changing the discourse

if nothing else, the occupy wall streets all over the country have already done a great thing: at last we are no longer talking about the damn federal deficit but about what really matters to most of us ---

You can't just say "It's their money, they earned it, we shouldn't spread the wealth around, stop begging for handouts," etc. You have to explain the difference between the current imbalance and the sort of plutocracy our system was supposed to be an improvement on. You also have to explain why, if business is so oppressed by economy killing regulations and taxes, are the rich still getting richer? That argument might have some credibility if all sectors were suffering equally, but they are not. The folks at the top are still getting wealthier. The rest of us are still out here trying to pull our weight - but the rewards are being funneled to the top.

the ice man

they thawed him out

i'm a sucker for color

the chattahoochee is gorgeous this time of year, especially the color and the light --- plus it was nice and cool (mid-50s)

they're ba-a-a-ck

filming more scenes for "the three stooges" I think --- arevees and cops all over

a big tent for the crew to hang out and eat




update: cousin robert ensures me that it is not three stooges

the police state reaction

and while we're at it, check out this missive from one of the 1%, all of whom are not greedy assholes

not good

but at least they didn't tear gas them like they did in oakland --- vincent fort was among those arrested

occupy atlanner!

woodruff park this afternoon

occupy somewhere else

panorama of atlantic city, 1910

click here for a wonderfully detailed large-scale image --- one of shorpy's best

wtf?

cnn crawler line: "gop lawmakers blast obama on iraq" --- why? because he's ending the war when the mission really is accomplished? And because that's what he's been saying he would do all along? --- what is the matter with those people?

"vigilante hackers"

go get 'em, anonymous ---- not just for document leaks anymore 

Just below the surface of the internet sits a network of hidden websites home to some of the worst stuff imaginable. Now hackers are going after pedophiles hiding in the so-called dark net.

melrose

a national historic landmark, built in 1845, and a purty amazing pile of brick --- there have always been people with too much money that nevertheless created some wonderful architecture

prepping for recreating the marbelized finish on the columns led to all sorts of repairs --- it's quite a piece of work keeping the place in the grand state or repair that everybody expects

among its more remarkable features is a beautifully preserved privy, with entrances on two sides and two adult seats and one child's seat in each side ---

an observation

Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires. John Steinbeck

quik trip

atlanta to new orleans, then a drive up i-10 to baton rouge and u.s. 61, "the blues highway," to natchez --- unfortunately the historic road had suffered the same fate as u.s.19: four-laned to death

it's always impressive to see the river, here from the bluffs at natchez, with vidalia across the river in louisiana

and one can get down to the water's edge at st. francisville, which is one of the finest little towns you'll ever see, in spite of what they've done to the highway

"powers and principalities"

her voice is as irritating as her appearance, which is a sort of whorish laura bush look, but it's some good stuff if you can stand it

hoisted by their own petard

from our state rep's legislative report:

The negative economic impact of Georgia's newly enacted immigration enforcement law on the state's farmers is estimated at $391 million, according to a recent study conducted by the University of Georgia's Center for Agribusiness Development.

 The study, commissioned by the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, attributed the damage to crop losses caused by labor shortages in the harvest and packing process. Media reports have revealed crops rotting in the fields or being plowed under because Georgia farmers could not hire enough migrant workers to pick the fruits and vegetables.

Total crop losses since the law was passed earlier this year are estimated at $75 million. The UGA study noted, "Calculated on an annual basis, the Spring 2011 berry and vegetable production resulted in an additional $106.5 million lost in other goods and services in Georgia's economy, putting the combined impact at about $181.5 million. Assuming the grower responses in the study are representative of all growers for the seven crops analyzed, the total yearly economic impact would be approximately $391 million, and the job loss would be about 3,260 on a statewide basis."

The association's executive director, Charlie Hall, said, "Georgia is the poster child for what can happen when mandatory e-verify and enforcement legislation is passed without an adequate guest worker program.

changing light, changing air

it was 85 today --- but lows in the 30s and highs in the 50s toward the end of the week --- it will be a lot quieter around here when the fda's compressors aren't running non-stop

fall color is easing in

occupy atlanner

the view

 an unsettled sunset tonight

pride

give 'em hell, harry

“Republicans think that if the economy improves, it might help President Obama,” Mr. Reid said. “So they root for the economy to fail and oppose every effort to improve it.”

it may not be a conscious plot, but it certainly is in their political interest for the economy to remain in the doldrums --- they don't care, because they don't have to

art in odd places

the dog-walking yard at the airport has a couple of really great junk-art dogs

and escorpión has a very arty ceiling, in addition to the excellent giant metal bug at the front door

krugman on occupy wall street

The way to understand all of this is to realize that it’s part of a broader syndrome, in which wealthy Americans who benefit hugely from a system rigged in their favor react with hysteria to anyone who points out just how rigged the system is. . . . What’s going on here? The answer, surely, is that Wall Street’s Masters of the Universe realize, deep down, how morally indefensible their position is. They’re not John Galt; they’re not even Steve Jobs. They’re people who got rich by peddling complex financial schemes that, far from delivering clear benefits to the American people, helped push us into a crisis whose aftereffects continue to blight the lives of tens of millions of their fellow citizens. . . .Yet they have paid no price.

you ought to read the whole thing

p'tree parade

we've come a long way when there's a contingent of gay atlanta police in the parade --- it's now the city's largest parade of the year ---

guinness was tuckered out after it was all over

fall light

a great sunset this evening, long and constantly changing ----

 

dykes on tenth

a view of the hinterlands

all that pavement, which d.o.t. styles "developmental highway," was here built apparently to serve three main industries: cotton and peanut farming, timber, and auto body shops