Thursday, September 25, 2008

*Everyday Chatter

Today at 4: No Bailout for Wall Street protest. [Naomi Klein]

Tomorrow night at 6: Slacktivists zero in on their next protest site--the graffiti art show at the future "Pastis East" on Bowery. [EVG] and [NMNL]

Condo buyers are defaulting on their contracts--and boom! The Condopocalypse has begun. [Sun] via [Curbed]

And now the banks are backing out, scaling back on new outposts in NYC. Bye-bye banks! [Gothamist]

Oops, not so fast. Condo Yves is getting a bank. It's not a shiny, glamorous Chase, though. It's a, umm, Bank of Smithtown? Apparently, Long Island's "Premier Community Bank":


I guess Yves' dream of attracting "flagship retail" didn't pan out. The rest of the first floor space will be taken up by the Core real estate marketing company, who brought NYC a whole bunch of big condos--which may or may not get swept up in the "default phenomenon" linked to above:


Patrick Bateman, the American Psycho, is coming to a Broadway theater near you. Just in time, as Wall Streeters lose their minds. [Gothamist]

"There is certainly a food chain of greed, from the lowliest house-flipper in the Southern California exurbs to the Hamptons hedge fund manager." [Times]

esquared notes, "Apparently, people would rather know more about cupcakes than the financial crisis." [mojo]

Bowery survivor lived in a box, enjoys Whole Foods. [CR]

Saturday night: Take an evening to Save the Bowery at the Bowery Poetry Club. [SLES]

Enjoy "Up on the Roof," a movie about Williamsburg's rooftop pigeon coops.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Moss, get this out there!


Protest Wall Street!
September 22, 2008, 5:09 pm

Forward widely….

Everyone,

This week the White House is going to try to push through the biggest robbery in world history with nary a stitch of debate to bail out the Wall Street bastards who created this economic apocalypse in the first place.

This is the financial equivalent of September 11. They think, just like with the Patriot Act, they can use the shock to force through the “therapy,” and we’ll just roll over!

Think about it: They said providing healthcare for 9 million children, perhaps costing $6 billion a year, was too expensive, but there’s evidently no sum of money large enough that will sate the Wall Street pigs. If this passes, forget about any money for environmental protection, to counter global warming, for education, for national healthcare, to rebuild our decaying infrastructure, for alternative energy.

This is a historic moment. We need to act now while we can influence the debate. Let’s demonstrate this Thursday at 4pm in Wall Street (see below).

We know the congressional Democrats will peep meekly before caving in like they have on everything else, from FISA to the Iraq War.

With Bear Stearns, Fannie and Freddie, AIG, the money markets and now this omnibus bailout, well in excess of $1 trillion will be distributed from the poor, workers and middle class to the scum floating on top.

This whole mess gives lie to the free market. The Feds are propping up stock prices, directing buyouts, subsidizing crooks and swindlers who already made a killing off the mortgage bubble.

Worst of all, even before any details have been hashed out, The New York Times admits that “Wall Street began looking for ways to profit from it,” and its chief financial correspondent writes that the Bush administration wants “Congress to give them a blank check to do whatever they want, whatever the cost, with no one able to watch them closely.”

It’s socialism for the rich and dog-eat-dog capitalism for the rest of us.

Let’s take it to the heart of the financial district! Gather at 4pm, this Thursday, Sept. 25 in the plaza at the southern end of Bowling Green Park, which is the small triangular park that has the Wall Street bull at the northern tip.

By having it later in the day we can show these thieves, as they leave work, we’re not their suckers. Plus, anyone who can’t get off work can still join us downtown as soon as they are able.

There is no agenda, no leaders, no organizing group, nothing to endorse other than we’re not going to pay! Let the bondholders pay, let the banks pay, let those who brought the “toxic” mortgage-backed securities pay!

On this list are many key organizers and activists. We have a huge amount of connections – we all know many other organizations, activists and community groups. We know P.R. folk who can quickly write up and distribute press releases, those who can contact legal observers, media activists who can spread the word, the videographers who can film the event, etc.

Do whatever you can – make and distribute your own flyers, contact all your groups and friends. This crime is without precedence and we can’t be silent! What’s the point of waiting for someone else to organize a protest two months from now, long after the crime has been perpetrated?

We have everything we need to create a large, peaceful, loud demonstration. Millions of others must feel the same way; they just don’t know what to do. Let’s take the lead and make this the start!

AGAIN:
When: 4pm – ? Thursday, September 25.
Where: Southern end of Bowling Green Park, in the plaza area
What to bring: Banners, noisemakers, signs, leaflets, etc.
Why: To say we won’t pay for the Wall Street bailout
Who: Everyone!

Anonymous said...

Haha. By the time anyone reads this, the deal will be done.

Anonymous said...

Wow. This Rx guy has no idea what's really at stake here. Not a single clue.

Anonymous said...

"Anonymous said...

Wow. This Rx guy has no idea what's really at stake here. Not a single clue."

But, for sure you do, eh, chum?

L'Emmerdeur said...

No folks, don't protest it, embrace it! This bailout is awesome! It will promote further risk-taking and losses, and cause the whole thing to come crashing down even harder next year.

And when this shit collapses like the house of cards it really is, we will all get the New York we grew up in and loved back from the zombies and yunnies.

Isn't this what we all want? Support the Next Great Depression! Hey, maybe if none of us have money, we'll spend less time on frickin' cell phones or shopping and more time actually, you know, talking to each other.

It'll also clear out some of those ghoulish Magnolia SATC chicks. Creepy.