Big Brother Gives Sweden Pink belly, People Outraged.

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In a fit of fear inspired by terrorism and Internet crime, former privacy-is-sacred country Sweden has decided to change their laws regarding digital privacy. This week, a law will be voted on that would give Swedish government and police forces the ability to fully monitor phone, email, and Internet traffic going into and out of the country.

Additionally, because Sweden is used to routing data to its European neighbors, it would give those Agencies access to the data headed to nearby countries. That means you. Read More »

The Big Girl Epidemic

Heidi Montag“Does Your Girlfriend Act Her Age?” tells us that “the women you date should behave—and look—like grown-ups, not characters from High School Musical.” It also explains that with each new episode of The Hills,Gossip Girls and each new tabloid story “chronicling the dysfunction of the Lindsays, Britneys, Nicoles, Heidis, and Laurens” this grown-up type of woman gets harder and harder to find.

I get the feeling that a lot of women are dressing and acting that way because they think that that’s what guys want,” says Jean Twenge, associate professor of psychology at San Diego State University and author of Generation Me, a book about American youth culture. “It’s the same thing as older women getting plastic surgery. The idea is that what men want is a woman who looks 18. Although they don’t usually want a woman who acts 18.” Twenge laughs, then adds, “And that’s where the problem comes in.”

“I’ve been meditating on the question of why women in their twenties seem to be obsessed with all things teen—fashion, slang, gossip, et cetera,” says Anastasia Goodstein, publisher of ypulse.com, a marketing website. “The reality is that teen culture has come to define pop culture.”

As the usual markers of American adulthood—marriage, career, kids—get more and more delayed, the simple-minded distractions of adolescence have extended their grip on the adult brain.
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Colbert Denied Candidacy

Stephen ColbertThe word: unfortunate.

Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report was snubbed of his dream Thursday - the dream of running America.

After paying the $2,500 filing fee needed to run as a Democrat in South Carolina Colbert was to be considered a presidential hopeful, until South Carolina’s executive committee stunted his publicity stunt, with Carol Fowler (the state party Chairwoman) citing that “[the committee takes] their responsibilities seriously. Our rules are pretty specific about what makes a legitimate candidate.”

Was the million-and-change strong Facebook group and endless publicity all for naught?

Since Colbert also refused to pay the outrageous sum of $35,000 to run on the Republican ticket it looks like this fantasy is coming to an end. Read More »

James Lipton, American Pimp in France

I have always stood up for the misunderstood James Lipton, host and creator of Inside the Actor’s Studio. This guy has the absolute driest sense of humor - so dry that most think he’s just uptight.

Nothing could be farther from the truth, according to Lipton’s memoir Inside Inside and his interview on Late Night with Conan O’ Brien, in which he told stories of pimping hoes in France along with late-night kinky escapades with…Barbara Walters?

If you’ve hated on Lipton in the past, watch the following clip and realize the error of your ways:

The Daily Shocker: Male Birth Control

The Daily Shocker

Hey ladies: imagine your man saying “don’t worry sweetie, I’m on the pill” right before you go at it. Yeah, we can’t either. (MSNBC)

A man in Cambridge, Massachusetts has taken the phrase “time is money” to a whole new level. (Boston News)

Redneck romance: man paints wedding proposal on his demolition derby car. (Yahoo)

Mayor Bloomberg thinks it’s “ridiculous” that people would criticize surveillance cameras watching your every move. I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Bloomberg; the average American could sure use some privacy-killing paparazzi in their lives. (NY Daily)

And you thought teenage girls lived at the Mall. (ABC)