Interesting Eats

http://www.forbes.com/2006/12/18/most-unusual-restaurants-forbeslife-cx_ls_1219mostunsusualrestaurants_slide_2.html?partner=msnbc

http://blog.hotelclub.com/five-of-the-worlds-most-unusual-restaurants/

Paradise Goes Bankrupt

The Seychelles, the idyllic archipelago in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa, is best known as an island paradise playground for celebrities, royalty and the ultra-wealthy.

These days, it's better known for something else: bankruptcy.

With just 87,000 people, the Seychelles now has the unenviable stature of being perhaps the most indebted country in the world. Public and private debt totals $800 million - roughly the size of the country's entire economy.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Seychelles-Paradise-goes-hftn-14745001.html

http://www.seychelles.travel/en/home/index.php

Daily Links

The 5,000 Calorie Burger: http://www.cnbc.com/id/29838746

The Office POD: http://www.bornrich.org/entry/officepod-creates-a-space-that-is-dedicated-to-work-only/

The Pop-Up Garage: http://www.bornrich.org/entry/50000-pop-up-garage-is-a-shrine-for-affluent-auto-lovers/

Dear A.I.G. I Quit

The number one read story on the NY Times yesterday was a letter written from a A.I.G. exec to CEO Libby announcing his registration.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/25/opinion/25desantis.html

It is important to note that the bonuses for A.I.G. represent 1% of the money we have given to A.I.G.

This is not a justification of the bonuses but it is important to not lose sight of the other 99% by focusing entirely on the bonuses to executives, many of whom who are not responsible for the devastation that A.I.G. perpetrated.

The real issue is our attempt to create a Wall Street that awards compensation on long term performance rather than short term profits. Our generation has an unbelievable opportunity to shape regulation that creates long term stability and fairness in our economic system. Here's to the hope that we do not waste the opportunity by focusing solely on executive bonuses.

Jet Blue's Message to CEO's

http://www.welcomebigwigs.com/

Jet Blue recently launched a new online advertising campaign advertising to "CEOs" given the tough times.

Corporate Jet companies have already complained but I think the ads are hilarious.

Enjoy.

QWERTY

QWERTY is the most used modern-day keyboard layout on English-language computer and typewriter keyboards. It takes its name from the first six characters seen in the far left of the keyboard's top row of letters.

The QWERTY keyboard layout was devised and created in the early 1870s by Christopher Sholes, a newspaper editor and printer who lived in Milwaukee.

The QWERTY layout depicted in Sholes' 1878 patent includes a few differences from the modern layout, most notably in the absence of the numerals 0 and 1, with each of the remaining numerals shifted one position to the left of their modern counterparts.

Also, the W and E were switched. This was done because the letter E is the most commonly used letter in the English language. Sholes felt that it would be more convenient if it was placed within easy access of the strongest finger.

Christopher Sholes' 1878 QWERTY keyboard

layout for his patent application

Iraqi Shoe Thrower

In case you forgot about the Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President Bush, here is the link for your viewing pleasure...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM3Z_Kskl_U

Amazingly, a court convicted theIraqi journalist of assault on March 12th and sentenced him to three years in prison, prompting an outburst from his family and calls for his release from Iraqis who consider him an icon for a nation decimated by war.

Although al-Zeidi received the minimum sentence — it could have been 15 years behind bars — his lawyers denounced the verdict and said they would appeal, possibly hoping a public outcry.

Here is the full story from the trial:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090312/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq would aid their cause.

John Stewart vs. Jim Cramer

I'm sure many of you have heard about the back and forth between John Stewart and Jim Cramer.

If you haven't, here is a great collection of the videos that provided the context for Cramer appearing on the Daily Show last night.

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/03/lets-get-ready-to-rumble/

And here is the videos from last nights Daily Show....

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=220536&title=jim-cramer-pt.-1

I am off to the World Baseball Classic in Miami so no posts next week.

Bush Policies Reversed

Here is a snapshot of some of the Bush policies that President Obama has reversed in his first 50 days:

Funding of Stem Cell Research

President Obama signed an executive order Monday lifting the 7½-year ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and a memorandum covering all scientific research. In a less-than-subtle criticism of Bush's ban, Obama said, "In recent years, when it comes to stem cell research, rather than furthering discovery, our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values. In this case, I believe the two are not inconsistent," the president added before signing the order.


Closing Detainee Center at Guantanamo

In his first major step in office, Obama signed an executive order closing down the detainee center at the Guantanamo Bay military facility within a year, and established new guidelines on interrogation methods and the treatment of detainees. In another order signed on the same day, Obama mandated all U.S. interrogators in all agencies to adhere to rules in the Army Field Manual, and the president also called for the shut down of CIA detention centers around the world.


Endangered Species Act

The president authorized full scientific reviews of projects that might harm endangered wildlife and plants. Obama's memorandum overrides the Bush administration regulation that limits scientific reviews of projects that could harm endangered species.


Fuel Efficiency Standards

Obama asked the Environmental Protection Agency to look at allowing California and 13 other states the right to set their own, stricter, automobile emissions and fuel efficiency standards, a plea by the states that was rejected by the Bush administration.

Obama also directed Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, to finalize the fuel efficiency standards for cars for 2011 and to make recommendations for beyond that year, an action expected to lead to stricter fuel efficiency standards.

America Is Becoming Less Religious

From ABC News...

"America is still a predominantly Christian nation, but it's becoming both less Christian and less religious, according to the results of the new American Religious Identification Survey."

"15 percent of Americans now say they have no religion -- a figure that's almost doubled in 18 years. Americans with no religious preference are now larger than all other major religious groups except Catholics and Baptists."

"What seems to be happening is there is a decline in what we might call traditional brand loyalty to the old denominations, specific churches," said Barry Kosmin, a principle investigator for the American Religious Identification Survey.

Presidential Rank

C-SPAN recently conveyed a panel of historians to rank our presidents on 10 categories ranging from Crisis Leadership to Moral Authority.

For the rankings by category visit http://www.c-span.org/PresidentialSurvey/Overall-Ranking.aspx

Here are the notable ranks in the overall tally:

1) Abraham Lincoln
2) George Washington
3) FDR
4) Theodore Roosevelt
5) Harry Truman
6) JFK
7) Thomas Jefferson

15) Bill Clinton
18) George H. W. Bush

34) Herbert Hoover
36) George W. Bush

42) James Buchanan


Yes, George W ranks below Herbert Hoover, although he still has 6 presidents below him on the overall list, including Mr. Buchanan at #42.

Obama's Tax Policy (The explanation you must read)

MSNBC's Keith Olbermann provide the best rationale for Obama's tax policy on his show Countdown.

It is lengthy, but well worth the read....

Senate Republican whip, Jon Kyl, expressing the honest GOP position when he said of the budget this weekend, quote, “It is terrifying in the policy implications.”

So, what exactly are the policy implications of Mr. Obama‘s new direction for America monstrous enough to terrify you as senators? Perhaps it has to do of where the money is going.

The U.S. government—us, we the people—we will set aside $634 billion over 10 years, as a downpayment toward the ultimate goal that everyone, every American, will have health coverage, including the 46 million and counting Americans—men, women and children—who lack coverage as well as all the Americans who would otherwise go bankrupt paying for future health coverage.

And yes, America will pay for contraceptives, taxpayer dollars for evil condoms, and horrible birth control pills. Contraceptives that states already have the option of providing for low-income fornicators. Fornication that otherwise would lead to untold, unwanted pregnancies, unwanted babies, unwanted abortions, unwanted drains on families, unwanted drains on—yes, the national economy.

The Congressional Budget Office estimating $200 million saved over five years, thanks to—yes, contraceptives and family planning.

Or could this be about the kids receiving massive increases in government scholarship and lending, from college down to early head-start? Or could it be about the poor in line for everything from help weatherizing their homes to save on energy costs, the average family saving an estimated 350 bucks a year on energy cost, to federal assistance expanding Internet access to remote rural areas of the country?

If all those sound like worthy investments, perhaps Republicans‘ terror stems from the source of this money.

Is the president planning to end three decades of growing income disparity, tilt the playing field back towards the middle-class?

Is Obama really trying to turn America into a country that taxes the rich people? Oh, yes! Hell, yes!

Starting not now in a recession, but in 2011, rich people will qualify for fewer tax deductions, so few that the functional tax rate might even rise to something like yours. And capital gains, money that you make any way other than working for it. That will now get taxed not at 15 percent but at 20 percent.

Oh, the humanity.

Oh, and hedge fund managers will have their tax rates raised to the astronomical rates now being paid by hedge fund manager secretaries.

The rich will also get less in Medicare benefits. You heard me, they get Medicare benefits.

What about the small businesses that will get crushed by these tax hikes? That part is true, tax hikes are on the way for every single small business, except 98.1 percent of them.

But hold on, House Republican Leader Boehner says the budget raises taxes on every American. How? Because now, energy suppliers will pay a fee, $646 billion over 10 years for exceeding carbon caps, and therefore, they might in turn raise prices to the consumer.

But in reality, those carbon fees will not only offset the price hikes, they will be used to cut payroll taxes for every single American on a payroll, not to mention $15 billion a year to research alternative energies—oh, and to lower greenhouse gases, just might slow global warming thereby saving the planet. No planet and the economy will really slow down, and suddenly.

Also, coughing up money, toxic waste polluters: $17 billion over 10 years.

Agribusiness, not small farmers, will lose its $500,000 subsidies, just like banks will lose $4 billion in government payments for making student loans.

Oil and gas will lose $35 billion in payments and loopholes.

Insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies are losing billions in wasted federal payments.

You get the picture. And that, in short, is just some of what terrifies the GOP.

That is what lies behind the budget debate, a debate Republicans have every reason to keep fighting, despite the fact that they‘ve already lost it—on Election Day.

Editorial Cartoons

Daily Links

The Car that runs on Air: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-10187871-48.html?tag=TOCmoreStories.0

Obama's grayer six weeks in: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29524174

John Stewart Goes After CNBC (AMAZING): http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=220252&title=cnbc-gives-financial-advice

News From Around the World

Newseum offers free access to front page headlines from newspapers all around the globe.

Want to know what is going on in Eugene, Oregon or Kingston, Jamaica, this is your source.

Interested in brushing up on your French, then La Tribune from Paris is for you.

http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/default.asp

Pay to Pee

And you thought US Airlines were out of line for charging you for a soda.

The chief executive of Ryan Air, one of the most popular budget airlines in Europe, has floated the idea of charging passengers 1 pound (~$1.40) to use the loo.

Ryan Air has a history of booking fees that seem extreme but they also have some of the lowest fares in Europe and most customers don't seem to mind.

The carrier charges £30 to check in a bag, £10 to pay for flights with a debit or credit card (excluding Visa Electron), £60 to check in sports or music equipment, £15 for each kilo of excess baggage, £50 to change a flight and £100 to change the name on a ticket.

So what do we think? Would you still fly Southwest or JetBlue if cost you $3 for a soda and a buck for the privilege of using the bathroom?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/4861505/Ryanair-may-charge-1-for-toilet-use.html

What's in a Name?

TiVo

“Bongo” and “Lasso” are just two of the 800 possible names the marketing folks kicked around before settling on TiVo. The final name was cobbled together from “TV” and the engineering acronym “I/O,” which stands for “input/output.”


Bluetooth

In the 10th Century, Danish King Harald Blatand was able to unite warring factions in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark under one banner. Similarly, the developers of the Bluetooth signal wanted to unite many different forms of technology – cars, computers, and mobile phones – under one communications network. So when they were coming up with a name, they went with the English translation of the Danish king’s last name, “Bluetooth.”


Hulu

Hulu means many things to many people. To some, it’s a great online resource for watching their favorite TV shows and movies. But to a native Hawaiian, it means “hair.” To someone who speaks Swahili, it means “cease.” To an Indonesian, it means “butt.” While these translations are accurate, the folks behind naming hulu.com were inspired by a couple of Mandarin Chinese definitions instead – “interactive recording” and “a hollowed-out gourd used to hold precious things.”


Nintendo Wii

First of all, the word is pronounced “we,” which emphasizes the social concept that Nintendo envisioned for the console. The name is also universal, without any direct translation into any particular language, reinforcing that all-inclusive idea. They even liked the double-i spelling because it looks like two people standing side-by-side.


Wikipedia

“Wiki” is used to describe any website content that is specifically designed to be edited by its users. The name was first coined by Ward Cunningham to describe software he wrote back in 1994 that was meant to speed up the communication process between computer programmers. He borrowed the word from the Hawaiian language, where it means “fast”, after hearing it in the Honolulu airport when an employee told him to take the “Wiki Wiki Shuttle” between terminals. Many people mistakenly believe Wiki is an acronym for “What I Know Is.” However, that definition was actually applied to the word after the fact, making it instead a backronym (which is now my new favorite word).


From Mental Floss Magazine