I have heard of discrimination against smokers before but this is something new. If you smoke near your computer Apple says it will void your warrenty should you bring a smoke-exposed computer in for repair.

In in at least two instances in different parts of the country, Apple has voided the warranty and refused to provide repair service on Macintosh computers exposed to environments where cigarette smoke has been present.

Apple is standing by the decisions, saying that repair centers have the authority to make decisions like this on their own, citing OSHA rules that include nicotine in a list of hazardous substances that could damage the health of someone exposed to it.

 If a technician doesn't like cigarette smoke and your computer smells a bit smoky, it probably won't get serviced.

I don't smoke but this doe not seem fair.

(Story here)

If you haven't already seen or heard about this somewhere else you need to be aware of a scam being perpetrated by some of the Internet's best known e-businesses, including Priceline, Classmates.com, FTD, Shutterfly, Orbitz, Buy.com, 1-800-Flowers.com, and Continental Airlines. 

A few of the many businesses being investigated are Restaurants.com, Movietickets.com, AirTran Holdings, Avon.com, FTD, Fandango, Intelius, Pizza Hut, Redcats USA, US Airways Group, and VistaPrint USA. 

A US Senate hearing last Tuesday focused on controversial marketing practices that dupe consumers into paying monthly fees to join online "loyalty" programs. 

If you've ever dealt with any online businesses you should check your credit card statements to see if there are any mysterious charges of about $12 that appear every month. If you find such a charge and check it out you may be told that it's for a "web loyalty program" you "voluntarily" signed up for. 

Such a "signing up" typically occurs near the end of a transaction when you are about to complete it. A message will appear asking if you would like to become a member of a "loyalty" program. You will likely be offered a small discount on your current purchase, with a promise of more discounts to come in the future. 

If you click OK you will have agreed to allow your credit card to be charged a recurring monthly fee of about $12 (the charges usually range from $9 to $20). 

Yes, it's all explained in some very small text near the bottom of the message - text that most people don't bother to read. This, of course, is what the companies depend on. 

The charges don't go to the merchants directly - most go to one of these three "loyalty" companies: Webloyalty, Affinion, and Vertrue. 

Naturally, the merchants get a commission - but when a consumer discovers what's happened and complains, the merchants can feign ignorance and point out that you signed an agreement with an entirely different entity. 

 

Rare Charles Darwin book found on toilet bookshelf

LONDON – An auction house says it is selling a rare first edition of Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" found in a family's guest lavatory in southern England.

Christie's auction house said Sunday the book — one of around 1,250 copies first printed in 1859 — had been on a toilet bookshelf at a family's home in Oxford.

The book will be auctioned on Tuesday, the 150th anniversary of the publication of the famous work. Christie's said the book is likely to sell for 60,000 pounds ($99,000).

Darwin's "The Origin of Species" outlined his theory of natural selection, the foundation for the modern understanding of evolution.

Celebrations around the world this year have marked the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth.

TWAS THE NIGHT OF THANKSGIVING,
BUT I JUST COULDN'T SLEEP.
I TRIED COUNTING BACKWARDS,
I TRIED COUNTING SHEEP.

THE LEFTOVERS BECKONED -
THE DARK MEAT AND WHITE,
BUT I FOUGHT THE TEMPTATION
WITH ALL OF MY MIGHT.

TOSSING AND TURNING WITH ANTICIPATION,
THE THOUGHT OF A SNACK BECAME INFATUATION.
SO, I RACED TO THE KITCHEN, FLUNG OPEN THE DOOR,
AND GAZED AT THE FRIDGE, FULL OF GOODIES GALORE.
GOBBLED UP TURKEY AND BUTTERED POTATOES,
PICKLES AND CARROTS, BEANS AND TOMATOES.

<

  I FELT MYSELF SWELLING SO PLUMP AND SO ROUND,
'TIL ALL OF A SUDDEN, I ROSE OFF THE GROUND.
I CRASHED THROUGH THE CEILING, FLOATING INTO THE SKY,
WITH A MOUTHFUL OF PUDDING AND A HANDFUL OF PIE.
BUT, I MANAGED TO YELL AS I SOARED PAST THE TREES....
HAPPY EATING TO ALL - PASS THE CRANBERRIES, PLEASE.



MAY YOUR STUFFING BE TASTY,
MAY YOUR TURKEY BE PLUMP.
MAY YOUR POTATOES 'N GRAVY HAVE NARY A LUMP.
MAY YOUR YAMS BE DELICIOUS.
MAY YOUR PIES TAKE THE PRIZE,
MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER STAY OFF OF YOUR thighs

Thanks for lacking knowledge
Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Thanks for difficult times
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Thanks for limitations
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Thanks for challenges
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Thanks for mistakes made
Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Thanks for exhaustion
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made the effort.

Thanks for setbacks
It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.

Thanks for troubles
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

 Author Unknown