The closest thing I have to a phobia is to voluntary self-starvation. I can’t interact with an axorexic in any sort of normal fashion very long, and even TV programs or articles will throw me off-balance. It takes me several readings to finish stories dealing with voluntary self-starvation. Yet the subject’s like a moth to a flame for me, and invariably find it interesting. Like this story about a diet called LighterLife. You get 500 calories a day. That’s it.

The rapid weight loss is not arguable, but there’ve been stories of severe side effects, including vision problems, rotten teeth, and death. One lady’s death has been attributed to a weakened heart due to lack of protein.

Source: Dying to be thin: The diet craze sweeping Britain that allows you just 500 calories a day

There are two reasons I’m voting for neither Obama nor McCain:

1. I forgot to request an absentee ballot on time. And since I’m not on welfare, ACORN won’t try to submit my request illegally.
2. I have no clue how the two frontrunners will really tackle this country’s problems. Their “solutions” cost money the government doesn’t have.

Here’s an article: Obama’s prime-time ad skips over budget realities

The article mentions that Obama’s programs would run the deficit to $1 trillion dollars. McCain’s not immune to similar criticism. As Congressmen, you’d think they understand they can’t keep their promises without consequence *cough*raisetaxesand/orcutotherspendingand/orprintmassivemoneyfurtherdevaluingthedollar*cough*. Well, I’m sure they do, but they can’t write winning ads or speeches based on that.

A million praises to l3rucewayne for this find. The name of the song is “Obama Be Thy Name”, and no, it’s not even mocking Obama. I like afro-pop and reggae, but man, those lyrics…

When I was 5, I never even thought about getting to 10.
When I was 10, 15 was inconceivably distant.
When I was 15, 20 represented a new era.
When I was 20, 25 was a modest journey.
When I was 25, 29 was right around the corner.
When I was 29, it didn’t matter. I’d get to 290 because I bought a pair of Alex Chiu’s immortality rings.

(Yes, I’m finally preparing to do that interview with him. And I really just bought a pair.)

If you choose the right expert’s picks to bet on, you’ll win money this weekend! (Maybe.)

	Donnie	The Mascot	Wahrheit
Seattle (+8) vs Green Bay	Green Bay	Green Bay	Green Bay
Jacksonville (+11.5) vs New England	Jacksonville	New England	New England
San Diego (+9) vs Indianapolis	San Diego	Indianapolis	Indianapolis
New York (+7.5) vs Dallas	New York	Dallas	New York
Record so far	2-2	1-3	4-0

	Donnie	The Mascot
Washington (+4) vs Seattle	Seattle	Washington
Jacksonville (-1) vs Pittsburgh	Jacksonville	Pittsburgh
New York (+3) vs Tampa Bay	Tampa Bay	Tampa Bay
Tennessee (+9) vs San Diego	Tennessee	San Diego
Record	2-2	1-3

I am so glad I don’t bet on sports.

Speak for yourself.

Wahrheit went 4-0.

I still can’t believe you told people we could win them money last week. Now everyone can see you can’t make good judgments. You’re the kind of guy that would choose Velma over Daphne. We can’t trust someone like that.

Whuh? You mean from Scooby Doo?

Yar, if someone asked you which one you’d rather date, and for normal people (ie, not you) Velma’s just too, well, ugly.

Look, this blog is weird enough without getting into conversations about which cartoon characters are cuter.

I like that Esurance chick.

OK, fine! You’re a cartoon, it makes sense for you! It doesn’t for me!

*Sigh* I guess you’re going to want my picks for next week?

By tomorrow night, if you can.

As long as you don’t lord it over me if I go 0-4 next week.

Sure thing.

You really wouldn’t choose Velma, would you?

Er…yeah…probably I would.

Seriously? *Blanches* OK, that makes things easy…my picks for next week are the opposite of yours.

Tired of paying money to those handicappers who can’t win you money anyway? (”Call Jonathan Rock Sports now to get the Rock Hard Pick of the week. He feels you can move on this game like it’s already been played!”) Unlike those guys, the experts at Liquid Egg Product give away ALL their NFL playoff picks on their website FOR FREE!

The problem is we couldn’t agree on a lot of the picks. So, uh, just go with the guy you think knows more about football.

	Donnie	The Mascot
Washington (+4) vs Seattle	Seattle	Washington
Jacksonville (-1) vs Pittsburgh	Jacksonville	Pittsburgh
New York (+3) vs Tampa Bay	Tampa Bay	Tampa Bay
Tennessee (+9) vs San Diego	Tennessee	San Diego
Super Bowl Winner	Jacksonville	New England

Today, I finally did significant food shopping, and randomly, I noticed prepackaged Indian meals by some company called Ashoka (that’s original). Just boil or microwave, and presto, it’s done. Being slightly wary of such products, I bought one of the Palak Paneer variety just to see if the meal would end up tasting non-awful. Well, two actually; it was buy one get one free.

Needless to say, how it looked on my plate was a modicum different than how it looked on the package. And I didn’t get any cute Indian chicks dropping by my place, either. Nonetheless, the quality was adequate enough to keep a couple in reserve for those nights I don’t want to do any real cooking.

Evolutionary theorist Oliver Curry predicts that man will have split into two races within 100,000 years. Apparently, he has read the Time Machine by H. G. Wells.

Bad Science has more to say about the good doctor.

Speaking of time machines…try this idle thought on for size. A time machine will never be invented (note this is different from saying it’s not possible). If it is going to happen, there would have been some time machine user with a desire to visit various eras of the past and make him/herself known to its inhabitants. So we would already know about it.

(Yeah, I’m waiting for the hole-poking.)

Liquid Egg Product proposes a lawsuit in recompense for yet another example of corporate malfeasance, wilful incompetance, emotional rape, and psychological distress.

If you aren’t tired of the war by now, please let me know (apathy doesn’t count). It would be a bit easier to stomach if it looked like the Iraqi government were well on its way to handling its own business. It doesn’t look like that’s happening anytime soon.

If our government is simply willing to spend a little more money, here’s a way it can start to plot a new direction in Iraq.

Short of that, I’d just send in Shaq, Chuck Norris, and the Cheat Commandos, and call it a day.