Credit Crunch's Dr. Doom Is A Facebook Stalker

The NYU professor's latest Facebook status message is as doomladen as one would expect: "Nouriel Roubini worries that the world is at risk of a global systemic financial meltdown and a severe global depression." But the economist—nicknamed Dr. Doom for his longstanding prediction that the United States was heading for a bust—doesn't let his somber public persona get in the way of the occasional private frolic. Yesterday we mentioned the cosmopolitan crowd at his vagina-studded loft in Tribeca; that prompted one of the women Roubini has befriended on Facebook to send in a message—as flirtatious as it is self-aggrandizing—that she received when the party-loving economist was summering in St. Tropez. After the jump, the text—and gratuitous photos of some other friends of the 50-year-old Iranian-Jewish roué. (No mean comments, please: these are hard times; let's not begrudge Dr. Doom his pleasures.)

Ciao bella. How are you fashionista glitterata glamorata?

I am in decadent St Trop now vacationing with Arab Sheiks, Russian oligarchs and assorted aristocratic Euro trash. More silicon here than in Silicon Valley...lol

I had to escape NYC as my Barron's interview (http://www.rgemonitor.com/roubini-monitor/253240/) on $2 trillion of losses made the markets swoon last week and angry mobs of investors were chasing me.

So life is a beach here and am studying Beach Economics and the IELs (International Elites of Leisure) with a grant from the Institute for Advanced Vacations; hard job but somebody gotta do it.

This coming Sunday August 17th the New York Times Magazine (http://www.nytimes.com/pages/magazine/index.html) will publish a long profile article (4 pages and 3000 words) about me. So beware of markets shivering the next day.

Want to come visit here in St Trop? I would be too lucky.

I will be back this weekend to NYC but off then to Brazil, UK and Sweden. But I will have parties over the coming weekends.

I hope to see you in nyc if not in St Trop. A drink some time too?

xoxo

Nouriel