Angry news reporter meltdowns

Hell must have frozen over...the Europeans are actually blaming themselves for something?

Until recently, officials in many European countries bragged that they were relatively well insulated from the global credit crisis by what they described as superior regulatory oversight. But with a string of banks pleading for rescues in the past week, officials have begun to acknowledge that their rules were insufficient.

As European taxpayers absorbed the rapidly escalating expense of bank bailouts, lawmakers on the continent toned down their criticism of Wall Street as the origin of the problem and started to blame their own lenders for gorging on subprime loans and other risky investments.

"What were they doing screwing around in the United States?" French President Nicolas Sarkozy reportedly asked his aides after he was forced to negotiate a $9.2 billion emergency bailout Monday for Dexia, the troubled Franco-Belgian bank.

WASHINGTON POST

The Mortgage Crisis Explained

Leave it to the Brits to explain the mortgage crisis. Bird and Fortune are on ITV if you have SKY....pretty funny stuff. They've got a lot of other related skits.

“That is a moment for the history books.”

EU tells Russia "STOP" or we'll say it again!!

At a special meeting in Brussels, EU national leaders told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to abide by the terms of a French-brokered cease-fire, including a pullback of Russian troops to their preconflict positions. If he doesn't do so, they warned, they will hold another meeting.

Ahhhh.....that's one thing the EU is good at....more meetings

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F1 Belgium Grand Prix

Something always happens at Francorchamps, and the Formula 1 race is the high point of the season on the Spa track on the 5th to 7th of September.

The vast circus organised by Bernie Ecclestone literally invades the place and one-seater cars climb the Raidillon at full throttle, reaching speeds of over 300 km/hour before hitting the brakes at Combes corner.

Then get around the track's evocatively-named corners, such as: Malmedy, Bruxelles, Pouhon, Fagnes, Stavelot and Blanchimont. Take the straight in front of the pit lane once more via the newly improved Bus stop, end with the ""la Source"" hairpin, before attacking the Raidillon once again.

WEBSITE

Memorial Van Damme Track Meet

Organisor Wilfried Meert promises a fantastic show at Belgacom Memorial Van Damme. Including the men's 100 meter. Take a look at the entire feature on Belgacom Memorial Van Damme TV.

However, the Memorial offers so much more. "The events and athletes we can offer the audience is a truly magnificent one. First and for all because of the girls. The Olympic success of Tia Hellebaut and the 4x400 relay team, but also Kim Gevaert's farewell, which definitely adds an emotional touch to the evening. Also, this year the Memorial is the final event of the Golden League, and therefore athletes' performances in Brussels decide on the jackpot. All great things to look forward to. The evening will be filled entirely with fireworks, literally and metaphorically.

WEBSITE

Beer week-end in Brussels.... Let there be beer

From Friday the 5th to Sunday the 7th, beer will flow generously onto the paving stones on the Grand-Place, with the "Week-end de la Bière" which is already in its 10th year !

The Belgian Brewers association and the Chevalerie du Fourquet des Brasseurs, in collaboration with the City of Brussels organize this.

Many small, medium-sized and large Belgian breweries will present their best selections of beers. Entrance is free and beer prices are awarded. Many breweries will be present!

THE BEER CARD

It "WAS" one of a kind....

I like the way he changes his mind about which swear word to use!

No it's not the MGM lion

It’s St. Louis’ own Randi Nauhgton from Fox 2 News. Not quite sure what she was doing there when the camera turned on her unannounced.

Now that the Olympics are over...........

Who can forget the Monty Python Olympics

You know that hurt...he didn't even pick up the ball!

http://view.break.com/562764 - Watch more free videos

Brussels Airlines says......GAME ON!

Brussels Airlines will come with huge promotions on city trips within Europe starting in September, announces the daily Het Laatste Nieuws this Monday. The Belgian airliner is following the example of some large airliners, such as Lufthansa and British Airways, which are giving reductions of up to 36 percent to fill their planes.
Flying has become more expensive in recent months, largely due to the extra fuel taxes and the ballooning inflation.

Consumers are being more careful with their money and are hesitating about booking outside the summer holidays. Bookings are down 3-4 percent for city trips at the moment.

To counter the trend Brussels Airlines is launching a huge advertising campaign with super promotional prices on city trips. "We've noticed that such a media/advertising campaign with great prices can convince many people to take a trip," says a spokesman for Brussels Airlines.

Don't worry..China says they were all 16 on January 1st

Sometimes it's important to spot!

http://view.break.com/78189 - Watch more free videos

Flanders American Football League is looking for OFFICIALS

The Flanders American Football League is looking for officials (umpires and referees) for the juniors and seniors whose upcoming season runs from September to November, and February to May respectively.
There will also be opportunities to work Brussels American School, International School of Brussels and SHAPE games.
Clinics and instruction is provided, and new recruits – no prior experience required – will be introduced to real games gradually.
Officials receive a small stipend. Contact Christophe Geldhof at oige@telenet.be for more information.

I posted a while back, that they are looking for coaches too. I f you have any interest in that, you may want to check this out.

For more information on whats happening with American Football, check out this piece in FLANDERS TODAY

Ernie Borgnine reveals the secrets of anti aging

Belgians are nothing but slow-witted frite eaters

France takes a condescending, affectionate approach to its small neighbour. The butt of jokes, Belgians are seen as slow-witted frites eaters with a creative genius that produced Art Nouveau, Hergé, the father of Tintin, and entertainers who move to France when they make it.

The latest of these is Cécile de France, one of the cinema's hottest young stars [pictured above]. Otherwise, Belgium is Brussels, the French-speaking seat of the European bureacracy and source of many French ills.

Watching the mess in Georgia, we should not get too smug about breakaway provinces on the fringe of central Asia. An ugly struggle for ethnic separation is brewing only an hour's train trip north from Paris......in Belgium.

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Why we watch the Olympics

So what’s great about this photo is not the two chicks kissing at a gymnastics meet, which is a great spectacle, no doubt. What is truly amusing about this photo is the girl in the background, sitting on a bench, looking crest fallen that her girlfriend is sucking face with another woman. As if that wasn’t enough entertainment for one photo, a cameraman, who obviously knows this liplock is going public, films her reaction as she watches her woman suck face with this other tart.


In this case....not so much. THE SHOCKER MOVE!
While you're wrestling in the Olympic quarterfinals, China's Wang Jiao has just jammed her middle finger into your rectum! She calls that her "Bung Pow" maneuver.
Could've been worse, she could have been wrestling Dong Dong.

Ever wonder where the term ‘Dick Head’ came from?

The media can't figure out why Alicia Sacramone is so popular

Alicia Sacramone has become one of the most popular athletes on the US Olympics team - a fact that the mainstream media seems to find puzzling.

During the broadcast of the first day of individual event finals, lead gymnastics announcer Al Trautwig was seemingly flabbergasted that Sacramone was the second-most searched for athlete on NBCOlympics.com, behind only Michael Phelps.

These talking heads are really mental midgets....unless you're gay, do you need an explanation? I mean do a simple google search of Alicia Sacramone....and she's not even naked

IT TAKES A LOT TO IMPRESS THE CHURCH

Even though Michael Phelps made Olympic history, one church doesn’t think the 8-time gold-winning swimmer is all that high and mighty.

Mi Sock Yoo arrested for prostitution

I guess her parents more or less named her with life mapped out. Think she got any grief in high school with a monicker like that? And don't start with the Full Metal Jacket quotes.

Beer, Beer, Beer!!!!

Cheaper Healthcare, because we know the world needs more boobjobs

Just trying to keep this girl off the street....

Why put up with expensive, run-of-the-mill health care at home when you can be treated just as well abroad? By Deloitte ’s reckoning, medical travel will represent $162 billion in lost spending on health care in America by 2012. There are signs that American health-care administrators are starting to feel the heat.

Two good articles about Medical tourism, "Importing Competition" and "Operating Profit" have been printed in the latest Economist magazine.

For a hilairious look at the medical tourism industry check out this Indian made video on outsourcing.

After a two year visit to the United States, Michelangelo's David is returning to Italy......

A Belgian Politician with a drinking problem...now that's a new one!

Drunken Walloon sports minister spotted at Olympics

Walloon Sports Minister Michel Daerden was spotted drunk in the stands while watching the tennis and hockey events in Beijing.

Michel Daerden is in Beijing to support the Belgian athletes but appears to be over enthusiastic in his cheering efforts as he was spotted drunk in the stands for the tennis and hockey events.

Daerden went to Beijing to watch the tennis doubles' match of Olivier Rochus and Steve Darcis against the Argentineans David Nalbandian and Guillermo Cañas.Daerden, apparently drunk in the stands, was very loud, and this reportedly disturbed David Nalbandian. "Hey you there, you don't know the rules of tennis, do you," shouted the Argentine tennis player to the Belgian spectator.

Daerden was reportedly also drunk when he was encouraging the Belgian hockey team from the stands. "Michel Daerden really has a drinking problem, everyone knows it," said Flemish Sports Minister Bert Anciaux in a reaction to the incident.

"But he is not the only one. Others keep it under wraps. People in politics drink a lot.""It irritates me that the excessive alcohol is seen as normal and is accepted so readily," said Bert Anciaux to the daily Het Laatste Nieuws.

A Flower Carpet in Brussels

The bi-annual carpet of flowers on the Market Square in Brussels opened to the public on Thursday evening. The 700,000 begonias that make up the carpet of flowers were all grown by horticulturalists from the area around Lochristi in East Flanders. Around 1,000 volunteers worked on the impressive display of floral art.

Fiesta Latina in Brussels

A Latin festival in Brussels? ¡Pero sí! Fiesta Latina gets hips gyrating every year on Place du Châtelain, with parades, live concerts, dancing and the odd mojito or two...

Brussels' trendy Place du Châtelain is an appropriate venue for the event. The usual buzz of the popular bars adapts easily to the burst of sound and colour from the best Latin bands Belgium has to offer on August 29th and 30th.

Visit the comprehensive festival website for the latest news and up-to-the-minute information.

The Belgian rain is good for something!

The latest round of fierce summer storms caused considerable water damage in one of the big stores of Top Interieur in Massenhoven. This forced them to organise a giant clearance sale of their furniture.

The wet t-shirt campaign start August 16th, but you can stop dreaming, the t-shirts are already dry........ So is the furniture.

George is enjoying the Olympics

I think George might have fallen off the wagon. Even for him it would be a stretch to look that toasted.

Stella Light....the wife beater?

Has InBev gone native already? In what seems like an abomination, the Belgian brewer that recently inked a deal to acquire Anheuser Busch is planning a low-cal, and worse....... reduced-alcohol — version of Stella Artois

The whole branding campaign behind Stella is upscale and focused on quality - you’ve seen the short films in movie theaters. The brand is aimed squarely at urban professionals and beer snobs.
(At least, that’s so in North America. In England and some other places in Europe, the brand is associated with drunken soccer hooligans. The Brits have nicknamed it “wife beater.” )

InBev is testing a low calorie version of Stella Artois in Canada this summer, according to a Toronto newspaper.
The test could lead to a worldwide rollout, The Globe and Mail reported.
The test of Stella Artois Legere, which has been ongoing for about two months, has exceeded expectations, the paper reported.

Death ride from the Atomium in Brussels

Take part in a unique activity, a Death-Ride from the top sphere of the Atomium! A breathtaking descent of more than 100 meters!
from Wednesday 13 August 2008 to Sunday 17 August 2008
DAILY : 14:00-21:30
from Saturday 23 August 2008 to Sunday 31 August 2008
DAILY : 10:00-12:30
DAILY : 14:00-18:30

Learn more about this:
url : http://www.belventura.be

HOLA!

It’s not often in this day and age of political correctness to see a large group of people being totally racist. Unless you live in Spain. According to the Guardian:
Spain’s Olympic basketball teams have risked upsetting their Chinese hosts by posing for a pre-Games advert making slit-eyed gestures.

The advert for a courier company, which is an official sponsor of the Spanish Basketball Federation, occupied a full page in the sports daily Marca, the country’s best-selling newspaper.

I’m not sure what’s worse, the fact that they’re doing the slant-eye move (which is popular only among third graders) or the fact that they are completely oblivious to the fact that it’s offensive to over a billion people. Spain is kind of like the world’s grandpa. When everyone gets together, he still tells really uncomfortable jokes that usually involve some racial slur. And when your mom tells him to stop his only response is, “What’d I say? What? So the Nippers are good at math. It’s a compliment. I didn’t say nothin’ bad. Pass the mashed potatoes.”

Because we're more than a handful!

Wonderbra is reportedly causing all sorts of traffic problems in central London after putting up a new mosaic billboard, in the works for months, that's made up of hundreds of photos of women posing in their bras. The company recruited the women with a campaign back in June. The ad is part of the launch campaign for Wonderbra's new D–G range of bras. The billboard is also online, where a visitor, if so inclined, can zoom in and see all the individual pics. UPDATE: It looks like more than a few of the models were on hand for the billboard's unveiling.

Anyone for Badmitton

Crazy Badminton - video powered by Metacafe

This is Sick!

Where Have All the Graveyards Gone?

Decades ago, Detroit started experiencing white flight. Then blacks started fleeing too. Now, the Detroit News reports, Departed-Americans are departing......which is to say, their remains no longer remain.

From 2002 through 2007, the remains of about 1,000 people have been disinterred and moved out of the city, according to permits stored in metal filing cabinets in the city's department of health. Looked at in another way, for about every 30 living human beings who leave Detroit, one dead human being follows.

The paper adds, "Although there is little information or statistical evidence regarding the phenomenon across the country, it is quite likely that Detroit and its surrounding communities lead the way, as it does in population loss among the living."

Of course, some places make it more complicated for the dead to leave. For instance, in Chicago, they have to register to vote at their new address.

Giant smelly flower puts on sex show in Belgium

It's one of the world's largest flowers, it stinks of rotting meat or rancid cheese and looks very much like a giant penis. Hey folks....I can't wait to miss that....

The Amorphophallus Titanum -- literally "the giant strangely shaped penis" -- has been attracting big crowds at the National Botanic Garden of Belgium on the outskirts of Brussels.

The rare phallus-like flower that springs from the plant only survives about 72 hours and its timing is completely unpredictable, said Gert Ausloos, head of education at the garden.
Auloos called it "a botanical superstar". "It's there for for a short time, it's glamorous, it's big, it produces something special ... it's star quality."
Also known as Corpse Flower, it releases a strong smell to attract pollinators, thought to be sweat bees.
Thousands queued to see -- and smell -- the 1.6 metre tall specimen on Thursday.

Visitors compared the smell to rotten fish, others to rotten meat or old cheese.
"It smells like a mix of rotten fish and rotten meat. It's quite impressive!" said visitor Frederic Lebreux.
"I don't know, maybe like a Camembert," said Rachel Kaiembe.
First discovered in 1878 in western Sumatra, the plant was first cultivated in Europe at the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, in London in 1889. Because of its appearance, Victorian women were kept from viewing it.

Rotten meat, rotten fish, Camemebert? These people need to get out more!

Sports Headlines of the week!

Canadian Poon has chicken pox!
Canadian swimmer Victoria Poon has been quarantined with chicken pox, according to CBC Sports swimming analyst Mark Tewksbury.
Poon, from LaSalle, Que., was taken to a local hospital in Beijing and didn't compete Sunday in the women's 4x100 metre freestyle relay team that finished eighth.
Poon, 23, who won the Canadian Trials in Montreal, was also expected to compete in the women's 50 freestyle on Friday, but her current condition may prevent her from participating.

Don't these people have copy editors?

Baggage handlers' dispute sparks travel chaos at Brussels airport

Scores of flights in and out of Brussels' main Zaventem airport were delayed or cancelled on Monday as a result of a walkout by baggage carriers.

Airport officials said thousands of passengers were affected by the strike, which was called by Aviapartner workers to protest against harsh working conditions.

Belgian media quoted trade union officials as saying that the number of workers asked to attend each carousel shift had been reduced from five to three. Management disputed the claim, saying any reduction in personnel was caused by "unforeseen circumstances", such as flight delays.

The airport's website showed dozens of flights being either delayed or cancelled as a result of the strike. Many had to be rerouted to other airports, such as Liege's Bierset.

More than 25,000 passengers had been expected to depart from Brussels airport on Monday, with almost as many expected to arrive.

The Black Moses, Isaac Hayes, dead at 65

While the details are sketchy at the moment the news is out that Issac Hayes the man who produced the legendary ‘Shaft’ theme has passed away, just one day after comedian Bernie Mac.(perhaps better known to South Park fans as the voice of Chef) was found dead by his wife at his Memphis, Tennessee estate very early this morning next to a treadmill machine.

To paraphrase the Theme From Shaft, that man Isaac was a bad mother...Shut your mouth

I don't think they are handing out medals to these participants

It's good to be George!

If the first thing you noticed was the president....I have some bad news for you. To hell with Pelosi....I say drill here, and drill now!

W made a surprise visit to the beach volleyball venue at the Olympics, where he watched the women's teams practice. GOOD CHOICE!

Jenna Jameson is pregnant...I don't expect the delivery to be hard

I don’t think People magazine is gonna be dropping $15 million for these baby pics, like they did for Angelina Jolie. Jenna Jameson, former hardcore porn star turned, ahem, “model,” is pregnant. A source told the New York Post.

On the outside chance that you don’t know who these 2 people are; Jenna Jameson is a world-famous porn star and Tito Ortiz is a former Ultimate Fighting Champion

Evidently Tito’s sperm didn’t have the roadblock 50,000 other men did, by that, I mean Jenna’s colon.

Bia and Branca Feres will "not" be in the Olympics

I have little interest in the Olympics, other than some hot chicks performing, so here is my obligitory Olympic post.

These are Brazilian synchronized swimming twins Bia and Branca Feres. They will not be partaking in the Olympics. Is that not the best looking country ever?

Welcome Home Soldier!

Is Paris Hilton, like, ready to lead?

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Paris for president? “See you at the debates, Bitches,”

After getting indirectly dissed by John McCain in one of his campaign commercials, Paris has hit back with a pitch of her own.

Fine, Paris is a total airhead, but it’s quite scary how much political influence she wields. This whole thing isn’t doing McCain any favours - and the Hiltons are Republicans! So if we end up with a very tight election, don’t discount Paris’ contribution.

It's time for Belgium to call it quits..

Belgium is a little country sandwiched between France and Holland. It disappears periodically, whenever Germany goes on a shopping expedition for territory.

It was, in short, a Petri dish in which where the EU concocted its formula for the new Empire of many and diverse nations living within a large and happy federal state. So confident were the Eurocrats of their coming success that they made Brussels their capital on the assumption that everything else would just fall into place. WRONG!

If Belgium goes the way of the dodo, then so may the EU. And would that be such a bad thing? Those Eurocrats have been ramming their nonsensical legislation down throats for decades now with an incredible sense of determination and destiny. And as the Irish recently found out, these are not people who take no for an answer. FUNNY VIDEO EXPLANATION

If you want to collect unemployment...Wallonia is the place to be.

Now those damn Flemish are even outsourcing their unemployment to Wallonia.

MR chamber member François Bellot, serving as mayor of the tourist attraction town of Rochefort in the Ardennes, is of the opinion that the Flemish jobless are moving to Wallonia to escape the Flemish employment service VDAB, who continuously bother them with finding a new job.

Imagine that....getting unemployment, and they actually expect you to "look" for a job!

They do not have to fear the Walloon service Forem, who will not bother them, the mayor believes. Moreover, they can live much more cheaply in Wallonia. He has questioned federal labour minister Joëlle Milquet (CdH) on this matter and she has responded by saying that the Flemings in Wallonia will also fall under the administrative control of the federal employment office RVA in addition to the activation policy of the Walloon employment service Forem.

Think Greyhound is rethinking their ad campaign?

Think greyound is rethinking that ad campaign after that little episode in Canada?

How to eat for free

Cheap travel

The Walk of Shame

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

This morning's news that Morgan Freeman has been seriously injured in a car accident reminds me of perhaps his finest work, The Walk of Shame.

Psssst - Have I got a cheap red wine for you!

Wine experts, be they sommeliers and critics or shop clerks and collectors, are routinely asked: "Can you suggest a good wine for under $15?"
Robin Goldstein, who worked his way through Harvard and Yale as a freelance travel writer and critic for the "Let's Go" and Fodor's guide books, has come up with his own answer: "The Wine Trials: 100 Everyday Wines Under $15 that Beat $50 to $150 Wines in Brown-Bag, Blind taste tests.

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I’m Too Sexy for American Television

Here’s the new Calvin Klein ad featuring Eva Mendes, and, for just a second, Eva Mendes’ nipple. It’s been banned in the U.S., because nipples will corrupt our children. Seriously, the biggest problem facing today’s youth? Nipples. Anyway, CK’s probably getting more exposure for this damn perfume by having this commercial banned than they would have if it actually aired.

That ad has now been banned from TV in America, resulting in a lot of free press for CK and it's new fragrance. Could this standard-issue fashion PR masterstroke have been purposeful? They say the ad will play in Europe just fine thank you...

Only in America....The Heart Attack Grill

If you read the book in the previous post "Eat what you want, and die like a man"...but you don't really want to go through the hassle of actually cooking for yourself, you might want to head over to this place!

The Heart Attack Grill in Arizona sounds like an awesome place. You can get an 8,000-calorie burger for $10 and it's a restaurant that makes no bones about being politically correct.
Yes, a place like this is literally a dying breed, but what might be even more impressive is how a small unhealthy burger shop has grown so well and turned plenty of bad publicity from a nurse's union into a successful food chain.

The Heart Attack Grill was founded in 2005 by Jon Basso who, although not qualified, calls himself Dr. Jon. He's even made a few appearances on TV in full 'Doctor' get-up waving his fake 'medical opinion'. But he's not a real doctor, and his waitresses are not real nurses, although they do dress up like it.

Of course, some people aren't happy about the tongue-in-cheek approach the HAG takes towards their healthy food. Some people are disgusted that the burgers are called single, double, triple, or even quadruple bypass depending on the number of beef patties. The restaurant also refuses to sell Diet sodas, and instead offers beer, hard liquor, regular soda, unfiltered cigarettes and french fries cooked in pure lard. What's not to like?