So cute. And just perfect for the First Family and the Gates family. While the rest of the country recovers from the election, Washington is swimming in a sea of Obamamania. It's not surprising considering that Barack, Michelle, Malia, and Sasha will be moving in just down the road. For us all politics is local. You see, while I live just outside the Beltway, I often connect with the Politicos of DC in more intimate ways --sometimes directly and sometimes in an off-the-cuff chit chat moment. They're locals, just like us. Many of my neighbors work directly with political higher ups....
Orlando News Anchor Asks the "Fair and Impartial" Questions. I'm exhausted. Obsession can do that to you. During the primaries I was disconnected. I didn't read much about politics or watch the campaigns unfold on TV. But the moment (the moment!) I heard Sarah Palin speak at the Republican National Conversation I was hooked. With little faith in the general electorate's ability to see "truth" beyond her sharp delivery I was immediately drawn into the fray. My lack of faith has become a quadrennial problem of mine. From that point I began to listen to every word Obamabiden and McCainpalin uttered. I...
News Outta My Control, Professional Auteurism / 19.10.2008
Leveraging Political Power in the Blogosphere
Hotlinking. I've written about this netiquette faux pas before. And as you can see I've found a number of ways to get even (here and here). If you're going to use my images don't even think of linking to them directly. Internet providers charge us for bandwidth when you do that. It's costly and it's just not nice. But in this time of social and financial upheaval, when we're watching the powers-that-be vying for control of the message, I have ways of maintaining authority over my own images. Link directly to them and you may find I've swapped your my...
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Newsweek's Cover (see larger version) To paraphrase M. Night Shyamalan's famous line from his film The Sixth Sense, "I see details." I am hyper vigilant when it comes to noticing the particulars of everyday life. I've often felt I'm different than the average person. This recent dialogue between Steve Portigal and Dan Soltzberg on noticing reminded me of this. This power has been both the bane of my existence and my salvation. But it aptly describes who I am. This sixth sense is often distracting, constantly poking me in the sides (every time I walk past this...
The political events of the last two weeks have ignited my creative juices. I wake up in the middle of the night with a strategy I quickly tweet to @BarackObama. I can't help myself. This morning in the shower I came up with this ad, a take-off on Hillary's 3 a.m. special. News cycles these days run in nano seconds and given those constraints I have no time to produce it. I need to get it out there fast. Here's the script Barack (and if you don't want it will you pass it on to SNL?): INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT Close-up of...
Replica of Stonehenge and the Columbia Gorge, Maryhill, Washington (View larger.) As we stood on the bluffs overlooking the Columbia Gorge I wondered how I would convey this landscape to you. My eyes took it all in as I scanned the river canyon and the surrounding hills. Mt. Hood was barely visible through the atmospheric perspective. I smelled the dry brush and felt the wind on my face. I noticed a fire had started in the distance, back where we came from. It was silent except for that wind. I was standing next to a replica of Stonehenge, built by Sam Hill...
News Outta My Control / 13.09.2008
Les Misbarack
Coming off of an unbelievable week in American politics, once again liberals have been blind-sided by the lengths McPalin will go to win an election. Many are culpable here. But I have reserved my greatest indignation for Karl Rove who has taught the Republicans that if you're caught in a lie, just keep ignoring culpability and reality by repeating that lie. Ultimately the American people lose when discourse about issues critical to our lives is turned into a circus. Ok, I've vented enough. If this election cycle has become so theatrical that many are suspending their disbelief, here's one I...
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Children practice a dragon dance at Yangchun Family Reunion (Click here for larger photo). We belong to an interesting family. Our girls were both adopted from the Yangchun Social Welfare Institute in China. And it was time for our quadrennial family reunion. This was the impetus for our Pacific Northwest sojourn. Yangchun, a "town" of just over a million people is about a five hour drive from Guangzhou. Every four years families who've adopted children from the orphanage there gather to celebrate our children, discuss issues associated with adoption and transracial families, and to just have a good time. This year we...
Portland's Museum of Velvet Art: The Velveteria (click for larger image). There are two types of families: the Communist Party Central Committee variety --those that plan their family vacations and the Jack Kerouac variety --those that don't. Planning a family vacation takes time and forethought. Like a Soviet five-year plan. But some families are simply not wired that way. They like to wake up in a strange motel and decide at breakfast what direction to head. We are not that kind of people. But we're not apparatchiki, slaves to the Plan, either. We like a little "fuzzy room." We're open to...