The Left Coast experienced a major earthquake at 4:27 PM Pacific Time on January 9th. We blame George Fox, Mario Puzo, and Universal Studios.
There isn’t a decent streaming version of Rodney Crowell’s magnificent “California Earthquake” song on the Web, and the John Hartford and Danney Ball songs of the same name are unbearable. You’ll have to make do with tunes on this theme by Chan Romero (performed by The Little Girls) and Norman Greenbaum.
The Jobless Recovery is still riding a fast freight train between hobo camps, according to figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs lost in December: 84,000. When you factor in discouraged workers and those who have had to settle for part-time work, the U.S. unemployment rate is 17.3%.
Of course, there aren’t any soup kitchens on Wall Street:
Gilbert Arenas jokingly threatened Wizard teammate Javaris Crittenton with guns due to a disagreement over a game of Bourré (Bouré, Boo-Ray), we are told. The press found out and put the stunt on page one. The player’s reaction: F*ck ‘em if they can’t take a joke. The NBA has suspended Mr. Arenas indefinitely, without pay, and a grand jury is examining the incident, as the Wizards point guard does not have a permit to clown with handguns in the District of Columbia.
Once a champion tweeter, Mr. Arenas has closed his Twitter account, according to City Desk. If you need some amusement to compensate, make your own Gilbert bobblehead on Agent Zero’s personal website.
Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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This morning the federal government reports the latest unemployment figures, using a measure that seems increasingly irrelevant as more Americans remain among the long-term unemployed and underemployed. While we wait for dubious numbers and optimistic spin, let’s adopt the misunderstood, mis-attributed, and misquoted adage that “what’s good for General Motors is good for the United States” and turn our bloodshot eyes on Detroit.
Industry boosters are gilding the poison ivy, choosing to see last month’s slight bounce as the start of an upturn, but others wonder if the plunging sector has hit bottom yet. It’s only a matter of time before xenophobes and protectionists seize on the fact that Asian cars outsold Detroit buggies in God’s Own Country last year.
Job cuts continue among U.S. auto workers, and Con Chapman has identified a significant new economic indicator:
Update on the Gilbert Arenas story: After his gun joke of December 21st, the one with real guns, the Washington Wizards point guard pointed finger pistols at teammates and the crowd at last night’s 76ers game. NBA Commissioner David Stern didn’t find the situation amusing. On Wednesday, his 28th Birthday, Mr. Arenas was suspended indefinitely, without pay, by Mr. Stern.
Gilbert Arenas had a $111 million six-year contract with the Wizards. Now he has essentially joined America’s unemployed. While this will be financially inconvenient, he really needs some court time — not on the hardwood, inside the big stone buildings.
Commentary by NBA analysts Bono and U2 after the jump:
Washington Wizards basketball players Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton had a difference of opinion over a card game on December 19th, and it is said that Mr. Crittenton offered to shoot Mr. Arenas in his surgically reconstructed left knee. After team practice on December 21st, Mr. Arenas placed a pair of handguns near Mr. Crittenton’s locker with a note reading “pick one.”
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is considering mandatory use of full-body scanners for examination of passengers boarding at all airports. Here’s one reason: TSA is a wholly owned subsidiary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Michael Chertoff, former DHS director, is a shill for a body-scanner manufacturer.
While use of airport body scanners may not actually prevent acts of terrorism, purchasing them is sound public policy. When airports discard the useless machines, they can be re-sold to hospitals and clinics at a discount, which will dramatically reduce the cost of medical imaging.
Many Washingtonians spent Thursday night and Friday morning at African American churches observing Watch Night, a New Year’s Eve celebration little known outside of the black community, even though a painting of such a prayer meeting by New England artist William Tolman Carlton (above) hangs in the White House.
