I just woke up after 10 hours of solid sleep. I passed out while reading with all the lights on and my contacts in. I dragged myself out of bed just to start working, at 5am, and will be working until I fall asleep again tonight. I am barely alive. Yes, it’s the summer session. [...]
Archive for the ‘Economy’ category
An exercise
My internet’s down, so this is short, an exercise for the reader. On Wednesday, Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling (and let’s just pause a moment to savor the delightful Britishness of “Exchequer,” “Alistair,” and “Darling”), announced that a special tax of 50% would be levied on bonuses of more than £25,000 paid to [...]
Stella investigates: the financial crisis
Stella sat down with an international economist to ask the burning questions that have not been answered by the media. Our friendly economist is the kind of guy who is very busy, because there’s a global financial crisis, yet found the time to talk to Stella over a glass of Johnnie Walker on the rocks. [...]
Boomer and bust
So, we’re in the midst of the worst financial crisis of our life times. It’s shaking the foundations of the world we know. And we’re also in the first 100 days of an administration that works from a perspective we can understand. And we’re entering the astrological age of Aquarius. The boomers have dominated our [...]
This I believe (pessimist edition)
I believe that this is just the beginning. I believe that the economy will get worse and worse, as housing prices keep falling and unemployment keeps rising and corporations keep failing. I believe that, at some point, not only will it be difficult to find a job, it will be impossible—in fact, eventually the very [...]
Rachel’s holiday mix: Best of ’08 edition
This year-end mix is titled “Stimulus Package.” Got no money? Got no job? Dancing is still free! 1. Va-Va-Va -Findo Gask 2. Happy Rabbit -Breakbot 3. Never No Dollars -Black Devil Disco Club 4. Repetition Kills You (ft. Damon Albarn) -The Black Ghosts 5. Dancing Choose -TV On The Radio 6. Strange Overtones -David Byrne [...]
Crack House Diary Entry: College Application
This is only a Crackhouse Diary entry in the sense that Susan and I would have never known the author of the following college admission essay had Susan not chosen to teach in a South Central high school. The student, who wishes to remain anonymous, approached Susan for help with her application process. Susan brought [...]
The price of change
I was listening to a recent This American Life podcast at the gym the other day that included a bunch of interviews by Studs Terkel with people who’d lived through the Great Depression. A few things stood out: several people interviewed displayed a great empathy that had come from their own experiences with tremendous poverty, [...]
And……scene.
You never really see it coming. You have a feeling, but you brush it aside – you’re too comfortable in the current circumstances. Those closed-door meetings, the feeling that your colleague is trying to tell you something as you stay after work and watch the debates together. But you chalk it up to other things [...]
