I was going to lump this in with my recent post about a similar subject, but when I started looking at videos I decided it deserved its own post.

I was in the gym today and heard a cover of the song “Time After Time,” and I thought “…really? Really.”

First, here’s the original:

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I heard a song on the radio today from a pop punk band. They formed around 2000 and are still around today. They played a song which they just released this year.

I was excited because I think I finally found a radio station that plays new rock.

But wait a minute…it sounds……

…familiar.

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From “Got Perfect Credit? You Could Be Charged For It“:

The banks are starting to charge fees to reliable customers in response to a slew of new credit card industry regulations that will limit when banks can hike interest rates. Cardholders who get a new annual fee notice in the mail will be in a no-win situation.

“They can either pay that fee or they can close the account, and if they have had the account for a while and they close it, they are potentially going to hurt their credit card score,” said Woolsey.

Analysts say right now the banks are trying to figure out what their customers will tolerate. Many say they’d cancel cards with a high new annual fee.

“I think it is really bad. They’re encouraging you to be a bed creditor or not have good credit,” one New Yorker told CBS 2 HD.

Even canceling a credit card could hurt your credit? WHAT THE HELL.

So in order to come out on top here, you HAVE to be in debt? What the shit is this?

***UPDATE***
Some more information from “Citibank shows why credit card holders need protection“:

Months before a law takes effect that cracks down on abuses by credit card issuers, the bank increases interest rates to almost 30% on customers who pay their bills on time.[...]
Many banks have scrambled to get ahead of the new rules by jacking up interest rates or converting fixed-rate cards to variable-rate plastic. Many also have slashed cardholders’ credit limits or changed contract terms.

In August, Citi introduced an annual fee for some cards that hadn’t carried such fees in the past. Cardholders were notified that they could pay as much as $90 a year unless they use their plastic for at least $2,400 in purchases.

Samuel Wang, a Citi spokesman, declined to comment on details of the new fee. He said only that “a small number of Citi customers were notified in August of changes to their card agreement which included an annual fee.”

For its part, Bank of America says it will soon start experimenting with annual credit card fees ranging from $29 to $99.

More reading:
Big banks aim fees at those who avoid debt, pay bills on time
Credit Cards To Charge Good Behavior Fees
New Credit Card Fees: Will You Be Charged For Good Credit Habits?

From the great Warren Mosler:

you are addressing a room full of people.

you tell them taxes turn litter into money.

you try to sell your business cards to the group for $5 each.

probably no takers.

you offer your cards to anyone who stays to help clean up the room

no takers.

you then point to the man at the door with the 9mm who’s the tax collector, and no one leaves without 10 of your business cards.

you then repeat the questions.

Careful if you’re a zombie this Halloween…From “Man Punches Another He Accuses of Being a ‘Zombie’“:

Iowa City police are investigating an early morning assault in which a man accused another of being a zombie, then punched him twice.

Police say the assault occurred at 1:17 a.m. Sunday at an Iowa City restaurant south of the University of Iowa campus.

A man was ordering food when he was approached by another man who called him a zombie, then hit him in the eye. When the victim tried to call police on his cell phone, the man punched him again, breaking his nose.

The man then ran out a back door.

The victim was taken by ambulance to a hospital.

The victim stated “…send more paramedics” while on the way to the hospital.

From “Netflix on PlayStation 3: The Great Sony-Microsoft Equalizer?“:

Surprising no one, really, streaming video maven Netflix will roll out its online TV and movie rental service to North America’s nearly 10 million PlayStation 3 owners in November. Sony will announce the deal later today in an action that knocks one of the Xbox 360’s “exclusive” pillars out from under Microsoft’s games platform.

Another knock: It’ll be free to PS3 owners. Contrast with the $50 a year fee Microsoft charges for access to its “Gold” tier Xbox LIVE services, one of the principal being Netflix access. You’ll still need an independent Netflix membership, of course, which starts at $9 a month and can run up to $17 depending on the number of movies you care to check out simultaneously.

This Christmas season is shaping up to be real interesting for Sony.

Some more links:
Free Netflix Movies On PS3 Is A Game-Changer
PlayStation 3 Adds Netflix to Its Queue This November
Next up: movies streaming to the door of your microwave oven

Here’s some more October creepiness: Project Facade

Basically it’s plastic surgery from WWI. From the site:

The First World War was a war dominated by high explosives and heavy artillery. Battlefield casualties included an unprecedented number with horrific facial injuries - injuries so severe the men were commonly unrecognizable to loved ones and friends. Often unable to see, hear, speak eat or drink, they struggled to re-assimilate back into civilian life. This secondary tragedy - the living unable to “live” - catalyzed Surgeon Sir Harold Gillies to transform the fledgling discipline of plastic surgery based on his unrivalled observation of the profoundly wounded and his ability to push the parameters of the profession beyond all known techniques.

Check out some of the case studies on the site (links on the left).

WARNING: NSFW or not recommended for those with weak stomachs.

If you’re too lazy to check the site out, continue reading. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

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Oh god