This was surprising:
Truman's daughter dies at 83
.
Shortly before her father's death in 1972 Daniel published Harry S Truman under her maiden name. A critically acclaimed full length biography of her father, the book used extensive sources from the Truman Library.
"He was a colossus. He was an heroic figure who not only knocked off Everest but lived a life of determination, humility, and generosity," said Clark.
"The legendary mountaineer, adventurer, and philanthropist is the best-known New Zealander ever to have lived. But most of all he was a quintessential Kiwi," New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said on Friday in announcing Hillary's death.
Hillary scaled the world's highest mountain in 1953, telling companions after the climb: "We knocked the bastard off."
Arse-trinkets.
Right. Okay then, that's it, I'm moving to England.
Arse-trinkets!
These tight, elasticated, supposedly saucy partitions across the mid-derriere are, in terms of both comfort and aesthetics, as cruel as the partition between India and Pakistan. There is catastrophic physical displacement. Entire body parts are split asunder, and undertake vast migrations. With my own eyes, I have seen women walking around out there with anything between two and eight buttocks – and placed anywhere between the hip and the mid-thigh. This enforced deformity is not the fault of the pants. They are little guys, simply overwhelmed by the task that faces them. They are outnumbered. They are the Alamo. They are, indeed, often in terrible danger – many look like they’re on the verge of being absorbed by their owners. A&E departments must have had a few emergency admissions for “emergency admissions” in their time.
Women, this manner of underwear cannot be an act of sanity. Why are we starving our bottoms of the resources – like an extra metre of material – to stay comfortable? Why have we succumbed to pantorexia? It is, of course, all a symptom of women’s continuing, demented belief that, at any moment, they might face some snap inspection of their “total hotness,” and have to reveal their underwear to a baying crowd, possibly featuring George Clooney. In this respect, women have communally lost all reason. Ladies! On how many occasions in the past year have you needed to wear sexy pants? In other words, to break this right down, how many times this year have you suddenly, unexpectedly, had sex in a brightly lit room, with a hard-to-please erotic connoisseur? Exactly. On those kind of odds, you might just as well be keeping a backgammon board down there, to entertain a group of elderly ladies in the event of emergencies. It’s more likely to happen.
For reasons I can't explain I've gotten quite addicted to reading the Daily Mail out of the UK. The Great Cosmic Muffin knows it's not because of their award-winning journalism - but I hit their website every morning and a couple times a day.
Is there a 12-step program for this?
Yesterday's fun article was The great pay divide: Why pole dancers, bishops and RAF pilots earn the SAME salary. Some of the jobs are paid the same here in the US (multiply the pound by 2 to get what those jobs would pay here). The PM gets US$376k and other Ministers receive anywhere from US$200k to US$1mil - the Chief of the Metropolitan Police comes within the same range. That seems odd - shouldn't the PM get more than the rest? However, it's more than the US Congress people get... which if memory serves is around US$240k (I'm too lazy to go look it up). Look at the miliary salaries - British Navy Captain, upwards of US$150k; US Navy Captain, I can't figure out the pay-grade nonsense completely but it looks like a comparable position is in the high US$80's to 90's. Big difference.
The point the DM is making:
The comparisons they drew are fascinating - and raise questions about just how a job's worth is judged.
The fortunes of farmers have dropped so dramatically over the past 50 years that they now share the same bracket as sewer cleaners, mortuary assistants and checkout staff, at £10,000 - £20,000.
The real-life James Bonds in MI5 earn the same as binmen, vicars, carpenters and NHS nurses, £20,000 - £30,000.
A bit higher up on £30,000 - £40,000 are the pole dancers and RAF pilots, along with bishops, police constables, sandwich shop managers, vets, London cab drivers, architects and paramedics.
FYI
Mortgage Lender's Bankruptcy Would Have Severe Impact on Consumers
"Countrywide is at ground zero of the mortgage crisis," commented Weiss. "It exhausted many of its extraordinary financing options last year and is ill-prepared for the rising mortgage defaults and home foreclosures that are widely expected this year. Already, the credit quality of Countrywide's mortgage servicing portfolio has deteriorated, with 7.2% of the mortgages it's servicing delinquent in December, up sharply from 6.5% in November and 4.6% a year earlier."
Weiss' conclusion: "With the mortgage market and economy continuing to slide, it's likely Countrywide will suffer intolerable losses. Thus, in the absence of extraordinary intervention, we believe it could be difficult for Countrywide to avoid failure, with a potentially severe impact on consumers."
So Hillary and John won in New Hampshire.
Big. Freakin'. Deal.
The press is acting like it's election day - it's only one caucus and one primary down folks. Chill, please.
All day yesterday the political press is burying Hil in Iowa and proclaiming Obama as God's Second (and favorite) Child.
I've been sick of political theatre since Pelosi took impeachment off the table but it is now nearly impossible to avoid the insanity.
And it's only January. May the Great Cosmic Muffin have mercy on what's left of my soul.
I don't even want to address Bushies trip to Israel. With his BFF Condie. Don't they look cute together?
Yes, I'm alive!
Yes, you should be afraid.
2007 sucked monkeyballs with hot chili sauce on the side.
Really.
I'm kinda, sorta, back from beyond, hoping 2008 will be better but I'm not holding my breath.
Thank you Homo Escapeons for keeping tabs on me. Muchly appreciated!
