Human Suffering

In a telling bit of photo editing, I was drawn to two images presented back-to-back in Monday’s NYT Pictures of the Day slide show.

Slide one shows John Thain, Merrill Lynch’s chairman and CEO walking off the stage after a joint news conference with Kenneth Lewis, chairman of Bank of America.  After falling on his sword in seeing Merrill sold off to B of A in a $50 billion deal, Thain will most likely be canned.  In the second shot, Galveston resident Christopher Cox walks to where his trailer used to stand before Hurricane Ike devastated the city.

Update 1: Rumor has it Thain might be headed to the McCain campaign to replace Carley Fiorina. (NY Mag)

Update 2:  "Fiorina: I Received Only A $21 Million Severance Package — Not $42 Million" (Think Progress)

(image 1: Keith Bedford for The New York Times. September 15, 2008. New York.  image 2: Carlos Barria/Reuters. September 2008. Galveston, Texas)