Last Rites for 2008

New Year's Eve.  I think it is time for a new start.

More Heartbreak

Upon arrival in London this morning, I decided I would mine my source material from a local newspaper, The Guardian.  The front page had an excruciatingly heart-wrenching story about the Balousha Family in Gaza who lost 5 daughters in the air strikes.  The monogram is for the youngest of the casualties, Jawahar, who was only four years old.

  

Unfortunately I was not able to finish this one.

Blogging From London

I'm a lot behind in stitching and blogging.  I've only gotten 2 hours of sleep in the past 36 hours and I apologize for the makeshift manner of my posts.

Here is the hanky for December 29.  This was stitched mostly on the airplane, quite a feat considering I was fighting for elbow room with my wide shouldered neighbor.

London Bound

Here is yesterday's hanky.

I'll be spending the extra second in London and will be posting and stitching from the Mother Country for the next 8 days.

In today's news, propane prices dip amidst drop in oil.

Leap Second

A leap second will be added on December 31st, just before the new year.  The second is an correction to Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC, and based on the need to adjust accordingly to the movement of the earth's rotation.  

What will you do with your extra second?

Never Ending

The death toll in Gaza reaches 229 people.  

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Israeli air strikes raid the Gaza Strip in retaliation against attacks by Hamas forces.  

"Israel’s strikes started at 11:30 a.m. and in two minutes hit more than 30 targets, most of them security compounds run by Hamas, said an official of the movement who declined to be identified. They came after a week in which dozens of Qassam rockets were fired into Israel following the Dec. 19 expiration of a six-month cease-fire with Hamas."

The conflict continues.  

Longer, Thicker, Darker

Lashing Out

The FDA approved a new serum that will make your lashes grow longer, stronger, and darker.  As with any drug, there are side effects including, but not limited to, darkening of the eyelid skin, irreversible increase in brown pigmentation in the colored part of the eye, and hair growth on skin that the serum frequently touches.  Worth the risk for beauty?  In my opinion, no, even though I do see enormous marketing potential.  

http://www.webmd.com/skin-beauty/news/20081226/fda-oks-first-eyelash-drug-latisse

Gimme Guinea

Guinea Coup

Yesterday, Guinea coup leader Moussa Camara ordered Prime Minister Ahmed Tidane Souare and other government officials to turn themselves in at Alpha Yaya Diallo Barracks within 24 hours.  On the Christmas Day, PM Souare concedes and declares that he is at the disposal of the new regime.  

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

Access International Advisors

More and more high profile individuals are being identified as victims of Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme. Lillianne Bettancourt, heiress to the L'Oreal fortune and the world's richest woman, is said to have invested part of her 22.9 billion dollar fortune in the Madoff investment through hedge fund manager, Thierry Magon de La Villehuchet.  Villehuchet, co-founder of Access International Advisors was found in his Manhattan office, dead of an apparent suicide attempt.  

Giving

I worked up to midnight today and was not able to finish.  There are not enough hours in the day. Time for some sleep to get ready to do it all again tomorrow. 

Blood Donors Needed

The Red Cross is in need of blood donors to help with shortages during the holiday season. Before I moved to Boston, I used to give blood regularly.  It started with a volunteering stint my freshman year of high school.  I used to man the "canteen" station during the drives, making sure there was an abundant supply of cookies and enough juice for donors to replenish fluids.  I was also responsible for looking out for signs of people fainting.  Without fail, there would always be 1 or 2 fainters each drive and they always ended up being the big, macho, football jocks.  

Day 92

Fifth Rate Cut for China

The People's Bank of China cut rates for the fifth time this year in hopes of stimulating its slowing economy.  It seems like cutting rates is the trendy thing to do these days.  I predict it might even oust "the bailout" in econ savvy circles.  

Snow Day Marks Winter Solstice

Winter

Winter is officially here and Boston has the weather to prove it.  It is snowing for the second day in a row and everything is covered in the white fluffy stuff.  

Shoe Cobbler of Istanbul

A Turkish shoemaker claims that he is the maker of the now famous black oxford shoes that were thrown at President Bush.  The style is now dubbed "The Bush Shoe".

This Shoe's For You

More shoes appear, this time at the US embassy in Ankara, Turkey in support of Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi.  

No Jobs at Macworld

Mac announced that it would be pulling out of Macworld after its January 2009 show.  In addition, Steve Jobs will not be giving the keynote address.  

Gordon Brown's Iraq Promise

PM Gordon Brown announced yesterday that all British troops would be home from Iraq by the end of July 2009.  Today, he rejected immediate inquiry requests into the Iraq War.  

SEC Commentary

Here's some interesting commentary on the effectiveness and problematic nature of government bailouts from Christopher Cox, Chairman of the SEC, taken from an article by Bloomberg reporter, Jonathan Weil:

“From the standpoint of the SEC, the most obvious problem with breaking down the arm’s-length relationship between government, as the regulator, and business, as the regulated, is that it threatens to undermine our enforcement and regulatory regime,” Cox said.

“When the government becomes both referee and player, the game changes rather dramatically for every other participant. Rules that might be rigorously applied to private-sector competitors will not necessarily be applied in the same way to the sovereign who makes the rules.”

Weil also goes into the Madoff case and the Ponzi scheme in a more general context of the financial meltdown.  Full article here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&sid=a4nU8QswIu28&refer=home

Madoff Under House Arrest

Bernard Madoff has been put under house arrest. Granted, he lives in a $7 million Manhattan apartment (with view, no doubt).  Tough life.

Ponzi Scheming

The Securities and Exchange Commission probes deeper into the Bernard Madoff $50 BILLION Ponzi scheme.  What is a Ponzi scheme, you ask?  Well, according to the great Wiki of knowledge:

A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that involves paying abnormally high returns to investors out of the money paid in by subsequent investors, rather than from the profit from any real business. It is named after Charles Ponzi.^[1] The term "Ponzi scheme" is used primarily in the United States, while other English-speaking countries do not distinguish verbally between this scheme and other forms of pyramid scheme.^[2]

The kicker comes at the end of the introduction paragraph:

However, it has been shown that entering a Ponzi scheme can be rational even at the last round of the scheme if a government will likely bail out those participating in the Ponzi scheme.^[3]

^{When is a scheme to swindle people out of their money ever rational especially when tax payers' money are used to pay for one person's insatiable greed?}

Zero to .25 %

The Fed cuts rate to a record low of 0-25%.  

More Cuts on the Horizon

The Federal Reserve is expected to cut rates for the 10th time.  The presumed half point cut would bring the Fed rate to the lowest percentage ever.  Today's article give a nice, short summary of the history of US recessions since the 70's.  The article also mentions a staggering figure that should not have surprised me at all:

"In 2007, just before the current financial crisis, Americans owed $11 trillion in mortgage debt, or about 80 percent of the GDP."

I guess this is what you get with over-inflated home prices and 100% loans.  

Where's the Beef?

I watched a little interview blurb of Bush's reaction to the shoe incident on the BBC world report today.  In classic form he replied that he does not know what sort of beef the reporter had against him.  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  So, I'm just going to pretend he didn't say anything.

Muntazer al-Zaidi

The reporter responsible for the shoe attack on Bush, Muntazer al-Zaidi, has created quite a buzz. Before hurling the projectile at Bush's head he reportedly yelled, "this is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog." 

It is almost time for the American people to say goodbye to Bush.  I wonder if our send off will have the same dramatic flare.  One can only hope.  

Bush Attacked with Shoes

This video is the perfect compliment to today's handkerchief.  I just wish it happened earlier today.  I would have changed the image to a pair of shoes.

Bush in Iraq

Bush is making a farewell visit to Iraq- very appropriate considering what will end up being his legacy as president.  

An excerpt from the article:

But he said in a recent ABC interview that the "biggest regret" of his presidency was flawed intelligence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. He used that intelligence as a key justification for going to war. No such weapons were found.

Above is the flag of Iraq.  The arabic inscription reads "Allahu Akbar" which translates to "God is Great"- a phrase that good ol' Dubya would agree with.  Here is a link to an old article about Bush and his "mission from God".  

Running on Fumes

This has been a difficult month in terms of excitement for the project.  This daily handkerchief has really become part of my routine, almost as mundane as brushing my teeth or washing dishes. The current state of world affairs hasn't help at all either and makes it hard to wake up in the morning knowing that what awaits you in the news feeds will most likely be about death, destruction, and more corruption.  

At least I have no thoughts of abandoning the project.  I feel there is something to be learned from dedicating myself to this task for a year.  The end of this week will mark the end of Autumn, meaning I will be officially 1/4 done.  

Gotta keep on truckin'.

Another Senseless Death

Alexandros Grigoropoulos

The 15 year old boy who was shot by Greek police, Alexandros Grigoropoulos, is honored by peaceful rallies in several cities in Greece.  The rallies are a stark contrast to the violent and destructive rioting that broke out on December 6th, the day he was killed.  

UN and the United Jehad Council

The United Jehad Council is criticizing the UN for declaring the Jamaat-ud-Dawa a front for terrorist organization Lashkar-et-Taibia.  These days it seems like everything is a front for someone's ulterior motive.  

What is "Real"?

Documentation Delayed

Documentation of yesterday's hanky will be posted tonight.  

Second Life +

Linden Labs and Sony have joined together to create PlayStation Home, an online 3D social networking system.  It's pretty much like Second Life except in HD.  The open beta version hits today.  

Day 80

Chi-town Woes

The city of Chicago is featured heavily in the headlines.  The Tribune Company declared bankruptcy and Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is being indicted on corruption charges for allegedly trying to sell Obama's Senate seat.  

Above is the Chicago flag.  Interesting six-pointed stars instead of the traditional pentagram. 

Day 79

In Search of More Liquidity

Delta Airlines and American Express are extending their credit card partnerships to provide Delta with a $1 billion in liquidity.  I wonder when/if the airline industry will apply for TARP funds?

No Pork For You!

An estimated 100,000 pigs are to be killed. 

Other Events

Rioting in Greece continues.

No Pork

Tainted pork in the Republic of Ireland.  The pork is said to contain high levels of dioxin which has been traced back to a animal-food maker who supplied oil-laced feed to 10 small farms.  Contaminated food supplies seem to more and more common these days.  Bird flu from poultry, mad cow from beef, melamine in milk, BPA from water bottles.  What will be next. 

Day 77

First Snow

  

Boats, Bombs, and More Bombs

Today is the anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor.  The National Geographic website has a multimedia  map and timeline of the attacks.  The syncopated snare drum in the background music really adds to the surrealness.

Mugabe Must Go

Cholera Outbreak

This is an electron micrograph image of a cholera bacterium:

It's amazing how one tiny organism can wreak so much havoc on a population.  I guess the same can be said of individuals...

 

Just when I thought things couldn't get much worse in Zimbabwe, it does.   An outbreak of Cholera has taken approximately 600 lives.  British PM Gordon Brown is telling other world leaders to put pressure on Robert Mugabe.  Condolezza Rice says it is the responsibility of Zim's neighbors to ensure that Mugabe steps down.   I don't know much, but I know that it is going to take a lot more than harsh criticism to get Mugabe out of office.  

Uh! Ungawaa!

It was nice to stitch something light-hearted for a change.  

3-D NFL Cheerleaders

Today's headlines comprise mostly of news on sports: 2 on the NFL and 1 on F1 auto racing. 

Here's a story for all of the third wave feminists out there:

http://blogs.usatoday.com/gameon/2008/12/cheerleaders-st.html

Kashmir, Not Just a Sweater

Lashkar-e-Taibia

Terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taibia has been linked as a front to the Deccan Mujahideen.  Airport security in India has been increased in fear of more attacks.  

Here is a link to a podcast I found on the history of LeT.

Here is a link to today's article:

 http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aRt4KnKgDg7w&refer=home

Captains of Industry or Robber Barons?

You decide.