Though the Phoenix area, like most places in thecountry, has been hit by the recession, surprisingly the down economy haslargely spared one "profession": psychics. An October Arizona Republicreport found that while longtime clients were often reducing their use ofastrology and related fields, that lost business was being replaced by a newclass of customers desperate to know the futurespecifically, those facingfinancial ruin because of bad home mortgages or job loss. Few of the customersseemed to sense the irony of purchasing questionable psychic services toovercome the consequences of questionable mortgage decisions or other financialstruggles.
Recurring Themes
Drug-Runners Who Needed to Keep a LowerProfile: (1) Michael Dennis, 22, of Mahoning Township, Pa., dared to speed inMay, police said, even though he had 100 packets of heroin in the back seat.(2) Mark Smith of Winslow, Ariz.,dared to run a stop sign in Philadelphiain September, police said, even though he was carrying 5 kilos of heroin in theback of his SUV. (3) The driver of an 18-wheeler dared to make an illegal lanechange on Interstate 15 in Riverside County, Calif., inAugust, deputies said, even though he was hauling 14 tons of marijuana. Allwere arrested, and the drugs were seized.
The Entrepreneurial Spirit
- The British retailer Debenhams announced in September that it wouldbegin selling men's briefs with an opening that is more accessible forleft-handers who have been forced for decades to manipulate a right-sideopening. According to a Debenhams executive, previously "left-handed men[had] to reach much further into their pants, performing a Z-shaped maneuverthrough two 180-degree angles before achieving the result that right-handed menperform with ease."
- Mattel is accepting pre-orders for the April 2010 release of the newestdoll in the Barbie/Ken line, the spiffy Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken (rumor hasit that this version of Ken will be showcased with a much younger,trophy-wife-type Barbie).
Green Toys
For some consumers, good environmentalcitizenship is important even when choosing among sex accessories. No longerwill they tolerate plastic personal vibrators made with the softeners calledphthalates; or body lubricants that contain toxic chemicals typically found in,say, antifreeze; or leather restraints from slaughtered cattle. In an Octoberissue, Time magazine described amarket of organic lubricants, biodegradable whips and handcuffs, vegan condoms,and glass or mahogany vibrators (even models with hand-cranks, to eliminate theneed for batteries).
Animal News
- CNN, reporting from the London Zoo in August, described the excitementsurrounding news that the zoo would soon acquire a 12-year-old male gorillafrom a preserve in France.Zoo officials were pleased, but the zoo's three older female gorillas werealmost ecstatic. Shown posters of Yeboah, the male gorilla, a female named Zaire"shrieked in delight." Effie, another of the females, wedged the posterinto a tree and stared at it, while Mjukuu held the photo close to her chest,"then ate it."
- Among the species discovered recently in Papua New Guinea were tinybear-like creatures, frogs with fangs, fish that grunt, kangaroos that live intrees and what is probably the world's largest rat (with no fear of humans).Scientists from Britain, theUnited States and Papua New Guineaannounced the findings in September. The new creatures are among more than 40new species from a jungle habitat a half-mile deep inside the crater of MountBosavi, a dormant volcano that last erupted 200,000 years ago.
Leading Economic Indicators
- People With Too Much Money: A young, media-shy Chinese woman,identified only as "Mrs. Wang" and photographed in jeans, T-shirt andbaseball cap, purchased an 18-month-old Tibetan mastiff in September for areported 4 million yuan (about $585,000). She ordered a motorcade of 30 luxurycars to meet her and the dog on their arrival in Xi'an,in Shaanxiprovince. The price is almost four times the previous reported high for thepurchase of a dog (a cloned Labrador, by a Florida family).
Hyperactive Seniors
- Not Too Old to Do Her Own Hit: Elsa Seman, 71, was shot and killed in North Versailles, Pa.,in September, when she was mistaken for a prowler. According to police, Semanhad gone to the home of her ex-boyfriend at night and, dressed in black,commando-style, was lying in wait in his yard with a pistol, allegedly with theintent to kill him. A neighbor called in the report of a prowler, and a policeofficer arriving at the scene fatally shot Seman.
- Not Too Sickly for a Career in Bank Robbery: Police in SouthernCalifornia know what the man looks like (from surveillance video), but have notyet apprehended the well-dressed, 70ish man who has robbed four banks sinceAugust, with the latest being a Bank of America in Rancho Santa Fe in October.The man has shown special dexterity in pulling off the robberies, since he ison oxygen and has to carry around his own tank.
