Verbo.se

Billions over Baghdad

27/09/2007

Read this article please. It’s long, but worth the read. Who needs oil?

Vanity Fair: Between April 2003 and June 2004, $12 billion in U.S. currency—much of it belonging to the Iraqi people—was shipped from the Federal Reserve to Baghdad, where it was dispensed by the Coalition Provisional Authority. Some of the cash went to pay for projects and keep ministries afloat, but, incredibly, at least $9 billion has gone missing, unaccounted for, in a frenzy of mismanagement and greed. Following a trail that leads from a safe in one of Saddam’s palaces to a house near San Diego, to a P.O. box in the Bahamas, the authors discover just how little anyone cared about how the money was handled.

“Dear Mr. Prime”

25/09/2007

Dear Mr. Prime,

We have received your accident-claim reports for the month of June—they total 27. I regret to inform you that GEICO will not be able to reimburse you for any of those repairs. I feel that I have sent the same letter to you once a month for the last six months, and I am now sending it again.

Since becoming a GEICO customer in January of this year, you have reported 131 accidents, requesting reimbursement for repairs necessitated by each one. You have claimed not to be responsible in any of them, usually listing the cause of the accident as either “Sneak attack by Decepticons” or “Unavoidable damage caused by protecting freedom for all sentient beings.”

[…]

Stephen Fry Blogs

24/09/2007

And his first post is about smartphones. I never fail to be impressed by that man. I think he’s a bit harsh on the Treo 680, but by god is he right about Palm in general — I don’t think they know what they fuck they’re doing, never mind their customers.

Perhaps they could take Stephen on to develop and roll out his idyllic 800, which really isn’t asking all that much in the current technical environment. He could replace the fuckwit that came up with the giant waste of time and money that was the Foleo.

(Thank the gods I can say “was“.)

MMM: Stout Scarab

24/09/2007

Retro-futuristic concept from Frankfurt perhaps? No, this spaceframe-monocoque MPV, with independent suspension, coil springs, flexible seating and push-button doors, was built in the 1930s by a gent named Bill Stout.

Stout Scarab

Unfortunately it was about four times more expensive than comparable cars, so it’s been consigned to history, it’s innovations mostly forgotten.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYRpzdjENWQ

(Thanks to kingdom hoop for the pointer.)

MMM: Nice Manta

24/09/2007

There’s a difference between liking Mantas and being obsessed with Mantas like Jalopnik, but I do like them, and I’m afraid I’m partial to the old wide body kit too so this one revs me up. Sorry, I know it makes me a bad person, but what can you do?

Manta

(The Playboy sticker is a step too far though.)  

MMM: Don’t Want One

24/09/2007

It’s just silly, isn’t it. And so un-Audi; even the RS4 is relatively subtle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQMaRRrXX-8

“Ahmadinejad can blow me”

23/09/2007

I always feel slightly… wrong …when I confess to people that I, a techie, don’t religiously check out Dilbert every day. It just doesn’t do a whole lot for me I’m afraid. I’m sorry.

Which isn’t to say I don’t like the cut of Scott Adams’ jib…

A Feeling I’m Being Had: I was happy to hear that NYC didn’t allow Iranian President Ahmadinejad to place a wreath at the WTC site. And I was happy that Columbia University is rescinding the offer to let him speak. If you let a guy like that express his views, before long the entire world will want freedom of speech.

Read the comments for a second fill of fun.

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