About Me
- Name: L. Craig Schoonmaker
- Location: Newark, New Jersey, United States
I am an intellectual with nothing of the nerd about him. I'm also the guy who in 1970 offered the term "Gay Pride" as it is now used.
April 2004
May 2004
June 2004
July 2004
August 2004
September 2004
October 2004
November 2004
December 2004
January 2005
February 2005
March 2005
April 2005
May 2005
June 2005
July 2005
August 2005
September 2005
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
January 2010
February 2010
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011
September 2011
October 2011
November 2011
December 2011
January 2012
February 2012
March 2012
April 2012
May 2012
July 2012
August 2012
September 2012
October 2012
November 2012
December 2012
January 2013
April 2013
May 2013
June 2013
August 2013
September 2013
October 2013
November 2013
January 2014
February 2014
March 2014
April 2014
May 2014
June 2014
July 2014
August 2014
September 2014
November 2014
January 2015
February 2015
April 2015
June 2015
July 2015
August 2015
September 2015
October 2015
November 2015
December 2015
February 2016
April 2016
May 2016
June 2016
July 2016
August 2016
October 2016
November 2016
December 2016
January 2017
February 2017
March 2017
April 2017
June 2017
July 2017
September 2017
October 2017
December 2017
February 2018
April 2018
May 2018
June 2018
July 2018
August 2018
September 2018
November 2018
Monday, June 23, 2008
Drugs Kill Another 'Genius' — ? The headline on the Associated Press story as carried on AOL today is "Legendary Comedian George Carlin Dies".
Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, went into St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica on Sunday afternoon complaining of chest pain and died later that evening, said his publicist, Jeff Abraham. He had performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas. ***Carlin made his living trivializing drug use. And now he's dead at 71. Speaking of John McCain, who is running for President at that same age, 71, William Saletan in the New York Post yesterday said:
Despite his reputation as unapologetically irreverent, Carlin was a television staple through the decades, serving as host of the "Saturday Night Live" debut in 1975 - noting on his Web site that he was "loaded on cocaine all week long" - and appearing some 130 times on "The Tonight Show."
The latest figures suggest that remaining life expectancy for a 70-year-old man is 14 years.(Tho I provide a link to the original source, I would recommend you not follow it unless you have a popup blocker that defeats fastclick-media ads, because otherwise you face having your machine hijacked for two or three minutes while fastclick fites and defeats your popup blocker.)
+
Obviously not everyone now 71 can be expected to reach age 84, but George Carlin died much before his time. Why might that be?
Cocaine use has been associated with both acute and chronic cardiovascular diseases. These include acute myocardial infarction, myocardial ischemia (both silent ischemia and ischemia associated with angina), acceleration of the development of atherosclerosis, myocarditis, cardiomyopathy (both dilated and hypertrophic), arrhythmias, hypertension, aortic dissection, and endocarditis. An estimated 25 million Americans have tried cocaine at least once.And why would so many people try something so dangerous (and expensive, and illegal, as could cause them permanent problems, as with admission to college or getting a good job, if they are arrested)? Because key people in the popular culture have utterly trivialized hard drugs. In an audio routine now on YouTube, George Carlin implicitly equates children's aspirin and coffee with heroin and cocaine. Now he's dead. Good riddance.
- posted by L. Craig Schoonmaker @ 4:58 PM
