Yesterday at approximately 12 p.m. PT, a driver in a Honda Civic dared to brush up against the pricey Ferrari driven by 17-year-old pop star Justin Bieber in the San Fernando Valley. Los Angeles Police Officer Gregory Baek told the AP the accident was a "very minor collision," and sources confirmed to TMZ the Honda merely "tapped" the rear left side of the vehicle piloted by Bieber -- evidently when its driver tried to get around Bieber's ride in an underground parking garage, as E! reports. There was no visible damage to either vehicle, no injuries, and authorities who arrived to check out the scene didn't even bother to file a report. Case closed!
Except this is Justin Bieber we're talking about here -- a pop star who can't go to a mall or promote his fragrance Someday at Macy's without major incident. Bieber has escaped harm in all such incidents, and the Honda owner is probably heaving a sigh of relief today that this snafu had a similar conclusion. The Civic (current base list price: $15,805) didn't even ding the Ferrari F430 (most recent base list price: $186,925). Bieber was first spotted in the matte black Ferrari F430 last year. The car's standard features include a 32-valve engine, panic alarm (which might come in handy if you're a a teen heartthrob), and the ability to fill "every pleasure receptor in your brain with automotive giddiness." Its top speed: 200 mph.
You can't totally blame the teen star for wanting a toy (albeit one that costs nearly three times the median income of a family of four): In the past few months alone he's been egged onstage in Australia, had his music videos yanked from YouTube by a hacker, and learned his Vanity Fair cover bombed at the newsstand. There's even been a bit of a Justin Bieber crime wave in the air -- a man was recently busted for stealing a cardboard cut-out of the pop star from a Florida mall, and a ceremonial Justin Bieber Way street sign was swiped in Texas.
For an experience just as thrilling as driving a $200K Ferrari, follow The Amplifier on Twitter now!
For a glimpse of how this latest incident could have gone awry, check out Yahoo!'s report on an insane accident (a million-dollar fender bender!) involving the very same vehicle Bieber was driving in July. And here's what Bieber's fancy ride looks like:
Social Security is a tyrannical, coercive ponzi scheme versus the voluntary one used by the original ponzi schemer himself, Charles Ponzi, who duped investors out of their money, absconded with the money by using the later investors' money to pay the later investors instead of using the money to make investments as he claimed he was doing.
Here is Michael Tanner's explanation of how Social Security is a ponzi scheme:
Social Security, on the other hand, forces people to invest in it through a mandatory payroll tax. A small portion of that money is used to buy special-issue Treasury bonds that the government will eventually have to repay, but the vast majority of the money you pay in Social Security taxes is not invested in anything. Instead, the money you pay into the system is used to pay benefits to those “early investors” who are retired today. When you retire, you will have to rely on the next generation of workers behind you to pay the taxes that will finance your benefits. As with Ponzi’s scheme, this turns out to be a very good deal for those who got in early. The very first Social Security recipient, Ida Mae Fuller of Vermont, paid just $44 in Social Security taxes, but the long-lived Mrs. Fuller collected $20,993 in benefits. Such high returns were possible because there were many workers paying into the system and only a few retirees taking benefits out of it. In 1950, for instance, there were 16 workers supporting every retiree. Today, there are just over three. By around 2030, we will be down to just two.
As with Ponzi’s scheme, when the number of new contributors dries up, it will become impossible to continue to pay the promised benefits. Those early windfall returns are long gone. When today’s young workers retire, they will receive returns far below what private investments could provide. Many will be lucky to break even.
Eventually the pyramid crumbles.
Of course, Social Security and Ponzi schemes are not perfectly analogous. Ponzi, after all, had to rely on what people were willing to voluntarily invest with him. Once he couldn’t convince enough new investors to join his scheme, it collapsed. Social Security, on the other hand, can rely on the power of the government to tax. As the shrinking number of workers paying into the system makes it harder to continue to sustain benefits, the government can just force young people to pay even more into the system.
In fact, Social Security taxes have been raised some 40 times since the program began. The initial Social Security tax was 2 percent (split between the employer and employee), capped at $3,000 of earnings. That made for a maximum tax of $60. Today, the tax is 12.4 percent, capped at $106,800, for a maximum tax of $13,234. Even adjusting for inflation, that represents more than an 800 percent increase.
In addition, at least until the final collapse of his scheme, Ponzi was more or less obligated to pay his early investors what he promised them. With Social Security, on the other hand, Congress is always able to change or cut those benefits in order to keep the scheme going.
Social Security is facing more than $20 trillion in unfunded future liabilities. Raising taxes and cutting benefits enough to keep the program limping along will obviously mean an ever-worsening deal for younger workers. They will be forced to pay more and get less.
If the Ground Zero Mosque, now renamed Park 51, being built right next to Ground Zero, where Muslim extremists murdered nearly 3000 lives on Sept. 11, 2001, isn't pouring salt on the wounds of all those who lost loved ones on 9/11 then their request for $5 million in federal funding surely is. What the heck has happened to the separation of Church and State? Why aren't the liberals complaining about the breach of separation of Church and State? Because they both have the same agenda - and it sure isn't in America's best interest. This ticks me off!!! Dick Morris has started a petition you can sign to stop this smack in the face request for federal funding. This is a religious institution and it is unconstitutional for them to receive federal funding. This is outrageous!!! Unbelievable!!
The ground zero mosque, called Park 51, has applied for a $5 million grant of federal funds from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. The Corporation, set up to rebuild lower Manhattan after 9-11 is actively considering the grant request. Imagine! A federal entity set up to rebuild lower Manhattan giving tax money to a mosque designed to celebrate the attacks that killed 3,000 Americans!
The ground zero mosque will offer courses in Shariah Law and will doubtless spawn hundreds of new terrorists eager to pick up where the 9-11 hijackers left off.
Officially, the federal funds would not go to religious activities, but to “fund social service programs for all the residents of Lower Manhattan such as domestic violence prevention, Arabic and other foreign language classes, programs and services for homeless veterans, two multi-cultural art exhibits and immigration services,” according to its grant application.
A Fox 5 extreme weather reporter from D.C. was covering Ocean City, MD on site during Hurricane Irene when he thought that he was being covered with "sea foam" but it actually consisted of raw sewage too. That's just so nasty. He probably doesn't earn that much money so is it worth it for him to stay out there in such bad conditions? Should other news reporters be obligated to endure similar situations as under their job contracts?
Before I leave you with the funnies I must say if I haven't been to your blog lately I am so sorry and I will visit in the near future. I really haven't been feeling well for the last month or so due to my endometriosis. A couple weeks ago I had a doctor's visit and found out that I had an infection - didn't know that it was possible to get that type of infection where they discovered it in my body but oh well. Finally got the medication after I played phone tag trying to explain to the medical staff that I have trouble taking pills and that these capsules were way too big for me to swallow. I have a small mouth and I have so much trouble taking the medium to big size pills. I've tried all the suggestions and nothing has worked so far. Then some family came to visit and spent some time with them. It was a good visit. I started to feel better and then felt worse again, then felt better, and now I feel kinda bad again. I feel like a yo-yo with dealing with this endo. I have had this terrible disease for about 15 years and I am at the end of my line for options medically. Now I am going to try heating castor oil packets or cloths up and laying them on my abdomine to see if it helps. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping this helps. I will stop by your blogs shortly. I can't wait to see all your great articles. I am also working on my links posting and that should be done tomorrow or Monday. God Bless, have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the funny vids.
You’ve seen these famous logos countless times on billboards, passing by on trucks, and at the grocery store, but there is more to them than meets the eye. If you take a closer look, you will find that these recognized logos have hidden images and messages. Check out these inventive designs that cleverly use white space and optical illusions to display subliminal messages.
FedEx
This logo appears to be very simple, but if you look at the white space between the "E" and "x" in “Ex," you'll find it is more complex than you thought. Can you spot the arrow?
Tostitos
These popular party chips are a staple at many backyard BBQs, but chances are, you've never noticed the hidden celebration scene concealed within the letters. The second and third "t’s" are sharing a chip over an "i" that is dotted with a salsa bowl. Yum!
Le Tour de France
Named the world's most famous and prestigious cycling race, bike-lovers and non-cyclists alike are familiar with the event's emblem. However, you might be missing out on the logo's most interesting aspect. After careful examination, you'll notice an image of a person riding a bicycle; the yellow circle is the front wheel and the r is the body.
Amazon.com
Amazon.com has become a go-to source for electronic commerce. Clearly there is an arrow under Amazon, but have you ever thought about its significance? Take a look at where the arrow begins and ends: a and z. This secret message seems to conveys that Amazon offers everything from A to Z!
Hershey's Kisses
The Kisses logo doesn’t have much to it, but if you look at it sideways, you might see a chocolate kiss formed between the K and the I.
Toblerone
There’s a slightly obscured bear within the Matterhorn Mountain if you look closely. That’s because the candy bar hails from Bern, Switzerland, a city supposedly named for a bear. Big Ten
Penn State became the 11th member of this university athletic conference, hence the embedded “11” in this logo. That is, until the University of Nebraska–Lincoln became number 12, ushering in a new logo era.
Northwest Airlines
Before merging with Delta, Northwest’s logo was one of the best in the industry. The N and W within the circle are fairly obvious, but did you know the circle also serves as a compass? And guess which direction the arrow in the upper-left-hand corner (or the beginning of the w) is pointing?
Baskin-Robbins
Famous for its thirty-one ice-cream flavors (though the company’s expanded beyond that original number at this point), Baskin-Robbins unveiled this new logo in 2006 to commemorate its sixtieth anniversary.
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
The tree stands out almost immediately, but if you give the image more than a cursory glance, the designer’s remarkable use of white space becomes clear. There’s a lot of life in this logo, which makes it perfect for a zoo-aquarium combination.
Goodwill
What looks like half of a happy face is also a bigger version of the G in Goodwill’s name. It gives the logo an entirely different feel when you think about it that way.
Carrefour
The name of this French international retail chain translates to “crossroads,” or “intersection” in English. The two arrows pointing in opposite directions indicate this, but there’s also a big C hidden in the white space.
London Symphony Orchestra
The seemingly simple design is both an acronym for the London Symphony Orchestra and a conductor conducting with a baton in his right hand. Neat, huh?
Milwaukee Brewers
This was the Brewers’ emblem from 1978 until 1993. An art history student designed the baseball glove composed of an m and a b for a 1977 logo contest. Now it’s one of the most famous logos in baseball.
Washington State University
Washington State University’s mascot is a cougar, but putting a picture of an actual cougar in the logo would be so boring. Instead, the cougar is created with creative exaggerations of the letters W, S, and U.
My thoughts and prayers go out to all those on the East Coast who will be affected by Hurricane Irene. Please stay safe.
From Delmarva Now: OCEAN CITY -- An insistent evacuation of Ocean City began at midnight, and the resort hoped to have all residents and visitors out of town by 5 p.m. today, as a hurricane heads for Delmarva.At midnight, Phase 3 of the resort's evacuation plan went into effect, meaning everyone other than emergency workers had to make their way across the bridges and out of town.
The decision was made late Thursday after overnight forecasts nudged the projected path of Hurricane Irene closer to the Delmarva coastline than had been expected Wednesday. Mayor Rick Meehan signed a local state of emergency declaration, which essentially shuts down the entire town. The sale of alcohol is banned, and all businesses were asked to close.
For Ocean City, Irene's eye "will pass very close by or just offshore later Saturday night into Sunday morning," Accuweather Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said Thursday.It will bring heavy rain -- a predicted 9.5 inches in town -- that is expected to cause substantial coastal flooding, along with sustained hurricane-force winds reaching 90 mph, with gusts near 120 mph.
My hometown of Salisbury is located about 35 miles from Ocean City. City officials have ordered the evacuation of all those living in low lying areas around the county. The Wicomico Youth & Civic Center will be used as a shelter. Some of the streets where people are being urged to evacuate are only a few blocks from where I grew up in Salisbury.
Here is one tracking model of the storm
I'm not sure whether Hurricane Irene is going to hit Maryland as a category 2 or a category 1 storm. Hopefully the storm weakens.
A well-toned Spears showed off her iconic abs in a teeny-weeny two-piece in Sydney, Australia. "I probably do like 500-sit-ups," Spears has told Oprah Winfrey. "And If I'm having a really good day, I'll do like probably, 1,000."
April 23, 2004
On a beach in L.A. during a break in touring, the-Cheetos-and-Red-Bull loving singer (with a cigarette in hand) set off a media frenzy when she was photographed cavorting with Kevin Federline.
July 15, 2004
"Lounging around" as a newlywed caused Spears to put on pounds, she has said (here at a hotel pool in Marina del Rey, CA).
April 13, 2005
Bun in the oven! The parents-to-be strolled along the beach hand-in-hand in Destin, Florida, the day she announced she was pregnant with their first child. While carrying Sean, Spears gave in to her cravings at Wendy's and Chili's.
June 15, 2006
Hours before her infamous interview with Matt Lauer aired, Spears (pregnant with #2) soaked up rays in Miami. When asked about her marriage, Spears denied any problems. "[Kevin] helps me," Spears told Lauer. "He has to. I'm an emotional wreck right now." On November 7, Spears filed for divorce.
Nov. 7, 2006
A six-months pregnant Spears walked along the beach in L.A. while picking out shells for Sean Preston on the day she filed for divorce from Kevin Federline. "I love my child and I would do anything to protect him," the singer has said.
Feb. 28, 2007
Before checking into Promises rehab center in Malibu for the second time, a newly bald Spears (in a blonde wig) headed to the Mondrian hotel where she made two new gal pals at the poolside Star Bar.
July 18, 2007
Spears and her then assistant Shannon Funk stripped down to their skivvies and took a dip in the ocean in Malibu. "I used to walk around my house completely naked. And my dad would say, 'Britney, put some clothes on, we have people over,'" Spears told Esquire.
April 23, 2008
To get back in shape, Spears (in Malibu) has been hitting Bally Total Fitness in L.A. "She takes her workout seriously," says a gymgoer.
May 18, 2008
A happy and healthy looking Spears hit the beach for a five-day vacation with Mel Gibson and her dad in Costa Rica. While surfing, a witness says, Spears yelled, "I'm scared!" before hitting the water for 40 minutes. "She caught some waves."
Aug. 8, 2009
"I've had to work hard at getting [my body] back to where it used to be," Spears (at a photo shoot for the 2009
Aug. 21, 2009
The singer showed off her bikini bod with sis Jamie-Lynn, 18, during an outing with sons, Sean, 4, and Jayden, 3, in Miami. "They both looked to be in pretty good shape," a witness to the family's outing at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel tells Us.
Oct. 18, 2009
On a break from her Circus concert tour, Spears donned a black bikini and shades for a three-night getaway at the Tides Zihuatanejo resort in Mexico with agent beau, Jason Trawick, and her sons.
Nov. 15, 2009
The singer, who wrapped her tour last month, shed a reported 20 pounds before hitting the road, thanks to two-hour cardio-and-strength training workouts three times a week (on top of dance rehearsals). Source: USmag
Apparently Ron Paul was invited on The O'Reilly Factor after complaining to Megyn Kelly that he was being ignored by the media after his close 2nd in the Iowa Straw Poll. Can complainers be choosers? I mean is Ron Paul really being too choosy with which show he gets interviewed on or is he really being ignored by the media? I wonder whether he has been invited on other shows and refused to be interviewed? From my perspective it seems like it is a little of both. What are your thoughts?
Recently a young writer and filmmaker named Layla Merritt wrote to me about work she has been doing researching and working on a documentary that is dear to her heart. While the film is in development, she created a rough cut trailer and uploaded it to YouTube -- it is above. The first day it was on YouTube, she received a serious distribution inquiry from California Newsreel, the premier distributor ofeducation films in ethnic studies films to institutions. But after that, Layla began receiving harassing emails and threats from angry Muslims around the world, who said things like "I can get to you easily, Jew."
Her film doesn't actually attack Islam, but it does highlight the absurd oppression and tragic challenges that American girls face in when they are kept in Islamic communities. Black From Islam also uses the girls whom Layla interviews to make case study comparisons to women in the Islamic Middle East who have been profiled by New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof. Two of Layla's interview subjects grew up in the secretive Islamic group Jamaat al-Fuqra in American cities. A group that originated in Pakistan, Jamaat al-Fuqra is suspected of complicity with the beheading of Daniel Pearl. Layla explains her intention in making Black From Islam this way:
Black From Islam: African American Women Defectors from Islam
Black From Islam, a film by Layla Merritt, is a one-hour, educational documentary. It features interviews with three ex-Muslim women, two experts, and an informational reference. During the heat of Black Nationalism in the 1970's, African Americans converted in droves to Islam. Black From Islam identifies the historical routes African Americans have taken to Islam in America, rejecting the slavery-linked dogma of Christianity. It closely examines the cultural differences of how Americans live as Muslims in America, through the experiences of three American women. Communities such the Muslims Of the Americas (MOA) are highly reclusive. They live as large families on private compounds or buildings. They practice polygamy and home-school their children; they arrange their daughters marriages. This way of life, virtually foreign to most American teens, is a reality for some American girls who grow up Muslim. BlackFrom Islam takes an intimate look at non-secular, Muslim-American communities through the triumphs and tragedies of the women who left them.
The audience for Black From Islam includes scholars, students, libraries, institutions, African Americans, women, Americans, and internationally, anyone with an interest in the movement and spread of Islam. Says Merritt: "I have been contacted by many Muslims, some who identify with the character in the film and some who are angry and make unsolicited threats. Because the stories of the MOA are so powerful and have never been told before, I expect this film to cause quite a controversy and I realize it's dangerous for me, but I hope that in America I will have enough freedom to take the risk."
Research and Storytelling
Historically, black Americans were drawn to Islam in rejection of oppression. Islam offered a way of life and support community that was about education, respectability, honor, etc... and many poor blacks were attracted to that. At various points during the 20th Century, there were peaks of conversions to Islam by black Americans. The first was in 1930, when an Afghan who went by the name Wallace D. Fard created the Nation of Islam. The second was the 1940's, when Pakistani Muslims spread al-Fuqra, now known as the Muslims Of the Americas. Black From Islam's most powerful aspect is the interviews with former Muslim women. During the rise of BlackNationalism during the civil rights movements of the 1960's and 70's, African Americans converted in droves to Islam.
The three women interviewed are daughters the converts (if possible, one of the mothers will join her daughter in an interview, but that's not confirmed yet). The women were raised in Muslim sects as children and defected. The film closely examines cultural differences in how Americans live as Muslims in America. Communities like the Muslims Of the Americas are highly reclusive. They live as large families on private compounds or buildings. They practice polygamy and home-school their children. They arrange their daughters' marriages. This way of life, virtually foreign to most American teens, is a reality for some American girl who grow up Muslim. The result is often difficulty co-existing as both Muslim and American, and extreme culture shock.
The story will unfold beginning with the import of African Americans to the Americas. The historical research will be accompanied by commentary from Dr. Jocelyne Cesari. The cultural expert will provide commentary on the political and cultural movements affecting African American religious demography, leading up the 1970's and the peak of Black Nationalism. The film will examine various acts of violence from Islamic groups such as the NOI and al-Fuqra through the stories of Jalila, Yasmina, and Alia. The film will explore the positive and negative aspects of these religious sects for African Americans. It will make ties to the oppression of women in Islam, using the testimonies of the three women as case studies to compare to oppression of women and terrorist foment in Middle East, drawing on research by New York Times journalists and authors of Half the Sky, Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wuddun.
Layla has recently secured interviews with the girls from al-Fuqra. This group has rarely been exposed. They are polygamists who occupy secluded land, and the girls are often molested by their stepfathers. Because the group condones and even encourages violence, many defectors are afraid to speak out, but Layla has finally found a girl who is willing to talk. She was so damaged by what she experienced with al-Fuqra that she became a porn star before obtaining her education and building the confidence to move forward.
The trailer doesn't have any of the al-Fuqra/Muslims Of the Americas interviews in it, but that is a huge part of the documentary. Layla is the first person in the world to get insider interviews from former MOA members. It's virtually impossible, because they are afraid of action against them. But Layla needs funds to finish this project.
Layla Merritt is a woman of courage. I am impressed by her perseverance and professionalism. And now she needs money to buy copyrighted images and pay for advanced editing expenses. Please help. Watch the trailer and you will see how worthy a project this is. And then please donate to Black From Islam by clicking the donate button below.
It is indeed courageous for Layla to speak out. You can help Layla Merritt by donating right on Atlas Shrugs.
