Reverse Osteoporosis

I read a piece from the New York Times today about a condition I saw dressed up Hollywood style on Greys Anatomy ... it was even more interesting and bizarre in this factually reported article than the histrionics of Greys portrayed it to be.

So basically when you get older the skelington of the human body is designed to get a little more brittle as the bone degradates. Its something that is not ideal when you take into account that the skelington has as one of its major attributes a guarding role - that of the nervous system. The constant grinning you sometimes see etched onto an old timers face is probably actually a painful grimace or perhaps it is an ironic smile at how all those years of taking the body for granted have come back in the form of almost unmanageable pain for many, as nerves are less and less protected by that 206 part skelington that used to serve them so well.

That condition I was talking about earlier is called fibrodysplasia (you would be displeased too when you see what it does to your fibres) and works in the opposite direction as Osteoporosis. Yup ... instead of your bones becoming brittle, you grow more bones from all sorts of causes - like doing damage to one of your existing bones or even cuts and bruises. Eventually your whole body is full of extra bone which is just not compatible with the way the rest of the organs and bodies systems work and you die.
Don't worry dude, waking up in the morning a little stiff (and no I don't mean that bone) is not the first sign of this condition showing itself (although it does mean you should probably not have scrummed your buddies for a couple of hours at that bachelors party until you all fell into the fire that was at first a good idea to be next to as it was providing the only light source). Bony growths that appear all over your body could be suggesting you are one of the unfortunate ones though and if that's the case then ... yea I am going to say it .... hard luck.

This article (see link below) explains it all in a well written manner as apposed to my garble. What was most interesting to me about the whole piece though was not even when the guy grows a second skelington, but rather the close connection that our skelingtons have with the other organs in our body. Lovely stuff.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/science/28angi.html

A cool dude runs Saatchi & Saatchi and he is on his way to CT

Aaa how fantastic that you will get a chance to visit our country. I am so happy to be living here and enjoyed you blogging on what is indeed a truly incredible and interesting place to live. I have in fact been working under Mr Eastwoods direction in that movie and just wrapped yesterday after two months of playing one of the Springboks. How strange to pull on the Jersey and sing Nkosi with the Panavision Camera close in attendance. The rugby scenes v the All Blacks were just too special! The Warner Brothers movie experience was phenomenal and cant wait to see the finished project at the end of the year -this movie is sure to be a cracker in its own right, not to mention what it can do for South Africa and the game of rugby throughout the world. I must also tell/warn you that Matt is a top guy and a handy poker player. I lost an exciting hand to him while holding trip 7's! I too am a story teller and actually writing one that flows from my heart about a childhood under apartheid. A writing and emotional experience I am enjoying immensely. Not all white people were a part of the major wrong doings in the country at the time off course, and not every black person carries the relatively new found opportunity of 'freedom' forward in the most productive or integrous way. The country still faces huge challenges as the ANC is looked upon with narrowed eye brows from those that sat in prisons and sacrificed so much for it in an excruciating past. I had a very interesting chat to Zelda (Madiba's personal assitant extraodinaire) on Wed night in this regard. KR when you are in CT pls feel free to look me up madibapi@gmail.com as I have a super insight to this fairest of cities that you could make use of.There are Lovemarks a plenty that occur in Africa's unique way of expressing itself - from the Mining Helmuts that together with the Vuvuzela (don't worry if these are not familiar yet, they will become familiar in 2010 WORLD CUP)have become so much part of the game of soccer, to the table cloth of cloud that covers our flat Table Mountain! Not all are commercial love marks perhaps, but just as intensely revered and loved. I am good buddies with Bob Skin as well if you need a reference :) Safe trip and enjoy your stay as I am certian you shall. Ryan Scott From Kevin

Ryan,

Great to hear from you - your passion's infectious!

KR



Kevin Roberts
Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide CEO

2009: Winning Ugly Together

SAATCHI & SAATCHI
THE LOVEMARKS COMPANY
www.saatchi.com
www.lovemarks.com

As you will have noticed I have not been recording too many words recently about the happenings on PlanetPi ... I have however been experiencing a lot of pretty exciting and strange, surreal and mostly fantastic times which will find their way to this platform in one way or another over the years to come I am sure.

You see I have been workoing on a movie that Warner Brothers has been shooting in CT and JHB over the last few months. How special to be afforded the opportunity to work with Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.
I was on it full time for two months and finished up yesterday so now back so sure to be more posts. I have also joined the twits which you can follow so go check that out ... just click on one of those links next to this mail which gives my latest twitterings.

Cool

A note I wrote to my buddy Charlie

Morning Charlie

Something went down last night that the likes of your good self and few others would understand and enjoy so I thought I would share my sentiments of how things transpired. Working on the Clint Eastwood film as you know Charlie, and after mentioning to young Scotty Eastwood (Clints 5th out of 6 kids and a man with huge appreciation for the Cape Town women) that uncle Sol Kerzner was having a saure to celebrate the opening of his latest One&Only hotel, the wheels were put in motion. Scotty was keen to walk the red carpet and as all actors do, to milk the press for all he was worth. Now the young fella was down on the hiiiiighly exclusive guest list as Scott +1 and although he certainly had a dame or two to take along, our boy was happier to keep his arm free for perhaps meeting a brand new angel so he asked me to come along as +1. That was not a problem for me. I was just happy to help out. It was a late call up though and he just casually mentioned it while we were doing some training on the set for the film yesterday morning. "Hey ... so my people have come through with the guest list for that party ... you should come ... it'll be a blast (blast pronounced like Ass of course and not like aRse).They want me to do the whole press thing on the red carpet and there are sure to be some gorgeous women there ... you in?"
I replied in the affirmative.
Now I know a bit about One&Only resorts so was pretty curious and not a little excitable to see how the night would unfold. I popped on a suave T M Lewin white shirt. Luxury Fit with some kind of tricky collar that makes people take a second glance. I cheeky pair or linen pant (we laugh at the boneheads for saying pant instead on pants, but I have been informed by fashion folk that in fact pant is correct. Well I never!) and some decent black shoes. Not those crap things with half inch soles. A solid black leather pair that hold their own on most occasions. I would not normally finish the outfit off with a jacket, but this was as posh as you get for CT so I thought, why not, and popped one on.

Scotty and I were on time and although there was nobody calling him out to do the press thing, he was very happy to march his way to the red carpet announcing to the PR chicks that were there in their thousands that he was Scott Eastwood and ready for the press. It was something to behold. The professionalism of the lad was outstanding. The likes of Nicky Greenwall were onto him and a whole whack of other camera's too that represented one TV channel or the another. Then it was the journo's turn, then radio and so on. I just followed a couple of steps behind him. Just like a bodyguard. I was loving it. I saw the press assistants flipping through their face recognition sheets of paper with thumbnail pics on to hopefully match my head to a name and face in their data. I just smiled and cruised by. At the end of the press line and also behind some rope I was totally bemused to note there was actually a bunch of 10 girls and one gay dude all standing with their cell phones out to take pics of the celebs. They must have won competitions or something and could barely contain themselves as they jostled excitedly for position. The flash photography flashed back off the one young groupies braces as she stuck her head up from the back of the pack - Matt Damon had arrived and the levels off hysteria reached unprecedented levels. Francois Pienaar was quickly forgotten as all tried to get a piece of Jason Bourne.
Scotty and I made our way into the main party now and left the hungry press to the big star. It was directly to the bar that we were heading, but on route I had to step back to avoid a roving camera dude who had his light and lens burning brightly and pointing in my direction. I stepped back to let the approaching camera through and in so doing tripped over someones foot who was just behind me ... I was heading for a crash and would have landed on my back had it not been for a sturdy, well timed supporting hand to my left elbow. I was saved from the certain fall and turned my head to thank the good Samaritan with what may well have been a broken toe. The face I thanked was exquisitely framed by blonde locks and centred with some incredibly alluring eyes that drew me in so effortlessly and effectively that I did not even get to bring the rest of the beautiful features into focus right away and so did not immediately realise it was Sharon Stone playing the role of the Samaritan.
Now as special as the whole episode was, that bar jwas ust asking for punishment and I was happy to dish some out at this early stage of the preceding so onward we marched. After a few drinks with the many guests and checking out a little of the impressive One&Only hotel it was time to take this joll to another level as Scotty suggested we move on to the VIP section. I must say I thought it was quite a contradiction to me to have a VIP section when basically all the guests I could see were SA celebrities or big business dudes and babes. I should have been thinking a little bigger as I was to find out.
The VIP room was not big and only about 60 people were allowed in. I was quite bemused to be one of them, but again my first attentions were drawn to the bar. Johnny Walker Blue Label is not a drink I have ordered from a barmen before and I enjoyed it immensely. The precision that the dude poured the yellow nectar over the ice cubes was heart warming to witness. After some incredibly smooth sips I moved on to cheers Scotty and tell him what a splendid idea this was of his. I made it to the fella who was chatting to his Dad at the back of the room. When I got to him I realised that out of the 12 people or so that were standing there I was probably the only none 'A' lister. Charlie you will piss yourself when I tell you it was Scotty and his Dad - Clint, Matt Damon and his wife, Sharon Stone who had limped into the VIP section, frikkin Robert De Nero whom Matt was calling Bob, Mariiiiiah Carey who would hit some high notes later in the evening, Morgan Freeeman and a dame, Sol Kerzner and that PicknPay cat Ackers all in attendance.

Not likely to be a repeat joll like this one Charlie and although the old codgers amongst that lot cruised home earlyish, there was a lot more entertainment all through the night as Sol had brought in all sorts of top Jazz singers and performers. Not quite sure about the Danny K vibe that really did not jell on stage with the other legends. All in all a success though Charlie and one that you would have approved off. Ciao