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The picture in this
New York Times article provides a brilliant contrast: a bottle-blonde vixen snarling in a "Gentleman's Club" ad perched atop a NYC Yellow Cab and a portly, dour brunette framed by the window just inches below. Some might find the comparison amusing, but a Harlem father of three--Alex Yanos--found the advertisement "grossly inappropriate," despite the fact that the advertisement featured only the model's bust ("that's the head, you know"). Some of the cab-top advertisements feature clubs such as Flash Dancers and New York Dolls.
Interestingly, the first appearance of taxi-top advertisements in 1975 was met with an uproar, says the Times. Then-mayor Abraham D. Beame was part of the vocal opposition to the lighted signs that eventually were seen as improving the visibility and safety of taxicabs. Taxis are now plastered with ads everywhere from the backseat down to trick hubcaps.
Perhaps the most unintentionally brilliant comment in the Times' article was from Allan J. Fromberg, spokesman for the Taxi and Limousine Commission, who stated his organization's role is simply to "ensure the engineering and safety of the harness unit that holds the ads." Uh-huh.
Good grief. With their stocks plunging beyond belief, you'd think cash-strapped New Yorkers would find
something better to complain about. Someone make sure to tip off Yanos against going to Europe where, despite having some the safest cities in the world in which to raise a child, the topless female form appears without issue everywhere from beaches to magazine ads.--
Colin Mathews
Posted in : Advertising/Marketing, Just for Fun, North America, Politics
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A Portland, Ore., woman seemed to take Loretta Lynn and Jack White's lyrics to heart when she allegedly set fire to the tow truck preparing to take her car away: "Well, I lost my heart/it didn't take no time. But that ain't all. I lost my mind in Oregon..."
According to the AP Wire, it started when the tow truck driver pulled into the apartment complex where the woman's car was illegally parked. His truck was quickly swarmed by an angry mob. The driver bargained with the woman, offering to release her vehicle for $150, but according to police, the woman threatened to set the driver's truck on fire if he did not release her car.
After locking himself in the cab and calling 911, the driver noticed his truck was ablaze but managed to kill the flames with an extinguisher. The woman faces arson and criminal mischief charges, and her bond was set at $225,000.--
Colin Mathews
Posted in : 2008, Just for Fun
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You head to Saudi Arabia, and you're looking for great service. Where do you go? Fuchs, of course.
Thanks to
Gaywheels.com for the heads-up on a new Saudi Arabian service station that proudly advertises, "ONE STOP FUCHS." Promising "new standards of professional" care with "courteous personal service in attractive, pleasant premises,"
Alhamrani-Fuchs Petroleum Saudi Arabia Limited explains that its One-Stop Car Care Centers include 25 stations across the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Their oil change, the headlining service, uses only "Fuchs Super GT - the company's flagship product," and includes other essentials like tire change, wheel balancing and alignment, and other minor work. Minor work does not include giving the ole' undercarriage a bit of a "how's your father," as far as we can tell from their Web site.
With the expansion, Alhamrani-Fuchs now employes more than 150 individuals including qualified technicians, mechanics and electricians. Their service network in Saudi Arabia includes Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Jubail, Hofuf, Tabuk, Makkah, Abaha, Yanbu and Taif.
A rumor that Austin's favorite Japanese twins,
Fook-Mi and Fook-Yu, are being interviewed as possible company spokesmodels is unconfirmed.--
Colin Mathews
Posted in : 2008, Advertising/Marketing, Just for Fun, Miscellaneous
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Business owners and entrepreneurs across this great land are being forced to pass along rising gas prices to their consumers. Simply put, the cost of shipping, air freight, and local transportation all have risen dramatically as a result of escalating energy costs, and since the bill from these transportation middlemen has increased for the entrepreneur, so too has the sale price of--sadly--even the most basic necessities essential for an American subsistence.
In a move that would have had the "old" Whitney Houston screaming for receipts, Indiana drug dealer Anthony Salinas, 18, has begun levying transportation fees on all sales of cocaine. Specifically, the fuel surcharge resulted in a nearly 12 percent rise the purchase price of a quarter-ounce of the stimulant, up to $240 from the previous $215. Whether or not Salinas' products were of the finest, Colombian-sourced variety is unknown.
A confidential police source was dismayed, like so many Americans frustrated with increased costs of living, when he stumbled upon this unfortunate market reality in June. Economic realities forced Salinas to tell the source, who purchased from Salinas twice, that he would have to pay "$25.00 gas money to deliver the cocaine." This according to the court affadavit, a copy of which may be found on
The Smoking Gun.
We cannot confirm that news of these surcharges has led to street demonstrations and protests across party hotspots in L.A., New York, and San Francisco, but we're waiting for word.--
Colin Mathews
Posted in : 2008, Just for Fun, Miscellaneous, Politics
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GM's sending out the foot soldiers to Washington to
promote tax breaks that will help the
2011 Chevrolet Volt become reality--but at least one other soldier's taken a path through TV land to do the same. GM vice chairman Bob Lutz hit the "talk show" circuit last night, appearing on Comedy Central's "Colbert Report" show to plug the Volt shown off Tuesday in Detroit. Lutz isn't one to follow talking points in any public appearance--so when he talks about getting laid in the Volt by a different type of lady, you can be pretty sure it's his take and not a GM script doctor. Enjoy the video goodness this morning while you try to figure out your personal stance on the Volt,
extended-range EV or "hybrid":
Posted in : 2008, GM, Just for Fun, Videos