From the October 20 issue of The New Yorker comes Hendrik Hertzberg's Beyond The Palin, a compelling critique of Republican negativism. Mentioned is their attempt to smear Obama as a terrorist, raising questions about his association with Bill Ayers, a college professor and pillar of the Chicago education-reform establishment who was once a Weatherman but has since renounced his New Left affiliations of the late 60s (a time, by the way, when Obama was 8 years old and living with his mother in Indonesia).

After October

Elizabeth Dee Gallery, 545 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011
http://www.elizabethdeegallery.com/
212 924 7545

October 18 - November 22, 2008

Andreas Bunte, Duncan Campbell, Thea Djordjadze, Matias Faldbakken, Claire Fontaine, Luca Frei, Cyprien Gaillard and Pia Rönicke

Organized by Tim Saltarelli

Opening Reception: Saturday, October 18, 6-8 pm

TRAJECTORIES OF THE CATASTROPHIC

http://www.trajectoriesofthecatastrophic.net/

Chapter One: Loomings

Ishmael introduces himself, considers the Fates, or Providence, and elects to embark on a whaling voyage.

I should now take it into my head to go on a whaling voyage; this the invisible police officer of the Fates, who has the constant surveillance of me, and secretly dogs me, and influences me in some unaccountable way- he can better answer than any one else. And, doubtless, my going on this whaling voyage, formed part of the grand programme of Providence that was drawn up a long time ago. It came in as a sort of brief interlude and solo between more extensive performances. I take it that this part of the bill must have run something like this:

"Grand Contested Election for the Presidency of the United States. "WHALING VOYAGE BY ONE ISHMAEL." "BLOODY BATTLE IN AFFGHANISTAN."

"Toward the center of the field there is a slight mound, a swelling in the earth, which is the only warning given for the presence of the work. Closer to it, the large square face of the pit can be seen, as can the ends of the ladder that is needed to descend into the excavation. The work itself is thus entirely below grade: half atrium, half tunnel, the boundary between outside and in, a delicate structure of wooden posts and beams. The work, Perimeters, Pavilions, Decoys, 1978, by Mary Miss, is of course a sculpture or, more precisely, an earthwork."

via greg.org:

http://greg.org/archive/2008/10/13/october_surprise.html

diffenbacchia

Wednesday, September 3, 2008 -- A large explosion in a Video parlour blast in the Ethiopian capital kills six.

Wednesday October 01, 2008 -- Fifteen men have died and 10 more people have been injured after a suspected arson attack on an all-night adult video parlour in Osaka, Japan.

The other day I was summoned to the Williamsburg studio of the tall, curly headed Swiss artist Christoph Draegger to help him prevent a disaster—tying down an oversized art work to the roof of his car for transport to the gallery. The perversity of the occasion hit us fast and hard; that in order to prevent a disaster, we must first presuppose it.

Washington Post, October 4: McCain Plans Fiercer Strategy

Sen. John McCain and his Republican allies are readying a newly aggressive assault on Sen. Barack Obama's character, believing that to win in November they must shift the conversation back to questions about the Democrat's judgment, honesty and personal associations, several top Republicans said.
With just a month to go until Election Day, McCain's team has decided that its emphasis on the senator's biography as a war hero, experienced lawmaker and straight-talking maverick is insufficient to close a growing gap with Obama.

On October 10, 2008 the Dow Jones dropped 697 points in the first six minutes of trading, rebounded to positive territory after the first half hour, then fell again and maintained a loss of several hundred points (up to 520) for most of the session. In the final half hour it rallied for a gain of 322 which it could not sustain, lurching negative, positive, negative, and finally closing 128 down.

It was the most volatile day in the 112 year history of the index, over a thousand points between high and low. And it followed six straight losing sessions for October 2008, including several daily drops of 500 - 700 points, during which the Dow lost 22 percent of its value.

This has been the worst week ever for the Dow, which closed at 8451, its lowest level since April 2003. On October 9, 2007, just a year ago, the index set an all-time high of 14165. Five years of gains have effectively been erased in the past year, with half of these losses coming in the last week.