If all the various long-winded justifications and passing-the-buck blaming for the international economic meltdown have failed to satisfy, you'll be glad to finally hear a reason that's so straightforward and obvious, it's amazing it took this long for somebody to voice it. "This crisis was caused by the irrational behavior of white people with blue eyes," pointed out Brazil's president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva yesterday, "who before the crisis appeared to know everything and now demonstrate that they know nothing." Such logic is unimpeachable, although we hope blue-eyed Brazilian Gisele Bundchen isn't too insulted by her president's epiphany. [FT]