SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Advanced economies face years of anemic growth and the risk of a double-dip recession as their citizens cope with sluggish employment and highly indebted governments, economist Nouriel Roubini said on Monday.
A sovereign debt crisis in the euro zone has rattled financial markets in recent weeks as investors worry that fiscal austerity measures dictated by a $1 trillion European Union-International Monetary Fund rescue plan could stifle already hobbled global growth.
So what can you do when the news is bad and it is just so ugly out there...well in true European fashion you can always take to the streets as these luscious Latvian blonde barbies did.
Latvia blondes hold festival to beat recession bluesHundreds of blonde Latvian women have been marching through the capital Riga to try to bolster the national spirit in time of recession.
Most of the participants dressed in pink and wore high heels.
The blonde parade began last year and was planned as a one-off but it is back by popular demand and is now a two-day festival.
Latvia has been hit badly by recession. Its economy shrank by 18% in 2009 and it has Europe's highest unemployment.
Yeah, those blonde babes really know how to rip it up in Riga!
Marika Gederte, president of the Latvian Association of Blondes, told the BBC the idea came out of the economic gloom.
"I was so tired, you know, every day opening the computer and reading the newspapers and just reading about problems. We decided... let's do something nice. And I asked myself the question: what can I do for my country? And this is what I did... We are very proud to be blonde."
Proud to be blonde? She's got to be kidding.
Obviously she has having a 'blonde moment" when she said that.
No wonder we have so many blonde jokes.
On a plane flight from Seattle to Chicago, a blonde was sitting in economy class. About half way through the flight, she got up and moved to an empty seat in first class. A flight attendant who observed this, went over to her and politely explained that she had to move back to economy class because that was what her ticket was for. The blonde replied, "I'm blonde, I'm beautiful, I'm going to Chicago and I'm staying right here."
After several attempts to explain to the blonde why she had to return to economy class, the flight attendant gave up. She went to the cockpit and explained the situation to the pilot and co-pilot. The co-pilot said, "Let me try." He went up to the blonde and politely tried to explain to her why she needed to return to her seat in economy class.
But the blonde only replied, "I'm blonde, I'm beautiful, I'm going to Chicago and I'm staying right here." Frustrated, the co-pilot returned to the cockpit. He suggested that perhaps they should have the airline call the police and have her arrested when they land.
"Wait a minute," said the pilot. "Did you say she's blonde? I can handle this. My wife is a blonde. I speak Blonde." So he went up to the woman sitting in first class and whispered something in her ear.
"I'm sorry," said the blonde, and she promptly got up and returned to her seat in economy class.
"What did you say to her?" ask the astonished flight attendant and co-pilot.
To which the pilot replied, "I just told her that first class isn't going to Chicago."
Happy Monday
