JessicaRulestheUniverse.com

From the BBC: A “shy” photographer in Indonesia is in great demand because of his resemblance to the new US President, Barack Obama. Ilham Anas, 34, is already a celebrity in Jakarta, where Mr Obama once lived, but his fame is spreading. He has appeared on Indonesia’s premier TV talk show, done an advertisement as Mr Obama, and received other marketing offers from companies in the region…

We saw him first, in that gastric distress ad.

In New York last October, Ricky spotted a woman who looked exactly like Hilary Clinton. The resemblance was so pronounced, he nearly went up to her to say she looked exactly like Hilary Clinton. Good thing he hesitated, because he realized who the “lookalike” was. She was Chelsea Clinton.

LONDON (AFP) – A British man who murdered his wife after becoming enraged when she changed her relationship status on Facebook to “single” was jailed for at least 18 years late Thursday.

The couple had been living apart since the previous month, said Fiona Cortese, a spokeswoman for the Crown Prosecution Service, which is responsible for prosecuting cases in England and Wales.

Meanwhile, the Pope weighs in on Facebook.

The residents of Fucking, Austria are not alone in their desire to be rid of giggling tourists.
According to the NYT, there are places in Britain where you can’t even have pizza delivered because the order-takers will think the addresses are fake.

Crapstone, Devon
Ugley, Essex
East Breast, Western Scotland
North Piddle, Worcestershire
Spanker Lane, Derbyshire.
Crotch Crescent, Oxford
Titty Ho, Northamptonshire
Wetwang, East Yorkshire
Slutshole Lane, Norfolk
Thong, Kent
Pratts Bottom, Kent
Penistone, South Yorkshire
Tumbledown Dick Road, Oxfordshire
Butt Hole Road, South Yorkshire

Don’t you miss Sexmoan, Pampanga?

Last night while looking for a reference book among the shelves I spotted my old Tintin books. I opened The Calculus Affair and completely forgot what I’d been looking for. Then I read Tintin in Tibet.

Today I had intended to watch a movie, but as I considered the choices—The Changeling (Not in the mood for lost child drama), Yes Man (Maybe this weekend, with company), Bride Wars (Only if there’s nothing else)—there was nothing I wanted to see more than I wanted to re-read Tintin. (Love Me Again (Land Down Under) was no longer showing, so I’d have to go to another mall if I wanted to figure out why it needed a parenthetical title. I know Star Cinema uses pop songs for its movie titles and I remember a Vernie Varga song called “Love Me Again”. Does Piolo Pascual sing it?)

So I went home early and read The Broken Ear, The Black Island, King Ottokar’ Sceptre, and The Red Sea Sharks. Billions of blue blistering barnacles, that was a blast.

Nicholas Lezard writes that “Tintin only really comes fully alive with the arrival of Captain Haddock. Broadly speaking, Tintin represents Hergé’s ideal self, the perfect boy scout, idealistic, brave, pure-hearted; but there is more to people than that, so enter Haddock, the alcoholic, irascible, foul-mouthed (in a cartoonish sense: his insults are interpreted as bad language because he uses words that others do not understand) ex-sea captain.” True, the books are more fun when Haddock is around to yell, Coelecanths! Filibusters! Bashi-bazouks! Lezard’s best three Tintins: The Crab with the Golden Claws, Tintin in Tibet, The Castafiore Emerald. (Incidentally Tintin and Snowy first appeared on January 10, 1929. Happy 80th Birthday!)

So far I have kept my new year’s resolution. I haven’t bought any books since December 30, but I may be tempted to get some Tintins. (My two-year-old niece could be my excuse. I could hang on to the books until she starts reading.)

“For years scientists have failed to discover why as many as one in five pregnancies in a small Brazilian town have resulted in twins – most of them blond haired and blue eyed. But residents of Candido Godoi now claim that (the Nazi doctor, “Angel of Death” Josef) Mengele made repeated visits there in the early 1960s, posing at first as a vet but then offering medical treatment to the women of the town.”

An Argentine historian claims that Josef Mengele is responsible for the astonishing number of twins in a small Brazilian town.

Photo: The Vision of St. Augustine by Carpaccio

Question:
1. What is your background? What is your current line of work? If your line of work is not related at all to economics /finance, how did you come to so much edification?
2. Are you currently enjoying a level of wealth that is significantly (2.5 to 3 standard deviations) higher than that of the typical middle class pinoy?
3. More importantly, did you attain majority of this level of wealth from means other than any of the following (Answer is just a yes or no): “public service” aka politics; showbiz/winning in a game show /reality show; gambling; suing someone for money; inheritance
4. Any other reasons why we should believe you? (No, not looking for words like PhD, DPhil, MPhil, CFA, FRM, etc)

Adams Myth:
1. Fortune teller. I am paid to see the future.
2. Yes, unfortunately. The national leadership is to blame for the stagnancy of middle class fortunes.
3. No.
4. You don’t have to believe me.

Q: I am an accountancy graduate currently working as a call center agent. While I do have plans to review this coming May and eventually hurdle the board exams to become a CPA, my 20-something salary for being a tech support agent is giving me second thoughts. What’s torturing me is the hint from my supervisor that given my current metrics, I could be promoted. On the other hand, I would also like to pursue the career that I studied in college. So here’s the question: Should I resign from my job and trade the probable opportunities for being a full-fledged CPA instead? I’m 21, just in case age might have a bearing.

AM: If you are good, the dilemma will always be there. And the opportunity cost of taking time out to do your CPA will simply rise as you progress in your career. Bite the bullet early.

Q: Why are movie tickets priced the same? From Hollywood offerings that cost so much more to make (US$100+million) to local indie offerings that cost one million pesos? Why, when I go to see them at the theaters, are they are both priced at 150 pesos? What happened to double features? And that overpriced popcorn. . .

If the movie costs more, shouldn’t they charge more? And if it costs less, shouldn’t the charge be less? Why are there no refunds at the movies?

AM: Very good question. Ever wondered why CDs cost the same, whether by U2 or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir?