where's my Bailout?

Today GM said it may cut a bunch of its' workforce. It "lost" billions last year."Lost" - as in paid out more than they took in. "Lost" meaning paid out to employees, who then supported the economy with their paychecks. And also paid out in bonuses to CEOs, and who knows what happens with that- probably "lost" in the Caymans, or on Wallstreet, or at the Mercedes dealer...

Why are bonuses paid out for failure? Why are companies still in business when they don't show a profit? How does that work? I mean, after 3-4 years of negative numbers, how is it they still pretend to be viable?

Something here is just not right..

Keep Calm & Carry On

Watching the stock market bounce up and down is giving me a stiff neck. Following politics has my head spinning. So I thought I'd make earrings.

I bought some antique copper findings from Artful Market and got busy. You can see some of my output above. Cool, huh?

The World Without Us

As if things were'nt bad enough in the world, I bought a book- The World Without Us by Alan Weisman.

A couple of years ago I read Collapse, a riveting history of why ancient and not so ancient civilizations failed. It included the Incas and Mayans, Islands in the South Pacific, the state of Montana (U.S.), Australia, Greenland... from over-fishing, to overpopulation, to the introduction of non-native species... it's a fascinating acount of the progression of civilization and in some cases the ruination of ecosystems. Highly recommend it for anyone interested in the way environment and man interact.

This new book- The World Without Us - looks to be every bit as compelling. It's supposed to be "a sketch of where we stand as a species that is both illuminating and terrifying." .. Barry Lopez, author of Arctic Dreams.
It's going to tell me how we're doomed as a species, we'll become extinct, -- but--all our architecture and art and stuff like that will stay around as mute testimony. But we won't be here...

I'll give you a deeper book report after I've finished reading it.

In the meanwhile, don't forget to vote.

The Temptation

of politics... It's so futile, yet so overwhelming.

Thankfully, we have no investments in stock. If we did, I'd prbably be a blathering idiot. Oh, I'm sure we'll feel the pain in many ways, but we won't actually have to watch our money disappear on a daily basis. So this week we've seen the government hand over hundreds of billions of dollars to Wall St, which has proven so well how it uses our funds. We've watched as our Congressmen actually voted for the bailout, barely batting an eyelash.

We've received our mail-in ballots.

We've seen the beauty pageants and the you-tube videos, seen the cartoons and heard the late-night jokes. Watched SNL explain the bailout. Saw the newly homeless doing what they can to make a last-ditch effort to maintain some dignity. Read the sad story of the man who shot his whole family because he saw no way out of his financial crisis.

During the great depression, brokers jumped out of windows. Now they just hold out their hands, palm up. Government is their friend when they're in trouble- but please! No oversight or regulation. That would be wrong.

Here's a bit of history for all you folks (all 2 or 3 of you) reading here...
the story of the Keating Five:
http://my.barackobama.com/keatingvideo

watch it, it's very enlightening for anyone who missed the real thing. And it gives insight into McCain's way of thinking.

In the meanwhile, I stay busy with my crafting and artsy-ness. I'm coming out with my new Recession Collection very soon. And after that, the Depression Collection should be following soon.

Gotta keep your chin up!

Problems with searching Etsy...

So we list and renew our items on Etsy - some people do this more than others - it's generally the only way to have your work show up in the searches. Today they announce there are problems with listings not showing up. Photos appearing as grey squares, whole categories showing zero stuff.

Until this is fixed, I won't be listing anything new, or renewing anything.

But I still make stuff, every day.

Tonight Leanne (leannimal on Etsy) won her first challenge on Project Runway. It's a fun show to watch; so many different types of designers, it's inspiring!

Have a great end of August!

This is fun...

Here's a fun game to test how well your brain works:
How to play the Flash Fabrica Game--

1. Touch 'start'
2. Wait for 3, 2, 1
3. Memorize the number's position on the screen, then click the circle from the smallest number to the biggest number.
4. At the end of game, computer will tell you how old your brain is.
Good luck !!

http://flashfabrica.com/f_learning/brain/brain.html

it's harder than it looks, but my brain tested at age 34, and I'm alot older than that, so I was thrilled.

It's the little things like this that make life worth living, eh?

A Joke, Kind of- and Saturday Thoughts

So George Bush Sr says to GB Jr: Did you hear? Russia invaded Georgia...

GB Jr says: Oh! I hope Atlanta is OK...

Only a few months left for this sadly comedic duo... and not a moment too soon. As I get older, I have less and less patience with liars and fools. At this point, though, I feel sorry for the next yayhoo who takes the reins. Trying to right this sinking ship is a task I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've been a bit creative this week- here's a picture or two:

The turquoise is Chinese, stabilized- I've had it for quite a few years. Copper freshwater pearls complement the look.

The old photo is from a few I picked up at the flea market. The necklace reminds me of something she might have worn. It's made of glass crystals, swarovski dangles, antiqued brass and gold filled chain. Pretty.

Both are available in my Etsy shop http://www.foxaz.etsy.com/