October 31, 2008
Thanks, Studs, For Everything
Studs Terkel, May 16, 1912-October 31, 2008
In an age of increasing unreality, for what it was worth, he channelled the voice of real America.
October 29, 2008
October 28, 2008
October 27, 2008
History Begins With Statehood And Other Wonders Of The Far North
In a historic decision that leaves one of the Senate’s giants in political limbo, Stevens, 84, was convicted on seven counts of failing to report more than $250,000 in improper gifts and home renovations he received from 1999 to 2006. The verdict is a stunning blow to a political career that has lasted more than 40 years and covered Alaska’s entire history as a part of the United States.
—John Bresnahan and Martin Kady at Politico.com
October 24, 2008
October 21, 2008
Addendum to Interuptus The Second
Following the well-attended lecture, she bought Naomi Klein's book Shock Doctrine and brought it home.
Addendum To Interruptus The First
Yes, it was she who announced her wish to see the movie Charlie Rose's War with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts when it first came out.
Interruptus
"You're goin out?"
She's dressed to go out and passing through the room says to her daughter, "I'm going to see a lecture by Naomi Campbell."
"Eh?" or its equivalent from the daughter, naturally. "Naomi Campbell?"
"Oh, ha! I mean Naomi Wolfe."
"Uh, Naomi …?"
"…?… Oh, ah, Klein, Klein, Naomi Klein," says she. They're both laughing at it now.
She's dressed to go out and passing through the room says to her daughter, "I'm going to see a lecture by Naomi Campbell."
"Eh?" or its equivalent from the daughter, naturally. "Naomi Campbell?"
"Oh, ha! I mean Naomi Wolfe."
"Uh, Naomi …?"
"…?… Oh, ah, Klein, Klein, Naomi Klein," says she. They're both laughing at it now.
Dismal? I'll Show You Dismal. . .
Paul Krugman sits down to talk with Bloomberg News about the current financial crisis. [Part 1 of 5 parts]
October 17, 2008
When the world falls apart some things stay in place/ Levi Stubbs tears run down his face
Levi Stubbs (June 6, 1936 - October 17, 2008)
October 13, 2008
A Bee
The bee found the thick dusting of wind-spewed pollen on the roof of my truck, and began industriously harvesting the stuff, as is the way of the bee.The bee waddled and scooped its way along the flat open surface of the truck's roof, slathering itself with pollen as it went.
Krugman, Recently Cited in the Quotidian, Wins Nobel-ish Prize
Paul Krugman, recently cited here in the Quotidian (formerly the Diurnal Journal), has won the prestigous Sveriges Riksbank Award in Economic Sciences in Honor of Alfred Nobel, or whatever the hell it's called, briskly and commonly and in fact mistakenly referred to by all as the "Nobel Prize in Economics."
Our condolences go out to Professor Krugman for the inevitable
October 12, 2008
October 11, 2008
October 10, 2008
Happy Birthday, Monk
Thelonious Monk (October 10, 1917–February 17, 1982), piano.
With Charlie Rouse, tenor, Larry Gales on bass, and Ben Riley, drums.
Something everyone since Alexander has noticed
Note to the Obama camp:
We won't be able to kill our way to victory in Pakistan or Afghanistan.
&mdash Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff quoted on Democracy Now Oct. 9, 2008.
October 08, 2008
BREAKING: KRUGMAN AGREES TO QUOTIDIAN BAILOUT PLAN: STOCK INFUSION, NO CASH FOR TRASH!
Just now New York Times columnist Paul Krugman announced on his blog his support for the bailout strategy outlined here at the Quotidian (formerly the Diurnal Journal) the other day. It's good to see him come around publicly, and the sudden support for something I've blurted out from someone who actually knows what they're talking about warms the spirit, as always.
Obama relates
A moment came in the second presidential debate when Obama turned to swat at those who thought him green behind the ears. That's what he said, green behind the ears, a WTF of a phrase he pronounced and then literally denied by turning away from the camera and giving everybody a good long look back there, where truth to be seen there wasn't a patch of green in all the voluminous nether of either ear of him.
Turning away like that he deftly exposed the viewer to the fact of his actual color: not a bit of green back there, you see, on that brown-eared handsome man. See for yourself. See? He's looking away, he doesn't mind you staring at the uniformly brown skin of his behind those ears. It's just brown skin. He's kind of insisting. Go ahead and look.
October 05, 2008
Obama could do worse than making this his rallying cry for the next few weeks
Someone stuck the "stock injection plan" as an option in the bailout bill signed into law on Friday. Call your congesscritter and demand that the Treasury Secretary exercise his option to take an equity share in any and every institution applying for a bailout. Don't let the government spend a nickel of tax money to buy worthless paper when it can use its authorized billions to buy ownership shares in the companies that brought this whole mess on in the first place.
You'll notice that Wells Fargo and Citgroup are signalling it's a fine time to be buying poorly performing banks right now if you've got the scratch, so the government will be in decent company if it decides to start gobbling up financial institutions right and left. It might even want to swoop in and take over Wachovia first, just to show who's boss.
Stock Injection! No cash for trash!
October 03, 2008
October 01, 2008
Fiduciary Figura
At Michael Bérubé's recently reinhabited blog, the Professor assigns his minions the task of suggesting figural representations for the current financial situation. He refers to the famous fellow Auerbach's rule of thumb:
So, Ben Bernanke (Stan) and Henry Paulson (Ollie) try to deliver the bailout package to the Hill. Figura?
Figural interpretation establishes a connection between two events or persons in such a way that the first signifies not only itself but also the second, while the second involves or fulfills the first. The two poles of a figure are separated in time, but both, being real events or persons, are within temporality.
So, Ben Bernanke (Stan) and Henry Paulson (Ollie) try to deliver the bailout package to the Hill. Figura?
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