Embarrassing moment for a Fluxus kids

Beck's grandfather was Al Hansen; he was a fabulous artist who made collages out of Hershey bar wrappers in the shape of Stone Age Venuses, and wrote the primer on Happenings. Al's daughter Bibi lived with him in New York when she was a teenager, at the peak of the Fluxus period. She has hilarious stories to tell, because unlike my parents--who always made sure dinner was on the table and knew when to shop for school clothes--Al was completely oblivious. So Bibi, after being home alone for a few days without food, opened some cans of tomato soup in the kitchen cupboard--and they turned out to be signed Warhols.

Interview with Hannah Higgins.

Recession Red... Communists, eat your hearts out.

Everybody wants bail-out. Poets, the environment, Somali pirates, people who thought they'd be able to retire before they died...

Anyway, guess what stock went up today? I'll give you a hint: you can store it for decades and it's especially good for colds.

That's right. Campbell's Soup.

Thanks for the stock tip, Wonkette. An aside: my roommate sent me a message tonight that said simply, "Well, Capitalism was fun. Wonder what we'll do now."

At least New Yorkers have a sense of humor: Gray's Papaya has a "recession special," and I passed a wine store advertising "Recession Red" for just $7.

Also, in case you missed it: Heath Ledger stars in "The Dark Bailout."