Tom — aka Functional Ambivalent — reports that [t]oday I cleared out my office and am going on with my life. Go read.
Day: December 31, 2008
In a Year, 6 Years of Market Gains Are Lost
The markets were headed for a higher close Wednesday, but overall, it was a very bad year to own stocks, any stocks — indeed, one of the worst ever. The Dow Jones industrial average will end the year down more than 34 percent, the worst year for the index since 1931, and the broader Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index more than 38 percent. Blue-chips like General Motors, Citigroup and Alcoa lost more than 70 percent of their value.
All told, about $7 trillion of shareholders’ wealth — the gains of the last six years — will be wiped out in a year marked by violent market swings.
But what is striking is not just the magnitude of the declines, staggering as they are, but also their breadth. All but 2 of the 30 Dow industrials, Wal-Mart and McDonalds, fell by more than 11 percent.
Enable half-star ratings in iTunes (Mac Only)
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) has a great tip for increasing your ability to rate tracks in iTunes. A simple command enables you to use 1/2 stars.
Mac only.
El Malpais National Monument (New Mexico)
… was established on this date in 1987.
This monument preserves 114,277 acres of which 109,260 acres are federal and 5,017 acres are private. El Malpais means “the badlands” but contrary to its name this unique area holds many surprises, many of which researchers are now unraveling. Volcanic features such as lava flows, cinder cones, pressure ridges and complex lava tube systems dominate the landscape. Closer inspection reveals unique ecosystems with complex relationships. Sandstone bluffs and mesas border the eastern side, providing access to vast wilderness.
For more than 10,000 years people have interacted with the El Malpais landscape. Historic and archeological sites provide reminders of past times. More than mere artifacts, these cultural resources are kept alive by the spiritual and physical presence of contemporary Indian groups, including the Puebloan peoples of Acoma, Laguna,and Zuni, and the Ramah Navajo. These tribes continue their ancestral uses of El Malpais including gathering herbs and medicines, paying respect, and renewing ties.
Capulin Volcano National Monument (New Mexico)
… was established in 1916 and renamed on this date in 1987.
Mammoths, giant bison, and short-faced bears were witness to the first tremblings of the earth and firework-like explosions of molten rock thousands of feet into the air. Approximately 60,000 years ago, the rain of cooling cinders and four lava flows formed Capulin Volcano, a nearly perfectly-shaped cinder cone, rising more than 1000 feet above the surrounding landscape. Although long extinct, Capulin Volcano is dramatic evidence of the volcanic processes that shaped northeastern New Mexico. Today the pine forested volcano provide habitat for mule deer, wild turkey, and black bear.
Procrastination Can Be Good
NewMexiKen is reposting this item from 2005 for those of you who haven’t gotten around to reading it yet.
An essay on Good and Bad Procrastination from Paul Graham:
So the question is not how to avoid procrastination, but how to procrastinate well.
There are three variants of procrastination, depending on what you do instead of working on something: you could work on (a) nothing, (b) something less important, or (c) something more important. That last type, I’d argue, is good procrastination.
Key quote: “What’s the best thing you could be working on, and why aren’t you?”
Idle thought
If Yellowstone does blow up, is there any way we can blame Bush?
New Year’s Eve Day
The last day of the year is the birthday
… of Anthony Hopkins. The Oscar winner is 71. Hopkins has been nominated for Best Actor three times, winning for The Silence of the Lambs. He was also nominated as Best Supporting Actor for Amistad.
… of Tim Considine. Spin of “Spin and Marty” is 68. Considine was also the oldest of “My Three Sons” and played the soldier slapped by General Patton in the film Patton.
… of Sarah Miles. The Oscar nominee (best actress for Ryan’s Daughter) is 67.
… of Ben Kingsley. The Oscar winner is 65. He won Best Actor for his portrayal of Gandhi. He was also nominated for Best Actor for House of Sand and Fog and twice for Best Supporting Actor.
… of Diane Von Furstenberg. The fashion designer is 62.
… of Tim Matheson. Animal House’s “Otter,” better known recently as Vice President John Hoynes on “West Wing,” is 61.
… of Donna Summer. The Bad Girl is 60.
… of Bebe Neuwirth. Lilith is 50. Ms. Neuwirth won the Emmy twice for this role on Cheers.
… of Val Kilmer. New Mexico’s prospective governor is 49.
… of Gong Li. The actress is 43. So is author Nicholas Sparks.
Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. was born in Roswell, New Mexico, on this date in 1943. His grandmother gave him a guitar while he lived in Tucson and eventually he became John Denver. Denver died in 1997 when his experimental plane crashed into Monterey Bay.
George C. Marshall was born on this date in 1880.
Few Americans in the twentieth century have left a greater legacy to world peace than George C. Marshall (1880-1959). As chief of staff of the United States Army during World War II, it fell to Marshall to raise, train, and equip an army of several million men. It was Marshall who selected the officer corps and it was Marshall who played a leading role in planning military operations on a global scale. In the end, it was Marshall whom British Prime Minister Winston Churchill hailed as “the true organizer of victory.”
Yet history will associate Marshall foremost as the author of the Marshall Plan. The idea of extending billions of American dollars for European economic recovery was not his alone. He was only one of many Western leaders who realized the tragic consequences of doing nothing for those war-shattered countries in which basic living conditions were deplorable and still deteriorating two years after the end of the fighting. But Marshall, more than anyone else, led the way. In an address at Harvard University on June 5, 1947, Marshall, in his capacity as secretary of state, articulated the general principles of the Marshall Plan. (National Portrait Gallery)
Marshall won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953.
Henri Matisse was born on this date in 1869. With Picasso, Matisse is considered the pinnacle of 20th century painting.
The WebMuseum has details of the life and works of Matisse including several examples.
Matisse died in 1954.
If Old Faithful is about to blow big time, head for the hills. Or Paris.
Garrison Keillor says that earthquake activity at Yellowstone has him thinking of flying to Paris.
Thanks to Chantal for the link.