Oh reality, it's not for me
And it makes me laugh
Oh, fantasy world and Disney girls
I'm coming back
-- The Beach Boys, "Disney Girls"

Boy, Disney (NYSE: DIS) had a rough week. First the Marie Digby flap, and now this: In case it's not in your job description to pay mind to such things, the internet right now is all atwitter about a circulating photo of starlet Vanessa Hudgens baring her mouse ears, and then some. Miss Hudgens is one of the stars from Disney's very massive High School Musical franchise, and girlfriend of HSM co-star (and perhaps budding shutterbug?) Zac Efron.



But we're not here to judge -- well, I'm not here to judge. The boss is bothered though -- she had to explain to her seven-year-old what "nude" means (daughter's insightful reply: "Isn't she embarrassed?" From the mouths of babes...).

When I graduated college, the idea of having my parents negotiate a job offer for me would have sent shivers down my spine. Apparently, this current generation has no such qualms.

They call them "helicopter parents," and according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, they are annoying some of the biggest names in corporate America including General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE), Merrill Lynch & Co. (NYSE: MER) and The Vanguard Group.

What's even more shocking is that the hiring managers are ACCOMMODATING these overbearing people. They are taking a page from the U.S. Army, which now targets its advertising to prospective recruits. The world has certainly changed since I graduated college in 1991 and not for the better.

If I were a hiring manager, I would immediately revoke any job offer for those who had their mom or dad act as their agent. That is ridiculous.

If you are unable to speak for yourself when you graduate college, something has gone terribly wrong. Do today's twenty-somethings expect mom and dad to fight all of their workplace battles for them? When does it stop? This isn't healthy for either parent or child.

Helicopter parents are the types of people who would wrap their children in bubble wrap to protect them from all of life's disappointments. They make sure that no kid gets cut from a sports team and that everyone gets a trophy. These days, there are no winners and losers.

Unfortunately, life doesn't work that way.

According to an AP report, AOL is preparing to dig for gold and platinum bars in Medfield, MA. AOL won a $12.8 million judgment against uber-spammer Davis Wolfgand Hawke in 2005. Unable to contact Hawke, AOL has persuaded a judge to allow it to excavate property belonging to Hawke's parents. AOL believes Hawke buried his spamming-gotten gains near the property. AOL has indicated it will try not to disturb Hawke's parents during the excavations.

This is not the first time AOL has gone after spammers' hidden assets. In 2003 AOL was awarded a Hummer H2, $75,000 in cash and $20,000 in gold bars. In 2004, AOL won a spammer's Porsche Boxster worth approximately $45,000. In each case, AOL later raffled off the booty in a subscriber contest. There is no word on whether this loot, if found, will be similarly raffled.

On the day of this somewhat whimsical news, Time Warner stock rose .03 per share to close at $16.08. Even bizarre publicity can be good.