Blue Paint

What with class warfare starting to shape up in the USA, damaging expensive German cars is rapidly becoming the new sport. Not that other motor vehicles aren't expensive and obnoxious, but... Somehow Lexuses (Lexi?) and Infinitis tend to piss off the masses less than the German cars. Why? Who knows? But it's a fact, ask Brian.

Damaging can come in the form of stealing, ramming, denting or worse. More commonly, keying or nailing is done. Less impressive from twenty feet, keying and nailing are effective nonetheless. Besides, keying and nailing are easy and inconspicuous and can be deftly completed walking through a parking lot. Just hold the metal scratcher out about an inch and slowly walk past the target. It's really cool when the paint flakes off onto the perp's thumb and hand. When the key or nail is just at the right angle,


the feeling is as sweet as hitting a line drive home run.

Sally McCullen and Brian McCausland have been together for nearly fours years. The Macs is the name they call themselves and they often speak in the third person. Sickening really...

S "What do the Macs want for dinner?"

B "Hmm, this Mac wants to eat out, something tropical, perhaps, ..."

S "OK, Mac, how about the fried grouper all you can eat special at Mr. Pete's Cajun? If it's Thursday, ya kno, it's grouper at Mr. Pete's"

And that's how they got to the Enterprise Avenue "Bonanza" strip mall. Mr. Pete's rents the two store fronts all the way to the right of the 70's era bunker building. The other three stores are let by Rainbow Vitamins and Tanning, Vita's Dance Studio and Patel's Subcontinental Variety. If it weren't for Pete's, the shop strip would be bereft of much business after 6 PM.

A college kid with too blue eyes and a few Kevin Bacon chin hairs waited the Macs' table. They were not strangers.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Mac."

B "Hey Zack, how u doin?"

Z "All good, kewl, U 2?

S "The Macs are well. Thank you Zack." Sally could be a boner sometimes. Zack's chinny chin irked her. Brian grew a city sidewalk beard once. The kind of beard that grows like the weeds that crop up between the cracks of the concrete. It was piebald and scraggly. Consequently, Sally declared war on facial hair. An odd reaction inasmuch as she was could be a Christine O'Donnell down below double. Funny how she could demand smooth but not give smooth. Oh well.

B "Specials for the Macs, Zack."

Z "Grouper/fries/slaw for 2 it is. Iced Teas or Cokes?" Mr. Pete's allowed either Iced Tea, Coke or water as part of the special package.

Boner "The Macs will have waters."

As they waited for the heart attack special, the Macs chit chatted. Nothing new really, same old hash, just rehashed. Her job, his job, her boss, his boss, her weight, his flat tire... Oh man, nothing like the days when they talked about sex and how hot they were for one another. Lust -> Love -> Ennui -> Ho-hum.

At first she thought it was just the light. Mr. Pete's had those table candles, blue, red, green and amber ones, in jars like balls. These Venetian candles were placed randomly through the dining area. The outside of the jars were contoured and the texture and tactile appeal of the jars demanded they be touched. Brian was holding the blue ball candle with both hands, like a priest holds a consecrated chalice. Sally could see the flecks of Monaco blue paint covering the backs of Brian's right thumb and index finger. Monaco blue is a popular BMW color.

"Briiian, you're hand, what's on your right hand?" queried Sally. She wasn't sure whether the blue coloration on his hand was a reflection of the blue light as it transluced the glass.


"Oh", Brian could only get an oh out as he tried to brush the metallic flecks off of his hand. To no avail, paint flecks are pesky hanger oners. "Must be some dirt".

She grabbed the soiled hand as if Brian had leprosy. The flickering candle flame radiated off of the metallic paint particles. "Looks like paint."

Just then Zack arrived with the waters. He placed them in the middle of the table, as if he set up a couple of sentries to protect the bottom thick blue candle jar. Before Sally could reload, Brian was up and moving towards the rest room.

Upon his return, the grouper specials had landed and Sally was already elbow deep. She was hungry. Watching Sally eat was interesting, since she ate like a Kenmore washer on "heavy load". With a clean right hand (left too, Brian washed them both), he joined his Mac-let in the head down in the plate gorging. Well, they weren't plates, but red plastic woven baskets

lined with a piece of quasi waxed paper. No matter, the flatware was plastic as well. And the table cloth... Plastic Pete's.

With their bellies full and their cholesterol levels up 50 mg% the Macs headed out the door. Brian left Zack a little extra tonight. He felt Zack's pain when he got boned with, "The Macs will have waters." It was the way Sally said it with her face screwed up like she smelled something bad. Brian knew that look.

The rain had stopped. Sally, who had been dropped off by Brian in front of Pete's, didn't know where Brian parked the Mazda. Brian, who was a step behind her, took her by the hand. They walked towards the Tribute. A couple, nicely dressed and tall, were stooping, looking at the side of their car. Sally noted an "M5" emblem on the trunk deck. And she saw that familiar blue and white airplane propeller, too. BMW!

As the Macs pulled out of the lot, Sally looked back. She could tell the snappy looking couple were upset. The were moving their arms in motions, between anger and frustration. Although she didn't realize it then, in a couple of days she is going to get a blue flashback. Indeed she will remember that the BMW M5 was blue, Monaco blue.


And when she gets that flashback, her nose will crinkle in that all too familiar way. As if she could smell bad paint. Briiian!

And so it goes.

Coons v. O'Donnell, Hair Wins

As quoted from a Monmouth University Poll regarding the senatorial race between Christopher Coons and Christine O'Donnell, "While Coons still has the advantage, it has to be uncomfortable knowing that O’Donnell was able to shave 9 points off his lead in just two weeks." Perhaps its ironic that the Polling Institute chose the "was able to shave" predicate phrase. Ironic indeed. And who said the so called negative Gawker tryst report would not have its benefits. In politics ALL publicity is GOOD. see http://www.pplume-blog.com/2010/10/christine-odonnell-may-win-by-hair.html

The race is still a laugher with Coons holding a 10 point margin, but that lead was 19 points 14 days ago. At the rate of losing 1.38 points a day, with 5 days left, hmmm, the margin could be 3-4 points by election day. Egads. The southern part of Delaware appears to love Ms. O'Donnell, so that a strong turnout in Sussex and Kent Counties would work in her favor. Could an upset be in the making...? And always remember the golden rule in electoral jousting, good hair beats bad hair, which is as bad as no hair at all.

The cue ball skulled Coons


needs to mind his p's and q's this weekend. One gaffe, one misstep, one blunder could deep six him. While O'Donnell is given a wide berth in her perturbations, Coons is not. After all he is an Eli, with degrees in law and divinity from Yale. The always well coiffed and thick haired O'Donnell


received her bachelor's degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in English Literature and Communications (no surprise there) on September 1, 2010. Her sheepskin is still oozing. She is 41, Coons 47. Loquacious looseness is expected from the younger candidate, while the senior Coons is a man of serious, serious blather. Put another way, this race is a beauty and the beast match up.

America loves an underdog. Coons, as the upper dog, must know that. He's viewed as the more prepared candidate. While six years of Coons might be useful and sane and even productive, who cares? Why bother? The Senate, the Congress and the rest of the beltway crowd are classic underachievers. Whether Coons shows up or not will make little to no difference. At the least, with O'Donnell in the Senate, there will be sideshows and other interesting dust ups, which really can't be fully imagined. And the things she'll say will be media events. To exemplify, Bill Maher will make O'Donnell a regular. Coons, well, he's not telegenic and there is no way he and Mr. Maher will cross swords.

Gotta love election time. It brings out the best in the American electorate. In a democracy, election contests are like the People's Choice Awards.


Coons v. O'Donnell will be interesting. If it's close, it will come down to hair. And in this race, Christine has way more hair. Way more. Indeed. And so it goes.

Qnexa Wins!??

As paradoxical as this sounds, Vivus Pharmaceuticals received good news by dint of a rejection letter from the FDA. Indeed, after four months of wondering just how bad the FDA would pummel it, the company can see that the road to approval for its fat drug, Qnexa, is doable. After the Advisory gave the combinations drug, phentermine + topirimate, a thumbs down in July, pessimism roiled the the hopes of this small company. The share price plummeted from the $13's to the $4's.

In its 8-K filing the Company sets out its plan.

Form 8-K for VIVUS INC

29-Oct-2010

Other Events

Item 8.01 - Other Events.
On October 28, 2010, VIVUS, Inc. announced that it received a Complete Response Letter, or CRL, from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, regarding its New Drug Application, or NDA, for the investigational new drug QNEXA� (phentermine/topiramate) Controlled-Release Capsules. The FDA issued the CRL to communicate its decision that the NDA cannot be approved in its present form. The application seeks the approval to market QNEXA as an oral, once-a-day formulation for the treatment of obesity, including weight loss and maintenance of weight loss, in patients who are obese or overweight with co-morbidities such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia or central adiposity.

The CRL included the following areas: clinical, labeling, REMS, safety update, and drug scheduling.

In the clinical section of the CRL, the FDA requested a comprehensive assessment of topiramate's and phentermine/topiramate's teratogenic potential. This will include a detailed plan and strategy to evaluate and mitigate the potential teratogenic risks in women of childbearing potential taking the drug for the treatment of obesity. In addition, the FDA asked VIVUS to provide evidence that the elevation in heart rate associated with phentermine/topiramate does not increase the risk for major adverse cardiovascular events.

The FDA requested that VIVUS formally submit the results from the already completed SEQUEL study (OB-305), a 52-week extension study for a subset of 675 patients who completed the previously reported 56-week CONQUER study. Top-line results from the two-year SEQUEL study were announced by VIVUS on September 21, 2010 and a final study report is being prepared for submission to the NDA.

The FDA reserved the right to comment further on proposed labeling. On REMS, the FDA requested that a discussion of an already submitted REMS plan be continued after the written response from VIVUS has been submitted. The agency also requested a safety update of any new adverse events be submitted to the NDA. Finally, the FDA stated that if approved, phentermine/topiramate would be a Schedule IV drug due to the phentermine component.

As part of the written response, VIVUS plans to compile analyses integrating existing nonclinical and clinical data to provide a comprehensive assessment of the teratogenic potential of topiramate. In addition, VIVUS plans to provide several new analyses to demonstrate QNEXA does not increase the risk for major cardiovascular events, which would include data from VIVUS' OB-305 and OB-204 studies. In the CRL, no new clinical studies were requested; however, in the event that any of the FDA concerns are not alleviated, additional clinical studies may be required.

VIVUS intends to continue working with the FDA towards the approval of QNEXA for the treatment of obesity and is preparing a comprehensive response to the CRL for submission to the FDA in approximately six weeks.

VIVUS will hold a conference call to discuss this update on Friday, October 29, 2010, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Those interested can listen to this call by dialing toll-

free 877-359-2916 or 224-357-2386. A 30-day archive of the call can be accessed at http://ir.vivus.com/. To access the webcast of this event, please visit VIVUS' Investors site at http://ir.vivus.com/events.cfm. A replay will also be available on demand from the website at the conclusion of the program.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this Form 8-K are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "anticipate," "believe," "forecast," "estimated" and "intend," among others. These forward-looking statements are based on VIVUS' current expectations and actual results could differ materially. There are a number of factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, the timing and substance of VIVUS' response to the FDA's complete response letter; the FDA's interpretation of the data VIVUS submits relating to teratogenicity and cardiovascular safety; the FDA's interpretation of the data from VIVUS' SEQUEL study (OB-305); that VIVUS may be required to conduct additional clinical trials; substantial competition; uncertainties of patent protection and litigation; reliance on sole source suppliers; limited sales and marketing efforts and dependence upon third parties; risks related to the development of innovative products; and risks related to failure to obtain FDA clearances or approvals and noncompliance with FDA regulations. As with any pharmaceutical under development, there are significant risks in the development, regulatory approval and commercialization of new products. There are no guarantees that VIVUS' response to the FDA's complete response letter will be sufficient to satisfy the FDA's safety concerns, that the FDA will not require VIVUS to conduct additional clinical studies or that any product will receive regulatory approval for any indication or prove to be commercially successful. VIVUS does not undertake an obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement. Investors should read the risk factors set forth in VIVUS' Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 and periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In the before the before equity activity, the share price is paradoxically UP. The closing value last evening (before the CRL was released) was in the low $6.13. Right now the price is $8.08! It appears that the obesity market cognescenti already anticipate a down the road approval for Qnesta.

The conference call is at 8:30 eastern. If missed, Vivus will offer it on their web site for 30 days. The obesity and diabesity crowd still have hope that their medical problems will have a pharmaceutical option. Sadly, the entire disease spectrum of obesity is bereft of much help, except a glib and mostly ineffective diet and exercise


pap speech by mostly non fat people. Those, who are overweight, know how poorly the D&E works. Worse yet D&E set the safety bar for any drug alternative. And a high bar that is!

So, the saga continues. The next chapter in the fat drug story is the Advisory Committee meeting for Orexigen's Contrave. Set in early December, OREX will have the advantage of studying the trials of both VVUS and ARNA before being put on the barbie.

And so it goes...

Christine O'Donnell May Win by a Hair

"...When her underwear came off, I immediately noticed that the waxing trend had completely passed her by. Obviously, that was a big turnoff, and I quickly lost interest. I said goodnight, rolled over, and went to sleep. ..." http://gawker.com/5674353/

This excerpt comes out of a piece titled, "I Had a One-Night Stand with Christine O'Donnell". The Gawker not only ran it on its website but also placed it in their Twitter offerings as a stand alone. The unnamed narrator (more on him later) describes a Halloween of three years ago when he had an interaction with Ms. O'Donnell. From his own description of the goings on, the article's title is far more salacious than the night's events. All in all, it was a boring encounter which would have been better left to the dusty bins of history. Besides, men don't talk about such matters. Do they?

Foster Karner, in a Village Voice Blog, expresses frustration and anger with the loose lipped lover of smooth and the writer does a bit of new fashioned gumshoeing. http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2010/10/is_this_the_guy.php Karner reverse searches, checks out some property records and even talks with Ms. O'Donnell's aunt. Lo and behold Foster names the garrulous bed mate as Brad Kurisko.


BK is 28 and a Rotarian. What ever is a Rotarian? LOL. And even better, Foster points out, Brad is a Phillies fan. As an aside, did the Fightins miserable showing against the Giants in the National League Playoff last week lead to Brad's spilling the beans? Depression is played out in funny ways.

Three years ago, Christine would have been about 38. Hmm, Brad would have been 25. Not quite December-May, maybe June-September? Is 38 old enough to be classified a cougar? Christine has never married, perhaps making her ineligible for cougar status, no matter her age.

At the time of the purported dalliance, the anonymous author asserts COD claimed she was a virgin. When pressed, he says, COD explained she was a "born again virgin". So as the frustrated lover tells it, he beds Christine in eager anticipation. Then the liaison fails to taint her "virginity" for a number of reasons, not the least of which is her grooming. OMG. Is this balderdash or what? Grooming? Could there have been a generational grooming gap?

In an alternative analysis, the Smoking Gun, http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/gawker/trail-anonymous-christine-odonnells-sex-free-pal intimates the loquacious would-be lover was not Brad, but rather Dustin Dominiak.


An Albion College mate of Brad's, they lived together in Philadelphia for the period of time in question. In addition, DD is about the same age as BK, but there is no information as to whether he, too, is a Rotarian and/or a Phillies fan. Brad denies being the "anonymous" author of the saga, but he has refused to finger Dustin directly. Will it ultimately be Brad or Dustin or an as yet to be named person?

Considering that COD is one election away from being a United States Senator, any ink and energy devoted to her should be spent on evaluating her suitability to hold such an important public office. Considering COD has minimal experience and that she has given her followers some pause regarding her familiarity with the essence of the First Amendment, a more sane and rational description of her qualifications for public office would be more on point. But, face it, such a discourse would be as yawn inducing as O'Donnell's opponent Christopher Coons. So talking about COD as vibrissal sheet spread is gonna get more attention than being serious. And in politics, any attention is better than none. On second thought, is the anonymous author just doing Christine a favor with his expose?

Alas, as the elections season winds down, Delawarians and wannabe Delawarians can't wait for the COD-CC showdown. It appears that Coons brings more of everything senatorial to the table than O'Donnell, but there is no doubt she will prove to be the more interesting, exciting and heart thumping Senator. She is a loose cannon, who would be unpredictable. And she has her followers. Sadly, no matter what happens, the author's intimate description of the erstwhile Christine O'Donnell will be difficult to erase. But all heroes have their secrets. Compared to the furry dramas of Bill Clinton, Barney Frank and John Edwards, the Kurisko/Dominiak/unknown-O'Donnell tale is mere lanugo.


And Clinton, Frank and Edwards have all met their own, respective electoral successes! So why not Christine O'Donnell?

And so it goes.

See related post, http://www.pplume-blog.com/2010/12/dont-mess-with-christine-odonnell.html

Bid, Be Like Charlie Sheen

Charlie Sheen never disappoints. Just when life gets a bit boring Sheen, whose birth name is Carlos Irwin Estevez, kicks up some dust. The former star high school pitcher trashed a room at the Plaza (New York), while in a state of inebriation. Picture the furniture helter skelter, a glass chandelier shattered and scattered and a naked whore in the closet. The escort was in hiding, presumably fearful of the wild antics of the star of the CBS hit, Two and a Half Men*, when rescuers arrived.

To make the scenario more suspenseful, Charlie had been at dinner prior to the Plaza show. Friends and escorts in tow, Mr. Sheen was loud and rambunctious. At one point during the repast, he and the harlot of the hour** had simultaneous urges to powder their noses. In absentia for an extended time, it was apparent that a "powdering" had transpired. Maybe it was a movie rehearsal?

Charlie's ex wife, Denise Richards,


was in and out of the fun times. She appeared at the dinner table but didn't stay. Charlie's bombastic behavior can be trying and she retreated. Denise appears later in the saga when she takes Charlie to Columbia Presbyterian. She was staying in an adjoining room in Sheen's Plaza suite with the couple's two children. Lucky she was nearby, it's nice to have a friendly face around when a crash occurs.

Ok, Charlie Sheen is no milquetoast. He lives his life to the fullest. Indeed, he burns the candle at both ends. Alcohol, drugs, guns, shootings (he accidentally shot Kelly Preston), porn stars (Ginger Lynn), hookers, legal proceedings and rehab have defined his life. It appears that he has five children with three women. Married three times, he must believe in love, yes, he is a romantic. Charlie is a notable actor with a long list of credits, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000221/.

But he is more than just a care free bon vivant. He has challenged the 911 controversy and he is part of the 9/11 Truth Movement http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9/11_Truth_movement. From a supporting standpoint, he has been actively involved in breast cancer awareness and AIDS treatment. His AIDS consciousness began in 1987 with his support of Ryan White. White contracted AIDS from a transfusion and he died from the infection in 1990.

Even though Charlie's up and down escapades could be negatively scrutinized and even criticized, who cares? It's his life to live and no matter what a cynic might say, Sheen has not let any moss grow under him. Although the average guy can not be Charlie, there is a chance to be a little like him. His 1967 Olds 442 W30


is currently on Ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/coupe-CHARLIE-SHEEN-OWNED-8-YEARS-Low-Miles-2-dr-Ma-/150477016960?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2309210f80#ht_7696wt_1165. The 442 is a "muscle car". Would Sheen own anything less? The asking price is $30,000. Wanna be like Charlie? Go ahead, take that first step, make an offer. Who knows what will happen once the lucky bidder sits in the driver's seat for a while? So it goes.

*Mr. Sheen is paid approximately $1.88 million per episode.

**She is Christina Walsh, aka Capri Anderson and Alexis Capri. She works in porn and she says she likes women.

Football and Five Countries

Castellammare di Sabia has set its standards of decency to include bans on outdoor pick up football (soccer) games, blasphemy and skimpy clothes. The 6.8 square mile commune, situated on the Bay of Naples, has a population of 64,800, give or take. With a new mayor, Luigi Bobbio, the small southern Italian hamlet has a new resolve. No inappropriate mini skirts, no cleavage enhancing tops, no shirtless men, no foul language and no soccer games, all contribute to Bobbio's view of decency.

10,000 tons of trash are piled up in the city of Marseilles.


France is in a twist over proposals to raise the retirement age and pension eligibility 2 years. Workers and citizenry have expressed their discontent by acting out and striking. Besides the mountains of not picked up trash, the oil refineries are paralyzed as well. Oil tankers are backed up, waiting to unload and supplied filling stations are becoming scarce. Mr. Sarkozy has a tiger by the tail.

China will be investing $10 billion in Brazil. The South American country is rich in resources and land. Petrobras,


the Brazilian oil giant, will benefit from Chinese interest. And of course China will secure a reliable source of petroleum. It comes as no surprise that China is investing. It is awash in cash. As the USA free falls in debt, China's balance sheet swells with black print. Simply put, China has become the world's banker.

America and its united states make up the world's largest debtor nation. Obama's country is spending money that it simply does not have. Printing new money (as a form of debt) seems cool enough as long as someone will give you value. And China is the major purchaser of this debt. The dollar is at an all time low in value as compared to the Japanese yen and the greenback is taking heat from all of the world's other currencies as well. Sooner or later, when the debt is called in, America will look like a haggard blackjack player, who can't pay his marks.

Five countries. Two are old and European. Their heydays are long gone and they sell themselves as tourist meccas, both looking backwards instead of otherwise. With non growing economies and a tendency to live on their past glories, France and Italy are not relevant in 2010. China is the 800 pound gorilla in the room. With a population of 1.3 billion or more (who really knows) and an impressive work ethic and unparalleled enthusiasm, China is pacing the world. Brazil, too, is an up and comer. Not yet ready for prime time and not China, the resource endowed and youthful Brazilians are coming on. Lastly, the United States is past its prime. Roiled in impossible, fractious politics with a dash of religious obstinacy, the once great leader is in rapid decline. Not much productive can happen in the US since most of its energy and time is spent on running for political offices and fighting about gays, illegals and whether the world is 6,000 years old. Perhaps even more telling is the fact that Yankee "can do" has been terrorized out of the Americans. In essence, it's a scared society.

It's AM 5 and the weatherman calls for a warm cloudy day in New York City. The chance of precip is 40%, possible thunderstorms. Starbucks at 100 Wall Street is open for the early risers. Pat Feld sips coffee and fingers his iPad. Hungry for news, he moves off of the World and onto Sports. Giants 41, Cowboys 35. Romo knocked out, fractured clavicle.


It's gonna be a good day. Football wins make everybody feel good. Gridiron action is the soporific of the States. And so it goes.

ARENA, Good News, Rats!

The saga continues. Arena Pharmaceuticals has released its reactions to the FDA's Complete Response Letter (CRL) to its new drug application for its weight loss drug lorcaserin (Lorqess).

Here it is, http://invest.arenapharm.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=521977

The good news is that the FDA did not outright reject the application or call for a complete set of new studies. In essence, it requested that further evaluation of the rat mammary tumor issue be further explored. If a more thorough evaluation by toxicology experts can show that the rat issues are not significant, lorcaserin will likely gain approval.

The FDA has acknowledged that its Advisory Panel lacked a toxicologist. This gives Arena a chance to clarify the rat issue. It does appear that Arena was blindsided by the Panel's rat rant. The Company did not consider it had any safety issue with rat data at the time the Panel met. Disregarding the all too predictable shareholder lawsuits, it does not seem logical that the Company had any reason to believe or suspect the rat issue was relevant.

Arena will put together the necessary rat studies. Provided no real mammary tumor issues arise, lorcaserin may receive approval within a year. In this case, share price will remain stable for now and then be reflective of the ongoing rat evaluations and market conditions. It must be kept in mind Vivus' Qnexa comes up for FDA review next week and Orexigen's Contrave for Advisory Panel review in December.

Lorcaserin is effective. The word "marginal" keeps getting bandied about, but effective is effective. In addition, the drug has a great safety profile, particularly with its heart valve evaluations. The disease, obesity, for which lorcaserin is effective, is rampant and without much other drug treatment. Indeed there is a ready market for lorcaserin.

Rather than see the half empty glass of water,


Arena and its investors need to see that its CRL is a chance at reaching APPROVAL. If the rat tumor issue is as fallacious as it appears, things should move along quickly. Tomorrow Arena has its conference call. We'll see what's up... BUY, SELL or HOLD. Now there's a question... And so it goes.

FREE FOOD

What with the obesity epidemic raging, the explosion of ridiculously high calorie food options and the increasing socialization of food support, FREE FOOD is a logical proposal. Hey, Mr Obama, Hawaiian born leader of the free world, give this a minute. It'll beat what your going to have to do with the Wikileaks scandals. Yes there will be more than one of those, so let's do something productive instead.

It is reported that 1 in 8 Americans receive the benefits of food stamps. A mere 12.5%. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/22/food-stamp-usage-soars-am_n_772287.html In addition, access to food stamps has become more easy with the arbiter becoming income level only. "Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reviewed by The Associated Press shows that 30 states have adopted rules making it easier to qualify for food stamps since 2007. In all, 38 states have loosened eligibility standards." Since 12.5% of red-white-and-bluers already partake, why not everybody?

All of the states have food stamp programs. "State program names vary since Congress changed the official name of the Food Stamp Program to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or SNAP) in 2008. States may use either name or a name of their choosing. Twenty-five states have chosen to use the new name, while 10 continue to use “Food Stamp Program.” Among the names used by the other 16, the most popular is “Food Assistance Program,” used by 7 states. Three states use “Food Supplement Program”, and six have other names." http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=618

In order to apply for food stamps, it is useful to have access to a computer and to be able to use one. As an example, New Jersey residents face this, http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/dfd/programs/foodstamps/ Go ahead dig into that. Just how many bureaucrats are living off of food stamp determinations, distributions and other administrative duties? After playing with this, a simple answer jumps up.

To begin with, accept the fact that "food stamps" should only be used for what can be considered staples or good nutritional items. This list might include vegetables, fruits, bread, cereal, milk, eggs, yogurt, white meat, rice etc. NO JUNK FOOD! Of course, the list of foods is flexible and would likely lead to the usual red-blue fights, but compromises would win the day. The foods on the list would be able to sustain adequate, good nutrition. Each person holding a social security number would be eligible for a weekly FREE allotment of these staples. That's right, FREE.

Mr Obama might say, "My fellow Americans (forget about the naysayers who claim Obama is not an American, Hawaii is part of America), as of this date, there will no longer be hunger in our great country..." Somewhere in this speech he will use the word "folks" at least four times.

In order to pay for this adventure the following adjustments need to be made:

1. ALL other food and beverage items (alcohol included) will be assessed a 12% federal tax. All food purchased in commercial and other ways is taxed too. This tax can be adjusted to cover the costs of the FREE FOOD.

2. ALL of the state food stamp bureaucracies will be eliminated. The FREE FOOD program needs to be federal in order to be fair and equal for all Americans.

3. There will be no more "stamps". All you need is a social security card


and a swipe to get FREE FOOD. At some point social security cards will need to become chip embedded and plasticized (like modern credit cards) to function properly.

4. Farmers' subsidies would accordingly be altered. No more paying these producers for NOT growing corn and wheat and vegetables and fruit. No more support for dairy limitations. The new support structure would encourage more production, making the actual costs of "good" foods less. Such subsidy tweaking would eventuate in a more efficient, cost effective system.

The FREE FOOD program isn't really free. The funding comes out of all of the other less basic and/or less healthy and/or more glamorous food alternatives. It is hoped better, less fatty food choices would be made. There should be no income cut offs or other considerations for eligibility. If an American holds a social security number, that American is eligible. Simple. It stands to reason that most of the tax burden for the program will fall on those who exercise more luxurious, less healthy food options. Fair enough.

Once implemented, FREE FOOD would eliminate poor nutrition, malnutrition and much of the "poverty" in the United States. Obesity may become less prevalent. Instead of being so concerned with winning public office and holding public office and re-winning public office, politicians of all stripes need to stop campaigning so much and begin to do what's in America's best interests. The FREE FOOD program is one such consideration.

FREE FOOD, indeed! Exercise programs will be next.


And so it goes.

Wikileaks, Beginning or End

The Wikileaks bomb is about to go off. Despite the best official efforts to suppress the release of these 400,000+ pages of information, the whole kit and kaboodle is available. http://warlogs.wikileaks.org/iraq/diarydig

Early attention getters include an Iraqi death toll way out of skew with previous official intimations. There were purportedly over 109,000 deaths with approximately 66,000 described as CIVILIAN deaths. In addition, there are portrayals of prisoner torture by US troops, the killing of 2 surrendering men by helicopter fire and more heinous stuff.

In reality, Americans have been shielded from any real news out of Iraq. What with "embedding" reporters and with the "censorship" and "sanitizing" of the information coming out of Iraq, the red-white-and-blue crowd has enjoyed a "War" without much day to day angst. And without a draft, well, there has been little youthful unrest. Wikileaks in its own way brings Americans a dose of reality.

Dylan Ratigan tweeted, "66,081 local civilian deaths in Iraq, out of 109,000 fatalities...66 thousand. For what?" and "Trillions stolen, a killing field of civilians, 66,081, in Iraq. What is DOJ threshold to Investigate? Resolve? Reform? Advance?"

Bradley Manning


is the young, gay and disgruntled soldier, who has been identified as the "leaker". He is awaiting court martial and who knows what else? Is he a traitor? Is he a hero? Ditto for Julian Assange.


Assange is the head of Wikileaks and he is the person responsible for the ultimate decision to have released the data.

President Obama, who is busy with the Blue-Red Political Wars is campaigning. He is out of Washington and not much involved with matters of state at the moment. He is likely to mention Wikileaks sooner or later and considering its election time, he may blame Bush in some way or another.

Of the most interest will be whether the bloated and sated American public has any stomach for looking in the mirror. Will Wikileaks generate any outrage? Will Americans be as appalled as the rest of the world? Will Americans leaders get the gumption to end the Afghanistan War? What would Wikileaks for Afghanistan be like? And so it goes.

Brittney Jones Call Playboy

Although the story has seemingly died, it hasn't. Brittney Jones, the self admitted lover of Ashton Kutcher, has released or somehow allowed TMZ, http://www.tmz.com/2010/10/21/ashton-kutcher-alleged-mistress-brittney-jones-photo-demi-moore/, access to hot pics of her posing in a mirror. Indeed she has the bikini, cell phone camera and body to challenge Demi Moore. Moore, Kutcher's wife, released similar photos of herself a few weeks ago.



Moore and Kutcher have taken a trip to Israel. Consequently, neither is here in the States to torment. No matter, even if they were here, it is unlikely either or both would handle this latest bit of vibration in a messy way. Thus far, despite the prowess of The Star and the efforts of Ms. Jones, little if any mud had gotten stuck in the wheels of the Moore-Kutcher express.

Give credit to Brittney Jones, she is successfully prolonging her fifteen minutes of fame. Now, if only, she could put together a song or an acting gig, she might get a window to prolong her notoriety. If all she has is the allegation of a Kutcher tryst, sadly, it's running out of punch.

Unless Brittney can come up with more and better stuff, she soon will join others, like Eliot Spitzer's call girl (whose name is lost to time) in the scrap heap of splashy hottie has-beens.* Here's something! Rumor has it JWoww

of Jersey Shore fame, has just turned down $400,000 to raw it for Playboy. Ms. Woww's refusal prompts this letter.

Dear Brittney Jones:

Unless Aston runs off with you or your having his baby or Demi adopts you, call Playboy. They have $400,000 to burn. You have present hour fame and one hot body. Time is your enemy, so call now, while the public remembers your name. Work a deal. If Playboy memorializes you, pictorial fame will be yours. And then the sky's the limit.

Hey if it works out for you, 10% would be a nice boost for a blogger with a good idea.

PS: If you do the Playboy spread, beware the Conger curse. Darva had her fifteen minutes and parlayed it into Playboy fame. http://www.pplume-blog.com/2011/08/darva-again.html

She was mamilla hot, but she has gotten pleasantly Rubenesque.

Beware the Conger curse.

E cosi va

*Ashley Alexandra Dupre, had to search it, memories are short.

Update (almost a year later)

September 29, 2011

The Kutcher-Moore marriage has hit the rocks. http://www.pplume-blog.com/2010/09/ashton-and-demi-mockumentary.html  Brittney has re-emerged! Needless to say, gotta make hay while the sun shines... CALL PLAYBOY NOW. Start at a $ one million...

October 2, 2011

Sara Leal, Asston's purported newbie needs to call Playboy, too. Check this, http://www.pplume-blog.com/2011/09/is-ashton-ass.html

**************************************

NOVEMBER 18, 2011


Vindicated!!!

Yesterday was a great day for Brittney Jones (see below). Demi Moore's divorce statement has now proven that her assertions were TRUE. Indeed, the plausibility of her Ashton liaison are supported.

Now with this great bit of fate twist...CALL PLAYBOY. Cash in, you will NEVER be hotter than right now.

http://www.tmz.com/2011/11/18/ashton-kutcher-mistress-brittney-jones/#.TsZLUJyvP

November 17, 2011

Well, it is official. Demi Moore has filed for divorce from Ashton. Not specifically stating it, but inferring so, it was the CHEATING.

"with great sadness and a heavy heart" said she

"I have chosen to move forward with my life." she added

And Ashton tweeted, "I will forever cherish the time I spent with Demi. Marriage is one of the most difficult things in the world and unfortunately sometimes they fail" --

http://www.tmz.com/2011/11/17/demi-moore-divorce-ashton-kutcher/?adid=hero1#.TsZHW5yvPYk

Juan Williams, NPR and Free Speech

Blah, blah and blah. Juan Williams got the axe for blah, blah and blah. In particular, he said in response to Bill O'Reilly,

“The cold truth is that in the world today jihad, aided and abetted by some Muslim nations, is the biggest threat on the planet,” O’Reilly said.

“I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a bigot,” Williams added. “You know the kind of books I’ve written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”

And for his blah, Williams' contract with National Public Radio was terminated. NPR said the Panamanian born Williams response was, "inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR." Ta-da. So much for free speech. Shame on you NPR.

Mr. Williams has been affiliated with NPR


since 1999. Initially he was the host for Talk of the Nation. Subsequently he became a senior correspondent and he worked on a variety of topics. Well respected, he was a regular of the liberal leaning radio giant. Besides NPR, the Haverford educated Williams has been a Fox News


contributor since 1997. Fox is a bastion of conservative opinion. Mr. Williams has been able to see and to participate in both liberal and conservative ideologies with intellectual honesty.

In 2009, NPR asked Fox to stop referring to Williams as an NPR contributor, when he was on O'Reilly. Juan Williams is a frequent guest on the Bill O'Reilly show and he has acted as a guest host when O'Reilly has been away. Without doubt, NPR harbored angst that Williams played both sides of the street. Alicia Shepard, a NPR ombudsman, asserted that Williams spoke one way on NPR and another on Fox. It is no great surprise that NPR went overboard with Williams "Muslim" air fear.

Inasmuch as the men who crashed the 911 planes were all Muslim, many passengers of all stripes share Williams' verbalized apprehension. So what? Other than expressing an apprehension, the discharged Mr. Williams said nothing which could be reasonably construed as bigoted, hateful, discriminatory or harmful. Rather than "punish" Williams for his opinion, the constitutional rights protecting broadcaster should have defended his right to speak. The First Amendment protects free speech.

NPR has managed to lessen itself in the eyes of the public. The treatment of Mr. Williams is the product of a longstanding disapproval of his professional actions, work and opinions. It would have been more prudent to have non renewed his contract in the course of usual business, to wit, at a time his contract came up for renewal. Or at the least, his jettisoning should have been accomplished at a time when the commentator was not in the eye of a storm.

Mr. Juan Williams is a celebrated and honored newsman. His career will only be catapulted as a result of this impetuous move by NPR. The most disquieting aspect of this forgettable incident is the hypocrisy of National Public Radio. What NPR does, what Fox does, what Juan Williams does and what this blog does is all about FREE SPEECH. NPR has, for the moment, allowed its animosity towards Mr. Williams to override its duty to protect and cherish the First Amendment.


And so it goes.

Football is Safe, Relatively

"Bobby's playing with the Titans", announced proud Mom, Janine. She made her declaration to three other Shop Rite cashiers, one meat packer and to Teddy Tedesco, the cart man. Teddy limps, more when it rains, when he walks around the parking lot gathering carts. He was the only one in the lunch room who was not enthused by Bobby's good fortune.

Indeed, the Titans are the reigning Pop Warner champs at the Junior PeeWee level and are a legend in these parts of New Jersey. Coach Carl Bateman, an icon at Rowan University for his jumping touch down celebrations, has already guided four former Titans to Division 1 full boat rides. Janine prefers the Big Ten, but Al Ukelele thinks his son, Bobalu Ukelele, is better suited for the PAC-10. Either way, Al and Janine so want their son to be a football hero. Oh, Bobby Ukelele is eight years old.

Football, while not America's past time, is America's sport. Baseball is a pass (the) time. Slow, deliberate and ponderous, the sport of Mays and Mantle is played without a time clock.


Better suited for the suited masses of the 30's, 40's and 50's, baseball's appeal has remained static over the last 40 years, while the bang bang of football has risen. No wonder. Fast and violent are the hallmarks of pigskin play. In truth, football fans live for the "big" hit. Big is defined by the level of impact and injury sustained in the collisions. But, as it has become increasingly known, every play is filled with enough violence and injury potential to qualify for a red alert emergency. Just look at the line play. Four or more opposing players, dug in and low, ready to pound each other at the snap of the ball. Helmets bang, heads are concussed, leg muscle explode forward, arms and hands flail and beat, as the opponents on either side of the ball spar to either get to the quarterback or prevent penetration.

Quarterbacks are fearless and frequently injured. Ribs, arms, knees and ankles are offered up willy nilly. The sacking of a quarterback excites overly large, overly strong players to glee when they succeed. Running backs don't last too long, with NFL careers of 5 years on average. Since runners are the targets of tacklers, their injury rates are high. Knees, in particular, can only take so much twisting, turning and hyper extension.

The existence of injury in football is so well known that regular reports are generated. Bettors want to have the skinny on who is in and who is out for a given game. For example, http://chicagosports.sportsdirectinc.com/football/ncaaf-injuries.aspx?page=/data/ncaaf/injury/injuries.html

The number and degree of cerebral concussions in football is under recognized and under diagnosed. Moreover, players are encouraged to play through any and all injuries. Playing hurt is a measure of greatness. For every "successful" National Football League player there are hundreds of wounded, maimed and impaired contestants, who didn't make the cut. Injury is an accepted risk of football. While parents. like Al and Janine Ukelele, are careful to keep Bobby safe, they have no reservations about football. As Al says, Bobby has a greater chance of getting injured playing soccer.

Every once and awhile a player gets a spine crush. Most recently a Rutgers Scarlet Knight by the name of Eric LeGrand


sustained a C3-C4 injury. Now paralyzed, he will begin recovery. Maybe he will walk again and maybe he won't. Maybe he will be free of a urinary catheter and maybe he won't. Maybe he will regain a full life and maybe he won't. Adam Taliaferro is a focus of encouragement. He was completely paralyzed after his fifth game for Penn State. He had sustained a C5 injury. He went through 8 months of rehab to learn to walk again. Although he had a 3% chance of recovery, miracles do happen. Indeed.

Although there must be dozens of soccer, mountain biking, tennis, gymnastic, basketball, hockey and baseball players similarly paralyzed, these paralyzing neck injuries occur more notably on the gridiron. Nonetheless, football spine injuries are rare and unpredictable. And as Al argues down at Maloney's over beers with his buddies, look how many boxers have been killed in the ring. "Football is safe compared to boxing.", he boasts and then he often will digress onto the sport of NASCAR. Sport that it is.

All things considered, the risks of injury from football pale in comparison to the benefits of the HUGE entertainment delivery. Football is one heck of a spectator sport. Just look at the attendance figures for college football on any give Saturday. Look at the attendance figures for the NFL on any given Sunday. Look at TV viewship and TV revenue and advertising advantages. Football is the 800 pound gorilla in the room.

So, Al and Janine are no different than thousands of other hopefuls. If Bobby can be as good as his parents think he is, he has a bright future. For those few successful athletes in any field, life can be a bowl of cherries. But for those less than successful, there are no cherries. Perhaps sour grapes. Just ask Teddy Tedesco. An all state wide out from Deptford, NJ, Teddy took a full scholarship from Penn State. He blew out his knee as a college freshman. He never finished his degree work at Penn State inasmuch as he was more of a football player than a student. And so it goes.


NOTE: Did you know that Pop Warner football is safer than soccer? Pop Warner football has 12% fewer injuries per capita among 5-15 year olds than organized soccer in the same age range! (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, NEISS) from http://www.popwarner.com/football/pop.asp

The Kiss Killed Pearl

Pearl, the sweet and touching hooker, killed herself. A gunshot to the head is almost always dispositive. After sustaining a heinous slash to the face with a resultant deforming scar, suicide for a whore, who had aspired to be an actress, is logical.

The interactions, sensitivities and feelings between Jimmy and Pearl were wonderfully done. For those, who don't yet follow Boardwalk Empire, Jimmy is a young, fledgling gangster, who was sent out of his native Atlantic City by Nucky Thompson.


Jimmy had made some errs in a botched liquor deal, putting him and derivatively Nucky in a tough spot. Jimmy, who had previously met the similarly aged Al Capone, stopped in Chicago to check things out. Soon after his arrival, he glommed onto Pearl. Although she was a prostitute, they struck up a relationship. It seemed real.

Pearl was slashed as a retaliation by a rival gang (of Capone's). She had the bad luck of making an appearance while Jimmy and his guys were negotiating with their rivals. Although not vociferated, Jimmy knew that Pearl was harmed as a result of knowing him. Jimmy is shown as caring for the bandaged, but still beautiful Emily Meade. He is kind and considerate. He even feeds her soup. The viewer can't help to feel that the "couple" have a chance. Silly!

Michael Pitt plays Jimmy. He is perfect in the key scene wherein Pearl asks Jimmy to kiss her. She is testing him. The lighting, the tone and her look all indicate she wants to be tender. But she knows that her hideous, not completely healed, facial scar tests her appeal. Pearl intuits that true love would not see the scar. Jimmy does kiss Pearl, but he misses her lips and hits her right cheek for an auntie peck. Oh my God. The bottom drops out of her.


A lip kiss ensues, more or less at her direction and need. But the passion and tenderness are gone. Pearl knows. About Jimmy and about her future. A hooker and actress with a deformed facial configuration has no market value. As Pearl recognizes Jimmy has lost his desire for her, she sends him out of the bed to clean his soiled shirt. As he rubs out the shirt in the bathroom lavie, POP. He rushes into the bedroom to see her, crumpled on the floor, with a generous pool of fake blood surrounding her.

Boardwalk Empire is set in 1920. Although Rudy Clark didn't intend for his 1964 song, It's in His Kiss (Shoop Shoop Song), to parallel a 2010 HBO series episode, it does. Betty Everett initially recorded Clark's song, but it has been covered by many others.


Here are the lyrics,

does he love me i want to know
how can i tell if he loves me so
is it in his eyes
oh no you'll be deceived
is it in his sighs
oh no he'll make believe
if you want to know if he loves you so
it's in his kiss
that's where it is

is it in his face
oh no that's just his charms
in his warm embrace
oh no that's just his arms
if you want to know if he loves you so
it's in his kiss
that's where it is
it's in his kiss
that's where it is

kiss him and squeeze him tight
find out what you want to know
if it's love, if it really is
it's there in his kiss

how about the way he acts
oh no that's not the way
and you're not list'nin' to all i say
if you wanna know if he loves you so
it's in his kiss
that's where it is
it's in his kiss
that's where it is

kiss him and squeeze him tight
find out what you want to know
if it's love, if it really is
it's there in his kiss

how about the way he acts
oh no that's not the way
and you're not list'nin' to all i say
if you wanna know if he loves you so
it's in his kiss
that's where it is

it's in his kiss
that's where it is

And a YouTube rendition, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4KN6TFhy2I

Somehow Jimmy is going to vindicate Pearl's tragedy. It just has to be. It just has to be. And so it goes.