The European economic numbers flow across my computer screen, not quite as quickly as the ticker tape crawl at CNBC or Bloomberg, but there are a lot of them and virtually every one is bad. And in or out of the euro zone, they all point to the same thing: austerity isn't working.

In Greece: the economy contracted by 7 percent in the last quarter. Since austerity budgets began to be implemented two years ago Greece's debt had jumped from 115 percent of GDP to 166 percent of GDP, the Guardian reports.

In Britain: Unemployment is at 8.4 percent according to the Office of National Statistics, a 16 year high (I have reported on other sources of unemployment statistics here).

There is not a lot European countries can do to stop the Bashar al-Assad regime's onslaught against its own people - especially in light of this weekend's vetoing of a Security Council resolution by Russia and China.

Recalling ambassadors from Damascus for consultation is about the only card they can play. That is exactly what Britain, France and Italy have done. No word about the German government's intentions. But police in Berlin have arrested two men suspected of spying for Syria.

In Italy, the automobile has been associated with romance for at least as long as the “'bamboccione“ (or “mama’s boy”) has been recognized as a cultural phenomenon.

While car sex isn’t an solely Italian invention, it was the Italians — southern Italians to be precise — who perfected the craft, The Independent reports.

It really is quite logical. More than one half of Italians aged 18 to 34 still live at home with their parents. In Naples, it’s more than two-thirds. For a lot of these folks, the only place to enjoy a bit of privacy is to seal oneself in a car.

The epicenter street of vehicular nookie in Naples has always been just one: Via Manzoni.

Via Manzoni was the place to be since the brothels were shut down in Italy in 1958. If you could find a parking spot, that is.

The old timers recall that the whole city used to be parked there, making love under the stars, typically in a compact Fiat, cursing the gear stick always getting in the way. This amorous pastime even sparked a thriving retail business along the road.

Makeshift stands sold Scotch tape and old newspapers (to cover the windows), contraband Marlboro, pirated music cassettes and coffee liqueur to help set the right mood.

Of course, the people who remember what car sex was like decades ago, think the modern version of it is a complete abomination.

Austerity cuts seems to be the theme of my blog posts today. Heavily indebted European governments need to "deleverage," as the current buzz word has it, but how far and, crucially, how fast?

In Britain, despite warnings from the opposition Labour Party about the pace and size of cuts doing more harm than good, Britain's Conservative-led coalition government has reduced the size of government spending with abandon. Predictably Prime Minister David Cameron's austerity program has landed the country on the door-step of a double-dip recession. The economy contracted in the last quarter of 2011 by 0.2 percent.

At Prime Minister's Question Time today, Cameron contemptuously swatted away criticism from Labour leader Ed Miliband. But that is party politics. The IMF's chief economist Olivier Blanchard is no left-wing politician and he told the BBC today it would be wise for Cameron and his Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne to slow down the pace of the cuts.