Oh, No! Not More Quick Hits!

Yes, I'm afraid so. It's tax time (if you filed for an extension back in April), and as much as I'd like to devote more time to this blog, Uncle Sam takes precedence (actually, he demands it).

• Paul Krugman, Nobel Laureate. As you've probably noticed if you've read this blog for any length of time, I've often fallen back on New York Times columnist and Princeton economics professor Paul Krugman for commentary when it comes to economic policy and it's implications. I certainly respect Krugman's views and (usually) his ease in explaining sometimes complicated concepts, but I'll also own up to some amount of laziness and a lack of wider readings in economics (and you've got to admit that that grin in his eyes is disarming, to say the least). Never mind that, though, because this morning Krugman was named the 2008 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics. Congratulations to Dr. Krugman! I suspect that this newfound respectability will do nothing to dissuade me from continuing to quote him here.

• The Dow was way up today, breaking a record with a 936-point rise, more than 10 percent and the single largest point-gain in history. It busted right through the barrier of 9,000, hitting heights we haven't seen since, oh, last Thursday. If it keeps it up, we might even see 9,500, which disappeared from view--not even a week ago.

• Part of that is tied in to the now certain injection of hundreds of billions into the banking system. My breath is still bated while we wait to see how it all comes together.

• Bwa ha ha ha ha. John McCain's brilliant yet inscrutable plan advances apace. In Virginia Beach today, McCain had this glass-half-full observation (warning--that link will take you to an actual John McCain campaign Web page):

Let me give you the state of the race today. We have 22 days to go. We're 6 points down. The national media has written us off. Senator Obama is measuring the drapes, and planning with Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid to raise taxes, increase spending, take away your right to vote by secret ballot in labor elections, and concede defeat in Iraq. But they forgot to let you decide. My friends, we've got them just where we want them.

Apparently falling behind in formerly red states has been the strategy all along. It's so crazy, it just might work! Or not.

• I'll have more on this later, but this weekend will see Stockyards Theatre Project present its ninth annual Women's Performance Art Festival. Friday, Saturday, and two shows on Sunday will provide a wide variety of performances and art forms. This year's theme is "Buried Dreams, Hidden Treasure." There's more information here, and as I said, I'll have some more details myself tomorrow.