Can’t anybody do anything right in this country anymore? Over 200 bodies improperly buried in Arlington National Cemetery for God's sake? Ridiculous. It’s nice to see the cat get its tail twisted now and then; or in this case – the Vampire Squid. Goldman Sach’s stock is in the tank and the government seems to actually be putting some pressure on them after losing patience with their stalling and stonewalling tactics, like sending the equivalent of several billion pages of documents in response to a recent subpoena.
The chairman of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Committee, Phil Angelides, even refused to meet privately with Goldman CVS (Chief Vampire Squid) Lloyd Blankfein. Maybe their money ain’t good in Washington anymore?
On the other hand, probably it is. Goldman and other banks have already gutted financial regulation reform to a large degree. Joe Nocera, hardly a Trotskyite, lays it out in a recent Times column. This bill is going to be so weak as to be meaningless. They aren’t going to do anything meaningful about derivatives trading, and on the consumer protection front they’ve already given up on a proposed rule that would have required anyone selling exotic mortgages to compare whatever they are selling to a (formerly) standard thirty-year fixed mortgage. I guess we can all see how inflammatory and anti-bank that would have been.
I’m glad to see that wiser heads at General Motors quickly backed off the “don’t call me Chevy” memo. Maybe they are learning a few things at the New GM.
I guess we now know why Peter Carroll took a powder from USC when he did. The NCAA continues to run hard for the title of "worst regulatory organization in America." It is a very competitive race what with the work being done at the Minerals Management Service, the SEC and the FDA. I’d like to see a playoff among that group. On the other hand – maybe not.
As Buzzard said to me this morning regarding the NCAA, “I hope they are happy -- by removing 30 scholarships worth $150,000 each, mostly poor inner kids are being deprived of an education in favor of some rich Hollywood mogul who can easily afford to send his child to USC film school.” Meanwhile Carroll and Reggie Bush, the real culprits in this affair, continue making their millions in the NFL with no repercussions.
Hamburger Lit update: I’ve been sampling some of the recommendations from the comments to the May 8th DB post. I read “An Unlikely Spy” by Daniel Silva and “Careless in Red” by Elizabeth George (who was born in Warren, Ohio). I can recommend both. Thanks to Brooke and Fenway.
Blues: I’m lovin’ the new Mannish Boys (above) album “Shake for Me.” They play bad-ass bar-band blues with a distinctly Bo Diddley-ish 1-3-2 beat. In fact they cover “Mona.” Their cover of Eric Clapton’s “Reconsider Baby” is terrific too.
Speaking of music, the Prowlers will be at the Ace of Clubs this Saturday night. That’s on Great Jones Street in da village, New York City. First set at nine. I’ll be there.
Coach Lou and I continue our bi-polar blog on “What’s Next.” We’re like the most popular content on the site. Can you believe it? Come check us out.
I’m still packing and discarding every day. It’s amazing what you can accumulate over 30+ years. It is not a fast process. Everything requires an evaluation and when you get to old photos it’s hard not to stop and day dream about the circumstances of their origins. Next up I have to decide what to do with all my old vinyl. There must be a couple hundred old albums I haven’t played in over 25 years (and am not likely to in the future), but it’s hard to toss them. Any takers? They are mostly mid-60’s to mid-70’s classic rock and R&B, but there are some stinkers in the mix too. Buzzard advises me to check the inside of all the double albums for aged and forgotten contraband before passing them on, which sounds like a good idea.
Adios muchachos.
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7 comments:
Dennis, I will lay claim to your albums. My girlfriend and I have been getting into vinyl lately, and saving for a top notch turntable. Any additions to the collection would be fantastic!
Before you give away the albums, record them to your computer. You can get one of those turntables with a USB port for around $100.
There is no excuse for misplacing bodies at Arlington or anywhere but it isn't a surprise. I was there for a funeral a couple of weeks ago and not for the first time. There are rooms you gather in before going to the gravesite for internment. It has the feel of an airport. You go to your room and sit until it is your turn, and at this one there was a delay because the other room hadn't left on time. As you go out to the grave, you see other funerals going on and other people going into the the building for the next funeral.
I don't know if it is WWII vets dying or guys from our new wars, but it has an assembly line feel to it.
We have a record player with the USB port, so if you find you don't have the time but you want some mp3's of anything, I can rip those for you.
I've got some vinyl as well. Haven't looked at them for years. If you've got any albums with unique pressing design like the red one the J. Geils Band did or that spin art album by Pink Floyd (Umma Gumma I think). They may have some value. Another copy of Sgt. Pepper or Deja Vu might not be worth having.
I agree with KGwhit on the fire drill they call a funeral at Arlington. Rank has a lot to do with the dignity afforded a burial. I went to a funeral for a 4-Star general. Needless to say they didn't misplace him.
I hope they run out of Vets before they run out of space @ Arlington. I also hope the USA buries the idea of occupying Europe & everywhere else we have military bases outside US borders, with the last WW2 Vet.
DB,play some of that vinyl before dumping it, the sound is way better than CDs. There are used record stores everywhere.
As far as Wall St.& the Feds go; we need government out of our private lives & all over business. The private sector is NEVER going to take care of Main St. We should control every move Wall St. makes.
I just finished a very fun read: "My Date with Satan, by Stacey Richter (not from Warren).
. Probably everybody but the scooter company.
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