cosgray. "We’re not mad at the bankers… The Tea Party is mad at our politicians, our government. They are the ones that changed our country. I’m not saying there’s not crony capitalism —there is. … The real problem here is coming right from the White House and our Congress.”
Occupy protesters are “bizarre, very strange,” to Cosgray.
“I think (the Occupy movement) makes the Tea Party look a lot better. We’re not playing drums, masturbating on the street, or defecating on cars. I don’t think there’s anybody (out on the street) who is for American the way it was founded. They are like from another planet or something.
“The next time (Americans) see Tea Party groups holding a rally I think they’ll be, like, ‘Phew! Finally some people with common sense.’"

This is a quote from a Tea Party-er from a nice, happy, white town in Indiana, or really anywhere between the Rockies and the East Coast.  It's just a disturbing example of the ideological and information, not to mention wealth, divide in our lovely country.  Here's what's wrong with your statement and position sir:

1. The Occupy people are mad at Wall Street and the government, just like you folks.  In plenty of cities, including Seattle and Oakland, protesters are camped out at city hall and other government buildings.  It's not just Wall Street banks and "the rich" it's the collusion between them and the government, conspiring for lack of regulation and accountability.
2. Where the hell are protesters shitting on cars and jerking off in the street?  I don't know, but I do know that bums did that everyday on the streets before and will after both the Tea Party and Occupy movements are gone.  I will concede that a small minority of folks in the movement are out to cause trouble, but you'll find in any large group of people, the Tea Party for example.
3. The Occupy folks are, "bizarre, very strange... ...from another planet.", no weirder than the picture I saw of you and your eight children standing in a corn field all wearing the same sweatshirt that exclaims, "White County Tea Party Patriot".  That shit is very strange.  Also, pretty sure most alien encounters happen in corn fields.
4. The part about how they are Unamerican (besides the terrible grammar), are you serious?  Peaceful protesting is one of the most American things you can do!  Echoing the sentiments of Jon Stewart, you Tea Party folks think you're real Americans and normal and good, and the Occupy crew are a bunch of freaks and Commies, but your group is named after the most famous act of criminal trespassing, property destruction and theft in American history.  What the shit man?!  Well, actually there was no United States at that point yet so the Boston Tea Party wasn't really all that American anyway so, yeah, whatever people...  Rabble-B

FLOW

Lets just keep the environmental documentary theme rollin' and everybody watch Flow: For Love of Water after they watch Gasland.  Dig out the Prozac (just don't flush it down the toilet before you watch this one) and settle in.

Of course I'll give you my opinion, the same one I held previously to watching this film, clean water is a basic human, community and environmental right.  It's like air.  You can't corner the air market because air doesn't belong to anyone.  You could go what?  A minute without air (or ten if your some asshole named David Blaine.  Are you gonna make me disappear now David for public defamation?)  Neither does water.  You can only go like 2 days without water, so yeah.

Anyone who knows me apart from this blog or is one of the three consistent readers I have knows how angry environmental abuse makes me and this film only served to fan the flames.  Fuck off to the IMF, World Bank (we could write a book on these two and their war of attrition against third world countries but that's a whole 'nother rabble), Nestle, Suez, the stupid French company I can't pronounce and the US government for not doing more to protect our precious water supplies which we are so fortunately endowed with.  Now that I think of it, Gasland could even be a spin off of this film.  Sigh.  Rabble-B

Your Novembeard Reminder

Just a reminder folks, it is Novembeard now so, short of light trim around the edges or some nose hairs here and there, NO SHAVING!  And no this is not Movember, that's what Mustache March is for.  So if you're currently equipped with a mustache right now get rid of it and just don't participate all together, or let it all ride and rock a rippin' beard.  Grow on people!  Unrabble-B

PS- Turn your clocks back tonight.

Gasland

If you haven't watched this film do it.  Even though some of the filming and editing made me a little nauseous it's a shocking and depressing expose of our ever constant lust for money and the battle to ensure adequate environmental protections.

In this case water, which is of course the most precious of all resources we have and the easiest to fuck up.  Which natural gas fracking does a good job of.  I've read articles and seen news pieces on fracking before and the controversy but until you watch someone light their tap water on fire (or in this case like ten people) it seems kind of like one of those environmental things that is out of sight, out of mind.  Well, for a lot of people it seems, it's right in plain view.  Like a gas well in their front yard or in their bodies and in toxic water coming out of their tap.  Fuck me. 

Anyway, just watch it and get mad.  And, as if you need a reason to loathe the too recently departed Bush Administration, they were the one's (this specific action of which I was vaguely familiar with before the film) who created loopholes in the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts to allow oil and gas drilling to be exempted from abiding by the provisions to protect the environment and citizens.  Good job to everyone who voted for that hapless halfwit.  Not that the Obama Administration is really doing anything about it but you know.  You get the picture.  Rabble-B

Quote of the Week

"Dyin' aint much of a livin' boy." - Josey Wales

Unrabble-B