If you date the Great Recession from the collapse of Lehman Brothers (which is arbitrary but a satisfyingly dramatic point to hang the story on), it is 10 years old today. Of course we all know the recession “officially” ended ages ago, brilliantly conceived and executed government bailouts saved the global economy, and the whole world has put all that unpleasantness behind it for yet another era of Eternal Prosperity. But then, we also all know … otherwise. So here are 10 myths and misconceptions people still believe about the causes of the catastrophe. And here, from Daniel Lacalle via…
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I haven’t had time to take any pix of the actual Rosie-dog yet, so these’ll have to give you the idea. Rosie: World’s biggest love sponge and cuddle bunny: Source Rosie: As seen by the cat and heard by the neighbors: Source It’s been an interesting couple of days. Ava, to my surprise, is tolerating Rosie without incident. I believe this is because Rosie projects slavish submission every time Ava’s within 10 feet. “Fluffball of Doom” is an image of herself that Ava appreciates. I’m not appreciating the acrid stench Rosie squirts from her anal glands every time Fluffball of…
15 CommentsDavid French of the National Review calls Amber Guyger’s murder of a man in his own home “the worst police shooting yet.” I don’t know about that, but it certainly has all the elements, including favoritism and the typical cover story. From Wired: How to move a million people out of a hurricane’s way. Good luck, mid-Atlantean readers! She made it through Hurricane Harvey — though not necessarily well. Now Sara Cress gives advice on how to prepare for a flood. (NPR broadcast; not sure whether transcript will be online by the time this posts, but she mentions things people…
11 CommentsFriends of mine have been fostering a dog, Rosie — the usual sad case of a pup whose owner “loved” her while leaving her on a chain in deplorable conditions. I haven’t fostered dogs in several years because of Ava’s habit of starting fights she can’t win. But my friends foster often and have occasionally called on me to be a backup because they travel a lot. As things have developed, I never had to serve. On Sunday they left on the first stage of a long trip to South America. They placed Rosie in an ideal backup foster home.…
16 CommentsI woke up grumpy after a poor night’s sleep. I was mad at myself for a couple of mistakes. I was mad at my insurance company for giving me an unreasonable quote to protect my newly upgraded house. (They want to insure it and my possessions for way more than they’re worth, and they insist on including coverage for expensive outbuildings I don’t have — all to generate a premium I can’t afford.) In desperate need of a short getaway after this summer’s push-push-push to finish Mo Saoirse’s exterior, I checked the one little beachy studio I used to be…
10 Comments… the Walrus said, “To talk of many things: Of shoes–and ships–and sealing-wax– Of cabbages–and kings– And why the sea is boiling hot– And whether pigs have wings.” Erm. No, actually that’s not the time that has come. My brain just flipped Lewis Carroll-ward when I wrote the subject line. An entirely different time has come. After 5 years and 4.25 months, the exterior of Ye Olde Wreck no longer reveals any wreckage. The interior, though not cosmetically complete, is entirely livable. Plumbing and electrical are upgraded and working. The roof and foundation are in good shape. The insulation is…
19 CommentsThe race against the clock fall rains is over. We had pleasant showers last night and the region’s most esteemed meteorologist says that’s it: Summer is officially done and we’ll be seeing a lot more such “pleasantness.” After darned near doing myself in on Wednesday, I slowed my pace of work. As a result there’s still miscellaneous trim, touch-up, and clean-up remaining. But I did finish the gutters at 2:00 yesterday afternoon, a few hours before light rain moved in. That was the last big, important thing — the last thing that couldn’t somehow be made to fit between showers.…
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