Author: markorton

1/23/2002 – Enron, Trust, and Malfeasance

Enron, Trust, and Malfeasance The collapse of energy giant Enron over the last six months has produced a surprising level of outrage especially for a cynic like me. As this drama continues to unfold, I have been trying to understand how Enron structured their business and made money. Until just last night I was operating…… Continue reading 1/23/2002 – Enron, Trust, and Malfeasance

1/24/2002 – Long Live Marmite

“Long Live Marmite! Only the British Could Love It” from the New York Times January 24, 2002: from a page A4 article “Burton-on-Trent Journal: Long Live Marmite! Only the British Could Love It” “Being British, the company has had an appreciation of the public’s divided loyalties between those who find Marmite revolting and those who…… Continue reading 1/24/2002 – Long Live Marmite

1/15/2002 – “Sophie Ristelhueber: Details of the World” at MFA

“Sophie Ristelhueber: Details of the World” October 2,  2001 – January 21, 2002 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA Karen and I saw a few of Ms. Ristelhueber’s photographs a couple of years ago at the Museum of Modern Art (New York). They were part of MOMA’s annual New Photography selections. We were…… Continue reading 1/15/2002 – “Sophie Ristelhueber: Details of the World” at MFA

Whose Opinion (Advice) Is This?

Whose Opinion (Advice) Is This? The Problem At a time when we are quite aware of the need for and value of transparency in the reporting of the activities of corporations (thanks most recently to the Enron affair), we could quite usefully extend this transparency metaphor to other parts of day-to-day life. The print press,…… Continue reading Whose Opinion (Advice) Is This?

11/20/2001 – The Wet Pavement Conspiracy in Hollywood

The Wet Pavement Conspiracy in Hollywood Several years ago I began to notice that many TV ads for cars featured swooping shots of speeding cars on mountain or desert roads, many with wet pavement. As time went along, I became fixated on the ads showing cars in desert scenes roaring over wet pavement. Movies also…… Continue reading 11/20/2001 – The Wet Pavement Conspiracy in Hollywood

When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor – book review

When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor Book Review: William Julius Wilson, When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor (New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1997) Race is never far from the surface in America’s public or private worlds. The mass media is filled with images of, or appeals to,…… Continue reading When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor – book review