Holy Christ.

Even our little birds of the night are starting to feel the icy palms of the the global recession on their warm little bodies.

Our favorite newspaper New York Times has an interesting piece today on how the economic downturn has impacted sex tourism as far away as Prague.

Gee, who’d have thought that because some overleveraged schmuck in the U.S. couldn’t pay his mortgage, some hole in a Czech or German brothel would go unplugged.

This must be what the economists call globalization, right?

Here’s an excerpt from the NYT piece:

Big Sister is not the only brothel suffering the effects of a battered global economy. While the world’s oldest profession may also be one of its most recession-proof businesses, brothel owners in Europe and the United States say the global financial crisis is hurting a once lucrative industry.

Egbert Krumeich, the manager of Artemis, Berlin’s largest brothel, said that in November, usually peak season for the sex trade, revenues were down by 20 percent. In Reno, Nev., the famed Mustang Ranch recently laid off 30 percent of its staff, citing a decline in high-spending clients.

….In Prague, even brothels in the most touristy areas complain they are suffering from economic hardship. On a recent night near Wenceslas Square in Prague, dozens of young men loitered outside a row of neon-lighted sex clubs, beckoning passing tourists with offers of complementary alcohol and racy strip shows.

Since Americans believe they have the answer to every problem in the world, here’s our two cents to plug the holes – They should offer Happy Hours at the Prague and Berlin and Reno brothels. No, not at the bar.

Hey folks, what’s the cheapest fare to Prague?

Wonder if Southwest flies there.

Guess not. We’ll probably have to hop on a Virgin (we mean the flying kind) to London and then take a quickie to Prague.