Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

Celebrate the fucking wins.

Innocent people do not delay justice.

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

Republicans in disarray!

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

There are some who say that there are too many strawmen arguments on this blog.

If ‘weird’ was the finish line, they ran through the tape and kept running.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

You cannot love your country only when you win.

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Late Night Open Thread: Wu-Tang Clan Fans Are… INTENSE

Late Night Open Thread: Wu-Tang Clan Fans Are… INTENSE

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75Comments

  1. 1.

    Matt McIrvin

    Wasn’t there some clause reserving the right for the Wu-Tang Clan to steal it back in a heist involving Bill Murray? How do these developments affect that?

  3. 3.

    Mary G

    In a similar vein, this also makes me happy:

    Inbox: DOJ seizes the Epic of Gilgamesh from Hobby Lobby pic.twitter.com/kUEDCBcnv4— Matt Ford (@fordm) July 27, 2021

     

    We knew this outfit was a front for rich grifty rich people. The real news here is that they got merchandise from somewhere that isn't China.— BeaglesResist, House of Pfizer ? (@BeaglesResist) July 28, 2021

  5. 5.

    guachi

    I’ll drop this feel-good Olympic story here rather than in the last thread so as not to detract from that important discussion.

    Anna Kiesenhofer of Austria won the women’s road cycling gold medal. Sole Austrian entrant, not a professional, no coach. Was in a five woman break right from the start. Last woman standing from that break with 40km of the 137km race remaining. Soloed the rest of the way to the gold as the peleton dithered and lost track that she was even still ahead. Beat the heavily favored Dutch riders as well as strong German, Italian, and American teams.

    Breakaways like this, especially in single stage races, just don’t work. It’s almost unheard of.

  7. 7.

    Benw

    I am surprised and saddened to find out that many people, including the US govt, think the Wu-Tang Clan is something to fuck with.

  13. 13.

    Leto

    @guachi: similar story to the women’s triathlon winner who’s from Bermuda. Basically no support, but won the countries first gold ever. But yeah, Anna’s story is just crazy awesome.

  14. 14.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: The call will be traceable. Right now someone will be trying to determine whether anything in the call is a true threat. Once they have the identity of the caller, they’ll review his social media, if there is any, and use that to also determine if there is a true threat to Officer Fanone from this asshat.

  21. 21.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Fair Economist:

    The article mentions something about the bond market:

    And even though these have not been as troubling as the time the repo rate exploded under the Fed’s nose to above 9% and required yet another set of emergency interventions, central bankers have had further reminders — this time from the bond market — that their usual dashboard no longer captures well the underlying state of market functioning.

    Not really sure what the author means by that tho

  22. 22.

    JoyceH

    @Adam L Silverman:

    The call will be traceable.

    A lot more is traceable than people think. The feds just charged a guy with threats to Dr. Fauci – this guy had sent threatening e-mails through a Swiss encryption service, but they tracked him down. Dude faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

  24. 24.

    bluehill

    This is a crazy story.

    Bill’s final semester at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, was already difficult enough.

    He was part of the final graduating class of survivors of the 2018 shooting, and they all had just marked the third anniversary of the day 17 people were killed, nine of whom were Bill’s classmates.

    But Bill also had to deal with his father’s daily accusations that the shooting was a hoax and that the shooter, Bill, and all his classmates were paid pawns in a grand conspiracy orchestrated by some shadowy force.

    https://www.vice.com/en/article/epnq84/im-a-parkland-shooting-survivor-qanon-convinced-my-dad-it-was-all-a-hoax?utm_source=pocket&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pockethits

  25. 25.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Steeplejack:

    Here’s the most important bits:

    The Fed’s inflation discussion will take place against the backdrop of more data points that suggest parts of the significant increase in the whole range of price indicators — the consumer index, the producer price index and the personal consumption expenditures price index, or PCE, the Fed’s favorite measure — may not be as “transitory” as the top-level conviction has been signaling again and again. It may force a more focused internal discussion on what exactly transitory means and, even trickier, whether the central bank should share more operational details with markets. Unfortunately, the analysis may continue to rely excessively on models, whose efficacy is inadvertently weakened by continuing structural changes in the economy and financial market distortions, instead of comprehensive company-based information on cost developments and pricing behavior.

    Then there is the extent to which the continuous rise in asset prices is encouraging excessive risk-taking, bubbles and unsettling future financial volatility. As has been routine now, the FOMC will be meeting on the heels of yet another set of records in a host of financial metrics, including stock prices, liability-related corporate activities, margin debt, retail sector participation and more. And even though these have not been as troubling as the time the repo rate exploded under the Fed’s nose to above 9% and required yet another set of emergency interventions, central bankers have had further reminders — this time from the bond market — that their usual dashboard no longer captures well the underlying state of market functioning.

    I suspect that, when judged by its statement on Wednesday and the press conference that follows, the Fed will punt on all three issues. Specifically, it will welcome the further strengthening of the U.S. economy but also acknowledge the higher Covid-related uncertainties; repeat the conviction on transitory inflation but not provide analytical backing or additional specificity; and note the elevated asset prices but refrain from drawing any conclusions about the need to step up countermeasures, especially as it relates to financial system stability.

    The Fed will most likely continue to convey patience, including tolerance for inflation to run hotter and for longer than previously anticipated. It will indicate that the time has come for the FOMC to “start thinking about thinking about” tapering the $120 billion monthly asset-purchase program, noting that details on the how and when will come later and will be well telegraphed to avoid the repeat of the 2013 taper tantrum and the market instability at the end of 2018.

    While markets wait for further specificity, either at the Jackson Hole symposium in late August or the September Fed meeting, the central bank will most likely continue to disconnect asset prices even more from fundamentals. Investors will venture further afield for additional returns. Wealth inequality will worsen more. The central bank’s monthly purchases of $40 billion of mortgage-backed securities will continue pricing people out of the housing market. Inflationary pressures will develop deeper roots, threatening both the length of the economic recovery and the Biden administration’s transformational economic agenda. And all this will take place without any convincing evidence that the continued adherence to the emergency monetary policies adopted just over a year ago amid an economic “sudden stop” are supportive of high, inclusive and sustainable growth.

    The article also mentions that Powell could face increasing dissention from other members of the FOMC, much like the head of the European Central Bank currently is. Basically, the longer the Fed puts off it’s tapering decision, the more likely future financial instability is

  26. 26.

    JoyceH

    @James E Powell: ​
     

    No doubt the Beltway Courtiers will declare a Pivot & a New Tone from Republicans with the result that the Democrats are doomed.

    The problem is that they can’t seem to STAY pivoted. Youngkin, the GOP candidate for governor in Virginia, positioned himself as a true Trumpie to get the nomination, but now he’s trying to Pivot so as not to scare the suburban moms. His ads are all about him with not a whisper about Trump. Buuuuut – in a couple weeks he’s going to be headlining an ‘election integrity rally’ at Liberty U. Terry McAuliffe is gonna make him eat it.

  28. 28.

    HumboldtBlue

    @guachi: ​ 
    I bored the family text thread with some details from her path to the gold. It was a blast to watch, hell, the Dutch rider thought she had won gold and was soon disabused of that notion.

    Plus, Kiesenhofer has a PhD from the wonderfully named Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.

  29. 29.

    James E Powell

    @JoyceH:

    in a couple weeks he’s going to be headlining an ‘election integrity rally’ at Liberty U. Terry McAuliffe is gonna make him eat it.

    Will the voters? That’s what keeps me up at night.

  30. 30.

    trollhattan

    @HumboldtBlue:
    They rode sans race radios but that doesn’t excuse the Dutch (and other) team losing track of the breakaway members–all of them. As to freulein Kiesenhofer, not merely the ride of a lifetime but a historic ride with no precedent. All hail!​

  31. 31.

    HumboldtBlue

    @trollhattan: ​ 
    It’s why the Olympics is such a fascinating watch. I know nothing of cycling, but I know when someone is making news by beating the best.

  33. 33.

    trollhattan

    @HumboldtBlue: ​
     
    Yup! Curling? Nope. Olympic curling? I’m there. Even at one in the morning. Can’t explain it but I guess that’s why gawd invented 4K teevees.

  34. 34.

    NotMax

    @HumboldtBlue

    Know less about it than nothing but have a question.

    With the development of more modern materials, is there a minimum weight below which a bicycle is not allowed to be entered?

  35. 35.

    HumboldtBlue

    @trollhattan:

    I was riveted by the street skateboarding competitions, and it’s interesting to see how many of the individual sports athletes are also serious academics.

  38. 38.

    trollhattan

    @NotMax:

    You know it. The UCI minimum is 6.8kg/15 pounds.Since basically all the road bikes are under that they add weight to pass scrutiny.

    I’ve hefted CF road frames at bike shows that seem to weigh as much as a pair of boxer shorts.

    Re the other elephant in the room, civilian versions of Le Tour bikes start at about $8k.

  41. 41.

    JoyceH

    @James E Powell: ​
     

    in a couple weeks he’s going to be headlining an ‘election integrity rally’ at Liberty U. Terry McAuliffe is gonna make him eat it.

    Will the voters? That’s what keeps me up at night.

    Biden did take Virginia by ten points, so Trump isn’t extremely popular statewide.

  42. 42.

    The Pale Scot

    @JoyceH:

    threatening e-mails through a Swiss encryption service, but they tracked him down.

    Without a VPN that’s easy. Good thing Tor isn’t simple to use

  44. 44.

    James E Powell

    @JoyceH:

    Biden did take Virginia by ten points, so Trump isn’t extremely popular statewide.

    I have a deeply rooted paranoia of off-year elections.

  46. 46.

    jl

    I like the national park idea. More precisely, a national historic park. You’d only need one ranger. It would pay for itself in no time.

  48. 48.

    jl

    The comments on Simone Biles’ withdrawal on the last thread were interesting. I don’ t see how anybody but an ignorant jackass or a depraved cynical manipulator, or both (York) would question her decision. I watched clips of her beam and vault, and the commentators said that she was losing her ability to orient herself when landing. Maybe it’s just me, but if I’m losing track of where I am while spinning around 15 or more feet above the ground, maybe I’d rather just not put myself in that position. So, wow, maybe I have something in common with Biles!

    Edit: In golf, getting the yips during a tourny makes for a few headlines and some sorry headshaking. In gymnastics, it could get you  seriously hurt, maybe disabled

    I think the best feel good Olympic story so far is Hidilyn Diaz winning the first gold for the Philippines. I can’t watch the clip without getting tears in my eyes. I read (maybe right here on this blog) that she was stuck in Malaysia for months because of covid travel problems. So, she trained with homemade weight equipment. Her weights were water jugs, I assume big ones that go in water coolers. Man, talk about grit, resourcefulness and persistence. Diaz deserves a medal for that too.

  50. 50.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    While looking up Wu Tang Clan, I discovered that a lot of rappers in the 90s put “5 percenter” (an offshoot of the NOI) ideas in their music.

    Apparently a lot of older Afr-American celebrities (Gen X and older) also apparently like Louis Farrakhan, leader of NOI. It’s disappointing that so many people would like an anti-semite like hi

    I’ve read that the NOI and 5 Percent Nation was much more prevalent in earlier decades in inner cities such as Chicago, New York, etc, during the formative years of many hip hop/rap artists such as LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Jay Electronica, Jay-Z, etc

  51. 51.

    Brachiator

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    A key point.

    Specifically, it will welcome the further strengthening of the U.S. economy but also acknowledge the higher Covid-related uncertainties

    The ongoing impact of Covid is not a small matter. Neither are the distortions caused by the lockdown.

    Economic predictions are iffy in normal times. Anyone claiming that they have a clear idea of what the future holds is just making shit up.

  61. 61.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @NotMax:

    Oh btw, thanks for the “translation” at comment 23. A lot of financial articles show up on Chrome for some reason

  62. 62.

    satby

    @NotMax: Nah, been waking up between 3-4am every morning for a week now. I just comment less. MW are Dr. office days. TThFS are market days. Sunday is zombie recovery day.

  64. 64.

    Chris T.

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): El-Arian is a smart guy, but … well:

    Inflationary pressures will develop deeper roots

    There are two big problems here:

    • El-Arian is a Bond Guy. (He was the #2 guy at PIMCO until Bill Gross retired, then he was the #1 guy at PIMCO.) Bond Guys see inflation around every corner, under the bed, and hiding behind the curtains, with the ghosts of the 1970s haunting them at all times.
    • He’s trying to Predict the Fed. Fed-Prediction, or the reading of the tea leaves of the board of governors, is a game where you try to make money by knowing what the guys who make money using money are going to do because of what the Fed is going to do but you know correctly what the Fed is going to do and the other guys know wrong and so you’ll beat them at their own game. This game is so meta that it doesn’t matter whether you’re right or wrong about what the Fed does, or what they say, because you have to be right about the other guy being wrong about the third guy being wrong about the fourth guy being right, etc.

    What is true (and knowable and known) is that the Fed’s favorite tools, including both the core inflation measures and the PCE measures, are distorted by the covid bumpiness over the last year. Core inflation strips out volatile food and energy prices because those change wildly every year, but keeps things like lumber and used-car prices because they don’t. But this year, lumber and used-car prices fluctuated wildly. If you’re planning to have work done on your home (I am) you may have seen that lumber shot up to 3x or even 4x “normal” between about Feb and about May. It’s almost back to “normal” already, though. Meanwhile certain computer-chip shortages are still producing weird pressures (children/grandchildren came for visit recently, rental cars were not an option)…

  65. 65.

    Geminid

    @JoyceH: trump’s presidency coincided with Democrats sweeping statewide races in 2017, and taking the General Assembly from red to blue by 2019. Both Democrats and candid Republicans credited trump as a potent GOTV force for Democrats.

    McAuliffe is baiting trump, trying to get him to come to Virginia this fall. Youngkin probably does not want this kind of “help.” But trump craves the spotlight, and Youngkin may not be able to keep him away.

    Biden’s 10 point victory in Virginia was the best a Democrat has done here since LBJ in 1964.

  66. 66.

    satby

    @JPL: I started to last week. I cut back hours at both and am cutting back on two of the slower days at the market unless someone has an appointment to pick up an order. This week just happens to be a day I’ll do all of them. But 1/2 the hours as before.

  67. 67.

    NotMax

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    When it comes to financial articles, the preponderance of buzzwords is inversely proportional to the breadth of information communicated.

    Architects hide their mistakes with ivy, financial analysts with jargon.

    ;)

  68. 68.

    Geminid

    @sanjeevs: One result of the Texas special election is that Speaker Pelosi now has only three votes to spare. That will change after the winner of Tuesday’s OH-11 special election primary is seated after the fall general election. But if the “progressive” champion wins next Tuesday, this change might not be for the better.

  70. 70.

    SFAW

    In keeping with this thread’s underlying “you paid HOW FUCKING MUCH for that?” theme: CNN reports that Martin Shkreli (or similar) can now go to the “Serendipity 3” restaurant in NYC and get an order of fries for $200. 

    As Gunnery Sgt. Hartman might say character, I bet they don’t “even have the goddamn courtesy to give [you] a reach-around.”

  71. 71.

    Just Chuck

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): A lot of hip-hop artists are second or third generation NOI, Q-Tip and Mos Def for example, and they’re not exactly hyper-militant.  Farrakhan himself isn’t as respected as he once was: he’s created a major schism in NOI ever since he became a Scientologist.  Which is truly bizarre, but I’m not even kidding.

  73. 73.

    SFAW

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Who’s laughing now?

    I am.

    But that may be because I’m not a moron with more money than brains.

    [NB: Which is not too imply that I got much brains, only that I don’t have that much money to blow.]

  75. 75.

    J R in WV

    @cthulhu: ​
     

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Honestly, that is actual gibberish.

    I was mere hours from a double major in Econ, didn’t care enough to take one more class. That article is authentic gibberish.

    Mixing too many buzz words, blending different sets of stats, etc.

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