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18 Examples Of The Nanny State Gone Wild : America has been overrun by control freaks.  Once upon a time the United States was considered to be "the land of the free and the home of the brave", but today there are millions of laws, rules and regulations that tightly regulate our daily lives.  Most of these laws, rules and regulations were established by people who believed that they had "good intentions", but at this point the nanny state has become so oppressive that it is strangling the life out of us.  If you look back throughout history, the societies that have really thrived have had a very high degree of liberty and freedom.  When the bureaucrats get the upper hand, it can suck the life out of any economy.  Unfortunately, our political system seems to be a magnet for control freaks.  These control freaks truly believe that they know better than the rest of us and they are systematically moving toward taking total control of our lives.  Our rights are being st

Why Apple’s prepaid iPhone on Cricket is such a big deal - The Next Web :

John Edwards Not Guilty on 1 Count; Mistrial on Others : John Edwards Not Guilty on 1 Count; Mistrial on Others

PIMCO's Gross warns of economic "breaking point" : NEW YORK (Reuters) - The debt crisis and central bank policy responses have degraded the quality and value of debt markets and signal a "potential breaking point" in the global economy, PIMCO's Bill Gross, manager of the world's largest bond fund, said in his monthly letter to investors.

Governor's, legislators' pay is cut 5 percent : The salaries of state lawmakers along with that of Gov. Jerry Brown, the state attorney general and the other constitutional officers and members of the Board of Equalization, will be cut by 5 percent beginning in December, California Citizens...

Illinois state representative totally freaks out in epic "Let My People Go" tantrum (video) : I'm not sure what kind of lawmaker he is, but Illinois State Representative Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) is, without a doubt, a source of high-quality viral video entertainment . The tl;dr: according to various reports, he became upset when given 15 minutes to read, grok, then vote on a 200-page pension reform bill. Bost slings an angry rant while colleagues do their best to look bored. At one point, Bost reappropriates a verse from the Bible , which is also a famous old African-American spiritual . He's pretty good, but he's no Paul Robeson . Some context here . In Bost's defense, I get like that when a Starbucks barista makes my latte with the wrong kind of milk. (via Peter Serafinowicz )

Apple iMac was almost named "MacMan," until this guy stopped Steve Jobs : Fast Company has published an excerpt from Ken Segall's new book Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success . The excerpt recounts the tale of how former ad exec Segall helped steer then-Apple-CEO Steve Jobs away from a bad branding decision for what would eventually (thankfully!) be named the iMac. Segall was part of the team that came up with Apple's famous "Think Different" campaign. In 1998, his agency was at One Infinite Loop one day for a dramatic unveiling of a new line of candy-colored home computers. The Apple device code-named "C1" looked like nothing else on the market at the time: Steve gave us a challenge: We needed a name for this thing. C1 was on a fast track to production, and the name had to be decided quickly to accommodate the manufacturing and package design process. “We already have a name we like a lot, but I want you guys to see

Wise-cracking Bush likes portrait : Former President George W Bush is in good humour as he is welcomed back to the White House by President Obama for the unveiling of his official portrait.

His experience?  Managing the Harry Potter movies at WB.  Ummm....no thanks. ~~~ Alan Horn to Run Disney Studios (Exclusive) : UPDATED: The former Warner Bros. chief is Disney CEO Bob Iger's choice to run the studio read more

FAIL Nation: Car Wash FAIL :

Kathie Lee Mistakenly Asks Martin Short About Deceased Wife : Perhaps every journalist’s worst nightmare, Kathie Lee Gifford made a very public error during the fourth hour of the Today show on Wednesday. Guest star Martin Short appeared on the show to promote the film Madagascar 3 . Midway through the conversation with co-anchors Gifford and Hoda Kotb, Gifford asks about Short’s wife, who died of ovarian cancer in 2010. Short handles the questions calmly, even when Gifford makes an unknowing joke about how the couple are still in love. Gifford is no stranger to on-air, cringe-worthy moments. In 2011, a segment that led to a crying autistic boy prompted Howard Stern to accuse her of child abuse. Despite Gifford’s recent gaff on television, she has already sent a sincere apology on Twitter. I send my sincerest apologies to @ MartinShort and his family. He handled situation w/enormous grace and kindness and I’m so grateful. — Kathie Lee Gifford (@KathieLGifford) May 30, 20

Facebook: How the Hottest Company in America Became a Cautionary Tale : Facebook taught a new generation of investors one of the most important, and painful, lessons in investing.

State denies $1.4 billion for O.C. Great Park : State officials have declared that Orange County Great Park, a 1,300-acre project controlled by the city of Irvine, is not entitled to $1.4 billion in tax revenue because of the state's elimination of redevelopment agencies. The transformation of the...

Koreans take their video games very seriously. ~~~ Korean government raids Blizzard over Diablo 3 complaints : The Korean Federal Trade Commission raided Blizzard's Seoul office on Monday as part of an investigation into consumer claims that Blizzard has refused to refund Diablo 3 to eligible Korean players. The FTC says it suspects Blizzard of violating Korean law on electronic commerce and commercial contracts, and it gathered documents and other evidence relevant to its investigation in the raid. Some Korean players were frustrated with Diablo 3 's server issues at launch and asked for refunds, which Blizzard denied, citing its sales contract terms, The Korea Times reports. The FTC considers these terms to be disadvantageous to players. "We have received many complaints from Diablo 3 users," FTC spokesman Kim Hyung-bae says. Another angle the FTC is investigating is whether Blizzard should be held liable for its "ill-preparation" in regards

90s Kids Will Get This :

WIN!: Car Decal WIN :

Music FAILS: SACRILEGE :

Is Naugles making a comeback? : Does anyone remember Naugles? The Mexican fast-food chain — famous for its bun taco and Naugleburger — disappeared years ago after it merged with Del Taco in 1988. Well, it appears Naugles might be making a comeback.  One of my Twitter...

Looks to have a more fuller look, like a Maxima or the new Ford Fusion. ~~~ Spy Shots: First 2013 Honda Accord prototype caught testing : Filed under: Spy Photos , Sedan , Honda , Rumormill , Design/Style There is no way to overstate how crucial the new Accord launch is to Honda's future. After some recent missteps, from the launch of the dowdy and unloved Crosstour to the yawn-inducing 2012 Civic , and with new competition mounting from Ford , Hyundai and Kia , Honda clearly needs a winner in its redesigned midsize sedan. While we already know that Honda will be introducing a continuously variable transmission and a new Sport trim in the 2013 Accord, now we've finally got some images of the car. Unfortunately, the vehicle is heavily cloaked, but we can still see a few details. On the lower grille there appears to be a honeycomb mesh similar to what was seen on the Accord Coupe concept shown at the Detroit Auto Show this year, while the horizontal slats on

Let this be a note to anybody rapping that's come from Queens.  You're not going to make it. ~~~ New York City mapped by rappers' origins : Click through to A Very Small Array for full size. You may also enjoy The Rap Map .

California's Senate passes bill to ban gay therapy | Reuters :

Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, federal appeals court declares : A federal appeals court panel in Boston declared the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional on Thursday, but said that only the Supreme Court will be able to settle the question of whether the federal government must recognize same-sex marriages from states where such unions are legal. Read full article >>

Very telling graphic. ~~~ Presidents and the Stock Market : Here is one metric to watch the election by.

Sure, that's what you tell the Israelis to their face, but in reality? ~~~ US sees window for Iran nuclear talks closing : Tel Aviv (AFP) May 30, 2012 The window for dialogue over Iran's nuclear programme is closing, the US ambassador to Israel said on Wednesday, insisting that Washington is under no illusions about Tehran's agenda in the talks. Speaking at Tel Aviv University a week after world powers held a second round of largely fruitless talks with Iran, Ambassador Dan Shapiro insisted Washington would not continue such dialogue forev

Oracle is just flailing about now on this. ~~~ Oracle Loses (Yet) Another Battle in War on Google : In the waning Java war between Oracle and Google, Oracle has lost another fight. A federal judge has declined to revisit Oracle's claims that Google infringed on its patents in building the Android mobile operating system. On Wednesday, Judge William Alsup ruled against Oracle's request that he make a judgement as a matter of law (JMOL) on Oracle's claims of patent infringement -- a move that would have nullified an earlier jury decision and put it in the judge's hands alone.

Summary of the latest Apple tea leaf readings. ~~~ Tim Cook's Most Intriguing Reveals: What They Mean for Apple's Roadmap : When Apple CEO Tim Cook took the stage at the All Things Digital Conference Tuesday night, he wasn't just answering questions from Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher -- he was also dropping hints about the future of Apple's product roadmap. Here are a few of the most interesting tidbits, along with analysis on what his words actually mean.

Sony PlayStation 4 will not be download only : Disc not slipped Sony's next PlayStation will feature an optical drive - Blu-ray, presumably - after all. Plans to drop disc and go download only have been seemingly shelved.…

Stupid. ~~~ Haven Gastropub adds menu for dogs : Haven Gastropub's Orange location debuted a new menu for dogs last weekend. The popular eatery, located in downtown Orange has partnered with JustFoodForDogs to create five different meals to serve dogs on their patio. The 7-ounce, $4 dishes include...

Here comes the appeals. ~~~ California cities lose battle with state for property tax funds : A Sacramento County judge rules against Glendale, Pasadena, Huntington Beach and other cities that wanted the money for previously approved redevelopment projects. Instead the funds will go to schools and counties. A Sacramento County Superior Court judge Wednesday ruled against a group of California cities in their battle with the state over hundreds of millions of property tax dollars that used to flow to local redevelopment agencies.

Here's the problem with this, or more like the law of unintended consequences.  Put aside the facts that ESL programs are already well funded and the entire process is flawed.  Let's suppose the courts agree with the ACLU and the financially strapped state has to throw more money it doesn't have into more ESL programs.  Small districts lose out on funding to the larger districts.  The larger districts snatch up the funds leaving these smaller ones in the dust.  The ACLU may be fighting for this small Fresno district kids, but they won't benefit from it. ~~~ California neglects education of English learners, lawsuit claims : The suit accuses California of poor oversight and says the state must, by law, act to make sure students who are learning English are keeping pace academically with their peers. State officials are neglecting their legal obligation to ensure that students who are learning English are receiving an adequate and equal education, according to a law

The United Nations, Controller of the Internet? : The United Nations will meet in Dubai this December to make a decision that could carry significant consequences for the future of all web users: Should the UN be granted more control over the Internet? With the high-profile meeting looming at the end of this year’s calendar, key members of the U.S. government and private sector firms will meet with lawmakers Thursday to argue that the U.S. should work to defeat the proposal, which they consider a dangerous breach of existing norms. Currently, the Internet is regulated in what’s called a “multi-stakeholder” model, with various private and public organizations each playing specific roles in keeping the its wheels spinning. Change that setup, argues the panel, and you put at risk the entire structure of the Internet. “A top-down, centralized, international regulatory overlay is antithetical to the architecture of the Net, which is a global network of networks without borders,” wr

Soccer! Lasers! Stormtroopers! The Best Goal Celebrations Ever [VIDEO] : What happens when you take the best goal celebrations from soccer stars, then add Stormtroopers, laser beams and other effects along with a rocking Led Zeppelin soundtrack? Pretty much the best YouTube sports video of all time, that’s what. In the video above, CGI has added all kinds of surprises to the standard post-goal revelry. The editing is so slick, it almost looks real. Except that we all know Stormtroopers have no place on the soccer pitch and players don’t usually light joints immediately after scoring. But still. The mashup has gone mega-viral on YouTube , racking up more than 1.2 million views since being posted Sunday. It appears to have been created by a French ad agency called Buzzman . Check it out for yourself and let us know what you think in the comments. More About: sports , viral videos , YouTube

Satellite images show Iran site buildings 'completely razed,' says U.S. think-tank :

Rigged as always. ~~~ Hornets win lottery, land No. 1 overall pick : The New Orleans Hornets won the NBA draft lottery Wednesday night and secured the top overall pick in the 2012 draft.

Gonorrhoea cases soar in England : The number of newly diagnosed cases of gonorrhoea in England soared by 25% in 2011 amid fears that the sexual infection is becoming untreatable.

NOT unlimited data.  You're capped at just a bit more than 2GB/month. ~~~ You Can Use the iPhone with a Prepaid Plan Very Soon [IPhone] : The dream is real. After AT&T killed prepaid plans for the iPhone , no US carrier has allowed anyone to go with a prepaid, no contract plan when it came to the iPhone. Not anymore. Come June 22nd, Cricket will be selling the iPhone and offering a $55 month-to-month unlimited voice, text and data plan. More »

MegaUpload's Defense Files for Dismissal of All Government Charges [Copyright] : Less than 24 hours after winning a crucial decision regarding evidence disclosure , MegaUpload's legal team is going for the jugular—filing a motion to dismiss in District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. More »

Sean Parker: Apple Tried to Block Spotify in the US [Spotify] : Apple's iTunes Music Store has become one of the dominant source of digital music sales in the US thanks to the rise of the iPod in the '00s. When Spotify popped up in the US last summer, many wondered what took so long. According to Spotify investor Sean Parker, Apple was part of the problem . More »

Syrian Rebels Turn Fuel Truck Into Giant Flamethrower [Video] : If you needed further proof of how mad things are in Syria right now, watch this video of a group of rebels using a fuel truck as a giant flamethrower against Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's troops. More »

Clinton accuses Russia over Syria : Russian policy on Syria is going to contribute to a civil war, the US secretary of state says, as the UN warns of a looming "catastrophic" conflict there.

Canada police hunting porn actor : Canadian police name a 29-year-old porn actor and Montreal resident wanted in connection with two limbs sent through the post, and a headless torso.

Terrible. ~~~ When Alzheimer's strikes the young : The father in his 30s struck down by early-onset Alzheimer's

A whole lot of random violence going on. ~~~ Three killed in US cafe shooting : Three people were killed and two seriously wounded when a gunman opened fire in a cafe in Seattle, Washington.

When The Derivatives Market Crashes (And It Will) U.S. Taxpayers Will Be On The Hook : Warren Buffett once said that derivatives are "financial weapons of mass destruction", and that statement is more true today than it ever has been before.  Recently, JP Morgan made national headlines when it announced that it was going to take a 2 billion dollar loss from derivatives trades gone bad.  Well, it turns out that JP Morgan did not tell us the whole truth.  As you will see later in this article, most analysts are estimating that the losses will eventually be far larger than 2 billion dollars.  But no matter how bad things get for JP Morgan, it will not be allowed to fail.  JP Morgan is the largest bank in the United States, so it is essentially the "granddaddy" of the too big to fail banks .  If JP Morgan gets to the point where it is about to collapse, the U.S. government and the Federal Reserve will rush in to save it.  Because of this "security blanket",

Ruined it for a whole new generation. ~~~ Silicon Valley Cringes Over Facebook Fallout : Startups may feel the pinch after Facebook's IPO.

The Fed is pushing back and saying its up to Congress now to fix the economy. ~~~ Fed's Fisher: Jobs, not inflation, US' biggest economic problem : SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - The lack of job creation, not the threat of inflation, is the biggest problem for the U.S. economy, a top Federal Reserve official known for his hawkish views on inflation said on Wednesday.

This Video of Venus Crossing the Sun Seems Straight Out of Star Wars [Video] : The transit of Venus is one of the rarest astronomical events in our solar system. It happens in pairs, every century. This awe-inspiring video shows the first of this century's pair, which happened in 2004. The next one is about to happen—on June 5, 2012. More »

Badass Chicks In Israel Don't Go To the Beach Without Their Assault Rifles [Image Cache] : When you go to the beach there are a few things you must remember: your towel, your sunscreen, and your assault rifle. At least, if you're in Israel . More »

They're done.  Time to hit the Oldies circuit. ~~~ Venus follows Serena with early exit at French : Venus Williams was eliminated from the French Open in a second-round loss Wednesday to Agnieszka Radwanska.

Maybe he'll hire Charles Smith instead, since he owes him one. ~~~ Source: MJ tells Ewing he won't be 'Cats coach : Bobcats owner Michael Jordan reportedly told Patrick Ewing he is out of their coaching search.

Monday Thru Friday: America, Y U No Maternity Leave? : We can’t even manage one measly hour? No maternity lunch break, even?

Israel weighs 'unilateral move' : Israel's Defence Minister, Ehud Barak, says the government might consider a "unilateral move" if peace negotiations with the Palestinians fail.

Woman fined for blowing whistle into phone : A German woman, annoyed by telemarketers who called her frequently, blew a whistle into the phone to discourage further calls. The telemarketer who received the blast claims to have suffered hearing problems, and now the whistle blower has a criminal record and an €800 fine to pay . (Photo: Shutterstock)

Japan’s hidden tropical island: Aogashima : Tofugu has a short article on this unusual and beautiful Japanese island: Aogashima. Aogashima (“blue island”) is a tropical, volcanic island in the Phillipine Sea. Despite being over 200 miles away from the country’s capital, Aogashima is governed by Tokyo. In fact, a whole stretch of tropical and sometimes uninhabited islands called the Izu Islands are technically part of Tokyo. Volcanic islands? Not typically what comes to mind when you think of Tokyo. As you might imagine, Aogashima isn’t the most crowded place in the world. As of this year, only about 200 people live on Aogashima. The island only has one post office and one school. There are two ways on and off the island: by helicopter or by boat. There’s only one, small harbor where the boats go in an out of, and it seems to be a little unreliable. Because Aogashima is so remote and isolated, it can sometimes be hard to get a boat to or from the island safely. A fellow named I

LOL! ~~~ Man kicks sand with "incredible power," forcing tourists to go home : [ Video Link ] TV news reporter: "The wind blows with incredible power, there are moments when it is impossible to stand up here. The wind blows the sand at over 60 km per hour. The wind blew away the beach umbrellas and the tourists had to leave in a hurry." (Pan to news crew worker kicking sand into the air .)

Oops. ~~~ Obama death camp slip riles Poles : US President Barack Obama has caused an outcry in Poland after referring to a Nazi death camp as "Polish".

Good article with some really frank quotes. ~~~ Insult to Injury: Rise in People with Student Loan Debt and No College Degree : *

How a U.S. Radar Station in the Negev Affects a Potential Israel-Iran Clash : The complex can provide precious minutes of warning to Israel -- but also alert Washington if the Jewish State launches a unilateral attack on Iran

You want help with my buddies Iran and Syria?  Lose the missile shield. ~~~ U.S. Frustration on Iran and Syria Puts New Cards in Russia's Hands : Russia's help will be crucial for President Obama in addressing the crisis in Syria and the Iran nuclear standoff, but President Vladimir Putin is playing hard to get

It means they're going to be the wrench in the EU plans again. ~~~ What a Referendum in Ireland Means for the Rest of the E.U. : *

It's on B. ~~~ Obama calls Romney to congratulate him on securing GOP nomination : They’ve been talking about each other for months. On Wednesday, President Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney spoke to each other for the first time since the general election campaign has begun in earnest. Read full article >>

Mitt Romney’s nomination marks milestone for Mormon faith : America quietly observed a major milestone in its history Tuesday when Mitt Romney became the first Mormon presidential nominee of a major political party. The achievement comes four years after a spate of firsts, culminating with the election of the first African American president. This one has been greeted with little fanfare. And that is just how Romney and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints want it. Read full article >>