As the economy slowly takes a turn for the worst, it will be interesting to
see how Americans choose to spend their money.  In these troubled times,
everyone is being forced to cut back or at least seriously consider what is
worth parting with their money for.  This reality affects people in every
economic sphere, though some will undoubtedly feel it more than others.

Which brings me to an interesting example: art.  Investing in art has become
a common way of diversifying one’s assets, but collecting art is still
largely considered to be a luxury.  Can the state of the art market be an
indication of the state of the economy?  How will American art collectors
compete with international collectors, especially in light of the weakening
dollar?

The fall auctions brought in significantly less money than was anticipated,
and some major works remain unsold.   Even with the discounts that auctions
like Sotheby’s and Christie’s offer as a courtesy, people could not be
persuaded to spend millions of dollars on paintings or sculptures.

From an art historical perspective, it will be interesting to see which
artists and works remain untouched by the economic crises.  Malevich’s
painting entitled “Supremacist Composition” sold for $60 million at a recent
auction, arguably proving his significance as a contemporary artist.  On the
other hand, Francis Bacon’s “Study for Self-Portrait” remained unsold
despite its $40 million projected selling price.  Is one an inherently
better piece of art than the other?  Are either one worth millions of
dollars?  That, of course, is a matter of opinion, but it is precisely these
opinions, and those who are in a position to act on them, that will
determine the course of 21st century art.

While I was coming home, this girl asked the man next to me if he knew where she could find a copy of The New York Times. Dressed in casual sweatpants, she’d apparently been shuffling all around upper Manhattan in search of a copy of the elusive newspaper with its bold headline: OBAMA.

The man told her that he had looked for it himself and couldn’t find a copy from three different news stands. It was sold out everywhere.

Across the nation, throughout the whole world, everyone knows that we are witnesses to a new page in history. Generations later, we will probably look back at this time and pull out these very same newspaper clippings to reminisce on this day, the day the United States chose change.

What are your views on this?

This past weekend, the Rohnert Park police shot a woman who was armed with a straight-edged razor to death.  The woman’s mother called the police to report that her daughter had been drinking and “might have some psych issues.”  The police told the woman to drop the blade, but she began to move forward.  The police subsequently opened fire and shot the woman 3 times in the chest.  The woman died on the way to the hospital.

Do you think the force used by the police was justified?  In certain situations, do you think that the police should shoot to injure instead of shoot to kill?