Roller Derby PSAs

Roller derby has made a huge comeback across the United States. A sport that thrived in the 1960s and ’70s has sprouted more than 250 leagues since 2003. This all-female sport has a lot of athleticism and creativity. Creativity? Yeah. Each athlete comes up with their own derby persona, uniform “flare” and market their do-it-yourself businesses with some amazing art and ideas. As someone who is personally involved in roller derby, I am amazed at what these women can do on the rink and on the easel. Take a look at any league website like the Ohio Roller Girls, Windy City Rollers or the girls who started it all, the Texas Rollergirls.

But this creative gem comes from the Minnesota Rollergirls.

Now go support your local roller derby league. You’ll love it!

Study links vitamins to death

“Scientists” have “shown” that vitamins contribute to higher rates of death. This fantastic study gave its human test subjects, who were in various stages of health, common vitamins that are found in the foods we eat everyday and claim that they increase the rates of death.

Anthony: This so-called study is ridiculous. Where in the story did it say that people died because they took antioxidants? How did they come to the conclusion that they had anything to do with increased mortality? Unless people actually died during this study because of these vitamins I don’t know how they can link antioxidants to increased mortality.

All this study tells me is that the scientists believe that fruits and vegetables kill people. It is very surprising that suppposedly intelligent people can be so stupid.

Bryan: It’s right there in black and white. Vitamins lead to death.

What does it mean to have no dream?

  

I am dreamless. This is what I realized about myself after watching Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture. The guy is amazing. Here he is standing up in the face of pancreatic cancer and certain death and his focus is helping others to realize their dreams.

As I reflected on his words, I started to think about the fact that I have no roadblocks, no barriers; nothing stands in the way between myself and my childhood dream, simply because I do not have one.

OK, so I will admit it. When I was a child I dreamed about being President of the United States. Yes, it’s funny to me now, but this “dream” carried me all the way through college where I majored in and studied Political Science and focused on American Government. Of course I understood at a very early age that becoming the President is a unattainable child’s dream - that is unless you have a few hundred million bucks in the bank, which I don’t.

After college I was hit with the stark reality that there was no job called “World Saver.”

Fast forward 10 years, and you’ll find a 30-year-old Human Resources professional. I think about my dreams now and they are of someday working my way into a “leadership position.” That’s HR-speak for being the boss.

What a crappy dream. I don’t even really like HR. Don’t get me wrong, I am good at what I do and work hard to do the best job that I can, but in the grand scheme of things it’s just a paycheck. 

When I hear about other HR professionals that work in the field for 20 and 30-years, I feel sick to my stomach. To me that sounds like a prison sentence with no chance at parole.

The only thing I can think of as a dream is not working. So what are my barriers to not working? Money.

So barring the fact that I will not be winning the Super Lotto anytime soon, it looks like I am stuck. Dreamless.

Digging a bigger hole

A reputable bank gets purchased, the Federal Reserve throws billions of dollars into Wall Street and cuts interest rates three times already in 2008 and a “stimulus” package will be given to consumers. All of these things are compounding the horrible path the U.S. economy has been traveling.

Anthony: Wall Street loved the move of the Fed but it didn’t hold as the final bell is still signaling the yo-yo effect of the economy. All I see out of these moves is a weakened dollar, inflation and the American public paying more for everything. This is not the solution to crawl out of a recession.

Bryan: All I think of when I hear about this is the asininity of it all. These are all the ominous signs of a fiscal apocalypse.

Anthony: I just am perplexed at the thought process of the current administration - just completely dumbfounded.

Bryan: Basically, the Fed has failed. That so-called $400 billion investment is being subsidized by nothing less than a big credit card. I wonder about the future of this country. Will we be hit with another Depression? Will you and I and the ones we love lose their jobs? What will happen to us?

Drug-laden water at a home near you

In an era of hormone-enhanced cattle and enzymes in fruit being removed so they don’t naturally rot, the latest discovery is that a significant portion of the U.S. drinking water supply has levels of pharmaceutical drugs in it. Sex hormones, cholesterol-lowering drugs and antibiotics are just a few of the “additives” that are being consumed in this essential resource.

Bryan: Is it me or is this scary as hell?

Anthony: It’s scary but is nothing new. Companies have been dumping waste into rivers and streams. Contaminants have always been in the water. Treatment plants are specialized to remove contaminants from the water but fact is that things get through or may be exacerbated by the chemicals used to treat water.

The fact that more and more people are taking drugs, prescription and illicit, makes this no surprise that they are being found in the water supply. They are foreign substances and the body doesn’t want them and tries to get rid of them before they do harm. What doesn’t get absorbed is excreted into the water supply.