Beauty for some provides escape,
Who gain a happiness in eyeing
The gorgeous buttock of the ape
Or Autumn sunset's exquisitely dying.
Aldous Huxley
I have this habit of looking into all facets of life to get a read on the realities of life both economic and non-economic. For me the micro can help explain the macro and macro explain the micro. It's not a great habit as I tend to count seats in musical halls, assume ticket prices and then figure out how much the act is commanding and after they pay everyone how much the stars get to pocket. I can't help it. I listen to what's said and what's not said. It's not great for personal relationships but I analyze stuff for a living. I also consider myself a connoisseur of beauty and beautiful things. Of course there is beauty inside and beauty outside with the latter mattering so much more in the grand scheme of life.
We do a lot of things to try to become both versions although it's clear we spend more time on making sure the surface is up to snuff. More and more in an effort to spruce up the outside we turn to plastic surgery. In fact, in 2012 14.6 million cosmetic plastic surgery producers were performed (a few even done outside of Beverly Hills). The interesting thing is the massive shift in types of procedures which for me tells a better story of the economy than most of the typical monthly data we brood about all the time. There are a variety of reasons people get work done. I see a more direct economic story in America but in other nations where plastic surgery is all the rage the reasons vary.
Beauty Is Only Skin Deep
While Aldous Huxley made a great point about beauty providing an escape in this world, hiding out from reality even with extended unemployment benefits doesn't last long. We all gain in happiness from the sight of that which we consider beautiful. On that note there are few things as beautiful as putting food on the table. A couple of years ago when the overarching narrative was America had turned the corner and things were rapidly getting better the nation seemed to toss its survival mentality in favor of something more celebratory.
We bought the hype and as a result when it came to plastic surgery we picked procedures that spoke more to partying and celebration. Well, as 2011 moved long that enthusiasm faded and a cloud of doubt and talk of a "double dip" recession permeated the air all of a sudden it was back to reality that exquisite autumn sunset gave way to the dark night of winter and reality of life.
That reality was to find a job or sign onto the wagon train of dependency that continues to tour the nation peddling its elixirs and promises of leisure. When it came to plastic surgery sexy was out while practical looks that work best in job interviews was in.
I guess the good news is not everyone that's dropped out of the job market is content with government handouts. The bad news is it didn't take the public long to figure out it was too early to turn American into Rio. It's not a brave new world, alas!
ECB to the Rescue
In any different time and place a plane carrying €1.5 billion would seem like an early Christmas gift but last night it was a more reminiscent of C-130 planes that used to drop food into impoverished African nations. Sadly the people of Cyprus aren't "impoverished" by choice but because their banks and government have mismanaged their own economies. New capital rules were announced yesterday ostensibly for just a one week period but more than likely to become the law for months maybe longer.
Max €300 per day from bank or ATM
Max €3,000 per day taken outside country
No debit or credit card usage
These are tough conditions to live under and certainly pushing this country to the limit.