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"Falling in love with you could really fuck up my plans for becoming President."

GQ gets "rielle" in this no holds barred interview with Rielle Hunter on her relationship with John (or Johnny as she calls him) Edwards that has the blogosphere buzzing, and in which I found this tidbit interesting.

So how did [Elizabeth Edwards] find out? I had purchased a phone for Johnny, a black Razr that looked exactly like his work phone. So he would be able to talk to me while, you know, people would think he was talking on his work phone.

Devious! This is a tactic from the advanced level edition of The Cheaters Handbook.

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11 Famous People Who Were in the Completely Wrong Career at Age 30

What do Sylvester Stallone, Andrea Bocelli, Martha Stewart, Mao, Julia Child, James Joyce, Colonel Sanders, Rodney Dangerfield, Harrison Ford, and Jesus all have in common?

Sylvester Stallone, deli counter attendant. After getting no career traction as an actor in his 20s, Stallone attacked his 30s like any 5'3 man should: He wrote a movie where he was an all-American hero with unbelievable success in sports.

That movie was "Rocky"... he banged out the "Rocky" screenplay in three days, in between working at a deli counter and as a movie theater usher... and it launched his career with an Academy Award for Best Picture.

I guess I shouldn't abandon my dream of being a masked crime fighter and defender of liberty.

[Via]

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How a New Jobless Era Will Transform America

The Atlantic has a despairing article on the long-term impact of our current unemployment crisis.

If it persists much longer, this era of high joblessness will likely change the life course and character of a generation of young adults—and quite possibly those of the children behind them as well. It will leave an indelible imprint on many blue-collar white men—and on white culture. It could change the nature of modern marriage, and also cripple marriage as an institution in many communities. It may already be plunging many inner cities into a kind of despair and dysfunction not seen for decades. Ultimately, it is likely to warp our politics, our culture, and the character of our society for years.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

[Via]

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Where Did They Go?

As interesting as this brief infograph and analysis at LinkedIn's blog on the migratory employment trends of former employees of Lehman Brothers, Bear Sterns, and Merrill Lynch is, I'm even more curious about LinkedIn's usage of its members information (even if it is "open" to the public). It doesn't seem too far of a stretch for LinkedIn, Facebook, or other social networks to do similar data pulls on behalf of advertisers or marketers, especially as companies try to get a grasp or develop a "best practice" on "viral" and social media marketing.

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Senate's First Official Class Photo

A rule prohibiting photographs in the Senate chambers was suspended to allow for this modest first official group picture on September 24, 1963. I'm disappointed they didn't go with the laser backdrop.

The photo-session, for the National Geographic Society’s illustrated book on Congress, We the People, was scheduled before the historic vote on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Ninety-eight members took their seats at 10:15 a.m. Photographer George Mobley set up three giant reflectors containing 21 large flashbulbs. Following each of six exposures, the burned-out bulbs had to be replaced for the next shot. During one exposure, a bulb exploded and showered glass onto spectating Representative Fred Schwengel, founder of Capitol Historical Society which sponsored We the People.

Compare this with the toothy mugging that takes place today as soon as any camera is raised.

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World's Cheapest Cell Phone

Vodafone is launching this cell phone which will retail for less than $15 unsubsidized and is "intended for emerging markets where low cost devices have a significant positive social impact." If you're wondering how a cell phone can positively impact developing regions then read this Economist article on the role cell phones have played among Kerala fisherman.

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Whiskey Toothpaste

Except for the rampant racism, segregation, sexism, and xenophobia, the olden days were pretty darn great as demonstrated by their toothpaste, although the brand name had me doing a SERIOUS double take. This must be the same product used by Massachusetts senator Anthony Galluccio who blamed his failed several breathalyzer tests on his toothpaste.

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Unusual FedEx Shipments

A few days ago FedEx delivered two pandas from the US to China. You could track the shipment on their website. Here are some other unusual shipments delivered by FedEx.

  • 17 classic Ferraris - Worth millions of dollars, these cars were shipped from Brussels to the U.S. for a car show.
  • A yacht for the U.S. Paralympic sailing team - In October 2000, the yacht of the U.S. Paralympic Sailing Team was transported from the East Coast to Sydney, Australia for the 2000 Paralymplic Games, the Olympic equivalent for the world's top athletes with disabilities.
  • A windmill from Denmark
  • Catherine the Great's collection of historic artifacts - Historic artifacts from Russian Empress Catherine the Great were shipped from Leningrad to Memphis for a special exhibition.
  • A helicopter - A Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter weighing 11,000 lbs. was flown via FedEx to Narita, Japan.
  • A statue - The eight-ton statue of Filipino war hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal, who inspired the 1896 revolution against Spanish domination, was shipped via FedEx from the Philippines to Spain.
  • A communications satellite - A five-ton communications satellite was shipped from Los Angeles to a remote site in China.
  • Rescue Equipment - A four-ton high press water drill and 5,700 lbs. of equipment were flown to Midland, Texas, to rescue 18-month-old Jessica McClure from a well in 1987.
  • Easter Eggs - FedEx delivered 12 decorated eggs for the 1977 White House Easter Egg Roll.
  • Giant Snowball - A FedEx pilot gave special handling to a giant snowball picked up in Wisconsin and delivered to a child in Memphis.
  • Special Sauce - When a storm struck New England, a fast food company chartered a FedEx plane for an emergency re-supply of special sauce.

[Via]

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Idiots Price Our Devices

When the iPod was first introduced in 2001, many people thought "it was over-priced and under-powered." Critics came up with clever acronyms for it:

Idiots price our devices.

I'd Prefer Owning Discs.

I Prefer Other Devices

Who's the idiot today? I bet a lot of these "experts" wish today they were clever enough to purchase some AAPL stocks that year.

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Woman Collides with a Picasso

New York Times reports:

On Friday afternoon a woman taking an adult education class at the Metropolitan Museum of Art accidentally lost her balance and fell into “The Actor,” right, a rare Rose Period Picasso, tearing the canvas about six inches along its lower right-hand corner.

Wanna get away? Fly Southwest.

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