"I've just gazundered a 70-year-old lady who is undergoing a hip replacement,'' said Blavier, 39. ``You can't get a scenario to make you feel more guilty. But this is not my hobby. It's what helps me make a living.''

Oh, that's okay then, mate. Except, technically, it's neither an excuse nor the whole truth. (Sports massage therapist Blavier actually makes his living rubbing the thighs of people richer than him.) The quote is from an interesting piece in Bloomberg on the subject of gazundering. As our publisher recently noted, gazundering's ethically complex, the result of a system that applies business transaction rules to home transactions, and trusts both parties to behave like gentlemen. So when you match a poorly geriatric with an avaricious masseur, ugliness is almost certainly guaranteed.

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