I'd have thought this would be something else affected by the recession

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/01/22/virginity.value/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

This story popped up on CNN's most read list. And I can see why. I mean, really. It's kind of astonishing. Somebody willing to pay millions of bucks to sleep with a virgin. That's a lot of cash to lay out on somebody who, essentially, doesn't know what they're doing.

Not that I really understand the impulse that leads one to pay for this sort of service. But I would have thought that the same principles would apply as when you're looking at any other sort of skilled labor: plumber, mechanic, electrician, brain surgeon.

I understand that virginity is considered something of a luxury feature in this realm. Much like leather bucket seats or digital surround sound. But, really, I wouldn't have thought it would be a big ticket item. I mean which sounds like the more useful upgrade? The leather bucket seats, or the GPS system that tells you where you're going and how to get there? Of course, you wouldn't want anything too high mileage. You don't want road hard and put up wet, or anything. But I would think, in regards to a value proposition, there would have to be a balance between never been road tested and needing the 200,000 mile service check.

I would have thought experience would have counted for more when looking for this sort of service. I mean, she may have some book larnin', but there really isn't any replacement for actual field experience, is there? That is of course assuming that were talking about a virgin-virgin here and not an everything-but-virgin. If you're going to got that route, what really constitutes the most value for your virgin dollar?

And somebody should tell Miss Natalie to double check that bid. If that $3.8 million is in Australian dollars, as opposed to USD, she might find she's getting less bang for the buck than she's expecting. Or buck for the bang, as it were.