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Morning Radar: Three things we're talking about this morning

Status update: The last face you see at night, is it Facebook or your partner? Survey says: Facebook wins out.

A new Angus Reid survey done for rum maker Bacardi found that 75 per cent of Canadians who use social media admit that checking the site is the last thing they do at night and the first thing they do in the morning, according to this Canadian Press story.

About 80 per cent of people in Toronto or Montreal reach for their cellphones or smartphones rather than their partners. But late night romance may fare better in Quebec, where only nine per cent say they are never without the devices, according to CP.

What do they know that the ROC doesn't?

Nightmare before Christmas: How's this for a crazy toy trend? Toy maker Mattel is banking on an expansive new line, Monster High, for a smashing holiday season.

It sounds like a Frankensteinian mash up, a cross between Glee and Twilight. Comely teenaged characters in the line of dolls - complete with funky highlights, sexy ensembles and scary make-up - include "Frankie Stein," the "daughter of Frankenstein," and "Cleo De Nile," "daughter of the Mummy."

But the brand will also include books, jewellery and webisodes, according to this USA Today profile of Mattel CEO Bob Eckert.

Apparently, Eckert is wagering this will be Mattel's first new franchise -à la Barbie and Hot Wheels- in decades.

Monster High isn't a toy brand, he says, "but a consumer products brand anchored in toys."

Parents, will it fly in your house?

Tasteless tactic: I've been trying to ignore the birthornot.com Minnesota couple who have been polling the internet masses on whether or not they should abort their current pregnancy. Yes, you read that correctly: That's right: the couple is relying on the online masses to determine the future of that fetus.

Is it all a hoax or a pro-life stunt? It's horrid, whatever it is.

But the story has now spilled out into real life. Now, one half of the couple, Alisha Arnold, has lost her job over the poll.

Her company, Eagan software firm, "TempWorks", terminated Alisha's employment with a company-wide memo, which characterized her conduct as a grave threat to the reputation of the company, according to this Eyewitness News account.

Their motivations remain murky, but most observers say the couple, who have made anti-abortion comments on Wikipedia and blogs, are using the stunt to make a pro-life point.

A cautionary tale for those seeking internet fame? Maybe. But somehow, I don't think so.

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