... Filed in the Supreme Court in New York's Allegany County last month, the lawsuit details how Paul Ceglia signed a contract with Facebook in April 2003 to design and develop the website TheFacebook.com for an agreed $1,000 (£665) fee and a 50% stake in the site.

The contract stipulated, Ceglia claims, a further 1% stake for each day until the site was finished on 4 February 2004. Facebook is valued at an estimated $6.5bn, so an 84% share would be worth around $5.46bn.

Following Ceglia's lawsuit, acting New York Supreme Court justice Thomas Brown issued a temporary restraining order that blocks Facebook from transfering assets. That means that the company cannot raise any more venture capital by selling shares until that order is lifted. The case has now transferred to a federal court and Facebook is trying to have it annulled. ...

[Brilliant snooty English butler]Misters pirate, sirs? Yes, there is a telephone call for you, sirs. A Mister Darwin, sirs.

Oh, and a Mister Muntz to see you, sirs.[/Brilliant snooty English butler]

A vexing encounter on the toll road

Published: Tuesday | February 9, 2010

Screech! I stepped on the brakes with great force, and lunged forward as the car came to a stop. It was late Saturday night, while travelling along Highway 2000, when I spotted her. She was a beauty standing next to a black station wagon parked by the side of the road. She had thick luxurious hair that fell just below her shoulders, was dressed in a miniskirt and slippers and had the longest legs I'd ever seen.

She was gazing down at something on her car, and I could tell from where I was that the car had a flat tyre. Now a few things floated through my mind at that point. One was that it would be nice of me to stop and lend a helping hand. I mean, it was late and the road was dark and there were only a few cars using the road at that hour. The other was that this could all have been a clever ruse, a ploy, if you will, to lure unsuspecting strangers such as myself to the assistance of this fine young woman, only to be pounced upon by a gang of goons. I spent a few seconds pondering the different possibilities, then took another glance at the belle. She gently brushed her hair from her face and in that moment I was hooked. I knew quite well that it could have been my final act of civility, but what a way to go! I pulled over to the side of the road and hopped out.

Summoning my best 'knight-in-shining-armour' voice, I asked the woman if she needed some help.

"Ahm ... well the tyre is flat and I don't know how to change it and ..." she started. I put a hand up to cut her off and told her she needed to say no more, as I was happy to lend a hand. ...

Clean coal dealt second blow as Danish energy giant pulls out of Scottish plans

Dong Energy withdraws from 1.6GW Hunterston power station scheme just days after E.ON shelves Kingsnorth

Severin Carrell, Scotland correspondent
Monday 12 October 2009

Plans for a new generation of "clean coal" power stations were dealt another severe blow after the Danish energy giant Dong Energy announced it was pulling out of plans for a major new coal-fired plant in Ayrshire.

Dong said it was withdrawing from the 1.6GW Hunterston power station scheme, which would eventually use carbon capture technology, and a further coal-fired plant in Germany, to focus its efforts on green energy and cutting its CO2 emissions.

The decision raises further doubts about the future of UK and Scottish government plans to invest heavily in "clean coal" plants after the energy firm E.ON said last week it was shelving proposals for a new coal-burning station at Kingsnorth in Kent. It cited the drop in demand for power due to the recession. ...



I'm gonna keep bumping this story, not just for the pleasure of seeing coal ahem going down again, either.

Nope.

I'm gonna keep bumping this story because headlines so rarely contain all of the following: 'blow,' 'Dong,' 'pulls out,' and 'withdraw.'

I said I'm old. I never said I am mature.

MyConservatives website collapses at launch
Web 2.0 not for the faint-hearted
By Kelly Fiveash
2nd October 2009

A website launched today by the UK’s Conservative Party is titsup, at time of writing.

The MyConservatives.com site, which claims to be “the most ambitious party political campaigning network of its kind outside of the US” is currently redirecting to the Tories’ main website while the party tries to fix the problem. ...

Madonna left Britain to return to America because she was tired of being called 'Madge', she has told the US chat show host David Letterman.
02 Oct 2009

The singer said that the nickname – often used by her British ex-husband, Guy Ritchie, the film director – made her feel "boring and middle-aged". ...



Well, madge, what in the world is more boring than a middle-aged whore who's been jaded as hell since her early twenties?

I'll never call her anything else ever again.

PS: george w shrub absolutely hates being called 'junior,' so I have referred to it as nothing but 'shrub, jr' since learning that. I fondly suggest you do the same, Gentle Categorian.

Royal Dutch Shell, Europe's largest oil company, said today profits fell by 70 per cent in the second quarter due to lower prices and a collapse in demand.

Shell's earnings in the three months to the end of June declined from $7.9 billion (£4.8 billion) in the same period last year to $2.3 billion. Its first half performance was 64 per cent lower at $5.6 billion.

In his first results as chief executive, since taking over from Jeroen van der Veer, Shell’s Peter Voser gave a gloomy assessment of the oil market blaming the economic downturn for reduced energy demand. Since reaching a record high of $147 a barrel last year, oil is now trading 57 per cent lower at $63.

Mr Voser also warned that production capacity and costs remained too high in the industry and would remain a threat. ...



Good show! Jolly good show!

July 9, 2009
Banks to be 'named and shamed' over complaints
Patrick Hosking, Financial Editor

Banks, insurers and other financial services businesses with the worst record for customer complaints are to be officially named and shamed for the first time.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA), the City watchdog, today released proposals forcing all firms to publish complaints data and for the worst offenders to give additional information on their success rate in responding to complaints.

Businesses will be compelled to publish their own complaints data twice a year. The FSA will use the data to compile and publish its own statistics twice a year. The data will be manipulatable so that league tables of the worst offenders can be created.

The financial services industry has fought a long battle to avoid having to disclose complaints data, arguing that it could be unfairly interpreted. ...



One might draw the conclusion that a bank which receives many customer complaints is sucky, which would be so unfair. Yankistanis need bank complaints data which we can also unfairly interpret.

Tsk. They shoulda waited until Mercury went direct again. Now their difficulties with a short journey and communication are very public and have made the long journey round th' planet.
The Keystone Krooks.

Brief tangent: I read somewhere the original Keystone Kops were kokeheads.

Dear Marielaem hipped me, and yes, even Elliot Gruntybumble had a jolly good larf.

Triple-dog dare ya: Indiana boy licks light pole, gets stuck
Associated Press
Friday, January 16, 2009

HAMMOND, Ind. -- In a scene straight out of "A Christmas Story," a 10-year-old Indiana boy got his tongue stuck to a metal light pole. ...

... The 1983 movie is set in a fictional city based on Hammond, the hometown of author Jean Shepherd.


There's a 'phone call for you, sir; a Mr Darwin, sir. Shall I ask him to ring you back in a few days, after your tongue has healed? Very good, sir.

That's what happens when companies screw me over; serves 'em right.