ECONOMY

When you get down to basics, marriage is about money. Pounding hearts, sweet nothings and lazy Sundays in bed are all well and good, but legally, a marriage creates one financial entity where there once were two. So it makes sense that the economic downturn would affect all stages of marriage, from the beginnings (the wedding) to the end (divorce). The New York Times proves this point in two style pieces this weekend.

I'm a social liberal, a product of my New England upbringing who thinks government can be run by professional Robin Hoods who redistribute wealth and carefully protect civil liberties. She is a fiscal conservative who thinks that the free market should be upheld at all costs. She's no war hawk, but she's no pacifist either. She thinks wars should be fought with hostile takeovers and marketing blitzes. I called her a robber baron, and she called me a socialist lite. They were like pet names. It's our luck that we met during the reign of Bush. We were equally disgusted by the ruling executive. Sure, we had different points of attack: I was horrified by the assault on civil liberties, while Karen was more concerned by the fiscal incompetence and costly doctrine of interventionism (she was, and still is, one of the few true isolationists I know). But we had a common enemy, and that allowed us to overlook the differences. But it was just that: an oversight.

You don't have to be former Gov. Eliot Spitzer's $1,000-a-night "friend" Ashley Dupre to be fretful of how Wall Street's plummet is effecting one sector of working girls: Slate.com wonders "What the Financial Crisis Means For High End Prostitutes?" But what author Sudhir Venkatesh (who wrote the memoir, Gang Leader For a Day, which I'm told is incredible) discovered about high-end sex workers in hard economic times may surprise you: many pink-slipped former captains of industry (also known as Big Swinging D*cks) don't want sex; they just need the proverbial shoulder to cry on. Comfort, not condoms.

What's a Lehman lady or Bear Stearns babe to do when her job's gone south? In a shocking revelation, Playboy thinks she should take her clothes off. The nude empire is currently recruiting women for a February 2009 spread (ha).

The Alpha Consumer reports that one in five adult Americans admits to drinking more, 17 percent say they are smoking more, and 19 percent report increased sexual activity since the economy's taken a turn for the worse. And, move over crack, booze and babies: Lemondrop is crowning sex this season's hottest celeb addiction. It is, presumably, cheaper than the other three, after all.

The Alpha Consumer reports that one in five adult Americans admits to drinking more, 17 percent say they are smoking more, and 19 percent report increased sexual activity since the economy's taken a turn for the worse. And, move over crack, booze and babies: Lemondrop is crowning sex this season's hottest celeb addiction. It is, presumably, cheaper than the other three, after all.

Debauchette, you might remember, is the courtesan (she prefers the term "whoretesan," heehee) and blogger, who came to national attention when Diane Sawyer interviewed her earlier this year in the wake of the Eliot Spitzer scandal. Yesterday she wrote that three of her clients have called this week to make sure she's financially solvent. In case you're wondering too, she is. "I’m fine. I saved. I saw it coming. I live modestly," she's been telling the concerned men.

According to the Washington Post, couples in long-distance relationships face higher travel costs due to rising fuel prices. This means fewer visits, maintaining travel budgets, and creative planning.