Aspirations of a thousandaire

You know, my friend Darby has been trying to talk me into getting my real estate license once I get to WV, ostensibly so I can work for him at his realty company. When he mentioned it the first time, I thought, "Impossible! I could never do anything so bold and complicated as selling a freakin' house! Has the man lost all grasp on his faculties?"

But then I started watching "Million Dollar Li$ting" on Bravo. And after seeing the twats on that show - mostly young, incredibly arrogant and fairly stupid - sell houses, I'm pretty sure I could do it. Indeed, I believe I could - eyes closed, mouth taped, hands tied behind my back...

Observe:

Oh B-O-O H-O-O!!

A revolting Op-Ed piece from the Times...

...what’s different from Weber’s era is that it is now the rich who are the most stressed out and the most likely to be working the most. Perhaps for the first time since we’ve kept track of such things, higher-income folks work more hours than lower-wage earners do.

Read it all >>

God, November: COME ON, ALREADY!

The U.S. intelligence community buckled sooner in 2002 than previously reported to Bush administration pressure for data justifying an invasion of Iraq.

...documents suggest that the public relations push for war came before the intelligence analysis, which then conformed to public positions taken by Pentagon and White House officials. For example, a July 2002 draft of the “White Paper” ultimately issued by the CIA in October 2002 actually pre-dated the National Intelligence Estimate that the paper purportedly summarized, but which Congress did not insist on until September 2002.

Read more >>

Oh, how I hate the news!

Looks like someone's stealing all my best "Gentlemen Callers" ideas:

Robbers in a hurry steal cakes, not cash

MALAYSIAN robbers ran off with a bag of cakes instead of 1.9 million ringgit ($651,000) in cash in a botched heist.

Read story >>

That's a good speech...

Michelle Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention

The Sperm Whale in the Middle of the Room

Okay. So Michael Phelps has broken Spitz's record for Olympic Gold Medal procurement. And no wonder: he apparently has "feet like fins" (also the name of a great Cocteau Twins song, by the way), an odd-sized-but-helpful arm span, and a disproportioned leg:torso ratio that is perfect for propelling a swimmer's body...All of this is amazing, yes.

But one thing that nobody - not the newscasters, not the bloggers, not the fans - the thing nobody seems to think worth mentioning is as plain as the face on Phelps's face.

Dude is UGLY!

There. It's been said. Carry on.

Fun at the expense of Tucker Max

New Gentlemen callers story:



Rhymes with "Fucker Snacks"

In which Citizen Jim wants to cash in on the publishing trend involving pathetic losers posing as rakish Don Juans.


Read it >>

Suffering from dementia? GOOD!

The daughter of British former prime minister Margaret Thatcher tells how her mother's dementia has left her struggling to remember the simplest facts in book extracts published Sunday.

Read article >

An Onion headline on the NY Times site

McCain not sure how many houses he and wife own

Days after he cracked that being rich in the U.S. meant earning at least $5 million a year, Republican presidential candidate John McCain acknowledged that he wasn't sure how many houses he and his wealthy wife actually own.

Complete article >

Where did Bush get those giant balls of his??

from The New York Times:

President Bush is denouncing what he calls Russia's dramatic and brutal escalation of violence in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. He pressed Moscow to accept an immediate cease-fire and to pull back its troops.

Bush put the crisis at the top of his agenda as he returned from the Olympic Games in Beijing.

In a Rose Garden statement Monday, Bush said there appeared to be an attempt by Russia to unseat Georgia's pro-Western president, Mikhail Saakashvili.

He demanded an immediate cease-fire, the withdrawal of Russian troops from the conflict zone and a return to the status quo as of Aug. 6.

Russia has ignored calls for a truce and has responded with overwhelming military force.

As with most things having to do with President Bush, I HAVE NOT THE WORDS...

R.I.P. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: 1918-2008

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the Nobel Prize-winning author whose books chronicled the horrors of the Soviet gulag system, has died of heart failure, his son said Monday. He was 89.

Dead? GOOD!

Just a few highlights:

A 1973 amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act prevented American money from going to international family planning organizations that, in his words, “provide or promote” abortion.

Also introduced amendments to reduce or eliminate funds for foreign aid, welfare programs and the arts.

He fought bitterly against Federal aid for AIDS research and treatment, saying the disease resulted from “unnatural” and “disgusting” homosexual behavior.

Senator Jesse Helms: 1921 - 2008

Peaches!

The tree in our yard is hanging heavy with them. They're small, but sweet and juicy!

The Scene at 1:15...

Roy Callow: 31 Oct. 1918 - 16 June 2008

How could you believe that the life within the seed
that grew arms that reached
And a heart that beat
And lips that smiled
And eyes that cried
Could ever die?

- Matt Johnson, "Love is Stronger Than Death"