This photo of a forlorn-looking Eiffel Tower was taken by me, your intrepid Foreign Correspondent, at midnight on New Year’s Eve to document the fact that THERE WERE NO FIREWORKS. Little did I know, however, that all the action was happening out in les banlieues of Paris and beyond, where Champagne and canapés have been replaced by the annual torching of cars to ring in the New Year.
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I found this to be a most excellent and timely word of the day, and something I think all of us Stinquers should feel free to incorporate into any intelligent political discussion:

hey rube

MEANING:

noun: 1. A fight between members of a circus and the general public. 2. A call to rally circus members in a fight.

ETYMOLOGY:

The term originated in the 19th century when circuses were rowdy affairs and Hey Rube was the rallying cry to call all circus people to help in a fight with townspeople. It’s not clear whether Rube in this term was someone specific or simply a use of the informal term rube (shortened form of Reuben) for an unsophisticated person from a rural area.

Please discuss proper usage in the comments.

American expats in Europe, please proceed in an orderly fashion to your nearest ATM – because tonight, drinks are on you!

Bloomberg is reporting what those of us too broke not to worry about such things already know – that the U.S. dollar, sinking like a Boilermaker shotglass for over a year now, has risen at a dizzying rate since early August to a 13-month high of $1.38 to the euro.

This chick says it has nothing to do with America’s economic crisis, but it’s funny how it all seemed to happen at once. Could it be that, like my super-rich friend and a top hedge fund manager, everyone is moving their money to T-Bills?  Don’t know, and don’t care – I’M RICH!
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