The Binary Circumstance

I came across this interesting clip of Joni Mitchell being interviewed by Charlie Rose in January 2008.

In the interview she noted similarities between pre-war Germany and the U.S. She also said we were “on the brink of economic collapse globally.”

In addition she commented on weak men v. aggressive women and her lifelong smoking habit.

Maybe she should give up music and become a talking head on CNBC! (Just kidding.) Jim Cramer, Alan Greenspan, the Wall Street computer models, economists, and politicians were all still pretending things were going to be fine. In fact, most still are.

This clip is from YouTube. The entire interview is on the CharlieRose.com site, dated January 19, 2008. Most of what was cut out in this version was promoting her new CD “Shine.”

Now here is a chart of the S&P 500 that shows where she said we were on the “brink of economic collapse globally.” (Click to enlarge.) As we all know, other world markets followed the same path with many now in worse shape than we are.

Chart of S&P 500 Index

Although I’ve always been a big fan of Joni Mitchell’s music, I don’t rely on her for political or economic insights. I’ve been quoting people for over three years who said the housing market was in trouble. I was hoping that people would listen to their warnings. But I certainly didn’t see it turning into the global banking meltdown that we’ve seen. I should have, but I didn’t. Maybe Joni was seeing something that others were not.

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Lyrics from “Big Yellow Taxi” - Joni Mitchell

Billionaire George Soros says the global financial system has collapsed and there’s no sign of a bottom.

From CNBC:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Renowned investor George Soros said on Friday the world financial system has effectively disintegrated, adding that there is yet no prospect of a near-term resolution to the crisis.

Soros said the turbulence is actually more severe than during the Great Depression, comparing the current situation to the demise of the Soviet Union.

He said the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in September marked a turning point in the functioning of the market system.

“We witnessed the collapse of the financial system,” Soros said at a Columbia University dinner. “It was placed on life support, and it’s still on life support. There’s no sign that we are anywhere near a bottom.”

Speaking at the same conference, former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker was just as gloomy.

“I don’t remember any time, maybe even in the Great Depression, when things went down quite so fast, quite so uniformly around the world,” Volcker said.

If their comments are accurate and this is what governments and financial experts in the private sector have done to the global economy, why would anybody trust them to fix it? They obviously don’t know much about how to run an economy.

Every solution proposed so far keeps the same people in power and in charge of the system. The various stimulus packages just hand over more money and power to them. Does anybody ever stop to consider that maybe the people who created the system and run it are the problem? Those who keep giving them more money and power are among the guilty parties.

I’m not convinced that things are as horrible and Soros and Volcker make them out to be. The pattern so far has been to instill a fear of catastrophe into the population so people will surrender more money and control. The Bush administration did it and the Obama administration has been to follow the same pattern. It’s the way the government makes itself seem essential. Having people like Soros and Volcker make such comments may just be part of the big plan.

Volcker is an adviser to President Obama and is calling for increased regulation and “decisive actions” which I think means more money. His comments are catastrophic as is typical of such pleas for more government control and more taxpayer money. Remember the weapons of mass destruction and “imminent threat” that the Bush administration used to get us into the war in Iraq?

The world has been through turmoil many times before. It is never a fun time. But people can be remarkably resourceful when they are allowed to be and the vast majority of them find a way through it.

If you don’t believe that people can do amazing things when they empower themselves in the face of great obstacles, check out this YouTube video of blind classical pianist Tamar Shalvashvili playing Scriabin’s Poème Tragique Op. 34. I didn’t know that such a thing was possible. [I'm not sure if "blind" means totally blind or "legally blind."]

Consider what she has done with her life and her disability. Read about Scott MacIntyre, another blind classical pianist. (ScottMacIntyre.com says MacIntyre is “visually impaired.”) Compare what they have done with what the governments and bankers of the world have done to the financial system. They built a house of cards and according to Soros and Volcker, it has collapsed, taking millions of lives down with it.

This video of Paul Potts, a shy, unconfident car phone salesman singing opera (Nessun Dorma) on the TV show Britain’s Got Talent, brought me to tears the first time I saw it.

The fact that he went on to win the contest shows that some things are right in the world, along with that no-talent Paris Hilton being in jail and the crooked DA Mike Nifong being disbarred.

Here’s the direct link, which is sometimes faster.

Too bad there’s no talent like this on the American version of the show which just sucks so far this season.

Melinda Doolittle, who was easily the most polished and consistent singer on this season’s American Idol got voted off tonight, leaving Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis to duke it out in the final.

Melinda’s got a great career ahead of her even though she didn’t win. People might have been reacting against Simon’s obvious love of her by voting for the other candidates instead. Since many people probably expected that she would be in the finale, they may have concentrated their votes on the person they wanted to compete against her. That would have given a lot of votes to Jordin and Blake and left Melinda high and dry.

In my perfect world, Melinda and Blake would have been the finalists, but this was not to be. Now I think the finale will be a bore.

The good news is that Blake’s chances of winning the contest just went up with Melinda out of the picture. And as I said before, Blake is an original and also a polished performer. I don’t think Jordin can beat him, although there are some who think that those who voted for Melinda are more likely to vote for Jordin at the finale. I can see that logic because I thought that Blake would be booted off this week because LaKisha’s voters would be more likely to vote for Melinda and Jordin this week, but that didn’t happen.

If Blake can pull off some eye-catching numbers at the finale, he will stand out and Jordin will be just another female singer with a great voice, and the field is already so crowded with them.

Paula Abdul certainly got it wrong when she said that Seattle had the “best delusional” singers. (She appeared to be under the influence of something when she said it.) Both Sanjaya and Blake are from the Seattle area and they both did well. Now, I’ll be surprised if Blake doesn’t win.

Check out the Seattle-PI article on Blake’s rise to the top. They also point out that both Jordin and Blake auditioned in Seattle.