Monday, September 7, 2009

“Editorial: Labor Day brings a change in life's pace - Eagle-Tribune” plus 3 more

“Editorial: Labor Day brings a change in life's pace - Eagle-Tribune” plus 3 more

Editorial: Labor Day brings a change in life's pace - Eagle-Tribune

Posted: 06 Sep 2009 09:45 PM PDT

Chilly mornings, football games on TV, and signs of activity over at the fairgrounds on Route 1 in Topsfield all point to summer's end. And the arrival of Labor Day makes it official: Fall is here.

The tradition of observing Labor Day goes back more than a century and honors the contributions of all working men and women. Many get Monday off, and an increasing number manage to make it a four-day weekend by taking Friday off as well.

But for almost everyone, it's back to work, or school, on Tuesday. And inevitably, it seems, the pace of work quickens and the demands on one's time increase with the change of seasons.

The vagaries of the calendar pushed the holiday as far into September as is possible this year. Still, it comes too soon in this part of the country where summer is always late getting started. This year, that seems so more than usual.

Enjoyment of the long weekend whether at camp or at home, is tempered by the knowledge that it's almost time to put away the shorts and T-shirts and retrieve jackets and sweaters from storage.

And to add to the general feeling of malaise, the Farmers' Almanac came out with its winter forecast this week: Cold and snowy throughout the Northeast. Better check on where the boots and shovel are, too.

Of course there's a lot to like about fall in New England, which is plenty conducive to outdoor activities as long as one wears the right amount of clothing. Raking leaves can be just as enjoyable, albeit slightly more strenuous, an activity as mowing the lawn, and nothing beats watching a high-school football game on a crisp autumn evening. And then there's the fair, Halloween, then Thanksgiving to look forward to.

Still, summers — even an extended one like this year's — always seem too short, while the winters never seem to end.

Will winter temperatures make you shiver or sweat? - Waco Tribune-Herald

Posted: 06 Sep 2009 07:57 PM PDT

What happened to global warming?

The 2010 edition of The Old Farmer's Almanac warns that parts of Texas, including the Metroplex, are in for a colder-than-normal winter.

However, the National Weather Service's Climate Center and the McLennan County Agrilife Extension Office say you may not need to be as bundled up as the almanac predicts.

Eric Martello, NWS meteorologist, said the NWS' Climate Center foresees an equal chance of being above or below normal temperatures, which "generally means that they're looking at us being at or around our average temperatures," he said.

And, contrary to the almanac's forecast, Martello said the climate center predicts a 40 percent chance of being wetter than normal from December through February.

David Groschke, McLennan County extension agent for natural resources, said he's not sure how many farmers and ranchers in the area put tremendous stock in the almanac's predictions.

Rather, Groschke said, "I would be surprised if there's too many people using it as a resource."

That doesn't mean, though, that farmers and ranchers aren't paying attention to what the almanac says.

"You take it into consideration, and you listen to some of these long-range forecasters and meteorologists, and then they can use all of that information to the best of their ability," Groschke said. "As a whole, these guys try to accumulate as many sources as they can and make some educated guesses."

Martello said the climate center bases its forecasts on global oscillations, which he said tend to lead to "relatively accurate" long-range forecasts. The Old Farmer's Almanac, on the other hand, derives its weather forecasts "from a secret formula that was devised by the founder of this almanac, Robert B. Thomas, in 1792" and is based on the influence of sunspots on the Earth's weather, the almanac says.

Martello is not a believer.

"I think that's all just hearsay, just superstition," he said. "You know, 'If a cow falls over, we're going to have a colder-than-normal winter.' "

In the end, Groschke said almanacs and forecasters can predict all they want, but "Mother Nature takes her own course."

twoods@wacotrib.com

757-5721

It's September. The real test for stocks begins - CNN Money

Posted: 06 Sep 2009 03:18 PM PDT

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Sunburned and barbecued out, Wall Streeters returning to work next week face the first big challenge to the six-month-old rally.

Even after a down week on Wall Street, punctuated by a mixed August jobs report, the S&P 500 remains 50% above the 12-year lows hit in March.

Stocks churned in a narrow range for most of August, ending the month higher. But with fewer people around and trading in August, the market rally didn't really face much of a challenge. That won't be the case in September.

"The fall campaigns begin next week for Wall Street, Congress and students," said Scott Armiger, portfolio manager at Christiana Bank & Trust Company. "Everyone has to conduct business, pass laws or study."

Armiger said he doesn't put much stock in the markets' seesawing over the last two weeks. Trading volume has been low, as is typical of late summer when many market pros on the sidelines.

"The week ahead will tell us more about where we stand," he said.

The week is fairly light on economic reports, with readings on the trade gap, weekly jobless claims and consumer sentiment being the standouts. Congress reconvenes on Tuesday. Wednesday night, President Obama will speak to the nation and the Congress on health care reform.

"We've had some artificial demand created by all the stimulus, but when you take that away, will there be enough fuel for real demand to take its place?" said Dave Hinnenkamp, CEO at KDV Wealth Management. "The market is looking at the data and trying to figure it out."

Hinnenkamp said that stocks are likely to seesaw or even slide five or ten percent over the next month or two, until the next batch of earnings come out and the initial readings on third-quarter GDP growth are released.

Month of meltdowns: September is typically a tough one for Wall Street, with the Dow industrials, Nasdaq composite and S&P 500 all posting their biggest percentage losses for the year, according to the Stock Trader's Almanac.

The month tends to be weak as the "back to work" mentality also tends to bring in a certain "cleaning house" momentum.

This particular September also ushers in a series of dubious anniversaries for Wall Street.

This Monday, Labor Day, is the one-year anniversary of the government's takeover of mortgage lenders Fannie Mae (FNM, Fortune 500) and Freddie Mac (FRE, Fortune 500).

On Sept. 8, 2008, the Bush Administration put the companies under a government conservatorship and replaced both chief executives. The two companies owned or backed half a billion in mortgage debt and had lost billions in the housing collapse.

One week later brings the anniversary of what many consider to be the accelerant that pushed the recession into full-blown crisis: the collapse of Lehman Bros. and 11th-hour buyout of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500). On Sept. 15, 2008, the Dow slumped 504 points, as financial shares tumbled, credit seized up and investors went into panic mode.

Stocks lurched dramatically all week, but managed to end just modestly lower that Friday after a series of government interventions. They included the Federal Reserve jumping in to save AIG (AIG, Fortune 500) from bankruptcy and the establishment of an early version of the TARP bank bailout plan.

One volatile year later, the Dow is still down 13.5%, the S&P is down 15% and the Nasdaq composite is down just over 7%.

Monday: All financial markets are closed for Labor Day.

Tuesday: The July Consumer Credit report from the Federal Reserve is due in the afternoon. Credit is expected to have fallen for the sixth consecutive month as the recession continues to nip borrowing. Credit likely dipped a seasonally adjusted $4 billion after falling $10.3 billion in June, according to a Briefing.com survey of economists.

Wednesday: The weekly crude oil inventories report is due in the morning, from the Energy Information Administration.

In the afternoon, the Federal Reserve releases its periodic "beige book" survey of the economy, which tracks 12 districts.

The stream of reports showing improvements in housing and manufacturing and continued weakness in the labor market have given investors a picture of the economy in the first half of the third quarter. But the beige book will put that in a broader perspective.

Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) is expected to introduce iPod Nano and iPod Touch models that include digital cameras, as well as other new updates, at its media event Wednesday. Apple watchers are also eager to see if CEO Steve Jobs will make an appearance now that he is back to work after a six-month medical leave.

Thursday: The July trade gap from the Commerce Department is expected to hold steady at $27 billion. Last month, imports rose for the first time in nearly a year due to higher oil prices, but that was partially offset by stronger global demand for U.S. goods and services. Investors will be looking to see if the trend continues this month.

Also in the morning, the Labor Department releases the weekly jobless claims report. Approximately 556,000 Americans are expected to have filed new claims for unemployment in the previous week versus 570,000 in the previous week.

Continuing claims, a measure of those receiving benefits for a week or more, are expected to continue to rise from the 6.234 million level hit last week.

RealtyTrac releases its monthly report on foreclosures.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner speaks before the Congressional Oversight Panel.

Friday: The initial reading on consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan is due shortly after the start of trading. The index is expected to have risen to 67.3 in September from 65.7 in August.

The Commerce Department is expected to report a drop in wholesale inventories for the 11th straight month, when the July report is released in the morning. Stocks at U.S. wholesalers likely fell 1% in July, according to forecasts, after falling 1.7% in June.

August import and export prices are also due in the morning, while the August Treasury budget is due in the afternoon.

How does your portfolio look nearly one year after the collapse of Lehman Brothers? What investment choices hurt you or helped you the most? What strategy changes are you making for the future? Tell us your story. E-mail realstories@cnnmoney.com and your thoughts could be part of an upcoming story. For the CNNMoney.com Comment Policy, click here. To top of page

As a new generation discovers artist Genesis P-Orridge, he fulfills a ... - Nymag.com

Posted: 05 Sep 2009 04:53 PM PDT

We are an eccentric English person, says the artist Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, greeting me at his apartment, where he's touching up collages. You're okay with that? I nod. Good, he purrs, his voice dropping an octave. Then we're going to do just fine.

I'm here to discuss the curatorial interest in his work as of latehis opening at the Lower East Side gallery Invisible-Exports, the films about his life, the Tate's acquisition of his archives. But what I see, when he sits down on his bed, is that his potbelly props up his C-cup breasts. As we speak, his thick fingers brush away strands of his platinum bob from bloated lips slicked pink with gloss. He looks like a funhouse version of Courtney Love. More accurately, he has refashioned himself to look uncannily like his late wife, the woman with whom he has come to share an identity, a profile, even beauty marks.

P-Orridge (he pronounces the initial letter, as in pee-orridge) started out as a relatively conventional fringe provocateur, if there is such a thing. Born under the name Neil Megson, P-Orridge became an icon of the London avant-garde in 1976, when his art collective, COUM Transmissions, staged a retrospective called Prostitution at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Prostitution aimed to inflame: pornographic photos, sculptures made of used tampons, transvestite security guards. (A Tory member of Parliament seethed to the Daily Mail, These people are the wreckers of civilisation.) What followed reads like a Beat almanac of acid-laced Dada aesthetics. He befriended William S. Burroughs (Burroughs campaigned on his behalf for Arts Council grants; P-Orridge co-opted Burroughs's literary cut-up technique for his collages). He birthed the hard-charging genre of industrial-rock music, spearheading the bands Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV. He collaborated with fringe heroes like Timothy Leary and Derek Jarman, championing the tattoo-and-piercing-indulgent modern primitive movement.

But that was all before 1993, when he met Jacqueline Breyer. Known to friends as Lady Jaye, she was a tall, Twiggy-esque blonde who had dabbled in dominatrix work, and she shared his interest in body modification. P-Orridge fell hard for her, as he tends to do (he can swallow a lot of you, a friend notes). He bought a brownstone that had belonged to Breyer's grandmother, and they moved in. Breyer was equally enthralled, referring to P-Orridgean occultist with thirteen penis piercingsas Bunny. We fell in love the minute we saw each other, and as we became more and more obsessively in love, we had that whole feeling of I wish I could eat you up. I wish I could just take you, and I become you and you become me,'  he says.

So as a tenth-anniversary present to each other, they began to do just that. They called the project Pandrogeny. On Valentine's Day 2003, the two received matching sets of breast implants from Dr. Daniel Baker, a well-known Upper East Side cosmetic surgeon. Eye and nose jobs followed, and in subsequent years the two would receive, altogether, $200,000 worth of cheek and chin implants, lip plumping, liposuction, a tattooed beauty mark, and hormone therapy. They dressed in identical outfits. Each mimicked the other's mannerisms.

And then in 2007, after returning from a tour with Psychic TV's spinoff, PTV3, they lost half of their unified whole: Breyer died at 38, of stomach cancer. She'd been about to get a set of gold teeth, to match his.

We were getting there, weren't we? Sitting in their apartment nearly two years later, P-Orridge refers to himself in the plural: we, us, our. Not on occasion, or when he remembers, but resolutely: in conversation, in e-mail exchanges. (I'm sticking with he and him here, for clarity's sake.) He believes that his wife still exists within him. The project, P-Orridge says, has little to do with sex or vanity, and more to do with behavioral sciencetesting the boundaries of identity, redirecting the way other people encode their expectations and their needs on you. It's like his collage work in that we've always been interested in falling out of the frame.

Breyer's death has been heartbreaking for all of the obvious reasons, but especially because it has coincided with the greatest acclaim of P-Orridge's career. A retrospective of his collages, 30 Years of Being Cut Up, opens September 9 at Invisible- Exports. He's the subject of two upcoming documentaries. Next March, he'll lecture at MoMA. And in November, the Tate acquired 40 years' worth of his art, writing, correspondence, and video and audio. For P-Orridge, the moment is bittersweet: As his life's work is being celebrated, the project of his life has fallen apart. As his friend Katy Paycheck, a former Christie's specialist, told him, To me, performance art is the same as painting. There's no difference at all. So you're in the middle of a painting that you'll never finish and it's just this twilight for the rest of your life.
Posted by at

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)