Monday, November 05, 2012

Mr. Feeny revived, Lindsey Vonn denied and weight-loss HotPants


- Competing against women is so last year. Lindsey Vonn has kicked enough female ass and now she wants to battle the fellas in a men's World Cup downhill race. Unfortunately, the tools at the International Ski Federation won't let her. Vonn's request to compete against men was rejected after the FIS council met Saturday in Oberhofen, Switzerland, and "confirmed that one gender is not entitled to participate in races of the other" and adding in a statement that "exceptions will not be made to the FIS Rules." Vonn hoped to enter the men's downhill on Nov. 24 at Lake Louise, Alberta, six days before the women race on the same course. She has won the women’s overall World Cup four times, so she clearly has talent, but that wasn’t enough for the ass hats who run the FIS. "It's very clear," FIS secretary general Sarah Lewis said. "It's called the men's World Cup and the ladies' World Cup. The men race the men's World Cup and the ladies race the ladies' World Cup. FIS and World Cup points are not transferrable from one circuit to another." But wait, there is a chance for Vonn to cross over to the men’s side – as a course tester before races. The FIS statement said that Vonn "is welcome to submit a request to the organizing committee and jury to be a forerunner" for the races, meaning she could test the course before races for safety and visibility. If she was going to race with the men, it would have to be at Lake Louise, where she has earned nine of her 26 World Cup downhill victories. She has been so dominant there that the venue is often dubbed "Lake Lindsey" in her honor. Her request had the support of her coaches, leaders in the sport and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), but that support did not sway the FIS. "We're disappointed that the FIS Council did not support the proposal, but also respect its direction," USSA president and CEO Bill Marolt, who is also a member of the FIS council, said in a statement. "Lindsey Vonn is a great champion in our sport and we have always respected her interests in this new challenge." Buzzzzzzzzzzz! Wrong answer, Billy. That decision deserves no respect……….


- There will always be the next big thing in weight loss, that supposed magic bullet that allows FAT people to shed pounds without actually having to push away from the buffet table or hop on the treadmill or exercise bike. The latest innovation isn't a pill or diet, but rather leggings that supposedly help people lose weight by raising their body temperature while exercising or undertaking simple household chores. So far, these magic leggings are a hit in the United Kingdom and more than 500,000 pairs have already been sold online. Zaggora HotPants are the invention of Dessi Bell, who was like many brides-to-be in that she wanted to shed the pounds for her wedding that she was too lazy to work off prior to getting engaged. She went to work inventing a way to drop the weight and came up with her HotPants, which utilize so-called “Celu-Lite technology,” which is designed to boost the effects of a person’s normal routine. According to Bell, the pants work by intensifying heat and increasing the core temperature by a significant amount so a person burns more calories while not being too overheated. “A lot of women wear them for walking,” Bell explained. “As long as you are active you will see a benefit, even if that is around the house or doing the school-run.” Sports scientists at the University of Brighton have studied the pants and discovered that participants in their study who used HotPants while doing moderate exercise over four weeks lost an average of 1.3 lbs. more than those who did not wear them. How much does one pay for workout gear with mythical weight-loss powers? The pants are priced at $160-180, with tops more affordably priced (but still too expensive) at $40-75………


- Pakistan's army chief is not going to put up with any sh*t. Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has made it clear that anyone looking to undermine his military had best be prepared for the ass-kicking of a lifetime and spelled out his stance in a rare public statement Monday. Kayani warned against efforts to undermine the military during a time when the nation’s government, military and judiciary have all expressed concern over its role in Pakistan. His message was met with concern based on the army's history of seizing power in military coups, but many experts viewed the statement as an indicator of the shifting power balance in Pakistani politics. “Armed forces draw their strength from the bedrock of the public support," Kayani said at army headquarters in the city of Rawalpindi. "Therefore, any effort which wittingly or unwittingly draws a wedge between the people and the armed forces of Pakistan undermines the larger national interest.” Threats from the army still carry weight because it is considered the strongest institution in the country, but its generals have slowly ceded power to Pakistan's civilian leaders and judges in recent years. The army is also bogged down in a bloody war against a domestic Taliban insurgency and is facing opposition of a different sort in light of recent controversial actions by the Supreme Court. In one recent landmark ruling, the judges recommended hat the government launch legal proceedings against a former army chief and head of intelligence for allegedly bankrolling politicians in the 1990 election. Kayani took aim at the judiciary Monday and wasn’t exactly veiled in his threats. "We all agree that strengthening the institutions, ensuring the rule of law and working within the well-defined bounds of the constitution is the right way forward," he said. "Weakening of the institutions and trying to assume more than one's due role will set us back." In response, yhe chief justice of the Supreme Court, Iftikhar Chaudhry made a speech after Kayani issued his statement and cited the Supreme Court's constitutional "supremacy over all other institutions and authorities." He then piled on by informing anyone listening that, "Gone are the days when stability and security of the country was defined in terms of number of missiles and tanks as a manifestation of hard power available at the disposal of the state.” Ahhh…..nothing like the smell of violent intra-national dissent on a Monday………


- Someone roll Mr. Feeny out of the retirement home because one of the best kid-friendly television series of the ‘90s is roaring back to life….with a twist.  “Boy Meets World” told the story of Cory Matthews, an average boy growing up outside Philadelphia and learning the lessons of life and love alongside his pal Shawn, big brother Eric and perennial teacher George Feeny, who was always miraculously asked to move up a grade so he just happened to be teaching whatever class Cory and the love-of-his-life-in-the-making Topanga. Disney, which is officially in the business of co-opting great entertainment ideas (“Star Wars”), is developing a “Boy Meets World” sequel series, tentatively titled “Girl Meets World.” The series would follow Cory and Topanga's pre-teen daughter, which is the same age the original series picked up the central characters’ story. To ensure a high degree of authenticity, the network is reportedly in talks with original stars Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel to reprise their roles as high school sweethearts who got married in the show's seventh and final season. If it is only Savage and Fishel – whose most recent time in the spotlight came as a Weight Watchers spokesperson – then the new series might struggle. Not having original stars Rider Strong (Shawn), Will Friedle (Eric) and William Daniels (Mr. Feeny) would hurt and so far, there is no information on whether the trio is interested in being a part of the show. Casting is underway, but details are limited at this point. “Boy Meets World” ran on ABC from 1993 to 2000 and was part of the network's "TGIF" comedy block. Maybe its former glory can be revived in made-over form………


- There are few activities with a higher potential for a disastrous ending than drunken feats of athletic excellence. Taking a person of any level of intelligence and fueling them up on four or five beers and then dropping them into a setting where they can attempt to scale, jump or otherwise traverse a barrier or other inanimate object that they would never attempt to scale, jump or otherwise traverse while sober is a recipe for disaster. Look no further than the painful tale of a drunken fool who was out on the town Saturday night in Hollywood Hills and had a beer or eight too many. Next thing you know, this would-be Mensa and a friend are attempting to climb over a wall outside a Hollywood Hills home and amazingly enough, the attempt ended in a fail. The first man, possibly the more sober of the two, cleared the fence without incident. His friend did not and found himself impaled on the fence and unable to free himself. Having a metal fence post through one’s leg can make escape difficult and when two intoxicated individuals are the ones working on freeing someone from a compromising position, the odds decrease exponentially. Amazingly enough, an emergency crew had to be called to the rescue and firefighters arrived on the scene to find the impaled man right where he had been for quite a while. To free this fool, they had to cut away iron bars. When they freed the drunken man, his friend explained that the two of them were merely trying “get a nice view of the city.” Instead, they got to be a nice punch line for the rest of the city to laugh at. Fortunately for them, the Los Angeles Police Department decided that no crime was involved, meaning a trip to local hospital is the only souvenir this ass hat will take away from his night………..

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