(NEWSER) – Want to send the big banks a message, but don’t have the time (or the drums) to join Occupy Wall Street? Poet Artie Moffa has come up with an alternative—just start returning all that junk mail the banks are always sending, notes ABC News. Because the banks’ offers typically contain a pre-paid envelope, they contain the potential for all sorts of mischief. “This isn’t junk mail, this is an opportunity for a dialogue,” says Moffa in a video.

 The easiest option Moffa recommends is just returning the pre-paid envelope empty—it costs the banks 25 cents and wastes a bit of their time. If you are more ambitious, he suggests sending the bank your other junk mail (it’s heavier), or even a wood shim with a message—that way the envelope is even heavier, and being rigid makes it more expensive. Of course you’re not going to bankrupt the banks this way, but if enough people do it, it might get their attention. “The real effect of this is to force the banks to react to us,” says Moffa. “If you can’t occupy Wall Street, you can at least keep Wall Street occupied.”

  NEWSER) – When 24-year-old Keith Gaylor of Colorado Springs called the cops to say that an armed burglar was trying to get into his house, five squad cars rushed to his house and made an arrest. But they released the suspect pretty fast after hearing her side of the story—they’re pretty sure that this “burglar” was actually a woman Gaylor met on Craigslist, and that he called the cops when she arrived because his live-in girlfriend had come home unexpectedly, the Colorado Springs Gazette reports.

 “When they started listening to the story, they said there’s more to the story than meets the eye,” a police spokeswoman explained. They’ve served Gaylor a summons for false reporting to authorities, a misdemeanor.

Mike’s Thoughts:  Loser.  If he’d have played his cards right he coulda had a 3-way.  Of course, he may still get that opportunity but I imagine the “Correctional Facility” 3-way is a little different than what he envisioned.

 (NEWSER) 

Republican state lawmakers passed the measure mostly along party lines, and say it’s aimed at reducing voter fraud—but others fear it will shrink participation. In Cicciarelli’s county, both parties have found the law baffling, says one elections official: “I haven’t found one person who likes this law.” Thus far, state officials have only issued warnings; Cicciarelli probably won’t be fined because she didn’t intend to commit fraud. Meanwhile, the ACLU has sued over the measure, and sections of it are currently under review in a federal court.

Mike’s Thoughts:  I understand that voter fraud is always a concern but I can’t imagine for the life of me that there’s much downside to getting our young people engaged in and registered to participate in our electoral process. 

As Americans we should be absolutely ashamed that our voter turnout is so poor and I’m strongly in favor of anything that helps to turn that ship around.

(NEWSER) – One of Steve Jobs’ quirks was that he always a drove a car without license plates. But just how did he get away with it? The surprisingly simple answer, from Gizmodo viaiTWire: California law allows you to drive a new car for six months without plates. So every sixth month, Jobs would turn in his silver Mercedes-Benz and lease a brand-new one of the same model. “It’s a hilariously logical rich man way of thinking to sidestep the law,” writes Gizmodo’s Casey Chan.

Mike’s Thoughts:  Big deal.  I came up with the same idea back in 1986.  I couldn’t actually afford the license and registration fees so I just kept buying $500 dollar junker cars.  BOOM!  Take that, STeve Jobs.

Click here to find out what number you are.

Mike’s Thoughts:  So, here’s my data

When you were born, you were the: 3,594,516,800th person alive on Earth.

77,670,376,241st person to have lived since history began.

Suddenly I feel so insignificant.

If you need me this weekend I’ll be at home listening to “Dust in the Wind” over and over and over again.

(Sal Cirrincione- Premiere Prep) -

From the Sky Down, director Davis Guggenheim’s documentary about U2’s 1991 album, Achtung Baby, will premiere on Showtime Saturday night at 8 ET/PT. The movie opened the Toronto Film Festival in September, and The Edge says, “If it was left up to us, it might have had a lot more jokes and a lot more asides. But what Davis has done is remarkable.”

The 20th anniversary edition of Achtung Baby will be released Tuesday in five different configurations.

(NEWSER) – One state lawmaker wants to boost the economy and help out harried parents by legislating that Halloween always falls on a Saturday, the Hartford Courant reports. Connecticut Rep. Tim Larson says having Halloween on the last Saturday in October would also be safer for trick-or-treaters because parents could start earlier in the day. “It’s kind of a whimsical idea,” he admits, “but it’s smart from a common-sense safety perspective.”

The governor’s office didn’t bite, however: “The governor is worried about confusing the ghosts, goblins, and witches—so he thinks leaving Halloween on Oct. 31st is the right thing to do,” said a rep for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. One Republican state senator even blasted Larson for wanting to involve government in the private sector. But Larson says his idea would lead to more Halloween celebrations and more spending, while helping neighbors to “get out to see each other … it’s the small things that start sending a good vibe.”

Mike’s Thoughts:  Speaking as a Dad who will be up past his bed-time this Halloween Monday…..It’s not that I think this switch to Saturday is an entirely bad idea.

It’s just that I can’t imagine for the life of me why an elected official is wasting legislative time and effort on something this meaningless given the challenges currently facing our Country.

 (NEWSER) – The top 1% of income earners saw their after-tax income shoot up a whopping 275% between 1979 and 2007, and in the process more than doubled their share of all income, jumping from 8% to 17%, according to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office. The rest of the top 20% saw their income grow 65%, while the middle three-fifths’ income rose 40% and the bottom fifth just 18%. All numbers are adjusted for inflation.

 One Democratic congressman hailed the report, which was commissioned by the Senate Finance Committee, as “the latest evidence of the alarming rise in income inequality,” the New York Times reports. All told, the top fifth of earners received more of the nation’s income (53%) than the bottom four-fifths combined. The report cites less redistributive federal policies as a major driver of the gap, as taxes grew less progressive, and federal benefits shifted to programs like Social Security which go to everyone, regardless of income.

Mike’s Thoughts:  While it’s an eye-popping statistic to be sure the real question is how did this happen?

The 99% would probably tell you it’s because the 1%, who already had a ton of money and influence to begin with, simply know how to game the system.

Whereas the 1% would probably tell you that their wealth multiplied exponentially simply because they’re the best of the best:  working harder, smarter, and more profitably than the rest of us.

They’d probably also remind you that we live in a society based not on Democracy but on Capitalism where there is no penalty, nor should there be a penalty, for being successful.

So, the question is, who’s right??

(NEWSER) – Jeff Hindman was walking along Siesta Key Beach in Florida yesterday morning when he noticed a huge shape floating in the water. When he waded in, he found something decidedly odd—an 8-foot-tall, 100-pound fiberglass Lego man. “It doesn’t make sense,” Hindman tells the Herald Tribune. After beachgoers had sufficiently ogled the strange statue, county sheriffs confiscated it, and are waiting for someone to claim it. Lego execs swear they have nothing to do with it, calling the statue a counterfeit.

The statue’s chest bears the strange inscription “NO REAL THAN YOU ARE,” and his back has the name “Ego Leonard,” which might or might not be the name of a Dutch artist. There’s an Ego Leonard website that gives the giant toy a voice—“My name is Ego Leonard and according to you I come from the virtual world,” it reads. The Tribuneemailed the site, and got a reply reading, “I am glad I crossed over. Although it was a hell of a swim.” If no one claims the man, the sheriffs will turn it over to Hindman. “I’ll put it on eBay,” Hindman says.

Mike’s Thoughts:  Though authorities are duly impressed with the Lego Man’s swimming ability they are quick to point out that his chest slogan is chock full of grammar and syntax errors. 

Scientists in London have developed a new kind of broccoli that’s being specially grown to include two-to-three times the normal amount of the heart disease-fighting nutrient glucoraphanin.

To develop the new super vegetable, scientists cross-bred regular British broccoli with a Sicilian strain, but did not modify the genetics of the vegetable.

Known as Beneforte, the vegetable has been available in select markets in California and Texas, and will be sold throughout the U.S. later this fall.

Mike’s Thoughts:  Are you willing to give this stuff a try or are you a “traditional” broccoli kind of person?

I can honestly say that unless they put this stuff in the chips and salsa isle at the grocery store, I’ll never even see it.