Friday, August 9, 2013

And the Award Goes To

I have been very busy this week...well...busy might be a tad of an over statement. I have been otherwise occupied with the pursuit of being a lazy bum.  While that might not seem plausible that a person could fill up  entire days whiling away time, I have proven it is possible.





Our  little band of travelers have been hanging out in the Ozarks again.  If you haven't been to Big Cedar Lodge near Branson, Missouri,.... it is truly a beautiful resort.)

BUT...For today...It's time for a few of the odd stories that appeared in the media this week. 

I will be giving awards out again this week as some people just deserve to be recognized.

Third Place Award .....Worst Driving Test Fail

A video of a South Korean woman failing her driving test has become an on-line hit. In a mere SEVEN seconds, a woman manages to overturn her car while the examiner is screaming in Korean at her. (I have to think that there are some four letter equivalents in there but can't say for sure.)

According to the You Tube users that speak Korean, supposedly the driver is asking, "What do I do? What do I do?" The driving instructor  (allegedly) says "Goddamn it! I said press the brakes. What are you doing not even knowing which pedal you are pressing? I am going to go crazy. Get out of this car!".



 Can anyone out there speak Korean and tell us what is being said?   That is surely worth more than just one bad word.

Second Place Award for the Worst (or maybe co-worst or maybe tri-worst) Candidate in New York City Political Race



Just when you thought the race for public offices in NYC couldn't get any more tainted, ...it did.
In the latest twist to the scandal ridden campaign season in New York, Kristen Davis has tossed her hat into the ring.  (that would  be the ring as in a 'three-ring circus'.)

Kristen, who is running for the office of comptroller against the former NY governor, Eliot Spitzer.
Surely, there are a couple of reasons
people might vote for this
comptroller.

Talk about irony...Spitzer resigned as governor amidst a scandal involving prostitutes and Kristen Davis used to be a Manhattan madam. (as in managing aforementioned prostitutes).  Obviously, they have a few things in common.

It's not the fact,  that Kristen is an ex-madam that is the presenting a problem.  Her current woes are she has been indicted with four counts  of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute a controlled substance. She currently has been released on $100,000 bond.  She has said she plans to plead not guilty.

Gauging the quality of the candidates, this may or may not hurt her chances to get elected.



First Place Award....The most idiotic mistake made by a builder


This mistake has taken an OOPSIE to a staggering new level.  That level would be about 47 floors off the ground.

The Intempo skyscraper in Denidorm, Spain, was built to be a striking symbol of hope and prosperity.  It was a testament to Denidorm showing the world that  the city was  coming out of financial crisis.

biggest piece of exercise equipment ever
The problems with Intempo started early on during the construction phase.  Initially it was funded by  a bank called Caixa Galicia but after the project started the funding was changed to Sareb. Sareb has the distinction of being  called Spain's "bad bank."  The amount of the mortgage was taken down.

Also, there was the problem that the original plan was for the building to be 20 floors high but the developers decided to raise it to 47 stories so they could place 269 units in. More floors, more units equals more profit...right??? Not so fast.

As it happened,  the design was never reworked to include an elevator past the 20th floor.

Yeah...no elevator.  Nor did they allow any room large enough to house the mechanicals that would be needed to install an elevator of the type that could run up and down 47 floors of a building. 

I'm not sure how Caixa Galicia got the reputation for being the "bad bank" but I bet the missing elevator gets the Intempo's builder the "bad builder" nod.  Nothing as inviting as a 47 floor walk-up.