Perhaps the Worthless Blogger Award is of dubious use, since the majority of blogs would be well- to overly-qualified to “win” this distinction.

For those of you who care, the world chess championships are in progress, and if things hold as they have been, the current champion Vladimir Kramnik will lose his crown to Vishawanthan Anand. Anand is comfortably ahead of the field, having a lead of 1.5 games with 3 rounds left to play.

While Anand won his 11th round game, Kramnik accepted a draw after only move 13 (and if this is Grandmaster chess, I don’t want any part of it). One of reasons: “I felt it would be somewhat insulting to reject a draw because my opponent is very strong.”

Dude, you’re playing to win the world friggin’ championship of chess, and now you’re desperately far behind. Don’t you have to at least try to score the full point instead of agreeing to a 13-move draw? And you’re sitting there worried about your opponent’s feelings!

Out of the Ether put it very well: “I think what I’m coming away with here is that one has to fight to win.”

One of my friends just e-mailed with some of the ticket packages your Miami Heat are offering this season:

Pat Riley Season Ticket Plan
- Exclusive events with the team/players
- 300-level seat locations still available
- Save over $1,000 for a pair of tickets
- From $731 per seat

D. Wade’s Big Name/Big Game Plan
- 20 games, including the Pistons (Opening Night) and the Lakers
- Featured match-ups: Nash, LeBron, Iverson, Dirk, KG, and Durant
- $499 per seat

Shaq’s Weekend Pack
- 11 games, including the Spurs (defending champs) and the Knicks
- Featured match-ups: T-Mac, Yao, Arenas, Kidd, KG, Pierce, and Allen
- $299 per seat

Etc.

You get the idea. But what about us poor people who can’t afford that stuff? How about the following additional packages:

Smush Parker Pack
- 10 games; opposing team must have losing record
- Featured match-ups: Marbury, Pollard, Jones, and hopefully someone will pick up Shawn Bradley
- $100 per seat

Gary Payton’s Senior Pack
- 8 games against teams with an average age of at least 30
- Special rate for fans 55 and older
- Includes a free tube of Super Poligrip
- $80; bring your own wheelchair for seating

Penny’s Nostalgia Pack
- Any game where both Shaq and Wade are “injured” (should be about 10)
- Rony Seikaly will play instead of Shaq
- Tim Hardaway will play instead of Wade
- $50 per seat (in the Miami Arena)

點這個崗位? 我是好奇的發現知道漢語的極少數讀者能多麼恰當或窮地讀這。不, 我不學會中文, 而是曾經網站處理翻譯。有希望地, 至少您將得到好笑設法讀這。 2008 年表決為鮑勃・多爾。

You non-Chinese readers can use Babel Fish to figure out what this was all about (it’s traditional, not simplified Chinese).

No, sir, I’m not doing other stuff while waiting for the 50 min timer for Chapter 1 to finish, even though it took only 15 minutes to read, and I don’t need to memorize it because the exam is open notes.

What are you looking for in a mortgage broker? How about someone who describes himself in radio commercials as “humane”?

Whoever created that ad for Richard Ruble, “The Rainmaker”, felt it was useful to stick it in there. But what does that mean? He doesn’t send you to Guantánamo for missing a payment, unlike those other guys?

I’ll take Senor Cardgage’s promise of “Low rates, percent signs, I dunno” anyday.