Jane Goody is assaulted with peace, love, & possibly a hammer; plus a brief history of booze and pills
More drama in the life of terminally ill Brit Reality TV star Jane Goody. Goody was recently confronted in hospital by what tabs are calling a hammer wielding woman. Now the woman didn't have the hammer when she confronted Jane. Jane had been dozing and awoke to find the woman standing over her a praying. Apparently Jane was terrified by this, even though she had just recently been baptized, and began shrieking. The woman scurried off only to be pursued by hospital security. I guess that's where the hammer came into it.
Now the celebrity world is pretty well known for its strange antics. Pure craziness is often helped along by pills and booze too. There are a lot of high profile drunks in TinselTown, but oddly the most serious lushes are pretty good at keeping it secret. Sweetie Pie Heather Locklear was a raging alcoholic for years, but managed to keep it a secret. Though her ex husband Richie Sambora was the rocker with the rep, Locklear had the more serious problem. In fact Sambora had to stop touring after he came home and found Locklear suffering from alcohol poisoning. Locklear was whisked off to hospital and successfully treated, despite an official misdiagnosis of 'exhaustion'. However it still came as a shock to people when she was picked up after flipping out and stopping her car in the middle of a busy freeway.
Nor is Heather Locklear the only example. When Jessica Simpson was hospitalized for a kidney infection some time back, news quickly leaked out that the real reason was alcohol abuse. She had drank so heavily that she'd started to burn out her kidneys, liver, and her urinary track. In fact one medical professional who managed to get quoted went so far as to use the phrase "an obscene amount" to describe her consumption. As a matter of fact the lawsuit she's currently engaged in over her fitness video arose because she showed up too drunk to perform.
If her recent weight gain, and sloppy emotionalism during some performances were any indication, it seemed like Jess was trying to straighten out. Abstinence can be an ugly, ugly thing. However it seems that Jessica has completely taken off the excess poundage, and there have been no more weepy public outbursts, so it may be safe to assume our Jess is back on the sauce once more.
Now when alcohol isn't the culprit, pills usually are. It was a mixture of medications prescribed by some less than vigilant doctors that lead to Heath Ledger's untimely demise - though that undoubtedly helped his chances with the Oscar. Heath was reputedly knocking back Ambien like candies, plus some other party favours like Oxy Contin, that were allegedly supplied to him by his alleged girlfriend Mary Kate Olsen at the time of his alleged death in her alleged apartment, allegedly.
Now that lead to some ugliness. For one thing the public wanted to roast MKO on a spit. They probably might have to except that they got distracted by the colourful antics of Heath's Australian kinfolk. Once they realized that Heath had been worth 20 mill, and had died without an updated will, they got very involved. Friends of Heath claimed that he'd have wanted his daughter Matilda to have his money, and the failure to update his will was an oversight. No one plans for death in their 20's, except Lindsay Lohan, and possibly Mischa Barton.
Though Heath's intent seemed clear to everyone else, the family wouldn't back off. They did make some vague claims about Matilda being taken care of. No one seemed very reassured by that. They also got embroiled in a prolonged legal squabble over the estate, and some bad press in the Aussie media. Before it was through and uncle of Heath's had even gotten busted down under for stealing farm equipment. Things seem to have resolved enough for the Ledger's to attend the recent Academy Awards. They've claimed the late actor's Oscar too. Now to be clear they insist they're only hanging onto it for Matilda. Their words "We plan to keep this for her forever". Forever really is keeping, isn't it. When asked if they might ever hand the award over to their grand daughter, Heath's father replied "Yeah, maybe, someday". With his double talk and kiss my ass attitude it seems like Heath's dad still has some resentment over the way things have worked out. So let this be a lesson - if you plan on dating Mary Kate Olsen, then make sure you've updated your will.
Another wise idea might be to keep track of the drugs you're taking. Prescription pills can pack a mean little punch. They can also have some odd side effects. These can range from drowsiness and itchy eyes right up to amnesia and restless leg syndrome. Mirapex, better known as Pramipexole, can cause amnesia. It's often prescribed for restless leg syndrome. Statins, the cholesterol med de jouer, can also cause amnesia. Astronaut Duane Graveline had been prescribed the stuff, and reported not recognizing his wife after returning from a short walk. Now it wasn't a space walk either. Then again if they'd been together for a while that might be more a cause of traumatic amnesia. Then again his doctors think it was something to do with the Liptor he was taking.Remember when kids were told "you go blind if you don't stop it" Well prescription drug power house Viagra has been known to cause vision problems. Some patients have reported blurred vision after taking it. Others claim that they failed to distinguish between blue and green. Doctors have an explanation for this - lack of blood flow to the optic nerve. I guess the blood is getting redirected to other areas!
Colour related side effects aren't restricted to vision either. Their effect on body wastes has given rise to the phrase 'rainbow urine'. Deferoximine - used for anemia - can turn urine red. Nor is red the only urinary special effect. Blood pressure med Aldomet, often given to pregnant women, can make your urine appear black. This is because it reacts with toilet bowl bleach. Phenolphthalein, formerly a popular laxative, can turn urine purple. It's falling out of favour these days due to some concerns about cancer. Anti depressants and relaxants Elavil and Robaxin can turn your water green. Perhaps strangest Dyrenium, a diuretic, can turn your water blue!
Moving on to some of our more popular side effects we come to Mirapex once gain, but this time in the hallucination category! Lariam was an anti malaria drug given to US troops but hat had to be pulled back in the ealy 2000's when it also was shown to cause hallucinations, and violent outbursts. From hallucinations to dreams, anti smoking drug Chantix gives some people night terrors, and causes them to wake up screaming. Lunesta and Ambien can produce similar effects. Ambien tends to hit even harder, making some people sleep walk, and even engage in such elaborate activities as sleep eating and sleep driving. Some users have awoken to find themselves shopping in a near by store, or driving their car down the highway.
Speaking of kooky behaviours Mirapex - by boosting dopamine levels - has been know to make some of it's users go OCD. In some cases they'll become compulsive drinkers. In other cases they start gambling full tilt. In other cases people will become hyper sexual (so that's why Charlie Sheen allegedly buys drugs online), or they'll uncontrollably binge eat. in one case a man successfully sued Mirapex maker Pfizer claiming that the drug turned him into a compulsive poker player. He won 8.2 million, from Pfizer not from playing cards.
You really have to be careful with meds. Drug companies are an even more powerful political lobby force than Big Tobacco. They've got lots of money to throw around and friends in high places, so when a promising new med comes along the temptation is to push it onto the market before all the i's are crossed and the t's dotted. What could go wrong?? Then ten years down the road their on the hook for some class action be cause a group of women who took their new birth control pills wound up growing beards and standing up to pee. Millions might be lost, but billions were made. That makes the pharmaceutical game a buy beware deal. Though it should be mentioned that winning a posthumous Oscar is a pretty extreme side effect.
The evolution of desire
Has but matured a toxic wine,
Has but matured a toxic wine,
Speaking of conspiracy theories, here's a doozie.
How deep does this conspiracy go? Listen to Vic Beck discuss the money matrix with Richard Syrett. The show begins with a mysterious e mail from a Mr XYXYX, who passes on some cryptic warnings.
As Richard's many fans will recall, he was unceremoniously dumped from his popular radio program back on Jan 20. Well there is finally some good news to report - RS has landed a new gig with Glastonbury Online Radio.
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