The World 1, 2 & 3; Spanish localism?; Fés?; & Shorts v. knickers

Here's another one I prepared earlier. Unnecessarily, as it turns out.

The World 1: The widely believed proposition that this financial crisis was "a tsunami that no-one saw coming" and that it could not have been predicted has been given the lie to by an excellent survey of economic models by Dirk Bezemer, a Professor of Economics at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. See more here

The World 2: Christopher Booker: In recent years there has been more polar ice in the world than at any time since satellite records began in 1979. In the very year they had forecast that the Arctic would be “ice free”, its thickness increased by a third. Polar bear numbers are rising, not falling. Temperatures in Greenland have shown no increase for decades. The greatest scare story of all simply isn’t turning out as their computer models predicted. More here, to delight other sceptics.

The World 3: Blimey. So that's the reason women throw themselves at me. Research shows that people find red faces attractive. At a certain time in a month, women's faces go slightly redder. This is imperceptible but fotos of them at this - fertile - time are seen as more attractive than during the rest of the month. So the survival of the human race depends on it! Fascinating. Must keep on drinking.

Spanish localism? Or something else?: Strange to relate, most reviews of cars in the local press seem to be of Seats - made in Spain - and Renaults and Citroens - made locally in Vigo. Wonder why.

I fielded a hard-to-understand question from the waitress in my regular bar yesterday. Something about una foto on fés. It took me a few seconds to realise this was the Spanish shorthand for Facebook. I don't get around much.

Talking about that wonderful social media site . . . I have 53 mutual Facebook friends with my elder daughter and 42 with my younger daughter. Is this a record? And what does it suggest? About them, of course. Not about me.

Finally . . . I might have mentioned the micro shorts which have been the dominant fashion trend, at least for women, in Ponters this summer. And maybe last summer as well. Although mostly of denim, there's also been some of other materials. But none quite like those resembling the 'French knickers' I witnessed last night. Only much shorter. I couldn't help wondering what I'd have thought if a teenager daughter of mine had appeared in these. Never mind a teenage son!