Happy Halloween
Candidate Colbert gains 1 million Facebook supporters
Effort makes strong case for using social networks to promote political candidates
October 26, 2007 (Computerworld) — Comedian Stephen Colbert’s announcement that he plans to run for president of the U.S. may have struck some as a joke, but his supporters on Facebook have taken the campaign very seriously, signing up in droves over the past 10 days to drive membership in his group past the 1 million mark on Friday.
His 1,000,000 Strong For Stephen T. Colbert group is the fastest-growing section on Facebook, according to followers of social networking sites. The group’s membership grew from 5,000 on Oct. 17 to 500,000 on Oct. 23 to more than 1,015,000 at noon today.
In contrast, Sen Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) One Million Strong For Barack group has accumulated just over 380,000 members over the past nine months.
Stan Schroeder, a blogger at Mashable, a site that follows social networking developments, blogged that Colbert’s Facebook effort marks the strongest example of social network usage for political promotion to date.
“By spending very little time and money, Colbert has managed to gather one million supporters,” he wrote. “Whether or not they’ll vote for him is another matter, but it’s obvious that these (and all following) elections will largely be fought online.”
Rana Sobhany, a blogger at Allfacebook, a blog that follows developments on the social networking site, blogged: “I never would have thought that in just over a week, 1 million Gen Y’ers would be able to assemble for any cause, let alone in support of a presidential candidate, and apparently neither did anyone else.”
However, Sobhany noted that “Colbert’s presidential aspirations will likely fizzle out by election time” and that “this politically inactive and seemingly apathetic demographic is just going through the motions of showing their support for a candidate. But then again,” he added, “no one believed Colbert could muster this massive outpouring of support in a week.” 
Crappy Architecture
The Inaugural General Assembly of the World Toilet Association will have its first gathering next month. In honor of the occasion, founding member Sim Jae-duck of South Korea built this toilet-shaped house south of Seoul.
“Among its many amenities, the house features four deluxe toilets,” said the group, started in South Korea and dedicated to providing clean sanitation to the more than 2 billion people who live without toilets.
The home has a showcase bathroom located in its centre. Other toilets have features that range from elegant fittings to the latest in water conservation devices.
More Odd News from The News Room
Speed Dating on the Net
Shift Happens
Couples who shouldn’t hyphenate their names!
Couples who shouldn’t hyphenate their names!
That Craigslist Ad (The One Posted By The Enterprising Young Woman)
Most of you have seen this (and forwarded to us) already but, for the record, this was the question:
What am I doing wrong?
Okay, I’m tired of beating around the bush. I’m a beautiful (spectacularly beautiful) 25 year old girl. I’m articulate and classy. I’m not from New York . I’m looking to get married to a guy who makes at least half a million a year. I know how that sounds, but keep in mind that a million a year is middle class in New York City, so I don’t think I’m overreaching at all.
Are there any guys who make 500K or more on this board? Any wives? Could you send me some tips? I dated a business man who makes average around 200 - 250. But that’s where I seem to hit a roadblock. 250,000 won’t get me to central park west. I know a woman in my yoga class who was married to an investment banker and lives in Tribeca, and she’s not as pretty as I am, nor is she a great genius. So what is she doing right? How do I get to her level?
Here are my questions specifically:
- Where do you single rich men hang out? Give me specifics- bars, restaurants, gyms
-What are you looking for in a mate? Be honest guys, you won’t hurt my
feelings
-Is there an age range I should be targeting (I’m 25)?
- Why are some of the women living lavish lifestyles on the upper east side so plain? I’ve seen really ‘plain jane’ boring types who have nothing to offer married to incredibly wealthy guys. I’ve seen drop dead gorgeous girls in singles bars in the east village. What’s the story there?
- Jobs I should look out for? Everyone knows - lawyer, investment banker, doctor. How much do those guys really make? And where do they hang out? Where do the hedge fund guys hang out?
- How you decide marriage vs. just a girlfriend? I am looking for MARRIAGE ONLY
Please hold your insults - I’m putting myself out there in an honest way. Most beautiful women are superficial; at least I’m being up front about it. I wouldn’t be searching for these kind of guys if I wasn’t able to match them - in looks, culture, sophistication, and keeping a nice home and hearth.
And this is the answer:
I read your posting with great interest and have thought meaningfully about your dilemma. I offer the following analysis of your predicament. Firstly, I’m not wasting your time, I qualify as a guy who fits your bill; that is I make more than $500K per year. That said here’s how I see it.
Your offer, from the prospective of a guy like me, is plain and simple a cr@ppy business deal. Here’s why. Cutting through all the B.S., what you suggest is a simple trade: you bring your looks to the party and I bring my money. Fine, simple. But here’s the rub, your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity…in fact, it is very likely that my income increases but it is an absolute certainty that you won’t be getting any more beautiful!
So, in economic terms you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning asset. Not only are you a depreciating asset, your depreciation accelerates! Let me explain, you’re 25 now and will likely stay pretty hot for the next 5 years, but less so each year. Then the fade begins in earnest. By 35 stick a fork in you!
So in Wall Street terms, we would call you a trading position, not a buy and hold…hence the rub…marriage. It doesn’t make good business sense to “buy you” (which is what you’re asking) so I’d rather lease. In case you think I’m being cruel, I would say the following. If my money were to go away, so would you, so when your beauty fades I need an out. It’s as simple as that. So a deal that makes sense is dating, not marriage.
Separately, I was taught early in my career about efficient markets. So, I wonder why a girl as “articulate, classy and spectacularly beautiful” as you has been unable to find your sugar daddy. I find it hard to believe that if you are as gorgeous as you say you are that the $500K hasn’t found you, if not only for a tryout.
By the way, you could always find a way to make your own money and then we wouldn’t need to have this difficult conversation.
With all that said, I must say you’re going about it the right way. Classic “pump and dump.”
I hope this is helpful, and if you want to enter into some sort of lease, let me know.
The Daily Show-Bush Sinks Schip
Strange and Unusual Headlines
Nude Self-Portrait On a Rug Pinched
MCMINNVILLE, Ore. (AP) — Tamera Bremer titled the life-size nude self-portrait she laboriously wove into a rug “the sexy sex: all-nude review rug one.” Somebody apparently found it fetching, and late Monday it vanished from an exhibit floor at Linfield College.
Bremer said the latch-hook work took thousands of hours and she valued it in the five-figure range.
It was the first in a five-rug project the Portland artist, an adjunct professor at Linfield, has in the works.
The curvy cutout was fashioned from monk’s cloth, a heavy cotton, and hand-painted in 10 colors on alpaca yarn.
“I don’t understand why anyone would want to steal something like this,” she said. “Whoever did it doesn’t understand what they’ve done. It’s my life’s work.”
A video camera and two pieces of student art also were missing.
McMinnville Police Capt. Dennis Marks said officers will check with local second-hand stores. But if it’s college kids, it’s probably in somebody’s room, Marks said.
More Strange News
Associated Press - October 10, 2007 5:43 AM ET
ELLWOOD CITY, Pa. (AP) - It might look like junk. But not to Todd McDevitt. He knows the first Batman comic when he sees it. McDevitt owns five New Dimension Comics stores in the Pittsburgh area. He says his eyes almost popped out of his head when a man walked in and wanted to know if an old comic book was worth anything. The man said he had recently found a copy of Detective Comics 27 in the attic. The pre-World War II comic book features the debut of Batman. McDevitt says it wasn’t in the best of shape. He won’t reveal exactly how much he paid for the old comic book, but McDevitt says it’s worth about $250,000. A mint condition copy goes for twice that much.
GRETZKY’S GARAGE SALE
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. (AP) - Now, you can get a great jersey from the Great One if you’ve got the bucks. Wayne Gretzky is holding a benefit garage sale in a couple of weeks at a school in Westlake Village, California, outside Los Angeles. Gretzky and his family have sold their house and moved from Southern California to the Phoenix area, where he coaches the Coyotes. At the October 27th sale, they’ll be selling everything from autographed jerseys to home furnishings. Gretzky is also offering signed bottles of his newly released wine. Proceeds from the Gretzky garage sale will go for local education programs and a new baseball stadium at the Oaks Christian School.
ANSONIA-COCKROACHES
NEW YORK (AP) - A swanky New York City apartment building has some undesirable tenants. At least that’s what attorney Alan Arkin claims in his suit against the owners of the Ansonia building. Arkin charges his apartment is “completely uninhabitable” because it’s overrun with cockroaches. Angelina Jolie is a neighbor in the building and former tenants include Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey. Arkin says he and his wife can’t turn out the lights at night because the roaches crawl all over the bed. He says they’re even in the coffee maker. No comment yet from officials of the realty company that owns the Ansonia. But Arkin says they told him he should just move.
CAT URINE CHARGES
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Cat pee cost Cynthia Hunter nearly two months in jail. She was busted for stealing from a Brandon, Florida, Wal-Mart. Deputies added drug charges when they found a vial of yellow powder in her purse. The Tampa Tribune reports a field test for drugs suggested the substance was speed. But Hunter maintained it was dried cat pee for her son’s science project. Lab tests determined she was right and Hunter was sprung from jail. She pleaded guilty to petty theft and a judge gave her time served.
GAY CUSTOMER-LAWSUIT
NEW YORK (AP) - Khadijah Farmer wants more than an apology. She’s suing a popular restaurant in New York’s Greenwich (GREN’-ich) Village, claiming a bouncer chased her out of the women’s bathroom because she looked too masculine. Farmer told a news conference yesterday she knows she looks like a man, with her short hair. But she says she was humiliated and is the victim of gender discrimination. The incident occurred at an eatery called the Caliente Cab Company after New York’s gay pride parade last June. The restaurant is denying the discrimination claim.
Teens Nabbed After Police Station Turn
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Talk about a wrong turn. Three teens suspected of burglarizing vehicles were arrested after they attempted to elude a police car by turning into a police station.
An area resident reported the break-ins about 3 a.m. Monday and gave police a description of the teens and their car. Officers spotted the car - and it appeared the driver noticed the officers, police spokesman Joel DeSpain said. He turned right, apparently in an attempt to avoid the squad car.
“They turned right into the East District Station, ” DeSpain said. “Then we arrested them. ” Two 16-year-old boys and a 15-year-old girl were tentatively charged with entry into a locked vehicle, property damage and theft. Police recovered two iPods, credit cards, car stereos and two baseball bats from them, DeSpain said.
Boy, 6, Tries To Drive To Applebees
BROOMFIELD, Colo. (AP) — A 6-year-old boy was hungry and decided he’d go to Applebees. So he grabbed the car keys, took his booster seat from the back seat of his grandmother’s car and placed it in the driver’s seat, then made a go of driving himself to the restaurant Tuesday.
He made it about 75 feet. Unable to take the car out of reverse, he crossed the street and ran into a transformer and communication box, knocking out electricity and phone service to dozens of townhomes.
Nobody was injured and the boy, whose name was not released, got out of his car and told his grandmother what happened.
“He proceeded to start the car and started backing up,” said Sgt. Colleen O’Connell of the Broomfield Police Department. “He went backward about 47 feet, hit the curb, then went backward another 29 feet.”
Investigators couldn’t figure out how the boy reached the accelerator.
No charges will be filed.
Change for $1 Million?
PITTSBURGH - Change for a million?
That’s what a man was seeking Saturday when he handed a $1 million bill to a cashier at a Pittsburgh supermarket. But when the Giant Eagle employee refused and a manager confiscated the bogus bill, the man flew into a rage, police said.
The man slammed an electronic funds-transfer machine into the counter and reached for a scanner gun, police said.
Police arrested the man, who was not carrying identification and has refused to give his name to authorities. He is being held in the Allegheny County Jail.
Since 1969, the $100 bill is the largest note in circulation.
Police believe the $1 million note seized at the supermarket may have originated at a Dallas-based ministry. Last year, the ministry distributed thousands of religious pamphlets with a picture of President Glover Cleveland on a $1 million bill.