"Let them eat cake."
I'd like to give Mr. President my honest regards | For disregarding me
Tracy Chapman | Talking 'Bout a Revolution
The Dow average decreased 243.8 points, or 3.5 percent, to 6,819.13 at 1:43 p.m. in New York. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index dropped 4 percent to 705.69. Europe’s Dow Jones Stoxx 600 Index tumbled 4 percent, its steepest loss of the year. Treasuries rose as investors sought a haven, driving the yield on 10-year notes down to 2.9 percent from 3.01 percent.
The MSCI World Index of stocks in 23 developed nations fell 4.6 percent to 716.13, the lowest intraday level since the Iraq War began in March 2003. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index slid 4.8 percent, while Hungary’s forint dropped after European Union banks spurned aid pleas for eastern Europe.
Bloomberg | Stocks Drop Worldwide, Treasuries Gain on Concern About Economy
It was hard to fault McCain on the merits as he described contents of the $410 billion spending bill: $1.7 million for pig odor research in Iowa; $6.6 million for termite research in New Orleans; $2.1 million for the "Center for Great Genetics" in New York; $1.7 million for a honeybee factory in Weslaco, Tex.; $333,000 for a school sidewalk in Franklin, Tex.; $207,000 for a tattoo removal program in Los Angeles; $143,000 for an online encyclopedia in Nevada; and $951,500 for a "sustainable Las Vegas."
"What does that mean?" McCain demanded. "What does 'sustainable Las Vegas' mean?" The other earmarks -- for the Alaska PTA, a South Dakota rodeo museum and a robotics center in South Carolina — sounded little better. "Two hundred thirty-eight thousand dollars for the Polynesian Voyaging Society in Honolulu, Hawaii, when people are out of a job!" McCain railed. And then there were the earmarks worth nearly $10 million requested by a lobbying company, PMA Group, that was raided by the FBI over its campaign donations.
Washington Post | Agape With Wrath
Anyone can see | Nothing really matters — nothing really matters to me
Queen | Bohemian Rhapsody
