It is called barfblog
This clip typifies celebrity barf. It's not often we actually have clips of folks actually barfing.
Recent food poisoning to blame for Leonard Cohen collapse on stage in Spain
One of my favorite Kids in the Hall lines – they were a comedy troupe from Toronto – and one I use often is that the music of Leonard Cohen is the soundtrack for hell (or something like that).
But I wouldn’t wish food poisoning on anyone.
BBC News reports the 74-year-old singer is recovering after collapsing on stage during a concert in Valencia, Spain.
Cohen was taken to hospital as a precaution. He has been discharged and is said to have had food poisoning.
A band member told the crowd Cohen had suffered stomach cramps and vomiting fits.
A barf story for barfblog
Last Friday the family and I embarked on a journey from Raleigh, NC to Port Hope, ON (Canada) to visit with our folks and celebrate our son Jack's 1st birthday. 
Dani and I had a strategy to limit the potential baby-craziness aspect of the 14-hour trip: leave mid-day and drive late into the night to perhaps let Jack's internal schedule take over and allow him to sleep for the majority of the ride.
Surprisingly, that plan worked perfectly.
Jack fell asleep around 7pm and did not wake until Dani abruptly woke him up with some spectacular barfing somewhere around Scranton, PA. She had been feeling car sick since about 30 minutes after we left and had fought it for a few hours, in her words, it "just came up". It surprised her enough that she felt she didn't have time to roll down the window, or even open the door. Sitting in the passenger seat, she turned to her left and decided to try to catch the barf in an empty cup she had sitting in the console. Bad idea. She filled the cup, and then both cup holders on the console. And then all over my leg and shoes.
Reminiscent of Lardass Hogan (see Stand By Me clip, below) I had a sympathy puke.
This ranks pretty high in my all-time vomit memories. It's up there with puking in Doug's flower bed; trying to catch vomit in my hands while sitting in a car and throwing it out the window (didn't work); deep-sea fishing induced illness and another Dani car story where she opened the window but decided to puke on the inside of the door instead. The most recent has made the top-5.
Jack fell back asleep soon after we stopped to clean up. But the car still smells like barf.
India: 400 pilots out with food poisoning on same day (not); 20,000 passengers stranded
If the president of the newly formed Jet Airways pilots' union is to be believed, the reason for some 400 of its members falling "sick" Tuesday, perhaps, was food poisoning.
"We are not on strike. This is an individual decision by each pilot," said Girish Kaushik, president of the National Aviators Guild, after member pilots reported sick and inconvenienced some 20,
Asked if it was not too much of a coincidence that so many pilots reported sick at the same time, Kaushik told IANS,
"We could all have had food poisoning. That's why we all could have become ill."
The civil aviation ministry has taken strong exception to what it calls a "wildcat" strike.
Fish folks say actor Jeremy Piven wet about mercury claims
Seafood overload for dinner Saturday night. Crab legs and lobster tail on clearance in the seafood capital of the Midwest, a decent Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (I’m having a Sideways moment), and corn. Sorenne loves the corn-on-the-cob (below).
Jeremy Piven (right), excellent in The Larry Sanders Show before cable shows became hip, a bunch of movies with childhood friend John Cusack, and now as super-ego agent Ari Gold on Entourage, which has become as boring as E’s personaiitly seems on the show, also likes the seafood. Piven says he’s been eating fish twice a day for 20 years and that contributed to methylmercury poisoning which caused him to leave the cast of a Broadway play in 2008.
The producers said, no way, and took action against Piven. An arbitrator cleared Piven of any wrongdoing.
But the National Fisheries Institute said in a recent statement to “treat Piven’s statements with skepticism. …
“It is important to note that no peer-reviewed medical journal has ever published any evidence of a case of methylmercury poisoning caused by the normal consumption of commercial seafood in the U.S. This ruling does not change that simple scientific fact.”
New Zealand cricketers felled by food poisoning
I don’t understand cricket -- other than it may be as boring as baseball -- but I do understand barf.
Tillakaratne Dilshan achieved the milestone he narrowly missed in Sri Lanka's first innings to post an unbeaten 123 as New Zealand became increasingly dependent on rain to stave off defeat in the first cricket test in Galle last night.
New Zealand had little to enthuse about once it became apparent morning rain would not stall the start of play for the first time since a delayed toss.
Their mood darkened further when Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder called in sick at breakfast, the worst affected of eight players struck down by food poisoning.
Only Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill and Iain O'Brien were immune from the bug that provided Auckland wicketkeeper Reece Young with his first experience of test cricket.
My fake basbeball team impacted by swine flu scare
At some point a few years ago video games were replaced by fantasy sports as my free time diversion of choice. I'm not really into cycling, but I love fantasy baseball and fantasy football (referred to by Dani as fake baseball and football).
This is a bit of a hectic time of year, the fantasy baseball trade deadline is looming in both of my leagues and football research is gearing up. Some infectious disease news is impacting my trade plans as the Texas Rangers (one of the American League's surprising teams) have one confirmed case of H1N1/swine flu in the clubhouse (Vicente Padilla) and potentially 3 more including one of my catchers, Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
Infectious diseases like influenza and norovirus are often transferred between teammates on major sports teams.
Not good news. I was hoping to make a run for the final playoff spot in one of my leagues and not having Salty for a week or so might eliminate all hope for me.
From CBS sportsline:
Fantasy cycling and fantasy eating during the Tour de France
I’ve been following the Tour de France
According to the New York Times article, “Five-star tour cuisine for guys who eat and ride” the men on the tour require 5000 to 8000 calories a day.
Every day at the Tour, Fowler cooks exclusively for Garmin’s nine riders, to the chagrin of team management. (…)
On a typical morning, they will gather their cooking gear and take it to the motor home in which they follow the race. They make sure to arrive early at the team’s next hotel, to inspect the kitchen.
If it is not up to Sean Fowler’s standards for cleanliness, which has happened a few times at this Tour, he will cook in the motor home. He takes precautions to keep the riders safe from food poisoning or other gastrointestinal problems, which could be devastating to their performance. In his motor home, he wields utensils and pots and pans like a careful samurai because the space is cramped.
Martha Stewart tries to kill Matt Lauer?
On the 7/14/09 edition of the Today Show, Martha Stewart cooked “Zesty Chicken Burgers” for Meredith Viera and a somewhat reluctant Matt Lauer. While Martha was going on about how special chicken burgers are, Matt quietly asked a food safety question.
Matt: “Obviously people are going to say you have to be careful how to cook a chicken burger. You have to get it to a certain temperature. Is that about right?”
Martha: “Um. Yeah. Well, you’ll see. It’s… It’ll won’t be pink inside. It’ll get …
Meredith: “It will have to be white inside.”
Martha: “Yeah, all the way.”
And then on to how beautiful they are. Martha went on from touching raw chicken to touching the bun she served Matt’s finished burger on. He turned away from the camera both times he “took a bite” and claimed they were very good. Who knows if he really ate the potentially killer chicken burger. I wouldn’t have.
If you cook chicken burger, use a tip-sensitive digital thermometer to make sure they reach an internal temperature of 165F. Wash your hands between touching raw meat and anything that is going to be served, especially if the person you are feeding is famous.
Many thanks to the barfblog fan who signaled Katie about yesterday’s Today Show.
Bonnie Hunt knows cross-contamination
Ever since reading this infosheet on a study of the bacteria and viruses found on lemon wedges, I’ve ordered my waters without them. I learned today that Bonnie Hunt is also one whose knowledge of microbiology has heightened her awareness of cross-contamination.
An encore presentation of the Bonnie Hunt Show today included a bit about Bonnie's background with microbiology and how it affects her experiences at restaurants today.
Before her acting career took off, Bonnie worked for several years as a nurse. While training for that, she had to "look through microscopes" and "learn about handwashing"--particularly that friction is more effective than soap at removing bacteria and viruses.
When dining out, Bonnie said she notices when servers touch a refill pitcher to the rim of her glass... and then do the same 
with other glasses throughout the restaurant. She joked that it's like making out with everyone there.
She also related a story about a family eating near her at a local restaurant. The table the family was seated at had two ketchup bottles. A child picked up the first bottle, drank from it, and then set it back down on the table. Another child picked up the second bottle, tried unsuccessfully to pour ketchup out of it, and so used the straw from their drinking glass to get it flowing.
Knowledge is such a powerful thing.
Food is the new fur for the celebrity with a conscience
Jay Rayner writes in the U.K. Observer today that, really bad food, is hot.
Greta Scacchi, who is pictured clutching a cod to her naked body (right, exactly as shown), will doubtless come to be seen as the seminal image for a particular moment, when the gruelling, knotty business of campaigning around food issues finally became sexy.
Where celebrities are concerned, it seems, food is the new fur. … Tomorrow, Paul McCartney and his daughters Stella and Mary are launching a campaign to convince the public to go meat-free for one day a week. Another movie, Food Inc, which looks at the excesses and foul side-effects of industrial food production has just been released in the US and will shortly arrive here. Plus there is a major investigation by environmental campaigner Tracy Worcester into the dark underbelly of the global pig-rearing business which is about to be screened on digital channel More4.
What marks out these campaigns is their sophistication. It began a couple of weeks ago with the news that Nobu, the global high-end chain of Japanese restaurants favoured by the glitterati, was still serving bluefin tuna despite it being an endangered species.
Jack Black vomiting mystery
Dude, the urine sample ain’t going to tell anyone anything. It’s a poop sample you need to give the doctor. Because, as they correctly say on the TV show Scrubs, Everything Comes Down to Poo (see below).
Jack Black, who’s been in a gazillion movies but is best remembered by me for his scene-stealing effort in 2000’s High Fidelity (right, exactly as shown) has been bedridden for a week - after contracting a mystery vomiting virus.
"Just last weekend, I thought I was knocking on death's door. I have never had this thing before where it has to go out of you in all directions. I'm not going into the grisly details, but it was explosive. Simultaneous explosions. I was wondering whether it was the sushi I ate or whether I caught it from someone and the doctor said it was the latter."
Black, who was at home with his wife and two young sons, was terrified he might pass on his condition to little Sam, three, and Thomas, 12 months: "It's harder when you've got two babies, because you're exploding, then you're washing your hands 'cause you don't want to get them sick either. It's a constant battle to stay clean."
And the star admits the most embarrassing incident came after he had seen a doctor, who ordered him to hand over a urine sample for testing.
Ramsay an 'arrogant narcissist'
Fresh off a bout of viral food poisoning that was miraculously cured by a penicillin shot to the butt, food buffoon Gordon Ramsey told a cooking session at the Good Food and Wine Show in Melbourne that a doctored picture of a woman with the features of a pig and multiple breasts was similar to television journalist Tracy Grimshaw. Ramsey called her a pig woman and a lesbian.
"I had an interview with her yesterday - holy crap. She needs to see Simon Cowell's Botox doctor."
Grimshaw, an interviewer with A Current Affair, said,
"I'm not going to sit meekly and let some arrogant narcissist bully me. … Obviously Gordon thinks that any woman who doesn't find him attractive must be gay. For the record I don't and I'm not.”
Mayor Ray Nagin quarantined over H1N1 connection
FOX8 New Orleans is reporting what might be the first celebrity quarantine due to H1N1 (the virus formerly known as swine flu). Mayor Nagin was reportedly on a flight to China with someone who was displaying symptoms and is suspected to have the virus.
According to officials, the passenger is undergoing quarantine and treatment. Mayor Nagin, his wife, and one member of his Executive Protection Unit is also being held in quarantine in Shanghai in order to keep them symptom free.
The mayor is not displaying any symptoms of the virus and is being treated with great courtesy from Chinese officials.
Gordon Ramsey says he got food poisoning from a virus; penicillin fixed him
Food buffoon Gordon Ramsey has once again demonstrated why celebrity chefs may be entertaining but really know nothing about biology – especially food and food safety.
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The Daily Telegraph reports that celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, the face of Melbourne's Good Food and Wine Show this weekend, was forced to spend his first night in Melbourne after the 16-hour flight barfing in his hotel room because of food poisoning.
"I have had a severe food virus and I was constantly vomiting. But I had a jab in the butt and had some penicillin and I felt a lot better at three this morning."
Penicillin is an antibiotic, and completely useless against a food virus or whatever Ramsey thinks made him barf.
Thanks to the food safety dude in Dubai who forwarded the story, one of the tens of thousands of inspectors around the world who actually do know what they’re talking about.
Penelope Cruz canned at Cannes by food poisoning
Earlier this week, Penelope Cruz missed an event at the Cannes Film Festival after suffering food poisoning.
Cruz had been due to appear, but Weinstein said she was ill with "some sort of food poisoning" and was seeing a doctor.
She was slated to present a trailer and teaser for the film with Harvey Weinstein, but Cruz was too sick to make an appearance.
Weinstein Co. boss – who looks the opposite of Penelope Cruz – told reporters Monday at an event to promote her forthcoming musical Nine. 
According to Us magazine:
A source -- who said she got feverish after eating fish Sunday night -- told Us that the actress didn't want to pull out of the Hollywood Dominos event.
"She really wants to be there," the source said earlier Monday. "The priority is to get better for tomorrow night. No one wants to lose their Cannes moment."
Sounds like Penelope was having a different type of can moment.
The Birdman returns from possible noro, Nuggets finish off the Mavs
After a bout of a gastro illness on Monday night which caused him to miss Game 4, Chris Andersen, nicknamed The Birdman, was back in action tonight for the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets downed the Mavs 124-110 to take the best-of-7 series in 5 games.
According to the Minneapolis-St.Paul Star Tribune:
On Monday, Andersen was on the court for pregame introductions, but the Nuggets' 6-foot-10 post player then went back to the locker room and wasn't seen on the bench again. When the team returned after halftime, Andersen wasn't with them and the Nuggets said he wouldn't play.
Sounds like The Birdman picked up some noro somewhere but declared himself healthy today after a couple of days on IV for dehydration.
Asked if he would be ready for tonight, Andersen said, "I'm going to have a really large storage of energy."
And boom goes the dynamite.
Jay Leno cancels 'Tonight Show' taping over possible foodborne illness
Jay Leno had to cancel today’s taping of “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” because of illness, Access Hollywood has learned.
Rumors have surfaced the (un)funnyman may be suffering from food poisoning, however that has not been confirmed.
Metal man taken down by bad oyster
Metal Underground – it’s my favorite source for news of all things Metal -- reports Metallica frontman James Hetfield was recently taken to hospital after suffering from a stomach bug.
"James here, alive, at about 80% but getting better. I want to say sorry for missing the second Stockholm gig on Sunday due to illness. The cause/diagnosis at the hospital was narrowed down to either a 24 hr virus or a bad oyster...yes, hate to admit, an oyster could have taken me down.
"I acknowledge and apologize for any inconvenience this has caused fans who had travelled near and far for the show. I had done everything possible to make it, and was at the point of falling if I stood up. On a lighter note since my illness, the support band 'Swedish Oyster Cult' will be thrown off the tour. More Cowbell?...More barf bagz!!”
Jennifer Aniston eats dog biscuit - Salmonella risk?
Dlisted reports that Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson were on Germany's Wetten Dass... to promote that movie about a dead dog when they had to eat a doggy biscuit after losing a bet.
People magazine says that the bet was that a woman claimed she could correctly identity her team of Husky dogs just from listening to them drink soup. Jennifer and Owen and the host all indulged. People magazine even asked readers, “Have you ever tried your pet’s food?”
This is a bad idea. Salmonella has been routinely found in dried dog food and doggy treats. People worried about barfing should wash their hands after handling either – dog food or treats, Jennifer or Owen.
Jack White gives Eagles of Death Metal food poisoning
In a nice intersection of music and food safety, Gasoline Magazine reports that Jack White (one of my very favorite thrashers) brought some poorly-handled Detroit pierogies to Jesse Hughes of the Eagles of Death Metal resulting in some celebrity barf. Hughes says that the pierogies arrived before a show in Toronto last fall and gave him the squirts and a queasy stomach for most of the performance:
"Dude, I had botulism... Jack White bought pierogies in Detroit and brought them up to the gig, and I ended up eating one far too long after it had expired. I ended up contracting mild botulism and sweating out of every hole, so to speak, for about 12 hours. I was the worst f'n experience I've ever had. But you can't call in sick to rock & roll"
Amen, brother; that's why I love rock & roll.
Working in a restaurant, that's different. Call in sick.
It probably wasn't actual botulism (would have been difficult to pound the guitar with a body full of neurotoxin) but sounds like a nasty foodborne illness experience.
Actual botulism did appear this week in WA, where a woman in her 30s and two children under 10 fell ill from eating improperly-canned green beans from a home garden. The woman is reportedly recovering slowly and remains on a ventilator.
Here's some Sunday rock & roll, Jack White and the Rolling Stones, Loving Cup:
And a bonus video, The Dirty Mac's Yer Blues from the Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus:
C.C. Sabathia returns after missing time with virus
What is going on in the baseball spring training facilities? MLB.com and ESPN.com reported yesterday that the Yankees Pitcher and big-time free agent signee, C.C. Sabathia missed time over the weekend with an intestinal virus.
Yankee's Manager Joe Girardi was quoted as saying: "He said he wanted to throw his BP and he ended up throwing up again"
C.C. came back on Sunday and reportedly looked pretty decent against Yankee sluggers Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira.
Sabathia had been scheduled to pitch Saturday, but he was unable to make it to the mound, fighting a virus that he acquired from his children, who had been ill earlier in the week.
Probably a good idea for the Yankees (and maybe all MLB staff) to take a look at our cleaning up vomit/norovirus food safety infosheet.
Update: Sounds like the Astros and Giants also have some virus control issues.
Ten Arizona Diamondbacks out with barf
I used to play a lot of video games in my spare time. I really only liked sports games and readily finished baseball, football, basketball and hockey seasons on my sega, PC and Playstation. I've won a few championships (sometimes thanks to the reset button).
I'm not super-proud of my nerdy tendencies, but at some point in the past 5 or 6 years my video game attention turned to fantasy sports, especially football and baseball. This time of year (Jan-Mar) is the fantasy sports dead zone for me, although I'm getting close to gearing up for baseball. It's a bit like the anticipation many have for the holiday season. Emails full of trashtalk, trade offers and rule changes have been flooding my inbox over the past couple of weeks. 
Last night Doug beat me to a post about Tony Scheffler, Denver Broncos Tight End who came back from the Pro Bowl with E. coli O157 symptoms (which may have been linked to the Western Stock Show -- infosheet below). Scheffler was on my team, Bend it Like Brady, for most of the past year. His oft-injured groin cost me at least two games this year, and maybe a shot at our league playoffs. I really don't like that guy.
Today, I'm taking the sports-related post -- ten Arizona Diamondbacks (including Scott Schoenweis, who was once on my team, the Berserkers) missed spring-training drills today with some GI issues.
The team isn't sure if the illness stems from something the players ate, a virus going around the clubhouse or some other factor.
"I'm not an authority on gastrointestinal conditions," Melvin said, but after talking with the team physician he expects all to return to practice Monday.
Some players fell sick Saturday night, others arrived at the clubhouse Sunday morning feeling sick and were sent home.
And if you think I'm crazy about fantasy sports, I'm nothing compared to this guy or this dude (who hired a couple of interns and gave t-shirts to players on his team)
You can get the Western Stock Show/E. coli O157 food safety infosheet here (and they are all archived at www.foodsafetyinfosheets.com).
Soccer star Dejagah hospitalized with hepatitis A
VfL Wolfsburg's German Under-21 international Ashkan Dejagah is facing a "very long time" on the sidelines after being admitted to a specialist hospital in Hamburg to undergo treatment for hepatitis A.
Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath said,
"It is very unfortunate and he will be sidelined for a very long time. We wish him the swiftest of recoveries."
No word on how the virus was contracted – food, water or otherwise.
Vomit forces teenage tennis star out of Australian Open
I always have something on the television as background while working on my laptop. And at this time of year, the Australian Open brings a reminder of the warmth that may some day return to the Northern Hemisphere.
When the announcer said, “This is painful to watch,” I immediately looked at the television. There was teenage tennis sensation Victoria Azarenka, of Belarus, wobbling, though leading in her match against Serena Williams.
Azarenka had been vomiting all morning, because of a virus, and she did not feel much better when she got to the court. ... She ended up retiring through illness and shuffled off the Rod Laver Arena with an assistant supporting her on either arm (right, photo by EPA). ...
At one stage, it seemed as though she was going to be sick into her cupped hands, and she repeatedly sought out the shaded areas in the stadium between points. She also looked off-balance and almost unable to grip the handle of her racket. She had little choice but to quit against the American.
No word on the type or source of what was thought to be a viral infection.
No FBI for a nauseous Obama
The name and face of Barack Obama will be written into history books when he is sworn into office 
today as the first African-American president of the United States.
This fact has enabled Ilham Anas to become the most famous nauseous man in Indonesia.
Anas works as a photographer and has an incredible resemblance to the new president.
Some of Anas colleagues—as a joke after Obama’s election—dressed him a suit and tie and handed him an American flag for a photo shoot.
Soon the pictures were on the internet and television, and in the hands of an advertising agency who offered Anas a job playing Obama in a commercial for Domperidone.
The product is the generic form of Motilium—a drug used to combat nausea and vomiting. It’s rushed to the Obama look-alike when he appears to suddenly fall ill during dinner.
The hostess in the commercial needn’t fire her cook, however. Most microbial foodborne illnesses (FBIs) take hours if not days to make a person ill.
The Secret Service would more likely be after whoever fed him lunch.
May God bless America and the food on all its tables.
What does Obama eat?
In a fantastic combination of celebrity and food porn, the Globe and Mail reports on U.S. President-elect Obama's favorite foods -- sort of.
There was a lot of guessing that went into this hard-hitting investigative journalism:
Early last year, when the Obamas said pizza from Italian Fiesta Pizzeria in Chicago was their favourite, co-owner Patti Harris-Tubbs says people called her up to say, "I'll have whatever Obama likes." But Ms. Harris-Tubbs isn't sure which pie that is.
"Our most popular is cheese and sausage," she tells them. "I guess I would have to go with that."
Eddie Gehman Kohan, the Los Angeles freelance writer behind the Obama Foodorama blog, says she doesn't know, either.
She points to a New York Times interview with Reggie Love, Mr. Obama's right-hand man, who was quoted as saying the boss's favourite foods are Dentyne Ice, Nicorette, pistachios and MET-Rx chocolate-roasted peanut protein bars.
"Part of the fascination with food is trying to pinpoint who is he? How can we define him, how can we understand him?" Ms. Gehman Kohan says.
One thing the food paparazzi does know is that Obama likes his hot sauce. Ms. Gehman Kohan was cited as saying, "He puts it on everything, he carries a bottle with him.He's shown he can handle the heat. At least so far."
Here's a nice clip of food critic Barack from a 2001 local TV food show in Chicago.
Jesse Jackson released from hospital after food poisoning
The Associated Press is reporting that 66-year-old civil rights leader Jesse Jackson was released from a Chicago hospital late Friday morning after developing food poisoning while conducting voter registration activities in Ohio and Georgia on Wednesday.
Jackson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution from his bedside yesterday that he had not been able to pin down where he became ill.
“Two days ago I began to feel stomach anxiety and pain and by yesterday it was very intense,” he said.
Dane Cook in trouble for dog poop
Dane Cook recently spent time in a Beverly Hills courthouse fighting allegations that his mini-Pinscher, named Beast, poops all over his apartment complex. The management of La Fontaine in West Hollywood took the comedian to court to have him evicted on grounds that he was not properly cleaning up after his dog."Neither he nor his girlfriend pick up after the dog," said a source. "They've sent him three notices so far over the last year warning him he'll be evicted, and they have video. The neighbors all hate him."
Cook’s rep, Ina Treciokas, told the press in April: “Dane vigorously denies the allegations in the complaint and is looking forward to complete vindication through the legal proceedings.”
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On Tuesday, the building manager took the stand and told the court that the actor is a serial offender, despite the signs in the gardens warning against animals pooping on the lawn. He also said he noticed "recurring small black poop being left behind in the backyard." The manager is alleged to have video footage of Cook's pooch committing the offense.Cook faced a trial by jury and he was found guilty 11-1. His landlord can now officially evict him.
Dog poop contains common pathogens such as tapeworms, roundworms, cryptosporidium, salmonella, e.coli, and many others. The owners should always and after picking up dog poop hands should always be washed.
Love guru Mike Myers dreading diarrhea on Aussie red carpet
"In Australia, when you go into a drug store you actually have to talk to the pharmacist...I was looking around and I was, like, 'Hi!' 'Hello, you're Mike Myers, how are you? What can I do for you?' (I said) 'I'd like Pepto-Bismol please.' 'We don't know what that is...What is it exactly, Mike?' I was like, 'It's for tummy trouble.'"But the confused Aussie staffmember at the pharmacy needed him to be more specific, prompting a desperate Myers to reveal he was suffering from diarrhea.
He adds, "(They said) 'How very interesting, you're a superstar with diarrhea.' I'm like, 'Hmmm, don't feel like a superstar right now.'"
No indication if the cause was food or water related, but hey, Mike, we’ve all been there. Not messing around on a bed with Madonna or cavorting with Beyonce, but we’ve all had the runs.
Best Mike Myers role? So many good lines and characters from the Toronto-area funny man, but the best is the Don Cherry-inspired hockey announcer on the vastly underrated Russell Crowe vehicle, Mystery, Alaska.
And that’s Dr. Evil to you. I didn’t spend all those years at Evil University to be Mr. Evil.
Dagwood dog or party pie -- Australian PM barfs
His office yesterday blamed a "dodgy dagwood dog" for the illness, but Mr Rudd suggested today it might have been a pie, stating,
"I think it was a party pie, something like that, a savoury something. All I know is whether it was that, or whether it was a stomach bug, the consequences were graphic."Dagwood dogs are sausages, deep-fried in batter and served on a stick.
UK celebrity chef told to clean up BBQ
Inspectors from South Oxfordshire district council objected to a counter that was made from unsealed paving stones, a potential breeding ground for germs, and a missing floor tile near the barbecue.Vanessa Ong, the environmental health officer, said surfaces must be made from materials that are "smooth, washable, corrosion resistant and non-toxic" and floors must be maintained in a sound condition and be easy to clean and disinfect.
Worrall Thompson said the paving stone counter was purely decorative and had since been sealed, adding
"Everything had been done properly before we opened. They came round when it wasn't in operation and then they put this on their website. I'm a little incensed and I will be having words with the council."
Celebrity chefs rack up health code problems at restaurants
Health Inspections.com reports that on a recent health inspection, Chef Emeril Lagasse's Miami restaurant was hit with 13 critical violations that could make customers sick.
The restaurant was cited for violations such as foods at dangerous temperatures, hygiene violations, and foods not stored properly.
The television program Inside Edition found that restaurants connected with many famous TV chefs have significant health violations.
Inside Edition even video taped mice running freely at BLT Fish in Manhattan, operated by Laurent Tourondel who has appeared on the Iron Chef television program.
I'm not surprised. A 2004 paper we published based on 60 hours of detailed viewing of television cooking shows found that an unsafe food handling practice occurred about every four minutes, and that for every safe food handling practice observed, we observed 13 unsafe practices. The most common errors were inadequate hand washing and cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat foods.
Among the violators:
Anthony Bourdain: The restaurant Les Halles in Coral Gables, Florida was shut down by inspectors 3 times since 2006 for dangerous violations. In the last inspection, the inspector noted 30 fresh rodent droppings on a baking rack. Bourdain is the 'chef-at-large' for the restaurant.
Mario Batali: His "Spotted Pig" restaurant in New York was found to have mice and insects. On two prior inspections, there were a high number of critical violations that required inspectors to come back for follow-ups.
Wolfgang Puck: At his Spago Café in Vegas, nasty employee lockers were found to have roaches. There were also violations for a dirty food slicer, foods at the wrong temperature, and employees not washing properly because of a lack of soap.
Celebrity Chef Todd English has the worst record of the TV cooks. His three Boston restaurants have consistently failed inspections. One of them, known as Kingfish Hall, has failed five inspections since January of 2007.
Paula Dean's restaurant "Lady and Son" in Georgia had consistently high scores on health inspections.
The Inside Edition story on celebrity chefs who don't quite make the grade is available at:
http://healthinspections.com/video.cfm?bWVkaWFJRD0zOA==
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From the celebrity illness file: R2D2 actor Kenny Baker falls ill on flight
Tennis star Federer's weakness might have been an illness
One of my favorite lines from Wayne's World, if only because it was so apt: I had mononucleosis when I was 17, and would sleep for hours on end, but maybe I was just really bored.
That probably doesn't apply to Roger Federer, 26.Last month, after falling ill for the third time in six weeks, he had extensive tests in his native Switzerland and in Dubai, where he lives part time. According to Federer, the conclusion was that he had contracted mononucleosis.
Federer had already said he experienced food poisoning before the Australian Open, which he said disrupted his preparation for that tournament.
But Federer, who complained of feeling sluggish during the Open, said it appeared that the mononucleosis was the more serious issue.
Mike Myers can empathize.
Foodborne illness forces Pistons' Hamilton to miss practice
Hamilton is in Atlanta, and the Pistons will re-evaluate his condition before today's 7 p.m. game against the Hawks.
Weir withdraws from Buick Invitational due to illness
Maybe he's got a touch of norovirus?Food poisoning fells Thai badminton star
Coach Udon Luangphetcharaporn said Boonsak's condition was not serious but he was weak and not in a good condition to play in the season-opening Super Series tournament at the Putra Stadium, adding, "It's unfortunate he is unable to play as he needs to fight for points to improve on his world rankings."The 25-year-old law student enjoyed a memorable season last year, winning the Singapore Open and the World University Games gold medal. He is the highest ranked Thai at number 12 in the world rankings.
Tennis star Federer forced to withdraw
I think I had noro back in November.
Does Cher have foodborne illness?
I've always thought that she was at her best in this video from the classic Beavis and Butthead show.
Boxer beats E. coli O157
Ancliff said,"When I first got ill I carried on training as I thought it would pass but as soon as they found out it was E.coli they took me straight into hospital. I was in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for a week on a drip to clear out my system and then I needed to take another week off to relax and get back the weight I'd lost. … I feel fully fit again now and I've been training hard."
BalletLORENT cancelled because of barf
The Blackpool Gazette in the U.K. reports that a second Blackpool hotel, the Metropole, is at the centre of a suspected norovirus outbreak.The Newcastle-based balletLORENT performed their opening night on Friday, but Saturday's performance was called off 15 minutes after the curtain was due to go up.
Grand Theatre house manager Stephen Williams took to the stage to break the bad news to the audience, stating,
"Unfortunately due to a virulent outbreak of food poisoning the company is unable to perform. They are unable to perform how they wish to perform and how you would like to see them perform."
The audience was offered a full refund or credit note to use for future productions.
Paging Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
TMZ has confirmed that Jane Seymour did not participate in Tuesday's "Dancing with the Stars" extravaganza -- because she's got food poisoning.Apparently she'll be back next week.
Bad seafood fells Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyes Peas need new caterers, or food poisoning works as an excuse for celebrities just like mere mortals.First, Peas rapper, Taboo, was sent to hospital with food poisoning Sept. 13, 2007 in Stockholm.
Perez Hilton reports that last night, lead singer Fergie was noticeably absent from the group's show in El Salvador.
The group’s singer did come out briefly in sweats, a cap and dark sunglasses (left, exactly as shown) and told the crowd that she ate some bad seafood and was not well. She sang one song and back to the vomitorium.
The band has already said they will make it up to the Salvadorian people with another concert real soon.
... but I only smoke organic cigarettes
TMZ is citing Page Six as reporting that "Before Sunrise" beauty Julie Delpy took a page from Al Gore's environmentally conscious book while in Chicago.The French actress was in town promoting her new film "Two Days in Paris" when she saw a truck idling in front of the restaurant she was in."
An ardent environmentalist, Delpy was vexed by truck, and jumped in the cab to turn it off, only to find out that the truck had to be left idling because it contained fresh meat and poultry.
Actors wanna be singers ... and cooks
TMZ reports, "He sings, he dances ... he cooks? Damn right he does! And Christopher Walken is going out of his way to make sure you respect his culinary skills!
"A homemade video of His Royal Cowbellness whipping together a mouthwatering baked chicken dish was recently submitted to video-based recipe-swapping website Imcooked.com. It's been long rumored that the celebrity chef was looking to host his own cooking show -- but was anyone expecting a grassroots YouTube-style campaign?"
The film is so edited that it's hard to gauge Walken's food safety prowess, something we found lacking in most celebrity chefs. Nevertheless, in Walken's variation of the beer can chicken, he insists on washing the bird, a food safety no-no.
In a Dec. 24, 2004 article in the National Post, Fergus Clydesdale, who runs the food science department at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and was on the U.S. Agriculture Department's Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, was quoted as saying, "The risk of cross-contamination through washing poultry is far greater than shoving it in the oven without washing it, which makes the risk almost zero."
Also, there was no obvious use of a meat thermometer, the only way to tell if that bird has reached the desired temperature (color is a lousy indicator).
I gotta have more cowbell.
Food porn: In the raw
Model Carol Alt has apparently converted hockey-player boyfriend Alexei Yashin to the raw food diet.In promoting her new book, The Raw 50, Alt says,
"What’s fascinating for me about raw foods is not so much that this is raw and isn’t this fun and look how it tastes so good. For me it’s the science behind it such as the pH balance, the molecular structure change when you cook food and how you destroy enzymes. I was the worst chemistry student in school and I didn’t see any connection between chemistry and the world."
Maybe Alt should study microbiology. Never underestimate the ability of the American public to equate celebrity -- even D-list celebrity -- with credibility.
Presidential hopeful sidelined by barf
Perennial presidential candidate, Dennis Kucinich, is being treated for food poisoning at a Cleveland-area hospital after becoming ill Sunday night while flying from Cleveland to a Florida campaign appearance. He was admitted to a local hospital on Monday upon his return from the event.The Democratic Congressional Representative from Cleveland, Ohio's 10th District -- the fightin' 10th -- doesn't know how he contracted food poisoning but expects to recover fully and return to work in the next few days.
According to wiki, Kucinich has the distinction of being the only vegan in Congress. He has maintained a diet for many years that excludes animal products in accordance with his conviction that "all life on our Earth [is] sacred."
Kucinich also states on his campaign website that he encourages independent, family-owned, and organic farming, which would help lead to "the meat that we consume coming from happy and healthy free-range animals."
U.K.: Ex-Mud singer's death after food poisoning
An inquest was told that Martin Wingfield, 58, father of 10 and former front man of 70s glam rock band Mud died after being admitted to hospital suffering from campylobacter food poisoning in November, 2006.Mr Wingfield left Mud before they hit the big time in 1974 with Tiger Feet and Lonely This Christmas.
Consultant colorectal surgeon David Birch said the infection was already so well advanced that going under the knife was the only option.
"He had a two- to three-month history of alternating constipation and diarrhoea and a history of worsening abdominal distension following a wedding. Blood tests showed that his kidneys weren't working and an x-ray showed a large dilation of his colon. He really wasn't in a very good condition at all."
Daughter Kelly Ann Wingfield told the court,
"It seemed unreal that someone could go into hospital for food poisoning and not come out again."
Food poisoning strikes President Bush?
Dan Bartlett, counselor to the president told reporters, "I'm not sure if it's a stomach virus yet or something like that. He's just not feeling well in his stomach."
Although ill, the president did meet for an hour with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, but, as a precaution, the meeting took place in Bush's private room.
Perhaps they had some raw milk cheese?
Britney Barf
I am, as always, in awe of the Sun's headline writers for coming up with this gem:
Pop princess Brit is toxsick
Britney Spears was reportedly carried out of the men’s bathroom of an LA hotel bar last Sunday night after she was discovered vomiting uncontrollably.According to a source, Britney was " a real mess and was sitting on the floor with her head over the bowl throwing up. There was vomit down the front of her dress and around her mouth."
Out of it, she was overheard telling hotel staff: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Things aren’t going well for me at the moment.”
I guess not. Maybe it was norovirus, it can be pretty messy with the projectile vomiting.
Jacko has food poisoning?
Michael Jackson Ducks Early Out From Brunei Party
From the article:
Michael Jackson had to duck out of a lavish party held by his pal the Prince of Brunei this weekend - despite apparently being paid £5 million to turn up.
The eccentric popstar withdrew from Prince Azim’s 25th birthday at an English country estate after claiming food poisoning caused by the buffet had caused him to vomit.The Mirror quotes him as telling a fellow guest, “I am feeling ill and so weak. I had to go to the bathroom to vomit. I think it must be the food. I feel terrible. I want to go now! Please call the prince, I want to say goodbye."
Hopefully Jacko feels better, but I think he'd be a great spokesperson for food safety month.
My Chemical Romance follow-up #2
It appears that My Chemical Romance are over their Salmonella infection -- they play in Toronto tonight.
Depp daughter's E. coli scare
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According to FemaleFirst.co.uk, actor Johnny Depp has spoken out about his family's scare following his seven-year-old daughter, Lily-Rose's bout with E. coli two months ago.The story notes that Lily-Rose was rushed to a London hospital after contracting the E.coli bacteria, which caused her kidneys to shut down. Filming on Depp's latest movie Sweeney Todd was halted so he could keep a vigil at the youngster's bedside with partner Vanessa Paradis (who, according to other media sources, he may finally marry this summer) .
Although Lily appears to be back to her normal self already, Depp was quoted as saying, "It gave us a great scare. What got us through this wasn't the strength of Vanessa or me but our daughter and her incredible ability to make us feel OK even though she was very unwell. She was super-strong."
The actor further added, "It was a very bumpy patch but she has come through it beautifully and unscathed and she is now as healthy as she always was. She is wonderful."
Emo and Salmonella don't mix
"Green Leafe Cafe owner Glenn Gormley confirmed receiving death threats from some My Chemical Romance fans."
Death threats are pretty serious, especially from emo fans. You really don't want to get on their melancholic bad side.
Officials: salmonella sickened My Chemical Romance, Muse membersMay 9, 2007
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. Williamsburg-area health officials have linked salmonella contamination to recent illnesses suffered by numerous people, including members of rock bands My Chemical Romance and Muse.
Peninsula Health Department officials are focusing their investigation on people who ate food from Williamsburg's Green Leafe Cafe over the weekend of April 27th through the 29th. They've confirmed that the culprit is salmonella bacteria.
Members and crew of the two bands got sick after performing April 28th at the College of William and Mary. Members of a private wedding party and a William and Mary a cappella singing group also got sick.
Click for the full story
and check out the iFSN infosheet on the outbreak here
Concerts cancelled due to food poisoning
03.may.07
Food Safety Network
foodsafetyinfosheets.ksu.edu
www.foodsafety.ksu.edu
The newest food safety infosheet, a graphical one-page food safety-related story directed at food handlers, is now available at foodsafetyinfosheets.ksu.edu.
Infosheet highlights:
The nationwide Muse and My Chemical Romance tour was brought to a halt this past weekend after band members were struck with food poisoning.
The bands were in Williamsburg, Virginia last Sunday for a concert at William and Mary college, when 16 members from both bands and crews became severely ill.
Other risk factors affecting the safety of food include: proper cooking procedures, temperature control during storage, cross contamination, poor hygiene, and purchasing food from unsafe sources.
Infosheets are created weekly by iFSN and are posted in restaurants, retail stores, on farms and used in training throughout the world. If you have any infosheet topic requests, or photos, please contact Ben Chapman at bchapman@uoguelph.ca
Rockstars fall ill
***MCR falls ill after concert***
01.may.07
The Flat Hat (Virginia)
Brian Mahoney
http://www.flathatnews.com/news/933/mcr-falls-ill-after-concert
Last weekend did not end romantically for rock band My Chemical Romance.
The group was forced to cancel their Sunday night show at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania, after 16 crew and band members fell ill, according to the BJC’s Director of Public Relations Bernie Punt.
Punt told Penn State’s student newspaper, The Daily Collegian, that members from the opening band Muse also fell ill late Saturday night.
Jonathan Seiden - The Flat Hat. My Chemical Romance performs for an almost sold-out audience at William and Mary Hall April 28.
He said that both crew and band members were stricken by “severe food poisoning.”
“We had a doctor in here all day,” Punt told the Collegian Sunday. “They’re not getting any better.”
Punt also told The Flat Hat that the band was forced to postpone their May 1 show in Columbus, Ohio due to continued sickness.
According to Punt, chicken wraps served at the College Saturday had caused the illness.
The Green Leafe, located on Scotland Street, was the sole caterer of the event, and they also served chicken wraps, Glen Gormley, the owner of the restaurant, said.
Gormley also said that no one from the band has contacted the Green Leafe, and that he could not confirm if the wraps had caused the illnesses. Continue Reading...
