Some Rolling Stones fans have banded together and are demanding changes to the way the group tours. The Rolling Stones Liberation Front is threatening non-violent, disruptive action to get across their demands, which are:
1) WE WANT SMALLER VENUES: We believe the time has passed for gargantuan mega-arena spectaculars; hardly anything good comes from these soulless shows... The introduction of the considerably smaller B-stage set up in the middle of the venue at the end of 1994's Voodoo Lounge tour was a perfect step toward this philosophy.
2) WE WANT LOWER TICKET PRICES: We believe it is unacceptable to charge up to $350 for a single ticket... We believe a band needing to charge $85 -- $100 for upper balcony seats is a band no longer in touch with their fan base. We demand the ticket price for the next tour to be no more than $30 and without any and all service charges.
3) WE WANT A SET LIST OVERHAUL: With an immense back catalog of songs to choose from, there is no reason why The Rolling Stones need to stick to roughly the same 30 songs for every tour... We demand the following songs not to be played on the next tour: "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "Brown Sugar," "Honky Tonk Women," "Start Me Up," "Sympathy for the Devil."
4) WE WANT THE ELIMINATION OF THE HORN SECTION AND BACK-UP SINGERS: We believe The Rolling Stones have drifted too far from the true and basic rock and roll aesthetic. It's time to bring it back, back at least to the hugely successful 1978 Some Girls tour.
5) WE WANT THE EXPULSION OF ALL OPENING ACTS: We believe The Rolling Stones have stopped challenging themselves. There was a time when they would bring an opening band talented enough to challenge the Stones themselves, who, in turn, would have to step it up even further... How challenging can it be to follow Third Eye Blind? How challenging can it be to follow Jonny Lang or the god damn Spin Doctors?
6) WE WANT ALL FANS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEMSELVES: We believe the fault also lies with fans willing to do the bidding of their favorite band, no matter the cost. How many suckers does it take to fill an auditorium? Ask The Rolling Stones... We urge all self-respecting Rolling Stones fans to heed our warnings and join our ranks. Don't be taken for granted... Why give them more of our money and then settle for the usual? We won't.
The Stones still haven't announced their plans for their 50th anniversary. As for the demands, a spokeswoman for the Stones was unavailable for comment. 7) From Dan to Mick...Please stand still and put some effort into your singing. And no more Belly Shirts!
The pepper-spraying cop seen at the UC Davis protest and other "Occupy" demonstrations has inspired a hilarious blog showing him using his pepper spray throughout history. Check it out at PepperSprayingCop.tumblr.com.
We all waste so much time on the Internet looking for all sorts of stupid or funny stuff. But now there's one website you can check out for all your time-wasting needs. Just head to IWasteSoMuchTime.com.
Here's a neat one -- head to DrawAStickMan.com, draw a stick figure and watch as it's animated and inserted into a bizarre adventure.
Fans of both fine art and fun games will enjoy Bla Bla. It's an interactive film that you'll undoubtedly find entertaining -- even though you have no idea what it is. Check it out at BlaBla.nfb.ca.
The Worldwide Ugly Couch Contest is on. There are a lot of hideous couches out there, and they're all featured at contest's official website NorwoodMall.com/ugly.
Those of you who watch a lot of porn -- and you know who you are -- know there are a lot classroom scenes playing on the whole schoolgirl fantasy. Oddly, there's always some sort of lesson written on the blackboard. BlackboardsInPorn.blogspot.com takes screen grabs of the classroom blackboards and analyzes the schoolwork. And believe it or not, everything on the site is safe for work.
Vinnie's Pizza in Brooklyn, New York is proud of its daily specials and wants customers to know about them. So, the restaurant has created a very funny and clever specials board each day that can be seen at SpecialBored.tumblr.com.
The Internet is more than just a tool for wasting time. It happens to be pretty educational. In fact, you could probably educate your kids just by parking them in front of YouTube all day. OK, that may be a stretch, but one blogger is compiling a daily collection of educational YouTube videos that she believes children should watch. It's called TheKidShouldSeeThis.com.
It seems everyone these days has a tattoo somewhere. And with so much body ink out there, it just makes sense that there would be a ton of really bad tattoos. WTFTattoos.com keeps track of them all.
The Week magazine has created a hilarious Bad Opinion Generator, which is a collection of the worst opinions and off-the-mark predictions throughout history. Check it out at TheWeek.com.
PostSecret.com is a community art project where people write their secrets on postcards and mail them. It's based on a popular series of books.
For many students, the worst part about taking a literature course is that the teacher actually expects you to read a book. Thankfully, there are Cliffs Notes to offer lazy students an abridged version of the assigned reading. But for some, even the Cliffs Notes may be too long. For those students, Book-a-Minute Classics offers ultra-condensed versions of classic books. Do you need Beowulf written for you in three sentences? How about The Great Gatsby as a handy two-second read? Get these and other condensed classics at RinkWorks.com.
Have you learned anything today? They say knowledge is power, and the more you know, the more powerful you are. So it pays to learn something new every day. LearnSomethingEveryDay.co.uk shares a random fact each day.
An interesting fact about the death penalty in this country is that inmates awaiting execution are allowed to have anything they want for their last meal. You don't want to be sent down to a hot and dark place on an empty stomach, after all. Photographer Jonathon Kambouris is fascinated by inmates' last meal requests, so he's compiled photos of death row inmates and paired them with the items on their final menus. Check it out at LastMealsProject.com.
Have you ever played "would you rather"? You know, the game where you make your friends choose between two hypothetical options? Rrrather.com is a continuous, online version of the game played by thousands.
Now this is a really great blog. It's a terrific collection of photos showing celebrities from various decades and professions hanging out together. Check it out at AwesomePeopleHangingOutTogether.tumblr.com.
A guy in Oakland, California was bummed that his MacBook had been stolen, but he knew he'd get it back someday. That's because he'd installed an anti-theft app called Hidden. The app took pictures of the crook every time he turned it on and sent them directly to the MacBook's rightful owner, who then posted each photo on his blog, ThisGuyHasMyMacBook.tumblr.com. Good news -- cops checked out the blog and caught the thief.
Google Earth is constantly travelling the globe snapping pictures with its nine-lens camera, and sometimes it catches something odd or poignant. 9-Eyes.com is a collection of these randomly snapped pictures.
The BBC has created a clever website that helps put world events, places and many other things into perspective. HowBigReally.com uses a map of where you live to explain the dimension of things such as environmental disasters, famous World War Two battles and the moon.
Sofia Vergara, Woody Harrelson, Rashida Jones and Gerard Butler have just finished announcing the nominations for the 2012 Golden Globe Awards, which will air live on NBC on January 15th.
Best Motion Picture (Drama) The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
War Horse
Best Actress - Movie (Drama) Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs Viola Davis - The Help Rooney Mara - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady Tilda Swinton - We Need to Talk About Kevin
Best Actor - Movie (Drama) George Clooney - The Descendants Leonardo DiCaprio - J. Edgar Michael Fassbender - Shame Ryan Gosling - The Ides of March Brad Pitt - Moneyball Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) 50/50
The Artist
Bridesmaids Midnight in Paris
My Week With Marilyn
Best Actress - Movie (Musical or Comedy) Jodie Foster - Carnage Charlize Theron - Young Adult Kristen Wiig - Bridesmaids Michelle Wiliams - My Week With Marilyn Kate Winslet - Carnage
Best Actor - Movie (Musical or Comedy) Jean Dujardin - The Artist Brendan Gleason - The Guard Joseph Gordon Levitt- 50/50 Ryan Gosling - Crazy Stupid Love Owen Wilson - Midnight in Paris
Best Supporting Actress Berenice Bejo - The Artist Jessica Chastain - The Help Janet McTeer - Albert Knobs Octavia Spencer - The Help Shailene Woodley - The Descendants
Best Supporting Actor Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn Albert Brooks - Drive Jonah Hill - Moneyball Viggo Mortensen - A Dangerous Method Christopher Plummer - Beginners
Best Director Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris George Clooney - The Ides of March Michel Hazanavicius -The Artist Alexander Payne - The Descendants Martin Scorsese - Hugo
Best Animated Feature Film Rango
The Adventures of Tintin
Puss in Boots
Cars 2
Arthur Christmas
Best Foreign Language Film The Flowers of War
In the Land of Blood and Honey
The Kid With a Bike
A Separation
The Skin I Live In
Best Original Score (Motion Picture) The Artist
W.E.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Trent Reznor) Hugo
War Horse
Best Original Song (Motion Picture) "Hello Hello" - Elton John (Gnomeo & Juliet)
"The Keeper" - Chris Cornell (Machine Gun Preacher)
"Lay Your Head Down" - Bryan Byrne (Albert Nobbs)
"The Living Proof" - Mary J. Blige et al. (The Help)
"Masterpiece" - Madonna (W.E.)
Best Television Series (Drama) American Horror Story
Boardwalk Empire
Boss
Game of Thrones
Homeland
Best Actress - Television (Drama) Claire Danes, Homeland Mireille Enos, The Killing Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife Madeleine Stowe, Revenge Callie Thorne, Necessary Roughness
Best Actor - Television (Drama) Steve Buscemi - Boardwalk Empire Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad Kelsey Grammer - Boss Jeremy Irons - The Borgias Damian Lewis - Homeland
Best Television Series (Comedy or Musical) Enlightened
Episodes
Glee
Modern Family
New Girl
Best Actress - Television (Comedy or Musical) Laura Dern - Enlightened Zooey Deschanel- New Girl Tina Fey - 30 Rock Laura Linney - The Big C Amy Poehler- Parks and Recreation
Best Actor - Television (Comedy or Musical) Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock David Duchovny - Californication Johnny Galecki - Big Bang Theory Thomas Jane - Hung Matt LeBlanc - Episodes
Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Cinema Verite
Downtown Abbey
The Hour
Midlred Pierce
Too Big to Fail
Best Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Romola Garai - The Hour Diane Lane - Cinema Verite Elizabeth McGovern - Downton Abbey Emily Watson - Appropriate Adult Kate Winslet - Mildred Pierce
Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Hugh Bonneville - Downton Abbey Idris Elba - Luther William Hurt- To Big to Fail Bill Nighy - Eight Page Dominic West - The Hour
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series,Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Jessica Lange - American Horror Story Kelly MacDonald - Boardwalk Empire Maggie Smith - Downtown Abbey Sofia Vergara - Modern Family Evan Rachel Wood - Mildred Pierce
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series,Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Peter Dinklage -Game of Thrones Paul Giamatti -Too Big to Fail Guy Pearce -Mildred Pierce Tim Robbins -Cinema Verite Eric Stonestreet -Modern Family
Penn State Scandal: Jerry Sandusky Rumored to Have 'Pimped' Boys to Donors and that Sandusky was told that he had to retire in exchange for a cover-up. If you look at the timeline...it makes sense... Click here to read the story on Huffington Post. Thoughts-Absolute Power Corrupts...Absolutely. These are the ways of major college sports, where the cover-up is a way of life. It's all about the Benjamin's. The Penn State football program earned brought in over 50 million dollars last year. Whether it's recruiting violations due to booster misconduct or the hideous and unthinkable episode we are all talking about this week, the power of college football and the deification of our top coaches is a certain recipe for evil on some scale. And we still don't know who that then 10 year old boy is. Nobody thought to ask.
Welcome to Autumn in Colorado and fall foliage has already begun to show up in some parts of the state - particularly in the high country.
Peak color in the mountains occurs during the last week of September and first week of October -- but also varies by Mountain Zone. In other words, fall color starts to emerge first in the Northern Mountains, then works its way south through the Central Mountains then finally into the Southern Mountains.
Warmer weather typically slows the emergence of color overall. Well-timed bouts of cooler weather helps speed the process along. We don't want bitter cold though.
We'll soon experience an "Indian Summer," and then more consistent snows will hit above treeline. This contrast - between snow and fall colors - will provide for the best photos of the season.
Location Suggestions for Viewing Fall Color:
*Rocky Mountain National Park
*Mount Evans
*Rabbit Ears Pass
*Grand Mesa
*Kenosha Pass
*Cottonwood Pass
*Aspen Area
*Vail Valley
*Tennessee Pass
*Crested Butte
*San Juan Mountains around Telluride
*Lake City Area
*Keblar Pass
Newser) â Move over, Queen Elizabeth: Luke Skywalker and friends will soon be sharing a spot on the currency of a tiny Pacific island. Yoda, Leia, and Darth Vader also will appear on the flip side of the soon-to-be-minted coins for the island of Niue. Itâs the first time Star Wars characters will show up on legal tender, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. Though the country uses New Zealand currency, the coins will be usable only in Niue.
And donât expect them to see much use even on the island: They're geared toward collectors, and some of the two-dollar coins will have an actual value of about $100 because they're made with silver. Others will be made of less expensive silver-plated metal. Still, "no one is going to go buy an ice cream with them,â says a rep for the New Zealand mint. The coins will be displayed next week at a coin show in Chicago, and new ones will be added until 2014.
Dan-We are pleased that we can bring you news of this fine investment opportunity. Beat the corporate raiders with a stack of Vader's--reach your Yoda quota and reap the benefits. Thank you people of Niue!
 Ian Beck, the artist who designed the cover of Elton John's 1973 album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, wants the original artwork back. He says, "I think Elton kept the cover work... So if you are listening, Elton, I would like the Yellow Brick Roadback, please, because I created it." A spokesman for Elton says, "Presumably if he does [have it], he paid for it, so it is his... A bit weird, isn't it, to ask for something back 38 years later?"
The 15,000 tickets for Elton's September 3rd show at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts -- on the site of the original Woodstock festival in Bethel, New York -- sold out in 53 minutes Monday. Elton performs in Geneva, Switzerland tomorrow night.Â
Â
It was much more prevalent back in the 50's and 60's...the whole "and" band thing...Paul Revere and the Raiders-Gerry and the Pacemakers-Little Anthony and the Imperials were just a few of the bands who were handy being "and-y." So, today on The List I put forth for your consideration my top 5 "and" bands. I left off Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street band just to see if it horked you off a bit. My argument being, and I checked with some friends around the station, I usually just think of Bruce and not the band. Although, it could be argued that I made a large mistake here. So here's my list;
Big Head Todd and the Monsters-Wanted some local flavor
Bruce Hornsby and the Range-Big fan of those early albums
Derek and the Dominos-Eric Clapton and Duane Allman...nuff said
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers-30 years and still going strong
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young-Between them, 8 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nods. Very impressive!Â
That's it, that's The List.  Your thoughts on any"and" bands you feel deserve the lofty love ot The List are certainly welcome.
rest/status/131039186609385472\">confirmed the news on Twitter.
Kardashian released this statement to E! Online: "After careful consideration, I have decided to end my marriage," she said. "I hope everyone understands this was not an easy decision. I had hoped this marriage was forever, but sometimes things don\'t work out as planned. We remain friends and wish each other the best."
Everyone is freaking out about Kim Kardashian\'s failed marriage of 72 days to Kris Humphries. The truth is, Kim and Kris made it pretty far compared to some celebrity couples. Here are some celebrity marriages that lasted for even less time than theirs ...
Drew Barrymore and Jeremy Thomas: 19 days
Mario Lopez and Ali Landry: 2 weeks
Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman: 9 days
Cher and Gregg Allman: 9 days
Michelle Phillips and Dennis Hopper: 8 days
Britney Spears and Jason Alexander: 55 hours
Felipe de Alba and Zsa Zsa Gabor: 1 day
Robin Givens and Syetozar Marinkovic: 1 day
Mike\'s Thoughts: I always find it interesting that we don\'t hear much outrage from the "sanctity of marriage" crowd in situations like these. 72 days? Come on. That\'s not even trying.... ';
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PACKERS WR\'S MUST BUY GIFT CARDS FOR DROPPED PASSES
The Green Bay Packers wide receivers who drop passes have to buy the other receivers gift cards.Â
The receivers have had problems with drops in the past, including last season in the playoffs.  So this year the receivers decided to give each other extra motivation not to drop passes.Â
If one drops a pass he has to give the other four receivers a $100 gift card to Best Buy. Â
Mike\'s Thoughts: The New England Patriots considered adopting a similar policy but scrapped the idea when they calculated that Chad Ochocinco would be retroactively charged 11 million dollars in Best Buy gift cards.
It\'s stories like these that are so cute you may throw up.
Alex and Arvin met each other in 2010 on-board a Delta flight, and now they are engaged. How did he propose? They were on the same flight they met on, heading to New York\'s LaGuardia Airport, when he proposed on the plane microphone. She said yes. We\'re guessing they had a very good flight.
Unless of course they were sitting near Samuel L. Jackson.
(NEWSER)Â â When the Joplin tornado hit, social worker Mark Lindquist was working for Community Support Services at a group home where three men with Down syndrome lived. âI loved them almost as much as I love my own kid,â Lindquist recalls. They couldnât move quickly enough to relocate, and the home had no basement or shelter, so Lindquist and a co-worker threw mattresses over the men and climbed on top to hold them down. The twister threw Lindquist almost a block, where he was found under the rubble with flesh torn off, all of his ribs broken, and most of his teeth knocked out. The three men he was trying to save were killed. Lindquistâs recovery defied doctorâs expectations, but he also racked up more than $2.5 million in medical billsâwith more to comeâand his workersâ compensation insurance wonât cover the claim.Â
Lindquist, 51, could not afford medical insurance on his earnings, which were little more than minimum wage. The Accident Fund Insurance Company of America, which provides workersâ comp for Lindquistâs employer, informed him in a letter that his claim was denied âbased on the fact that there was no greater risk than the general public at the time you were involved in the Joplin tornado,â the APreports. Community Support Servicesâ CEO has asked the agency to reconsider; if they donât, Lindquist can ask the Missouri Division of Workers Compensation to intervene. Both houses of the Missouri legislature have honored Lindquist, and a state representative also wants the insurance company to reconsider, saying, âWhat he did went beyond heroics.â Mike\'s Thoughts: Sad, sad story. Seems to me that here in the Western World (United States in particular) we\'ve managed to create a society that\'s SO litigous and SO geared to the bottom line that there are significant downsides and dangers to going out of your way to help your fellow man. Penalties, in fact, for doing the right thing. How, I wonder, did we get here????';
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(NEWSER) â Last year, it was Tina Fey; this year, Will Ferrell rocked the Kennedy Center as he won the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor last night. The star-studded gala saw speeches from celebrities as diverse as Ben Stiller, Ed Asner, Molly Shannon, and Gwen Ifill, the Washington Post reports. It was a low-stress night for comedians, quipped Conan OâBrien: âTonight, we only need to be PBS funny.â (The award ceremony airs on the channel next Monday.) Some highlights:
Jack Black turned âWe Will Rock Youâ into âWill Will Rock You,â reminding the audience that Ferrell âmakes you laugh so hard you cry and pee at the same time.â
Or, to put it more thoughtfully: Ferrell âcan crystallize whatâs funny, absurd, and vulnerable about human beings,â Paul Rudd said.
As for Ferrell himself, âmy mindset is finally,â he said. \"Thatâs what we\'re all thinking. Thatâs what [you\'re] writing. Letâs be honest.\"
Upon receiving the awardâa bust of Mark Twainâhe dropped it and it shattered. Fortunately, it was a fake.
He thanked wife Viveca for their great life ... \"except sometimes, you get a little lippy. You\'ve got a big mouth, and you like to run it.\"
What\'s next for Ferrell? \"I\'m still hoping to start my own Kabuki dinner theater, because everyone loves Kabuki and everyone loves dinner theater. It\'s a market waiting to be tapped into.\"
Mike\'s Thoughts: Not only did Will Ferrell receive a bust of the legendary humorist Mark Twain he also won the following- fake moustache, a scrimshaw pipe, and a real working Riverboat. Now THAT\'S an award!
It\'s back. McDonald\'s rib-less McRib sandwich is back, much to the delight of its strange cult following. The boneless barbeque pork sandwich is available at most McDonald\'s through November 14th. It\'s only most, because McDonald\'s leaves the decision up to their franchises to decide if they want to offer it on their menu.
The McRib actually made its big comeback last fall, after a 16-year absence from U.S. restaurants, and contributed to a 4.8-percent increase in overall sales for McDonald\'s in November 2010 compared to the same month in 2009.
McDonald\'s spokeswoman Danya Proud compared the McRib\'s limited availability to another seasonal favorite, the Shamrock Shake, only available around St. Patrick\'s Day, adding it \"was never designed to be a permanent menu item.\"
The McRib\'s comeback had the Twitter-verse jumping, with JefFromWarren tweeting, \"The McRib has come back more times than Brett Favre.\" ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer, however, tweeted about her love for the sandwich next to more serious tweets about Gadhafi and the hole on the White House lawn, writing, \"I\'ve only have one McRib in my life and I fondly remember it. And will proudly succumb to another. But why? WHY? So good.\"
Mike\'s Thoughts: Anyone else troubled that the return of the McRib seems to get more attention than say....the American economy or the 10% unemployment rate?Â
That said, I would like to go on record as stating the following:Â Diane Sawyer- STILL HOT.
According to a new study from the University of California-San Diego, men are a whopping two percent funnier than women.
Seriously.
This subject was actually studied at a major university and somehow the comic abilities of men and women were given number scores.
Lead researcher Laura Mickes believes men are slightly funnier than women because men have to use their ability to entertain in order to attract women.
Women, on the other hand, can sit back and be relatively unfunny because they are the ones being pursued.
MIke\'s Thoughts: While it always makes for interesting debate, the question itself is kind of silly. I\'m sure we all know women in our lives who are funnier than some of the men in our lives, and vice versa. Isn\'t it impossible to generalize on this one?
Now, take my wife.
No, seriously....take my wife. (*rimshot)';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[206][entryLongText] = 'So, about a month ago the City of Denver left me a notice saying that my 80 year old Siberian Elm tree needed a significant pruning because some of the branches were over a right of way.
After a quick consult with a tree knowledgeable friend, we decided it was better to just remove the tree entirely because it was on its last legs anyway.
So, we called a local tree company to remove it.Â
When they cut down the tree and ground up the stump, they trashed two sprinkler heads and sliced through 2 different sections of sprinkler line in my yard.
When I called to discuss this with them, the not so friendly woman on the phone explained that \"Sprinkler damage is not our responsibility. It says so right on the back of your contract/invoice.\"
Turns out she was right. It DOES say that.
However, I\'m still feeling like I\'m getting jobbed here.
Just because \"it\'s on the back of the contract\", is it good business practice??
Let\'s say I have someone paint my car and in so doing they smash my windshield.Â
Can they just say \"Well, it\'s on the contract that we\'re not responsible for that\"??
I understand that removing a gigantic tree isn\'t a simple job and in some cases the size of the machinery required for the job is going to cause some \"collateral damage\".
But in the name of best business practices, how hard would it have been for them to say, \"Gee, we\'re sorry about the damage to your sprinkler system. How about if we knock $100 bucks off the cost of tree removal so you can get it fixed\"?
Tell you one thing:Â this is one tree company I won\'t be using again.';
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(NEWSER)Â â The NFL isn\'t making exceptions about its policy that players stay unplugged during games: It fined Troy Polamalu of the Steelers $10,000 for making a call from the bench during last Sunday\'s game, reports thePittsburgh Post-Gazette. Polamalu, though, wasn\'t showboating or looking for some digital advantageâhe borrowed a trainer\'s phone to call his wife and let her know he was OK after leaving the game with concussion symptoms.
\"In this era of player safety, you would think that common sense would prevail in some of these things,\" says coach Mike Tomlin. \"It wasn\'t a personal call. He wasn\'t checking on his bank account.\" Polamalu (for non-fans, he\'s the big-haired guy in Head & Shoulders commercials) made no comment on the fine. He passed a concussion test and will play tomorrow.
Mike\'s Thoughts: It\'s not that most of their rules are inherently stupid, it\'s just that the NFL uses absolutely no common sense in enforcing them. I understand that making an exception to the rule (any exception) sets dangerous precedent but it seems like in this case it might\'ve been okay to let Troy Polamalu off with a warning. He was just letting his wife know he was OK for gawd\'s sakes...';
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(Newser) â Filed under the what-recession category: A UK chef has concocted the world\'s most expensive dessert, which will set you back $35,000, reports Time. Along with dark chocolate pudding, champagne caviar, and gold-laced biscuits, you get a 2-karat diamond. The dessert from chef Marc Guibert at the Lindeth Howe Country House in Cumbria is served inside an edible gold replica of a Faberge egg. One catch: It doesn\'t get into the Guinness record book until somebody actually buys one.
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â As an added bonus each dessert purchase comes with a sign that says \"I am a moron with a complete disregard for everything that is truly important in life.\"Â Occupy Wall Street indeed.....';
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Two Senators have come up with a plan to boost the U.S. housing market: Give residence visas to foreigners who spend at least $500,000 to buy a home in America.
Democrat Charles Schumer (of N.Y.) and Republican Mike Lee (in Utah) are about to introduce the idea. They say the plan will help make up for the lack of American buyers in the housing market.
The plan will offer visas to any foreigners making âa cash investment of at least $500,000 on residential real-estate â a single-family house, condo or townhouse. Applicants can spend the entire amount on one house or spend as little as $250,000 on a residence and invest the rest in other residential real estate, which can be rented out.â
Mike\'s Thoughts: It\'s not absurd because it won\'t work. It probably will.
It\'s absurd because we\'re SELLING OFF OUR COUNTRY PIECE BY PIECE.
I know we\'re in difficult economic times right now and everyone is searching for solutions, but as an American, I\'m offended by this idea.
It seems very short-sighted to me. Reeks of desperation, in fact.';
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According to a copy of the soon to be released biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, he told President Obama in the fall of 2010, "You\'re headed for a one-term presidency":
According to author Walter Isaacson, Jobs almost missed meeting Obama because he insisted that the president personally ask him for a meeting. Though his wife told him that Obama "was really psyched to meet with you," Jobs insisted on the personal invitation, and the standoff lasted for five days.
When he finally relented and they met at the Westin San Francisco Airport, Jobs was characteristically blunt.
He (allegedly) told Obama: "You\'re headed for a one-term presidency," insisting that the administration needed to be more business-friendly. As an example, Jobs described the ease with which companies can build factories in China compared to the United States, where "regulations and unnecessary costs" make it difficult for them.
Jobs also criticized America\'s education system, saying it was "crippled by union work rules. Until the teachers\' unions were broken, there was almost no hope for education reform."
Jobs proposed allowing principals to hire and fire teachers based on merit, that schools stay open until 6 p.m. and that they be open 11 months a year.
Mike\'s Thoughts: In a related story, one un-named source claims that President Obama had the secret service spray paint the words "Blackberry kicks the Iphones ASS" on Steve Jobs\'s garage shortly after their meeting.';
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 NEWSER) â A new pink-haired tatooed Barbie has some parents spitting plastic bullets. Mattel crows that the rocker babe version of Barbie (who has a little dog named Bastardino) designed by Los Angeles-based fashion label Tokidoki is a \"funky fashionista,\" notes theTelegraph. But for \"those who look to Barbie as a role model for strong, empowered girls, the Tokidoki doll is overly sexualized and inappropriate,\" says a writer in parents.com. Mattel points out that the doll is aimed at the adult collector market, and not sold in toystore chainsâbut some kids have already posted photos of the doll on their websites.
 A particular hue and cry has arisen over this Barbie\'s permanent tatooes. One other controversial version of the buxum doll, Totally Sylin\' Barbie, also has tattoos, but they\'re removable stickers. Will the new Barbie end up sending kids to tattoo parlors? The director of an online toy review magazine says dolls \"don\'t model behavior.\" He slams critics as \"people with personal issues projecting them on a piece of plastic. If you donât like it, don\'t bring it into your home. A Barbie doll is not going to knock on your door and drag your child down to the seaport to get a tattoo,\" he tells the Christian Science Monitor. One tattoo-loving mom praises the doll on Facebook and is now calling for ... piercings.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Would I buy one for my daughters? No, probably not.
Am I offended that this Barbie exists? No, of course not.
We\'ve got to get over the fascination with banning anything that we personally don\'t like. It\'s America, right?
And who, by the way, looks to \"Barbie as a role model for strong, empowered girls\"???
 (NEWSER) â Somebody\'s ouija board deserves a raise. In this scene from the pilot of Matthew Perry\'s short-lived 1987 sitcom Second Chance, Moammar Gadhafi is seen dying and meeting St. Peter ... in 2011. (BuzzFeed picked up on it.) OK, so the show predicted he\'d bite the big one on July 29 not Oct. 20, but still, pretty dang close, no?
In case you\'re wondering, no, the whole show wasn\'t about St. Peter hilariously judging notorious dead people (although maybe it should have been). The main plot was about a dead guy trying to convince his younger self to be more virtuousâthis was just a prologue. But asMediaite points out, this means that the idea of Gadhafi going to hell was deemed funny even back in 1987.  ';
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 (NEWSER) â People with tons of Facebook friends can not only boast about their social networking skills but about the increased gray matter in their brains. A buzzy new study from Britain concludes that people with loads of network friends tend to have more pronounced regions of the brain related to social skills, reports Reuters. For bragging purposes, they are the superior temporal sulcus, the middle temporal gyrus, the entorhinal cortex, and the amygdala, notes the Guardian. The first three seem to correlate to online friends only, while people with a well-endowed amygdala region tend to have lots of online and real-world friends.
Mike\'s Thoughts: And yet, reading the results of this study makes me feel not even a TINY bit jealous of folks who have more Facebook friends than me. Hell, my Mom is one of the smartest and nicest people I\'ve ever met in my life and she isn\'t even ON Facebook. So there.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[214][headline] = 'Are You Part of "The 99%"? Find out with this nifty little tool.';
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(NEWSER) â Just how strongly do you identify with the \"We Are the 99%\" slogan? It\'s the Wall Street Journal to the rescue, with a nifty little tool that allows you to plug in your salary and see what percentile you\'re in. (It\'s based just on salary, not total wealth.) Use it here. Spoiler alert: If your salary is somewhere south of $506,000, you are indeed a 99-percenter and free to post something on Tumblr here. You lucky 1-percenters can go here. And you OWS skeptics can go here.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[215][headline] = 'The U.S. Metro Area With the Highest Average Salary Is.....';
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 (NEWSER) â Our nation\'s capital city boasts the highest average income in the country, reportsBloomberg. New census statistics show that a household in the DC metro area typically earns $84,523, compared to the national median of $50,045. The booming salaries are explained by a dense concentration of lobbyists, lawyers, and federal employees who have prospered despite the recession. Federal workers, in fact, earn an average $126,000 in total compensation.
DC edges out former No. 1 San Jose in the heart of Silicon Valley, now at $83,944 per household. Washington was helped by the fact it endured the economic downswing better than other areas, as federal money flowed freely to its legions of federal workers and government contractors. It also has more lawyers per capita than anywhere else, with one lawyer for every 12 residents, with a median salary of $186,250.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Instead of the separation of Church and State maybe we should focus our priorities on the separation of State and Money. Anyone else floored by these statistics? I am.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[216][headline] = 'Married For 72 Years, Couple Shares a Heartbeat Even in Death';
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(Newser)-Â
 â In this true-life love story, Gordon, 94, and Norma Yeager, 90, were married for 72 years. Norma agreed to marry him after her high school graduation, and for the next seven decades, the two went on to build a family and a bond that made it so that they were never far from one another. It was at an intersection of Highway 30 near Marshalltown, Illinois, last week where their fairytale would change. State troopers said Gordon pulled in front of an oncoming car, reports KCCI-TV. The couple was taken to the ICU of the local hospital, where they continually held hands despite their injuries.
Gordon died at 3:38pm still holding his wife\'s hand with their family around them. Norma followed exactly an hour later. \"It was really strange, they were holding hands, and dad stopped breathing but I couldn\'t figure out what was going on because the heart monitor was still going,\" said their son. \"The nurse checked and said that\'s because they were holding hands and it\'s going through them. Her heart was beating through him and picking it up.\"Â
Mike\'s Thoughts: Remember that Ryan Gosling romance movie \"The Notebook\"? And remember how when it came out all your wife could talk about was how unbelievably romantic it was and how everyday should be like that for the two of you? I imagine this story will have the very same effect. Be prepared guys. It\'s coming.';
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Michael Winslow, the actor who made all the crazy sound effects with his voice in the Police Academy movies, lent his talents to an impromptu version of Led Zeppelin\'s \"Whole Lotta Love\" while appearing on a Norweigan talk show. All I can figure is that Mr. Winslow must have spent ALOT of time by himself as a kid to perfect his art.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[218][headline] = 'A Tobacco Ban At the World Series?';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[218][entryLongText] = '(Premiere)-Â
SENATORS WANT CHEWING TOBACCO BAN AT WORLD SERIES
Lawmakers and health officials want chewing tobacco to be banned at the World Series.Â
Some U.S. Senators wrote to players union head Michael Weiner urging the union to approve the ban because chewing tobacco is unhealthy and sends the wrong message to the young fans.Â
The letter was signed by Dick Durbin of Illinois and fellow Democrats Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Senate Health Committee Chairman Tom Harkin of Iowa.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Can we all agree that using tobacco is a bad idea? Sure.
Can we all agree that we\'d prefer our children weren\'t \"inspired\" to use tobacco because a professional athlete does? Yeah.
But can we also agree that in today\'s world, there are ALOT of things that professional athletes do that are alot worse than using tobacco products??
Performance enhancing drugs, recreational drugs, and domestic violence come immediately to mind.
Professional athletes are grown men.Â
Like all of us, they have choices to make.
And like all parents, our job is to pass the information about tobacco (and other similar issues) on to our children in the interest of helping them make the right decisions.
 NEWSER) â When a Florida woman put her college-student brother on her cell phone plan, she had no idea what she was getting herself into. After two weeks in Canada, he managed to run up a $201,000 bill, WSVN reportsâand that\'s without even talking. Turns out he hadnât turned off his data roaming on the T-Mobile plan. Shamir Aarons, who is deaf, had also exchanged some 2,000 texts and downloaded a few videos.
 The phone company says it sent Aarons a number of texts about rates. But his sister Celina says the company should have told her, too. âWouldn\'t you let me know as the primary holder?â she asked. âThey are saying no, we respect your privacy. What privacy? That is my account.â T-Mobile could have let the charges stand, the Consumerist notesâbut it decided to cut the bill to $2,500, which Celina has 6 months to pay.
Mike\'s Thoughts: This story reminds me- I need to check my 11 year old son\'s cell phone bill when I get home today. ';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[220][entryLongText] = '(Premiere Prep)-Â
A 100-year-old man became the oldest person to finish a full-distance marathon when he completed a race in Toronto, Canada.
He (Fauja Singh) earned a spot in the Guinness World Records for his accomplishment.
It took him more than eight hours to cross the finish line. That was more than six hours after a Kenyan runner won the event. He was also the last person to finish the course.
Event workers were taking down the barricades along the finish line as he made his way up the final few hundred yards of the race. Family, friends and supporters were waiting for him.
It was Singh\'s eighth marathon. He ran his first at age 89. In the 2003 Toronto race, he set the record in the 90-plus category when he finished the race in 5 hours, 40 minutes and 1 second. Last week in Toronto, he broke world records for runners older than 100 in eight different distances from 100 meters to 5,000 meters.
The 5-foot-8 Singh hopes his next project will be taking part in the torch relay for the 2012 London Games. He carried the torch during the relay for the 2004 Athens Games.
Mike\'s Thoughts: What an inspiration. If I live to be 100, I too will run a marathon. Meantime- it\'s business as usual. Where\'s the nachos?';
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Apparently the rule of the wild is:Â don\'t mess with my babies.
BROWNSTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) - A Brownstown Township father is facing felony charges after police say he had his nine-year-old daughter drive his van while he was allegedly intoxicated in the passenger seat.
Investigators tell Action News Shawn Russell Weimer, 39, refused to take a breathalyzer but showed signs of being intoxicated.
Surveillance video from a Citgo Gas station shows a bright red van pulling up to a gas pump and parking. Weimer then gets out of the passenger side and his young daughter is seen getting out of the driver\'s side of the van.
Inside the gas station, Weimer can be heard on the surveillance video bragging that his daughter is only nine-years-old and drove him to the gas station. Weimer, who is heard saying he\'s drunk, also refers to his daughter as his \"designated driver\" and \"chauffeur\".
A witness spotted the two leaving the gas station with Weimer\'s daughter getting into the driver\'s seat. It was almost 3:00 a.m., Saturday October 8.
The witness called 911 and told the dispatcher, âJust watched a van pull out of the Citgo Gas station. A seven-year-old girl is driving it and her dad is drunk and heâs in the passengerâ. The dispatcher asks if the vehicle is staying on the road and the caller replies,
The witness followed the van until police arrived to make the traffic stop.
Officers found the girl sitting on a booster seat behind the wheel.
Weimer, who had visitation with his daughter on weekends, was arrested and the child was turned over to the care of relatives.
Police say Weimer didn\'t see a problem letting his nine-year-old daughter drive.
The girl told officers her father had been drinking whiskey and that he had let her drive before.
Action News reached Weimer by phone and he said that he was wrong for letting his daughter drive. He added that he is a good dad who made a bad decision.
Weimer has been charged with 2nd Degree Child Abuse (Felony), 4th Degree Child Abuse (Misdemeanor) and Habitual 4th (Felony) due to prior convictions that include Unarmed Robbery and Felon in Possession, according to police.
Weimer is free on a $25,000 personal bond and has been ordered not to have any contact with his daughter who resides with her mother.
(NEWSER) â Looks like the stars were aligned for Ringo. A 1960 letter written by Paul McCartney sought a drummer for the Beatles two years before Starr joined the Fab Four. The note was discovered folded into a book at a Liverpool yard sale, the AP reports. It was a response to an ad placed by a drummer looking for a band. In the missive, McCartney offered the drummerâwhose identity remains unknownâan audition.Â
It\'s not clear whether the unknown drummer was rejected or just didn\'t respond to McCartney\'s letter. At the time, the Beatles were about to leave for two months in Hamburg and were rushing to find a drummer; they ultimately picked Pete Best, who was later dropped. \"This shows that Pete wasn\'t the only person they were interested in,\" says a band biographer. Now, the letter is set for auction at Christie\'s, where it is expected to pull in $11,000.';
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NEWSER) â You have the iPhone 4S. The next thing to covet: the world\'s priciest iPhone case. Expected to hit the market in January, the Brikk Trim Couture is expected to cost somewhere north of $100,000. JustLuxe reports that anyone willing/able to pony up that much dough will actually collaborate with Brikk on a personalized design, which will feature 600 black or white diamonds (grand total: 6 carats).
Your luxury purchase will apparently make the world a better place. Brikk says it will donate as much as 55,000 pounds of rice for each case sold. Can\'t wait that long? The company currently sells gold, platinum, and raw titanium cases for a mere $2,630 to $4,500.
Mike\'s Thoughts: So, if you happen to lose your phone, you\'re not only out the cost for that but now you\'re also out 100k for the case? Gee, that makes a lot of sense. I can\'t WAIT to see what the Occupy Wall Street folks are going to say about this.';
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(NEWSER) â The World Scrabble Championshipwrapped up yesterday in Warsaw, and not without more than a little drama. A Thai player became convinced that England\'s Ed Martin had squirreled away a \'G\' tileâand demanded that he be hauled to the bathroom and strip-searched. Officials declined, the Telegraphreports, and Martin won the match. But though the battle was his, Martin failed to win the war: The overall title went to Nigel Richards of New Zealand, a now two-time winner who rose above 116 wordsmiths from 44 countries.
The Sydney Morning Herald relays a few of Richards\' winning words: omnified (for 95 points), uranites (for 88), and regrants (for 61). His acceptance \"speech\" wasn\'t quite as wordy. \"Nice,\" he said.
Mike\'s Thoughts: So, let me get this straight. There was a threat to STRIP SEARCH a contestant at the World Scrabble Championships? Who\'s in charge of this event? Hulk Hogan?
 I guess it\'s not only over the hill jocks and Wall Street Bankers who take themselves too seriously. Turns out \'word nerds\' are guilty too.';
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 (NEWSER) â If youâre reading this on your smartphone, you might want to go wash your hands now: A new study out of London finds that one out of six cellphones has fecal matter on it. UK researchers swabbed 390 mobile phones and the British hands that used them, and found that 16% of both were contaminated with E. coli bacteriaâwhich, yes, comes from poop, Time reports.
The contamination likely occurs when people fail to wash their hands after using the bathroom, researchers say, and since E. coli can survive for hours in warm conditions, it can easily be transferred from your smartphone back to your hands even if you do eventually wash them. The study also found that 92% of hands and 82% of phones were contaminated by some type of bacteria, includingStaphylococcus aureus. Click for more on your germy smartphone.
 (NEWSER) â A heroic story out of Boston: As their apartment building burned and Herbert and Judith Lamb tried to escape from the third floor, Judith was forced to drop her 6-year-old grandson out a windowâand into the arms of a waiting firefighter. âI knew she wouldnât be able to hold him until we got help, so they dropped him, and I caught him in my arms from the third floor,â the lieutenant tells the Boston Globe. âThen we got a ladder over to get the woman out.ââ
The fire, which may have been set in a failed suicide attempt, destroyed the building and left 75 without a home. Ten residents, two firefighters, and one police officer were treated for smoke inhalation. More than a dozen other trapped residents were also rescued, some while dangling from windows and ledges. âThank God I caught him,â says the lieutenant of the child he saved. âIâve never had to do that before, and I hope I never have to do it again.\"
Mike\'s Thoughts: Wow. Talk about grace under pressure! Now that the Broncos have cut Brandon Lloyd loose, maybe they oughta sign this Firefighter. Catching a Tim Tebow pass should seem pretty easy by comparison.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[228][headline] = 'This Seasons Most Popular Halloween Costume Is.....';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[228][entryLongText] = '(CNN Money Dot Com)- Tousled hair, a vial of tiger blood and a hefty dose of attitude is all it takes to score a winning costume this Halloween.
Charlie Sheen -- a.k.a. "the Rock Star from Mars" -- who caused a frenzy following his departure from the sitcom, "Two and a Half Men," earlier this year is now the top choice for a costume this season, according to Spirit Halloween, the country\'s largest seasonal Halloween retailer.
"His \'winning\' attitude certainly struck a nerve," said Spirit President and CEO Steven Silverstein. Although Sheen has been on the Hollywood scene since the 1980s, "he\'s immortalized himself this year," Silverstein said.
In a growing trend toward pop-culture references, top choices for women include Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Snooki (or any member of the gang from the "Jersey Shore" cast). As for the kids, it\'s all about the popular mobile phone app Angry Birds.
Thanks in part to the AMC series "The Walking Dead," zombies are also making a big comeback, according to a separate report by the National Retail Federation.
"Zombies are everywhere you turn and consumers often take Hollywood and pop-culture and turn it into a costume," noted Kathy Grannis, spokeswoman for the NRF. Halloween has also become more than a traditional children\'s holiday, she said. "Over the last decade, more adults are finding ways to celebrate."
Mike\'s Thoughts: Tiger Blood, 8 Gram Rocks of Coke, and Goddesses not included.
NEWSER)Â â Would you buy your child a marijuana leaf-shaped (but totally drug-free) lollipop? One aghast Buffalo parent most definitely would notâand after she alerted the City Council to the controversial candy, city leaders and anti-drug activists started working to get it off shelves. âIt\'s the whole idea that it promotes drugs and the idea that, here, you\'ll look cool if you use thisâwhich is what gets these kids in trouble in the very first place,â says one treatment center supervisor. But the president of Kalan LP, which distributes the candy, insists this is the first complaint heâs gotten.
Pothead Ring Pots, Pothead Lollipops, and Pothead Sour Gummy Candy are sold in 1,000 stores nationwide and are doing âpretty well,â the president adds. But that may not last: After a Buffalo City Council member said last week he would not grant licenses to stores planning to sell the merchandise, the AP could not find any being sold at a half-dozen local stores. Kalan LPâs president acknowledges that the candy promotes marijuana legalization, but it contains no illegal ingredients. âIt\'s just candy,â he says.
Mike\'s Thoughts: I can\'t see much upside here, really. I wouldn\'t buy my kids candy cigarettes (though they had those when I was a kid.) I wouldn\'t buy my kid a soda or energy drink that was made to look like liquor. And I wouldn\'t buy my kid a lollipop shaped like a marijuana leaf.
I understand it\'s probably not young kids buying these things in every case, but what\'s next? Rock Candy that looks like Crack?';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[230][headline] = 'The New Trend In Fine Wines: Wine in a Box';
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(NEWSER) â Companies selling boxed wines want Americans to pour their next glass of fine vino from, dare we say it, a spigot. In fact, sales of new deluxe boxed wines spiked 19% last year, and wine reviewers are beginning to dispense praise. While upmarket boxed wines may still turn off wine snobs and lack subtle nuances of flavor, the prices remain dirt-cheapâas little as $4 for the equivalent of a 750ml bottle, the New York Times reports.Â
One high-end brand, Black Box, has enlisted the services of a unique ad agency named BzzAgent to spread the word through social networking sites. BzzAgent pays its 850,000 \"agents\" in discounts and free products rather than cash. The agents are encouraged to promote products on Facebook, Twitter, and taste-testing parties. One plus they can trumpet for boxed wines: They last up to 4 weeks in airtight plastic bags inside the boxes. Mike\'s Thoughts: Once this wine in a box thing really catches on I can only imagine that the \"next\" trend in wine will be taping a bottle of Mad Dog 20/20 to your wrist. Oh wait, that trend came to my world in like 1988.
NEWSER) â Plants, polar bears, and people are among the living things likely to shrink thanks to global warming, scientists say. Drawing on several scientific papers, theTelegraph reports that warmer, drier weather makes plants and animals get smaller, which reduces food supplies for those higher up the food chain. \"The consequences of shrinkage are not yet fully understood, but could be far-reaching for biodiversity and humans alike,\" two scientists say.
Toads, tortoises, red deer, and other animals have already been shrinking this centuryâwhich is no surprise, considering that invertebrates shrank by up to 75% during an earlier global warming (we\'re talking 55 million years ago). As for people, we\'re likely to eat smaller portions and face greater vulnerability to disease. Other species will be worse off: Because temperatures are expected to rise quicklyâ7 degrees Celsius by 2100â\"many organisms may not respond or adapt quickly enough,\" the scientists say.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Given that the average American now weighs 623 lbs., it doesn\'t seem like the shrinking thing has really started yet. But where do I sign up?
 NEWSER) â A crazy story about a waitress getting gipped and insulted by a customer just may have a happy ending: The tale began last weekend when Seattle waitress Victoria Liss collected a bill from a customer who wrote in \"0\" on the tip line and added, \"P.S. You could stand to loose (sic) a few pounds.\" An outraged Liss uploaded a photo of the bill to her Facebook page and identified him online. (He paid by credit card, making it easy.)
Internet revenge ensued, with strangers, friends, and bloggers calling out the customer, Andrew Meyers. Which, of course, led to the wrongAndrew Meyers being pilloried in public. Now, however, yet another Andrew Meyers has come forward to the Stranger to offer Liss a 100% tip on the $29 bill, all in the name of clearing the Andrew Meyers name. The newspaper is putting him in touch with Liss. At the Stirblog, meanwhile, Julie Ryan Evans hopes the real culprit is \"shaking in his scummy yuppie shoes.\"
Mike\'s Thoughts: I\'ve bartended and waited tables and I know the frustration that comes with a nightmare customer but was Ms. Liss right to fight back or did she overstep her bounds? ';
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NEWSER) â Human beings\' very first \"proto\" language may have sounded more like Yoda-speak than the English we use today. Researchers believe all language derived from one spoken some 50,000 years ago in east Africa. Now scientists are making a case that the first language followed a \"subject-object-verb\" order, as in \"I you like,\" favored by the little Jedi warrior. The researchersâco-directors of the Santa Fe Program for the Evolution of the Human Languageâreached their conclusion after creating and studying a family tree linking all languages, reports MSNBC. Clear patterns of word orders became apparent, and all were traced back to the subject-object-verb, or SOV, order, rather than the subject-verb-object of English and several other languages.
\"Yoda-speak\" makes sense for early humans because it\'s the word order that children tend to learn first and it\'s logical early humans approached words in a similarly rudimentary way, experts say. The subject-object-verb order seems to come most naturally to humans. As for why some groups stuck with the ancient word order, and others switched, scientists haven\'t a clue. \"The fact remains that half of the world\'s languages still have SOV word order because they have not changed word order at all,\" said a researcher. \"Word order changes, but it\'s unpredictable if word order will change, and I really don\'t know why.\"
Mike\'s Thoughts: Does this mean that if one of my kids gets a crappy grade in English class because of poor grammar I can just tell the teacher that the kid is \" going retro and experimenting with the roots of ancient language\"? ';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[234][headline] = 'Think Your Boss is a Psycho? You May Actually Be Right';
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(CNBC)- Think your boss is a psychopath? That may actually be true. In a recent study of more than 200 executives, nearly 4 percent scored at or above the traditional cutoff for psychopathy using the Psychopathy Checklist, which researchers regard as the \"gold standard\" for assessing this personality disorder, said Paul Babiak, one of the researchers who conducted the study and co-author of the book, âSnakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work.â
By contrast, just 1 percent of the general population is categorized as having psychopathic tendencies. Admittedly, itâs just one study, but it suggests that business leaders could be four times as likely to be psychopathic than the average person.
A psychopath, by definition is someone who has no conscience and feels no remorse or empathy. They tend to be manipulative but charming, which is the key to their success in business.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Should you find yourself working for a psycho, you may not want to mention this new research. I\'m no scientist but I suspect he/she may not find this study as validating as maybe you have.';
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 NEWSER) â The New York Times enters the world of toilet reviews today, but this is no ordinary toilet. It\'s the ultra-luxury Numi from Kohler that costs $6,400 and brings hygienic extravagance to a new level. Shaped like a white rhombus, the Numi is controlled with a touch-screen remote that allows the user to flip on the radio or MP3s, heat the seat, perform an eco-flush, and thoroughly wash oneself with an adjustable water nozzle located inside the bowl. Writer Sam Grobart tested one for a month in his home, and while enamored with its extravagant amenities, he did find a few technological pitfalls such as the Numi\'s rather slow automatic seat-lifting and lowering and an annoying jingle it played every time it turned on (until he dismantled it).
 He also found himself confronted with an uncooperative toilet one day. Solution: He had to \"reboot\" the thing. \"In the end, perhaps the Numiâs greatest flaw is this,\" he writes. \"It has a panoply of logical and imaginative features, but it also assumes that you have all the time in the world to play with them. On rare occasions, that may be true, but for most of us, most of the time, the bathroom is a waypoint, not a destination.\" Read the full review here
Mike\'s Thoughts: So, let\'s say you have one...ahem...\"movement\" per day. And let\'s say that \"movement\" has a value of $1 dollar for you. (Certainly you could argue that a good movement is worth more than 1 dollar but....) At a cost of 6, 400 dollars, and 1 dollar per plop, it would take you 17.5 years to break even on the purchase of the Numi.Â
If you buy one of these things, you better set up an office in your bathroom because you\'re going to have to spend ALOT of time in there to make this purchase pay off.
Today has been declared âSteve Jobs Dayâ by organizers of an online movement, who are encouraging people to dress like the Apple founder and/or post online about his influence on their lives.
BTW:Â The five women who planned the day originally intended it as a tribute to a still-living Jobs, but changed it to a memorial after his death.
According to the eventâs Facebook page, more than 22,000 people will participate in some fashion, and in-person meet-ups are planned around the globe.
Conveniently enough, today is also the day the iPhone 4S will be released.
Mike\'s Thoughts: If there\'s one thing we know about STeve Jobs, it\'s this: he was a leader, not a follower. He was an individual who excelled at moving outside the arena of collective thought. I think I may honor Steve Jobs today not by dressing like him or acting like him but rather by dressing like me and acting like me. I suspect Mr. Jobs might\'ve found that to be a more fitting tribute to his legacy than throwing on a mock turtleneck.';
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NEWSER) â If youâre flying on Ryanair, remember what dad always said and do your business before takeoff. Europeâs biggest airline,ever on the cutting edge of new ways to squeeze money out of its flights, had been considering charging passengers to use the bathroom on its flights, but now itâs decided to instead just remove two of the three bathrooms on each plane entirely to make room for more seats, the Independent reports
All Ryanair flights use the Boeing 737-800, outfitted with the maximum 189 seats, but Ryanair is asking Boeing if it will recertify the plane to hold six more seats if the two bathrooms are removed. âWe very rarely use all three toilets on board our aircraft anyway,â says Ryanair CEO Michael OâLeary, adding that the move âwould fundamentally lower air fares by about 5% for all passengers.â Most of Ryanairâs flights are short, with the longest clocking in at 4 hours and 25 minutes. No decision yet from Boeing.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Let\'s see....a metal tube packed asses to elbows with people....25,000 feet in the air.....and no bathrooms. What could POSSIBLY go wrong with this plan???
Mikeâs Thoughts: I haven\'t tried it myself but upposedly the Founding Father whiskey has hints of cherry, wooden teeth and rampant truthfulness. ';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[239][headline] = 'New Sport For the Rich and Lazy- Extreme Hot Tubbing';
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If you live for the relaxing feeling you get when you slide into a hot tub, but STILL feel there is room for adventure, then the Swiss have something just for you.
A group of Swiss adventure-seekers have invented a \"sport\" called Extreme Hot Tubbing, where they bring their hot tub to \"magnificent locations,\" like the bottom of a cave or atop a frozen lake.
In their latest adventure, the hot tub was suspended from a bridge, hundreds of feet in the air.
And in case you\'re still wondering ... yes, this is an interactive sport, where the participants get to use the hot tub no matter where it ends up.Â
Mike\'s Thoughts: I\'m all for folks having a good time but come on. The word \"hot tub\" should never have the word \"extreme\" anywhere near it.  Besides, if I want to sit in someone else\'s filth, I can just get into the tub after my kids take a bath. No ropes or pullies needed.';
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 (NEWSER) â The Boston Red Soxâs three highest-paid pitchersâJon Lester, Josh Beckett, and John Lackeyâwere in the habit of drinking beer, playing video games, and eating fast-food fried chicken in the clubhouse during games instead of supporting their teammates in the dugout, according to a scathing Boston Globe piece examining the Sox collapse. The three were also among several players to cut back on their exercise regimens. Indeed, the piece alleges that âfor every player committed to the teamâs conditioning program, there was a slacker.â
 âItâs hard for a guy making $80,000 to tell a $15 million pitcher he needs to get off his butt and do some work,â one source said. The article alleges that the team had other chemistry problems, too. Jacoby Ellsbury, for example, worked hard, but got along with few of his teammatesâhe especially disliked Kevin Youkilis, who criticized Ellsbury publicly last year. Some sources also speculated that departing manager Terry Francona was distracted by marital problems and painkiller use, which Francona hotly denied.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Few things in the world of sports disappoint me more than stories about gifted athletes pissing away their gifts due to a poor attitude and lack of work ethic.
I could care less about the Boston Red Sox one way or the other, but I have an 11 year old son who idolizes professional athletes, and I\'m never quite sure what to tell him when stories like this come out.
As for the Sox \"Big 3\"?Â
Fellas, let\'s not forget:Â you\'re being paid an ass-load of money to play a kids game and there are a ton of almost talented enough players riding the bus in Double AA Ball who\'d give just about anything to be in your position.
This might be the best idea ever conceived by mankind ... or the worst.
Entrepreneurs are now putting the finishing touches on pizza vending machines and hope to roll them out onto New York City streets soon.
The machine can make a pie in 90 seconds -- and allows customers to choose between white, cheese and pepperoni pizza.
When the pizza is finished, it\'s delivered in a box along with a disposable pizza cutter, napkin and two spices.
Mike\'s Thoughts: There is absolutely no way this can be good pizza. But I consider myself lucky that they didn\'t come up with this idea when I was in college, otherwise the Freshman 15 would\'ve been the Freshman 50.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[242][headline] = 'Pot Brownies for the Elderly';
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NEWSER) â Three elderly southern California residents couldn\'t figure out why they suddenly had a powerful case of the munchies and were, well, dizzy. Turns out they had accidentally consumed a hefty bit of pot in some marijuana brownies served at a Huntington Beach memorial service for a friend. The three, all in their 70s or 80s, were taken to a local hospital when they couldn\'t stand without help.
The dope was allegedly medical marijuana, according to a post on the local police department\'s Facebook page, where the incident was reported. \"Marijuana is a drug, and like all other drugs and alcohol, it is important to understand the negative consequences it creates in our community,\" noted the department. \"Calling it \'medical marijuana\' does not make it any safer.\" Huntington Beach doesn\'t allow or have licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in the city limits.
Mike\'s Thoughts: One of the authorities first clues that something stoney was going on was when several local retirement communities tried to buy tickets to a local Pink Floyd laser light show.';
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 (NEWSER) â What fun: Halloween corn mazes. Except it wasn\'t for one zany Massachusetts couple who became so hopelessly lost in the stalks that they called 911 for help. The mom and dad wandered in the maze north of Boston for well over an hour with their infant. As the place shut down and darkness and bugs descended, they reached for their cell phone. \"I\'m stuck at Connors Farm. I\'m really scared. It\'s really dark and we\'ve got a 3-week-old,\" the frantic mom told a police dispatcher. \"I don\'t know what made us do this. Oh, my goodness. The mosquitoes are eating us alive, and I never took my daughter out, this is the first time. Never again. This is embarrassing.\"
 Her husband added: \"I can see lights over there, but we can\'t get there. We\'re smack in the middle of the corn field.\" By the time the call was over, police dogs had found the family, reports the Los Angeles Times. The average corn maze designed by the company that set up the Connors\' puzzler is 8-10 acres, and usually takes about 45 minutes to negotiateâalthough the Connors website warns people that they must enter at least an hour before closing time. A spokeswoman for the design firm said it\'s the first time she\'s ever heard of police rescuing anyone from a maze.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Million dollar idea- GPS systems for corn mazes. As I\'ve mentioned before, I\'m a solutions guy.';
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(NEWSER) â The oldest car on the planet that still runs was sold at auction Friday for $4.6 million, double auctioneers\' expectations. It\'s the most ever paid for an early automobile,CNNMoney reports. The De Dion-Bouton et Trepardoux, a French vehicle built in 1884, arrived more than a decade before Henry Ford built the first of his cars in a garage.
Nicknamed \"La Marquise,\" the car, sold in Hershey, Pa., was built for its company\'s founder and took part in the reputed first-ever automobile race. It runs on coal, wood, and paper and can reach a maximum of 38 mph. The vehicle was last sold in 2007 for $3.5 million.
Mike\'s Thoughts: And we bitch about the price of gasoline! Imagine if you had to pull over and throw a few logs on the engine every couple miles!';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[245][headline] = 'Can a 39k dollar backpack Save the Economy? The Olsen Twins Think So';
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(Newser) â The solution to America\'s endless economic woes is apparently the Olsen twins\' $39,000 backpack. In a Women\'s Wear Daily interview from last week just getting some attention, Ashley explains why she and her sister thought extreme luxury might sell: \"During our last economic crisis in the US, the only thing that went up was Hermès.\" And their plan worked: The alligator backpack, part of The Row handbag collection, \"was the first thing that sold off the shelf,\" Ashley says. Gawker has a picture, and snarks that it is \"made exclusively from the skin of the mysterious fourth Olsen sister, who lives in a cage in their basement.\"
Mike\'s Thoughts: It\'s hard to really put yourself in someone else\'s shoes, but even if you HAD that kind of money, would you really buy a $39,000 dollar back pack? I can\'t imagine any reality in which I would. And more importantly, why would ANYONE buy something designed by the Olsen sisters???? I\'d be more likely to buy something designed by Merlin Olsen.
 NEWSER) â Popping too many vitamins may actually shorten your life, a new study says. Researchers looked at the supplement intake of 38,000 women, starting in their early 60s, over 19 yearsâand found vitamin-users had a 2.4% higher chance of dying. Multivitamins, B6, iron, zinc, copper, folic acid, and iron were linked to the slight increase in mortalities, reports My Health News Daily.
What\'s behind the numbers? Possibly vitamins\' high concentration of nutrients, which \"can be toxic in higher amounts, especially when consumed for a long time, as some of these accumulate to body,\" the study author says. One ray of sunlight for vitamin-lovers: Calcium supplements seemed to lower women\'s death risk by 3.8%. The study supports earlier findings that vitamin intake might actually kill you.
 Mike\'s Thoughts: I don\'t know about you, but nothing helps me sleep better at night than considering the possibility that things we do to better our health might actually be killing us. Nighty night! Sleep tight!';
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(NEWSER) â Hank Williams Jr. is hitting back at the mediaâhow else?âin song. The country artistâs Monday Night Football intro was dumped by ESPN after he compared President Obama to Hitler on Fox News (or Williams did the dumping himself, depending on who you ask). And now heâs written a new song about the whole experience, the AP reports. In âIâll Keep Myâ¦,â he claims his words were twisted by Fox & Friends, the show on which he made the original comparison. USA Today adds that the last word in the title of the song is \"a word we can\'t use.\"Â
âSo Fox \'n Friends wanna put me down / Ask for my opinion / Twist it all around,â go the lyrics, before continuing, âWell two can play that gotcha game you\'ll see.â He also sings that the US is âgoing down the drainâ and turning into âthe United Socialist States of America.â Needless to say, Williams also lyrically encourages listeners not to watch Fox & Friends or ESPN. Look for it on iTunes later today or early tomorrow. In the meantime, you can pick up a âHank Jr. for Presidentâ T-shirt on Williamsâ website, or catch him on The View or Hannity tomorrow. Mike\'s Thoughts: An interesting approach to be sure. I imagine a decent percentage of the American population were strongly offended by Hank\'s comments but a pretty substantial percentage were strongly in favor of them, too. Really, he only has 2 options: offer an apology and then lay low for a while, or clarify what he said and stand up for what he believes in. Of the two options, the second one is probably better for a public performer like Hank who has to stay somewhat in the limelight in order to make a living.
I don\'t agree with anything he said but I tip my hat to him for taking the publicity opportunity and running with it.';
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(NEWSER)Â â With Halloween on its way, it\'s important to protect your home from a potential zombie attackâbut it can be tough to find the proper supplies. Fortunately, a hardware chain with 88 shops in the Midwest and Southwest now covers all your zombie needs. As of last week, Westlake Ace Hardware now boasts a Zombie Preparedness Center, where you can buy anything from chainsaws to zombie-proof door locks. \"If we can help you with your lawn and your home, we can help you with the zombie apocalypse,\" says a customer relations head.
Westlake was skeptical when an advertising agency first suggested the idea. But the team convinced the store that zombies are very in, and the decision seems to be paying off, the Omaha World-Heraldreports: Web traffic was up 17% last week, and its number of Facebook fans has jumped. An entire section of Westlake\'s websitenow provides guidance on dealing with the zombie threat, with answers to questions like: \"The smell of my zombie neighbor is seeping into my home. What can I do?
Mike\'s Thoughts: Further proof that clever advertising often involves both massive amounts of creativity and a certain amount of risk taking. When was the last time you saw an interesting ad for a hardware store? Ummm.....never. Right? Kudos to Westlake Hardware!
Even though he\'s been dead for three years, George Carlin continues to stir up trouble.
More than 6,500 people have signed a petition requesting that a street in his old New York neighborhood be renamed after the \"Seven Dirty Words\" comedian.
But the Reverend Raymond Rafferty -- the principal of Georgia\'s alma mater, the Corpus Christi School -- is trying to block the move. He says, \"His vulgarity is very strong, and that is not a good role model for children.\"
If approved, the street sign would go up directly in front of the Catholic grade school.
Comedian Kevin Bartini, who lives in the neighborhood, says, \"George Carlin was a tremendously influential American figure. He did live on the street for over 20 years.\"
Mike\'s Thoughts: Really? Someone is opposed to this idea? Yeah, so he used vulgarity. Lots of people do. Probably even lots of people who have buildings and streets named after them. A legendary comedian and social commentator, George Carlin did a lot more good than harm in his life. Name the damn street after him and get on to more important matters already.';
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Mike has tickets to see Rolling Stones: Some Girls Live in Texas on Tuesday, October 18th at 7:30pm, which is a neverâseenâbefore concert movie which captures the Stones at the height of their musical career.
Shot on 16mm at Fort Worth, Texas in 1978, the film has been upgraded to high definition with a 5.1 audio track.
It includes a Sir Mick Jagger interview filmed in August 2011 where he introduces the concert and offers an insight into its significance in the bandâs history.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[251][headline] = 'Is Your Teen Dabbling in Vodka Gummy Bears?';
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Kids nowadays are getting a BUZZ from gummy bears.
In a YouTube video, a woman is seen mixing gummy bears with vodka, and teens are using the recipe.
The gummies are soaked in vodka in a refrigerator for several days so the candies absorb the liquor.
Police departments are now warning parents of the danger. Mothers Against Drunk Drivers of North Texas released this statement saying they are \"concerned to hear about any alcohol consumption by those under age 21. MADD urges parents to use this opportunity to talk with their kids about the dangers of underage drinking.
Meanwhile, a drug counselor is urging adults who are thinking of making the concoction for Halloween to be careful especially if small children are around.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Who comes up with an idea like this? Gummy bears soaked in vodka? Yet another sign that the youth of America has FAR too much time on their hands. About 16 hours of chores every weekend might help to solve this problem.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[252][headline] = 'The Newest Danger of Text Messaging is To Your Neck';
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NEWSER) â Texting is turning out to be a real pain in the neck. Dedicated texters are spending so much time with their heads bent over their cell phones or iPads that it\'s causing muscle strain, creating headaches, neck and back pain, and even problems with fingers and wrists, warn doctors who are treating increasing cases of \"text neck.\" For some totally text-obsessed, the muscles can eventually adapt to the flexed position, making it painful to straighten up, reports the Telegraph. The average human head weighs 10-12 pounds, and the neck and shoulders are not made to support it for long stretches over a cell phone. Children are most at risk because their heads are larger in relation to their body size than adults.
\"When the head is over the shoulders it is a bit like a balanced see-saw, and when you move it forward you need to put a force in place to keep it in that position,\" explained one doctor. \"The longer you are in that position for, the more the muscles have to accommodate it.\" But isn\'t it impossible to give up texting? Absolutely. So you\'ve got to take frequents breaks, stretch your head, neck and back, and try holding the phone higher, suggest experts.
Mike\'s Thoughts: So, previous generations of Americans struggled against serious diseases. Things like small pox, and Measles, and Polio. Us? We\'re worried about something called \"Text Neck\". What a bunch of candy-asses we are.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[253][headline] = 'France Cracks Down on....Ketchup';
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Newser) â France is famous for defending its language and culture from foreign invaders, and now the French have a new enemy in their sights: ketchup. The French government is banning ketchup from school and university cafeteriasâwith a single exception. The American condiment can be served with French fries, the LA Times reports, but fries can only be served once a week. âFrance must be an example to the world in the quality of its food, starting with its children,â said the country\'s food and agriculture minister. No word, however, on France\'s French fries-dipped-in-mayonnaise policy at this time.
Mike\'s Thoughts: No ketchup but they eat snails? On the credibility scale France now falls in between Donald Trump and Charlie Sheen.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[254][headline] = 'The Motorbike that Runs on....Poop';
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(NEWSER) â Calling it âcleanâ fuel would be a bit of a stretch: Japanâs top toilet maker has built a bike that runs on human excrement. TOTOâs Toilet Bike Neo has a seat that looks like a toilet, and itâs powered by bio-gas from the driverâs own poop, TreeHugger reports. Apparently, feces is pretty powerful stuff: Some have called it the ânew coal,â and it will soon fuel a 600-mile Japanese tour.
The trip includes a stop at a boulder in the shape of a rear end. And if all that isnât weird enough, the bike also talks and plays music. There remain some questions to be answered: For example, Treehugger asks, does the driver poop in private or while driving? And what happens when the fuel supply runs out?
Mike\'s Thoughts: If only they could\'ve come up with this idea while my kids were still in diapers. I would\'ve been the BP of poop fuel.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[255][headline] = 'The Battle in Florida to Legalize....Dwarf Tossing';
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 (Newser) â Just when you thought politics couldn\'t get any zanier, Florida state Rep. Ritch Workman enters stage right. The Republican legislator, who is on a self-pronounced \"quest to seek and destroy unnecessary burdens on the freedom and liberties of people\" is looking to legalize \"dwarf tossing\" in the stateâall in the name of job creation, of course. Florida banned the practice in 1989, reports the Palm Beach Post, but Workman calls it \"an example of Big Brother government\" that does little more than \"prevent some dwarfs from getting jobs they would be happy to get.\"
So he filed a bill on Monday that would bring back the activity, which he eloquently describes as \"repulsive and stupid.\" But, hideous as it is, \"it\'s none of the state\'s business if somebody wants to do this,\" says Workman. How is his effort being received by the Little People of America? Its Florida district director notes that \"the possibility of getting paralyzed is high,\" and adds that \"to be used as an object for people\'s amusement is very degrading.\" Fun fact from the Broward-Palm Beach New Times: Last month Florida Gov. Rick Scott included two rules related to dwarf tossing among the 1,000 he said he\'d like to repeal.
Mike\'s Thoughts: What a ridiculous issue to waste legislative time over. Especially because anyone can toss a dwarf. Here\'s my idea: We make it legal to toss fat people. The tosser gets a MUCH better upper body workout than they would from tossing a dwarf and a fat tosser has a lot more protection on the landing than a dwarf. I bet I could toss this guy like....6 inches.
David Cassidy has suedSony Pictures Entertainment and Sony-owned Screen Gems Inc. for fraud and breach of contract, claiming that the makers of The Partridge Family raked in $500 million over the years from royalties, a spinoff deal and merchandise and he never received his contractually owed share.
Sony begs to differ, however.
\"It would seem as though your client does not appreciate the difference between merchandising of The Partridge Family series and merchandising using Mr. Cassidy\'s name, voice or likeness,\" wrote studio lawyer Gregory Boone in a letter to Cassidy\'s attorney, Craig Marshall, in response to a scathing interview the erstwhile Keith Partridge gave on CNN.
\"Our right to use the name...of Mr. Cassidy in merchandise expired in the 1970s,\" Boone continued. \"However, we continue to have the unfettered right to merchandise The Partridge Family...and Mr. Cassidy does not share in any such receipts.\"
\"It\'s just ludicrous and unfair and wrong. It\'s greed,\" Cassidy said in August of the perceived slight, telling CNN that he only received $5,000 of the proceeds from all those lunch boxes, beach towels, board games, pillow cases and other Partridge Family goodies sold when the show hit it big.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Next up on David\'s agenda? Suing his sister Laurie Partridge for being a goody-goody tattle-tale and manager Reuben Kincaid for schtoinking his Mom, Shirley.
Southerns with Accents Needed for Voice Study- $60 for One Hour: Speed of Sound Inc. in Boulder, Colorado is looking for people with true \"Mountain Southern\" accents to come in and record their voice saying \"digits and short commands such as \'mute call\' or \'play artist.\'\" They are doing a study not to put your voice out in public, but to \"teach computer to better understand and respond to voice commands.\" In order to be considered, you have to have lived at least seven years from ages 5-15 in one of the states they list in the ad or have lived there for 75 percent of your life. They are serious about this accent thing.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Well smear my ears with jam and tie me to a ant hill! Yee-friggin\' HAW!';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[258][headline] = 'Stopping Iphone Thieves- Yes, There's An App For That';
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Police in New York City got a clear picture of the man who swiped a Erum Malikâs Iphone on the street -- by an app on the Iphone.
The app, called iGotYa, took a picture of the thief when he attempted to unlock the phone with a wrong password.
The app automatically e-mailed the photo of the man to the 31-year-old victim.
Police are attempting to use the photo to identify the suspect.
The I Got Ya app is available for download. Cost is $5.99
Mike\'s Thoughts: Of all the brilliant and creative apps I\'ve heard of, this one takes the cake. What a great idea! Now if the developers could just add a feature that reaches out of the stolen Iphone and punches the crook in the face! ';
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Hard to imagine there was a time when the idea of a \"personal computer\" was a totally foreign concept, but in relative terms, it wasn\'t all that long ago.
As usual, Steve Jobs was so far ahead of the curve that he\'d helped to invent something we didn\'t even know we needed yet.
And, as was his custom, Steve Jobs and his creative team found a way to deliver the message with style and intrigue.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[260][headline] = 'Steve Jobs- The Man Who Changed the World';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[260][entryLongText] = 'I can\'t imagine there\'s a whole lot to say about Steve Jobs that hasn\'t already been said.
His spirit, his drive, and his vision have completely transformed our world.
And in only 56 short years.
Shortly after the news of his passing broke a friend of mine sent me a text message (which I received on my Iphone, interestingly enough) with this passage from the commencement speech Steve Jobs gave at Stanford in 2005.
It seemed to summarize the internal mechanisms that made Steve Jobs so impactful, and if the man left us with one legacy that\'s more important than his world changing gadgets, it might be these words:
Remembering that Iâll be dead soon is the most important tool Iâve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything â all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure â these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. âSteve Jobs
People keep comparing Jobs to Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.
From the standpoint of being a revolutionary inventor, I can see the comparison.
But Jobs was so much more than a computer nerd who got lucky.
He was a true visionary, a creative genius, and a charasmatic salesman with an almost unparalleled ability to transfer his own sense of wonder to each one of us.
In my mind, he more than one-upped Ford, Edison, Einstein, the Wright Brothers, Marconi, Andrew Carnegie, DaVinci, Ben Franklin, and just about anyone else you can think of.
It\'s not just one facet of our world that is different because of Steve Jobs. It\'s EVERY facet of our world.
And it\'s not too often than a man comes along who can make that claim.
To say that Steve Jobs will be missed is a terrible understatement.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[261][headline] = 'Wrong Lotto Ticket Pays Out 25 Million';
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NEWSER) â A Georgia woman is reaping the benefits of a shopâs error. Kathy Scruggs asked for a Mega Millions ticket, and the clerk handed her one for Powerball; she decided to keep it anyway. Good choice: Turned out it was the winning $25 million ticket, and now the unemployed 44-year-old can stop her job search, the Savannah Morning News reports.Â
âIâve been looking and looking and looking,â Scruggs says. Instead, âIâm going to build my mom and grandmother a home,â she says. âThatâs my first focus.â Afterward, she hopes to aid the homeless and help struggling people cover dental bills. âIâm happy and grateful,â she tells the News. âI really am.â';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[262][headline] = 'Contract Battle May End The Simpsons 23 Year Run';
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(NEWSER) â Has Moe polished his last glass? Has Homer slammed his last Duffâs? Has Krusty made his last small child cry? Itâs all possible. Fox is threatening to pull the plug on historyâs longest-running sitcom after the current seasonâits 23rdâif its core voice actors wonât accept a whopping 45% paycut, sources tell the Daily Beast. The cast had offered to take a 30% cut in exchange for some of the showâs massive backend profits, but Fox demurred.
âThe show has made billions in profits over the years and will continue to do so as far as the eye can see down the road,â one insider said. âNow Fox is basically saying, âIf you donât take this deal, weâll shut down the show,â and theyâll continue to make a ton of money.\" The six main voice actors currently earn about $8 million a year each, but think years of creative contributions entitle them to a slice of the showâs bigger backend pie.
Mike\'s Thoughts: I think when people read that a voice actor makes $8 million a year they get up in arms and say how ridiculous it is but if the actors are making that kind of money, what kind of dough do you think the network is making off the show? It\'s been on the air for 23 years! $8 million is a tiny drop in the bucket for this show. Check out just a smattering of Hank Azaria\'s work on the Simpsons.
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$blogEntryArchiveList[263][headline] = 'Dropping the F Bomb To Defeat Hunger';
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(NEWSER) â Bono, George Clooney, Colin Farrell, and a host of celebrities spout the F-word in a new ad with a simple message: \"F*** famine.\" (Don\'t worry, it\'s still SFW, thanks to a lot of censoring.) \"Famine is the real obscenity,\" explains Bono in the video. The commercial points people to his anti-poverty group ONE, which aims to focus attention on the famine in the Horn of Africa, especially Somalia, the Telegraph reports.
\"More than 30,000 children have died in just three months. The pictures from Dadaab look like a nightmare from centuries past. Yet, this is the 21st century and these pictures are real and, on the whole, unseen,\" explains Bono on the Huffington Post. \"The food crisis in the Horn of Africa is nothing short of a humanitarian catastrophe, but it is getting less attention than the latest Hollywood break-ups and make-ups.\" He encourages viewers to sign ONE\'s petition calling on world leaders to take action. Watch the video, which includes Mike Huckabee dropping an F-bomb, in the gallery.';
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Do you hate not having a girlfriend? Is your lack of a gal pal especially hard when you\'re out with friends and they\'re all talking about their girlfriends and receiving loving texts and phone calls? You don\'t have to feel left out anymore, because now you, too, can have a girlfriend -- or a fake one at least. Go to FakeGirlfriend.co and learn how to receive texts and phone calls from your hot new lady. You won\'t look lame around your friends anymore, even though you\'ll feel lamer than ever before.
Mike\'s Thoughts: It\'s a damn shame 80\'s teen flick king John Hughes passed away because I bet he could use this fake girlfriend concept to make a killer brat pack film. Or did he already do that??
Newser) â Money cannot buy happiness, but most people would choose it anyway, says a new study of more than 2,600 people published in the American Economic Review. For example, if the choice is between a job that pays $80,000 a year and lets you get seven and a half hours of sleep a night, and a job that pays $140,000 a year but allows for just six hours\' sleep, most people pick the higher-paying job. Other questions asked about salary versus living close to friends, going home for Thanksgiving versus saving for a vacation, and similar choices.
It\'s not just about greed, though. Often, people say that more money will mean more family happiness, even if their own happiness is diminished. Status, purpose, and health all also factored into decision-making, often beating out happiness. \"We found that people make trade-offs between happiness and other things,\" says one of the paper\'s authors, according to LiveScience. âPeople treat happiness as a commodity and are willing to make tradeoffs.â
Mike\'s Thoughts: Happiness is a moving target. Money is a much easier idea to get conceptually. Even if money can\'t buy happiness, I have to imagine it\'s a whole helluva lot easier to find the time to focus on your happiness when you\'re not running in circles trying to make enough money to survive.';
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Newser) â Hank Williams Jr.\'s Fox and Friends interview got weird right off the bat this morning, as he sat back with sunglasses on and arms crossed and dourly noted, \"I\'d rather be up there looking at Gretchen [Carlson].\" But things got even weirder when Carlson asked Williams which Republican presidential candidate he liked and he responded, \"Nobody.\" That turned into a critique of John Boehner\'s golf game with President Obama, which Williams said \"would be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu, OK?\"
\"I donât understand that analogy, actually,\" responded Brian Kilmeade as his co-hosts sat around looking baffled. \"Well, Iâm glad you donât, brother, because a lot of people do,\" Williams said. \"You know, theyâre the enemy. Theyâre the enemy.\" Who\'s the enemy? \"Obama! And Biden! Are you kidding? The three stooges!\" Mediaite notes that Carlson was quick to react after Williams went off the air: \"I just want to say that we disavow any of those comments or analogies that heâs made, at least Iâm going to say that, disavow the analogy between Hitler and the president,\" she said.
Mike\'s Thoughts: I enjoy the part where he says \"I\'m not gonna sugar coat it.\" Really? Well thank God for that. After losing the Monday Night Football gig as a result of his comments, Hank Williams, Jr. attempted to back pedal with the following statement:
 \"Some of us have strong opinions and are often misunderstood. My analogy was extreme -- but it was to make a point. I was simply trying to explain how stupid it seemed to me -- how ludicrous that pairing was.\"
 In his statement, Williams said the analogy wasn\'t appropriate.
\"Theyâre polar opposites, and it made no sense. They donât see eye-to-eye and never will. I have always respected the office of the president.\"Then, Hank made a plea for change in Washington.\"Every time the media brings up the Tea Party, itâs painted as racist and extremists -- but thereâs never a backlash -- no outrage to those comparisons. Working-class people are hurting -- and it doesnât seem like anybody cares. When both sides are high-fiving it on the ninth hole when everybody else is without a job -- it makes a whole lot of us angry. Something has to change. The policies have to change.\"';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[267][headline] = 'Her Facebook Rant Cost Her Sons Football Team 3 Wins';
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(AP) A mother\'s rant on Facebook about her sons\' messy room has sparked the forfeiture of three football victories by Perry County.
The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association declared offensive linemen Rodney and Ryan Belasic ineligible after discovering their family still has a residence in Henry County.
TSSAA Executive Director Bernard Childress said Perry County coaches and administrators saw the Facebook posting and alerted the organization, according to The Tennessean.
Childress said Monday that the players\' mother complained on her Facebook page, asking how two boys could mess up their room so badly \"when they\'re only here on Saturday and Sunday.\"
Perry County had to vacate wins over Cornersville, Forrest and Lewis County.
Perry County was ranked No. 2 among 1A teams in this week\'s Associated Press prep poll.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Teenagers always tell their parents to stop embarrassing them. In this case, there may be just cause.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[268][headline] = 'Will the Material Girl Play Superbowl XLVI?';
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(Newser) â Madonna is set to headline next yearâs Super Bowl halftime show in Indianapolis, insiders tell SBNation.com. But donât hold your breath: Itâs not the first time the Material Girl has been the rumored star. She was supposedly near a deal to play the show in 1998, but the plan was never finalized. In 2000, word was that she was booked but flaked out. So it may take, like, a prayer to get her there.
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â Admittedly, she\'s a kinder, gentler Madonna than she used to be back in the 80s, but given her history of sexually charged performances and extreme costume changes I\'d be SHOCKED if Madonna gets the nod to play the Superbowl.
After Janet Jackson\'s \"wardrobe malfunction\" a few years back, I can\'t imagine anyone in charge of these sorts of decisions is willing to roll the dice like that again.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[269][headline] = 'A Lawsuit Over a Two Cent Price Discrepancy';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[269][entryLongText] = '(Premiere)-
Managers at a Pennsylvania Wal-Mart moved out of the frying pan and into the fire when they lost a court battle with a woman who sued them after being overcharged on a bill -- by two cents!
Mary Bach was awarded $100 in damages and $80 for her court costs after she took the retail giant to task for making her pay a dollar for a package of sausage, even though the price sticker clearly said 98 cents -- on two separate occasions. The first time, the clerk refunded the difference and noted the error, but when it happened again, the pork-loving customer could take no more.
Wal-Mart blamed defective packaging, but a judge agreed with Bach\'s charge of unfair trade practices.
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â I say we completely eliminate the \"debt super-committee\" and put Mary Bach in charge of all government debt and expenditure related issues going forward.
Anyone willing to go to court over a two cent price discrepancy has just the kind of moxie this country needs to get its books balanced once and for all.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[270][headline] = 'Denmark Adopts the "Fat Tax"';
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(NEWSER) â An extra 39 cents on a pack of butter. Twelve cents on a bag of chips. Denmark has become the latest country to levy a \"fat tax\" (Hungary has a similar one), adding about $1.3 in cost per pound of saturated fat in any food that contains more than 2.3% saturated fat, reports the Guardian. The tax is expected to raise some $220 million a year and cut saturated fat consumption by close to 10%. The country already banned the use of trans fat in foods, back in 2004.Â
Ironically, despite Danes\' reputation for being big fans of butter and bacon, the country is relatively slim, with a 10% obesity rate, well below the European average of 15% (not to mention the United States\' 33%). \"All these things need to be looked at, but saturated fats have a higher calorie content than carbohydrates. I don\'t think you can do everything all at once,\" said a doctor who used to be chairman of a national obesity group. Mike\'s Thoughts; You know it\'s only a matter of time before this kind of tax comes to the United States, right?Â
I think that\'ll make for a really interesting series of discussions since we (collectively) don\'t seem to have much problem taxing other \"health issue\" items like tobacco and alcohol.
But a \"fat tax\" in the United States is effectively taxing one out of every 3 people in the country (33% obesity rate currently) and given the recent battles over \'class warfare\' and taxation, I can\'t WAIT to see what happens when this idea shows up on our shores.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[271][headline] = 'Our Top 5 Office Gripes: Survey Says......';
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(NEWSER) â LinkedIn asked more than 17,000 professionals around the globe to name their biggest workplace pet peeveâand, surprisingly, the top spot went to something a bit more serious than leaving your smelly food in the office fridge. The top five:
Those who donât take ownership of their actions.
Co-workers who complain too much.
Gross common areas (see stinky food reference above).
Meetings that start late or go long.
Colleagues who never respond to email.
Click for more, including a breakdown of country-specific complaints (employees in the US really, really donât like their food to be stolen from the office fridge).
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â Stealing food is a troubling office trend but one that can be solved by buying a hundred dollar mini fridge and sticking it in your office or cubicle.
But the \"starting late, running long\" meetings thing is just maddening.
Worst of all? When the person who CALLED the meeting is late!
Nothing makes me want to get up and walk out quicker than that.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[272][headline] = 'The Boss And Sting: Rocking Out on Sting's Birthday';
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(Premiere Prep)-
Sting turned 60 yesterday and on Saturday night he celebrated with an all-star concert at the Beacon Theatre in New York. Among those on hand to perform his songs and wish him a happy birthday were Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Lady Gaga,Stevie Wonder, Robert Downey Junior, Will.I.Am, Mary J. Blige, Herbie Hancock, Vince Gill, Rufus Wainwright, Branford Marsalis and Chris Botti. The show raised $3.7 million dollars for the Robin Hood Foundation charity, which helps to fight poverty.
Among those in the audience were Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Darren Aronofsky, Melanie Griffith and 32 members of Britain\'s Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, who have all completed missions in Afghanistan.
Highlights included:
Bruce Springsteen - \"I Hung My Head,\" \"Fields of Gold\" and, with Sting, \"I Can\'t Stand Losing You\"
Billy Joel - \"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic\" and \"Don\'t Stand So Close to Me\"
Sting and Lady Gaga - \"King of Pain\"
Stevie Wonder and Sting - \"Fragile\"
Finale of \"Every Breath You Take\"
Sting will be on Letterman on CBS tonight.  ';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[273][headline] = 'John Travolta: Time Traveler';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[273][entryLongText] = '(Premiere)- First Nicolas Cage was accused of being a vampire. Now John Travolta is suspected of travelling through time.
The evidence is a photo from the 1860s that features a man who looks like the Grease star. In the auction\'s description, the seller writes, \"For those of you who don\'t know, John Travolta is a Scientologist and many Scientologists believe in a type of reincarnation. Of course, time travel can\'t be ruled out as well.\" The asking price? $50,000.Â
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â I bet Travolta would give anything for that head of hair right about now, comb-over or no.
An 11 year-old boy in Malvern, Ark., is so good at football that âheâs going to score almost every time he touches the ball\".
And because Demias Jimerson runs circles around the other kids on the field, the school principal has decided heâs not allowed to score more than three touchdowns, provided his team has at least a 14-point lead.
Locals call that âthe Madre Hillâ rule, after Razorback great Madre Hill, who, like Jimerson, grew up in the tiny Arkansas town and breezed by his competitors...
The principal says sheâs re-invoking the rule not to punish the boy, but to provide his competitors with a chance to develop as players, too.
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â So, what exactly is the message here?
It\'s great to excel as long as you don\'t excel too much???
Rumor has it John Elway is considering signing young Mr. Jimerson to the Broncos.';
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(NEWSER) â Bank of America customers beware: Your debit card is about to get a lot more expensive. The bank intends to start charging many customers $5 a month if they use their debit cards, in what the company says is an effort to offset new federal regulations limiting the fees it can charge merchants accepting the cards. âThe economics of offering a debit card have changed,â a bank spokesperson tells Bloomberg.
The Dodd-Frank Act caps the âswipe feesâ debit card issuers can charge merchants at 21 to 24 cents, starting Oct. 1. The formula previously used averaged 44 cents per transaction, and the change could skim $8 billion off the biggest US banks\' annual revenue. Bank of America said the change wonât affect ATM rates, and will not hit premium accounts or cards tied to its Merrill Lynch wing.
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â Maybe I\'m just getting cantankerous in my old age, but this sort of thing really chaps my ass.
What I\'m failing to understand is: what changed here? Is my bank LOSING money everytime I use my debit card? Do they eat fees when I swipe?Â
Or is this just another way to nickel and dime the average consumer and help out their bottom line?';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[276][headline] = 'The Two Year Marriage Certificate';
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(NEWSER) â Til death do us part ... except in Mexico City. Citing the fact that most of the marriages that fail there typically end in the first two years, lawmakers have proposed creating temporary marriages licenses. The update to the civil code would let couples get a marriage contract as short as two years in length. If they experience 24 months of wedded bliss, they can renew it. If not, the contract would state how children and possessions should be divvied up, reports Reuters.Â
\"The proposal is, when the two-year period is up, if the relationship is not stable or harmonious, the contract simply ends,\" says the co-author of the bill, which is being promoted by leftists. He expects to see a vote on the proposal by year\'s end. Reuters notes that Mexico City is more liberal than the rest of the country. Mike\'s Thoughts: Nothing says \"I Love You\" like a marriage certificate with an end date on it already.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[277][headline] = 'Good Parents Start Their Kids on Beer Bongs Early In Life';
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Oh...the unparalleled joys of teaching your kid how to use a beer bong when he\'s 6 years old.
You gotta pass a test to get a driver\'s license.
This video is further proof that there\'s no test required to be a parent.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[278][headline] = 'Unemployed Woman Sends Resumes Up, Up in the Air';
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UNEMPLOYED WOMAN SENDS RESUMES UP, UP IN THE AIR
A 36-year-old North Carolina woman has been looking for a job in marketing, public relations, or human resources for a year, but has had no luck. She is now putting her resume in helium-filled balloons-- and frees one hundred of them a week.
She doesn\'t know where the balloons land. And she hasn\'t landed a single interview.
She hopes this will at least bring her some attention.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Completely ineffective? yeah, of course. But at least it gets you out of the house.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[279][headline] = 'Why Women Live Longer Than Men';
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(NEWSER) â Ever wonder why women tend to live longer than men? Well, it turns out the fairer sex is made of stronger stuff when it comes to fighting off disease and riding out shocks to their systems, according to a study published today from Ghent University in Belgium. Researchers found that women have an advantage thanks to that second X-chromosome, which makes them more resilient when faced with microRNA attacks on their immunity genes, the Telegraph explains. Men, with only a single X-chromosome, are more susceptible.
Mike\'s Thoughts: A secondary study suggests that relentless nagging shortens men\'s life spans by at least 10%. Ain\'t no extra X chromosome gonna change that statistic.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[280][headline] = 'Facebook Says: "Ooops. Sorry. We didn't mean to Track Your Every Mo';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[280][entryLongText] = '(Premiere)-Â
Facebook has admitted that it has been watching the web pages its members visit even when they have logged out-- but they say it was a mistake.
The social networking site says software automatically downloaded to users\' computers when they logged in to Facebook inadvertently sent information to the company, whether or not they were logged in at the time.
Facebook says it was a glitch in the software and they fixed the problem.Â
From a Semi-Random Post Seen on Facebook this week:
Tomorrow, Facebook will change its privacy settings to allow Mark Zuckerberg to come into your house while you sleep and eat your brains with a grapefruit spoon. To stop this from happening go to Account> Home Invasion Settings> Cannibalism> Brains, and uncheck the âTastyâ box. Please copy and repost.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[281][headline] = 'Bar Codes for Bullets?';
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COMING SOON: BAR CODES FOR BULLETS?
Two women from Philly are proposing that all bullets come with bar codes so they can be tracked and killers brought to justice.
The proposal would have every bullet in the US encoded and force buyers to have a gun permit, be at least 18, and have a driverâs license.
Itâs called Carlaâs law after one of the womanâs daughters who was killed by a stray gang shooting bullet when she was just 17.
The idea is not new. 18 states have introduced bills that would mark ammunition. None of them have passed.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Maybe there\'s a piece of this I\'m missing. What would be the downside to this plan?';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[282][headline] = 'Some Men Earning Less Than They Did 40 Years Ago';
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SOME MEN ARE EARNING LESS THAN THEY DID 40 YEARS AGO
Economists recently ran the numbers and found that the median salary for guys is lower today than it was almost 40 years ago.
When adjusted for inflation, men earned just over $49,000 per year.
These days, they\'re earning about $1,500 less.
Yet, over those 40 years, the output of the economy has more than doubled, and the productivity of workers has risen steadily.
Things, of course, have changed in a big way since then. Manufacturing jobs have gone away, unions have gotten weaker and American males have the same level of education as they did in 1973.
So even though things have gotten more complicated and technical in the workplace, guys haven\'t improved their levels of education to keep up.
(Newser) â A farmer in Northern Ireland may have given Rihanna permission to shoot her music video in his wheat fieldâbut he most certainly did not give her permission to do so while topless. Alan Graham, 61, was forced to order the singer to cover up during yesterdayâs âWe Found Loveâ shoot, Fox News reports. The best part: He drove over to her on a tractor to deliver the command. Rihannaâs outfits included a mesh top, a red bra, an American flag bikini, and unbuttoned jeans ... and the Huffington Post notes that at one point she did go sans top. (Graham seems to confirm this to the BBC, saying in an interview that he wasn\'t bothered by her bikini top but by \"a more state of undress.\")
âIf someone wants to borrow my field and things become inappropriate, then I say, âEnough is enough. You are not entitled to do that,ââ says Graham, who adds that he was not previously familiar with Rihannaâs work. âI requested that they stop filming and they did. I had a conversation with Rihanna and I hope she understands where I\'m coming from. We shook hands.â She continued filming at another location.Â
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â Morality is all relative and I\'m sure there are about a million other farmers in the world who\'d stand in line to give Rhianna the chance to appear topless in their fields, but, I gotta say, I admire the hell out of a man who has a strong sense of what he thinks is right and wrong and is willing to stand up and say something about it.
PS Hey, Rhianna: my back yard isn\'t even close to the size of a farm, but you\'re more than welcome to use it for your next video shoot. I\'ll even let you jump on my kid\'s trampoline at no extra charge.';
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 (Newser) â Donât call rogue traders like Kweku Adoboli a psychoâbecause that may not be fair to psychos. A new study from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland pitted a group of stockbrokers against a group of actual psychopaths in various computer simulations and intelligence tests, and found that the money men were significantly more reckless, competitive, and manipulative.
 âNaturally one canât characterize the traders as deranged,â a prison administrator who co-authored the study tells Der Spiegel. But âthey behaved more egotistically and were more willing to take risks.â The traders werenât even attempting to maximize their scores so much as gain a competitive edge. âThey spent a lot of energy trying to damage their opponents,â the administrator said, likening it to a man who owns the same car as his neighborâand bashes that neighborâs car with a baseball bat so his will look better by comparison.
Mike\'s Thoughts: I\'m thinking that a few years back this whole stockbroker/psychopath connection might have been hard to swallow but the more we get to see behind the curtain of the great Wall Street collapse and resulting financial crisis, the more believable this argument seems. ';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[285][headline] = 'Motivation or Intimidation?';
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Newser) â A JV football coach in the Syracuse area falls a little short in the \"Win-one-for-the-Gipper\" department: After a loss this weekend, the Marcellus coach stopped the team bus at a cemetery and made his players lay atop graves for several minutes, reports the Syracuse Post-Standard. Jim Marsh\'s message: See, these dead people would love the chance to get up and play, unlike you sorry Mustangs. Now, arise and resurrect your season! Instead of getting inspired, players got the heebie-jeebies and told their parents. The district is investigating. Mike\'s Thoughts: I\'m a big believer in kid\'s sports but sometimes it just seems like we\'ve lost all perspective in this country. I know this was just one coach and one situation that crossed the line but it\'s starting to feel like it\'s symptomatic of a much larger problem.
Especially when it comes to kids, sports are JUST sports.
In the grand scheme of life, they aren\'t really all that important. Certainly not as important as food, shelter and education.
I don\'t imagine any of the players involved in this story were scarred for life or anything ridiculous like that but I\'ve got to wonder what would motivate a youth sports Coach to do something like this? Am I wrong?';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[286][headline] = 'Is He Gay? There's An App for That';
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Here\'s a disturbing one -- there\'s an app available in France that tries to help moms figure out if their son is gay. The app has mom answer 20 questions about her son, and at the end, if it says he is gay, it tells you, \"No need to look the other way! ... He is gay! ... ACCEPT IT!\"
However, if this app says he is straight, it says, \"You do not have to worry -- your son is not gay. So there are chances for you to be grandmother with all the joys it brings.\" Wow. Is there an app to determine whether you have a paranoid and possibly homophobic mom?
Here are the 20 questions the app asks users:
Does he dress well and pay close attention to his outfits and brands?
Does he love football?
Before he was born, did you want him to be a girl?
Has he been beaten up or been involved in a fight?
Does he read the sports pages?
Does he have a best friend?
Does he love team sports?
Is he secretive?
Is he a fan of diva singers?
Does he remain in the bathroom for long periods of time?
Does he have a piercing in his tongue, nose or ear?
Does it take him a long time to do his hair?
Do you ask yourself questions about the sexual orientation of your son?
Are you divorced?
Does he like musicals?
Has he introduced you to a girlfriend?
Is his father very authoritarian?
Is his father absent?
Does he get along with his father?
Was he rather shy and quiet as a child?
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â Or you could just, you know, ASK him.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[287][headline] = 'Doritos: Not Even In Death Do Us Part';
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NEWSER) â Not even death can come between a man and his Doritos. Arch West, the Frito-Lay marketing exec credited with inventing the chip brand, died last week at age 97, reports the AP, and his Oct. 1 graveside service will feature the chips he dreamed up after stumbling upon a San Diego snack shop that was frying up tortilla chips in 1961. His family intends on \"tossing Doritos chips in before they put the dirt over the urn,\" it said in a statement. NPR reminds us that there are now 23 different Doritos flavors available in the US; no word on which ones will grace the grave.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Fans of Mr. West and his creation who want to pay last respects should have an easy time finding the headstone as it\'s made entirely out of nacho cheese powder that turns your fingers orange when you touch it.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[288][headline] = 'Video of Earthquake Hitting Washington Monument';
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(NEWSER) â Debris falls from the ceiling and terrified tourists run for safety in a video released by the National Park Service showing the moment last month when an earthquake damaged the Washington Monument. The video was taken by a surveillance camera near the top of the 555-foot-tall landmark. Officials say the 5.8 magnitude did more damage than they initially realized, and it will remain closed indefinitely, the Washington Post reports.
Large pieces of stone were shaken loose by the quake, a \"debris field\" of fallen mortar has been found at the monument\'s base, and its elevator has been damaged, officials say. A four-person \"difficult access team\" from an engineering firm will perform a detailed inspection of the monument\'s exterior this week, rappelling down each side of the monument and checking every stone for damage.
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â Once it\'s determined how many stones are loose, Republicans and Democrats will hold a special joint session of Congress to blame each other for the structural weakness of the monument shortly followed by a complete Government shut down over the battle to fix it.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[289][headline] = 'Sign of the Times: The Unemployment Sympathy Card';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[289][entryLongText] = '(Bit Xchange)-Â
Hallmark recently rolled out a new line of layoff greeting cards.
Stores have a specific section for job loss and recession humor, offering words of support and encouragement.
With the unemployment rate at nine percent, the company says customers called-in the need.
One card reads \"Don\'t think of it as losing your job. Think of it as a time out between stupid bosses.\"
Hallmark says the cards are selling well.
Mike\'s Thoughts: My question is, if someone close to you has lost a job do you really want to send them a card reminding them that they lost a job? More importantly, is there a money sleeve in an unemployment card?';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[290][headline] = '2012 Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame Nominees';
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15 artists were announced this morning as nominees for 2012 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
TheBeastie Boys, Laura Nyro and Donna Summer are each on the ballot for the third time.
Donovan, Red Hot Chili Peppers and War are each making their second appearance on the ballot.
The rest are first-timers -- The Cure, Eric B. and Rakim, Guns n\' Roses, Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Freddie King, Rufus with Chaka Khan, The Small Faces/The Faces and The Spinners.
Ballots will be sent to more than 500 voters, who will select the artists to be inducted at the Rock Hall\'s 27th annual induction ceremony on April 14th in Cleveland. To be eligible, an artist or band must have released its first single or album at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination.
Mike\'s Thoughts: In my mind Heart is a slam dunk. Guns n\' Roses is on the bubble simply because they really only had one truly impactful album in their career before imploding. (Granted it was a HUGE album.)Â
Faces, Chili Peppers and Joan Jett are debatable on a number of different levels and as for the rest of the list, all very talented artists but I\'m not sure the ROCK N ROLL Hall of Fame is the right place for them....as they don\'t seem especially \"rock\" to me.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[291][headline] = 'Bible Study Group Violates City Zoning Codes';
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 (NEWSER) â A San Juan Capistrano California family has been fined $300 for violating city zoning codes ⦠by holding Bible studies in their house. Charles and Stephanie Fromm have appealed the fine, but were told that more fines would be levied if the regular study groups continue without the Fromms obtaining a permit. A religious legal nonprofit has taken up the cause and says itâs a matter of religious freedom, while a city spokesperson insists that home Bible studies arenât prohibitedâitâs just that this is a special case.
\"The Fromm case further involves regular meetings on Sunday mornings and Thursday afternoons with up to 50 persons, with impacts on the residential neighborhood on street access and parking,\" she writes to the Los Angeles Times. An attorney for the nonprofit, however, argues that properties on the Frommsâ street measure more than an acre, and parking is not inhibited by the gatherings. The city says that in order to continue holding the Bible studies, the Fromms would need a conditional-use permit.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Mmmm......okay. So if the Fromms call these gatherings a \"birthday party\" instead of a Bible study group, would that be a zoning issue? Something seems fishy here. Either that or the Fromms have some really damn uptight neighbors.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[292][headline] = 'Descendants of Lewis and Clark Return Stolen Canoe 200 Years Later';
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 (NEWSER) â Descendants of Lewis and Clark are returning a canoe to the Chinook Indians in Washington state, more than two centuries after the exploring duo stole one from the tribe, reports the AP. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark took the canoe from the Indians who had shelthered them through the winter when they set off for home in 1806. Descendants and donors got together and will formally present a 36-foot replica to the Chinooks tomorrow.
\"We talked about what happened 205 years ago, and we believed that things could be restored if something like this were done,\" said Carlota Clark Holton, a seventh-generation descendant of Clark. \"I think everyone acknowledges that it was wrong, and we wanted to right a wrong,\" she said. \"The family was very much behind it.\"';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[293][headline] = 'The New Perfume That Smells Like Dessert';
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 NEWSER) â A little cream, butter, and lemon sponge cake may just give Calvin Klein a run for his money. For years, Spanish pastry chef Jordi Roca has been baking desserts that smell like perfumes; now he\'s bottling a spray that he also uses to enrich citrus notes in desserts. And women are snapping up a hundred bottles a week of his new fragrance, Núvol de Llimon. \"I\'ve been amazed,\" he tells Time. \"We thought it would just be this whimsical thing .\"
Roca delved into scented desserts 7 years ago after learning that many perfumes rely on common cooking ingredients. He created 24 perfume-based desserts, based on popular fragrances like Calvin Klein\'s Eternity, Lancôme\'s Miracle, and Hermes\' Terre. \"We\'ve never been able to get Chanel No. 5 to taste good,\" he admits. \"Too many aldehydes.\" He says he may start a whole line of perfumes, but his sister-in-law has uncovered a flaw: \"I love the way it smells,\" she says. \"But it makes me hungry.\"';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[294][headline] = 'How Much Would You Pay For An Intentionally Stained Starbucks Shirt?';
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We\'ve all had it happen ... We\'ve spilled coffee on our shirt -- and we\'re stuck with the stain all day. But now there\'s a Starbucks T-shirt that celebrates that dreaded coffee stain.
The coffee-stained T\'s, designed by Alexander Wang, are available at StarbucksStore.com and select Nordstrom\'s ... for 85 bucks. Yep, 85 bucks for a shirt that makes you look like you spilled something on yourself.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Or you could just come to my house. My kids will be happy to spill everything from apple juice to coffee to oatmeal on you for no charge whatsoever.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[295][headline] = 'Fall colors for your viewing pleasure';
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Welcome to Autumn in Colorado and fall foliage has already begun to show up in some parts of the state - particularly in the high country.
Peak color in the mountains occurs during the last week of September and first week of October -- but also varies by Mountain Zone. In other words, fall color starts to emerge first in the Northern Mountains, then works its way south through the Central Mountains then finally into the Southern Mountains.
Warmer weather typically slows the emergence of color overall. Well-timed bouts of cooler weather helps speed the process along. We don\'t want bitter cold though.
We\'ll soon experience an \"Indian Summer,\" and then more consistent snows will hit above treeline. This contrast - between snow and fall colors - will provide for the best photos of the season.
Location Suggestions for Viewing Fall Color:
*Rocky Mountain National Park
*Mount Evans
*Rabbit Ears Pass
*Grand Mesa
*Kenosha Pass
*Cottonwood Pass
*Aspen Area
*Vail Valley
*Tennessee Pass
*Crested Butte
*San Juan Mountains around Telluride
*Lake City Area
*Keblar Pass
 (NEWSER) â An epic fail in the beer heist department, according to cops in Los Angeles County. They say two 19-year-olds went into a market and fled with a 30-pack of Tecate. Employees chased them and caught one, reports the Los Angeles Times. The other jumped into a waiting car driven by a third 19-year-old, but it soon crashed when a store employee jumped on the hood to avoid getting hit. One suspect then ran into a car wash next door, which happened to be in operation. He came out soaked, into the arms of police.
\"By the time he came out of the car wash, the officer was already on the other end of the tunnel,\" recalls the manager. \"It was kind of funny. It was a nice show.\" That leaves the third suspect at large. He got away scot-freeâbut left his wallet in the crashed car. Cops got in touch and convinced him to turn himself in. The trio faces charges of robbery, assault with a deadly weapon (their car), and resisting arrest.
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â The lessons here?
If you\'re going into the beer thieving business, think things through first.
(NEWSER) â A California Starbucks worker was sent packing after posting a video rant about his jobâin song form. Christopher Cristwell took his guitar to YouTube to air his venti-sized frustrations; the clip was picked up by a Starbucks blog and he lost his job, the Merced Sun-Star reports. Among the lyrical highlights: âTwo Frappucinos? They take forever to make/ You know thereâs about a pound of fat in your RF coffee cake.â
âYouâve got a gang of angry kids, can you shut them up?/ I just want to draw a middle finger on your cup,â Cristwell sings, naked except for a green apron. âThe disparaging remarks about our customers and company are unacceptable and out of line with our commitment to our customers and partners,â a Starbucks rep said in a statement. But Cristwell wants the video to be a âteachable momentâ for his bosses. âStarbucks should probably realize this is a mentality for many of their employees,â he says.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Oh, it\'s a teachable moment, Mr. Cristwell. You just learned a very important lesson about mocking the hand that feeds you.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[298][headline] = 'Does Opting Out of Phonebook Delivery Violate the Constitution?';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[298][entryLongText] = '(Premier)
A judge in Seattle has ruled that you can legally opt-out of phonebook deliveries.
The city launched the opt-out program in May for folks who wanted to stop getting the massive books.
One of the book companies sued the city saying it was unconstitutionalbecause phonebooks arenât just telephone numbers and commercial info, but community guides, too.
The judge didnât buy it. He said the opt-out program doesnât violate the first amendment.
Since that didnât work, the phonebook company tried suing on the grounds that the program is illegal under state laws that protect speech and regulate commerce.
The judge said no on that one, too.
Seattle residents can cancel all phone books by notifying the companies 30 days before they distribute them.
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â I\'m no Constitutional Law expert, but I\'ll go out on a limb and say there\'s no specific provision in the Constitution regarding phone books.
You know your business model is in trouble when you\'re in court trying to FORCE consumers to accept your product.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[299][headline] = '"Chewing Gum Made Me Depressed"';
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Chew on this ... A Canadian woman is suing a chewing gum manufacturer, claiming that the gum stuck to her dentures -- resulting in a short bout of depression. How short? 10 minutes.
Elsie Pawlow, 49, is seeking $100,000 from Kraft Canada, parent company of Cadbury Adams, which manufactures Stride chewing gum.
Her suit claims: \"Over a period of five minutes the gum falls apart into little pieces and sticks to the dentures. As a result, the plaintiff has suffered depression for approximately 10 minutes.\"
Her suit also claims she finds the act of \"digging out\" small bits of gum to be \"disgusting.\"
Kraft has yet to file a statement of defense.
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â Lesseee.....food stuff caught in dentures causes depression?
If this lawsuit pans out expect people to be lined up around the block for a class action suit against the popcorn industry.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[300][headline] = 'Angry Users Storm Facebook To Say How Much They Hate.....Facebook';
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Facebook rolled out some new features in the last few days that have many users of the popular social network complaining -- where else, but on Facebook.
Among the changes, the \"most recent\" and \"top news\" options have been replaced by \"recent stories\" in the middle of the page -- with the updates deemed \"most important\" flagged with a blue triangle -- and a real-time news ticker of posts in the top right sidebar.
And there\'ll also be more changes announced today. While Facebook isn\'t letting the word out, predictions include the further incorporation of media, including music, TV shows and music with deals with Spotify, Rhapsody and others; a complete redesign in an attempt to make the site more \"sticky\"; and a retro photo-filter app.
Some negative feedback via an article in USA Today:
\"What pinhead dreamed up these unneeded changes to FB?\" says Don Ross of the Annapolis, Md.-based U.S. Naval Institute, a non-profit association.
 \"I hate the interface. I hate all the changes,\" says Dinah Alobeid of New York. \"I just got used to all the recent changes\" (a few months ago).
 \"I feel like I\'m now watching a business channel during trading hours of the stock exchange,\" says attorney Pamela Schuur of Concord, Calif. \"Ridiculous.\"
 Andrea Meyer, a 46-year-old communications professional from suburban Chicago, was surprised to see the changes when she logged on Wednesday morning.
\"I just looked at my stream and felt it was too early to deal with this. Social media is about engagement, loyalty and relationship building. Their tactics don\'t support it. ⦠Facebook isn\'t playing well with their friends.\"
 Mike\'s Thoughts:Â
1. The notion that people hate change of any kind has never rung truer.
2. As the cigarette industry has proven time and again, addiction is a funny animal. Raise the price, change the labels, re-arrange the interface....whatever. People may bitch about it but for the most part, behaviors don\'t change over night, i.e. Facebook ain\'t going anywhere anytime soon.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[301][headline] = 'TSA Searches Woman's Hair For Explosives';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[301][entryLongText] = '(total Travel Dot Com)
A US woman has complained after security agents searched her afro at an Atlanta airport.
KXAS reports Isis Brantley was subjected to the extra search while going through security at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.
Brantley told the station she heard someone say \"Stop - the lady with the hair.\" She claims she was told by security agents they wanted to \"check for weapons\" before one of them \"started digging in her scalp\".
The Huffington Post reports the 53-year-old has not cut her hair since she was 12.
The TSA told KXAS additional screening may be required for \"clothing, headwear or hair where prohibited items could be hidden\".
TSA officials say Brantley was offered a private screening, but refused.
Mike\'s Thoughts: While I imagine the experience was a bit embarrassing for Ms. Brantley, there are many among us, me included, who would LOVE to have so much hair that an extra security search was required. It\'s not all downside, in other words.
After a near-death-experience, Arizona citizen and realist George Lindell sings a rousing ode to the constant, yet oft forgotten, fragility of the human experience.
Mike\'s Thoughts: For as much as I marvel at the fact that someone actually has the time and energy to put something like this together, I gotta admit, it\'s pretty damn funny. And catchy, too!';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[303][headline] = 'Wanna Eat Less? Try Switching Hands';
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A recent study from the University of Southern California found that overeaters consume less food when they feed themselves using their less-dominant hand. For instance, a righty who loves potato chips would eat about 30 percent less if he were to snack with his left hand. Are you an overeater? What foods do you enjoy so much that you can\'t stop eating them? Do you think you would eat less if you used your other hand? Are you willing to give it a try?
Mike\'s Thoughts: I did try this. As it turns out, my problem is I have amazing dexterity when it comes to eating. Hell, you could tie both hands behind my back and I bet I could still get 3 or 4,000 calories down no problem. ';
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NEWSER) â One possible reason weâre broke: US Justice Department agencies like to spend extravagantly when it comes to conferences, to the tune of providing $16 muffins at one. (No, that is not a typo.) An audit released today found that the âcostly meals, refreshments, and themed breaksâ provided at some conferences are âindicative of wasteful ⦠spending.\" You donât say?
More examples from Bloomberg: One conference featured beef Wellington appetizers at $7.32 per serving; another racked up $32 per person in a single break that offered Cracker Jacks, popcorn, and candy bars. The Justice Departmentâs inspector general did the review, which looked at 10 conferences held between October 2007 and September 2009, as a follow-up to one from 2007 that uncovered similar results (Swedish meatballs at $5 per meatball). New policies and procedures instituted in 2008 were meant to control spendingâyet 2009 conferences cost $73.3 million, compared to $47.8 million the year prior.
Mike\'s Thoughts: It\'s stories like this that remind me of why Government debate about deficits and taxes are so ridiculous. It\'s the human equivalent of a group of foxes discussing restraint and moderation on their way out of the henhouse.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[305][headline] = 'Italy Wants Kobe Bryant, For 600k PER GAME';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[305][entryLongText] = '(Premiere)Â
Kobe Bryant is set to make over $25 million for the Lakers this season (if there is a season). Divide that by 82 games and that\'s a little more than $300,000 per game.
But as the NBA lockout drags on, an Italian team (Virtus Bologna) has offered the Lakers superstar double what he currently makes: $600,000 per game.
That\'s $12,500 per minute, or about $200 per second.
Virtus also is trying to ink a deal with Spurs\' star Manu Ginobili, and recently signed Bucks forward Chris Douglas-Roberts.
Kobe has said he is open to playing overseas though he apparently declined an offer from Turkish club Besiktas (which signed Nets All-Star Deron Williams this summer).
Mike\'s Thoughts: I honestly don\'t think Kobe will take the offer but can you imagine someone offering you 600k for a day\'s work? Wow. Best offer I ever got fora day\'s work was 6 bucks, a packet of chiclets and some slightly used orthotic inserts. Obviously, I took that offer.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[306][headline] = 'Ikea Introduces Playland for Men';
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IKEA INTRODUCES PLAY AREA FOR MEN
There is almost never anything fun about shopping with your wife or girlfriend. When you\'re at the mall, you\'re pretty much taking one for the team.
The home furnishing store Ikea knows this -- and is actually doing something about it.
They have created \"manland\" in some of their stores and have set up areas with Xboxes, pinball machines, TVs with sports playing and free hot dogs.
And, women are given a buzzer to remind them to get back to their man after 30 minutes of shopping.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Guys, would you hang out in \"Manland\" while your wife shopped? I\'ve never done it. I definitely like the idea on paper but something that feels like a \"grown up playdate\" scares me a little.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[307][headline] = 'Stoner With Elmo Fascination Looks For Payoff from Netflix';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[307][entryLongText] = '(CNN) -- Netflix changed the name of its DVD mailing service to \"Qwikster\" over the weekend.
But the company apparently forgot to consider the Twitter ramifications of the switch.
The Twitter handle @Qwikster apparently isn\'t controlled by Netflix. A guy whose name is listed as Jason Castillo and whose icon on that social network is a cartoon Elmo smoking a joint has been tweeting from that account for months.
The comments he makes have absolutely nothing to do with Netflix or Qwikster -- and everything to do with sex and drugs:
\"Bored as s--- wanna blaze but at the same time I don\'t ugh f--- it where\'s the bowl at spark me up lls.\"
And: \"Don\'t bother telling me who my ex is now dating ! Cuzz now I feel bad for the b---- that has my sloppy seconds :)\"
The account, which appears to have been active since April, had more than 600 followers on Monday morning.
It\'s worth noting that some other big-name Twitter handles aren\'t owned by the corresponding big-name companies. @Apple, for instance, has only posted two tweets, and appears not to be owned by the gadget maker.
\"Pretty sure @netflix can score that @qwikster twitter handle for a dime bag and some porno mags,\" a Twitter user name @mat wrote.
Other social media types are offering to help him find a lawyer.
Netflix did not respond immediately to a CNN request for comment on the rogue Twitter handle.
The company essentially has split its business in two: Its video streaming service will still be called Netflix; but the DVD-by-mail piece is now dubbed Qwikster.
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â Even money says whoever was in charge of copyright and domain over at Netflix is now out of a job and sitting on the couch loading up a bong with Stoner Elmo Boy.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[308][headline] = 'Google's New Plan is To Replace Your Wallet';
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 NEWSER) â Google\'s ambitious scheme to put the world\'s wallet-makers out of business was quietly launched yesterday . The Wallet serviceâwhich replaces credit cards, loyalty cards, and coupons with an app that allows people to pay for goods and services with a single tap of their smartphoneâcurrently only links Citi MasterCards with Sprint Nexus S 4G phonesâbut Visa, Discover, and American Express are joining the service and more wireless companies are expected to get on board soon, reports theLos Angeles Times.
Google Wallet is in its infancy, and the number of outlets accepting it is limited, \"but the system already shows a lot of promise,\" declares Christina Warren at Mashable. Other companies are working on wireless wallet projects, but Google\'s may become the platform others decide to build on, she writes.
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â Tell you one thing, if I\'m a company that makes wallets or money clips, all of a suddent, I\'m nervous.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[309][headline] = 'He Makes 600k a Year and He's BITTER About It';
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(NEWSER) â Welcome to the tragic world of Rep. John Fleming: Sure, he pulled in $6.3 million last year from his Subway and UPS franchises, but \"that\'s before you pay 500 employees, before you pay rent, you pay equipment, and food.\" After coughing up those expenses, the Louisiana Republican tells MSNBC\'s Chris Jansing that he\'s left with a paltry $600,000âwhich gets slashed to an even more austere $400,000 \"after I feed my family.\" Which leads your Newser to wonder what exactly he\'s feeding his four grown children.
Fleming\'s larger point was that President Obama\'s deficit reduction plan would unfairly target businesses such as his, prompting Jansing to ask whether paying more taxes would force him to lay off employees, notes ThinkProgress. Fleming didn\'t exactly answer, but when Jansing suggested his $400,000 income âisnât exactly sympathetic,â Fleming responded that âclass warfare has never created a job.âÂ
Mike\'s Thoughts: I understand income and earnings are completely relative. One person might make 50k a year and feel rich, another might make 600k a year and feel like he\'s struggling.
That said, if you\'re an ELECTED OFFICIAL shouldn\'t you at least have enough common sense to realize that most of your constituents probably don\'t make anywhere near 600k a year?
Talk about being out of touch with the common man!';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[310][headline] = 'From Now On Please Refer to Me As 'Led Zeppelin II'';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[310][entryLongText] = '(Premier Prep)
Led Zeppelin truly has a loyal fan in 64-year-old George F. Blackburn from Missouri. Blackburn just legally changed his name to Led Zeppelin Two because that is his favorite album. He says the band \"changed my life forever... I don\'t want to appear to be some off-the-wall, drug-addict idiot. I just changed my name from the standpoint that I can be a better person than I used to be.\"
John Travolta \'s Mercedes Benz 280-SL was stolen in Santa Monica on Sunday afternoon (18th September 2011). The Hollywood star parked in a residential street before visiting a nearby Jaguar dealership for around 10 minutes - he returned to find an empty parking space, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Travolta, who had parked his 1970\'s sports car in Berkeley Street around 3.45pm, reported the theft to authorities. Santa Monica Police Sgt Richard Lewis said, \"It\'s a grand theft auto investigation for a crime that happened in a 10-minute window\". It is currently not clear whether the theft was captured on surveillance video, as the actor had parked in a quiet street before setting off on foot to the dealership on Olympic Boulevard. Lewis added, \"I don\'t want to speculate because it\'s very early in the investigation\". Travolta, who will star in the forthcoming crime drama \'Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father\', had the keys to the vehicle at the time of the theft. Sources close to the actor suggest the car could be worth around $35,000, although the market value could be three times that amount.
Travolta is a keen car collector and owns a Rolls-Royce, a Mercedes Sl 500 and a Jaguar Xj6, among others. He is also a certified pilot and owns five aircraft including a Boeing 707-138 airliner.
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â Authorities currently suspect that a ring of bitter ex-Brooklyn High School students called \"The Sweathogs\" are somehow responsible for the theft.
(NEWSER) â An obscure group of Canadian rockers made an unintentionally savvy business decision in 1990: It picked the name Tea Party and created a website. Which is why if you go to TeaParty.com, you\'ll find no small-government rants, just band information, explainsBusinessWeek. The domain name would probably fetch about $1 million today, but band membersâwho broke up six years ago and reunited recently for a few toursâaren\'t sold on selling.
âAs Canadians weâre somewhat sensitive to all the criticism of socialized medicine,\" one band member tells the magazine. âWeâve considered lending the name to Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart to have them dispel some of the stuff that the Tea Party says.\" Better yet, they\'d be happy to sell to someone who leans left and has deep pockets, like George Soros or Arianna Huffington. Whatever happens, they\'ll need to decide fast before interest wanes, and they\'ve ruled nothing out. \"We\'ve got families,\" says the band member.';
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A Phoenix man became trapped inside his SUV after he lost control of the vehicle, causing it to roll over and strike a utility pole.
In the process, the driver rear-ended another vehicle driven by a man named George Lindell, who later described the events to local Fox affiliate KSAZ-TV.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[314][headline] = 'Crotch-tastic Protection from The Kicking Of Little Feet';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[314][entryLongText] = '(Premiere)Â Forget getting dad a tie for Christmas -- fathers around the world will soon be clamoring for a far more useful item of clothing ... pajamas with padded crotches to protect against kiddie kicks.
Hugh McGinniss submitted the idea to an inventors\' competition and did well enough that the jolt-proof jammies are now for sale Down Under. He notes, \"When I have mentioned it to other fathers, you could see the pain in their eyes. It can be funny, but it is painful when it happens.\"
His next goal is to manufacture ouch-free undies for dads who carry their little ones in those papoose carriers -- which put the sensitive bits right in the line of fire.
Mike\'s Thoughts;Â My kids are older now but when they were little, I would\'ve paid a fortune for something that would\'ve kept my grapes from turning into raisins everytime I picked up one of my kids.';
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 NEWSER) â Michigan is getting aggressive on childhood obesity: Under a new initiative, doctors will be required to report kids\' body weight and BMI stats to a state registry, the APreports. The children\'s identity would remain anonymous, but the move could still trigger concerns about privacy or the government overstepping its bounds. Arkansas ran into similar controversy when it required schools to report such stats in 2003, notes AP, and officials later made it easier for parents to opt out.
 Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is expected to unveil the move tomorrow, with one of the goals being to get doctors to be more proactive about talking to kids at risk. \"A lot of families don\'t even recognize their children are obese,\" said a University of Michigan pediatrician who specializes in the field.
 Mike\'s Thoughts: If we all acknowledge that there\'s a problem (and a I HOPE we do, at this point) then why wouldn\'t we (as a society) try to do everything in our power to solve the problem? Should personal information like names and addresses be attached to this data? No, of course not. But if better measuring the statistics gives us more room to improve the health and welfare of our children, why wouldn\'t we?';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[316][headline] = 'Who is The Most Unhappy White Collar Worker in the Land?';
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(NEWSER) â Who\'s the unhappiest white collar worker in the land? Apparently it\'s a woman, 42, unmarried, earning less than $100,000, and in a professional position like doctor or lawyerâor so says a new survey, Jezebel reports. The happiest? Male, 39, married, earning $150,000-$200,000, in senior management, with one young kid and a part-time mom at home. Now the question is why.
The survey suggests a few reasons. Could be it\'s because men take breaks from work more easily for personal reasons, like eating, working out, and sex. This implies that women struggle to balance life with work, and are likely to endure headaches, stress, and other physical problems. Or maybe our sample single woman wishes she had a family and, unburdened by family demands, puts in too many work hours. \"Women seem less likely than men to recognize that they need time to themselves,\" writes Anna North on Jezebel, \"and they\'re suffering for it.\"
Mike\'s Thoughts: Ah, the ever elusive concept of \"happiness\". When I was a kid my parents used to use that line, \"I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.\"
I contend that happiness is within the reach of just about everyone and if you\'re lucky enough to have a good job and a decent income it doesn\'t take too much re-structuring to move toward being more happy. It\'s a little tougher if you\'re living in a van down by the river.....';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[317][headline] = 'Tubby Diner Sues White Castle Because Their Booths are Too Small';
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NEWSER) â A disgruntled 290-pound White Castle fan is taking his pain to court, Fox Newsreports. Stockbroker Martin Kessman, 64, is suing the fast food chain for not expanding its booths for his meaty girth. He complained two years ago after banging a knee against a table support at his local franchise in Nanuet, New York, the New York Post reports. He says the company sent three \"very condescending letters,\" each containing \"a coupon for three free hamburgersâbut the cheese was extra!âÂ
However, White Castle also promised to expand its seats, Kessman says: \"They sent me specs and everything. ... So two and a half years went by, and nothing was done.\" Now he says the booths violate his rights as a fat person. The Americans with Disabilities Act is âapplicable, not only to me, but to pregnant women and to handicapped people,â he says. âI just want to sit down like a normal person.\" For the record: He has continued to eat there, but sends his wife to pick up the burgers. Mike\'s Thoughts: In fairness to Kessman, at least he has the decency not to sue for some ridiculous some of money over this issue. But on the flip-side, Kessman actually says, \"I just want to sit down like a normal person.\"
Well then, Mr. Kessman, if that\'s the case you may need to make some lifestyle adjustments that allow you to become the size of a quote \"normal person\".
This is not to belittle the guy for being overweight. It\'s a real problem and obviously he\'s not the only American struggling with it.
But the idea that society and businesses are  responsible for accomodating your weight problem is typical of the lack of personal responsibility that\'s so rampant in this country today.';
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(NEWSER)Â â Oh baby. Who knew newborns could have such a significant physical impact on their dads and tomcatting around? Scientists have discovered that fathers experience a significant reduction in their body\'s testosterone with the birth of a son or daughter. They believe it\'s Mother Nature\'s way of making men less interested in things like fighting, flirting and clubbing, and more likely to be a nurturing parent and loyal spouse. Men with babies less than a month old had the most significant reduction of testosterone, the study found.Â
\"Raising human offspring is such an effort that it is co-operative by necessity, and our study shows that human fathers are biologically wired to help with the job,\" said lead researcher Christopher Kuzawa of the Northwestern University study. \"Fatherhood and the demands of having a newborn baby require many emotional, psychological and physical adjustments. Our study indicates that a man\'s biology can change substantially to help meet those demands.\" The scientists also believe lower testosterone levels may help men fight chronic disease, helping them to remain healthy fathers, reports the BBC. Mike\'s Thoughts: I was reminded of this drop in testosterone phenomenon just last weekend when my two daughters insisted I play \"dress up\" with them.
After 4 hours of having my hair and make up done I didn\'t need a scientific study to realize that my testosterone levels had dropped to a trickle. At least now I can blame my kids.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[319][headline] = 'Coming to A Store Near You: The Sensual Cell Phone';
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 (NEWSER) â Here\'s a cell phone that\'s got your number. A new prototype for a \"sensuous\" phone will blow on your neck, coo and even kiss. In pursuit of more \"emotional\" and \"sensory\" phones, a designer at the Berlin University of the Arts has come up with three different touchy-feelie models, reports the Los Angeles Times. One has a strap that tightens to simulate a hand squeeze and is triggered by an amorous caller on the other end. The kissing phone involves creepy things like wet sponges and a membrane. \"Very intense, huh?\" asked the designer when he introduced his models at a German conference. He claims the amorous cells are a natural extension of our desire to reach out and touch someone with our phone calls. Ring-a-ding-ding.
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â If I ever reach a point in my life where I need my cell phone to actually cop a feel, I give you permission to smack me back into reality.';
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(NEWSER) â Add this to the pile of speculation that the iPhone 5 arrival is only weeks away: Sprint has told its employees they can\'t take time off between Sept. 30 and Oct. 15, notesMashable. A company memo obtained bySprintFeed cites the \"possibility of a major phone launch.\" The dates mesh with earlier clues and leaks, and \"our best guess for the iPhone 5 launch date is still Friday October 7,\" writes Mashable\'s Chris Taylor. (Click to read how Sprint is expected to offer an unlimited data plan for the iPhone.)
Mike\'s Thoughts: I acknowledge the supreme coolness of the Iphone, but don\'t grown up people have more important things to do than speculate endlessly on the exact nano-second the new Iphone will be released? Wait...don\'t answer that.';
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(NEWSER) â The Dead are looking for new ways to live on, and theyâve settled on skateboards. In a new business deal, remaining members of the Grateful Dead have agreed to put their logos on a range of new items, including Wines That Rock, Dregs skateboards, and Burton snowboards. But theyâre not just selling out: They agreed to the merchandising plan under the supervision of a record exec whoâs a big Deadhead himself, the Los Angeles Timesreports.
And itâs about more than the money, says the senior VPof Grateful Dead Properties at Rhino Records, who won over the band when he sang one of their rarities for them. âThe band wants to turn on that 18- to 25-year-old audience.â Adds band member Mickey Hart: âWhat we\'ve generatedâthis energy, this musicâis never supposed to end with the last note.â And theyâve been choosy about the merchandise, having ruled out sanitary napkins, caskets, and rolling papers, for instance. âI go to sleep at night and know our legacy is not being plundered by some evil corporation,â says Hart.
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â Mickey Hart- your legacy may not be plundered by some \"evil corporation\" but it IS being plundered all the same.';
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(NEWSER)Â â A chain-smoking orangutan in a Malaysian zoo, who achieved notoriety when she became a symbol of the country\'s horrid zoo conditions, has been forced to quit her tobacco habit, reportsAP. The 20-year-old orangutan, Shirley, would smoke lit cigarettes thrown to her by zoo visitors. But now Malaysian wildlife officials have removed her from that facility and are preparing her to join a wildlife center on Borneo. After a British animal activist group started an embarrassing campaign against Malaysian animal facilities earlier this year, wildlife officials took steps to improve conditions for animals in zoos there.
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â Apparently officials considered using the patch to try to wean Shirley off the smokes but ripping an adhesive patch off a long haired orangutan presents any number of significant problems, apparently.';
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Researchers at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania analyzed the facial structure of 320 NFL starters and found the Buffalo Bills to be the best-looking team in the NFL.
On the other hand, the Kansas City Chiefs are the ugliest.
The study looked at five offensive and five defensive players from each team and also threw in two of the most photographed personalities on any team: the owner and the head coach.
It\'s probably a good thing that the Bills are a good-looking team because, unfortunately, they\'re not a good team. Their record last season was a terrible 4-12.
The least attractive team, the Chiefs, won its division last season and made it to the playoffs.
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â Maybe the Bills need more ugly dudes?
My wife is filing a protest as we speak because she can\'t imagine how any team in any sport could possibly be better looking than the Denver Broncos (featuring Tim Tebow AND Brady Quinn). She may have a point.
NEWSER)Â â This time, apparently the Goonies weren\'t good enough. Singer Cyndi Lauper flubbed the national anthem at the US Open women\'s semifinals, in a ceremony honoring 9/11 victims. After a moment of silence, and as an honor guard marched, Lauper did a mash-up of lines from the anthem, changing âOâer the ramparts we watchâd were so gallantly streaming\" into âOâer the ramparts, we watched as our flag was still streaming.\"
And as always happens after these Christina Aguilera-esque bungles, people took to Twitter to express their outrage, reports the Hollywood Reporter. \"Wowww Cyndi Lauper just messed up the words to the National Anthem...and a fan screams out, \'Crackhead!\',\" wrote a less charitable viewer. At least Aguilera \"covered it up like a pro,\" writes Yahoo. \"Lauper, on the other hand, mumbled her way through the line she messed up, like an elementary school student who forgets the lyrics to \'Tomorrow.\'\"
Afterwards she wrote on her Twitter page, \"I got choked up in the middle remembering 9/11... The moon shone down on us and I tried to say a prayer at the same time... I hope I didn\'t mess up too bad. I wanted it to be comforting.\"
(NEWSER) â What did Serena Williams say to the umpire after she lost a key point for yelling during a shot against US Open winner Sam Stosur yesterday? She completely lost her cool, going off on an extended rant in the changeover between games. \"If you ever see me walking down the hall, look the other way, because you\'re out of control,\" groused a furious Williams from her chair. \"You\'re totally out of control, you\'re a hater, and you\'re unattractive inside.\"
While the exchange was not as volatile as her infamous US Open game from 2009, when Williams was fined $10,000 for breaking a racket and going on a tirade, Williams seemed to accuse the umpire of being the same one who \"screwed\" her over \"last time.\" \"And I never complain,\" said Williams. \"We\'re in America last I checked. Can I get a water or am I gonna get violated for a water?
Mike\'s Thoughts: I understand that professional athletes get very passionate mid-battle but to me, this sort of thing is inexcusable, mainly because it sets a terrible example for young kids who look up to athletes like Serena Williams.
Fining a multi-million dollar athlete 10 grand isn\'t going to do anything to stop this kind of nonsense.
I propose that all sports (not just tennis) get a lot stricter about ejecting players and suspending them for upcoming tournaments for lousy behavior.
(NEWSER) â The headline in the Swedish website the Local reads \"Drunken elk rescued from Swede\'s apple tree,\" and while it\'s almost a shame to ruin it with explanation, here goes: The elk had been chomping fermented apples (apparently a common phenomenon in the fall in Sweden), got tipsy (ditto), tried to get even more apples higher in the tree, then got hopelessly tangled in the limbs. It took a while, but rescuers finally freed the woozy elk.
âMy neighbor recognized it as the animal that almost ran into her car earlier in the day,\" says the man who spotted the treed elk. \"She was pretty sure the elk was already under the influence.\"
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â Apparently, the elk in question offered up any number of indicators earlier in the day that he was getting a little tipsy.
First, he started drunk dialing his old elk girlfriends.
Then he mistakenly ordered 9 pizzas from Dominos.
And finally, when officers approached him all the elk could say was \"I LOVE YOU, MAN!\"
No need to walk a straight line. Clearly, this was one hammered elk.';
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 (NEWSER) â The Pledge of Allegiance has no educational value, an activist group insists, and thus has no place being recited in schools. As such, Brookline PAX is pushing a resolution that would ban the pledge in Brookline schools, theBoston Globe reports. Technically, reciting the pledge is voluntary, but the groupâs co-chair says students are put in an âuncomfortable situationâ and pressured to participate. The group argues that banning the pledge would end bullying of students who choose not to participate.
 âWhat does it say about being a citizen in a democracy?â the co-chair continues, noting the complexity of the issues involved in the pledge, such as justice, liberty, and religion. âAre you supposed to just say something like this or are you supposed to think about it?â According to the Boston Herald, the group calls the pledge âa loyalty oath, reminiscent of McCarthyism or some horrific totalitarian regimes.â The paper got reactions from locals, including this from a Korean War veteran to the groupâs co-chair: âTell him heâs full of [expletive].\"
 Mike\'s Thoughts: So, this is America, right? And we all have a tremendous amount of constitutionally guaranteed freedeom.
If you personally don\'t want to say the Pledge of Allegiance, I think that\'s entirely up to you.
But to BAN the pledge from schools is just absurd.
(NEWSER) â Gov. Andrew Cuomo has unveiled New York stateâs official September 11th Memorial Flag, to be displayed at the Ground Zero memorial as well as the state Capitol, theAlbany Times-Union reports. At a press conference today with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, Cuomo said the flag âis meant to serve as a long-lasting symbol of our respect for those who were lost on September 11th and our resilience in the face of tragedy.â
The dark-blue flag has 40 stars to represent the 40 people killed in the Flight 93 crash; they surround the outline of the Pentagon with the World Trade Center represented in the middle. âWritten on the flag are the words âWe Remember,ââ Cuomo said. âWe remember the faces, the stories, and the heroes of that day and this flag reminds us to always pass on those memories to future generations.â ';
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(NEWSER) â They\'re the most famous shoes never madeâuntil now. They\'re the Nike Air Mags, the LED-covered high-tops Marty McFly wore in Back to the Future Part II. Now, asGizmodo gushes, they can be yours for a limited time ... for the right price. Nike has made just 1,500 pairs of the Air Mags. Starting today, each day for 10 days, 150 pairs will be auctioned off on eBay to raise money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation to raise money to find a cure for Parkinson\'s disease.
So far, eBay bids have ranged from $3,350 to a staggering $9,000. They may not have the famous power laces from the movie, and there have been a couple of other changes for support, but otherwise they look just like the colorful, cheesy \'80s boots those of a certain age remember so well. For more information, check out the Back 4 the Future website.
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â Lea Thompson and Hover Board sold seperately.
We understand that sometimes waking up in the morning can be really tough. talkO\'clock is a new look at an outdated concept. On one hand, it\'s a must-have tool to wake up on time, because it\'s a lot harder to stop talking to a polite and friendly person than to hit the snooze button on your alarm clock. On the other hand, we turned plain old waking up into an exciting game, because you\'ll receive a call from a perfect stranger. While talking with them you\'ll bring some fun into your life.
Users don\'t see each other\'s phone numbers because all connections are made anonymously via our service. And don\'t worry if nobody\'s around to wake you up on time. Our \"wake-uppers\" are real people, who might all be super busy. When that happens, it\'s CallO\'Bot to the rescue! He\'ll play backup and call you at the right time if no one else is available.
You can use talkO\'clock either by downloading the iPhone/Android application, or through our website. Sign up for talkO\'clock via Facebook.
Mike\'s Thoughts: Just for grins I tested out Talk O\'Clock. I\'ll play you the wake up call I received at 7:13a this morning. I\'ll go out on a limb and say they have a few kinks left to work out.';
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 (NEWSER) â Ashley McDowell probably should have been suspicious when two guys approached her in a South Carolina McDonaldâs parking lot and offered to sell her an iPad for $300. She almost certainly should have gotten suspicious when, after she explained she only had $180, the pair still agreed to the sale. But sadly, she was not suspicious, and the 22-year-old drove all the way home before opening the FedEx box she had been given to find all that was inside was a block of wood with an Apple logo on it.
The piece of wood was painted black and framed with tape, and went so far as to include fake icons for Safari and other iPad applications. It also had a Best Buy âsales ticketâ on it, cops said. The Smoking Gun, which has a copy of the sheriffâs office report and pictures of the fake iPad, notes that most âbrick in a boxâ scammers donât bother making an actual replica; theyâre typically satisfied with making sure the box weighs the correct amount. Police dusted the phony tablet, which TSG calls an \"iPlank,\" for prints.
Mike\'s Thoughts: The most brilliant person in the history of mankind is P.T. Barnum who was the first to say \"There\'s a sucker born every minute.\"';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[333][entryTextId] = '20203567';
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(NEWSER) â It was like a Cheech & Chong dream come true: A truck carrying a huge load of marijuana overturned at a busy intersection in San Jose yesterday, spilling large bags of weed across the road. As the driver fled, motorists and pedestrians made off with most of the marijuana, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Police, who found a loaded handgun inside the truck, haven\'t been able to track down the driverâor his cargo
Mike\'s Thoughts; In related news, a Krispy Kreme donut track was attacked by munchy addled stoners just moments later. Fortunately, police were already on the scene.
The mac-n-cheeseburger consists of \"a hand-pressed beef patty topped with new creamy Mac \'n Cheese, melted cheddar cheese and zesty Frisco sauce on grilled potato bread.\"Â
(NEWSER)Â â Credit the power of the Internet. An online outcry convinced JC Penney to stop selling a T-shirt for girls ages 7-10 emblazoned with the slogan: \"I\'m too pretty to do homework so my brother has to do it for me.\" The chain pulled the sexist shirt and apologized after complaints circulated on Twitter, and hundreds of people signed an online petition.
\"We are not happy about the shirt. We\'re looking into it right now, to find out how it happened,\" a JC Penney exec tells the Village Voice. \"One of the reasons we\'re so outraged is that this is not what we stand for. We\'ve facilitated over $100 million [in donations] over the past 10 years to support after school programs in local communities. That\'s a key important message for us.\"
Mike\'s Thoughts: It\'s not sexist, it\'s just stupid. JC Penney shouldn\'t have to remove the shirt because in a better world no one would even consider buying it.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[336][firstName] = 'steven';
$blogEntryArchiveList[336][lastName] = 'stoker';
$blogEntryArchiveList[336][talentId] = '108294';
$blogEntryArchiveList[336][talentName] = 'Mike';
$blogEntryArchiveList[336][headline] = 'Should Babysitters Get Benefits?';
$blogEntryArchiveList[336][entryTextId] = '20203559';
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(NEWSER)Â â Ahh, babysitting: That rite of passage in which you get paid $3 an hour to take care of kids with no breaks, paid vacation, or workerâs comp. All that could soon change, however, if an Assembly bill quickly making its way through the California legislature becomes law. The measure, which could soon be on the governorâs desk, would require parents to provide all those benefitsâand pay at least minimum wage, plus overtimeâto all âdomestic employees,â including babysitters. In order to provide the breaks, a substitute caregiver must be brought in every two hours.
One caveat that should comfort harried parents a bit: The requirements would only apply to babysitters over the age of 18, and only if they are not family membersâso getting free labor from your teenage kid is still totally fine. The bill would require the same benefits be extended to housekeepers and caregivers as well, and failure to abide by the rules could result in legal action. Ultimately, writes Republican State Sen. Doug LaMalfa in The Union, âAB 889 [is] a terrible bill that needs to be stopped.â
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â Only 2 things will happen if this bill passes-
1. Teenagers will effectively be priced out of the role of babysitter
2. We\'ll all start to hear more and more sad stories of parents who left their children either alone or with a \"discount\" babysitter because they couldn\'t afford the increased rates
(NEWSER) â An animated video featuring Willie Nelson covering a Coldplay song is getting some buzz for its message against industrial farming, notes AdWeek. Nelson sings \"The Scientist\" as the videoâcommissioned by the Chipotle restaurant chainâshows a farmer inflicting the evils of large-scale agriculture on his pigs before returning to his sustainable, small-farm roots. The two-minute-plus video will be playing in theaters around the US.
\"It may ring a little false that an enormous fast food chain is trying to end factory farming, but Chipotle often puts its money where its mouth is,\" writes Morgan Clendaniel at Fast Company. \"It buys more naturally raised meat than any other restaurant company in the country. And this summer, the company committed to using more than 10 million pounds of local produce in restaurants.\"Â
Mike\'s Thoughts: In all my years of broadcasting I can sincerely say that I never expected to utter these words: \"Willie Nelson Covers Coldplay for Chipotle Video\". Good thing I didn\'t stay in bed today.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[338][headline] = 'Forget the Engagement Ring, How About a Divorce Ring?';
$blogEntryArchiveList[338][entryTextId] = '20203553';
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NEWSER) â In an age of 50% divorce rates and even divorce parties comes the inevitable: a divorce ring. The 18K gold ring from Spritzer and Furmanâin the shape of a split heart, of courseâwill set you back $3,200. At the Stir blog, Emily Abbate will pass, thank you very much. \"After a heart-wrenching split, aren\'t there a lot of other things you would rather spend $3,200 on than a ring to remind you of your newfound singledom?\" she asks. \"Like, oh, I don\'t know, a trip to Las Vegas with your girlfriends or a much nicer looking piece of jewelry that doesn\'t make you think of your ex every time you get a glimpse of your hand?\" Click for more on the ring.
Mike\'s Thoughts: The truly sad part of this is that I\'m sure a bunch of people will buy one of these things. If you get divorced and you feel like buying yourself a ring, buy yourself a ring. But what in the world is the upside to buying a divorce ring?';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[339][startDt] = 'Sep 1 2011 3:24AM';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[339][firstName] = 'steven';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[339][talentId] = '108291';
$blogEntryArchiveList[339][talentName] = 'Mike';
$blogEntryArchiveList[339][headline] = 'Logger Amputates Own Toes With a Pocket Knife';
$blogEntryArchiveList[339][entryTextId] = '20203550';
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 NEWSER) â When a trailer carrying six tons of machinery fell onto his right foot in a remote Colorado forest, John Hutt realized he didn\'t have 127 hoursâor 127 minutesâto decide what to do. After cutting away his boot to survey the damage to his foot, the 61-year-old semi-retired logger deliberated for less than 30 minutes before deciding to use his 3-inch pocketknife to cut off all the toes on the foot and free himself. \"What are my chances of people finding me? It wasnât that hard of a decision. I felt trapped,\" he tells the Grand Journal Daily Sentinel. His phone was out of reachâand out of range.
\"I thought, âAll right, you might as well cut this thing off. Itâs the only way out.â If I pass out and go into shock, Iâm done, and if I drop this pocketknife, Iâm done,â he recalled thinking to himself. After freeing himself, which took up to 15 minutes, Hutt stopped the bleeding with his shirt and drove off. He bypassed the nearest clinic and heading for a hospital in the hope that his toes could be re-attached, but doctors told him they were too badly mangled. Hutt believes he made the right decision and the injury won\'t prevent him from working as a logger and a crane operator. \"My son joked that I donât have to worry about stubbing my toes anymore,\" he says.
NEWSER) â Illinois gardener Wayne Sabaj went into his backyard looking for broccoli and found $150,000 instead. The honest unemployed carpenterâfearing the cash packed into two duffel bags might have come from a bank robberyâalerted police to the discovery. Investigators have been unable to find the source of the cash, and have left a note in the spot where it was found. Sabaj, 49, may get to keep the money if it goes unclaimed for a yearâbut he says he\'s not holding his breath. \"I don\'t even think I\'ll get it back, and even if I do, the government\'s just going to take a third of it back,\" he tells ABC. \"You just can\'t worry about it.\"
Mike\'s Thoughts: Tell me a guy THIS honest doesn\'t deserve a job? Hopefully some good Samaritan will hear this story and give Mr. Sabaj some work.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[341][startDt] = 'Aug 31 2011 3:20AM';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[341][firstName] = 'steven';
$blogEntryArchiveList[341][lastName] = 'stoker';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[341][talentName] = 'Mike';
$blogEntryArchiveList[341][headline] = 'Controversy Stirs Over 9/11 Anniversary Coloring Book';
$blogEntryArchiveList[341][entryTextId] = '20203541';
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A coloring book titled We Shall Never Forget 9/11: The Kids\' Book of Freedom is drawing criticism from those who think the images of the burning Twin Towers are too intense for children and also from some Muslims, who say it promotes stereotypes.
But Wayne Bell, publisher of Really Big Coloring Books, says the book is a tribute, adding, \"It is an informational piece to help educate children on the event on 9/11.\"
Yet Dawud Walid, of the Council on American Islamic Relations, is particularly disturbed by references to jihadists as \"freedom-hating radical Islamic Muslim extremists,\" adding that almost all mentions of Muslims are accompanied by the words \"extremist\" and \"terrorist.\"
Mike\'s Thoughts:Â Okay, so it\'s not a coloring book I\'d buy for my kids, necessarily and given the subject matter it\'s obvious something like this is going to draw some controversy.
My problem is this: the people who blew up the world trade center WERE radical Muslim extremists. Saying so does not make a person inherently bigoted and I disagree with the idea that saying so implicates ALL Muslims everywhere. It doesn\'t. To ignore the realities of the situation is akin to telling half the story. And if the point is information then it should be ALL the information.';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[342][startDt] = 'Aug 31 2011 3:15AM';
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$blogEntryArchiveList[342][firstName] = 'steven';
$blogEntryArchiveList[342][lastName] = 'stoker';
$blogEntryArchiveList[342][talentId] = '108288';
$blogEntryArchiveList[342][talentName] = 'Mike';
$blogEntryArchiveList[342][headline] = 'Forget the lotion, How About A Sunscreen Pill?';
$blogEntryArchiveList[342][entryTextId] = '20203539';
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(NEWSER) â Coral from Australia\'s Great Barrier Reef has yielded a compound that could put a lot of sunscreen makers out of business. Researchers discovered that algae living in the coral created a compound that acts as a sunscreen to protect both the algae and the coral from the sun\'s rays. They say they are close to synthesizing the compound in the lab, and a pill to prevent both sunburn and eye damage could be on the market within 5 years, the Telegraph reports.
Early testing will be carried out on human skin obtained from cosmetic surgeons. \"After taking the tablet you\'d find the compound in your skin and eyes,\" the lead researcher explains. \"There would have to be a lot of toxicology tests done first, but I imagine a sunscreen tablet might be developed in 5 years or so. Nothing like it exists at the moment.\" The research may also be used to develop sun-resistant crops, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Mike\'s Thoughts: As pale as I am, I can\'t wait to find out just how many of these sunscreen pills I might need to eat in a given summer. The number 11 million comes immediately to mind.';
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A Mountain of Classics
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