Obama and O’Biden

Posted on January 13, 2010 by RegenAxe

In one week, on Wednesday, January 20^th, Barack Obama will celebrate his first anniversary as President of these United States. I’ll let others criticize his first year in office. Here is a list of a few of his accomplishments, at least as I see it:

U.S. and Global economies pulled back from the brink of catastrophe
Responsibly winding down the war in Iraq
- Increasing our focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan
Prohibited torture and worked to close Guantanamo Bay
After eight years, renewed America’s engagement on the world stage
Uniting the international community to call on Iran to live up to its obligations
- Iran is more isolated than ever
Passed $787 billion stimulus package
Confirmed Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Bailed out the U.S. auto industry
Allowed the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco
Won Nobel Peace Prize
And let us not forget, cover of the best-selling comic book of 2009, Amazing Spider-Man #583, Cool!

Not too shabby a performance, for just a former community organizer. He still has health care to carry out, but it is so close, you can almost taste it. Obama also still has three more years to go and maybe another four after that. Just try to imagine what his promise of change will bring in time.

I offer the following blub by way of equal time. After all one must stay fair and balanced. Just as I am sure, Sarah Palin will be as she embarks upon her next career as a FOX News Entertainment commentator.

Last Sunday on Sixty Minutes, former McCain campaign advisor, Steve Schmidt, was interviewed. It fell to Mr. Schmidt to “prep” McCain’s Vice-Presidential running mate, Sarah Palin for her debate with the Democratic candidate, Joe Biden. Apparently, when he was first called in to help, things were not going too well. The sole Vice Presidential debate in Saint Louis was just days away. When he stepped in she was not at all engaged in her debate preparations. If that wasn’t enough for deep concern, Palin had a reflexive tendency to refer to Biden as “O’Biden,” said Schmidt, something that had to be fixed before the debate. He said others in the campaign came up with a solution, ‘Just say, Can I call you Joe,’ which she did. Schmidt said he took over the prepping, simplified it, and said she “held her own” in the debate. But not without one “O’Biden” slip up on national television. 😈

The picture with this post is of a Cooper’s Hawk. Anne spotted it on January the third, on our way into Ted Jones State Park, at the Confluence. Today’s header shows a Boeing 747 sailing overhead, improbably Air Force One. This photo was taken last Sunday.

OBTW, this my soapbox. If you have something to say, get your own.

Sarah Palin is a Post Turtle

Posted on October 2, 2008 by RegenAxe

A joke from dos Kos:

While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old rancher, who’s hand was caught in the gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Palin and her bid.

The old rancher said, “Well, ya know, Palin is a Post Turtle'”.

Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a ‘post turtle’ was.

The old rancher said, “When you’re driving down a country road you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that’s a ‘post turtle”.

The old rancher saw the puzzled look on the doctor’s face so he continued to explain. “You know she didn’t get up there by herself, she doesn’t belong up there, and she doesn’t know what to do while she’s up there, and you just wonder what kind of dummy put her up there to begin with”.

I did bike to work today. I got 28 miles. On the way home the closest I could get to the debate was a few blocks. I saw a few dozen protesters being escorted by a half dozen cops on bikes. I got a picture of a few of them. And from Politico:

McCain pulling out of Michigan: John McCain is pulling out of Michigan, according to two Republicans, a stunning move a month away from Election Day that indicates the difficulty Republicans are having in finding blue states to put in play.

Please don’t send us your political commercials.

Saint Louis and its 15 Minutes

Posted on October 1, 2008 by RegenAxe

Joe Biden and Sarah Palin are coming to town tomorrow. Security will be insane. They will be regulating banning car traffic for a square mile centered around the Washington University auditorium. Since the auditorium is just a little over a mile from our house and between my work and home, tomorrow night’s traffic will be even more insane. Four years ago the debate cost me an extra hour in traffic. This year they have expanded the security cordon such that the way I went home last time will be closed. I plan on biking to work tomorrow.

Tonight, Anne and I plan on going to the Pulitzer Foundation of the Arts to see the Dan Flavin: Constructed Light exhibit. The write up for this exhibit follows:

The focus of this exhibition is the experience of Dan Flavin’s work – sculptural installations composed of mass-produced light fixtures and fluorescent tubes – within the architecture and shifting natural light of the Pulitzer building.

Flavin’s art work extends beyond the physical hardware to encompass the surrounding space it illuminates. As a result, his art is inseparable from the architecture in which it is presented, an effect that is especially powerful within the Pulitzer building.

In conjunction with that exhibit the Light Project is lit at night. I posted a daytime photo of the Light Project in 50 Miles & 5 Festivals In 5 Hours, I’m So Fried. This is a write up on it:

This initiative is motivated by a commitment to the arts and an interest in social and urban revitalization, beginning with our own Grand Center neighborhood. Each outdoor light installation employs and/or references projected, emanating or natural light.

Here are some pictures of the Light Project and one of the Dan Flavin exhibit from outside. They did not allow inside photography:

And a Bush Family video:

I got 15 miles in the Park this morning. It was very cool. I didn’t make my sanity quotient. I only saw three other bikers insane enough to be out this morning. Although, one of them was insanely fast.

Apparently, there is an epidemic on insanity sweeping the town this week. 😮