...the moon's teethmarks on the sky, like a TARP thrown all over this...

I'm not sure why, but reading the Emilyon's post, and the associated links, found me reflecting on the acronym TARP, because the link to the Obama smackdown actually defined it (Troubled Asset Relief Program), which increasingly and exponentially seems like it should win the Ironic Product/Program Name of the Year Prize. Anyway, it put me in mind of an old Tom Waits spoken-word piece from "Rain Dogs," called "9th and Hennepin." It's named for an intersection in Minneapolis that is apparently renowned as, well, you can probably glean from the lyrics. Here's the first ten lines or so.

Well it's 9th and Hennepin
And all the donuts have
Names that sound like prostitutes
And the moon's teeth marks are
On the sky like a TARP thrown over all this
And the broken umbrellas like
Dead birds and the steam
Comes out of the grill like
The whole goddamned town is ready to blow.
And the bricks are all scarred with jailhouse tattoos
And everyone is behaving like dogs.

And yes, I did capitalize the "tarp" in the lyrics. But the whole goddamn town is, perhaps getting ready to blow. Also, everyone does seem to be behaving like dogs, at least on Wall Street.

At the same time, still and yet, everything is a little bit better, or a little bit easier to take in its badness at least, when Tom Waits gets deployed. So I'm just trying to do my part. Cheers.