All posts by jeffrey hannan

Pondering future

In what was billed by the SF Chronicle as the largest collapse in US banking history, Washington Mutual was taken over by the Fed after frightened account holders bled $17 billion in cash during a massive bank run in early autumn.

The news hit the fan while Arvin and I were working from Hawaii back in early October. It’s been less than two months since then, and we’re still on edge pondering the future, as Chase (the new owner of WaMu’s assets) figures out what’s next. It has been announced that there will be layoffs in his division. The formal announcement is coming soon.

Past imperfect
Wamu flat-lines…

WaMu's stock: 6 month slide to the end

DOWn-n-n-n…
The Dow Jones Industrial average for the same six months…

Dow Jones ^dji - the same 6 months, ending 11/20/208

Dow Jones ^dji – the same 6 months, ending 11/20/208

Pairings for a feast
The only linguistic device I love more than sarcasm is multiple entendre. In today’s case, the print edition of the SF Chronicle (photo above) offers tips for pairings for The Feast. I suspect that The Feast is going to be slim for many, and that for the Wamu’ers, as well as the fifty thousand people whose jobs are about to be axed from Citigroup, they’ll be pairing this not-yet slaughtered turkey of an economy with a goodly serving of ruined faith. Maybe Sarah Palin can help with the harvest.

Regrettably, this is no time for deep sarcasm. The financial realities now unraveling this nation of greed and excess and superfluousness call for a re-awakening and a re-envisioning of what it means to care for our country as a single nation, instead of a nation of will-have’s vs can’t-have’s.

Let them eat cock
(Rooster. Of course.)


The Unreported: Protesters march thru Tourist Zone

Anti-Prop 8 march invades downtown San Francisco

An exhilarating bit of news was ignored by local media on Saturday Nov 15, 2008—victim of editorial cut-off times on an exquisite Saturday perhaps? After a City Hall rally in which voices of inspiration, tolerance, love and inclusion were raised in opposition to the passing of Proposition 8, a contingent of anti-Prop 8 marchers took their message throughout key tourist thoroughfares downtown, clogging traffic and giving visitors a true taste of San Francisco.

According to the SF Chronicle, the march headed up Market Street and was turned around at Church Street where, presumably it fizzled:

The rally was followed by an impromptu, festive march toward the Castro by about 1,000 people. When police turned the marchers back at Church Street, they walked to Union Square, snarling traffic on Market Street. Source

HOWEVER…

market & powell

The march didn’t fizzle. It headed dead-center down Market Street and spilled onto the cable car turnaround at Powell and Market, where streams of visitors lined Powell street gawking and in some cases applauding as cable cars sat unmoving and street traffic came to a halt.

cable car turnaround

Next stop: Union Square

post street

spilling through the plaza

A shout out for the ladies at Alexandra Bridal

some of the many wonderful supporters along the way: hey brides, shop there!

To the mighty waterfront (aka Kansas on the Bay)
San Francisco has always been a place that appreciated its tourists and visitors. Unlike the inhabitants of Sodom & Gomorrha, whose greatest sin was a lack of hospitality, San Franciscans welcome our guests wholeheartedly and always like to give them a little something to take home with them.

fishermans wharf

fishermans wharf

pier 39

pier 39

horrified

shades of sodom & gomorrah: horrified onlookers on the Embarcadero

Single file between the cars…

Nobody likes to sit in traffic any less than I do. Guaranteed. So while I sympathize with the taxi drivers, delivery drivers, party-goers and anybody else who got held up along the Embarcadero on Saturday, my heart goes out to those who sat patiently and offered waves, honks, cheers and high-fives of support.

tying up traffic for a cause

tying up traffic for a cause

supporters

supporters on the embarcadero

To the Ferry Building then home…
The march consisted of probably a few hundred people. Being one of the marchers, and not a professional people counter, I don’t know exactly how many. By the time the procession ended up back on Market Street and turned into Civic Center plaza, Arvin and I dropped off.

looking back towards the wharf

looking back towards the wharf

to the ferry building

to the ferry building

up market to civic center

back up market st to civic center

The struggle goes on…

into the sun

into the sun

Coast to Coast

Yesterday’s events were part of a nationwide day of action protesting the passage of Prop 8. JoinTheImpact.com planned the nationwide protests. As best we could determine, Saturday’s post-rally march in San Francisco was an unsanctioned, impromptu act of civil disobedience and love.