Bloggasm

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So remember Donutgate? Possibly the dumbest “scandal” manufactured by the right-wing blogosphere (and that’s saying a lot)? Well before it gets swept into the dustbin of stupidity forever, make sure you watch this clip from a Fox News show. It turns out that nobody informed this guy that Dunkin Donuts was one of Fox News’ sponsors. Hilarity ensues.

Here are some media-related links for your amusement:

1. Clearasil has started to run some clever magazine advertisements where you’re able to remove “pimple stickers” and place them on all the beautiful models in the other ads.

2. Are you a cable news junkie but tired of seeing 24-hour-a-day coverage of OJ Simpson? This restaurant may be for you.

3. Websites that were once cool but now they suck.

4. Google vs. Microsoft: No longer are they content on competing for search engine business, they’re now fighting over who can be the bigger philanthropist. For once, Microsoft is winning at something.

5. As was predicted, the Church of Scientology has issued take down copyright notices to Gawker for posting their promotional video online.

6. In other news, Digg.com has gone from the website that loves Ron Paul to the website that hates Ron Paul.

7. A cool blog post by Nicholas Carr titled “Is encryption a right?“: “As the Washington Post reports today, the encryption conflict is now coming to a head. A guy in Vermont, accused of storing child pornography on his computer, has refused to provide police with the password required to unlock the encrypted files on his hard drive. He claims that disclosing the password would violate his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination. A judge backed his claim, and the government is now appealing that ruling in the federal courts.”

8. What’s with all the bizarre stories about Hilary Clinton having awkward encounters with her press bus? (via joel)

9. I might write more about this later, but a writer at the Columbia Journalism Review wonders why bloggers don’t form unions.

Though I don’t normally watch reality tv shows, I’ve always been interested in seeing whether the media exposure of being on such shows leads to lucrative careers. The NY Observer interviewed two recent finalists from the show Top Chef and found that this isn’t always the case.

I was driving to my girlfriend’s house today to walk her dog while she’s out of town, and I was drinking a Pepsi. For some odd reason, I started thinking about the long-term effects of new drugs and additives. How a seemingly innocent chemical added to a soft drink or food can have distastrous effects ten years from now that we don’t even know about yet. Scientists wouldn’t foresee these ill effects because they haven’t happened yet in large enough sections of the population.

Anyway, it’s an incredibly weird coincidence that I came across this article today claiming that some soft drinks –including Pepsi — might end up causing serious harm:

A new health scare erupted over soft drinks last night amid evidence they may cause serious cell damage. Research from a British university suggests a common preservative found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA.

The problem – more usually associated with ageing and alcohol abuse – can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s.

I thought it too much a coincidence, I had to post a link.

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Some people might have heard about the Christians who boycotted Starbucks products because they dared to print quotes from atheists on their coffee cups. Well, rather than step down to the pressure, they’ve continued to print even more atheist messages on their cups.

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Related posts: Sweden and Vietnam are the most godless, Taking a chili-pepper and squeezing its juice into your eyes

Imagine taking the spiciest hot chili-pepper in the world and rubbing it all over your skin and letting the juice of it fall into your eyes. A Mexican man does just that and hopes to make a lot of money doing it:

For most people, even the smallest bite of a raw chili pepper means a flushed face and a rush for a gulp of water. But Manuel Quiroz can guzzle down dozens of Mexico’s spiciest chilies, rub them on his skin and even squeeze their juice into his eyes without so much as blinking.

The 54-year-old Mexico City taxi driver said Saturday that he has made thousands of dollars with his talent and wants to become the world champion chili eater. But first he needs to find an organization that can crown him with that title.

For some reason, the peppers don’t cause his nervous system to react. He feels no pain, it’s like eating a fruit:

via paul

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