Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Fri, Sep 19 2008
Poorly executed, but nicely written and reported on
I actually got one of those "Nigerian scam" things in my inbox this morning. The odd thing was that its sad little hype seemed anemic in comparison to all the wild talk going on about our own country's financial woes. Phil Gramm, who once referred to Americans as a "nation of whiners", seems to be unavailable for even a whine of his own this week as some begin to criticize his financial policies. John McCain thought the fundamentals of our economy were strong and now he's taking a verbal pummeling for that. If you listen to people on the street you can hear them talk about everything from a threat of produce a run on all banks to a stark fear of martial law and riots. Some opine that hanging is not good enough for the scoundrels who have gotten us into this situation. People are letting go of the edge of their own cliffs in order to have a free hand to point a finger at somebody.
On the other side, Senator Chris Dodd gave new meaning to the term "understatement" when he called this "an extremely serious time". To parrot a friend of mine, "Ya think?" I suppose everyone (except perhaps, Phil Gramm) seems to feel the need to say something safely knowledgeable and patently wise at this point. The rush to avoid blame is giving even political rhetoric a bit of a vacation.
Lest you think it's only evil American banks and cheeky American journalists who have contributed to this, let me point you to the stories of how embarrassed KFW in Germany is after pumping money into the failing American institutions. Embarrassed? Have banks gone anthropomorphic? Britain's Lloyds TSB has taken over Halifax Bank of Scotland and the writers have turned to citing fabled tortoises and hares to underscore the scene.
If nothing else, all this madness has generated wild bouts of creative writing and perky little puns. I believe it was a headline from Forbes magazine that tagged the ban on short selling as "Get Shorty". Don't fault me too much if I have to laugh at all this. Desperate times call for desperate pleasures.
posted at: 12:26 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry
I actually got one of those "Nigerian scam" things in my inbox this morning. The odd thing was that its sad little hype seemed anemic in comparison to all the wild talk going on about our own country's financial woes. Phil Gramm, who once referred to Americans as a "nation of whiners", seems to be unavailable for even a whine of his own this week as some begin to criticize his financial policies. John McCain thought the fundamentals of our economy were strong and now he's taking a verbal pummeling for that. If you listen to people on the street you can hear them talk about everything from a threat of produce a run on all banks to a stark fear of martial law and riots. Some opine that hanging is not good enough for the scoundrels who have gotten us into this situation. People are letting go of the edge of their own cliffs in order to have a free hand to point a finger at somebody.
On the other side, Senator Chris Dodd gave new meaning to the term "understatement" when he called this "an extremely serious time". To parrot a friend of mine, "Ya think?" I suppose everyone (except perhaps, Phil Gramm) seems to feel the need to say something safely knowledgeable and patently wise at this point. The rush to avoid blame is giving even political rhetoric a bit of a vacation.
Lest you think it's only evil American banks and cheeky American journalists who have contributed to this, let me point you to the stories of how embarrassed KFW in Germany is after pumping money into the failing American institutions. Embarrassed? Have banks gone anthropomorphic? Britain's Lloyds TSB has taken over Halifax Bank of Scotland and the writers have turned to citing fabled tortoises and hares to underscore the scene.
If nothing else, all this madness has generated wild bouts of creative writing and perky little puns. I believe it was a headline from Forbes magazine that tagged the ban on short selling as "Get Shorty". Don't fault me too much if I have to laugh at all this. Desperate times call for desperate pleasures.
posted at: 12:26 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry
Compromise may give us a working state budget
I'm glad to hear that everyone went back to the table regarding the California state budget. Their choice to be flexibile in the face of adversity raises my respect for all concerned.
posted at: 06:49 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
I'm glad to hear that everyone went back to the table regarding the California state budget. Their choice to be flexibile in the face of adversity raises my respect for all concerned.
posted at: 06:49 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
