Intellectual Bubblegum

The girls in Kindergarten just stare.

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5-year-old Giuliano Stroe has been bodybuilding for most of his life and is now is a new entry in the Guinness Book of Records.

If this was a person, not a company, this would be called stalking.

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A blog article about the merits of giving store clerks your zip code when they ask for it during a credit care purchase, shows what companies can do with that information. 

According to a recent court case in California  (Pineda v. Williams-Sonoma Stores Inc., Cal. Ct. App., 4th Dist., No. D054355). Giving the zip code allows the store to "enhance" the information they already have about your (your name from the credit card) and determine your home address.

The blog written by Chris Hoofnagle and his description of the facts behind this case…

"Jessica Pineda visited a store in California owned by Williams-Sonoma Stores, Inc. (the Store) and selected an item to purchase. She then went to the cashier to pay for the item with her credit card. The cashier asked for her zip code, but did not tell her the consequences if she declined to provide the information. Believing that she was required to provide her zip code to complete the transaction, Pineda provided the information. The cashier recorded it into the electronic cash register and then completed the transaction. At the end of the transaction, the Store had Pineda's credit card number, name and zip code recorded in its databases.

After acquiring this information, the Store used customized computer software to perform reverse searches from databases that contain millions of names, e-mail addresses, residential telephone numbers and residential addresses, and are indexed in a manner that resembles a reverse telephone book. The Store's software then matched Pineda's now-known name, zip code or other personal information with her previously unknown address, thereby giving the Store access to her name and address."

Foxed up News

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Jon Stewart once against hits it on the head as to Fox's bleeding of opinion and fact into the consumer mindstream.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
For Fox Sake!
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

Everytime I say the words "greedy asshole" do I have to pay you royalties, too?

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The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) recently tried to claim that every time a ringtone on your phone is played, ASCAP should receive a royalty payment. Fortunately a federal judge has ruled that your phone ringing does not constitute a public performance. Greedy bastards.

I'm not breaking up, I'm just logging off

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Breaking up is indeed hard to do. It can be even harder when you realize that you follow your ex (and more importantly, your ex follows you) on all the social networks—especially if one or both of you really shouldn't be. Fortunately Ars Technica gives you these basic steps to make life easier and protect yourself from being bugged, harassed, or stalked.

You would dump me for Dsanti Water?

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I've always said that women are much more sexually driven than men, but this survey from the nationwide Women's Wellness Survey seems to say otherwise.  Notice sex is number 7. 

Women respondents ranked the following behaviors in terms of importance to overall health and well being. Their priorities:

1. Getting enough sleep
2. Keeping stress level low
3. Finding time to relax
4. Eating healthfully
5. Drinking the recommended amount of water
6. Finding time to exercise
7. Having enough sex

See more of the survey here

Think of the kids…that I'd have to look at and hate.

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A justice of the peace in rural Louisiana is refusing to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple. This, according to him is  out ofconcern for any children the couple might have.

Sayeth the justice according the Associated Press, "I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way," Bardwell says. "I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else."

First of all. You are a racist. You just don't want to be labeled one.  

Secondly, what he is doing is illegal since Loving Vs. Virginia was decided by the Supreme Court.  But growing up and hearing from friends who've dated interracially, including myself, the justice of the peace's defense of the age old cry I've heard from every "concerned" parent who facings the real prospect of their son or daughter dating a black person.  "What about the kids?"

To which I say, "What about the kids? 'Cause it's not about the kids."  No one brings up that argument, when the person you're about to get get married to is a wife beater, alcoholic, poor, badly educated, a womanizer.  But when they are black (as well as some other groups) all of a sudden we gotta start thinking about the children.  That's because when they think about the children, those "concerned" parents are more thinking about the embarrassment and how they'll have to explain walking with a grandson or granddaughter that doesn't look like them.

A dollar a day keeps the unemployement check away

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New York cuts off unemployment benefits for woman who reported $1.30 a day in advertising income from her blog. 

That's some magic wand, Harry Potter

Chew on this,  well, not literally,

Satisfaction taking off

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According to the Brookings Institution, the recession, less people traveling and less planes in the air have made the air travel bearable and less delayed.  The bad news,  economic recovery will mean more delays in the future.