Here's an interesting story from the WSJ.

While most Lower Richistani’s ($1 million to $10 million in net worth) were voting Republican, most Middle-and Upper Richistanis (those worth $10 million plus and $100 million plus) were voting Democrat.

A favorite site of mine when looking for new fashion ideas is Grechen's Closet, and recently she's posted about "eco-chic" with a lot of examples of green boutiques and sustainable lines from indie and mainstream designers. Organic living may have been made most visible recently by Anya Hidmarch and the infamous "I'm Not A Plastic Bag" bag, but true sustainable style requires more than a tote you should be using for groceries but more likely than not are flashing around as your day bag.

Sustainable clothes from Edun, one of the best known eco-chic brands due to Ali Hewson's association with Bono.

A recent survey from American Express showed that a full third of us have become "conscience consumers", and the social and environmental hazards in the fashion trade are numerous. From sweatshop labor to environmental pollution via washes and dyes, not to mention the fast-fashion disposable-apparel trend, it can be difficult to find clothes that look good but that you can ethically feel good about as well. So for now, leave the disposable clothes at Forever 21, and check out Grechen's list of indie green boutiques and designers.

Here's the commercial for the new Acura TSX, which definitely strikes a few nerves with the 20s and 30s yuppiesomethings: Start a business, sell it, then start another one. In between, dance to some trip-hop at the club (Citizen Cope's "Let the Drummer Kick" is sampled here), swim in your rooftop pool, and drive out to the beach and check out a sunrise.

Some shots of the car here from Acura's website. Equally at home in front of the art gallery, at the condo or - yes - on the road. From Alyx -- Acura gets the YuppieJournal seal of approval for both this car and this marketing campaign.

A gem from Details, pointed out by my friend Isis:

1.
We’re not living in a very creative era. That’s not good or bad; it’s just the way it is. I think it’s in very bad taste to buy art right now. People should leave it to the hedge-fund owners who want to satisfy their wives. “Hey, I bought a Chinese avant-garde thing.” Good for you.

2.
I think it’s very important to look sexy at home. I hate it when people say, “I will take this to the countryside because it’s not fashionable anymore.” I love being well-dressed when nobody’s looking at me.

3.
At hotels, they always mess up the cleaning. They will do a crease when it’s not necessary. You give them a cotton shirt and they dry-clean it. It smells funny, so you have to rinse it again. So I travel light.

4.
If you can tell a man’s sexuality by the way he dresses—like a “gay” uniform or a “macho” uniform—that’s disgusting.

5.
Nowadays, people work out way too much, and they look like invaders from another planet. A guy who works out two hours a day—focusing on his chest because he thinks it’s sexy—you can’t dress him, even if you send him to the best designer or stylist in the world.

6.
Finance men have money but no taste. They’ll say, “My wife thinks this tie looks good on me.” They don’t focus on what’s beautiful and what’s not beautiful—they leave it to women.

7.
The rock star who uses a personal stylist to dress him should go to jail. If you’re doing rock and roll, you should know how to dress. You shouldn’t need to hire anybody.

8.
Anybody can be a good guest for dinner. When it gets delicate is after one day. The worst guests are the people who come to your place and in the morning they say, “Okay, what do we do today?”

9.
I once wore a pink, ruffled shirt for dinner, and I wish I had never done it. I thought it was funny, but I felt so bad in it I realized I don’t have the humor to deal with ugliness.

10.
After you’re 35, it’s difficult to drink unless you’re running 10 miles a day. I’m not talking one dry martini every Saturday or something. I’m talking three dry martinis a night. And I don’t think that’s possible—it’s too much poisoning. It’s not a very sexy way to talk about drinking, but that’s the truth.

A few of us at YupJay are ad-men (err, ad-women, to be more precise) at heart, and thought you might appreciate this:

source: USA Today

Economy compels some to move home with parents

After being laid off from her job as an events planner at an upscale resort, Jo Ann Bauer struggled financially. She worked at several lower-paying jobs, relocated to a new city and even declared bankruptcy. Then in December, she finally accepted her parents' invitation to move into their home — at age 52. "I'm back living in the bedroom that I grew up in," she said.

Taking shelter with parents isn't uncommon for young people in their 20s, especially when the job market is poor. But now the slumping economy and the credit crunch are forcing some children to do so later in life — even in middle age. Financial planners report receiving many calls from parents seeking advice about taking in their grown children following divorces and layoffs.

Some of Erickson's clients are giving as much as $50,000 at a time to their kids, many of whom have overextended themselves with big houses or lavish lifestyles. And the sliding economy might threaten their jobs.

Anna Maggiore, 27, lost her job as a publicist in Los Angeles about three years ago and moved into her parents' house in Los Alamos, N.M. She tried to find jobs, but nothing stuck, so she enrolled full-time at the College of Santa Fe to finish her bachelor's degree in business. She figures her parents spend about $1,000 a month on her, including a car payment, car and health insurance, school and other costs. Her father is a retired nuclear physicist and her mother, a guidance counselor, will retire this spring. Now Maggiore is looking for work so she can supplement their income.

"as you go out into the world my advice to you is... don't go! It's rough out there. Move back with your parents. Let them worry about it!" - Rodney Dangerfield, Back to School

source: AP

An ailing, 81-year-old Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba's president Tuesday after nearly a half-century in power, saying he will not accept a new term when parliament meets Sunday. The end of Castro's rule - the longest in the world for a head of government - frees his 76-year-old brother Raul to implement reforms he has hinted at since taking over as acting president when Fidel Castro fell ill in July 2006.

By sunrise, most people headed to work in Havana seemed to have heard the news, which they appeared to accept without obvious signs of emotion. There were no tears or smiles as Cubans went about their usual business. "He will continue to be my commander in chief, he will continue to be my president," said Miriam, a 50-year-old boat worker waiting for the bus to Havana port. "But I'm not sad because he isn't leaving, and after 49 years he is finally resting a bit."

The resignation opens the path for Raul Castro's succession to the presidency, and the full autonomy he has lacked in leading a caretaker government. The younger Castro has raised expectations among Cubans for modest economic and other reforms, stating last year that the country requires unspecified "structural changes" and acknowledging that government wages that average about $19 a month do not satisfy basic needs.

Dear Raul: Please take the hint and drop this communism business, so I can finally go to Havana and enjoy your fine cigars. Thank you.

This is great. Watch Maria Bartiromo freak out at his "house of cards" comment.

I gotta say something. CNBC's evening shows during the week are what I call "jerkoff shows".

Fast Money, Mad Money, Kudlow & Company... all these shows are designed to jerk you off while the market burns down. It's becoming more and more obvious every day.

A few news articles:

Many rich 80s Yuppies 'struggling'

According to a report by the Liverpool Victoria friendly society, 45% of former 1980s Yuppies claim they are struggling financially or failing to live within their means, At the same time, seven out of 10 former Yuppies, now aged between 45 and 55, say they should have saved more money earlier in their career and 32% worry about how they would cope if their regular income stopped.

The number of people splashing out on expensive dining has halved, from 20% of Yuppies in the 1980s to just 9% now, while only 13% still buy the latest gadgets, compared with 18% 20 years ago. Instead the number of former Yuppies donating money to charity has doubled to 21%, up from 9% in the 1980s, while they are also five times more likely to be concerned about the environment and eating organically. More than half of former Yuppies say saving for retirement is now one of their top financial concerns, followed by paying off the mortgage, at 40%, and repaying debts at 34%.

Nigel Snell, communications director at Liverpool Victoria, said: "Our research on Yuppies has found that yesterday's privileged minority appears to have become part of today's anxious majority. YouGov questioned 2,409 people during September.

Yes, it's getting tough out there.

BBC News: New yuppies shun champagne lifestyle

The term yuppie conjures up images of the brash 1980s, when bright young things lived a loadsamoney lifestyle of flash cars, lavish lunches and power dressing. It was an era of playing hard and working hard. These days, young professionals are different. New research suggests they are more cautious about money than yesterday's yuppies, who are struggling to maintain their once high-flying lifestyles.

Research from Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society, a financial services company, suggests that pensions, getting on the property ladder and paying off debts are bigger priorities for today's young professionals than living a champagne lifestyle. Four in 10 young urban professionals in 2007 cite paying off debts as a financial concern, compared with a third in the 1980s, according to the research based on a survey of 2,409 adults.

Almost a third say that saving for retirement is one of their top three biggest financial worries, compared with just 12% of original yuppies. With conspicuous consumption falling out of favour, today's young yuppies spend their hard-earned cash on organic food and green fashion. But young go getters do enjoy the original yuppie love of gadgets, with 24% spending their money on technological wizardry compared with 18% in the late 1980s.