Remember, the reason they deserve this kind of money is that they are better and brighter than you or I.

They know things.  They work hard.

For the Calivinists among them their material prosperity is the manifestation on earth of their elect status in heaven.

Because luck and connections had nothing to do with it.

(also worth reading is Why Conservatives Hate Keynes By: masaccio Sunday July 25, 2010 10:30 am)

1 Hayward payoff ignites new BP controversy

AFP

6 mins ago

Hello. Some of you know me as Lorelai Gilmore, and some of me know me as Cher, but either way, I wanted to say a few words about our girl. I’ve known Lane forever, and I’m just so incredibly happy that she has gotten married. I mean, I am just so happy that this adorable 22-year-old girl has gotten married, because it’s amazing, you know? It’s really hard to get married. Believe me, I should know. I mean, seriously, because Lane is married, and next thing, it’ll be my daughter, and then my granddaughter, but not me. I’m not getting married. No, it ain’t for me. It’s not in the cards. But hey, do you know what date I’m not getting married? June 3. Do not save the date. Do you hear me? Do whatever you want on June 3, because there’s nothing at all going on that day. If there’s anything you need to book, it’s totally safe to book it on June 3, So congratulations, Lane and Zack. Who else here had eight shots of tequila, huh? Hands? Nobody? Hmm. Oh, God, who misses the yummy bartenders? I know, me too, they’re so great. I was gonna ask them to not work on June 3, on my not wedding day. I just thought that would be so fun.

Ugh.  Well, I’m starting to wish I hadn’t decided to be a super cool party person last night not because of the hangover, I’ve got pancakes for that, but because the choices tonight are so much worse-

• AMC– Michael Clayton, Mad Men (Season 4 Premier)
• ESPN– Cards @ Cubs
• History– Ice Road Truckers, Top Shot
• FX– Mr. & Mrs. Smith (again)
• ABC Family– Ratatouille (again), The Goonies
• Oxygen– Where the Heart Is x 2
• TBS– Hitch (again)
• Turner Classic– Buck Privates, Ride ’em Cowboy
• Discovery– Deadliest Catch

Toon has the new Children’s Hospital @ 10:30.

Later-

• TBS– Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
• Turner Classic– The Noose Hangs High, A Throw of the Dice
• Toon– Boondocks (premier), Mary Shelley’s Frankenhole (premier)

A good night if you like Abbott and Costello or Indian films from 1929.  Frankenstein was written in part as a reaction to the erruption of Mount Tambora (according to Mega Disasters).

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

Now with 27 Top Stories.

1 Hayward expected to resign as BP looks to rebuild

AFP

Sun Jul 25, 1:23 pm ET

212 Stories served.  30 per day.

This is actually the hardest diary to execute, and yet perhaps the most valuable because it lets you track story trends over time.  It should be a Sunday morning feature.

• Sunday 7/18/10
• Monday 7/19/10
• Tuesday 7/20/10
• Wednesday 7/21/10
• Thursday 7/22/10
• Friday 7/23/10
• Saturday 7/24/10

Le.  Tour.  De.  France.

The first thing to remember as you watch today’s final stage up and down the Champs Elysees is that it’s not a race anymore.

Unless of course you’re racing for the Green Sprinting Jersey in which case if you’re Alessandro Petacchi all you have to do is finish in the top six, though I expect the Manx Maniac Mark Cavendish to put on a show and push hard for his 5th stage victory.

Another thing to remember is that 39 seconds is not so much over 3 weeks of racing, about 2,263 miles.  Andy got within 6 seconds at one point.

There are people who will point to bad luck–

Ironically, it is the exact figure Schleck lost to Contador on stage 15 when the Spaniard counter-attacked him moments before he suffered an untimely mechanical problem with his gears.

He also lost his brother and climbing partner Frank back at Stage 3.

Menchov won the 3rd podium place by overcoming a 21 second deficit to finish the stage 1:39 ahead of Sanchez so there’s your 2 minute Time Trial margin.

I stand by yesterday’s analysis of Le Tour 2010, but maybe next year we’ll be talking about Alberto and Andy again.

In any event I’m open to suggestions about other sport coverage.  You’ll be hearing from me about Formula One and Baseball for sure, but I’m also open to World Championship Darts (well, it’s part of the same package that Vs. is in).

Which brings up some important points.  You, as is customary, can write about any sport you want including (shudder) Hockey.  If you want me to write about it, it has to be available on Cable TV and it has to have a beginning, a middle, and an end.  World Championship Poker and Monster Truck Races from 2007 on endless random repeat do NOT qualify no matter how many times I actually watch them.

Nor do Professional Wrestling and Figure Skating because they’re just too political.

Feast or famine?  Fortunately I’ll be distracted most of the evening by one of Doose’s follies and with any luck at all won’t lack for amusement until tomorrow’s victory lap around the Champs Elysees.

If you’re not able to escape the Hypnotoad here is the best of a scurvy lot-

• AMC– One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest x 2 followed by The Shining.  Evidently it’s Nicholson night.
• Comedy– Without a Paddle (for Robot Chicken fans)
• ESPN– Kroger 200
• E!– Evan Almighty
• ABC Family– Ratatouille
• Food– Chopped marathon
• FX– The Bourne Identity
• Oxygen– Ocean’s Thirteen x 3
• SciFi– Silent Hill
• TBS– Hitch
• Turner Classic– Black Orpheus, Cabin In The Sky
• Discovery– More Odd Couple Survival
• TLC– Cake Boss marathon
• Travel– Man v. Food marathon
• USA– Hairspray

Later-

• ABC Family– Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
• FX– Man on Fire
• TBS– Jerry Maguire
• Turner Classic– A Raisin in the Sun
• VH1– Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Boondocks tonight, Attack of the Killer Kung-Fu Wolf B. and Mr. Medicinal.  GitS SAC: 2nd Gig– Nuclear Power and This Side of Justice

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

1 Gulf oil spill operations resuming after storm weakens

by Alex Ogle, AFP

46 mins ago

Le.  Tour.  De.  France.

“I still believe I can do it. It will be decided more in the head than in the legs.”

Well…

The margin is still only 8 seconds.  As Contador says– “It will be an incredibly hard day, it’s not a time trial like the others, it comes after three weeks of racing. It will be more a matter of the strength you have left and Andy is strong.”

The proximate reasons most analysts toss up their hands are the prologue results where Andy finished 42 seconds behind Alberto over a mere 5 and a half miles and last year’s Time Trial in which, while shorter, Contador finished 1:45 ahead.

On the other hand at 122 Schleck finished 5 places and a full second ahead of the Manx Maniac Mark Cavendish, a pure sprinter who won yesterday’s stage (his 4th stage win this Tour) without the assistance of his head butting blocker, Mark Renshaw.

Cavendish has hopes for the Green Sprinter’s Jersey as he is only 16 points behind the leader in that category, Alessandro Petacchi, and Thor Hushovd, the second place contender, has virtually given up- “It’s over for the green jersey. It’s a disappointment but that’s life. I can’t sprint like Cavendish and Petacchi on this Tour.”

In the race for the final podium spot in the General Classification, Sanchez doesn’t seem to have been too badly hurt by yesterday’s crash.  He still leads Menchov by 21 seconds.

Today’s stage, 33 miles from Bordeaux to Pauillac, is the last day of racing.  By tradition tomorrow’s final stage finishing on the Champs Elysees is a victory lap except for the sprinters who have one last chance to improve their standing.

It’s the little things that make me happy, like a Friday night of TV that doesn’t suck.

No Jon or Stephen of course, though at least Stephen will be back on Monday (Jon hasn’t posted his guests yet).  Keith still has one more week of vacation unless there’s another Republican lie that causes Obama to fold like a house of cards and what are the odds of that?  A reminder that you only get the one shot at Rachel, if you miss Larry you won’t be missing much.

But on to the embarrassment of riches-

• AMC– Pulp Fiction, the only Travolta movie I can stand.
• CNBC– Wall Street, like 1984 it’s supposed to be a cautionary tale, not a blueprint.
• ESPN– World Cup Women’s Softball, U.S. v. Japan.  Dad reminds me that the Raybestos Brakettes are still in business and have won 40 straight.
• FX– The Da Vinci Code (psst, it’s fiction.  Well, except for that part about Masons ruling the world.)
• SciFi– Last week’s and new Eureka, new Haven
• TBS– Family Guy x 2, Heartbreak Kid
• Turner Classic– Poor Little Rich Girl, Jets @ Raiders- 1968
• Discovery– Odd Couple Survival Night, Tony Randall is not my favorite avatar.
• TNT– Fellowship of the Ring (bah, too much back story).
• Toon– New Ben 10 and Generator Rex, Clone Wars
• Disney– Phineas & Ferb from 9 to 10.

It would be interesting to know if Turner Classic programmed tonight before or after the Sherrod story broke.

Later-

• AMC– Enter the Dragon.  Watch Chuck Norris get his ass kicked.
• Turner Classic– The Little Princess, Honeymoon

Dave has Paul McCartney.  Alton does fried chicken.  Squidbillies: America: Why I Love Her, The Incredible Mr. Brisby and Look Around You, Live Final.