Freedom or money?

Did you hear about the Gallup poll conducted in 165 countries? It asked the people whether they would like to live in another country if they had the chance. 10% of Asians said they would. 38% of Africans said the same thing. The countries of choice were the U.S., Canada, Spain, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Australia, and Britain. Were these people thinking about freedom and democracy or just prosperity? It is very normal for people to want to do well and to be given the chance to prosper. One wonders why most political leaders refuse to acknowledge that. For instance, this topless woman just wants to be left alone. She's not really bothering anyone.

Short and long

The media has made a big story out of nothing. It is typical media behavior. It just helps sell ad space in magazines, newspapers, the internet, and wherever else. It has been said that the First Lady was wearing short shorts on her vacation recently and that maybe it might not have been appropriate. It was funny, I thought. First of all, those were not short shorts she was wearing. Secondly, she was on vacation. The American public knows full well that women are now wearing skirts and dresses that are shorter than any short shorts used to be. Really. So, what is the fuss about? Nothing. It is media-created. Please. Look at the photos and compare.

These might qualify as short shorts, though girls often wear shorter shorts than these. Don't let the glasses fool you, this lady is not with the Secret Service.

Extreme measures

As you can see, some people are being ingenious when it comes to creating a protection against the swine flu. The story is that retailers have run out of masks so one solution would be this. I would not have thought of it myself. Then again, I'm not afraid of the swine flu - I have a natural immunity. In case you don't know, the media is playing this up for all it's worth because they need to sell papers and magazines and internet ads. Please.

Riots in Paris

I'm sure you noticed that a few Parisians rioted yesterday because they thought they were not getting a fair shake in their government's plans to easy the economic downturn in France - they thought the banks were getting all the benefits and they were getting nothing but a debt burden. The guys who created this mess were getting taken care of nicely and they were being ignored. I would not know. New Yorkers will not riot like that, unless, of course, they start running out of things to eat. This topless woman does not care either way - she lives in Rio.

Church on Sunday

From Yahoo! News: “VATICAN CITY – The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI is getting his own channel on Google. It says the Vatican TV Center and Vatican Radio are collaborating with Google on the project. The Vatican's press office said Saturday that texts and video of the pope's speeches as well as news about the pontiff would be posted directly onto the channel. It says more information will be given next week. The Vatican began using its Web site widely to publish teachings and pronouncements under the late Pope John Paul II.” This might make it easier for the Church and the State to re-unite. What do I know? Nothing, that’s what. If commerce can be globalized, why not religion?

Going downhill

From the New York Times of December 25: “Much as Chanel and Dior and YSL carried on as luxury concerns well after the deaths of their namesakes, no American label seemed better poised to persevere in the absence of its founder than Bill Blass did. Blass changed things for designers on Seventh Avenue, who used to toil in the relative obscurity of its backrooms. By the sheer force of his talent and wit, he brought glamour to the job, and, by the 1990s, was so famous that his company had more than 40 licenses with annual sales of $500 million of Bill Blass products. There is no shortage of explanations for the label’s demise. There was an aging clientele, a management that seemed to take a freewheeling approach to the brand and its failure to find a successor who could match the Blass persona. (Blass died in 2002) Ultimately, NexCen, the new owner, blamed the economic climate. Without warning, NexCen announced in May (2008) that there was “substantial doubt” that it would remain in business. At Blass, fabric bills went unpaid. For the Bill Blass collection to fail in such an ugly way strikes many of those involved in the company as an especially cruel fate for a designer who made the profession seem so dazzling.” All this goes to show that bad management can drive a good business – even a great country – into the ground. The woman at left may be a former Bill Blass model, who knows? She may be one of the casualties of the failed business.

Your body

This is Lilli Ewing - she is a bodybuilder. I have no idea how a woman can be such a great bodybuilder and still be as feminine as she is. I don't need to know. All I can say is that it is possible. I admire Lilli Ewing's dedication to her chosen field. She is a great athlete. She is one of my friends on MySpace and (of course) she has her own terrific website and videos on YouTube (http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/LilliMarlene/). With just half her motivation I would really be something.

Obsession

Is it possible to become obsessed with the stock market, the way you would a beautiful woman or fine liquor? If you're not careful, you could begin to treat it the same way you would a card game like poker. The stock market is not a nice place for gamblers. You have to know something about what you're buying - choose wisely. There are always at least two roads to choose from. My choice is the color blue.

Hemlines

Here is proof that the economy is (or will shortly be) improving. This is not a supermodel who is being paid to wear the high hemline. She is just an average woman (no, not my next door neighbor) who is confident about the economy. I bet you she isn't even worried about job security. She has a penthouse on the third floor. Cool.

In the old days

I found this on some website I do not recall. It is - believe it or not - a photo of a fashion show. All we see is one model but the site said it was taken because someone in the family happened to be there. As you can appreciate, there are no runways for the models. The crowd was not there for the show, I'm sure, so the extracurricular event is beyond me. It was supposedly taken in 1958, when women still wore swimsuits. How odd!!!

Stock Market Up

I told you so. Today, the market is at 9325 and going up steadily. If you didn't buy at least 100,000 shares when I first advised you three weeks ago, it is a little late now. Sure, the market will continue to go up, but only a little at a time. The time was ripe when the market hit 8500. If you don't have a broker, go outside and look for the hemlines on ladies like the one on the left. That is the only sure indicator of where the market is headed. I told you so.

Bikini rollerblader

Bikinis have been around a long time - since the fifties. Rollerblades are a more recent invention. In California, rollerblading in a bikini is popular among young women - the thing to do - it is the norm. After all, the climate is perfect for this sort of thing. In Florida too. Fashions change. The emphasis is on sports and maximum comfort. FIfty years ago, this girl would probably have been arrested for showing too much skin. If you see a skater like this one in your city or town, don't look surprised. She'll think you were born in 1935.