Damn, I must've missed this issue. I mean, yes, I occasionally do pick up a copy of Playboy. But I only buy it for the great articles and incisive interviews. I never ever, as it were, inhale.

As you know if you've been following this blog at all, I like to include some form of graphical relief to all the verbiage. I suspect that many of you fire up CBO just for the pictures. In this case, however, I'm in a bit of a quandary. It's not that I don't have pictorial material -- I've got gigabytes of the stuff -- but I'm not sure any of it would be appropriate for a family blog. Nevermind. I'm just thinking out loud here. I'll come up with something. Meanwhile, it might be good if I shut up so you can read what this is all about...

When I saw Playboy magazine's nude pictorial called "Women of Enron Uncover Their Hidden Assets," I felt so proud to be an American.

In some countries, workers who lose their jobs when their employer goes belly up in a scandal-induced bankruptcy might hide their heads in shame. Or maybe march through the streets wearing angry sandwich boards. Or maybe just sit at home, weeping tears of despair.

But not in the good ol' U.S.A.! No way. Here in the land of the free these "Women of Enron" aren't hiding their faces -- or any other part of their bodies. They're not wearing signs -- or anything else. They're not weeping, they're smiling broadly, obviously delighted to be showing their (formerly) private parts to the kind of men who read Playboy.

Is this a great country or what?

from: Playboy's 'Women of Enron,' Cashing In on the Bare Market
by Peter Carlson
source: The Washington Post, 16 July 2002
via: HighBeam Research

There's a lot of talk these days -- and I'm responsible for some of it -- about how Big Media is hopelessly stodgy and out-of-it. But this Washington Post piece is pretty... different. True, the guy echoes mainstream sentiments about the naughtiness of full-frontal nudity. Me, well, should I admit this in public? I'm um shall we say, rather fond of it.

But that's beside the point. The point seems to be that Americans will find a way to celebrate -- or better, celebritize -- any circumstance or event no matter how disastrous. If I make it through initial impact and the radiation, I'm eagerly looking forward to The Girls of WWIII. Given the state of the world today, I'm thinking I won't have long to wait.

Just a passing thought to cheer you through an otherwise humdrum Monday.

But back to the photo illustration problem for a moment. Looking for something apropos, I did find plenty. Turns out there's even a Women of Enron DVD. And more up to date, a 2004 Women of Wal-Mart DVD. Boy, have I been out of touch with the culture!