Friday, November 07, 2008
Obama Election Night Photos
On election night, Barack Obama gathered with his family to await election results in a Chicago hotel room. In candid photos released on Flickr, Obama is seen in the hours and minutes before the victory announcement with his wife, Michelle, and daughters, Malia and Sasha, circled around a TV set. In the aftermath, he is seen tensely watching the results and finally celebrating with running mate, Joe Biden, and other campaign staff.
Perhaps the most interesting image of the night is a photo of President-elect Obama on the phone only minutes after his victory is declared. It's the third image down. Might that have been McCain calling to concede? Also, what's in the mystery package wrapped in a ribbon on the table in front of his daughters?
If any amateur photographers were wondering, the Obama campaign photos were all taken with the Canon EOS 5D digital camera.
Obama Election Night Photos
All photos in chronological order.
Obama: Minutes Before Victory
Obama with Feet Up
Obama on Phone with McCain?
Obama and Biden Discuss Victory
Obama Tents Fingers While Watching News Coverage of Victory
Obama and Family Head to Acceptance Speech
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Dina Wein-Reis Photos
Dina Wein-Reis bilked $100 million from several Fortune 500 companies. The 44-year-old mother of three boys allegedly set up shell companies to buy goods from consumer products companies at a discount, claiming to sell them to charities, but instead, she sold them at higher prices to retailers.
Roche Diagnostics Corporation filed suit against Dina Wein-Reis and her three compatriots for buying "nearly $12 million worth of diabetes care products at a steep discount" that was meant to be used to build its customer base among pharmacies and other potential customers. Consumer products manufacturers often sell goods at a substantial discount to humanitarian organizations for public relations purposes, which she took advantage of.
However, using company fronts like On-Call, The Complete Solution, Sion Enterprises, and CMB Management, Dina Wein-Reis tried to sell the diabetes medication to Walgreens, which flagged the sale as suspicious. Repeating this basic process over the course of eight years, she was able to amass a $100 million fortune, including a $35 million art collection and seven homes.
If convicted of charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, Dina Wein-Reis could face 17.5 years in jail. She is currently free on a $10 million bond and the three homes that her relatives have put up. Judging from her expression in her photo below, she isn't too worried.
Dina Wein-Reis Photos
Dina Wein-Reis
Kendra Wilkinson, Hank Baskett Engaged
Kendra Wilkinson is engaged to Hank Baskett. The 23-year-old Playboy model and former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner was asked by the 26-year-old NFL star for her hand in marriage while they were at the top of the Seattle Space Needle over the weekend. She had dated Hefner for four years, living in the Playboy Mansion and starring in the reality series, "The Girls Next Door."
While Kendra Wilkinson had been rumored to be dating the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver for some time, the news of her breakup with Hefner only recently came out. His other two girlfriends, Bridget Marquardt and Holly Madison, are also on the way out, and they will reportedly be replaced by Amy Leigh Andrews and twins, Karissa and Kristina Shannon.
Despite the turmoil in his love life, Hefner has been very supportive of her, saying, "Kendra Wilkinson has met someone who she would like to spend the rest of her life with. I have given her my blessing and will be giving her away at a very special wedding ceremony at the Playboy Mansion this coming June."
Kendra Wilkinson and Hank Baskett Photos
Kendra Wilkinson
Kendra Wilkinson Plays in the Sun
Kendra Wilkinson Playing Golf
Hank Baskett
Hank Baskett on the Field
Lisa Rinna: Botox Plastic Surgery Ordeal
Lisa Rinna has confessed to using Botox. The 45-year-old actress, known best for her days on "Melrose Place", injected herself with a cosmetic filler similar to Botox called Juvéderm, which is composed of a natural substance, hyaluronic acid. She justified her decision by asking, "We go on Jenny Craig and do all these things to change ourselves, so why can't we get a little filler?"
However, when she saw photographs of herself after too many cosmetic treatments, Lisa Rinna relates, "I saw a picture of myself and thought, 'Uh-oh.' You have to be careful. I'm a perfect example of that!"
Nonetheless, with The CW planning to remake "Melrose Place" for a new generation, Lisa Rinna may feel under renewed pressure to retain her youthful looks. She has stated that she would have no hesitation in reprising her role as Taylor McBride on the old series: "I would do it in a heartbeat."
Lisa Rinna Photos
Lisa Rinna: Notice Botox?
Lisa Rinna's Strange Outfit
Lisa Rinna with Family
Lisa Rinna and husband, Harry Hamlin, on Beach
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Watch Obama Acceptance Speech (Video)
Minutes after John McCain's concession speech in Arizona, President-elect Barack Obama walked on stage with his family in Chicago and gave his acceptance speech. The winner of the 2008 presidential election praised McCain as a "brave and selfless leader" and hoped that they could work together "to renew this nation's promise the months ahead." But first, he started out:
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
Despite the historic nature of his victory, Barack Obama found time to inject a little humor into his speech, teasing that his two daughters, Sasha and Malia, have "earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House."
Ending his 20-minute acceptance speech on a note of hope that his campaign has been built on, Barack Obama called on the nation to "open doors of opportunity," "reclaim the American Dream," and affirm that "Yes We Can."
Obama Acceptance Speech Video
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Barack Obama Wins 2008 Election
Barack Obama has won the 2008 presidential election. With his early lead in New England and the Midwest along with his victory in Ohio, he has essentially sealed the election against John McCain. At this point in time, he needs far less than 100 electoral votes to reach the 270 needed to win.
Even if John McCain sweeps the remaining red states, he will be unable to catch up to Obama's lead. In addition, Obama is leading substantially in Virginia, Florida, and North Carolina and is not far behind in Indiana. With his remaining paths to victory slim, McCain is almost certainly unable to catch up even though ballots are still being cast on the West Coast.
Barack Obama will be the 44th president of the United States.
Update: The major television networks have also projected Obama as the winner.
Update 2: Watch Obama's acceptance speech.
2008 Electoral Map
Who's Winning the 2008 Election: Obama or McCain?
Update: Barack Obama is the next president of the United States.
Update for Election Day: Stay on this page and watch the map below. Results for the 2008 election should start streaming in about one hour. The first polls close at 6 p.m. ET. You can also check the results for the past two elections. In the meantime, get some free stuff for voting.
Back in January, when we analyzed Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's campaigns for the Democratic nomination, we predicted Obama's eventual victory based on leading Web 2.0 indicators. Despite the 13-point lead that Gallup assigned to Clinton, Obama's savvy approach to Web 2.0 indicators like traffic rank, social networking efficacy, and early adoption of search engine marketing led us to believe he was more effectively leveraging his supporters, giving him a decisive advantage over the more traditional campaign that Clinton was running.
Now that the Democratic presidential primary is over, the big question turns to whether Barack Obama or John McCain will be the next president of the United States. Gallup polls show a slight, but statistically insignificant lead, for Obama, hovering around a 46% voter share to McCain's 44%. But perhaps a better metric yet again for determining the winner of the 2008 election is to look at what people actually do versus what they say they will do. How well does conventional wisdom stack up against actual Web 2.0 usage results?
Website Trends
1. How significant is Obama's lead? While traditional polls like Gallup suggest that Obama maintains a statistically insignificant 2% lead, website metrics invariably show that BarackObama.com is soundly beating JohnMcCain.com in attracting visitors (and voters). Internet rating sites Compete.com and Quantcast both show that BarackObama.com is getting over 1 million more visitors than JohnMcCain.com. Much of this is due to the sticky and addictive social networking and outreach features on BarackObama.com.
2. After defeating Clinton, can Obama appeal to women? Pollsters have suggested that Democratic candidate Barack Obama may have more difficulty attracting women voters than Hillary. However, the actual demographic data of BarackObama.com shows that visitors to Obama's website in fact skew towards a female audience.
3. Is the election about young voters vs older voters? The media has suggested that McCain appeals to a older audience while Obama appeals largely to youth. Oddly enough, JohnMcCain.com performs well with both the very young and very old audiences, skewing towards both the 12-17 and 50+ years old demographics. Unfortunately, that won't help him too much since his young visitors need to be 18 years old to vote.
4. Is race an issue? Many have suggested that Barack Obama appeals to a broad audience, but does Barack appeal more to one group than another? Apparently so. BarackObama.com's audience skews heavily African-American. Not too surprisingly, the Republican candidate's website attracts a more male and Caucasian audience.
Obama More Easily Found Online
Using the newly released Google Trends for Websites, we can see that BarackObama.com typically attracts north of 200,000 daily unique visitors while JohnMcCain.com is lucky to reach 50,000 visitors. This could be the result of either poor search engine optimization or simply reflect the poor use of social media tools to attract visitors. Tellingly, Compete's Search Analytics show that BarackObama.com is ranking for 2,495 top keywords while JohnMcCain.com trails with 718 top keywords. There's clearly a "keyword gap" between Obama and McCain.
Markets Pick a Winner
However, perhaps a better way of determining the winner comes from looking at prediction markets where traders can place real, monetary bets on the results of popular events. The Intrade Prediction Market shows that the Barack Obama contract is priced at 63.7, indicating a 63.7% chance that he will win the election (at least that's how traders are betting things will turn out). By contrast, the John McCain contract lags at 33.4 and has never broken above the 40% chance of winning threshold. It seems that the markets are not too confident of a McCain victory come this November despite the Gallup poll numbers of a virtual dead heat. There appears to be an "Obama premium" embedded in the prediction market contract. Like we recommended with Clinton contracts, it may be time to short McCain or go long on Obama.
Who's Winning
Based on multiple metrics, it's clear that, despite conventional polling showing an even race between Obama and McCain, there's evidence that the Democratic candidate is using new media to more effectively reach voters and engage them more fully in the presidential campaign. Moreover, by analyzing what people do (and put their money on), we can more accurately assess the outcome of the presidential race. We may yet again see the triumph of leading-edge Web 2.0 indicators over traditional polling methods.
Free Stuff for Voting
You can get free stuff for voting today. The only catch is that you might need an "I Voted" sticker to get some of these freebies. Here's the list of free stuff:
Starbucks: Get a free, tall cup of coffee at any US Starbucks. No sticker necessary.
Ben & Jerry's: Offers you a free scoop of ice cream. Only from 5 to 8 p.m. Store locator.
Krispy Kreme: Has a free special star-shaped donut with patriotic sprinkles for voters. Sticker required. Store locator.
Chick-fil-A: Giving out free chicken sandwiches. Only at certain locations. Store locator.
Arby's: Take a break with a free roast beef sandwich. Store locator.
Shane's Rib Shack: Grab a free three-piece chicken tender combo. First 300 customers only. Must have sticker. Store locator.
California Tortilla: Receive a free taco. Have sticker. Store locator.
Pizza Hut: 20% off online orders.
Many local restaurants and shops in your area may also have special promotions so bes sure to check around.
Kate Winslet Vanity Fair Photos
Kate Winslet will bare all for "Vanity Fair." The 33-year-old British actress, who has been nominated for an Oscar five times, will follow up her first high-profile naked appearance more than a decade ago in James Cameron's blockbuster "Titanic" with an extensive spread in December's Vanity Fair magazine. The most striking image has her draped along a fur chaise longue with only high-heels and stockings.
Despite Hollywood pressures, Kate Winslet is known for opposing the culture of thinness that many actresses are subjected to. As she describes it,
This is going to sound really weird, but I never had a desire to be famous. I never had huge ambitions--never... I was fat. I didn't know any fat famous actresses. I just did not see myself in that world at all, and I'm being very sincere. You know, once a fat kid, always a fat kid. Because you always think that you just look a little bit wrong or a little bit different from everyone else.
Coincidentally, Kate Winslet's December photo spread coincides with the release of her newest film, "Revolutionary Road," which reunites her with Leonardo DiCaprio.
Kate Winslet Vanity Fair Photos
Kate Winslet
Kate Winslet on Vanity Fair Cover
Kate Winslet Naked on Fur
Kate Winslet in Black and White
Monday, November 03, 2008
Jessica Gomes Photo Gallery
Jessica Gomes is being touted as the next supermodel sensation. In three short years since moving to New York, the 23-year-old Australian model has gone from spreads in magazines like "Glamour" and "Vogue" to the vaunted pages of the 2008 Swimsuit Edition of "Sport's Illustrated." At 5'9" tall, the half-Portuguese and half Singaporean fashion model has modeled for clothing brands like Levi's, DKNY, and Victoria's Secret and electronics giant Motorola.
Among other high profile projects, Jessica Gomes has promoted rapper Sean Comb's fragrance line, "Unforgivable Woman," and music album, "Press Play." She has also appeared on shows like "Project Runway" and "The Today Show." Sports Illustrated memorably featured her in a bodypainting gallery that was produced at the Dead Sea in Israel.
Growing up in secluded Greenmount Hill near Perth, Jessica Gomes was the youngest of four children. Early on, she cemented a reputation as a tomboy, which her mother tried to discourage by advising her to become a model. Her first break came with a role on "Bush Patrol", an Australian children's TV series.
Jessica Gomes Photo Gallery
Jessica Gomes in Sports Illustrated
Jessica Gomes in Bodypaint
Jessica Gomes in the Surf
Jessica Gomes in Shallow Water
Saddam Hussein's Yacht (Photos)
Saddam Hussein's luxury yacht is being auctioned. The previous ruler of Iraq's massive, 269-foot long yacht was seized when it docked in Nice, France, after ownership disputes between the current Iraqi government and a Jordanian company, Sudeley Limited, owned in part by King Abdullah. The "Ocean Breeze", which is valued at $35 million, comes complete with swimming pool, secret passageways, mini-submarine, and even a ground-to-air missile system, which will not be included.
Built in 1981 by Elsinore, a Danish shipyard, Saddam Hussein's yacht, owned for the moment by the Iraqi government, was not frequented often by the deposed dictator. Despite its "Arabesque arches, dark wood carvings, deep pile carpets in lurid colours, rugs woven with views of holy cities, and gold taps", the mega-yacht, which has been renamed "Basra Breeze", will reportedly need a massive overhaul to make it suitable for modern buyers. The current economic recession is another factor that is affecting even wealthy prospects.
The "Basra Breeze" was anchored off St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat during the legal dispute, but is now docked near the Greek coast. Yacht brokers throughout Europe are now feverishly trying to find buyers.
Saddam Hussein's Yacht Photos
Saddam Hussein's Yacht: "The Ocean Breeze""
Yacht Bedroom
Yacht Entertainment Room
Yacht Meeting Room
Labels: Money
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Sarah Palin Prank Call (Audio & Transcript)
Sarah Palin received a prank call on Saturday. Marc-Antoine Audette, a Canadian talk show host, posed as French president Nicholas Sarkozy during the six-minute call in which they discussed hunting, French First Lady Carla Bruni, and Joe the Plumber. On hunting by helicopter with "Sarkozy", the Republican VP candidate replied, "Well, I think we could have a lot of fun together while we're getting work done. We can kill two birds with one stone that way."
Known as the Masked Avengers, the comedic duo, who prank-called Sarah Palin, are notorious for calling up world leaders and celebrities. Despite numerous giveaways, Palin seemed to be unaware that she was being pranked until the end of the call, but took it in stride, even asking what radio station was broadcasting the prank. However, an aide quickly hung up the phone after realizing the joke.
Watch the video of the Sarah Palin prank call below or download an audio version here. You can also read the transcript. Count how many times she uses "yes" and "good."
