Win Money If You're Funny

Any gifted joke tellers out there? If so, you need to submit your joke to the "World's Funniest Joke" contest being held by Reader's Digest magazine. For all the rules and to enter, click here. Please pass the word along and tell your family and friends to enter, too. The top ten finalists get $500 (who couldn't use that in this economy?) and the grand prize winner gets an additional $1,000. So, think you're funny? Think you can hack it in Reader's Digest? If so, enter now.

The Traffic Conundrum

Ever wonder what causes traffic? I have to admit it's a pet peeve of mine and probably an undiscovered career path. I mean, there needs to be someone at the front of the traffic line, right? In a quest for knowledge, I set out to see what some of the reasons for traffic were. And the list includes:

1. Bottlenecks (when the road goes from three lanes to two and everybody wants in at the last absolute moment)

2. Traffic incidents (accidents, etc)

3. Rubbernecking (the folks who need to slow down and see the accident that isn't causing their side of the road traffic)

4. Construction (this one is okay, we need to go slow and be considerate of those who are working in very dangerous places)

5. Bad weather (also understandable, but if it's drizzling...c'mon people!)

6. Poor signaling time (or, in other words...those who can't really drive)

Those are the top ones according to a post on InfoPlease.com, but I have another one to add to the list:

7. A person balancing a watermelon on his head and juggling oranges.

Yes, it's true. This morning while I was happily moving along to work, I heard on 1010 WINS that the cause for traffic on the West Side Highway was a man who was balancing a watermelon on his head while juggling oranges. No accidents, no bad weather, just entertainment. Those who weren't already stuck in the jam were advised to take the Riverside Highway. The only thing I can say about that cause for traffic is: only in New York.

As an aside, however, has anyone else noticed the reduced congestion? Traffic really hasn't been very bad in my area lately and the only thing I can attribute this miracle to is the unfortunate fact that so many Americans are losing their jobs every day. If you don't have a job, there's no reason to take part in the morning and evening rush. I'm sure traffic stats will be impacted by the economy. As it stood not so long ago, fewer people were taking road trips and vacations, so what wouldn't traffic be impacted? Although I don't like traffic and wonder what on earth truly causes it, I'll happily wait an extra 15 minutes on my commute when the economy picks up and people are gainfully employed again.

Obama Art: Copyright Infrigement or Free Expression?

The election is over. Barack Obama is now the President of the United States. This makes me very proud as an American to think that we've been able to overcome barriers of race and elect a black man to the highest office in this country. Yet, it doesn't surprise me that there are still petty people out there trying to make a buck off him. News is breaking today that the copyright of a photograph taken by the Associated Press (AP) of Barack Obama is being infringed upon. The photo was taken in April 2006 by Manny Garcia, a freelancer working for the AP. When Obama was confirmed as the Democratic Party's candidate, a painting by Shepard Fairey started popping up all over the place. Fairey, an L.A. street artist, drew his inspiration from the AP photograph. Both the photo and the painting show the same stoic Obama, gazing forward into the future of America. At the bottom of the canvas, Fairey painted the word "HOPE" in big, bold letters. Hope, as many know, was a major theme throughout the Obama campaign. See the full article of the controversy here.

The AP argues that Fairey owes them money since he's struck gold with the painting--selling posters for anywhere between $100 and $500. Is this truly a case of copyright infringement? Sure, Fairey did use the AP photo as the model for his painting, but isn't his painting unique and individual? The laws of copyright have been debated and argued for many years. This is something, I predict, that won't end any time soon. Who truly owns an idea? Who truly owns a phrase? We've become a culture where everything needs to belong and be attributed to someone. What about the idea of a creative commons?

Whatever your belief--if you think Fairey is right...or wrong, consider this: His painting has become an iconic image of Obama. It's become a piece of history. To have this image torn apart by lawyers and court would damage the meaning of the painting for many Americans. The painting is a symbol of hope, a symbol that America can change, that America can elect a black president, ad shows yet again, a nation can be inspired to do great things.

Note: The image in this post is from breitbart.com. As per their website, credit goes to: AP Photo/Manny Garcia/ Shepard Fairey