These are some of the best cartoons inspired by the recent economic and market events. They might only scratch the surface, but collectively I think they present more information and provide better clarity than any evening news cast has in the past several months...at least any that I've seen. [Courtesy of Slate.com]
I have a list of articles a mile long and a zillion things on my mind that I'd like to blow off with the help of this blog, but for now I just want to encourage you to buy something. The Best Album You've Never Heard: The Greatest Living Englishman, by Martin Newell, produced by the great Andy Partridge of XTC.
If this album had been released in the sixties, it would be considered a classic. If it had been released in the sixties by any band that had the Promotion Engine behind it, it would be heralded as one of the best of its generation. But it was released in the early 90s by a relatively obscure English poet and songwriter.
Granted, you have to like the whole British Pop thing to agree with this little thesis. If the Beatles don't do it for ya, don't bother. But of course if the Beatles don't do it for ya, you're hopeless anyway. :P
Labels: tunes
There are more things to talk about and write about these days than any time I can remember. My Bookmark list is so long there's no point in adding to it anymore. Work and life continue to place blogging on the back burner. I wanted to say so much after November 4th, but I didn't get to it, and now those thoughts seem dated to me. But it was a great moment for the country and now the Democrats have the biggest opportunity in modern political history. Obama has the opportunity of a millennium. I just hope he listens to the right people. I feel confident that he will.
When was the last time a new president has faced challenges this serious and complex? At least financially/economically, perhaps never.
I've been surprised and disappointed that there hasn't been more outrage among Americans over the bailout(s) and related bullshit. But then again, why be surprised when so many Americans can't be bothered to educate themselves on current events under the blanket of the complacency-generating theory that "there's nothing we can do about it." So we turn on the sitcoms and put the pacifiers in our mouths. It's embarrassing.
We are living history in so many ways, yet not much has changed yet. But things will, and they have to. Greed, corruption, arrogance, ignorance, and incompetence have left our country's finances, and our Constitution, on the precipice. Our 401Ks are now 201Ks, if we're lucky, while the looters walk away with their bounty and the banks who dealt in obscene leverage and opaque and insane financial instruments are getting hundreds of billions, from us.
If, as a collective people, we aren't pissed now...perhaps we should change the name of our country to the United States of Catatonia.
Four years ago, I didn't like either candidate, but I held my nose and voted. Today I'm going to feel good about the lever I pull. Much of that comes from the ending of such a destructive era, one completely devoid of any real or effective leadership (to be kind). But there's also a tangible sense of renewal in the breeze. We are living history. But there had better not be any shenanigans tonight. That's the last thing this country needs.
Long live the Constitution of the United States.
Labels: politics
