WallStreetFighter

Coke To Use Real Sugar Again?

2008-07-10T08:44:00.000-07:00

Coca-Cola has changed dramatically as a company through the years, and so have their ingredients. Somewhere along the line they stupidly removed delicious pure cocaine from their formula. . . in addition to real sugar. But it looks like all that may change soon.

Ever since 1985, real pure cane sugar has been much more expensive than its viscous cousin, corn syrup. And that's how corn syrup became the essential sweetener in the world's favorite carbonated beverage.

However, because many Eastern European Jews avoid eating corn products in addition to all leavened bread edibles (a conservative interpretation of the Passover law that takes 'corn bread' into account), a Kosher for Passover Coke is released each April which contains the real deal sugar rather than the corn syrup version (distinguished with a yellow bottle cap). But these Passover Cokes are only produced in small quantities for a limited time each year.

Supposedly, the Mexican version of Coke also contains the real deal pure sugar, but who wants to go all the way to Mexico everyday for a decent Coke?

Fear not, friends. Thanks to the U.S. government's ethanol mandates, corn is becoming too expensive to syrupize and put in Coke. Pretty soon we'll be back to the sweet delicious, teeth rotting goodness of honest sugar.

Brands like Boylan's sodas make a name for themselves by selling their old-fashioned style coke as corn syrup free. So now it looks like the main brands may soon be cramping their style in the sugar soda market.

And if this gamble to save money while corn is expensive doesn't go as planned, well... it wouldn't be the first time Coke made a huge mistake. Maybe they'll be going back to the cocaine ingredients if sugar gets too expensive too?

Cafe Hayek: Passover, Coke, and Ethanol, July 8, 2008 via DealBreaker

The Funny and Money Thursday Daily Links

2008-07-10T04:28:00.000-07:00

Chris has the great old list "10 Steps to Profitable Trading" [chrisperruna]

The 10 Richest People of All Time and how they made their fortunes [neatorama]

I go to Adam's site every day. It's a little bit for good info but a lot for pictures of one of the finest women in the world. Melissa Theriau [adamsoptions]

12 Ways to Become an Utter Failure at Work [dumblittleman]

In case you missed it, the racist Reverend Jesse Jackson was at it again, this time talking about cutting Obama's nuts off. [bittenbound]

10 Beautiful Islands for sale that you can afford [intlistings]

Have a good day trading? You can buy a child in 10 hours [abcnews]

NSFW completely off topic but I couldn't stop laughing "This gangbang sure is awkward" [lookatmystripedshir t]

You think we have inflation problems? Japan is much worse [bloomberg]

Looks like the ConAgra guys are putting their money where their mouths are [barrons]

Closing Bell Link Dump

2008-07-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

The Mac guy from the Apple commercials just got a sweet bachelor pad in NYC. [RealEstalker]

World leaders enjoy 18-course banquet while discussing how to solve global food crisis. [Daily Mail]

Slow Economy, High Gas Prices Hit NASCAR. [SportsBiz]

New York's legendary Chrysler Building sold to Abu Dhabi. [BreakingViews]

Enter the Googleplex pinball game. [Portfolio]

Steve & Barry's Seeks Bankruptcy. [Bloomberg]

Dream Jobs: Stuntman

2008-07-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

The idea of becoming a professional stuntman has always intrigued many people, but is it a realistic career for pursue?

If defying death and potentially making big money sounds like a good time, this may be the dream job for you. Or it could lead to you imminent paralysis and potential demise. Either way, it'll get you out of that friggin' cubicle!

Although the need for live-action stunts is slowly being replaced by computer generated image scenes (Is there anything Finding Nemo didn't ruin?!), audiences will always appreciate the allure of a well performed stunt. Dar Robinson, one of Hollywood's most famous stuntmen holds the Guinness World record for the highest paid stunt. (more details and photos after the jump)

Robinson was a high-fall specialist and earned the largest payout of $150,000 for only a few 'pants-pissingly terrifying' seconds of work. In the 1982 film "Highpoint", Dar was required to jump off the 1,170 ft. CN Tower of Toronto, Canada. Dar jumped from the top and fell over 700 feet before deploying his concealed parachute. At the very last moment, and only 300 feet before Splatstown, Dar's chute properly opened and he floated safely to the ground with only a bit of a rough landing.

Dar's life might seem glamorous and amazing, being the coolest mofo on the planet and the ultimate badass. But tragically he was killed while performing a routine motorcycle stunt a few years later. This is the life of a stuntman, and it goes without saying that one has to really love the thrill of a day's work more than the eventual monetary payoff.

The general range for a stuntman's salary is around $70,000 a year, but first requires the performer to be well known in the entertainment business. Attending a stunt school is also a good way to get started. Although there are no legal qualifications or requirements to be a stuntman, no director or producer in Hollywood will hire a stuntman without a proven background of experience and distinguished body of work.

Like many careers, you've gotta work work way up from the bottom. One of the major hurdles for someone in this industry is to join the screen actor's guild union. Only card carrying union members are allowed to work in films. For the beginner, the best way to join is to get 3 separate roles as an extra in a sanctioned film. For some more detailed steps check out Manny Siverio's website.

After years of hard falls and daring feats, a stuntman will earn enough experience to become a stunt coordinator for a film or television show. The stunt coordinator job is where the real money is. Using those years of experience, the coordinator will design and direct his stuntmen underlings to do some crazy stuff. At the end of the day, this older guy with all the bruises and scars is banking well over $250,000 a year from a major studio production.

Hey, another plus for the life of stuntman is that most likely no one will ever see your face. You'll be in all the big movies, but won't have to worry about being super cool and popular like Brad Pitt. Screw the paparazzi. So if you thing you've got what it takes, do your homework and then start breaking some stuff.

Click on the images below for a little inspiration on your path to Evel Knievel-like glory.

Any other suggestions for potential dream jobs? We wanna hear about them in the comments section.

Weird and Wonderful: Jobs For People Who Think Differently

Manny Siverio: How To Get Into Stunts

StuntPerformer.com: FAQs

IMDB: Dar Robinson

These Chinese Olympic Commercials Are Intense

2008-07-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

Whoa. . . adidas is going all out with these new Olympic ads. Making up for Kevin Garnett's supposed flub perhaps? Or just payback for getting torched by the the new 'Dream Team'? (more videos after the jump):

Beijing 2008: Adidas "Together" Olympic Spot from R2 Studios on Vimeo.

I really hope this isn't actual live footage of the fan enthusiasm. That diving bit looks especially dangerous. And I hope they're signing up that dude who gave the assist header for the soccer goal. That's a money pass right there.

Wait. So they're like "super capitalist communists" now, right? I'm down with that. Happy Sweet 16, guys!

That's why adidas (always lowercase, baby!) is making the big push to overtake Nike in the new billion Chinese people market.

Deadspin reports that adidas are looking to open more than 6,000 stores in China in the next 2 years, in addition to the world's largest adidas store in Sanlitun.

Check out the rest of the ads, which get gradually more epic before culminating in alien forces causing the women's volleyball team to not play well:

Beijing 2008: Adidas "Hu Jia" Olympic Spot from R2 Studios on Vimeo.

Beijing 2008: Adidas "Zheng Zhi" Olympic Spot from R2 Studios on Vimeo.

Beijing 2008: Adidas "Chinese Volleyball Association" Olympic Spot from R2 Studios on Vimeo.

Deadspin: The Great Proletarian Sneaker Revolution Has Begun, July 8, 2008

No More Movies On Domestic Flights

2008-07-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

The fuel cost crisis intensifies as one major US airline announced today that they are getting rid of all video machines on domestic flights to cut costs.

US Airways said that this cost cutting measure will save $10 million a year in fuel and other costs. The video systems add 500 pounds to a plane's weight, thus increasing the fuel costs. Additionally, no one really wants to fork over the $5 for headsets (also of note: the rise in laptops with movie-playing abilities and soon-to-be checkpoint friendly computer bags).

They will be getting rid of all the video equipment in November of this year, unless some magical fuel miracle happens. Pray your hearts out, boys and girls.

Although this is just one domestic airline enforcing the policy now, it will not be long before all others follow suit. Unless US Airways gets boycotted or something by avid movie watching fliers. How many times do you really want to see a crappy movie like Made of Honor?

We've seen these cost saving tactics before. Some might even go as far as to say this summer was a "cost cutting bonanza" for airlines. They've gotten rid of our snacks, our free checked luggage, our frequent flier discounts, and even screwed over a few of our NBA players. But now the movie bandit has struck.

Don't worry too much though, trips to Hawaii and other trans-atlantic flights will still have your precious movies. Do you think anyone will start listening to the in-flight radio stations as an alternative to movie-free flights? That Jeff Foxworthy channel is always good for a few chuckles, right? Nope? Ouch.

A spokesperson for the airline spoke to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Let's see them talk their way out of this one:

"US Airways had been evaluating replacing the old system with new technology: light-weight fiber optics or Wi-Fi. The idea was that passengers would be able to swipe a credit card and have entertainment choices on a TV and touch screen at their seats." But Christ says soaring fuel costs have forced the carrier to hold off on new plans.

"We're frozen in time right now," Christ explained.

Frozen in TIME! Sooo dramatic.

Will not being able to watch a film that will be out on DVD in a few weeks mid-flight stop anyone from flying this summer? Or is this just another worrisome cost-cutting trend for our nation's airlines? Comments section!

Philadelphia Inquirer: In-flight movies fade to black this fall, July 9, 2008

USA Today: US Airways to end in-flight movies on domestic flights, July 9, 2008

The Funny and Money Wednesday Daily Links

2008-07-09T04:56:00.000-07:00

Can anyone remember the last time Alcoa actually beat earnings. I've been trading a long time and we always start the earnings season off with an Alcoa miss. I'm not sure how to take it [forbes]

The internet as a business is still in it's infancy but why in the world do people still pour money into banner ads? [heavybagmedia]

Michael Vick files for bankruptcy [ajc]

Ted Koppel is producing an interesting 4 part series for The Discovery Channel entitled "The People's Republic of Capitalism" [latimes]

I hear people talking about buying a timeshare and I can't help but laugh. Most think it is an investment and it's anything but. Here is a good explanation of the positives and negatives of timeshare [money.canada]

If you were 22, single, and just graduated, where would you go before you got your first job. Paul ponders the questions and the comments are interesting and diverse [infectiousgreed]

What happens when you cross a Prius and Ferrari? Ferrari is about to show you. The only thing I don't get is if someone can afford a Ferrari then do they really care about the price of gas [devicedaily]

As many of you know I am an avid gardener as well. Take a look at some of the incredible gardens that will be part of the Beijing Olympics [divinecaroline]

The more you make they more likely you are to cheat on your wife. Take out Buffet and the single guys that stay up and play Warcraft all night out of the equation to make it work [NYPost]

Closing Bell Link Dump

2008-07-08T16:18:00.000-07:00

Belgians want to make Bud executives fly coach. [DealBreaker]

The best news story of the day discovered. [CapeCod Times]

Spitzer's prostitute actually helped some people instead of just screwing them. [HuffPo]

How to get cheap concert tickets. [CNN Money]

Desperate hipsters explain stock market to bemused youth. [Clusterstock]

Survey shows no one really knows what to think of taxes. [1-2]

The Pickens Plan and Some Problems With Wind Energy?

2008-07-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

T. Boone Pickens, the man with the most Southern Boy/Midwestern Pioneer name imaginable, is going to save us from ourselves.

Today he unveiled the 'Pickens Plan' which outlines how our country can reduce dependence on foreign oil and move toward the power of the wind. Just as Sunny Delight unleashes the power of the sun, Mr. Pickens plans to unleash the power of the wind. Kind of like a Captain Planet type of thing, I suppose.

Pickens is a well known Texas oilman, so he's got his finger on the pulse of the world's energy needs. The reason he's going after the problem now is because he believes it's the main factor for what's killing the economy.

The Boone-inator, as I'm sure he prefers to be called, is a big fan of harnessing our country's Wind Corridor, which stretches from the Canadian border downward into West Texas. An interesting coincidence is that this proposed 'wind corridor' resides right in an area of the country that Pickens practically owns. Pickens is originally from Oklahoma and is a major donor to Oklahoma State University, which they should probably rename Windfarmington College. (Or maybe just rename the machines Wind Tur-boones?)

Turbines built in this area of the country could possibly supply 20% of the country's energy needs. Pickens also believes that there should be a colossal shift toward using natural gas to fuel our engines. He claims it would save the country $230 billion a year by replacing over 1/3 country's imported oil.

This seems like a great idea and I'm all for wind farms. However, one word of caution is coming from across the pond. As Britain pushes a major deal to build 7,000 new wind turbines throughout their country on both the land and sea, news about the downside is also spreading. During cold months, wind-turbines tend to shut down to nearly 4% of their maximum output capacity. Meaning: many cities could be in for some cold nights if they rely on wind farms exclusively. Looks like we better keep some of those coal mines and gas stations open for a while.

But this shouldn't really dissuade anyone from pursuing wind power as the future of energy. As Pickens would probably point out, the climate in the northern borders of England is much different than the dry windy plains of Oklahoma.

One of the big things going for the Pickens plan is that it's somewhat non-partisan. Pickens himself isn't a politician proposing a piece of legislation, but rather a businessman with experience and contacts directly within the industry. THE BOONE is also not coming out in support of either presidential candidate, and has pledged to help implement this plan for whichever man is elected.

So do you support the Pickens plan? Do they think it has a chance of solving our energy problems? Let us know in the comments.

CNN: The Pickens Plan, July 8, 2008

Daily Mail: Why wind turbines could cause mid-winter blackouts, July 7, 2008

Local Beer Hurt By High Prices

2008-07-08T10:31:00.000-07:00

Quite possibly the scariest report I've seen recently. Someone fix the economy now! Don't you see what it's doing to us?

Local Beer Prices Rise - Watch more free videos

Jesse Williams of the New Albanian Brewing Co. looks exactly how I pictured a micro-brewmaster would. In spite of the looks of this small-time operation, the gritty feel of being a real, live brewmaster still has that dream job appeal to me. But while these 50 cent increases might not seem like a lot, you can see it's hurting these small breweries.

With all the talk of the big Anheuser-Busch/InBev merger, it seems like the plight of the small breweries are being overlooked.

Solutions anyone? Drink more beer is all I can come up with right now.

CNN: Local Beer Prices Rise July 6, 2008

Scrabble Shows Up Late To The Facebook Party

2008-07-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

Among Facebook's 'applications programs', one of the most popular is the version of Scrabble, called Scrabulous. It has over 450,000 daily users but now, the makers of the real-life boring Scrabble have teamed up with video game giant EA to get a piece of the action.

The popular Scrabulous version of the game was created by brothers Rajat and Jayant Agarwalla in India shortly after Facebook announced the 'Facebook Platform'. This would allow outside developers to create games and other applications used on the social networking site. This happened in May of 2007. So now, over 1 year and 2 months later, Scrabble is wising up? More than a little late to the party, I'd say.

Scrabble has been fighting with Facebook to remove the game as an application for months, calling on copyright violations. However, Scrabulous' fans became very outspoken and launched 'Save Scrabulous' campaigns all over Facebook.

Now EA is teaming up with Scrabble to make a legit version with a bunch of restrictions. Because of copyright laws in different countries, this new version of the game will only be available for gameplay between two players residing in the same country. Bogus! And this took a team of EA designers over 6 months of development to create! Those two Indian brothers created a much more efficient version of the game in a matter of weeks.

The reason Facebook's Scrabulous is popular is because of its ease of use and casual gameplay. In the spirit of transatlantic chess matches, this 'pirated' version of Scrabble allowed players to make a move and wait for their opponent to make the next move when he or she signed on. Now with extra gizmos and precise adherence to the board game, it looks like the new Scrabble will slow things down.

EA spokespeople cite 'international linguistic variances' as a reason for why globalized Scrabble games would be a non-factor. But this new version won't let me play and make friends with a Facebook buddy living in Siberia? Yeah, well good luck with this whole thing, EA and legit Scrabble. I have a feeling the majority of people will stick with the illegal Scrabulous version of the game, void of any restrictions.

The AP article also explains how the Scrabble makers are trying to make this a big profit machine:

EA is trying to generate interest for Scrabble on other computing platforms. EA recently made it available on its ad-supported Pogo.com site, and it sells versions for Apple Inc.'s iPods for about $5 and for various mobile devices starting at $4. EA has rights to offer it on digital devices like Nintendo Co.'s Wii game console as well.

A Nintendo Wii version of Scrabble? I have a feeling that will be the least fun Wii game ever created.

AP: Game maker tries to legitimize Facebook Scrabble, July 8, 2008

The Funny and Money Tuesday Daily Links

2008-07-08T04:58:00.000-07:00

I guess money doesn't buy happiness. Two former HUGE TV stars arrested for starting a meth lab [cnn]

The S&P priced in eggs [princeton.edu] as found by ugly

When times get tough, pawnshops get used. Cash America (CSH, a publicly traded pawn shop) is about to break out [thestockmasters]

I got lucky and was short coal but closed my position today but not based on this article. Analyst say the big drop in coal recently is the "weak hands" getting out. They believe the funds are good for coal. [reuters uk]

If you want a time machine to go back and buy stock (or short them0, there is one for sale on
Craiglist [craigslist]

They CTO of Segway is leaving to be the VP of Product Design over at Apple [o'reillyradar]

Digg must not have as much money as I thought if they can't afford this site [dugg]

If you want to make money there are smarter ways to do it than to take out a $5 million life insurance policy out on your wife and then order vials of pufferfish toxins on the internet [chicagotribune]

Would the guy who stole the 430 gallon tank full of diesel please return it [wjz.com]

Even Buffet has lost 20% so far this year [chicagotribune]

Closing Bell Link Dump

2008-07-07T17:10:00.000-07:00

Awesome new program lets you quickly make song lyrics using famous clips. The record industry will probably be pissed. [Swedish Radio]

Racist 1920s Ivy League football poster gets auctioned off. It will look great with all your German WWII paraphernalia. [Animal NY]

Nike makes Marty's sneakers from Back To The Future. Finally! [Wired]

MyGallons.com is probably a big scam. [Consumerist]

An Illustrious Career Comes To An End. [CollegeHumor]

50 Things Being Blamed On High Gas Prices. 'Gas rage' is one of them? [Wall Street Journal]

Ballmer and Icahn To Yahoo Board: Get Lost! [DealBreaker]

New Company Goes All 'Marc Ecko' On The Tiger Woods Apple

2008-07-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

Have ridiculous sports gimmick purchases hit a new low?

As we reported at the end of June, an apple core that Tiger Woods supposedly ate during his playoff victory at the US Open was up for sale on eBay.

After the first 'fradulent apple core' was a bust, the new apple was sold to a new startup fantasy sports company as a publicity stunt.

Rotohog, a fantasy sports brand launching a new NFL game, paid the sum of $716.66 for the infamous apple and set up a promotional site to decide the fate of the apple. An except from the site highlighting the options follows:

Next to a tongue in cheek oversized asterisk symbol it says:

"Please note, unlike that other infamous auction, RotoHog will deliver on our word as we will carry through with whatever you decide. How do you like d'em apples Marc?"

Ooo, callin out Marc Ecko - these guys are nuts! But Ecko did live up to his promises. He branded the ball with an asterisk as per the winning option on his online poll and returned it belatedly to the Hall of Fame. Bonds is even boycotting the whole Hall of Fame because of the damn thing. So what are these guys prodding Ecko about?

And besides, I don't think paying over $750k for Barry Bonds' record breaking ball is quite at the same level as Tiger Woods' $716.66 half eaten apple. Actually -- really there shouldn't be any comparison, that's just silly.

CNBC: Tiger Woods' Apple: Question Is, What To Do With It, July 7, 2008

The Business of Hot Dogs

2008-07-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

This country loves hot dogs, and in the eyes of many citizens, there is no greater American than the man who can eat the most hot dogs.

And with that goal in mind the Nathan's Famous Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest takes place every year on July 4th at the site of "Nathan's Famous" in Coney Island, NY. This year's event was a contest worthy of all the hype.

I was on location for this momentous occasion, and although I was not garnered with some fancy press pass, I hoped to bring to you the very 'innards' (to use some hot dog parlance) of what has become the marquee event for our country's Hot Dog business. (Pictures and Video after the jump):

As legend has it - On July 4th, 1916 four immigrants took part in a hot dog eating contest to prove who was the most 'patriotic'. And in that same spirit of competition and love of country, competitors have gathered to shove sausages and buns in their mouths. In recent years, ESPN has begun covering the event and heralding it as the Superbowl of competitive eating competitions. There is even a video game inspired by event for the Nintento Wii system.

Some numbers to munch on:

During National Hot Dog Month (July) Americans consume over 2.3 billion hot dogs (that equals about 8 per person in the country).
July 18th is officially known as 'National Hot Dog Day'.
Last year Joey Chestnut won the Nathan's contest by eating 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes.
This year Joey held his title after eating 59 hot dogs in the shortened contest time of 10 minutes. He was tied at the end of regulation time and was forced into a 5 dog sudden-death playoff in which he prevailed.
Each year the winner receives $10,000 and the illustrious 'Mustard Belt'.
The estimated value Nathan's received from all the publicity and TV coverage of the event is over $39 million.
North America's #1 retailer of cooked hot dogs is 7-Eleven, which sells 100 million each year.
Annually, Americans spend over $1.9 billion purchasing hot dogs.
New Yorkers eat more hot dogs than any other city.
Chicago's O'Hare airport consumes more than 6 times more hot dogs than NY's Laguardia and Los Angeles LAX combined.

However, those impressive numbers do not do justice to the zeal and passion exhibited each year at Nathan's.

(here we see the location of the big event. The corner of Surf and Stillwell Ave. at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York.)

(They have this giant sign up year round. An homage to the winners of yesteryear along with a giant countdown. Also note the famous and inactive 'Parachute Jump' in the background bottom left.)

(As you can see from this photo prior to the contest, lines to buy Nathan's dogs are relatively short. With only a 5 minute wait you were able to place your order and enjoy your meat filled bounty.)

(The basic menu. Some may say $2.95 for a hot dog is overpriced, but I was surprised at the afford-ability of most of the items. Also notice the number of calories per item posted on the menu as per NYC's new law. )

(Fully staffed and ready to go - Nathan's was looking clean, organized and primed for the ensuing action.)

(Nathan's Famous original Frankfurters have that snap/crunch when you first bite into them. Not something you'll find in those water-logged NYC pushcarts.)

(That large 'Big Gulp'-sized cup is filled with Killian's Irish Red beer. Costs only $5.50 and was totally worth it. Each one was better than the last.)

(This excitable little man was the 'warm up' act for the contest. He kept running around clapping and acting like mini-Uncle Sam - however he's supposed to act. Those paper signs say the name of each competitor noting their standing point. Also check out ESPN all ready to go. But wait! A primo advertising opportunity went undetected, someone really should call 966-4986 for next year. Maybe a well-placed WSF banner?)

(Eric 'Badlands' Booker, a former record holder in the Burrito, Pumpkin Pie, and Hot Dog eating contests, gives a TV interview and impromptu freestyle rap demonstation while confused and uninterested kids look on.)

(Heinz Ketchup gets in on the cross-promotional sponsorship deal in a big way.)

(Former champ, Takeru Kobayashi, who hoped to unseat Joey Chestnut and regain his title had both friends and enemies in the eclectic crowd.)

(The guy bent down on one knee has just proposed to his girlfriend on stage. She said yes, and the emcee for the event actually married them right then and there. The emcee said he had become an ordained minister through an online website. It was absolutely beautiful, I'm sure at least a few people cried during the 10 second ceremony.)

(In the spirit of Minor League Baseball promotional events, this costumed hot dog named Frankster participated in a dance contest with another mascot. I'm not sure who was the better dancer, but I'm pretty confident everyone involved lost some of their dignity during it.)

(Snipers and emergency personnel on the roof overlooking the crowd. Why? "Just in case.")

(In a moment that embodies good sportsmanship, Kobayashi and his opponent Joey Chestnut share water from the same Starbucks labeled container for their bun-dunking water cups.)

(The event is well underway at this point. With Joey leading by one dog. I have like almost 100 pictures very similar to this one, and I will spare you from scrolling through them all. But be advised it was very exciting.)

(An ESPN personality and 'Bun-ette' scorekeeper share a moment during the chaos.)

(At the end of the regulation 10 minutes, both Kobayashi and Chestnut were tied with 59 dogs consumed. Chestnut was ahead for most of the contest, with Kobayashi catching up and the All-American chestnut pulling even at the last moment. For the first time ever the contest was settled with a First to finish 5 dogs sudden death playoff.)

Here's a crappy 1 minute video I took of the playoff. Sorry for the quality - it was very loud, hot, sweaty, and my hands were trembling with excitement:

Hot Dog Contest Overtime Playoff - Watch more free videos

(Joey Chestnut retains the champion's Mustard Belt for another year.)

(After the contest, we rushed the stage and ate these hot dogs. They were kind of gross from sitting in the sun for a while. But you can't beat a free hot dog.)

(Surprisingly the lines at Nathan's after the contest were huge. They announced that 45,000 people attended the event and it seemed like each one of them lined up to buy a hot dog afterwards. You would have thought seeing those guys wolf down 64 in a very unappetizing fashion would deter buyers, but that was definitely not the case.)

(The Coney Island amusement park located right down the street and home of the famous Cyclone wooden roller coaster was packed for the rest of the day. It looks like they successfully price-gouged all the out-of-town day visitors too with the increased admission price of $8.)

(Did anyone else notice the typo in the official contest t-shirt?)

All in all, a great event. I would highly recommend anyone in the NY area to attend next year. But more impressive than that, I would say this is a brilliant example of a successful marketing campaign. Nathan's has revolutionized the sport of competitive eating with this contest and has garnered an enormous boost in reputation and revenues as a result.

Fast Company: Hot Dog Numerology, July 2008
National Hot Dog and Sausage Council: Vital Hot Dog Statistics, July 2008

Can Newt's "3 Ways To Lower Gas Prices" Help?

2008-07-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

The price of oil is still climbing, with one report from Clusterstock this morning saying that $200 for a barrel of crude and $6 for a gallon of gas are on their way. Can anyone stop this from happening? One man thinks he has the answer.

While speaking at an event last month, the former speaker of the House and epic conservative - Newt Gingrich - tried to explain 3 Ways to Lower Gas Prices. Check out the video here and some thoughts on it after the jump:

3 Ways to Lower Gas Prices - Watch more free videos

Here's a breakdown of Newt's 3 suggestions:

1.) Dump a substantial amount of the Strategic Oil Reserve on the market to punish speculators who have gambled on the market.

2.) Look for oil where it is.

3.) Maximize production of vehicles using alt fuels.

So we've got some harsh attitude on Newt's part on the speculator scapegoat. Does he really wants to destroy hard-working family men like Eric Bolling (the big RBI) from profiting off oil trading? I understand the deal, to come up with a solution you've gotta first point the finger at someone to blame. In this case it's speculators, but aren't there other larger groups responsible?

I doubt that dumping 1/3 of the SOR will even deter that many speculators. With a full 2/3 left, would they really stop? And obviously this is just a one time trick that we can pull out of our hat. Not really a permanent solution.

Secondly, as we've been talking about lately, the idea of offshore drilling has been popping up a lot. In Newt's epic tales of the Rocky Mountains containing 3 times the amount of oil that Saudia Arabia has, he fails to mention the cost it would take to remove that oil from the ground. If we have a gazillion dollars worth of oil in our backyards, and it costs a gazillion to use it, is it really worth it? Some say that keeping that oil in the ground for future generations is a good idea because it will continue to increase in value (and also hopefully in the future we'll make some high-tech drills that will make it cheaper to actually use).

And lastly, Newt tacks on a neat little nod to 'green stuff' like alternative fuels -- something the big three probably should have realized sooner. No one will take you seriously anymore unless you mention something 'green' or environmentally friendly in a public speech (for a good reason).

I especially liked Newt's remark (at 2:26 in the video) about the Texas A&M professor who is working on turning garbage into fuel. Might that 'professor' have been Doc Brown from Back To The Future II? (sidenote: Wasn't Marty's big character flaw of not wanting to be called 'chicken' invented out of nowhere for the 2nd and 3rd movies? What's up with that?)

Can Newt's policy ideas have a big effect on the price of gas? Let us know your take in the comments section.

InBev Tries To Remove Anheuser-Busch Board

2008-07-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

The Anheuser-Busch sale has taken another turn towards done. No matter how hard the Missourians campaign to keep their brand, it's still not looking good as InBev is planning to remove and replace A-B's entire board.

A quick refresher to bring you up to speed on this epic battle: InBev, a huge Belgian beer company and the makers of Stella Artois and Beck's, offered A-B, the makers of Budweiser, a very generous buyout offer worth 35% more than the stock is currently valued at. People say the Bud brand is stupid not to take the deal, but many American politicians are becoming actively involved to save this prestigious 'American Brand'.

So what's the big news today? InBev is responding with increasingly hostile plans to forcibly takeover. They filed Step 1 today with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is called a 'preliminary consent solicitation statement.'

A-B will now have 10 days to respond and if a majority of the company's shareholders agree, the All-American board will be replaced by a bunch of Eurotrashy international brewers. I have no evidence as to their Eurotrashiness, but if they show up wearing those mullet/faux-hawks and capri pants, we'll know I'm right.

With the board replaced, the takeover will pretty much be a done deal, a merged InBev and A-B will easily become the largest brewer in the world.

A New York Times article about the deal gives some insight about these new 'replacements':

InBev said its proposed board was made up of “experienced, distinguished business executives, including a number of former chief executive officers of leading U.S. public companies,” and that they were “committed to acting in the best interests of Anheuser-Busch shareholders.”

It includes Adolphus Busch IV, a Busch family member who has encouraged Anheuser-Busch to negotiate with InBev.

Adolphus Busch IV is supporting the takeover?! More like Brutus Busch IV! Seriously, can you really trust anyone with a name that is such a clear derivative of Adolf?

As I've said before, despite all of A-B's kicking and screaming -- this deal will get done. The only holdout may be the questionable funding for the deal coming from InBev. The buyout money consists of $40 billion in debt. And we all know how the debt/sub-prime loan/credit crisis situation is nowadays - never a safe bet.

NYT: InBev Aims To Oust Anheuser Board, July 7, 2008

Previously:
WallStreetFighter: How Can The Budweiser Brand Turn Down This Deal?, June 12, 2008
WallStreetFighter: The Budwesier Kings Say "No" To Buyout, June 26, 2008
WallStreetFighter: InBev Fights Back, July 1, 2008

The Funny and Money Monday Daily Links

2008-07-07T04:11:00.000-07:00

Got Wood? Wood has been one of the best investments over the last few years. Let's take a look at adding wood to your portfolio [seekingalpha]

Don't think you are affected by the California fires? Your weed supplier is probably losing his crop as we speak. Go long weed [thecalifornian]

We all know Russia is corrupt, perhaps the most corrupt in the world. Roman Abramovich is all the proof you'll need. By the way, I'll take this link down for a mere $2 million dollars. [timesonline]

I don't know if you got the message but voicemail is dead [techcrunch]

Yet another way to make money. Go to the pool store and buy a "Koon Lobster" [chicagotribune]

I have been preaching this as one of the keys to success in life. 10 Reasons to Eat Breakfast [qualityhealth]

You should use the Coca Cola Index to trade. It works for Africa [cnn]

The World's Most Worthless Money (of course Zimbabwe is the worst) [portfolio]

Happy 4th of July! How About Some Explosions?

2008-07-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

Today I will be out 'on assignment' at the Nathan's Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, NY. Stay tuned next week when I'll report back with some pictures and recollections of this glorious day.

The odds are favoring Joey Chestnut to defend his title right now, but we will soon find out if America will prevail over Japan on its 232nd birthday. Watch it live at Noon EST on ESPN.

In the mean time, I present for your Independence Day enjoyment probably the most expensive "fireworks" display in history. $45 million worth of Uncle Sam's cash going up in flames in the form of an unmanned rocket carrying a satellite. God Bless America!

Rocket Explosion - Watch more free videos

Closing Bell Link Dump

2008-07-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

How to become the king of the grill this weekend. [Main Street]

The cost of feeding yourself for a day = the cost of a gallon of gas. [CNBC Funny Business]

I had no idea that the President who created the 'income tax' was so sexy. [College Humor]

The real wizards of short selling. [DealBreaker]

Latest American Apparel ad features pornographic film star. [Copyranter]

The Lamest Summer Ever: Finance Camp

2008-07-03T11:27:00.000-07:00

The vast majority of the American public is financial illiterate, so it makes sense that we are hoping to makes things better for our children. Unfortunately for those tortured kids, 'finance camp' is becoming the hot new summer excursion.

According to Clusterstock and the Wall Street Journal profile of these camps, even grade-school students aren't safe from this unhealthy levels of lameness:

They are also reaching out to those from diverse economic backgrounds. And the lessons are surprisingly sophisticated, teaching campers how to rebalance portfolios, invest in real estate and use credit cards without getting dinged on fees.

At Camp Millionaire, campers in five days create a minieconomy based around "moola" -- mock currency that features a cow's portrait -- which kids use to spend, invest in stocks and compete with each other. They also use the fake currency to pay their "bills," running around and depositing moola in large envelopes with labels like "phone bill" and "credit card bill." Parents spend the real moola to send their kids to the weeklong session, which ranges from $279 to $300.

I will admit that cow themed 'moola' is absolutely genius, but still is this really necessary? Why can't the youth of today enjoy bullying, volleyball, simulated drowning, and 'awful waffles' just like we did in the good old days?

It's like they were trying to think of something even geekier and less fun than computer camp and band camp combined. Finance camp appears to be the complete opposite of space camp, which has reached astronomical levels of cool.

Clusterstock: Can't Afford A Family Vacation? Send Your Kids To Finance Camp, July 3, 2008

WSJ: Finance Summer Camps, July 2, 2008

How To Ignore Debt Collectors

2008-07-03T11:00:00.001-07:00

Granted, this is kind of a strange situation, but it's worth watching to see Dave Ramsey teach the art of dodging the debt collector (1:46 in the video, fullscreen is probably your best bet).

Apparently some dumb 18-year-old college girl signed up for a 'family cell phone plan' with a couple of her dumb friends from school. They used their phones for a few months, racked up a $1,300 bill, and decided not to pay it. The debt collectors are calling and Dad is pissed. Help us Dave Ramsey!

Wow, I feel like it's possible that Dave's icy demeanor and incredible pretentiousness could turn a man to stone. As we've shown before, Dave doesn't hold any punches especially when it comes to college girls.

But seriously, what kind of dumb scam was that girl trying to pull? A family plan with your friends? Just signing up for phones and not paying for them?

One thing I learned from this whole ordeal is that as much as I cringe listening to Dave Ramsey passive aggressively bitch out his callers, I think he kicks ass at setting people straight. Rock on, Sir.

Fox Business: Life's Lessons, June 26, 2008

Sam Israel's Suicide Note Causes MAS*H Revival?

2008-07-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

As you all know, our good ole pal Sammy Israel turned himself in to a police station yesterday on his scooter, but will his lasting legacy in the world's eyes center around his M*A*S*H theme song-quoting fake suicide note?

Looks like the Fox Business Channel is thinking 'Yes!'. The network is coincidentally planning a little meet and greet with two stars from that prolific 1970s TV show for today (The name of which is really annoying to type with all those friggin' asterisks).

Wayne Rogers, who played Trapper John on the show, now runs Wayne Rogers & Co. -- a stocks trade investment corporation that specializes in stocks and the real estate market. He will be sitting down at the 4pm edition of 'America's Nightly Scoreboard' today and having a little chat with his famed co-star Alan Alda. He's got some new movie coming out I guess.

We here at WSF will certainly be tuning in to see if they weigh in on Sam Israel's love note to their famous theme song. Probably not, but who doesn't just love listening to Alan Alda's incredibly nasal voice? I could fall asleep listening to that on my white noise machine.

And as a final side note, check out Sammy's beard from the NYTimes article detailing his most recent re-arrest! I didn't know he had it in him, looks great! Very manly and burly compared to his previous nerd look. But was he channeling Saddam Hussein's spiderhole fugitive fashion sense?

NYT: Fund Manager Who Fakes His Suicide Surrenders, July 2, 2008

Team USA Has No Love For adidas

2008-07-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

Is Nike running an anti-adidas logo blockout in this Team USA Olympic promotional photo?

As our favorite Sports Biz reporter, Darren Rovell from CNBC, points out-- Nike is the main sponsor for Team USA basketball, however Dwight Howard (#11 with ball) is the only athlete without a Nike sponsorship on the team. He is signed with the adidas brand.

So keeping that in mind, Rovell asks is it a strange coincidence that Coach K is mysteriously sitting in this photo, with his left foot blocking Howard's adidas logo-ed sneaker?
When have you ever seen a coach awkwardly sitting on a stool in a team photo before? But wait, there's more.

Also of note, the whole team is in height order except for Howard who appears to be shorter than the man standing behind him (Chris Bosh). Could just be another coincidence, but Howard is then able to carry the ball and not place his arms behind his back, thus covering the Nike logo on his shorts.

This photo is part of a news release by Nike hyping their new Olympic jerseys. I've lambasted Rovell in the past for some 'over the top' conspiracy theories (See: 'Did Kevin Garnett ruin the moment when he screamed 'Anything is possible'?), but I think I'm starting to see what he's saying with these things. Nike, those crafty bastards.

He followed up with Nike and asked an inside source about this Team USA conspiracy photo. The response he got was that there was no conspiracy, it's just an 'artistic' photo and yes, all those things must just be coincidences. But he's done a good job of selling me on the clever posing these brands do to stiff the competition. Do you buy it?

I can just imagine this kind of thing going to the extreme. What if Nike sponsored the whole Olympic basketball tournament and forced NBC to blur out Dwight Howard on every play in the live television broadcast? Some Nike exec will probably be sitting in his mansion, stroking a hairless cat and shouting, "Who 'doesn't want to sign with our brand now, MR. HOWARD?!!?"

Check out Darren's full post for other details:

CNBC: USA Basketball Team Photo: Artistic or Logo Conspiracy?, July 3, 2008

The Funny and Money Wednesday Daily Links

2008-07-03T04:07:00.000-07:00

Yahoo recently release it's presentation it is going to give to their shareholders about why Microsoft and Icahn are bad for Yahoo! There's some good stuff in there [sec]

If you are like me you are probably thinking of picking up a lady at the 4th of July parade. Here's a list of the best parades to pick up the chicks [doubleviking]

I find this amazing. After $2.6 billion in income. The Tolkien family has not earned one cent from any of the films [la times]

As this story came out, coal was in a free fall. My money says top but the funds think otherwise [hedge fund news]

Getting Tougher to Push the Financials Lower From Here [vix and more]

People are idiots. I can't believe people use their hard earned money on stuff like this [j. crew]

Then again it looks like nobody is [bloomberg]

CNN is getting killed on the internets for this one [cnn]

The company that provides the paper for Zimbabwe's money has cut them off. It looks like the whole world is cutting off Zimbabwe. Can't we attack them too? It might take a day or two but I have to believe it would be much easier than Iraq. [bbc.uk]

I know it seems like I'm linking to optionaddict a lot lately but I have made so much money off of reading his readers comments that I feel an obligation to tell others. I got the ASI and WFR put ideas off his comment sections and 15K later I feel like I owe them some link love since I don't tip [optionaddict]

WallStreetFighter

Coke To Use Real Sugar Again?

The Funny and Money Thursday Daily Links

Closing Bell Link Dump

Dream Jobs: Stuntman

These Chinese Olympic Commercials Are Intense

No More Movies On Domestic Flights

The Funny and Money Wednesday Daily Links

Closing Bell Link Dump

The Pickens Plan and Some Problems With Wind Energy?

Local Beer Hurt By High Prices

Scrabble Shows Up Late To The Facebook Party

The Funny and Money Tuesday Daily Links

Closing Bell Link Dump

New Company Goes All 'Marc Ecko' On The Tiger Woods Apple

The Business of Hot Dogs

Can Newt's "3 Ways To Lower Gas Prices" Help?

InBev Tries To Remove Anheuser-Busch Board

The Funny and Money Monday Daily Links

Happy 4th of July! How About Some Explosions?

Closing Bell Link Dump

The Lamest Summer Ever: Finance Camp

How To Ignore Debt Collectors

Sam Israel's Suicide Note Causes M*A*S*H Revival?

Team USA Has No Love For adidas

The Funny and Money Wednesday Daily Links

Sam Israel's Suicide Note Causes MAS*H Revival?