06 May 2011

200 Trillion US Dollars

According to an article in today's La Stampa, the price on Osama bin Laden's head cost around US$200 trillion.

For the benefit of people who can't immediately process or appreciate a number like that (namely me), let me spell that out: US$200,000,000,000,000.00. I point you to this page for comparison.

But that's not exactly fair, comparing distances and age to dollars. As of today, the ppb of WTI crude is US$99.96, meaning that same amount buys a hair over 2,000,800,320,128 barrels of oil. Why, using the amended 2010-2011 annual budget of the Warren Woods school district (PDF) of Warren, MI as a general estimate, that same amount of money would have paid for the budget of 663902 school districts in the same time span. Michigan, the fifth highest state in school districts nationwide, has 550 districts. Using Michigan as a somewhat-high national average, that means that same amount of money could have paid for the decennial budget for the 13278 states(!) of the United States of America. But that number is most likely even higher, that is, covering even more non-existant states. Dare i say it, that same amount of money could easily have paid for the entire world's scholastic budget for ten years.

In other news, today here in Italy is a nationwide strike of basically everybody. I noticed going to the market this morning that someone forgot to inform the taxi drivers. I also noticed an abundance of police helicopters flying overhead. At Termini station, an inordinate amount of riot-squad Polizia and Carabinieri were rushing in vans, cars and on foot towards the station but for the life of me i couldn't see to what they were all headed to.

Still-italian-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, in order to “resolve” the what seems like a never-ending garbage crisis in Naples, announced yet again to send in the military to act as garbagemen.

And last but not least, Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Birthday, Feexy Weexy! WE LOVE YOU! Now when i say yr 20, i won't be wrong!

Rock 'n roll!

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