annafdd

I spent all of yesterday walking around London listening to Paul Krugman. Paul Krugman is my hero: there seem to be t-shirts in Times Square with his face and "Krugman's Army" on it - I want one.

What I like about him is that he incredibly clear, speaking with the right mix of seriousness and humour, and very inspiring. In one of my talks he is participating in a round table and my attention drifted while the others where talking, but with him I'm always listening. If I listen to him enough, I might learn something, I guess. Meanwhile, I just have a good time and learn lots of things.

In between bouts of Krugman-fandom, I went to the Jobscentre, where nothing about my JSA was really resolved, went to my counsellor, went to various bead shops and bought way too much semi precious stones, and finally got to curry with major_clanger, purplecthulhu, alexmc and Brother Guy, and it was a very happy time.

But it has tits, and I trust it will offend people. I can't *wait* for LJ to come down on me, because I am *so* complaining with the French Embassy - it so happens, they tell me, that LJ Europe is based in Paris...

Hmm. I hope is shows up ok, the preview doesn't seem to work.

It appears that the Victoria and Albert Museum is hosting an exposition about Che Guevara. They told the curator that Gerry Adams would not be "relevant or appropriate"

Two other exhibitions were opening the same night, on design and fashion in the 60s, the latter sponsored by Miss Selfridge, which was bringing along "a number of models and actresses from the 60s as well as a number of fashion press".

He explained: "My difficulty is that the evening will attract a fashion crowd ... My sense is that having Gerry Adams there may not be appropriate because of this joint event ... I am sure you will understand our reasons for not inviting him."

Ms Ziff, however, does not understand, particularly as Mr Adams had jokingly told her he would have looked out his old Afghan jacket and loons for the occasion. She contacted Mark Jones, V&A director, who told her the museum had a policy of not inviting people affiliated to any political party. However, it turns out that Ken Livingstone, London's Labour mayor, has been invited.

"I find the attitude of the museum bizarre and nonsensical," said Mr Adams yesterday. "On the basis of the current 'reason' offered by the V&A of refusing to invite politicians, it would appear that if Che was alive, he would be barred from his own exhibition. The British establishment works in wondrous ways."

He would, as it happens, be in Spain, where he is due to be meeting political figures involved in peace efforts in the Basque country. But he found it odd that he was now welcome at 10 Downing Street but not at the V&A.

Ms Ziff remains dismayed. "It's extraordinary," she said. "The V&A have tried to turn it all [the Guevara exhibition] into just a design image and remove the resonance from it all.

On the other hand...

Among items for sale during the exhibition will be a Che finger puppet, Che chocolate cigar, Che doll and Che cigar box as well as T-shirts, stickers, neon signs and badges.

We have been trying to help and he won’t let us. We are all appalled and aghast, it breaks our hearts to see him hurting you like this, and you not fighting back, you just take it and take it as it slowly spirals down into the pits of hell. What will it take America, will you let him kill you before you’ll kick him out? This is not rhetoric America, he is killing you every day you stay with him. If I had described your relationship with George to you back when you were still with Bill you never would have believed me. He degrades you in little increments, every day he erodes your assets as well as your dignity, your reputation, your legacy and your life America.

In other news, coming back from the mall today I was listening to the radio and this woman on the radio was telling us how concentration of wealth into fewer and fewer hands is dramatically on the increase, especially in the USA but more generally in Europe and all the Western World.

Dr. Jeff Masters' Wunderblog:

(Good God, this man even knows how to use a possessive!)

Outstanding explanation of exactly how Katrina was predicted and predictable, ending with:

Its not just the current administration--every elected government since the days of Eisenhower has failed us. As I've outlined above, the problem is not likely to go away until the amount of money a candidate raises is no longer the primary factor determining who gets elected. Our elected officials won't care for the poor, as long as it is the rich who determine who get elected.

sciamanna spared me the necessity to rant about the whole "refugee" thing, here in commente.

I'm going to bed having made four pages, and sleeping until I don't know when, before I try to tackle matters I'd rather postpone, but of this later.

I'll just say that I have been watching CNN and sometimes even FOX for a long time.

It's funny.

Tonight a couple of people said some uncomfortable things. This is all from memory, and slightly exaggerated.

One guy in Sildell:

"Do you have as much of a law and order problem there as in New Orleans?"
"We have got people who are desperate, who have no food, no water, no medical attention, and haven't had for days. They need help and they need it now."
"But did you have looting?"
"Yes, people have been helping themselves from grocery stores. They're hungry and nobody is handing them food. They need help, urgently, they're dying, we've got dead bodies everywhere... "
Anchor tries to change the subject.

Harvard professor:
"What is the role of global warming in producing a monster hurricane as Katrina?"
"That's a difficult question."
"You mean it doesn't..."
"What I mean is every individual hurricane is the product of a series of individual and complex conditions, and there are hurricanes all the time during hurricane season, but the global warming is going to make them on average larger and stronger."
"But there is some controversy in the scientific community, isn't there, about the fact that global warming is due to human activity...?"
"Not really, no. There is much controversy about what exactly will happen in the future, but that global warming is due to human activity is pretty much established."
"Doctor, last year you said: 'We should not wait for a catastrophe before doing something for the enviroment.' Is Katrina this catastrophe you were speaking of?"
"I'm afraid not. Katrina is just the tip of the iceberg. The catastrophe will be when..."
"Thank you, doctor."
"...the ice caps will start melting and..."
"THANK YOU, DOCTOR."
"...almost every major city will face the fate of New Orleans."

Yeah, it's funny.

At one point, while I was following a quite interesting two-hour special, the anchor annouces a commercial break and, after the obligatory clip of Lance Armstrong who expresses his contempt for "some French guy" (I like him less with every iteration, and I've listened to dozens iterations already), CNN international decides that the rest of the world isn't all that interested in Katrina any longer and airs, for the second time today, a two-hour documentary on Beslan.

In general, it's really very strange how a disaster really comparable in human suffering and far reaching consequences to the tsunami and 9/11 is getting little coverage this side of the Atlantic - but not only, it seems. It's really weird. Weird and creepy. The London bombs took over most of the news here for at least a week. But the wiping out of almost all of a State and a major city only deserves a few minutes.