Money quote March 10, 2008
Posted by doobya in money, quote, think.add a comment
This is a staggering thought. We are completely dependent on the commercial banks. Someone has to borrow every dollar we have in circulation, cash, or credit. If the banks create ample synthetic money, we are prosperous; if not, we starve. We are absolutely without a permanent money system.
When one gets a complete grasp of the picture, the tragic absurdity of our hopeless position is almost incredible, but there it is.
Full quote here (bottom of page).
Found in the fine animated educational movie Money as Debt:
Wanadoo m’a tuer November 20, 2006
Posted by doobya in corporation, funny, geeky, internet, lang:fr, money.add a comment
Bienvenue sur le support téléphonique de Wanadoo. Cet appel pourra être enregistré à des fins qui ne vous regardent pas. Veuillez patienter…
Un clin d’oeil hé-naur-me à tous les traumatisés du service clients, disponible chez Nova (avancer jusqu’à 4:36, ou environ 25%).
Si besoin: un autre extrait ici.
In case you care… October 17, 2006
Posted by doobya in america, brainwash, money, politics, w, world.add a comment
And if you’re American, you should care!
Living in Europe allows me to keep my head in the sand most the time with regards to what our great (American) leaders are doing to our country and the world beyond it. However, every once in awhile – hearing e.g. about Iraq or 9/11, or seeing how the Netherlands are also, slowly but worryingly, becoming a big-brothered herd of sheep – I feel the urge to hear from upset Americans and see what’s on people’s minds.
Being that I caught the flu last weekend and have remained mostly bed-bound these last days, I’ve had plenty of time to browse for material to satisfy my curiosity.
I came across these 2 movies. They are scary, upsetting and what Bush would call ‘unpatriotic’. I would highly recommend you set aside some time to lift your own head from the sand/daily rat-race and see what’s in store for us, and what we are supporting by fueling the economy with our daily work and tax dollars.
- Iraq for Sale: on war contractors and profiteering. How “disposable” non-military contractors are conveniently unaccountable for Abu Ghraib torturing, how the companies have done anything but protect the troops and instead succeeded in making as much money as possible from the $billions the US gov’t is pouring into the war effort by the quarter. Open the video and fast forward to minute 57 for a sample. Total duration: 1h15 mins. Directed by the same guy who made Outfoxed (about Fox “fair and balanced” News).
Watch the movie here. The official website is here.
- America from Freedom to Fascism. This movie explains that the federal income tax is voluntary (not mandatory) and is being enforced illegally, and how its proceeds are in fact not used to the American people’s direct benefit – have a look at the interview with the guy who wrote the tax code for starters (load the movie and fast forward to 30:30). Sound amazing yet? The movie also argues that the Federal Reserve System is really a private company which managed to get the monopoly on issuing dollar money and charges the government (i.e. taxpayers) interest on
money it “lends” to it. The movie finally touches on the planned introduction of a national ID card and its subsequent replacement with body-implantable microchips, which would be required to interact in society (i.e. to identify yourself and to buy food) and could be used to track people, cash and goods. 1984 is so yesterday…
Click here to watch the movie (1h47), or click here for a 15-minute trailer. The website is here.
Yours truly,
We the People.
think! May 10, 2006
Posted by doobya in america, brainwash, corporation, geeky, internet, love, money, world.add a comment
Kind of sad to see who owns think.com.
Replacing the headlight bulb on a 2005 Polo August 13, 2005
Posted by doobya in cars, fuck this, money.64 comments
The car’s owner’s manual recommends paying a visit to your favorite dealer to get the light bulb replaced.
In Holland, if the cops pull you over and one of your headlights is out, you must be able to replace it on the spot, otherwise you’re up for a fine. This is why my 2005 lease VW Polo came with a VW-labeled box of spare light bulbs.
Earlier this month I was driving from Rotterdam to Paris, a 5-hourish drive. At one of the pit stops, I noticed one of the headlights on the Polo was out. Since I would be driving at dusk, I though I’d quickly replace it before hitting the road again. I pulled out a new headlight bulb from the box of spares that came with the car and opened up the hood. I found it wasn’t obvious to localize, and even less reach, the back of the headlight.
Flipping through the owner’s manual for this car, I eventually found a section called “Replacing light bulbs”. The subsequent instructions consisted of two paragraphs of text telling me to please ask my car dealer to replace the light bulb for me, as it required disassembling several pieces from the engine compartment.
So, replacing a dead light bulb from a 2005 VW Polo’s headlights requires to (1) find my dealer’s phone number, (2) schedule an appointment with him, (3) drive to and from the dealer, probably waiting at least a half-hour for the mechanics to do their work in the meantime, (4) probably have to pay for the whole thing.
Replacing a dead light bulb from my 1987 [t]rusty old Badax took about two minutes, including ample time to wipe both my hands clean.
What was bound to happen, did. I thought, “screw that noise,” and decided to fix the light bulb myself, on the side of the highway, without tools, right then. Ten minutes later, I was back on the road with a brand-new headlight shooting up towards the stars, annoyed about the blinker’s light bulb that decided to fall into the water-tight plastic headlight block during the process. (I do use my blinkers, and having to drive without one, sucked).
Anyway, long story short, it cost me the better part of the following morning to fix both lights, disassembling in the process such minor, insignificant parts as the entire front fucking bumper.
What can we learn from this experience, asks the inquisitive wise-ass in me? For one, that your local VW dealer wants your money. And two, that VW gives not a shit about your time, as long as you give money to your local VW dealer.
The Polo is an otherwise good car. I certainly don’t mind having to drive it, all expenses paid by my generous employer. And I really could have asked my dealer to fix the light without having to pay for anything. Nevertheless, spending several hours with a car dealer to get a dead light fixed still sounds like a suboptimal way to waste my free time.
do|ob|ya 