Zappa.com

To what outcome? Are there black market people willing to buy them? I've heard of it before, but not for a while.

I get paid on Thursday. I might be able to spring for a couple of them to finish off the apartment.

Often, paintings like these get stolen and are used as payment in the drug scene. It's also possible that a private collector wanted them real bad. At any rate, the theft was well organized. I wonder if it might be an inside job.

What negativity I toss towards the US. Because I remind you there was a Vietnam War? Because I remind you about Iraq? And what has the US done for the world? You really think you saved the world from Hitler. No doubt you helped a lot, but not alone, not without the Russians and not without the blood of hundreds of thousands of soldiers from different nationalities, including 25,300 Brazilian soldiers...

I NEVER said Brazil was so much better than the rest or the US. But OK you asked, here is a small list:

It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world.

All the gold you have on the US which came from England in last stance came from Brazil, through Portugal...

Santos Dumond: The REAL inventor of the airplane, the wrist watch and other devices. The true father of aviation...

During WWII: Brazil permitted the US to set up air bases in the states of Bahia, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte, where the city of Natal received part of the U.S. Navy's VP-52 patrol squadron. Also, the U.S. Task Force 3 established itself in Brazil, including a squad equipped to attack submarines and merchant vessels which tried to exchange goods with Japan. If you saved the world, well we helped...

Brazil is the world's tenth largest economy at market exchange rates and the ninth largest by purchasing power parity... Major export products include aircraft, coffee, automobiles, soybean, iron ore, orange juice, steel, ethanol, textiles, footwear, corned beef and electrical equipment. The country has been expanding its presence in international financial and commodities markets, and is regarded as one of the group of four emerging economies called BRIC...

Brazil's large territory comprises different ecosystems, such as the Amazon Rainforest, recognized as having the greatest biological diversity in the world; the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado, which together sustain some of the world's greatest biodiversity. In the south, the Araucaria pine forest grows under temperate conditions. The rich wildlife of Brazil reflects the variety of natural habitats; however, remains largely unknown, and new species are found on nearly a daily basis... Scientists estimate that the total number of plant and animal species in Brazil could approach four million!!!

Brazil is a political and economic leader in Latin America. Brazil is endowed with vast agricultural resources.... AGAIN: Brazil has a moderate free market and export-oriented economy. Measured nominally, its gross domestic product surpasses a trillion dollars, the tenth in the world and the second in the Americas; measured by purchasing power parity, $1.9 trillion, making it the eighth largest economy in the world and the second largest in the Americas, after the United States... Brazil has the second biggest industrial sector in the Americas.

Proven mineral resources are extensive. Large iron and manganese reserves are important sources of industrial raw materials and export earnings. Deposits of nickel, tin, chromite, uranium, bauxite, beryllium, copper, lead, tungsten, zinc, gold, and other minerals are exploited. High-quality cooking-grade coal required in the steel industry is in short supply.

The owner of a sophisticated technological sector, Brazil develops projects that range from submarines to aircraft and is involved in space research: the country possesses a satellite launching center and was the only country in the Southern Hemisphere to integrate the team responsible for the construction of the International Space Station (ISS). It is also a pioneer in many fields, including ethanol production.

Brazil, together with Mexico, has been at the forefront of the Latin American multinationals phenomenon by which — thanks to superior technology and organization — local companies have successfully turned global. These multinationals have made this transition notably by investing massively abroad, in the region and beyond, and thus realizing an increasing portion of their revenues internationally.

A pioneer and leader in the manufacture of short-fiber timber cellulose, Brazil has also achieved positive results within the packaging sector, in which it is the fifth largest world producer. In the foreign markets, it answers for 25% of global exports of raw cane and refined sugar; it is the world leader in soybean exports and is responsible for 80% of the planet’s orange juice, and since 2003, has had the highest sales figures for beef and chicken, among the countries that deal in this sector...

A performance that puts agribusiness in a position of distinction in terms of Brazil’s trade balance, in spite of trade barriers and subsidizing policies adopted by the developed countries.

Brazil is also a pioneer in the fields of deep water oil research from where 73% of its reserves are extracted. According to government statistics, Brazil was the first capitalist country to bring together the ten largest car assembly companies inside its national territory...

In general current Brazilian foreign policy reflects multilateralism, peaceful dispute settlement, and nonintervention in the affairs of other countries...

The Brazilian armed forces are the largest in Latin America.

In arts, important modern artists Anita Malfatti and Tarsila do Amaral were both early pioneers in Brazilian art...

The festival of Carnival (Portuguese: Carnaval), with its spectacular street parades and vibrant music, has become one of the most potent images of Brazil; an annual celebration held forty days before Easter and marks the beginning of Lent. Carnival is celebrated throughout Brazil, with distinct regional characteristics, but the most spectacular celebrations outside Rio de Janeiro take place in Salvador, Recife, and Olinda, although the nature of the events varies. Other regional festivals include the Boi Bumbá and Festa Junina (June Festivals).

According to the World Economic Forum, Brazil was the top country in upward evolution of competitiveness in 2009, gaining eight positions among other countries, overcoming Russia for the first time, and partially closing the competitiveness gap with India and China among the BRIC economies. Important steps taken since the 1990s toward fiscal sustainability, as well as measures taken to liberalize and open the economy, have significantly boosted the country’s competitiveness fundamentals, providing a better environment for private-sector development...

I won't even mention the music. Thanks for who cited it, though!

Oh, I was forgetting:






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOHa_jcckFQ

For the curious:

http://rankingamerica.wordpress.com/2012/08/13/the-u-s-ranks-50th-in-erection-length/

They do say NOT self-reporting. I like imagining it is somebody busting into your bedroom while you are sleeping.

We'll find out. Eventually.

... Oh, I was forgetting:

The burglar alarm was hooked up to the fire alarm, for safety reasons. Because of this, when the burglary was detected, the electronic locks all opened by themselves. Can you imagine that? "Take my Picasso but don't harm my electronic lock"?

Obama is an out an out liar, in 09 he gave a speech in Cairo and said no one country has the right to stop another from getting nukes, what did he say last night? that's correct, he said he would NOT let Iran get a nuke! the guy is a hack

Obama is an out an out liar, in 09 he gave a speech in Cairo and said no one country has the right to stop another from getting nukes, what did he say last night? that's correct, he said he would NOT let Iran get a nuke! the guy is a hack

Well, as usual it's not that simple. Here's the paragraph in question, a direct quote from the speech....

I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons that others do not. No single nation should pick and choose which nations hold nuclear weapons. That is why I strongly reaffirmed America's commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons. And any nation – including Iran – should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. That commitment is at the core of the Treaty, and it must be kept for all who fully abide by it. And I am hopeful that all countries in the region can share in this goal.

Obama gives good speech

Hate to say it but , Obama did look 100% improved from the first debate. He could have knocked Romney off his chair with a feather .

On Iran , Reps say they are four yrs closer to making a WMD but the Dems say they have no way to deliver it.

Doesn't Iran have some friends with some very sophisticated delivery systems ?