This Is Just Stupid!

A company called The Original Condom has just debuted the world’s first “luxury condom”. The condom comes inside of an elegant-looking black wrapper that is tucked inside of a suede-lined black box.

There are three major things that make this company seem more like a joke than a real business:

1. The people who operate the company are apparently French aristocrats named His Royal Highness the Prince Charles Emmanuel de Bourbon Parme and Count Gil de Bizemont. That just seems unreal!

2. The idea for creating the condom came after passing through a town in the South of France that is actually named Condom. Hence the idea that this is the “original” condom.

3. It’s a luxury condom. Who needs a luxury condom?

The idea is that this type of condom could be marketed to people who are interested in classy upscale living. The thinking is that you are somehow a more elegant person if you keep your condoms in a suede box in your Lexus or your Gucci handbag than if you toss a ribbed-for-pleasure condom into a no-brand bag. It’s a tempting marketing idea to cave into because we all love the idea that we can invest in little things that will make us seem richer. However, it’s a false idea. A condom is a condom, plain and simple.

In fairness, we do have to point out that the company itself has some really cool things going for it. It’s an eco-aware company that has taken several measures to green their processes including doing their work on a rubber tree plantation “in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions by eliminating excess transport of raw materials.” (source) Green is definitely sexy so they get some points for that.

Additionally, the company shares a portion of its proceeds to assist in the prevention of HIV and AIDS. This is an important issue for condom companies to be involved in and it’s great to see a company putting their money towards that. Nevertheless, the company seems a little wacky and the product itself seems totally unnecessary in the market.

What do you think about the luxury condom? Is this something that the world needs?

We recently warned you to avoid five stupid mistakes on Christmas. However, Christmas isn’t even the time when people make the dumbest mistakes of the year. That seems to happen most during New Year’s celebrations. That’s why we want to encourage you to avoid doing these five common (but very stupid) things as you ring in 2011.

1. Travel to a very expensive party. It’s true that there are amazing New Year’s parties in major cities all around the world. However, most people don’t have the funds right now to travel to those areas, pay the high prices to stay in hotels near the event and then go to to the event. Do something low key and affordable this year instead.
2. Shooting guns into the air. Yes, this is a traditional activity that people have been enjoying for hundreds of years. However, it doesn’t make sense in most environments, especially in dense urban areas. It’s dangerous to fire guns into the air. You don’t know where the bullet is going to land and who you might hit. Use firecrackers, noisemakers and your own hooting and hollering to ring in the New Year instead of using the blast of a gun.
3. Drinking to excess/ drinking and driving. New Year’s Eve celebrations are filled with wine, champagne and spirits. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying your New Year’s toast with a clink of wine glasses but don’t go overboard. It’s bad energy to start your New Year with a hangover. And we don’t need to tell you (but we will) that you should never drink and drive. There are far too many drunk driving accidents on New Years ever year.
4. Making New Year’s resolutions you can’t keep. True, this stupid action isn’t nearly as dangerous as drunk driving or random shooting. Still, it’s an important thing to consider. When people make New Year’s resolutions and then fail at them, they feel bad about themselves. Instead, set some very realistic and measurable goals to achieve in 2011. As you achieve them, you’ll build your self-esteem and gain momentum in your life.
5. Having regrets and holding grudges. The last day of the year is a good day of the year to wipe the slate clean. Let go of the feelings that are holding you back in all of your relationships (work, love, friendships, family, etc.) and start the New Year off with some peace of mind.

Have a safe and happy New Year!

Christmas is just about here. In the frenzy of the days leading up to this holiday many of us seem to lose our brains. Here’s a look at five stupid things that people commonly do around Christmas that you should make a concentrated effort to avoid doing this year:

1. Fighting with family members. The stupidest thing that we do each holiday season is to turn the home into a battlefield. Yes it’s tough when all of the family gets together. Old issues and feelings and grudges can’t help but pop into our hearts. But take a breath and remember what Christmas is all about. It’s about the joy of spending time with the people that you love (despite all of their flaws). Make a commitment to yourself and your loved ones that you’re going to let go of grudges and treat each other with kindness this holiday season.
2. Stressing out. So many things can cause us to feel stress during the holidays. We spend too much money and that stresses us out. We have to travel and there are flight delays and that stresses us out. We can’t find the gift we thought would be perfect for someone or the right meal ingredients aren’t at the store and that stresses us out. Christmas is not supposed to be about stress. It’s supposed to be about joy. Find ways to de-stress over the next few days. Go to yoga, go for a jog, meditate, count your blessings. Do what you need to do to make sure that stress is not a part of your holiday.
3. Wasting money. Even people who were smart about creating holiday budgets sometimes lose their financial sense in the few days leading up to Christmas. Last minute presents, impulse purchases, and day-after-Christmas sales are all enticing at this time of year. You’ll just end up with a spending hangover so make sure that you reign yourself in! Doing this will also help with that whole stress problem.
4. Going out on Christmas Day. This is the one day of the year when it’s totally acceptable and wonderful to stay in the house in your pajamas all day. The kids have toys to play with. The adults have each other for conversation. There’s always pizza or Chinese food to order if there’s not enough food in the house. Enjoy the home you wake up in this Christmas and don’t waste your energy going out for the day. You have the whole rest of the year for that!
5. Rushing through the holiday. Take your time. Linger over gifts. Talk with your family about the meaning of Christmas. It only comes once a year so make the most of it!

What’s the number one mistake that you’re guilty of making most holiday seasons? How will you prevent it this year?

There are a lot of people who have gone to see the film Burlesque and really enjoyed it. There are even people who are paying twice and three times to see it in the theaters again and again. Although it’s not the worst movie of 2010, it doesn’t deserve all of the hype that it’s gotten. The main reason it shouldn’t be getting so many accolades is that its title is a flat out lie; there is almost no burlesque in Burlesque.

Burlesque dance is an art form. It’s all about the allure of striptease and the art of the slow reveal. It’s about taunting and temptation. It’s about flirting and silliness and seduction. And all of that gets lost in the many, many musical stage performances that make up the bulk of the movie’s running time. Admittedly, there is one great scene with feathers that is a true burlesque scene. It honors the tradition and history of burlesque and is a fairly riveting performance. However the rest of the scenes are nothing but an excuse to see Christina dancing around in as little clothing as possible. It’s more like a feature-length music video for her than any sort of film tribute to burlesque.

That’s not the only reason that the movie is stupid though. Some other reasons:

• Cher’s award-nominated song has no point in the entire movie. It’s not a bad song but it’s thrown into the movie with pretty much no point or explanation and is more distracting than interesting to the viewer regardless of song quality.
• Plot lines are introduced and then vanish. A major one is the disappearance of the main character’s mother early in her youth. You can infer that as a result she sees Cher as a mother figure but the story line really isn’t developed and doesn’t seem to have much of a real point.
• It’s a ripoff of too many other similar movies. Coyote Ugly anyone?

So what could have saved this movie? Making it more about burlesque would have been nice. Or else if they had done it in 3D then it would have been magical. If there’s an unfortunate sequel to this film one day then it should definitely be in 3D for greater entertainment value!

Every year parents take their children to the local mall to stand in a very long line to see Santa. There is a mixture of anticipation and restlessness as the kids wait to hop up on Santa’s lap, tell him all of their wishes and have their photo taken. It’s a holiday tradition and many kids enjoy the experience. But the following examples of sketchy Santas have to make you wonder if it’s a stupid idea after all:

Drunk Santa. This Santa seen stumbling and urinating in a parking garage in Germany and then in an elevator is definitely not a good role model for kids. Arguably you may get the urge to drink, too, if your job was to dress up as a mall Santa all day but that doesn’t make us want to rush to sit our kids on their laps.

Fail Blog’s Sketchy Santas. This well-known blog about inappropriate behavior has an entire section devoted to the Sketchy Santas of the world. Their regular posts make us think that perhaps you should think twice before taking your kids to see Santa.

Creepy Mall Santas. If you still don’t believe that the Santas in the mall are all that bad then take a look at the twenty five different creepy mall Santas in this photo collection by HolyTaco. Here’s just one of the scary guys:

Santa Fired for Telling Naughty Jokes. This year a Santa at Macy’s in San Francisco was fired because for telling inappropriate jokes during his shift. Really the jokes were fairly innocuous although a bit creepy. For example, when asked why he’s so jolly he says it’s because he knows where all the naughty kids live. What you really have to wonder about is the fact that he says he doesn’t tell these jokes to kids, only to the adults coming in to sit on his lap. That action may be even stupider than taking your kids to the mall for the holidays!

What do you think? Has the creepy Santa idea been blown out of proportion or is it a stupid idea to take your kids to sit on his lap in the twenty first century?

There are a lot of stupid laws in the United States. We’ve all heard about states where you can spend twenty five years in prison for cutting down a cactus (Arizona) or where it’s illegal to sell an eye (Texas). But American is not unique in having stupid laws on the books. A recent poll shows that people in Britain think that there are some very dumb laws there, too.

The top ten listed by those surveyed were:

1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament. Don’t do it!
2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp of the British monarch upside-down on an envelope.
3. It is illegal for a woman in Liverpool to be topless unless she is working as a cashier in a tropical fish store.
4. It is against the law to eat mince pies on Christmas.
5. It is illegal not to let someone in to your home if they knock on your door and need to use your bathroom.
6. Bathroom needs are extended even more for pregnant women who are allowed to go anywhere they need to including inside of a policeman’s helmet.
7. If a dead whale is found on the coast of Britain then it’s head automatically becomes the property of the king and it’s tail automatically becomes the property of the queen.
8. “It is illegal to avoid telling the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing.” First say that three times fast and then try to figure out exactly what the law means!
9. It is against the law to wear a suit of armor and to enter the Houses of Parliament.
10. It is generally illegal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls of the city of York. However, it is perfectly legal if he is carrying a bow and arrow.

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