October 2008 archive

Muse in the Morning

A Transition through Poetry XXVII

Art Link Question The Questions When people ask me “Who are you?” I answer honestly “I am me.” When they ask “What are you?” I say “An individual, one, And I am whole.” When I’m asked “Which are you?” I know that others decide that for themselves. When I hear “Why are you?” The why is not important “Because I am.” –Robyn Elaine Serven –February, 1995

cross posted from The Dream Antilles

The answer is Nothing.  Nada.  Zilch.  Zippo. Zero.  They haven’t got a clue.  They are going to let it all come down, however it comes.

Permit me some extreme grouchiness.  And anger.  And despair.

People I know were evicted today from their home in the wake of not being able to pay their mortgage.  A long legal battle ended.  They lost.  The Sheriffs were there.  There was the cliche, the spectacle of having the young children sit on the curb while the furniture was deposited on the lawn. I don’t have $30,000+ to loan them to stop it.  Nor do their friends or family.  And I don’t see Congress or anybody else stepping in to do anything about this.  Maybe later on, when they’ve moved out and lost their home and are living somewhere else.  Maybe then there will be some “relief.”  For somebody else. I wish they lived in Chicago, but they don’t.

And then there’s this:



One Year of the DJIA

Original article, by Jared Wood and subtitled Is the US economy also heading for a ‘lost decade’?, via The Socialist (UK):

ECONOMISTS AND political leaders are looking to the recent economic history of Japan with growing fear. Japanese share prices are today 70% lower than at their 1989 peak, while property values are about 40% lower than they were in 1990. Economic (GDP) growth in the 1990s averaged less than 1% a year, leading economists to talk of the “lost decade”.

(crossposted from big orange)

A lot of us bemoan the state of the mainstream media.  I don’t know much about TV, but I do read a lot.  The typical newspaper and news magazine do not merit our consideration.  Most local dailies, and magazines such as Time and Newsweek are badly written, badly edited, biased, and focus on things of truly monumental global importance like which rock star got busted for which drug charge.

What can we do?

Support the good stuff!

I read a lot.  I’m liberal.  I like literate writing, solid reporting, and in-depth analysis.  The sort of stuff that a lot of people here on daily  Kos write, and that most of the MSM doesn’t.  But it’s not all darkness.  If you want to read better writing, you have to support better writing.  If the journals that publish what we want to read get more subscribers, then there will be more writing that we want to read.  

Also, if you buy a product because you saw it in a progressive media spot, tell the company.  That will help sell more ads.  And, if, perchance, you like to read or look at right wing stuff….. well, you could write to advertisers in those media and say you won’t buy their stuff because they advertise there.

On to the list:

Magazines:

My vote for best magazine in America goes to Mother Jones.  Month after month, they have hard-hitting, well-written and well-researched articles covering things you might not find other places, or giving depth to stories that get a paragraph, elsewhere.

Foreign Affairs– All about diplomacy, international relations, and so on.  More conservative than me, but then, most things are.  Mostly lengthy, scholarly articles about topics by renowned experts.

Economist –  A newsmagazine from England.  Also more conservative than I am, but superb writing, in depth coverage, very good stuff.  Time and Newsweek –  phooey.  This is a newsmagazine for knowledgeable, intelligent people.  But remember that they’re slanted

Hightower Lowdown  Jim Hightower.  Nuff said.

Wilson Quarterly in depth, scholarly writing on a wide variety of topics

Atlantic Monthly I’ve not read this.  

Harper’s I sometimes read this.  

der Spiegel I’ve not read this — a brief look seems to show a good but not necessarily leftist, magazine focusing on Europe

the Nation I used to subscribe…. but, while it’s good, it’s a little too irritating.  Last month, Geenius at work said that “it puts you into a state of outrage overload very fast” which I think is my problem with it, too

The American Prospect Another one I’ve not read

UTNE reader describes itself thus: “Utne Reader and Utne.com are digests of independent ideas and alternative culture. Not right, not left, but forward thinking”.  I do read this one, the problem I have with it is just that it is a digest.  It summarizes things well, but then you have to do more research.

The Progressive looks really good.  I’ve recently subscribed.

New Republic describes itself as “A journal of politics and the arts”

New Left Review is a British journal that offers (in its words): “Sharp, scholarly, analysis, interviews, and book reviews”

Le Monde Diplomatique is French (you guessed, didn’t you?) and mostly about world affairs

Yes!”supporting you in building a just and sustainable world is yet another I haven’t read.  It seems more action-oriented than some of the others, and that’s good.

The New Yorker  I read this very occasionally, when I see it in a waiting room or something.  It looks really good … and, of course, there are the cartoons

National Geographic is another that I never got into reading.  But it has good, in-depth articles with extensive reporting.

Newspapers:

I read the NY Times.  It’s not as good as it could be, but it’s among the best we’ve got.

Many like the Wall Street Journal (but not the editorial page!)

And some mentioned the Washington Post

Funny Times is political comedy with a liberal slant.  Not news, but funny.

Television:

I don’t watch TV…. but there’s obviously Olberman

14,164.53, 10/9/07.

Let me take you on a quick trip back to the halcyon days of our youth, way back Friday before last.

The Dow stood at a sunny and proud 11,143.13 having gained 121.07 points that very day!

Then came the bad old politicians and they didn’t approve Wall St.’s $700 Billion Blank Check.  A number simply made up to be big enough.

Not so big now are you?

Monday the 29th of September Wall St. threw their -777.68 hissy fit.  Maria Bartiromo was particularly outraged that these mere Representatives could thwart her Saks shopping people’s will.  See, this is what you get when you don’t kiss butt!

Now that changed their Capitol Hill water carriers mind for sure.  What’s good for GM is good for the nation.  The business of America is business.

So the next day we had our dead cat bounce, +485.21, Dow at 10,850.66 a whole +263.07 for W‘s entire tenure.

Thanks for nothing.

Now hold on to your socks folks because we’re going to take one of those big shoots-

Happy Anniversary!

This is my fourth diary on the melamine scandal (but first here on Docudharma), and like the financial scandals it shows no sign of going away any time soon. To this day 10,666 infants are still in Chinese hospitals fighting for their lives.

Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3), chairwoman of the Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement about the FDA’s announcement that, despite potential harm to the kidneys, some melamine would not raise health concerns:

“While other countries throughout the world, including the European Union, are acting to ban melamine-contaminated products from China, the FDA has chosen to establish an acceptable level for melamine in food in an attempt to convince consumers that it is not harmful. Not only is this is an insult to consumers, but it would appear that the FDA is condoning the intentional contamination of foods.”