"The Gates," Christo's latest public art installation, is being put together in Central Park by an army of "paid volunteers" (in my world, we call a "paid volunteer" an "employee," but whatever.)

In the works since 1979, "The Gates" consists of a seemingly endless series of bright orange fabric flags, secured by posts, overhanging the walkways of Central Park. Budgeted at $20 million, the installation will stay up until the end of February.

Christo groupies from around the world are descending on New York for the event. Already, the artsy-fartsy quotient at neighborhood restaurants and bars is nearing, ahem, Orange Alert level. Pretty soon you won't be able to buy a spare beret for love nor money.

I've never thought much of Christo's "art," but I do admire the business acumen of anyone who can make a living by, e.g., wrapping buildings in huge swaths of fabric, paying for it with other people's money, and then selling signed photos and lithographs of the events both before and after the fact...

Quick, how do you say "charlatan" in Bulgarian?