Year: 2004

American Idol reject gets record deal

So, William Hung, the guy who became the laugh of the show at American Idol (American version of SuperStar, the singing talent show), has won a record deal.

This guy sucks like hell, but he sucks with passion, lol.
I’ve seen him singing “She Bangs” (orginally by Ricky Martin), and man is he something, lol.

Anyway, he has signed a deal with Fuse Music Network and Koch Records, and his first record called “The True Idol” will be released on April 6th.

I actually feel sorry for him because everyone laughed at him and made fun of his singing, but well at least that got him a record deal and now he’s making his dream come true, so it’s not that bad really.

For more about William Hung, click here.

Funny Bumper Stickers

Here are some funny bumper stickers:

  • How many roads must a man travel down before he admits he is lost?
  • You’re just jealous because the voices are talking to me, not you!
  • Don’t piss me off! I’m running out of places to hide the bodies.
  • WANTED: Meaningful overnight relationship.
  • I need someone really bad… are you really bad?
  • The more you complain, the longer God makes you live.
  • Out of my mind… back in five minutes.
  • Forget world peace. Visualize using your turn signal.
  • Where there’s a will… I want to be in it.

Top 99 Most Desirable Women in the World 2003

So AskMen have released their list of the Top 99 Most Desirable Women in the World for the year 2003.

Here are the top 10:

  1. Charlize Theron
  2. Halle Berry
  3. Heidi Klum
  4. Salma Hayek
  5. Monica Bellucci
  6. Brooke Burke
  7. Krista Allen
  8. Shania Twain
  9. Natalie Portman
  10. Beyonce Knowles

I can’t really disagree about any of the women in the top 10, but I do honestly think Monica Bellucci should be higher up the list.

Here’s the full list of the Top 99 Most Desirable Women in the World 2003.

[via Hou-Hou Blog]

McDonald’s Israel fires employee for speaking Arabic

Mc HebrewAbeer Zinaty, an Israeli citizen of Palestinian origin was fired from her job at a McDonald’s restaurant in Ramle, central Israel, specifically because she spoke Arabic to a co-worker.

McDonald’s Corporation confirmed that it has a policy banning its employees from speaking Arabic in its restaurants in Israel, despite the fact that Palestinian citizens of Israel form 20% of its workforce, and Arabic is one of the two official languages of Israel.

It is unimaginable that in its American restaurants, McDonald’s would prohibit the use of Spanish, the most-commonly spoken language in the United States after English.

“Zinaty’s treatment at the hands of the Israeli management of McDonald’s is a stark illustration of an ever-swelling tide of discrimination against Arab workers”
Jafar Ferah (Director of Mossawa — a political lobbying group for Israel’s one million Palestinian citizens)

Related Links:

[via Je Blog, Jalan-Jalan]

New constitution for Iraq

So, after months of wasting time and working their interests, the Iraqi Governing Council has signed a new constitution for Iraq today.

A constitution they say will lay a strong foundation for rebuilding a new, free, democratic Iraq that protects the dignity of the human being and protects human rights.
A consitution that paints Iraq as “federal, democratic and pluralist”.

This can only be good, as it means things will be moving on forward from here. And it means that finally some form of democracy is taking place and that a number of people are actually discussing things and taking decisions together even if they have no true legitimacy.

But wait a second, this constitution is just ink on paper and a big load of bullshit unless Paul Bremer gives it a go ahead.
So much for the dream of democracy, huh ?
In the end of the day why didn’t Paul Bremer just write a constitution of his own and force it on everyone ?

The Iraqi Governing Council are just puppets and Paul Bremer is just another kind of dictator, an occupying one .
Nothing has changed for the Iraqi people on the ground. In fact it only got worse. They were living under the rule of a dictator in an Iraq of their own, and now they’re living under the rule of a dictator in an occupied Iraq.

Sticky Songs

These are some of the songs that are really sticking to me these days, I love them:

  • Turn Me On (Kevin Lyttle)
  • Shut Up (Black Eyes Peas)
  • Life for rent (Dido)
  • Love Profusion (Madonna)
  • Insani Ma Binsak (Diana Karazone)
  • Parce qu’on vien de loin (Corneille)

Pay for Email ?

So Bill Gates is still pushing forward with his idea to combat spam.
He’s been going at it for months saying that the best way to stop spam is by making people pay for emails.
Now, the idea has shaped up more into a plan to make users buy stamps to be able to send their emails.

I know that the math makes sense and that charging a small fee for emails will greatly reduce the number of spam mails sent, but then again it’ll also reduce the number of wanted emails.
The factor that made email so successful in the first place was that it’s free. Making people have to pay for it won’t work, they’ll just quit altogether.

Ok, so maybe they won’t have to pay ?
Maybe the postage stamp is just some processing time to solve a puzzle and show your good intention ?
Well, spammers have the money and resources to bring in more machines and let them give away the processing time.

I think that the problem enabling spam to thrive on is not the fact that it’s free but rather the underlying technology.
SMTP is not tight enough. It was good for the beginning when it was used by a small group of trustworthy people, but now that’s not the case and a big overhaul is needed for it. Tighter authentication should be built into it.

Related Links:

Do not run anti-Bush ads !

So, it seems the same people who claim they are exporting democracy to the world aren’t ready to face it themselves.

The Republican National Committee is warning television stations across the U.S. not to run ads from MoveOn.org (a Voter Fund that criticizes President Bush), charging that the group is paying for them with money raised in violation of the new campaign-finance law although that is not true.

They say they’re concerned about the law and not the content of the ads.
Yeah Right !
Of course you are.

[via CNN]