Halloween isn't even over yet and marketers are already worried about Christmas. As well they should be: If the past three months have been any indication, things are going to get progressively worse before they (hopefully!) get any better. And that means families having to scrimp and save this holiday season, which means no more lavish tree, no more unending gallons of eggnog, and most importantly, no more $800 video game consoles for every little boy and girl.

And with companies already feeling the pinch in their ad department, how will Christmas be sold this year, on the saddest, most commercial-free celebration of Christ's birth in recent memory?

CONTINUED »

Today's blah blah: Laurie Munn is the artist who did the window decs at Barneys this season, which feature all of the first ladies of today and yesterday, and possibly tomorrow.

As you can see from the pics though, Munn's portrait of Mrs. McCain is less flattering than if they had asked Jill Greenberg to do it, while Mrs. Obama and the rest of the first ladies look, "made to the women's general likeness."

CONTINUED »

For $825 million, United Arab Emirates gets the chance to slap its man-made palm tree islands on a $300 tee.