What's That Ticking Sound?

If the financial world as we know it is coming to an end (and Ben Stein's column, which Jim Gust mentions below, leads to such gloomy thoughts) at least we can have a laugh along the way.

Case in point: A watch so expensive it does not need to tell time; the $300,000 bauble merely indicates whether it is day or night. See the Wealth Report blog. Don't skip the comments appended to the post. For instance:

Give me a hammer and a Timex and I’ll sell you a watch that won’t tell time for only $200,000.

my wrist actually serves the same function. if i can see my wrist, it is daytime, if not, it is most likely night.

Speaking of bad times, the previous post on the Wealth Report notes that banks are pulling back from loans to buyers of art. Not good news for Sotheby's and Christie's.

Wonder if the loan-refusers include Citibank, a pioneer in the field?