Freeconomics and the bank with naked women

There were plenty of great stories released over the last week. 

We had the Liechtenstein stuff and more on Northern Rock with the near £50 billion exposure to Granite ... but there were two stories that just made me smile so they have to be logged here.

The
first was the socialist who decided to spend two and a
half years walking from Britain to India in the name of freeconomics.
Freeconomics is a socialistic ideal that says money is dirty, we should
be able to live through the honest exchange of work for food.

So he left Wales a month
ago and walked through England to get the boat to Calais. His idea was
to walk to India with no money but with the offer to work for pay and,
whilst walking through the UK, it seemed to work.

But he hit a barrier upon landing in France.  The stupid tinker couldn't speak French.

"Hello, I wonder if I can dig your garden for you for some cash?"
"Qu'est que vous dit?"  What did you say?
"I'll work for a few carrots and a train ticket to Mumbia?"
"Oui, d'accord ... f**tre le camp." OK ... please go away."

Vive la france!

Basically, Mr. Boyles created a Franco-Anglo spat between "vous etes une leech" versus "non, vous etes un capitalist cochon chien" ... make your own mind up. 

It appears that you cannot get away with being a cashless society, and Mr. Boyles's two and a half year trek to India finished
after the first month, the minute he left Britain's shores.

The second story is that of Barclays' bid to buy Expobank in
Russia.  Timing is everything and, just as Barclays tabled their offer,
Expobank decided to get down and jiggy with it. 

Getting
away with something  you would never see in the USofA or Europe these
days ... after all, we are so poleeteecally correct we can't pass wind
without someone reporting it ... the Russian bank decided to launch a
brand new service.  Literally.

They got their female staff to produce a  Women's Institute Calendar Girls style calendar.  Unlike the Women's Institute, however, these ladies are hot, hot, hot. 

If you have a look at the calendar, then maybe they should rename this Expose-bank or Bare-clays. 

Even funnier were the bank's spokesperson's comments:

"The top managers were highly
involved in this"
I bet they were

"We
wanted to make a pleasant surprise
for our clients"
I bet it was

"We wanted them to know that it's
not only professionals working
with them but also beautiful women."
Yep, yep, yep.