This $700 billion proposed bailout is raising a lot of red flags amongst the public, media, and Congress, both democrats and republicans. And as Forbes points out even the basic question of how this enormous figure of 700 billion was determined is unclear:
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!?
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This statue is in Lithuania and it only truly makes sense when you view it at night.
Us Versus Them found this video which is "fucking" hysterical. I mean, it's completely innocuous and innocent, except for the fact that it is so NOT and NOT appropriate for work, unless you work with some cool chilled out fuckers. This is definitely a top 5 of the week. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-CQkG5N5Eo]
This receipt was found at a Chase ATM on 45 Wall Street showing a savings account balance of exactly $97,084.23 after he withdrew $100 (probably to buy lunch). As the Consumerist points out:
...this guy knows what he's doing; note how the balance is just under the $100,000 limit for full FDIC coverage.
Uhm, right! That's why I too keep my savings account balance under $100,000.
And I just heard that JP Morgan Chase purchased my bank Washington Mutual. So this means that I too now can access the same ATMs as this account holder without having to pay a transaction fee! Cha-ching! Money in the wallet and two dollars closer to $97,000.
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This player should have gotten a big ol' FAIL stamped across his forehead after this embarassingly horrible attempt at a wide open dunk. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uihaNhipoak]
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This is an amazing video showing off the new Wii game Wario Land. It'll quite literally shake your world browser window. Watch the entire thing for the full pay off. This is how you create a great promotional tutorial marketing video...if you have the budget for both creative execution and the ad placement buy. [Thanks Moye!]
These are dope snowboard boots from Nike, modeled after their popular Air Force 1 lineup. They make my Ride boots look like Sketchers. Oh Snap.
I want these:
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This van is just asking to be the mascot of To Catch a Predator.
As A Day in the Life of warned, "Kids, stay away from this van." No doubt.
Relatedly:
There's also this crucial importance distinction.
In exchange for pledging and promising to vote in this year's presidential election on November 4, Wilco is giving away a free download of "I Shall be Released," a song originally written by Bob Dylan. Wilco is one of my favorite bands and I'm really stoked to see them getting involved in the year's crucial elections in this manner. Click here to pledge and download.
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Hell hath no wrath like a late night talk show host scorned as John McCain learned tonight after he canceled his scheduled appearance at the last minute with David Letterman. McCain's excuse was that he had to rush back to Washington to deal with with the economic crisis facing the country (says the senator who has missed the most votes than his colleagues). That's all fine and dandy, except Letterman's crew midway caught him instead preparing and getting his make up applied on the set of the news show Katie Couric. Letterman subsequently eviscerates McCain's disingenous actions.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjkCrfylq-E]
America, say NAY to the debate DELAY! Answers now!
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While Congress is debating the 700 billion dollar bailout money to Wall Street and how executives of these firms should be held accountable, this happened in India:
Corporate India is in shock after a mob of workers bludgeoned to death the chief executive who sacked them from a factory in a suburb of Delhi.
Lalit Kishore Choudhary, 47, the head of the Indian operations of Graziano Transmissioni, a manufacturer of car parts that has its headquarters in Italy, died of severe head wounds on Monday after being attacked by scores of laid-off employees, police said. The incident, in Greater Noida, followed a long-running dispute between the factory’s management and workers demanding better pay and permanent contracts.
Man, crazy.
At most, here someone might key Lehman CEO Richard Fuld's car.
Read more here.
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The Idaho Vandal cheerleaders changed uniforms recently because some of their fans complained that their previous cheering uniforms were too...skimpy. If this isn't a sign of the apocalypse then I don't know what is. Check out the before and after. The one on the left is what prompted complaints and the right uniform is their temporary outfit while awaiting new uniforms.
I don't get it.
What I'm looking at from my end is the requisite basic outfit for hot girls sweating cardio at my gym (I love my gym, FYI).
What's the complaint? The tight midsection? The smoothly defined, but not too muscular arms? These gals female athletes should be rewarded if anything.
I lack the resources to pursue this story, but maybe the experts at Us Versus Them can put their interns on this and investigate it further. They don't skimp on nothin over there.
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Previously. I finally saw Kaizar's office space and then later we went to the Exploratorium with other Google people for a private tour with food and drinks.
But first, I'd like to point out that my umbrella doesn't work too well.
Slept in a bit and then headed out to walk down to Kaizar's office in the Mission. Check out the funky swivel bus seats. It reminded me of this:
I wish more public facilities and spaces would engage the public with a sense of play as suggested by this piece.
That tower in the background belongs to a...high school. Sheesh. My high school (SWS East High HOLLER!) had a thunderbird painted on it. Although the thunderbird was pretty bad ass.
More SF apartments and buildings.
One thing I really like about the San Francisco landscape are the murals that paint the city such as this one.
More of the same building.
Close up of the same building.
More close up.
Kaizar's office is actually this space where various people can rent a desk. It's pretty cool and the guys that work there are really cool. On the left there's Ben, co-founder and CEO, hard at work on his start up called Fluther. Check out the site, it's a great concept.
Ah, the SF stereotype in full display.
Kaizar manning the helm of Newstrust.net.
[flickr video=http://flickr.com/photos/83466411@N00/2871718282/] When not working, Dave and Kaizar rock out to the addictive song These Eyes. LOL.
On our way to lunch we came across this cluster of rats with wings fighting of lo mein.
Pretty disgusting actually.
The Mexican cuisine, especially burritos, is so goddamn good.
SF hills. Exciting.
I liked their efficient disposal units.
LOOK!
Top of the hill.
More photos.
Akash, Kaizar, and I headed to the Exploratorium.
We walked past this...I have no idea what it is.
Building.
Pillars.
Ta-da!
Cool spinning display.
A large magnifying glass...
Hahah.
Bunny ears to demonstrate directional hearing.
I forgot what this was suppose to demonstrate.
Colors...
More colors.
Display about superstitions. I still refused to walk underneath this ladder though.
Water fountain toilet.
Akash had to pee.
Me too.
Kaizar was thirsty.
A lot of mirrors and an empty wine glass.
[flickr video=http://flickr.com/photos/83466411@N00/2869323599/] Spinning thing. The guy lecturing is the lead scientist at the Exploratorium so it was a real treat to have him give us a tour.
[flickr video=http://flickr.com/photos/83466411@N00/2869340653/] Floating objects.
[flickr video=http://flickr.com/photos/83466411@N00/2870793943/] It's....MAGIC! Okay maybe not.
[flickr video=http://flickr.com/photos/83466411@N00/2871590178/] Magnets and sand...and me telling a kid to go away because I'm "filming." lol.
[flickr video=http://flickr.com/photos/83466411@N00/2869351149/] The scientist gave a really interesting lecture on this one.
[flickr video=http://flickr.com/photos/83466411@N00/2870817275/] Kaizar and Akash being touchy feely.
And then we got some food and a couple beers.
The End.
The McCain campaign's control over access to Sarah Palin (I'm STILL waiting for an unscripted Q&A session with reporters from her) extends to her fellow Alaskans and it's starting to really piss off her constituents mightily in that 49th state.
In stubbornly independent Alaska, the sudden intrusion of a political campaign into so many corners of state government -- not to mention Wasilla, where a dozen or more campaign researchers and lawyers have also begun overseeing the release of any information about Palin's years as mayor -- has touched a raw nerve. McCain staffers have even been assigned to answer calls for Palin's family members, who have been instructed not to talk.
"Why did the McCain campaign take over the governor's office?" the Anchorage Daily News demanded in an editorial Saturday. "Is it too much to ask that Alaska's governor speak for herself, directly to Alaskans, about her actions as Alaska's governor?"
This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who knows anything about the state of Alaska. We're a fiercely independent bunch of libertarians who want our annual oil check to be around at least $1500 per person and access to our elected officials.
Read more here.
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A rare custom Ferrari 456 Venice STATION WAGON owned by the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah was spotted at the successful Damien Hirst auction last week (Gross take after the 2 day auction, $199m).
Starting out as a 456 GT equipped with a V12 442 HP engine, the Sultan added 2 more doors and a hatchback to make a truly unique Ferrari you could tote you kids around in. Other customizations on this right-hand drive model include a slightly stretched wheelbase, new bodywork on the back end, and new seats.
Seven were made and the Sultan owns six of them, reportedly purchased for $1.5 million each in 1996.
Sometimes I'm really glad we have super rich mofos who can live out their wildest fantasies, even if those occasionally include the a slightly modified station wagon.
According to Wikipedia the Sultan is a well known auto fanatic and possess somewhere between 3,000 to 6,000 cars, many of which are extremely rare.
According to Guinness World Records the Sultan's personal private collection has 500 Rolls-Royces — the largest collection of that marque in the world. During the 1990s, his family accounted for almost half of all Rolls-Royce purchases, bulk buying slightly modified vehicles for diplomats and adding unique cars to their own collection. He also owns the very last Rolls-Royce Phantom VI, a 1992 state landaulette. Among his collection are the Porsche Carrera GT, Lamborghini Diablo Jota, Porsche 959, Bugatti EB110, Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, Maybach 62, Jaguar XJR-15 and six Dauer 962's. He is also the owner of six models of the Ferrari FX, the original red show model of the Bentley Continental R, two fully operational versions of the Ferrari Mythos concept car, both of the Ferrari 456 GT Sedans, the only right hand drive Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR in the world, five McLaren F1's including both black LM models and three Cizeta-Moroder V16T cars. He also possesses a Formula One car as driven by every Formula 1 World Drivers Champion since the 1980 Formula One season, particularly the ones driven in the last race for each season. A prime example of this is Jacques Villeneuve's Williams FW19 which still bears the collision damage courtesy of Michael Schumacher in the 1997 European Grand Prix.
He has a special interest in buying one-of-a-kind concept cars, including the Bentley Java and Bentley Dominator 4x4, whilst leaving slightly more common race cars such as the Aston Martin AM3 or the modified Mercedes-Benz 300SL to his brother Jefri.
My god. He makes Jay Leno look like a cabbie who owns his own Ford Victoria.
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The epic romance between Jim and Pam in the popular TV series The Office finally, FINALLY comes to an end. Give it a little time for the payoff. It's pretty hysterical. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iv8suLyJ9s]
DAMMIT, I LOVE THIS SHOW!
[Thanks Moye!]
While in San Francisco I was talking to my friend at Google about their new new (beta) web browser. He told me to type in about:internets into the URL address bar and see what happens. I did. And it's pretty awesome. It's a good throwback reminder to the days of computing yore.
As N put it, this disc jockey who continues to stay on air while a fire is breaking out in the studio "is either the coolest, calmest radio host ever or the dumbest." I say a little bit of both. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_KOK0wLmdA]
At the first sign of smoke I personally would have started running.
[Thanks N!]
