Bad Habits
Monday, March 19, 2012
Bad Habits Waffle House is uniquely bad at poetry
Posted by Gwynedd Stuart on Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 1:43 PM
There's so much the Waffle House is good at — smothering things, covering things, etc. — but poetry is not one of them. The following was posted on the restaurant chain's official Facebook page today, a poem with which to start off the week:
Waffle House Waffle House
We are home grownWhere the Customer is king
And every booth is a throneWaffle House Waffle House
Home away from homeScattered Smothered Covered Diced
The All-Star zoneWaffle House Waffle House
New home of the Toddle HouseCome one come all
Bring the whole family outWaffle House Waffle House
We're here 24/7Bert's Chili, Alice's Tea
Welcome to heaven
Who wrote this? They rhymed "house" with "house." GIVE THEM A RAISE, is what I'm saying. Also, definitely look at Waffle House's Facebook page hard and often.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Bad Habits Hey, knucklehead! Don't follow your phone down the trash chute!
Posted by Gwynedd Stuart on Tue, Mar 13, 2012 at 11:34 AM
- WIKIMEDIA
- Do not enter.
Watch 11 Alive's report. Then we'll chat.
OK, so, first of all, my favorite thing about this video is that Still got her phone back, but is still (Still?) not being careful with it at all. I was waiting for it to fly out of her hand and right back into the trash compactor.
Second, this reminds me of a story my Mom told me that's one of my favorites ever. She and my father were on one of those open-air sightseeing buses in St. Augustine, Fla. when an elderly woman dropped her camera off the back and into the road. Rather than not jump off the back of the bus after it, she jumped off the back of the bus after it. And rolled in the road. I know cameras and cellphones aren't cheap, but c'mon ladies.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Bad Habits / Media Stop making me feel bad about myself, lady-triathlete
Posted by Gwynedd Stuart on Wed, Jan 4, 2012 at 2:29 PM
Today, 11 Alive aired a story about Joanna Berentsen, a Marietta woman who used to smoke cigrits, drink heavily, and eat poorly — and was occasionally verbally abused by her doctor as a result — but managed to turn her life around. But Berentsen didn't just cut down to two packs a day, cut out hard liquor and sign up for Nutrisystem — she became a triathlete who competes in fucking Ironman competitions. And here's what she had to say about it: "I don't think I did something so special or unique that no one else could do it. Like, what I did is very possible for anyone."
No. No, it is not. You are special and an overachiever, and please don't patronize me by downplaying it.
But, hey. It's a new year. Maybe we CAN do it. Here are Berentsen's tips (and the ways in which I'll apply them):
— Eat every two hours (I'll do you one better, and just eat constantly.)
— Set a goal (See above.)
— One day at a time (Just put Season 1 on my Netflix queue — I love Valerie Bertinelli!)
— Keep it interesting: "Do something you like or you're not going to stick with it." (Well, I like smoking, drinking and eating poorly — guess I'll stick with it.)
11 Alive's report after the jump ...
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Bad Habits / Haters We called it: Four Loko soon to be caffeine-free
Posted by Gwynedd Stuart on Wed, Nov 17, 2010 at 2:38 PM
Remember when everyone freaked out about Sparks being dangerous, so they took the caffeine out of it? Caffeine-free Four Loko is sure to follow.
Well, Pitts can officially turn his attention back to his quest to acquire the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, because Four Loko is about to get a little bit less loco:
The manufacturer of popular caffeinated alcohol drink Four Loko said Tuesday it will remove the caffeine from its products, pulling the blend off the market just as the Food and Drug Administration is poised to ban it.
Phusion Projects said in a statement posted on its website that the company will remove caffeine and two other ingredients from its products going forward.
The announcement came as the FDA is expected to find as early as Wednesday that caffeine is an unsafe food additive to alcoholic drinks. That finding essentially would ban Four Loko and other drinks like it.
Have you ever tried Four Loko? It's really, really disgusting. It tastes and smells like cough medicine mixed with stale beer that was mopped up off of a bar floor. And then laced with poison. Will people really continue to buy this shit when it's caffeine-free?
Friday, October 29, 2010
Bad Habits Commissioner Pitts knows you can't be trusted with Four Loko
Posted by Gwynedd Stuart on Fri, Oct 29, 2010 at 5:56 PM
- newsone.com
Colleges across the country are in the process of banning Four Loko and beverages of its ilk — others include Liquid Charge and Joose — from being sold on campus after a string of "overdoses," but in many places lawmakers are seeking wider bans to protect potential overindulgers both young and old. Add to that list Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts, who issued a press release today saying he'd seek ways to ban the beverages countywide.
The release says:
[Commissioner Pitts] has asked County staff to review the County’s jurisdiction over alcoholic beverage sales, particularly in unincorporated South Fulton. Even if the County is unable to completely ban the sale of these types of beverages, Pitts hopes to require the posting of signage warning of the dangers of these beverages.By providing caffeine that “boosts” energy, experts believe alcoholic energy drinks mask the impact of alcohol and may lead to overdrinking. Additionally, packaging resembles energy drinks, rather than traditional alcoholic beverages. Packaging does not always carry warnings about caffeine content. They are marketed to younger drinkers, and may be more enticing than other alcoholic products to underage drinkers.
“We already see the ravages of binge drinking on young people and the community,” said Commissioner Pitts. “It is not difficult to draw a line between alcoholic energy drinks and risky behavior. The results are potentially catastrophic.”
Remember when everyone freaked out about Sparks being dangerous, so they took the caffeine out of it? Caffeine-free Four Loko is sure to follow.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Bad Habits The Infectious Disease conference is in town — catch the fever
Posted by Gwynedd Stuart on Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 6:24 PM
The International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases — "Where more than the laughter is contagious" (snappy tagline compliments of moi) — is taking place in Atlanta this week, and according to Reuters, scientists from New Zealand are presenting research that indicates that their countrymen are, well, kinda gross. Read on ...
Dr. Nick Wilson of Otago University, Wellington, New Zealand and colleagues had 13 medical students watch people at a train station, a hospital, and a shopping mall during August 2009 — right in the midst of the swine flu pandemic. Among 384 coughs and sneezes the students observed, fewer than 5 percent were covered up with a tissue, handkerchief, or elbow. More than a quarter weren't covered at all. Nearly two-thirds of the time people coughed and sneezed into their hands, a practice that's now frowned upon because infection may spread via unwashed hands and contaminated surfaces.
But there's hope that maybe it's just New Zealanders who like spreading their yuck.
Wilson thinks other countries should do similar studies; he suspects "large variations" in respiratory hygiene by country. Indeed, Wilson said when he visited Toronto, Canada in February he noticed much higher use of elbow coughing.
So, Atlantans, are you spewing mucus into your elbow or your disease-covered hands? Medical students might be watching ...
Monday, June 28, 2010
Bad Habits / Transit
Texting @ the wheel has GTG begun
Posted by Alexandria Jud on Mon, Jun 28, 2010 at 11:47 AM
Georgia's texting while driving ban will go into effect this Thursday, July 1, making it illegal for anyone in the state to read, type or send a text message while driving. But don't expect to get all your texting in at stop signs either - "driving" includes being stopped at red lights or waiting for an arrow in a turn lane.
A study released this month by The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project reports that an alarming (but unfortunately not too surprising) 47 percent of adults who text report that they read texts while behind the wheel, and nearly half (49 percent) of all adults say that they've been in a car when the driver was sending or reading a text message on their cell phone.
A violation can cost as much as $100 for adults. Young drivers with only provisional licenses will be prohibited from all cell phone use while behind the wheel under a separate law. Teen drivers (under 18) caught using a cell phone will face a $150 fine - and it's doubled to $300 if the teen is involved in an accident at the time.
Some drivers are saying that the law is unnecessary and difficult to enforce, and, while I completely disagree with the first point, how the authorities are going to enforce this law is beyond me. Law enforcement officers can stop a driver solely for texting, regardless of if the person is driving recklessly or not, but, unless they inspect the sent and received times of the driver's text messages, proving a case seems nearly impossible. Plus, under the law, adults are still allowed to use the keypad to dial a phone number, so drivers pulled over for suspected violation of the ban can easily avoid a fine by insisting that they were just making a call.
Georgia is the latest of nearly 30 states to make texting while driving illegal. According to a study released by the Governors Highway Safety Association, other states are working to enforce the ban by using a combination of media outreach, advertising and a model resembling the “click-it-or-ticket” program.
The study reports that Georgia sends anti-distracted driving messages through social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook. Their efforts are undoubtedly well-intentioned, but, thanks to smart phones, these safe driving reminders will probably just be checked from behind the wheel.
