IBGerm

"Two teenage girls (aged 10 and 12) found themselves trapped/lost in a storm water drain in Adelaide, South Australia. The interesting point of this article that makes it Blog worthy, is that although the teenage girls had mobile phones, instead of calling for help using 000 (Australia’s 911 number), they decided to notify people through Facebook. My guess is it was something along the lines of ‘Jane Doe is like totally trapped in a storm water drain, really need help, OMG!’. Luckily a young friend of the girls was online at the time and was able to call the proper authorities."

I think this is a true reflection on society today!

Points to be made-

Ages 10 and 12 are not typically teenagers but..you must be at least 13 to have a Facebook account. They have Facebook accounts. So they must be 13, and hence teenagers, even if they’re only 10 and 12.

Everyone knows that if you need to call for rescue, you use twitter.

"HELP ME! I am stuck and in real trouble and hurt real bad! I think my leg is broken, and I am losing a lot of blood. You can find me at" http://locme.

Maybe they didn’t have a signal strange enough for a call, but a text could get out (I hope this is the correct one).

TAMPA, Florida —  A Florida man born without arms says a Tampa bank would not let him cash a check because he couldn’t provide a thumbprint.

It was supposed to be a quick stop at the Bank of America.

"I said, ‘I’m going to run over downtown on my break, cash the check and bring the cash back.’ No big deal," Steve Valdez said. "It turned out to be a very big deal."

Valdez said he was cashing a check from his wife, who has an account at Bank of America. But the teller told Valdez she needed a thumbprint in order to cash it — it was company policy.

It’s not that Valdez didn’t want to provide it. He couldn’t provide it, and  the teller even acknowledged it.

"’It’s obvious that you can’t give us a thumbprint.’ She goes, ‘Let me go check with my supervisor,’" Valdez recalled the teller told him.

Valdez was born without arms and wears prosthetic devices. While at the bank, Valdez said he provided two photo IDs. And still that wasn’t enough. The bank supervisor offered him two options.

"One is, you can bring your wife with you. And the other one, you can open up an account with us. And I said, no, I don’t think so," Valdez added.

Valdez said he reminded bank officials the American for Disabilities Act would have a problem with their unfair treatment, but that didn’t seem to bother them.

"You do realize this is in violation of federal law and really you haven’t heard the end of it," Valdez said. "And she goes, ‘Whatever.’"

They never let Valdez cash his check, but he said days later he received a phone call from a bank regional manager with an apology.

Bank of America spokeswoman Nicole Nastacie says the bank should have "offered alternative requirements if an individual is not able to give a thumbprint."

Valdez had a message for them too:

"They need to alter their policies and procedures, or have alternate plans should something conflict with that."

You would think with all the money that the government gave out, they might be a little nicer.

source: Fox news

Jean wearers rejoice! The age old question has been solved once and for all, and now you can make up your own mind about whether your jeans make your bum big or not thanks to the butt cam.

No more trusting your friends or boyfriend to tell you because Jeanswest has fitted their change rooms with cameras that take a picture of your behind in the impossible fitting jeans, with a screen to show you what exactly you look like.

Retail consultant Stephen Kulmar believes the Butt Cam will revolutionize the way we think about our jean-buying practices and induce us to buy the item.

Source: www.news.com.au

No, this isn’t as creepy as it sounds. No, there isn’t some guy/girl behind the mirror (well not an additional one anyway). It is a good idea I think, as long as you can get over the fact that there might be somebody actually watching the same feed that you are in that room.,

Coca Cola has begun trialing a new drink starting in New York – Fruit Flavored Carbonated Milk. The $2.50 ,per 8 ounce bottle, carbonated ‘vibrancy’ drink will be called ‘Vio’. Available flavors will be citrus burst, peach mango, tropical colada and very berry.

A spokesman said "The launch of Vio in the US is an exciting development for consumers there 

Critics of the new drink have said "Carbonated milk products are very popular in Asia.  

A reviewer from BevNET offers the following assessment:

The peach and mango flavors pair nicely with the base of sweetened carbonated dairy, delivering something that’s slightly reminiscent of a lassi drink. However, what starts out seeming not so sweet turns almost overwhelming by the time you are half way through the bottle. Otherwise, the combination of milk, carbonated water, sweetener, and flavor is one that is enjoyable, although probably not on a regular basis.

I think the bottle design is very cool and all but would you buy it?

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The electrical smell that caused a Southwest Airlines Co flight to make an unexpected landing Sunday was caused by a coffee maker in the back of the aircraft, a company spokesman said on Monday.

The coffee maker was in the back galley of the Boeing 737 plane. The aircraft was examined and put back into service by 12:30 p.m. EDT (1630 GMT) Sunday, said Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz.

"Anything that might have touched the burner might have caused the electrical smell," Mainz said. He added that the problem was "fairly unusual," although it was not the first time it has happened.

Flight 693 bound for Orlando, Florida, departed from Bradley International Airport in Connecticut at 7:21 a.m. EDT Sunday. The plane, which held 131 passengers and 5 crew members, landed at Long Island Islip MacArthur Airport shortly before 8 a.m.

First bag will cost $20, second $30, on tickets bought after Aug. 13

FORT WORTH, Texas – It’s going to cost you more to check bags on an American Airlines flight.

American said Friday that checking the first bag will cost $20, up from $15, and a second bag will cost $30, up from $25.

The change takes effect on domestic-travel tickets bought after Aug. 13.

Elite members of American’s frequent-flier program continue to be exempt from the fees.

United, Delta, Continental and US Airways recently announced $5 increases in checked-bag fees, to $20 for the first and $30 for the second.

I say these on display from a UK dealer and I am so hoping they decide to import these into the USA. These are ultra realistic images that are printed on plastic sheets which are stuck on garage doors. Will this be the latest thing to have to try and keep up with the joneses? I wonder if the HOA around Texas will have a field day with these. I am told these are weather and fire-resistant prints that are designed to disguise that boring, flaky, graying metalk. Held in place by industrial strength Velcro, they are easy to change and virtually indestructible. So I am told. You can choose from various designs, Formula One racing cars, private jets, speedboats and the kind of equipment that any fledgling rock band would be proud of.

The fashion started in Germany and is now being taken up by humorous garage owners over in the UK. At £145 ( 235-250 US dollars), it’s certainly quite a lot cheaper than the real item they are portraying.

If you want something really unique? contact the creator Thomas Sassenbach (www.styleyourgarage.com). I think it is time for me to catch my flight or did I just miss my train?

Ok, this is a stupid observation. I was almost run over, well at least hit by another driver’s car this morning. I have seen this way to often! Why do drivers feel then need to sway right, when they are turning left, either make the stupid u-turn or just turn left alreay.  I don’t understand this. Do they think their car will not make the turn if they do not do this? Are they just bad drivers? I can understand this practice if you stay  in their “lane”, but way too many of you out there do not. Please, if you don’t know how to drive your over-sized vehicle, then go learn before you hit the road. I value my life way to much……. Straighten up out there.

On Thursday, Federal Reserve Chairmen launched a “robust defense of its independence.” Vice Chairman Donald Kohn said that allowing sensitive decisions to be politically criticized would cause higher interest rates and hurt the USA’s credit  rating.

Kohn warned the House of Representatives that if there was removal of power of  monetary independence of the Federal Reserve would cause interest rates to raise due to inflation fears from investors.

The Federal Reserve has felt Ron Paul’s bill, hr 1207, as a threat to its independence. The bill would audit and bring transparency to an otherwise secretive entity. Paul’s bill has about 250 cosponsors.

Source: www.reuters.com

I cant believe what I just learned. A New York City teen, more specifically a Staten Island teen fell down a uncovered manhole to a sewer line while texting. She and her family are planning on sueing? What the heck.

The teen fell down and only suffered some minor scrapes on her arms back after she dropped into the man-hole on Victory Boulevard. "It was four or five feet, it  was very painful. I kind of crawled out and the DEP guys came running and helped me," Longueria told the Staten Island Advance.. "They were just, like, ‘I’m sorry! I’m sorry!" "Oh my God, it was putrid," she said. "One of her sneakers is still down there"

"We regret that this happened and wish the young woman a speedy recovery," DEP spokeswoman Mercedes Padilla said in a statement. She added that crews were flushing a high-pressure sewer line at the time. Sewer line workers are supposed to cut off pedestrian access to work sites or at least mark them with warning signs.

The family said they will file a lawsuit — for what, though, is not immediately clear. Her mother, Kim Longueira, said it doesn’t matter that her daughter was walking and texting, and also, the ‘gross’ factor that can’t be ignored.

Honestly, do we need to just go ahead and Nerf pad the entire world now. Nobody takes any responsibly for themselves now. I know it sucks that she fell into a hole, but she wasn’t paying any attention to where she was. If she had been texting and walked out into oncoming traffic and got hit, what are they going to sue the driver of the car, because they didn’t see her, or didn’t avoid her. What is next, sue the car company because they didn’t equipe the car with stupid person avoidance system? Sorry, I was ranting.