Showing posts with label drugs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drugs. Show all posts
Sunday, March 6, 2011
George Michael says He is Ashamed
George Michael says He is AshamedGeorge Michael has said he deserved to be jailed for a month after crashing his Range Rover while high on cannabis, describing it as 'karma'.The 47-year-old former Wham! singer said he was 'ashamed' to have broken the law repeatedly, adding that he is now in therapy over his drug abuse issues.In an interview with BBC Radio 2's Chris Evans Breakfast Show, he said:
Friday, July 23, 2010
Freedom Ship: Abortion, Drugs, Sex Change and Euthanasia
There is already a ship chartered by pro-choice activists that offers abortion pills to women where abortion is illegal. They simply take the woman to international waters, and the Dutch-flagged ship allows doctors to terminate unwanted pregnancies. The organization is Women on Waves, and so far have visited Ireland, Portugal and other European ports.
This is such an interesting project, that I am willing to expand it into other activities that are illegal in most countries, but legal in the Netherlands. And mostly, bringing the ship to Latin America, where abortion is largely illegal.
The ship would have several sections, in addition to Abortions: Pot Smoking, Same Sex Marriages, Euthanasia, Sex Change Surgery, Gambling and delivery of babies with Dutch nationality.
The cost of those activities will be very low for citizens of restricted countries, because they will only need to board the ship for a few miles.
The captain of the ship will act as non-denominational Priest to marry couples and administer last sacraments to euthanasia adopters. He will also be Birth Godfather, and we will try to convince him into pouring drinks (for Arab countries where alcohol is illegal) and preparing the Opium Narguille. At nights he doubles as Croupier in the Floating Casino.
We need a few bucks (maybe 1,000,000) that will be multiplied several times in a year or two.
We are open to other equally appealing activities to add: Human Cloning (still unauthorized), Human Genetic Engineering, 3-Some Marriages and more.
This is such an interesting project, that I am willing to expand it into other activities that are illegal in most countries, but legal in the Netherlands. And mostly, bringing the ship to Latin America, where abortion is largely illegal.
The ship would have several sections, in addition to Abortions: Pot Smoking, Same Sex Marriages, Euthanasia, Sex Change Surgery, Gambling and delivery of babies with Dutch nationality.
The cost of those activities will be very low for citizens of restricted countries, because they will only need to board the ship for a few miles.
The captain of the ship will act as non-denominational Priest to marry couples and administer last sacraments to euthanasia adopters. He will also be Birth Godfather, and we will try to convince him into pouring drinks (for Arab countries where alcohol is illegal) and preparing the Opium Narguille. At nights he doubles as Croupier in the Floating Casino.
We need a few bucks (maybe 1,000,000) that will be multiplied several times in a year or two.
We are open to other equally appealing activities to add: Human Cloning (still unauthorized), Human Genetic Engineering, 3-Some Marriages and more.
Monday, May 3, 2010
What about when a fist hits a head?
It was set to be the most anticipated fight in the past decade, perhaps ever. With estimates of between $200m and $250m gross takings for the event, expectations were high for the contest between the two men vying for the title of the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. In one corner is Manny Pacquiao. He is a national hero in his homeland of the Philippines, where he is running to become a congressman. Indeed, during his fights, crime in the Philippines reportedly drops to zero. In the other, ‘Pretty Boy’ Floyd Mayweather – the flash, arrogant American; he is known to regularly blow six figures sums of cash on professional sports, and is not afraid to shy away from the spotlight. However, on the 6th January, 2010, the fight was called off over a dispute about the manner of drugs testing ahead of the fight.
In boxing, more than any other sport, the issue of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) is a critical safety issue. Former World Heavyweight champion, John Ruiz puts it well. “The only sport in which steroids can kill someone other than the person using them is boxing. You’re stronger when you use steroids. You’re quicker and faster. If a baseball player uses steroids, he hits more home runs. So what? I’m not saying that it’s right, but you’re not putting anyone else at risk. When a fighter is juiced, it’s dangerous. People go crazy about the effect that steroids have when a bat hits a ball. What about when a fist hits a head?”
Cheating in any sport is frowned upon. A recent scandal in boxing revolved around Antonio Margarito, who was banned for 12 months, following controversy over tampered handwraps. Ahead of his fight with Shane Mosley, Mosley’s trainer observed that Margarito had a pasty white substance in his handwraps prior to the fight. This was later shown to be a substance similar to plaster. This outcome has shed doubt over Margarito’s prior victory over Miguel Cotto, whose face was left a bloody mess toward the end of the fight. The effect of the plaster in his handwraps would have made it feel like you were being hit with bricks. Miguel Cotto has not been the same fighter since the battering he took at the hands of Margarito.
However, currently the tests for PEDs in boxing are relatively lax. No state athletic commission or world sanctioning organisation tests adequately for PEDs and only a handful of states test for steroids. Indeed, under the current system, fighters know in advance when they will be tested, allowing sophisticated users to test ‘clean’. Furthermore, no state athletic commission tests for human growth hormone, and chemical traces of synthetic EPO can be eliminated in a well-educated user in less than 24 hours. This is where the disagreement that caused the cancellation of the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight came about.
As part of the negotiations for the fight, Team Mayweather was demanding that both fighters submit to the Olympic style drugs testing. This is the style of drugs testing promoted by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and which all Olympic athletes must submit to prior to competing in the competition. Under this regime, the participants must submit to unlimited random urine and blood testing without any advanced notice from the start of training, right through until the day of the fight. While this has not been adopted in boxing before, it does not seem unreasonable for Team Mayweather to request this, simply to prove to the watching world that both fighters are clean.
Indeed, this was originally accepted by Team Pacquiao, who claimed that they had no problem with submitting to this. However, in return, they had several demands of their own. Firstly, they wanted the fight to go ahead with 8oz gloves, rather than the standard 10oz gloves. So long as both parties agree to this, these are allowed. Despite the fact that Mayweather usually fights with the traditional 10oz gloves, he accepted the request the following day. After this, Team Pacquiao then demanded a $10m penalty on Mayweather if he came in over the 147lbs limit, which Mayweather again agreed to.
Then suddenly, reports came out that Pacquiao was afraid of needles, despite having multiple tattoos, and had superstitions against blood testing. He demanded a 30-day cutoff ahead of the fight, claiming that having these tests within 30 days of the fight weakened him and would put him at risk in the fight. However, Team Mayweather countered with the evidence that he had undergone blood tests only 24 days before his previous fight against Ricky Hatton. In response, Team Pacquiao demanded a 24-day cutoff point ahead of the fight. Team Mayweather offered to meet in the middle and offered a 14-day cutoff. However, Team Pacquiao refused this and declared that the fight was cancelled.
This whole event has raised questions over Manny Pacquiao’s meteoric rise through the weight divisions over the previous couple of years. Despite failing to win on five separate occasions in the lower weight categories, he has risen up through the divisions to become the pound-for-pound king, fighting in the welterweight division. Whilst this stunning rise raises the possibility of external help, it is not proof of anything. Indeed, Floyd Mayweather has made a similar rise up through the divisions, from super featherweight to welterweight. However, he made the move over a longer, more sustained time period.
It is the rapid rise of Pacquiao that has raised the questions. Over the space of only 9 months, Manny Pacquiao managed to pack on an additional 15lbs of pure muscle onto his 5`6½ frame. This is a remarkable increase in lean muscle mass for any fighter, let alone one that is into his thirties. As Pacquiao’s strength and conditioning coach reveals, “not only is he getting stronger; he’s actually getting faster as he moves up in weight.” However, he does reveal his frustration that Manny will not allow him to do all of the tests that he would like to do, resisting those that involve invasive methods. This could be taken as an argument for either side – either that he has something to hide, or that he does have an aversion to these invasive methods.
As much as its supporters may deny, drugs are present in the sport. Shane Mosley has admitted using steroids back in 2003 ahead of his victory over Oscar de la Hoya; former World Heavyweight champion, James Toney, has failed two drugs tests; and Evander Holyfield has been implicated in the fallout of the Balco scandal. The recent tragedy involving former Lightweight Champion, Edwin Valero, has highlighted the fact that drugs are being used by boxers and not detected in tests. He was a cocaine addict, but never failed a test before or after any of his fights. Tragically, last month, he was arrested for the murder of his wife, and committed suicide in his prison cell the following morning.
On Saturday night, Floyd Mayweather came through his fight with Shane Mosley, reigniting the expectations of a meeting with Manny Pacquiao. The Mosley fight was performed under the Olympic style drugs testing, and Mayweather has claimed that he is attempting to clean up the sport. Whether the two camps will be able to come to an agreement over the drugs testing is debatable – although noises from the Pacquiao camp suggest that he is open to the 14-day cutoff proposed as a compromise by Team Mayweather.
Boxing needs this fight to happen – it has the potential to reinvigorate the flagging sport. However, the issues raised over PEDs in the sport are potentially more important than the fight itself. Nobody likes a cheat in any walk of life, and the use of these PEDs is a clear and blatant form of cheating. However, in boxing more than in any other sport, their use has the potential to cause serious harm to people other than the user. Surely it is in the best interests of the governing bodies and state athletic commission to implement the Olympic style of drugs testing. It is good enough for Usain Bolt; it is good enough for Sir Chris Hoy; it is good enough for all the current Olympic athletes. In that case, why is excessive for Manny Pacquiao, and boxers in general?
In boxing, more than any other sport, the issue of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) is a critical safety issue. Former World Heavyweight champion, John Ruiz puts it well. “The only sport in which steroids can kill someone other than the person using them is boxing. You’re stronger when you use steroids. You’re quicker and faster. If a baseball player uses steroids, he hits more home runs. So what? I’m not saying that it’s right, but you’re not putting anyone else at risk. When a fighter is juiced, it’s dangerous. People go crazy about the effect that steroids have when a bat hits a ball. What about when a fist hits a head?”
Cheating in any sport is frowned upon. A recent scandal in boxing revolved around Antonio Margarito, who was banned for 12 months, following controversy over tampered handwraps. Ahead of his fight with Shane Mosley, Mosley’s trainer observed that Margarito had a pasty white substance in his handwraps prior to the fight. This was later shown to be a substance similar to plaster. This outcome has shed doubt over Margarito’s prior victory over Miguel Cotto, whose face was left a bloody mess toward the end of the fight. The effect of the plaster in his handwraps would have made it feel like you were being hit with bricks. Miguel Cotto has not been the same fighter since the battering he took at the hands of Margarito.
However, currently the tests for PEDs in boxing are relatively lax. No state athletic commission or world sanctioning organisation tests adequately for PEDs and only a handful of states test for steroids. Indeed, under the current system, fighters know in advance when they will be tested, allowing sophisticated users to test ‘clean’. Furthermore, no state athletic commission tests for human growth hormone, and chemical traces of synthetic EPO can be eliminated in a well-educated user in less than 24 hours. This is where the disagreement that caused the cancellation of the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight came about.
As part of the negotiations for the fight, Team Mayweather was demanding that both fighters submit to the Olympic style drugs testing. This is the style of drugs testing promoted by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and which all Olympic athletes must submit to prior to competing in the competition. Under this regime, the participants must submit to unlimited random urine and blood testing without any advanced notice from the start of training, right through until the day of the fight. While this has not been adopted in boxing before, it does not seem unreasonable for Team Mayweather to request this, simply to prove to the watching world that both fighters are clean.
Indeed, this was originally accepted by Team Pacquiao, who claimed that they had no problem with submitting to this. However, in return, they had several demands of their own. Firstly, they wanted the fight to go ahead with 8oz gloves, rather than the standard 10oz gloves. So long as both parties agree to this, these are allowed. Despite the fact that Mayweather usually fights with the traditional 10oz gloves, he accepted the request the following day. After this, Team Pacquiao then demanded a $10m penalty on Mayweather if he came in over the 147lbs limit, which Mayweather again agreed to.
Then suddenly, reports came out that Pacquiao was afraid of needles, despite having multiple tattoos, and had superstitions against blood testing. He demanded a 30-day cutoff ahead of the fight, claiming that having these tests within 30 days of the fight weakened him and would put him at risk in the fight. However, Team Mayweather countered with the evidence that he had undergone blood tests only 24 days before his previous fight against Ricky Hatton. In response, Team Pacquiao demanded a 24-day cutoff point ahead of the fight. Team Mayweather offered to meet in the middle and offered a 14-day cutoff. However, Team Pacquiao refused this and declared that the fight was cancelled.
This whole event has raised questions over Manny Pacquiao’s meteoric rise through the weight divisions over the previous couple of years. Despite failing to win on five separate occasions in the lower weight categories, he has risen up through the divisions to become the pound-for-pound king, fighting in the welterweight division. Whilst this stunning rise raises the possibility of external help, it is not proof of anything. Indeed, Floyd Mayweather has made a similar rise up through the divisions, from super featherweight to welterweight. However, he made the move over a longer, more sustained time period.
It is the rapid rise of Pacquiao that has raised the questions. Over the space of only 9 months, Manny Pacquiao managed to pack on an additional 15lbs of pure muscle onto his 5`6½ frame. This is a remarkable increase in lean muscle mass for any fighter, let alone one that is into his thirties. As Pacquiao’s strength and conditioning coach reveals, “not only is he getting stronger; he’s actually getting faster as he moves up in weight.” However, he does reveal his frustration that Manny will not allow him to do all of the tests that he would like to do, resisting those that involve invasive methods. This could be taken as an argument for either side – either that he has something to hide, or that he does have an aversion to these invasive methods.
As much as its supporters may deny, drugs are present in the sport. Shane Mosley has admitted using steroids back in 2003 ahead of his victory over Oscar de la Hoya; former World Heavyweight champion, James Toney, has failed two drugs tests; and Evander Holyfield has been implicated in the fallout of the Balco scandal. The recent tragedy involving former Lightweight Champion, Edwin Valero, has highlighted the fact that drugs are being used by boxers and not detected in tests. He was a cocaine addict, but never failed a test before or after any of his fights. Tragically, last month, he was arrested for the murder of his wife, and committed suicide in his prison cell the following morning.
On Saturday night, Floyd Mayweather came through his fight with Shane Mosley, reigniting the expectations of a meeting with Manny Pacquiao. The Mosley fight was performed under the Olympic style drugs testing, and Mayweather has claimed that he is attempting to clean up the sport. Whether the two camps will be able to come to an agreement over the drugs testing is debatable – although noises from the Pacquiao camp suggest that he is open to the 14-day cutoff proposed as a compromise by Team Mayweather.
Boxing needs this fight to happen – it has the potential to reinvigorate the flagging sport. However, the issues raised over PEDs in the sport are potentially more important than the fight itself. Nobody likes a cheat in any walk of life, and the use of these PEDs is a clear and blatant form of cheating. However, in boxing more than in any other sport, their use has the potential to cause serious harm to people other than the user. Surely it is in the best interests of the governing bodies and state athletic commission to implement the Olympic style of drugs testing. It is good enough for Usain Bolt; it is good enough for Sir Chris Hoy; it is good enough for all the current Olympic athletes. In that case, why is excessive for Manny Pacquiao, and boxers in general?
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Sniffy the Dishwasher Saleswoman
Our house will turn 11 years old this year and it is starting to show signs of its age. We put a contract on the house in 1998 and in January of 1999 they started building. We didn't know much about building a house at the time (we were only 26 years old), so we made some decisions that in retrospect were not the best.
For example, thinking we were absolutely strapped and would never get another pay increase in our entire life, we did not bump out the back wall. Now the back wall is creeping inward. It would have been nice to have that extra 2-4 feet.
Another decision we made was to go with builder-grade appliances. I guess that wasn't too bad. Our stove is still fine. However, our dishwasher sucks. And by sucks I mean it is sucking money out of our wallet.
With a control dial and no delayed time option, we are at the mercy of its incapabilities when we want to run the dishwasher in the middle of the night during lower electricity rate times. Additionally, the flap on the inside that opens and dumps the soap at a certain time rarely works anymore. We usually open the dishwasher to find 2 racks of steam-cleaned dishes and a soap dish full of soap.
Last week we had had enough. I went to Harpers in Eldersburg to check out what they have as I'd rather buy from the small retailer first. Their selection was limited as expected and their prices a bit high. We also checked out Home Depot, and while the gentleman was nice, he was not very helpful. When a customer asks you a question the expected answer is not "I think so" or "maybe". I guess this is what happens when a big box retailer jams as much Chinese-made stuff into a store and pays slightly educated people very low wages to sell their wares.
We decided to check out Sears in Westminster in the spacious and glamorous Westminster Mall (or whatever they call it). We reconnoitered to the appliances and were immediately accosted by a heroin\cocaine addict screaming irrational demands at us like, "you NEED this dishwasher!" without even hearing what our requirements were.
Cloaked in black on black on black with loose fitting black snow boots, the 50 year old sniffing and stoned Goth girl showed us some different models and finally led us to an LG model that for some reason unlike the other dishwashers offered free delivery, installation, and removal. Well, not entirely free - we paid $169, but were given a slip for an immediate refund.
Entirely uncomfortable in her element, Sniffy filled our ears with that uncomfortable laugh that you often hear by the crack whores when they get caught on COPS and try to pretend that they were just waiting for a friend to pick them up. And she talked fast. Without taking a single breath she exhaled the following: "This is totally the dishwasher you need because you have wonderful kids and there's no tax on the installation and Sears is the number one dishwasher retailer in the country and Mexico. Is it Friday? Oh, my, this is such a great deal you will be so happy if you buy this because I would be happy. Is it Friday? Did I mention there's no tax when you purchase this dishwasher? That's tax on the installation, hee-hee. Is it Friday?"
One of our primary requirements is that the dishwasher be ultra-quiet. Our current dishwasher sounds like someone jammed a hair dryer, a lawnmower, and a vacuum cleaner into the unit. Kitchen conversation is unachievable during the wash cycle.
We asked Sniffy what the decibel rating was on the new LG unit. I read that we should require around 47 decibels. She said, "Oh, it's low. It's the quality sound package. It's definitely low. You'll love it. Sears is the number one sound package distributor of sound quality dishwashers in the country and Mexico. Is it Friday?" My wife finally told her, "We're not buying this dishwasher unless you can tell us the decibel rating. "Okay, I'll see what I can do." After a 5 minute search and a few lines of blow she returned with her pants zipper half-way down and with her pink glossy eyes proudly claimed that she found it and it was low.
We finally decided to purchase the unit and the one hour process of paying for it was initiated. We saved an additional 5% by opening a Sears charge and there was no interest or payments for 1 year. That sounds good to me! However, the 'computer is acting up' speech then ensued. It took her 4 times to ring it up and she was extremely flustered. The obnoxious uncomfortable "tee-hees" followed. My ten year old daughter then began to laugh behind her back, while the other 2 kids rolled on the floor in extreme boredom next to the dust-caked sewing machines. She finally called the kid from the electronics section to come help her - you know, the kid with the hair so long it was over his eyes, so I'm not sure how he could see if he was helping her or not.
Finally the pain ended as the transaction was completed, we all quickly departed and we raced to the car. We grabbed some ice cream at Hoffman's and headed home. The new dishwasher will be here on Wednesday, but the hysterical memories of Sniffy will last forever.
For example, thinking we were absolutely strapped and would never get another pay increase in our entire life, we did not bump out the back wall. Now the back wall is creeping inward. It would have been nice to have that extra 2-4 feet.
Another decision we made was to go with builder-grade appliances. I guess that wasn't too bad. Our stove is still fine. However, our dishwasher sucks. And by sucks I mean it is sucking money out of our wallet.
With a control dial and no delayed time option, we are at the mercy of its incapabilities when we want to run the dishwasher in the middle of the night during lower electricity rate times. Additionally, the flap on the inside that opens and dumps the soap at a certain time rarely works anymore. We usually open the dishwasher to find 2 racks of steam-cleaned dishes and a soap dish full of soap.Last week we had had enough. I went to Harpers in Eldersburg to check out what they have as I'd rather buy from the small retailer first. Their selection was limited as expected and their prices a bit high. We also checked out Home Depot, and while the gentleman was nice, he was not very helpful. When a customer asks you a question the expected answer is not "I think so" or "maybe". I guess this is what happens when a big box retailer jams as much Chinese-made stuff into a store and pays slightly educated people very low wages to sell their wares.
We decided to check out Sears in Westminster in the spacious and glamorous Westminster Mall (or whatever they call it). We reconnoitered to the appliances and were immediately accosted by a heroin\cocaine addict screaming irrational demands at us like, "you NEED this dishwasher!" without even hearing what our requirements were.
Cloaked in black on black on black with loose fitting black snow boots, the 50 year old sniffing and stoned Goth girl showed us some different models and finally led us to an LG model that for some reason unlike the other dishwashers offered free delivery, installation, and removal. Well, not entirely free - we paid $169, but were given a slip for an immediate refund.
Entirely uncomfortable in her element, Sniffy filled our ears with that uncomfortable laugh that you often hear by the crack whores when they get caught on COPS and try to pretend that they were just waiting for a friend to pick them up. And she talked fast. Without taking a single breath she exhaled the following: "This is totally the dishwasher you need because you have wonderful kids and there's no tax on the installation and Sears is the number one dishwasher retailer in the country and Mexico. Is it Friday? Oh, my, this is such a great deal you will be so happy if you buy this because I would be happy. Is it Friday? Did I mention there's no tax when you purchase this dishwasher? That's tax on the installation, hee-hee. Is it Friday?"
One of our primary requirements is that the dishwasher be ultra-quiet. Our current dishwasher sounds like someone jammed a hair dryer, a lawnmower, and a vacuum cleaner into the unit. Kitchen conversation is unachievable during the wash cycle.
We asked Sniffy what the decibel rating was on the new LG unit. I read that we should require around 47 decibels. She said, "Oh, it's low. It's the quality sound package. It's definitely low. You'll love it. Sears is the number one sound package distributor of sound quality dishwashers in the country and Mexico. Is it Friday?" My wife finally told her, "We're not buying this dishwasher unless you can tell us the decibel rating. "Okay, I'll see what I can do." After a 5 minute search and a few lines of blow she returned with her pants zipper half-way down and with her pink glossy eyes proudly claimed that she found it and it was low.
We finally decided to purchase the unit and the one hour process of paying for it was initiated. We saved an additional 5% by opening a Sears charge and there was no interest or payments for 1 year. That sounds good to me! However, the 'computer is acting up' speech then ensued. It took her 4 times to ring it up and she was extremely flustered. The obnoxious uncomfortable "tee-hees" followed. My ten year old daughter then began to laugh behind her back, while the other 2 kids rolled on the floor in extreme boredom next to the dust-caked sewing machines. She finally called the kid from the electronics section to come help her - you know, the kid with the hair so long it was over his eyes, so I'm not sure how he could see if he was helping her or not.
Finally the pain ended as the transaction was completed, we all quickly departed and we raced to the car. We grabbed some ice cream at Hoffman's and headed home. The new dishwasher will be here on Wednesday, but the hysterical memories of Sniffy will last forever.
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