A perfect baby can be pricey...

It will soon be possible for parents to pick attributes of the perfect baby (I was amused by the "blue eyes" and "academically-inclined" description as perfect, anywho...). But it comes with the cost of an Aston Martin.

As reported by MSN, it could cost parents $100,000 to produce the perfect child. Through a catalogue of female donors, in-vitro parents can grow a baby of preference based on the looks and genetic makeup of the mother.

Does this make regular mankind unpure and undesirable?

Baby photo from www.jillstanek.com, car photo from www.drive.com.au

$700B Bailout Plan Rejected

The U.S. economy is the pits. After a lengthy push by both Democrats and Republicans to get the corporate bailout plan approved, it was rejected today, triggering an almost 800-point drop in the Dow Industrials. Would it be appropriate to get in touch with my Irish roots now? Or maybe my Canadian ancestry...

As a soon-to-be college graduate, I am scared to death about the real world. Where will I be able to find a secure loan for a car, home or a loan for whatever I need in the coming years? This blog may not attract too many, but please, I beg for feedback!

Image from msn.com Monday, Sept. 29, 2008 7:37 p.m. ET

Obese Pay More Insurance

Just another incentive to lose the pounds. Not only will the overweight encounter health problems, but it will set them back a few because of it. Alabama is trying this out, considering it is the fattest state in the country and obesity is costing the state more in health care, according to Dr. Sanjay Gupta's CNN report. What is your take on the fat tax?

SNL Does It Pseudo

As soon as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin appeared on my T.V. screen as the presumptive Republican vice presidential candidate, the first person I thought of was NBC Saturday Night Live's Tina Fey. Soon enough, she appeared as Palin, along side Amy Poehler as Sen. Hilary Clinton in the opening Sept. 13 SNL sketch. SNL is notorious for imitating on the small screen, but this time, they really hit it big.

I thought of a SNL spoof before I thought of a Palin becoming vice president. Ah, the excitement of entertainment over reality. What is a journalist to do?

Terror Worries a Pseudo-Event

In my journalism history class, I am learning about pseudo-events. These are sensationalized events that question reality quote after quote. Worries of terrorist attacks, as well as stories that pile up because of them, produce hype for something that technically does not exist. We are practicing real-time news, and with the trend of faster feedback, there's only one way we're going. Predicting the future. Given the 7th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, it's time we put these worries and pre-conceived notions at rest. Let them exist as a memories, even though we should still be on guard. But regardless, stop scaring the public with colors and scales.

A Mogul turns Double-Digits

"Google turns 10!" is in the headlines today -- quite a junvenile comment for a company that dominates the Internet. Many in my generation cannot remember life before the beloved search engine -- Google was the first site I went to on the Internet, back in seventh grade Lake Orion, Mich. Wow, I can't believe it's been that long. Well enjoy the birthday festivites in your millions of Google searches this week.

I discovered this site in my reporting for my online news reporting class. Please check it out if you're at all interested in posting video online (not just for YouTube). You can upload multiple photos and make your own channel.

MOGULUS!

Stay tuned for a Neary's News channel in the near future...