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Many television ads, in particular ones about cleaning/household products, seem to love to feature women, usually moms, in cardigans. What's up with that? I've never seen actual moms wear cardigans as frequently as they're portrayed in ads.

Why do people "brag" about drinking? Why is it perceived that people are more interesting or fun because they abuse a drug. People reiterate the same stories, about how stupid they acted, as though this is supposedly impressive or unique. Why am I made to feel like an outsider for perceiving this behavior as destructive, stupid, and boring? I dont take issue with people having a few drinks but as a twenty something I'm surrounded by people who think their beinge drinking is an accomplishment. Add to that I am resentful of the messes they make, the toilets they barf on, the fights they start, and the property they destroy. Why is acting like an idiot so appealing to so many? Do people not enjoy each other's company in their right mind?

I already browsed a little online and could not find a direct response to this. We've only been using SETI and emitting signals ourselves into space only decades. We've only reached x-number of stars and planetary systems. People liken the lack of response to imply that there's not intelligent life at least within hundreds of light years of us (the Fermi Equation). But whose to say its a prerequisite of an intelligent lifeform or civilization to emit radio signals? Life and intelligence has evolved in a particular way here, but whose to say aliens would utilize the same technology? Even if they did, and they have been around for a very, very long time, they may have been done sending their radio signals long ago. For example, if an intelligent race has survived millions of years, but their planet is within a few hundred light years of us, those radio signals would long since have passed us by. To me, the whole basis of using radio waves to determine with some certainty of advanced alien life is inherently flawed. Is there something I'm missing here in my information?

I've eaten Chobani Greek yogurt multiple times, and it typically has a smooth texture. I opened one today (honey flavored, if that matters) that is not expired, and its sort of lumpy, almost like cottage cheese. It doesnt smell unusual or have strange coloring. Is it safe to eat? The packaging does not appear to have been tampered with or broken.

I've tried buying larger, smaller, different styles, but all my jeans (for the past year or so) have all ripped near the crotch. I havent had a significant weight change, and have led a fairly similar lifestyle. Just adjusting the way I was sitting I ripped my last non-ripped pair of jeans just adjusting the way I was sitting on the couch. I'm in a healthy BMI range and try to wear sizes approrpriate to my body. What can I do about this? Should I just give up on jeans and try to start wearing skirts or leggings instead? Jeans are expensive and I'm on a tight budget, cant keep replacing them!

I've been trying to google this for awhile and coming up with nothing. There was a cartoon program I saw when I was a kid (from the 90's) featuring a cute white bunny with really big long ears. I thought it was called Funny Bunny but when I search that nothing remotely close shows up. Anyone might know what I'm talking about and lead me in the right direction?

So from what I've managed to gather information wise, ACTA is the European, more sinister equivalent of SOPA with harsher restrictions. Negotiations for the terms were done behind closed doors without the public's consent, despite most of the countries who would be signed on claiming to be or partially democratic (including the US. Has anyone heard much news on this? I fear politicians/the movie/entertainment industry will not stop trying to sneak these sorts of laws past us.

I know several people who purposefully drink past the point where they can recall the night before. What's the point of drinking for fun if you cant even recall whether or not you enjoyed yourself? The people I've seen who get to this state stumble around in stupor, make remarkably unintelligible comments, and are a chore for those who are still sober. Sometimes they get angry or sad and its a huge burden on everyone else. Sometimes they pass out and you have to worry whether they are going to be alright. Then the same people complain about a hangover the next day, despite the fact that its been a repeated offense. Its treated so casually even though its destructive internally and externally. I can understand drinking to loosen up socially and be a little more carefree, but drinking to the point of sheer stupidity and bodily harm seems....pointless.

Okay, for all of you who consider homosapiens to be the supreme, most important of all creatures on earth, based not necessarily on religious context but on factors such as intelligence, ingenuity, feelings, etc.

People often justify their negligence/misuse of other creatures based on the idea that they are below us, for any number of reasons, although usually its on the basis of some sort of ability/understanding/sentience that they feel most other animals lack. Because of this, it makes it okay to do whatever the hell we want with them for our own benefit/use. If in a hypothetical scenario, aliens from another planet come to earth. They are technologically/mentally thousands/millions of years beyond our abilities, as well as have senses we cannot understand or experience. The aliens see us as inferior, and since humans to them cant seem to comprehend or feel as they do, they see fit to use us how they please. After all, we cant experience/think/feel as they do. They decide to use humans to benefit their own advancement, no matter if its at people's expense.

If you answer no for whatever reason, than isn't it also arguable we shouldn't test/misuse animals for the same reason? My wording may not be the best but I hope you get the gist of the paradox here. Please no religious context as an argument because everyone has heard your speel before and its not a logical argument.

I've been trying to find out what kind of fish this little cute guys are : http://gamil.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/cute-f...

Is it a juvenile frogfish or stonefish? I've been trying to do various search engine entries with no luck.

So I need to find a job that makes more money, and people keep saying I should try waitressing. Problem is, I have terrible short term memory and am really clumsy. On the plus side, I'm pretty good at customer service and have a lot of experience working with the public. Is it plausible the first 2 issues could be overcome? Should I even bother applying as a waitress? I dont want to put in the work to get hired only to get fired after 2 shifts lol.

For the past few years, I've been seeing commercials stating that 1 in 4 Americans (in some sources, just children) are going "hungry". It seems contrary to the other statistic, that at least 60% of the U.S. population is overweight. How can people both truly be going hungry and also be excessively overweight? I mean there's a difference to me between not having a budget to eat healthy and eating fast food but I wouldn't call those people going hungry. Also, there are food shelters, food stamps, and other resources if you're truely going hungry. Seems like an exaggeration? I mean there are people in other countries who go days without eating and are nothing but bones.

Sources for two conflicting stats:

1 in 4 starving:

http://www.hormelfoods.com/newsroom/press/20101115...

http://www.thechefscookbook.com/1-4-american-kids-...

Obesity in US:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-05-13-obe...

http://win.niddk.nih.gov/statistics/

http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body/overweig...

My work owes me several months worth of pay and I show up for work earlier this week and the location is closed. I have left notes for the owner, tried calling him (number disconnected), other current employees either dont know or wont provide any information on what's going on. I am tired of dealing with this business's crap. Living in California, would it be better I try to get my earned money through small claims court or through department of labor? I have several former and a few current employees who would back me up that it is common to be paid late or not at all, as well as some copies sent to me online of the work schedule. I have also been keeping log in an agenda of my hours and money owed. Also I was set up with direct deposit that has hardly ever been paid on time. I would especially appreciate any information from a legal expert. Thanks

This is now the second or third time I've had this dream. I cannot make it more clear that I DO NOT have any desire to be pregnant in real life.

It typically starts off I look down and realize my stomach is HUGE and I'm way pregnant, at least 7 if not 9 months pregnant. Its startling and I dont realize how I am pregnant. The one the night before my stomach was so huge it was sagging over my upper legs and my water broke (although i didnt have the baby after that, i was just normal pregnant). The one last night I was explaining to my boyfriend how scared I was and how painful it would be. In my dream I go over all the aspects of my life that are ruined and feel like a failure.

When I've looked at dream analysis online regarding pregnancy dreams it says all these positive things about creativity. I do not feel this, I've been thinking it has to do with a worry of that all the hard work (school and work 7 days/week) wont pay off in the end and that I'll be ruined. In the dreams my future is always ruined (as I feel it would be in real life if I got pregnant) and I'm always scared and sad. Any input on this?

Also it might be good to note that I'm not a big fan of babies in real life and I heavily associate them with responsibility/burden.

Guys get aggrevated for being hassled about looking at other women, but would it be fair to say many men would get incredibly jealous if girls gawked at hot guys or had pics of naked guys on their computer? What if there was random scenes at a male strip club in movies as a bg setting as we so often see on TV? What if men wearing clothing emphasizing their bulge were a constant presence in the media? This is more an opinion thing than 1 answer but I was curious what other people thought....

I'm probably leaning towards a children's book illustration/freelance market but I am concerned I need to improve before I try submitting my stuff onto some illustration society websites for membership.

Here's a link to some of my stuff online:

http://ninjerina.deviantart.com/gallery/

Too amateur or should I try marketing my stuff now? If you have any critique/advice I would love to hear. Thanks

I ordered my MBP for xmas 09 and it arrived in the beginning January '10. About a month or so ago, it began making a faint beeping sound at random intervals, with no correlation between whether I was using the computer or not. When I did a search for the problem, it seems to be frequent in 7200 rpm models (like mine) and some people are getting them replaced, but I'm just wondering if anyone has figured out if it can really kill your HDD or is it just an annoyance? There have been slight freezes (like 5 seconds) but this is seldom and occurs when something is being loaded (web page or program) and installing Mac updates have not completely corrected the problem.

The older I get, the more it seems the two are just 2 sides of the same coin. They create labels like "liberal" and "conservative" and make the terms derogatory in the media to drive a pointless feud amongst the masses. Weapons of mass distraction! Meanwhile behind the curtain business and elitist are really calling the shots. America is just like Rome, they give us bread and circus (media, useless celebrity news). America isn't a democracy or a republic, its an oligarchy! Okay this became more of a rant than a question but I was originally intending on asking people whether they felt similarly to this at all or what their opinion on the matter was and why, or what can be done about the current situation. Campaign reform, but how?

This ordeal began back in December when I made an online purchase for a U.S. subscription to Imagine FX. When I placed the order everything seemed to go through, with my only error in judgement being to list the contact email as my boyfriend's (who was to receive the magazines as a gift). The subscription was a whopping $115.00 and the month of January passed without any magazines. I contacted the office and exchanged several emails only for them to tell me they had no record of my purchase - even though on my online bank statement it shows $115 in late December was removed from my account. I even told them about the boyfriend's email and even with that information they had nothing. They told me to get in contact with their U.S. distributor FutureUS.inc. When I called Future US they said they had no affiliation with any UK magazines! Who can I contact at this point to get my money back?! The whole thing is ridiculous.

We've been dating for over 2 years and within the past year we've argued several times over appearance. He says I can dress however I want but that he is attracted to a particular look (the trendy city girl look). I'm mostly a jeans/t-shirt kind of girl and think the hyper-materialist crap brainwashed into people goes too far. I've tried compromising with him before and went shopping and everything I showed him he reacted with an "eh" attitude. He also says he would like me to wear makeup but I feel like I should be able to dress in what makes me comfortable and that if you have to wear makeup to be appealing than you're not that good looking. I kinda feel like if he cant find me sexually attractive without makeup and adhering to some BS societal-driven trend then maybe I'm wasting my time? Or am I being stubborn and not compromising to something he happens to like? I mean if I wear flared jeans he gives me crap, who hates flared jeans THAT much (or like boot cut jeans).