Why They'll Be Eating Sand Sometime In The Future!

What a bunch of dumbasses. First a diamond encrusted car, now something so incredibly stupid, it is almost impossible to believe. For years I've been saying that it would probably make sense for the Middle East nations to use it's vast oil riches to buy topsoil, so that when their oil runs out, they'll at least be able to raise crops to feed the masses. Stories like this make me believe that they're going to all starve in the future. From today's Wall Street Journal:

Read My License Plate: It Cost Me a Fortune
Oil-Rich Persian Gulf Drivers Take Vanity Tags to a Whole New Level
By MARGARET COKER July 1, 2008; Page A1

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- With oil near record highs, the Persian Gulf is awash in cash, stimulating a return to some very conspicuous consumption. Ferrari S.p.A. says sales in the Middle East leapt 32% last year. BMW Group's Rolls-Royce Motor Cars says the UAE, a country with a population of just 4.6 million, is now one of its top five global markets. All those expensive cars clogging the roads have given rise to another must-have status symbol: a prestigious license-plate number. Managing Director Abdullah Al-Mannaei displays license plate number '1,' which sold for $14 million. "Everyone has a nice watch, a nice car," says Abdullah Al-Mannaei, organizer of the city government's monthly auction of desirable numbers. "It's not enough to just have a Ferrari anymore." Hundreds of men in starched robes descend on an opulent hotel here to vie for the most distinguished digits. Earlier this year, Abu Dhabi businessman Saeed Khouri made headlines and the Guinness Book of World Records when he paid $14 million for the tag simply sporting a "1." (The auction can be viewed on YouTube.) His cousin, stockbroker Talal Khouri, paid $9 million for "5" -- the second-largest sum ever paid for a license plate. Abu Dhabi is hardly the first boomtown to be swept up in luxury license plates. Hong Kong has had a thriving auction for years, while high-rolling Russian executives have gone to great lengths to secure custom tags. While Emiratis have informally traded license plates for years, auctions are a new phenomenon for the UAE, which last year boasted 79,000 people with net assets above $1 million, excluding their primary residence, according to the Capgemini/Merrill Lynch world wealth report. That's up 14% from the year prior. Like Abu Dhabi, the neighboring state of Dubai started its own auction a year ago. Bahrain is planning to start one later this summer. Mr. Al-Mannaei, organizer of the Abu Dhabi auction, is negotiating for another with officials in Egypt -- which may not have much oil itself, but is riding a regionwide investment boom. Abu Dhabi is the undisputed capital of the craze. Although the place is sleepier and more conservative than glitzy Dubai, 75 miles away, Abu Dhabi's small business community is far wealthier, thanks to the city's status as one of the world's largest oil producers. Plus, as the nation's capital, Abu Dhabi has first dibs on the choicest license-plate digits.

The title link will give you the rest of the story. I couldn't possibly read another word of this nonsense.