The Exceptions (that reaffirm the rule, yeah!)

Christmas Cheer,
The Christmas Spirit,
Love, Peace, Light,

THOSE at least
are NOT luxuries
and are indeed
readily available
TO ALL

+++

Royally Rich - A Top Ten Plus Five (why stop there, Forbes? Aren't there only 19 Royal Families to repertoriate?!?)

Forbes magazine, ever the wily business-saavy rag, knows there is an instant morbid interest in knowing who is so filthy rich that they can't ever hope to spend it all in their lifetime...

Yeah - people like to spend their free time envying the wealthier ones of this world!

Let's proceed then (onwards with the envying) by order:

Numero Uno is the Sultan of Brunei, worth US$22 billion (CDN $23.3 billion)

Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan is ranked No. 2 overall; he rules over the tiny emirate of Abu Dhabi, home to one-tenth of the world's oil reserves; his net worth is estimated to be no less than US$21 billion (CDN$22.2 billion - but that was a month ago or so!).

King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the deity-revered king of Thailand, is allegedly worth US$5 billion (CDN$5.3 billion) and that is good for number 5 - does that mean the top four are deities too?

Prince Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein, who comes in at number 6 for instance, is no prisoner of his volition as he resides over a US$4.5 billion (CDN$4.8 billion)

The Aga Kahn, who is the spiritual leader of the world's dispersed 15 million Ismaili Muslims and does not, hence, rule over any territory per say, is the number ten on this list - which means that Monaco's 1.2 billion dollar bachelor, Prince Albert II, actually edges out a spiritual leader by coming in as number 8...!!!

There's truly no justice in this world!

And rounding up the short list, at number 15, we have one of the most interesting names ever to be found among royalty, for, hailing from sub-Saharan Africa comes 39-year-old King Mswati III of Swaziland, with a net worth of US$200 million (CDN$211.7 million). At 39, he is the youngest on the list too!

The collective worth of the list's 15 rulers is US$95 billion (CDN$100.5 billion)

And the Queen of England, you ask, WHERE is she in all this?
She comes in a paltry 11th on our ranking of the world's richest royalty, weighing in or rather being worth an estimated US$600 million (CDN$635.3 million) - only!



The Queen of the Netherlands is worth only HALF of what LIZ is reputed to command throughout the remains of the Ole British Empire - yet, she is clearly the most stylish of ALL the *very rich* royals, so, I chose to have her picture here - and none of the top ten braggarts! ;)

My blog - I AM THE KING HERE!

*lol*

These chicks know luxury - but they know DESPREZO too...!

Desprezo - as in being dumped? Dissed? Rejected? Ignored? Cast aside?
Yup - all of the above! Poor of them, little rich chicks - eh?
Read on: (as seen on E!) (Huh?) (E!) (Ah!)

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ACMs Ain't Whistlin' Dixie (Chicks)
03/05/2007 5:12 AM, E! Online ~ Julie Keller

Sure they swept the Grammy Awards, but apparently the Dixie Chicks don't fly with the Academy of Country Music.

Nominations were announced Monday for the annual ACM Awards and there was nary a Chick to be found despite the Texas trio's five Grammys for Taking the Long Way. The Chicks have won 10 ACMs in their career, including Entertainer of the Year in 2000, but have been shunned by the Nashville establishment since their President Bush-bashing comments in 2003.

While the Academy of Country Music isn't ready to make nice with the Chicks, the organization made sure the usual Nasville-pleasing subjects were accounted for, led by George Straight, Brooks & Dunn and Rascal Flatts.

Strait, who has collected 15 ACM trophies over the course of his career, notched a leading six awards this year, including the top prize, Entertainer of the Year. Strait will also compete for Male Vocalist, Album of the Year for It Just Comes Natural, Single Record of the Year and Song of the Year, both for "Give It Away," and Video of the Year for "Seashores of Old Mexico."

Brooks & Dunn and Rascal Flatts will face off with Strait in the Entertainer of the Year and Album of the Year categories. Brooks & Dunn are also contending for Top Vocal Duo, Video of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year, while Rascal Flatts is gunning for Top Vocal Group and Single Record of the Year. Brooks & Dunn will also receive the Humanitarian Award.

Kenny Chesney, Vince Gill and Tim McGraw round out the race for Entertainer of the Year.

While she didn't make the cut for the usually testosterone heavy Entertainer of the Year race, Grammy-certified Best New Artist Carrie Underwood is vying for five ACMs: Top Female Vocalist, Album of the Year for Some Hearts and Song of the Year, Single Record of the Year and Video of the Year for “Before He Cheats.” Underwood was named Top New Female Vocalist at the 2006 ACMs.

(It was a good day for American Idol alums as Kellie Pickler picked up a nod for Top New Female Vocalist.)

Other top nominees include the duo Big & Rich, who received four nominations, and Gill, Josh Turner and Gretchen Wilson, who each scored three noms.

The nominations were announced at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville by 2006's Entertainer of the Year, Chesney, and the duo Sugarland, who won for Top New Duo or Vocal Group in 2006.

"Whenever you get nominated, it's a reflection of a lot of people's hard work," Chesney said.

The 42nd Annual Awards will be given out May 15 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will air live on CBS.

The complete list of nominees:

Entertainer of the Year:

• Brooks & Dunn • Kenny Chesney • Tim McGraw • Rascal Flatts • George Strait

Album of the Year:

• Brooks & Dunn, Hillbilly Deluxe • George Strait, It Just Comes Natural • Rascal Flatts, Me and My Gang • Carrie Underwood, Some Hearts • Vince Gill, These Days

Single Record of the Year:

• Carrie Underwood, "Before He Cheats" • George Strait, "Give It Away" • Heartland, "I Loved Her First" • Rascal Flatts, "What Hurts the Most" • Josh Turner, "Would You Go With Me"

Song of the Year:

• Jason Aldean, "Amarillo Sky" • Carrie Underwood, "Before He Cheats" • George Strait, "Give It Away" • Rodney Atkins, "If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)" • Josh Turner, "Would You Go With Me"

Top Female Vocalist:

• Sara Evans • Faith Hill • Miranda Lambert • Martina McBride • Carrie Underwood

Top Male Vocalist:

• Kenny Chesney • Toby Keith • Brad Paisley • George Strait • Keith Urban

Top Vocal Group:

• Diamond Rio • Emerson Drive • Little Big Town • Lonestar • Rascal Flatts

Top Vocal Duo:

• Big & Rich • Brooks & Dunn • Montgomery Gentry • Sugarland • The Wreckers

Top New Female Vocalist:

• Miranda Lambert • Kellie Pickler • Taylor Swift

Top New Male Vocalist:

• Rodney Atkins • Craig Morgan • Chris Young

Top New Duo or Vocal Group:

• Heartland • Little Big Town • The Wreckers

Video of Year:

• Big & Rich, "8th of November" • Jason Aldean, "Amarillo Sky" • Carrie Underwood, "Before He Cheats" • Brooks & Dunn, "Hillbilly Deluxe" • George Strait, "Seashores of Old Mexico"

Vocal Event:

• Brooks & Dunn with Vince Gill & Sheryl Crow, "Building Bridges" • Ashley Monroe and Ronnie Dunn, "I Don't Want To" • Josh Turner featuring Ralph Stanley and Marty Roe, Dana Williams and Gene Johnson of Diamond Rio, "Me and God" • Gretchen Wilson featuring Merle Haggard, "Politically Uncorrect" • Hank Williams Jr. with Gretchen Wilson, Big & Rich and Van Zant, "That's How They Do It In Dixie"

 I guess that, in these days of global village unification and convergence of all dead ends, being dissed is a luxury too...?
Hmm? Food for thought... ;)