By Carla Rautenberg of Cleveland Heights, Ohio
When something becomes an unalterable part of one’s daily routine, it’s often hard to remember just when that became the case. But oh, boy – just thinking about it not being there can bring you up short in a hurry! So if you haven’t yet found the time to give to Naked Capitalism, please do so now. The Tip Jar makes it easy.
Far as I can figure, it’s been eight or nine years since I began starting each day with Naked Capitalism’s links. Certainly, at the time, I had no idea I’d still be checking in almost a decade later. Yves’ occasional suggestion to “grab a cup of coffee” when she links to a longform piece always makes me smile, as I never sit down to peruse the latest antics and outrages of players on the world stage without a mug of strong, black joe.
As all of us regulars know, we come back to Naked Capitalism every day because of Yves, Lambert, Jerri-Lynn – and also, each other. The Commentariat here is unique – quirky, informed and informative, expert in a wide variety of subjects, often funny, sometimes actually profound. Those of us who live in flyover country occasionally have chips on our shoulders – until a coastal or overseas voice moves us to tears – or action. Then we’re just part of one big online community. It’s pretty exciting for me to be in a community with Yves Smith, Michael Hudson, Lambert Strether, Jerri-Lynn Scofield, Ignacio, Plutonium Kun, Clive, Susan the other, Arizona Slim, and literally, too many others to list here.
For years, I’ve felt a pang of envy – quickly subsumed by vicarious interest – as Yves and/or Lambert announced meet-ups in such cities as Washington, D.C., Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, LA, and Atlanta. I would think, and sometimes plaintively post in comments, “You know, you’re very welcome in Cleveland.” Imagine my delight when last spring, Yves wrote me to say she’d like to plan a meet-up here in NE Ohio. Wow! I knew NC had quite a few readers in the area, because I have, and continue to, run into them.
Working with Yves, I scouted possible venues for a Cleveland meet-up, and we settled on Bar Cento in Ohio City: centrally located not far from Yves’ downtown Cleveland hotel, with excellent access via both public transit and local freeways, and a decent menu. We were on for June 12, 2019! From the responses on Naked Capitalism and my own contacts in the local community, we anticipated attendance of 12-15, so reserved a room that would accommodate 20. We had 28! Local activists were joined by faithful members of the Commentariat who came from as far as Holmes County (Amish farm country), Detroit, and Windsor, Ontario.
It was NOISY in that little room. Yves moved from table to table so everyone had a chance to speak with her. I got to meet Henry Moon Pie, who lives right here in Cleveland – who knew? The meetup was billed for 5 to 8 p.m., but time flew and we didn’t break up until about 10:30.
During the current annual fundraiser, I hope members of the Commentariat from flyover land, and especially from NE Ohio, will give generously. It’s not necessarily difficult to find intelligent-sounding news and commentary on the web. But to find relevant material delivered with integrity, dedication, courage and grit is rare – and that’s what Naked Capitalism does seven days a week, 365 days a year. The community NC has created is a really important part of my life, so I make donating a priority. I hope you will, too, by giving generously athere.
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> members of the Commentariat from flyover land
Back in 2016 at the start of RussiaRussiaRussia, when The Jeff Bezos Daily Shopper™ was smearing Naked Capitalism using PropOrNot’s “data,” alert readers from Denver informed us of a TV segment amplifying the smear, and we were able to get the a retraction.
So, if you are from flyover, never feel that you are not part!
Adding, the current line item for fundraising is for the comments section — really the crown jewels. But we’re running a bit behind. Please stump up! –lambert
I remember that, Lambert! We were living in a Denver suburb at that time and I sent off an indignant email to the station. Got more results than my regular emails to the Denver Post! Even small victories feel good.
tomorrow is payday, so hopefully I have a little lore time…
How does a kid that grew up knowing both the cosmopolitan and the bible belt earth, so many moves it makes the head spin, then experienced the consequences of a adventurist military life, only to land in C-corp with sojourns in the trades, hard finding not only holes in knowledge but a community in the seeking of knowing it.
A life filled with questions unanswered, not for the trying.
Ludicrous amounts of hours reading multidisciplinary academic white papers and broad spectrum historical back drops, only to find Naked Capitalism in the throws of events pre GFC – what an experience. For the first time I had real time interaction with a broad knowledgeable cohort of people that regardless if one disagrees or not that discovery of pivotal information was being disseminated. I could not access this anywhere else.
Case in point, I just spent almost a month on a job at a retired economists house. Whilst working we had more than a few conversations about the the state of a great many things, monetary systems and socioeconomic factors facing everyone concerned. To put it bluntly, I could have not had the depth of conversation or the acumen to ponder the finer points and elaborate on them without the experience I’ve had through the works of Yves or her team, during the time in question and the process experienced in comments.
To be honest it has been filled with both trepidation and hope, of all things, can perspectives across a wide divide be achieved by such attempts, considering all the efforts to the contrary in managing a corrosive narrative that pits us all against the greater good in a time of calamity.
The said economist at the end of the job made it a point to shake my hand for the work done and to acknowledge the conversations we had, this is initially after saying why would one be interested in economics as its a its a dismal soul sucking affair, tho he had expectations of better outcomes in the long run.
Give as applicable to ones circumstances and suggest to all when the environment allows, we all need to learn to communicate past the dominate narrative foist upon us all.
Yes, I feel that envy too!
Originally from Pittsburgh (the city industry left behind), now ensconced in the midst of coastal flubbery and loathing quite a bit of it, NC has been a saving grace while living in the desert of thought surrounding me. This is the site for exquisite analysis, and the commentariat does its best to sometimes synthesize all it presents. I simply cannot do without my dose! While I am contentious most with those I agree with (cannot fine tune an argument enough for me), I believe this is what allies should do. All the best, now & in the future.
P.S. – have sent donation by mail – suspicious of online since a few incidents ago.
Thank you!
And I was excited to meet you as well, Carla, even though I knew you hailed these parts. It was a fun gathering and a special delight to meet Yves.
BTW, you were collecting emails that day with the idea of dispersing them, but I never did receive that list. Would you mind sending it along? If the problem was my often illegible handwriting, just let me in the comments.
Thanks all. Indeed the Links are nearly daily java juice. I haven’t commented much in the past few years. Did make one meet up in NYC, when meet up were just starting and Lambert had just joined the fold.