Fossett was 63 when he took off in a single-engine acrobatic plane on Sept. 3, 2007, from the Flying M in Nevada, a ranch owned by his pal Barron Hilton, the hotel mogul. Fossett had already set 115 world records in aviation and sailing, including being the first to fly alone around the globe without refueling, and at his age, many might at least have considered slowing down a tad.

But no ... Read more »

And unlike some harried commuters on the city's subway system, the cheerful young people on the posters respond with an upbeat, "Yes! I speak Wall Street English."

The ads promote the Wall Street Institute, a chain of English-language schools. As Wall Street has teetered and the world financial system has hung in the balance, the ads have remained prominently on display.

While the image of America has taken a beating overseas in recent years, to the frustration of some U.S. marketers, until recently that was largely because of an unpopular foreign policy. Wall Street, on the oth ... Read more »