WHEEEEEEE!!!!!

Was that a wild week on Wall Street or what? I don't think things are over just quite yet. And I'm wondering how extensively this whole financial episode is going to be spun and twisted and tweaked in the presidential campaigns. I made this photo illustration to commemorate it all. While putting it together, I realized: Red is not only the color for the Republican party, it is also the universal sign for deficit, loss, uncontrolled spending and bloodshed, whether actual or merely financial.

I can't help but think that the entire thing was generated by the quick and dirty, anything-for-a-profit financiers (the same ones who keep sending me a half dozen credit card applications in the mail every week), and now they're going to be forced to retire from their positions, accepting multimillion-dollar golden parachutes while previous homeowners that they talked into guaranteed-to-fail loans are living (if they're lucky) in roach-infested mobile home trailers instead of the homes they dreamed of buying with these institutions' assistance.

None of that sounds like a Democrat's state of mind (except, perhaps, the trailer home). One day McCain's against any kind of bailout for anyone and then, when the Bush White House comes out 180 degrees from that position, McCain falls into lockstep with the party. Maverick indeed.

And now Palin's office in Juneau is being run by the McCain campaign. Call Juneau with a question about Troopergate and you get forwarded to a McCain operative (excuse me, representative) who stalls and spins and then forwards you to the McCain-Palin campaign headquarters in Virginia. Try to get information out of Wasilla, Alaska, and the same thing happens; McCain cronies have taken over there, too. Even the Alaskan Republicans are getting pretty pissed off by all this.

But today we pause from the campaign trail and reflect on the wonders of televised entertainment as the 60th Annual Emmy Awards are given out. The limo just arrived to take the publisher and top editors to glitter at the ceremony. The rest of us grunts get to stay here, put out a paper and eat catered Mexican food. Hopefully, I'll be out of here by 8 or 9 o'clock, while some folks will be staying until 1:30 a.m.

All I can say about the Emmys is the Oscars they ain't. One of the guys I dated before Steve and I got together was a schlub of a sound editor, and he had an Emmy because he had worked on "Friends."

But the Emmys do herald the beginning of the Awards Season here in LaLa Land, and that means more pages (and more advertising) for The Reporter, which means more work and more income for us all, theoretically. Just as the retail sector makes the lion's share of its profit during the Christmas season, so do we make the majority of our ad income from now until late February, when the Oscars are held.

In closing, I wanted to say that Steve has a really great story about having lunch with a coworker in Van Nuys. It's really funny. I have to goose him to write it for y'all. I'll even provide some art. Until then, you'll have to digest my whiney political droning.

One point of interest: today I've been blogging for a year and 10 days. I guess you can keep some things going.