Friday, September 15, 2017

Signs the economy is bad: September 15, 2017 edition

Welcome to another edition of "Signs the Economy is Bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. This is the semi-regular (as in when I have time and/or feel like doing it) feature where I scour the Internet in search of the oh so subtle hints that the economy is bad. Sure, pundits may say things are getting better, but what do they know? And to show not all is bad, once in a while we look at how good the uber rich have it.



I leave you alone for a couple of weeks, and serious mayhem breaks out from eclipses to hurricanes. So let's see what has been happening in the bad economy for this week.

Let's start with the hurricanes. Sure, places like Houston and Florida had been hit hard, not to mention the devastation in the Caribbean. However, the hurricanes themselves are not a sign of the bad economy. Here are your bad economy hurricane signs:

  • Houston was hit seriously hard. I have a soft spot for the city because I lived and worked there for a few years. I still have some friends there. They are fortunate. Many Houstonians lost their homes and all they owned. This included renters. So, what did the landlords do? They decided to demand rent anyhow on properties that were under water (literally) or completely gone from people who lost everything, even the shirts off their backs. In a nutshell, greedy fuckery. This reminded me of this ("fuck you, pay me." Link to video clip) Story  via Countercurrent News
  • Here is more fuckery out of Houston. This is the Christian edition. Joel Osteen, paster of the notorious megachurch in Houston, decided he wanted to keep his church clean and pristine, so he kept it close despite, well, being a church that one would think serve as sanctuary. His initial excuse was that it flooded. He was called out on that lie when people actually verified it was not. Eventually the social media shaming was so bad  he finally allowed his tax shelter to be an actual shelter for the needy. You would think the story ends there. Oh, you would be wrong. He had to make up somehow, so when those needy people were in  the church, people who lost everything, he decided to pass around the collection plate to them. Story via Countercurrent News
  • Naturally the Pendejo In Chief put an appearance in Houston, and he was peddling hats. Hey, this is America: you got to find ways to make a buck even at the expense of others' misery. Story via Crooks and Liars.
  • Speaking of exploiting vulnerable people, Delta Airlines decided to jack up their flight rates out of Houston. You know, a little price gouging. Story via Alternet.
  • In another case of "fuck you, pay me," the IMF pretty much  told Barbados that even though  the island is devastated. Story via Courthouse News.
In other signs the economy is bad:


In higher education news:



And how are the uber rich doing?
  • In shitty rich hipster ideas, two guys who used to work for Google want to put New York City bodegas out of business. How? With vending machines they are calling "Bodega." Because not only are they being dicks at targeting the businesses, they do so shamelessly by appropriating their name. Story via Daily Intelligencer.
  • If cheap toothpaste is not your thing, maybe you want to consider $17 toothpaste. Story via Boing Boing.
  • And if you are uber rich, you want to sleep in comfort. Nice bed sheets are a good for a comfy bed, and recently, you could save $20 on a nice set of organic cotton bed sheets. Story via Boing Boing
  • Speaking of organic and other fancy labels, you can now also find gluten free water. Story via The Conversation
  • The Pendejo In Chief's golf clubs are doing very well as lobbyists have paid millions to join them. They would not be seeking any special access or anything, would they? Nah. Story via VICE.
  • And speaking of  politicians, keeping the appearance of being uber rich is often a concern. The struggle is real, so some of them resort to a little theft. Now, how do you avoid getting caught pilfering your government's own funds? Pro tip: Maybe try not to buy a tuxedo for your dog. Story via Esquire.
  • Finally for this week: If you are into BDSM and fetish, and you got some money to burn, maybe you want some custom made wooden furniture for spankings and floggings. Some models start at $5,000. Story via VICE.



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