George Zimmerman "Hand Painting" Really Photo-Shopped Stock Image

Image from Wonkette
(Click to embiggen)

Which is weirder, that a hand painting by George Zimmerman is going for tens of thousands of dollars on eBay, or that the Z-man just manipulated a stock photo, and called it an original? Sheesh.

[Excerpt]

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise: George Zimmerman Stoled His Inspirational Flag ‘Painting’ From A Stock Image
 
Nope, it’s not Jasper Johns Day on Wonkette — that there, courtesy of an anonymous Wonkette reader, is a montage of 1) George Zimmerman’s “hand painted artwork” that is currently hovering at a high bid of $99,966.00 on the Ebay, 2) a popular “waving flag” image from the interwebs, and 3) a fancy-schmancy overlay of item 1 on item 2, which is the kind of thing that can be done by a smart reader who actually knows Photoshop. . .

Read more at: Wonkette

An Epic Update

I'm still phone-less, after my disaster last week. As I said then, my Epic 4G phone--8 months shy of upgrade time--was left on the hood of my car, and shortly thereafter run over after it fell off into the street.

Crunch!

It was a dumb mistake. But I thought I had it handled. Since the same phone new would be $500+ out of pocket, I decided to buy one online. I don't know what made me pick eBay over Amazon, but I did. But I was sure to pick a vendor that had a huge approval rating. Out the door, a used Epic 4G in "excellent" condition, was $99. The phone finally arrived Thursday, a week to the day after "the event." I was so excited. I'm amazed how much I miss having a smart phone, even one that is sort of glitchy like mine was.

I got to the Sprint store just after 4:30 pm, and was waited on almost immediately. Not long into the transaction, however, it was apparent that not all was well. The phone started up fine. The sound and display were fine. Mr. Sprint-man was all furrowed brow, though. He poked and prodded, popped the battery, booted, rebooted, rinse, wash, repeat. . . And then he said, "Excuse me, I'll be right back, I have to go talk to a tech." Crap.

At least at my Sprint store, it wasn't raining!

He then told me that it was going to take a little while, could I come back at 6:30? Sure, why not. I ran some errands, came home, watched a little tv, then went back. I was told to sit down and wait, which I did, for half an hour. I knew that 7:00 pm was closing time, so I wasn't feeling optimistic. I was right. The phone had been "rooted" by the previous owner, and probably not correctly. That person--or possibly the reseller--had tried to cover their tracks by putting everything back as it was. But it didn't take, and it won't take. Period.

My options were a) send the phone back to the vendor, buy another one from them or someone else, and wait another week to get it; or b) pay Sprint $35 plus tax, and they will replace it on Monday. Amazingly, they do that. And I think $35 is worth the hassle. So, I fired off a nastygram to the vendor, and firmly requested a partial refund. Whether or not I reveal their name and further details will depend upon their reaction!

Updates surely to follow. . . Meanwhile--and I can't stress this enough--never set your phone on the exterior of your car. Just don't.

Meg Whitman Has a Little Illegal Alien Problem

Image from source, LA Times

Does Meg Whitman, the GOP candidate for Governor of California, count as a tea bagger? I'm not sure. I know she's spent a literal fortune to get herself elected. In fact, the second biggest trend for candidates from the GOP this year (the first being nominating crazy people) seems to be rich people effectively buying their way into office.  But conservative voters, be they the tea variety or original flavor, count illegal immigration in the top five things they are "angry" about.   So, how will Whitman's new scandal play in right-wing world?

[Excerpt]

Former Whitman housekeeper alleges she was treated like 'garbage'
The California governor's race took on a circus-like atmosphere Wednesday as a former housekeeper for Meg Whitman alleged the Republican gubernatorial nominee employed her for nearly nine years, even though Whitman knew the housekeeper was in the country illegally. . .

Read more at: Los Angeles Times

Jesus Christ on a Pancake!

Photo of source, Metro.co.uk

No, I'm not trying to blaspheme. As an agnostic that would be sort of silly. But no more silly than this story. Jesus and Mary have turned up on water towers, tortillas, parking lots, driveways, oil tanks, and most famously, a grilled cheese sandwich. Well, the divine duo is back.

Jesus! It's what's for breakfast! I'd like to say that while I can see figures in this pancake (or puffy clouds, or floor tile for that matter), it takes some imagination to assign identity to them. Why is it that whenever some amorphous blob looks kinda like a person, it has to be Jesus or Mary (or Elvis)? I mean, we know what Elvis looked like, but Jesus and Mary? We only know what famous painters and sculptors imagined them to look like. Just the same, see what you think.

[Excerpt]

Jesus turns up in pancake, with added Mary

Marilyn Smith, of Port St Lucie, Florida, decided to sell the pancake on eBay - after an earlier, cancelled sale in which the pancake reached £165 ($338), the current bid stands at $26.01. . .

Read more at: Metro.co.uk

Rush Limbaugh's Little Joke Very Costly

Image from source, NYTimes.com

I've marveled several times on this site, how strange it is that the very same story can be seen in two very different ways by conservatives and liberals. When it comes to the Rush Limbaugh "phony soldiers" story, it didn't matter where the truth actually lay (in this case, the truth supported the left's interpretation), the right held firm, and does to this day.

Rush's contention that his "phony soldiers" comment only applied to a certain type of individual--and one in particular, Jesse Macbeth--is not supported by the evidence. As the original (full) transcript showed, Rush was calling anti-war soldiers who had been contacted by the mainstream media "phony soldiers." Jesse Macbeth was not in that category, to my knowledge, and Rush himself didn't bring him up until a couple of minutes later on his show.

Ah, but regardless of the truth, Limbaugh is running with his side of the story. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in a tit-for-tat move to counter the condemnation of MoveOn.org, condemned Limbaugh's words in a letter to Clear Channel (Limbaugh's employer). Limbaugh in turn, saying that the Clear Channel president is a good friend, obtained the letter and put it on eBay. Proceeds were to go to charity (one that Limbaugh directs), and Limbaugh pledged to match the final bid himself.

The sale finished at $2.1 million, which--I'd imagine--is a lot higher than Limbaugh expected. Since he is the director of the charity, it might be a good idea to keep an eye on his half of the $4.2 million donation!

[Excerpt]

Critical Letter to Limbaugh Fetches $2 Million

After Rush Limbaugh referred to Iraq war veterans critical of the war as “phony soldiers,” he received a letter of complaint signed by 41 Democratic senators. He decided to auction the letter, which he described as “this glittering jewel of colossal ignorance,” for charity, and he pledged to match the price, dollar for dollar.

On Thursday night, Mr. Limbaugh, the conservative radio talk show host, said he thought the letter would bring in as much as $1 million. He was wrong. . .

Read the rest at: NYTimes.com