The economy is a mess. The Dow almost went below 8,000 today and people were HAPPY we finished down only 128 points. This is how bad everyone's expectations are when that kind of news is seen as somewhat positive. On the other hand, there has been some good stuff this week. The 'Sad Guys On Trading Floors' tumblr blog has become one of the best new Internet memes. The guy has an impressive way of finding some excellent shots and adding unique captions.

In tribute, we've scoured Getty Images, the AP, Reuters, and a variety of other news photo sites on the web to bring you our 8 Favorite Trader Photos From This Crappy Week. Enjoy:

8.) Even Trader BABES Are Bummed.

Last week Playboy announced it would be holding an open casting call for an updated 'Women Of Wall Street' pictorial. While submissions are still being accepted, we've done some contemplating and soul-searching over who should appear as a representative of the Street within Playboy's glossy pages.
Although I will concede that the majority of applicants will be young, easily photoshopped babes who have only worked in low-ranking capacities at big Wall Street firms, I am still holding out some hope that Playboy's photo editor, Gary Cole, will make good on his promise to pursue some 'senior executives' as well.
And so that's where we come in. Here are our top 4 picks of real, live, Wall Street women who have what it takes to make a good showing on the pages of Playboy:
 
1.) Erin Callan

With the average debt in the United States rapidly rising, many individuals are looking for a better way to manage their bank accounts, credit cards, savings and investments. While there are lots of software solutions available, cutting edge Web 2.0 technology has given rise to many new money management tools and services that make keeping track of personal finances easy. However, don't let all the jargon make choosing between these tools difficult.

If you have never used a Web 2.0 money management tool or service, don't miss out on all the advantages they offer. Here's a monster list of 18 of the top Web 2.0 finance services currently available. This list covers new sites offering services in a variety of specialized fields ranging from online banking, personal finance, investing, business tools, shared bills and housing prices. Be sure to fully investigate all the features and security details on a site before signing your life away and deciding which one best fits your needs. Or you can just choose the site with the coolest logo, always a fundamentally sound means of selection.

Enjoy, and let us know what you thought of your experiences with these sites.

ONLINE BANKING/PERSONAL FINANCE

1. DimeTracker

DimeTracker is an easy to use tool that is perfect for keeping track of everyday expenses. If you are a person that constantly makes small purchases that land you in hot water when you fail to include in your check book this program is for you. DimeTracker is 100% free to use and has a mobile feature which can be used on the go. Use DimeTracker to keep tabs on spending at fast food restaurants, last minute grocery store visits, and other small expenses.

Although it appears 9,000 of Lehman's employees will be getting a well-deserved reprieve from the unemployment line thanks to Barclays, I can't help but wonder about all those beautiful women seen leaving the NYC and London Lehman Brothers offices yesterday toting heavy boxes. Surely these magnificent specimens of a ruined institution's workforce must be in need of some appreciation.

So join us as we take a look at some of the hotties that passed through those fateful doors as the world watched Lehman Brothers file for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and Wall Street metaphorically catch fire.

Who would you most like to discuss a 'corporate merger' with?

1.) "I Need To Get All These Sneakers Out Of Here ...Now!" via Reuters

In order to remember fonder, less depressing times on Wall Street, I had a chat with Stan from ScreenJunkies.com today to discuss the best stock market movies out there.

He put together a sweet list of the "6 Stock Market Movie Geniuses" from those films and I offered a little bit of 'expert advice' on how to properly appreciate these captains of industry.

Check it out, you can read the full list here.

Today Forbes magazine released one of their fancy 'Top Ranking' lists. This time, rather than it be about the Top Most Expensive Boring Jobs, 500 Most Unattractive Rich Guys, or some other garbage, it was actually something we could relate to. The NFL, baby!

Forbes knows that ever since the season officially kicked off last week, our appetite for some smash-mouth, full-contact numbers has never been greater.

In this year's list, the eggheads over at Forbes take a look at which of the NFL's team are the most valuable. The list follows some general preconceived guidelines, but also has a few surprises. For instance, did you realize that despite sucking so badly, the Washington Redskins have consistently managed to be one of the league most profitable and valuable teams? Neither did we!

And because we hate how Forbes has all their lists in an annoying slideshow format, we've assembled all the important details in a handy list format below. You don't have to thank us, really you don't.

1.) Dallas Cowboys - $1.612 Billion

 Not really a surprise. They have the nickname 'America's Team', so it's probably a safe bet that they're 'the most capitalistic'. However if Jessica Simpson keeps running her mouth about her QB boyfriend 'skills', they'll writing checks they can't back up.

I know what you're saying -- 'when would you ever want to make an investing mistake?'. Well, the truth is some honest advice is more difficult to process and stick to in times of market peril.

It's like that time you were in a bit of 'drought' and when you were just about to go for some boob grabbage on that hot chick at your dorm, you puked on her shirt and ruined the whole deal. Disaster.

Bankrate.com, a solid and objective personal finance/investing site, has got you covered on the investing advice, but nothing to report on 'stealing 2nd base' tips unfortunately. They put together a good list of 6 Deadly Investing Mistakes you can make in this market. Although none of them are literally 'deadly', it is a pretty badass-sounding title.

Of course, a lot of this might be common sense, but trying to explain anything stock market/investing related with 'common sense' has always been an uphill battle.

We've given Bankrate's 6 Biggest Mistakes some thought:

1. Panicking over market fluctuations - Dude, chill out. Don't go thinking this 'recession' is really the Depression. You won't be living in Hooverville anytime soon. I assure you.

We knew Michael Phelps was big, but this is just unprecedented.

Phelps has become the most highly sought-after living being to endorse a product on the planet.

The Davie-Brown Index, which keeps track of these rankings, had Phelps all the way down the list at #1,111 just before his historic Olympic medal run in Beijing.

Now, after D-B released their latest rankings since the Olympics concluded, Phelps has shot up to the #1 spot overall.

According to Darren Rovell over at CNBC's Sports Biz, here's how the rest of the list finished up behind the Aquaman:

I think this is a pretty good matchup: Republican Vice Presidential Candidate - VPILF Sarah Palin and CNBC Anchor - Biz Babe Maria Bartiromo.

It's a simple question - who would you rather?

After doing some careful thought and thorough analysis, I would like to hear your feedback before making a final decision.

When you boil it all down, it's truly surprising how similar these two women are in so many different ways. Besides being almost the same age (Palin-44, Bartiromo-40), having very similar hairstyles/colorings, and both starting their working careers as journalists, there are some finer points you may have overlooked.

After the jump, we've assembled a photo list to help make up your minds:

These brave captains of industry were named by the Associated Press as the 10 highest paid CEOs of 2007 among the S&P 500's largest companies. Obviously, it's an enormous amount of responsibility and requires a tremendous amount of stress to run one of these large institutions, but that doesn't mean we can cut these guys any slack.

This list just goes to show that no matter how many millions of dollars you make a year, your most embarrassing moments will always find a way to the surface. So without further introduction, I present the the 10 Highest Paid CEOs And Their Most Embarrassing Photos:

1.) Larry Ellison, Oracle Corp., $84.6 million

Larry Ellison may be the king of Silicon Valley as the CEO of Oracle, but he still knows how to have a good time and unwind with a classic American hot dog. While grunting painfully and getting mustard all in his beard, Larry was able to show his softer side and earn the largest CEO paycheck on the block.