Monthly Archives: October 2011

Music to haunt you on Halloween


There are at least three varieties of scary songs — novelty numbers, done for laughs; songs that have dark lyrics but aren’t all that scary; and songs (“compositions” is a better word) that actually sound scary and give you the … Continue reading

Posted in arts, humor, pop music | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Back in the saddle. Bike thief still at large.


I forgot to mention weeks ago that I finally found an affordable used bicycle to replace my Iron Horse, the theft of which left me in a funk not unlike Jimmy Stewart’s in Vertigo after he failed to save his … Continue reading

Posted in arts, bicycling, humor, movies, The New Depression | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

More bad apples in NYPD? I’m shocked!


How many bad apples does it take to spoil the whole barrel? Every week, all over the country, police misconduct takes place, much of it violent. Cops take heat if the misconduct is related to big stories — the tear-gas-and-rubber-bullets … Continue reading

Posted in Goldman Sachs, Great Recession, mainstream media, movies, Occupy Wall Street, The New Depression, Wall Street | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Romney lies faster than I can type


Yesterday I wrote, “The pious Mr. Mitt has been telling a new lie each day concerning where he stands on workers’ bargaining rights.” This was in response to a story out of Ohio. I filed my blog entry and went … Continue reading

Posted in climate change, economic collapse, environmentalism, Great Recession, humor, mainstream media, Philadelphia, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Oops, I didn’t really mean to unleash the goons


It’s a sad commentary on her leadership skills, but I believe Oakland Mayor Jean Quan meant well. She doesn’t seem like someone who would tell weasel-y lies (hello, Mitt Romney) about her words and actions. Well, maybe one or two … Continue reading

Posted in economic collapse, Great Recession, mainstream media, Occupy Wall Street, Politics, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Mr. Mitt goes to Washington? Let’s hope not.


David Brooks and Mitt Romney should get married. Brooks is the foremost weasel among pundits. Romney is No. 1 among politicians, and that’s saying something. Latest example: The pious Mr. Mitt has been telling a new lie each day concerning … Continue reading

Posted in David Brooks, economic collapse, Great Recession, mainstream media, Politics, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The class war started 30-some years ago, Frank


Frank Rich’s recent article in New York magazine included an excellent capsule history of the Depression-era Bonus Army and a good summary of how corporate welfare boosted G.E. and other corporate monsters, but the headline on the story — “The … Continue reading

Posted in Congress, Great Recession, mainstream media, Occupy Wall Street, Politics, The New Depression, unemployment, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Manhattan D.A. chips away at protesters’ rights


Last night Keith Olbermann asked something I’ve wondered about since the police crackdown on Occupy Wall Street protesters began several weeks ago with beatings and arrests in Manhattan, and mass arrest-by-trickery at the Brooklyn Bridge: “At what point did we … Continue reading

Posted in economic collapse, Great Recession, mainstream media, Occupy Wall Street, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Occupy newsrooms. Use all those empty desks.


For as long as I can remember Gannett was known as an outfit that skimped on news coverage by using skeleton crews of reporters and editors, for no other reason than to further enrich the owners of the Gannett company. … Continue reading

Posted in economic collapse, Great Recession, humor, mainstream media, New York Times, Occupy Wall Street, Philadelphia, The New Depression, unemployment, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Will the circle jerk of one-percenters be broken?


Members of outlaw motorcycle gangs used to call themselves “one-percenters,” meaning they were in the tiny minority of Americans who are unabashed sociopaths. However, when we hear “one-percenters” these days, the reference usually is to establishment types who are obscenely … Continue reading

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, Goldman Sachs, Great Recession, Occupy Wall Street, Politics, The New Depression, unemployment, Wall Street | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment