XIAM007 - Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World

Sunday, 9 March 2014

New meaning for the phrase "Hump Day," - Wednesday is the most popular day for people to cheat -

In news that gives new meaning to the phrase "hump day," AshleyMadison.com -- the infamous site for people seeking affair partners -- has revealed that Wednesday is the most popular day for people to cheat.

The infidelity site surveyed 172,000 of its users about the day and time of day they most often stepped out on their spouses. Wednesday, between 5 and 7 p.m., received the dubious distinction, with more than 18 percent of respondents selecting the particular timeframe.

You can add this little nugget of cheating trivia to the the wealth of knowledge Ashley Madison has already released about its user base, from the city with the the highest concentration of mistresses (New York City) to the cheaters' favorite affair anthem (R. Kelly's "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)," naturally.)

Read more -

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/06/affair-_n_4913628.html

Saturday, 8 March 2014

'Lick This' App Teaches Oral Sex Via Phone-Licking -

When it comes to oral sex, maybe it's time to start phoning it in.

Lick This, a new App by San Francisco-based team "Club Sexy Time," promises to let users hone their cunnilingus skills by licking their smartphones, according to Fast Company.

The app requires no download; you just go to lickthisapp.com on your mobile browser and start tonguing away at your phone screen. The site suggests that you "wrap it up" by putting some plastic wrap over the screen. This is presumably because your cell phone is dirtier than a toilet seat.

Once you've fashioned your makeshift dental dam, it's time to get licking. At this time, there are three exercises available for budding cunning linguists.

"Up n' Down," which challenges users to flick a light switch up and down as quickly as possible.
"Circles," which has users move the handle of a mechanical pencil sharpener around as quickly as possible.
"Freestyle," which asks users to use their tongue as an implement to jab at a beach ball bouncing seemingly at random around the screen.

Read more -

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/07/lick-this-app-oral-sex-phone_n_4919317.html?utm_hp_ref=technology&ir=Technology

Friday, 7 March 2014

After pledging transparency, PBS hides details of new deal with billionaire owner of NewsHour -

Last month, in response to Pando’s revelations that anti-pension mogul John Arnold secretly was financing PBS’s “Pension Peril” series, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting issued a scathing report demanding immediate reform. Criticizing “the lack of transparency” at PBS, CPB’s ombudsman Joel Kaplan declared that public broadcasting outlets must let the public access details of their financial dealings.

So how’s that new commitment to transparency going?

Here’s how: Once again, a PBS flagship station is in the process of negotiating a deal with a politically active mogul. Once again, the deal involves the NewsHour — the same iconic PBS program that stealthily promoted Arnold’s anti-pension programming. And once again, PBS is refusing to disclose the deal’s financial details to the public.

The major difference this time is that this new story of secrecy isn’t about who funds the journalism on the NewsHour. It is about who actually owns the NewsHour.

Read more -

http://pando.com/2014/03/07/after-pledging-transparency-pbs-hides-details-of-new-deal-with-billionaire-owner-of-newshour/

More Than Half Of Brides And Grooms Have Slept With At Least 2 Wedding Guests -

A wedding is supposed to be a time of celebration, love and excitement -- but for modern newlyweds, it can also be a stressful, ex-filled affair that ends with the bride and groom passing out, too tired from the shindig to even get it on.

A new survey from Paper Shaker -- a UK company specializing in wedding stationary -- is shedding light on the modern bride and groom and after interviewing 1,000 newlyweds, here it what they found:

60 percent of newlyweds said they had slept with two or more of the wedding guests.
32 percent said they would like to keep their partner in the dark about who those guests are.
25 percent of couples said they did not consummate their marriage on their wedding night because they were too drunk or too tired.
Women were more than twice as likely as men to have second thoughts the night before the big day.
20 percent of men surveyed admitted to being attracted to female guests on on their wedding day.
Do these stats ring true for your wedding experience? Let us know in the comments below.

Read more -

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/06/newlywed-survey-sex_n_4913608.html

O-O-P-S. President Obama had a spelling blunder - Misspells ‘Respect’ While Praising Aretha Franklin - R-S-P-E-C-T -

O-O-P-S. President Barack Obama had a spelling blunder Thursday while praising Aretha Franklin.
Obama misspelled “respect” while lauding the “Queen of Soul” before a White House concert featuring several musical legends.
“When Aretha first told us what R-S-P-E-C-T meant to her,” Obama said, before the audience in the East Room erupted into laughter. He then continued, “”She had no idea it would become a rallying cry for African-Americans, and women, and then everyone who felt marginalized because of what they looked like or who they loved. They wanted some respect. Later, when somebody asked her why it had such an impact, she said, ‘I guess everybody just wants a little respect.’ Today, they still do.”
First up in the East Room lineup was Patti LaBelle, with a thundering delivery of “Over the Rainbow” that had the audience on its feet.

It was a mutual admiration society of sorts as LaBelle thanked the Obamas for their tenure in the White House, declaring, “Baby, you got swag!”
Ariana Grande, the youngster in the group at 20, seemed in awe of her fellow performers and the august audience. Her lead-in: “What’s up? How are you? Good to see you. Thank you for having me.”
The emotional high point came when Franklin, 71, sauntered in, gave a shimmy and declared “Let’s have a party.” Then she went right into “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)” She was back later to close down the show with what Obama called “one more treat,” – a slow, soulful rendition of “Amazing Grace” that turned rowdy at the end.
But first, all the other ladies – including Melissa Etheridge, Janelle Monae, Jill Scott and Tessanne Chin – collaborated on a rollicking delivery of “Proud Mary.”
The concert was livestreamed at WhiteHouse.gov/live and will be broadcast as “In Performance at the White House: Women of Soul” on April 7 on PBS.

Read more -

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2014/03/07/obama-misspells-respect-while-praising-franklin-before-white-house-concert/

Bob Costas’ Olympic pink eye from ‘botched Botox’ -

Bob Costas got his infamous case of Olympic pink eye from botched Botox, a source claims to Page Six.
NBC’s prime-time Olympics host, who had to take a six-day absence after coming down with viral conjunctivitis in both eyes, contracted the infection after a Botox procedure to smooth out wrinkles prior to the Olympics. Our source said, “Bob’s eye infection was due to botched Botox. This isn’t the first time he’s had it.”
NBC strongly denies that Costas — who arrived to host the games in Sochi with a forehead smoother than the Olympic luge track — developed the infection from a Botox procedure.
A spokesperson from NBC Sports insisted to us, “This has zero truth to this. Zero.”

Costas was forced to take nearly a week off from the Olympics, with Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira sitting in for him after the infection spread from his left to his right eye. He told reporters later that it caused light sensitivity and blurred vision. “The worst three days of it I was primarily in a darkened room,” he said.
Doctors say it is rare to contract an infection from a Botox injection, unless there was contamination or the patient suffered an allergic reaction. New York plastic surgeon Dr. Mark Warfel, who has not treated Costas, told Page Six: “If the Botox procedure is done properly, the patient shouldn’t get pink eye. It is highly unlikely unless the procedure was unclean, when the patient could contract cellulitis of the eyelid [symptoms include redness and swelling of the eyelid].”
Costas interviewed President Obama on Feb. 6, the night before the opening ceremonies. But the next morning, “My left eye was like a slit, and I’m thinking, ‘What the hell? . . . I’m also thinking maybe I put a few eye drops in and it resolves itself,” he told reporters. But his doctor immediately “realized something was wrong.”
Costas valiantly tried to cover up the redness by wearing thick glasses. But after five nights, his blurred vision and light sensitivity made it impossible for him to be on air. He took six days off and returned on Feb 17.

Read more -

Thursday, 6 March 2014

Vladimir Putin Nominated For Nobel Peace Prize -

It would appear the Norwegian Nobel Institute is starting to lose it. Just a few years after President Obama won the Peace Prize (while mired in overseas wars), the director of the prestigious entity announced today that Russian President Vladimir Putin, accused of invading Ukraine - suspiciously un-peaceful action - has been nominated for the Peace Prize. Putin joins NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai as a nominee for the award to be announced in October.

Via Voice Of Russia,

Putin is thought to be on the list, since Russian figures proposed his name in October, citing his role in the Syrian crisis.

The former KGB agent is credited with averting a US attack against Syria by suggesting putting Bashar al-Assad's regime's chemical weapons arsenal under international control.
But, as HuffPo notes,

In order to secure a spot on the list, essentially all that's required is for a group or individual who falls under the broad criteria set by the Nobel Committee to formally submit your name and good deeds. The committee then selects from these nominations, but takes no responsibility for the pool of candidates they choose from.

This process has resulted in some truly terrible people being proposed over the years, including but not limited to: Joseph Stalin (twice), Adolf Hitler (as a protest), and Rush Limbaugh. Putin was also nominated last year and faced similar criticism as today.
Just need a few more invasions and should be a lock...

Read more -

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-03-06/vladimir-putin-nominated-nobel-peace-prize

Driver finds $12,000 stash of marijuana in spare tire -

An Ohio woman took the car she bought seven months ago to a dealership to replace a flat tire this week and learned she has been driving around with eight pounds of marijuana in the spare.

Mechanics at the dealership in Amherst, Ohio, west of Cleveland made the discovery when they installed the spare tire and heard a "loud thumping" as the woman drove away, police said on Wednesday.

They found marijuana worth about $12,000 wrapped in plastic that had been stashed in the tire, according to Chief Deputy Dennis Cavanaugh of the Lorain County, Ohio Sheriff Department.

The car was purchased new in August.

Cavanaugh said the woman has not been charged with any crime, and investigators were trying to trace the marijuana back to parts suppliers or vehicle transport firms.

Cavanaugh said this case was not the first time marijuana has been found in unexpected places, including tires and hidden compartments.

"I'm sure it is not the only vehicle out there with this," Cavanaugh said.

Read more -

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2014/03/06/driver-finds-12000-stash-of-marijuana-in-spare-tire

The Next Shoe To Drop On Your Retirement Account -

President Obama released his 2015 budget proposal this week… and as expected, it contained even more language about his MyRA initiative.

As we’ve discussed so many times in the past, IRAs are an irresistible kitty for such a bankrupt government.

The US government itself estimates that over $5 trillion is tucked away in American retirement accounts.

They need that money. Your money.

Think about it– the Chinese are starting to dump their US Treasuries in record numbers. The Social Security trust fund is also on track to start dumping Treasuries in order to pay out record numbers of retirees.

The US government is struggling to come up with new funding sources… and retirement accounts are by far the easiest target.

Why? Because the majority of retirement accounts at trapped at big Wall Street banks, which are all de facto agents of the government. All the Treasury Department has to do is make a phone call.

Of course, they’ll claim that it’s for your own good. I suspect they’ll wait until there’s a big stock market crash and then say “We must protect Americans from such risky investments. And that’s why today we are requiring these banks to invest a portion of the retirement accounts they manage in the safety and security of US government Treasuries.”

A few weeks ago in his Sad State of the Union address, President Obama announced this MyRA program– a new initiative that will “help” Americans invest directly in US Treasuries.

Then he looked everyone in the eye and said, “These accounts will never go down in value…”

Naturally. How could loaning money at rates which don’t even keep pace with inflation to a country that has racked up more debt than any other nation in the history of the world possibly pose a risk?

After announcing MyRA, Mr. Obama took to the streets, and his team took to the media… flooding newspapers and airwaves with MyRA propaganda.

Yesterday’s budget announcement constitutes the next phase: automatic enrollment.

And I suspect that, just like Obamacare, there will soon come a time when it will become MANDATORY to have some sort of retirement plan set up, naturally with the government option at people’s fingertips.

This isn’t some far-fetched conspiracy theory. In fact, it’s already happened in so many countries over the last few years– from Argentina to Ireland to Poland.

In fact, even the Treasury Department grabbed government pension funds at least three times since 2011 in order to plug temporary funding gaps.

The Federal Times, a publication for senior government managers, ran a story back in 2011 entitled “Treasury raids your pension – but don’t worry, Geithner says”.

This idea is no longer theory or conjecture. It’s happening, and the conclusions are all supported by the data.

Anyone who thinks ‘that will never happen here’ is really fooling themselves… and playing very dangerous games with their hard-earned savings.

Read more -

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-03-06/next-shoe-drop-your-retirement-account

Scientists Patent Machine To Give Women Orgasms At Push Of Button... -

Scientists have patented a new machine that will provide orgasms for women at the push of a button.
A little smaller than a packet of cigarettes, the machine is designed to be a medical implant that uses electrodes to trigger an orgasm. The device would help some women who suffer from orgasmic dysfunction.
During the operation, a patient would remain conscious so that a surgeon could correctly pinpoint the right nerves to fit the electrodes in a patient’s spinal cord. Then, a signal generator would be connected which would be most likely implanted under the skin of a patient’s buttocks.
Stuart Meloy, a surgeon at Piedmont Anesthesia and Pain Consultants in Winston-Salem, N.C., came up with idea by accident.
“I was placing the electrodes and suddenly the woman started exclaiming emphatically,” he said to Newscientist. “I asked her what was up and she said, ‘You’re going to have to teach my husband to do that’.”
Meloy explained that the idea is that orgasms could happen at the push of a button when the implant could be triggered by a hand-held remote control.
However, he explained the treatment is intended to be used in the most serious of orgasmic dysfunction cases because the device is as invasive as a pacemaker.
Medical trials will be conducted by a Minneapolis-based company later this year.

Read more -

http://charlotte.cbslocal.com/2014/03/05/scientists-build-orgasm-machine-for-women/