Here is the one-hundred-and-twenty-second edition of Tom Nob’s Thursday Notes. TN2 serves as a brief summary of what good humor we have found during the past week plus some suggestions for the upcoming weekend.

New Stand-Up

Rachel Feinberg: Thug Tears

New TV Show

I Hate My Teenage Daughter

New TV Season

Hot in Cleveland – season three

And Finally

Another Thanksgiving has been observed and, in many domiciles, the holiday can be considered a success if the family gathering did not degenerate into a food fight.  The meltdowns usually stem from alcohol-fueled debates on topics such as religion and politics.  While religion most commonly gets top billing, food and politics can be just as messy of a pairing.  To wit…

Sometime this month the Pacific island-nation of Samoa will finally be admitted to the World Trade Organization after waiting 13 years for its Members Only sarong.  Their final requirement was to lift the import ban on turkey tails, a flap found near the tukus of a tom that is 73% fat.  The conflict, you see, is that over 55% of the Samoan population is obese and turkey tails were viewed as a health hazard to a population at risk.  The USA Poultry & Egg Export Council cried fowl and lobbied to overturn the ban using the “consumer choice” argument.  Meanwhile such choices have resulted in…

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children between ages 9 and 11 be screened for cholesterol levels.  This move was prompted by the rapid increase in childhood obesity and diabetes.  Children with elevated cholesterol levels will most likely not be prescribed medications like statins but rather they will be encouraged to improve their diet and increase exercise.  Admirable goals that may be complicated by the fact that…

In school cafeterias across this land of free choice, pizza counts as a vegetable.  That’s right.  According to current federal school nutrition guidelines, a slice of pizza is considered to be equivalent to a serving of vegetables due to the fact that the pizza sauce contains tomato paste.  The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has sought to change that designation, as well as to impose limits on sodium and servings of starchy vegetables such as potatoes and corn, but the agency was thwarted by the U.S. Congress via legislation contained within a stop-gap spending bill that banned the USDA from making such changes.  While they lost that battle…

The USDA was successful in defeating efforts by Yum! Brands to expand the use of food stamps at its Taco Bell and KFC restaurants.  While food stamps can be used at restaurants in California, Arizona and Michigan, the company had sought to expand the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to enable those unable to cook for themselves (i.e., homeless, elderly and the disabled) to access Chalupas and Snackers in additional states.  As a leading contender for under-statement of the year, a company spokesman stated:  “We understand there was little support for this initiative.”  The Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services at the USDA said the program should promote access to healthy foods.  To which…

A modern day Marie Antoinette would imperiously proclaim:  “Let them eat turkey tail.”  Oh, SNAP!