Smarter and healthier hangovers

I knew it, I always knew it, drinking beer is proven to be beneficial for me, and here are the facts:

• Beer makes me clever.
• Beer doesn't make me fat.
• Beer prevents me from having cancer.
• Beer can help me survive an avalanche.
  

Now nobody will be able to keep me off my friday nights beer drinking galore. :-)

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Crashing the revolution

While more than 80% of Venezuelans live in an extreme poverty situation, people surrounding wannabe dictator Chavez display their doubtfully acquired wealth in the worst way.

In Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida, the news Monday was the fatal crash which occurred Monday night, involving the sports vehicle, driven by Eudomario Carruyo, Jr., son of PDVSA and CITGO director Eudomario Carruyo, Sr.
...
The vehicle driven by Eudy Carruyo, son of Finance Director of PDVSA, Eudomario Carruyo, Sr., was a Lamborghini Gallardo 2005. This latest model has a value of US$175,000 and is purchased only by extremely rich magnates, lovers of speed and luxury.

Now, add to that the bond. Ouch!

A $100,000 bond was posted Wednesday for a man charged with DUI manslaughter in an accident that left him injured and killed a passenger. Eudy Carruyo was driving a Lamborghini on Crandon Boulevard in Key Biscayne when he lost control and his car struck a tree Sunday, police said. Passenger Tulio Belandia, 31, died at the scene. Carruyo was in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

That's an obscene amount of money, compared with Venezuela's newly announced minimum wage of only US$188 per month.

PDVSA is the state-owned Venezuelan petroleum company, and Hugo Chavez is a wannabe dictator who wants to establish in Venezuela his dictatorship by copying Cuba's communist revolution.

Link

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Crime & Punishment The Florida Way

I'm completely against this kind of actions. Children are always children and adults' punishments must never be applied to them.

A 5-year-old girl was handcuffed by police after she tore papers off a bulletin board and punched an assistant principal in kindergarten class, according to a video released by a lawyer for the child's mother.

But that makes me wonder. What would have happened if the video showed the assistant principal spanking the child? She would have been then crucified.
Sometimes this country's legal system is unhealthily extremist.

Link

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Wild Wild East

According to a new law, anyone in Florida carrying a weapon will be able to shoot you and then plead it was in self defense.
Now, along with your driver license and your proof of insurance, you'll have to carry a gun, because if you unluckily hit another car in the expressway, you'll never now whether the other driver will draw a gun and kill you alleging he felt his life threatened.
Only in Florida!

Link (via glassdog)

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Playing with Google Maps 02

I dare you to try guessing what the locations shown in the following maps correspond to:

• Location 1 Disney's Epcot Center
• Location 2 Disney's Magic Kingdom
• Location 3 Downtown Disney
• Location 4 Race Track at Magic Kingdom
• Location 5 Kennedy Space Center
• Location 6 San Marcos Castle, Saint Augustine FL

Hint: They all are in Florida

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Killer Coke

I'd rather drink Pepsi

"We believe the evidence shows that Coca-Cola and its corporate network is rife with immorality, corruption and complicity in murder. Since Coca-Cola consistently fails to live up to the standards for 'corporate responsibility' as set out in its own 'code of business conduct,' this report should be helpful to students, faculty and others seeking to rescind, not renew or not consider contracts with Coke."

Link

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Playing with Google Maps

I found two insteresting things with Google's satellite images, while playing with them. Note the following image from the Port of Miami, FL, which shows a boat skimming the canal and a staple shaped bit of dust. Google, next time send somebody to clean off your satellite's lens ;-)


Link

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If you had wings

This is how you'd see my tiny part of the World (click the Satellite link at the upper right corner).

Google has released a new amazing feature by incorporating satellite imagery to their already wonderful Google Maps.

"Have you ever wished you could see what someplace looked like before you got there? A house? A hotel? A freeway exit? We thought you might find it useful, so we've incorporated Keyhole technology into Google Maps and Google Local. Now when you type an address into Google Maps, you can click the 'Satellite' link and see a view of the area. You can zoom, move the view by dragging, and even resize the window just like the normal 'Maps' view. Looking for a new apartment or house? Type in an address you're considering, get a view from the air and, with a quick local search, find out if you can walk to your favorite Saturday morning cup of coffee. Thinking about spending time at the shore this summer? Search for hotels with Google Local and check out the 'beach' in 'beachfront.' You can even see driving directions with real images. We can't promise you'll never miss another freeway exit, but we do think that Google Maps + Keyhole gives you a great way to see and explore your world. But take a look for yourself and let us know what you think. "

But dear Google, I'm still waiting for the real shadow projection for the balloons.

Link

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Selling your baby to marketers

Today I read a post which talks about how we inadvertently sell our babies' privacy to unscrupulous marketers when, at the hospital, we sign some papers without even realizing what we signed.

A day later, the baby’s out, Mom’s recovering, and Dad is slightly less insane although even more paranoid, if that’s possible. A nurse enters the room to confirm scheduling for the baby photo. Dad expresses confusion, having misunderstood that a member of the hospital staff would shoot a Polaroid for the gallery on the nursery wall. In fact, the photo enterprise is run by a third party, Growing Family. They’ll shoot a picture of your munchkin, in exchange for his or her name and birthdate and your full name and address.

Does this smell like last month’s tuna salad? How many marketers do you think would be interested in knowing you just had a baby? Hint: all of them.

I remember the next day after my son was born; the nurse came in with a bunch of forms and papers for me to sign. Between those papers there was a "free photo opportunity" to be shot to our little cub that very same day. My lawyer has ever told me "don't sign anything you haven't read carefully and/or you don't understand", so I decided first to ask more details about that "free photo" offer.

The nurse told me she didn't know the details because she was simply instructed to pass that form along with the others from the hospital. If I wanted to learn more, I’ll have to wait for the lady who was taking the photos. Later, when that woman arrived I asked her to explain me the whole thing.

Instead of explaining me, she rather tried to sell me some "terrific photo packages" I would later regret I missed. Just because I am a wannabe photographer who's able to shoot way better photos than the ones she showed me, I declined her "fabulous offers". Anyway she took the pictures, and then she tried to convince me it was a kind of mandatory requirement from the hospital to sign those papers, and if I finally wanted the pictures I'd need to call or visit their website, but now the same packages would cost me a lot more of money… (Bullshit, I replied to my wife).

Finally the woman left the room clearly angry, but at least they didn’t get my baby’s info.

Link (via BoingBoing, via A Whole Lotta Nothing)

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The Pope is dead

God bless the Pope...!

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Prepaid Lap Dances

I read an issue of Prepaid VAR magazine I found in the lobby of a client. There was an article that attracted my attention, which was named "Prepaid Entertainment in South Florida", written by John Meyers.

According with the writer, the Tri-County Chamber of Commerce, which includes West Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, recently signed an agreement with a well known and major Prepaid Products Distributor in Miami, for creating and commercializing a prepaid card for the entertainment businesses.

Given the growth in the entertainment industry in South Florida, which includes the night life in cities like Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale, the huge hotels infrastructure and the recently inaugurated Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, it’ll be a success to provide and sell prepaid cards redeemable in any of their affiliated businesses. These cards will be accepted as a payment option, additionally to the traditional ones.

When asked about what kind of entertainment businesses would accept the cards, the president of the Chamber, Henry Stephen, replied.

“Now you don’t have to worry about carrying cash or your credit cards. All you have to do is buy a prepaid card and go to your favorite Dance Bar.
Absolutely all of our affiliates will accept them, from the little coffee shop to the adult club. You can use the card to buy a cappuccino and then use the same card to pay for a lap dance.” (the bold is mine)

These cards will use a Point Of Sale (POS) technology developed and owned by this Prepaid Distributor, allowing them to be recharged and redeemed electronically. The program will start on April 1st, only on selected stores, hotels and clubs.
Link

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