Uncle Broomcorn's Odd Edge: News from the Fringes of Normality No. 6

This Edition: Walter White and the Zip Wire Wedding

Breaking Bad and the Weird World of Methamphetamine

On Sunday night (29th September) the last ever episode of the phenomenal Breaking Bad aired on US television. Over the course of five years and five series, millions of viewers have watched meek and mild chemistry teacher Walter White’s transformation into drug manufacturer and kingpin. Don’t worry if you haven’t seen it – there are no final episode spoilers here, but we do have some weird facts about the drug at the heart of the series – methamphetamine.

• During WW2, Adolf Hitler had meth distributed to German soldiers to help with morale, and to keep them alert.


• In US meat factories, workers have reportedly used meth to help them stay alert when faced with targets like “processing” 140 chickens a minute.


• Meth is actually closely linked to a group of stimulants, including Ritalin and Adderall - drugs that are frequently given to children to treat ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).


• Long term meth users will suffer from constriction and eventual destruction of the blood vessels which can seriously limit the body’s ability to repair the skin. Users have reported hallucinations of bugs crawling all over their skin. Repeated picking to remove these imagined bugs leads to the formation of sores.

Ben Youngkin and Lauren Bushar - a groom and bride from North Carolina, US – chose to ditch the usual walk down the aisle in favour of a zip line to arrive at their wedding ceremony. When interviewed and asked why they chose to do it, Lauren Bushar simply said “why not!?”

The couple claim they wanted to fly into the service as soon as they found out their wedding venue had a zip line. The newlyweds thought it would be something a bit different, and make things a bit more fun for their guests.

It’s not the first time it’s been done, as the slightly less successful example shown in the video below proves