It seems our obsession with weight loss really took off in the late 1800s. Those early advertisements are worth looking at.
How about "Fatoff?" It advertised "no dieting, no dosing, external use only!" And the fat would melt off. Sadly, it was 10 percent soap and 90 percent water.
Then there was "Dr. Walter's Famous Rubber Garments", with their patented medicated coating. He had one for every conceivable problem area, including a truly terrifying facial mask. Could this have been the inspiration for Spanx?
Another popular item was "Dr. Lawton's Fat Reducer," a suction cup device. It was backed up with a full money-back guarantee if the customer didn't see results in exactly 11 days.
And then there were the truly dangerous. "Silph Reducing Chewing Gum" contained a laxative and poisonous pokeroot as its secret ingredients. "Dr. Graham's Neutroid Tablets" would reduce weight alright... they contained 50 percent iodol, a distinctly deadly compound that caused emaciation, with death as a side effect.
Today's challenge is bidding over the opponent's Preempt. Preempts are designed to hurt, and they do. They are like Godzilla going through Tokyo, eating everything in his way. Our choices are Pass (yeah, right), double for Take-Out, or naming a new suit. Let's give it a try.
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