"You're the President, not a rerun of Law and Order"

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts."
—Bertrand Russell

I'm lucky to have HBO at home but I can't stand Bill Maher's Real Time. But, I have to say that the comedian's speech about "Obama the Celebrity" on Friday night may have made me a fan. See it here:

I Learned Something Today

From The Awl:

Grey Poupon is owned and manufactured by Kraft Foods. It is the processed cheese of mustards. It is the fucking Velveeta of faux-French products. Can we all shut the fuck up?

Just Sayin'

Can the press please stop talking about Michelle Obama's fashion and beauty?
As Lexington puts it, "It would be good to hear a bit more about what Mrs Obama thinks and a lot less about what she wears."[from "The Other Obama: Let Michelle be Michelle", The Economist]

There's also an interesting story behind the blog post image above. Read more about it here.

The District

Newsweek's pitch-perfect spoof of MTV's The City. This is "The District."

Women's Bodies: the ultimate ping pong match

Hat tip: Aaron Leaf

On Friday, the new US administration reverse[d] rules on U.S. abortion aid. Obama rescinded the rules that "restricted federal money for international organizations that promote or provide abortions overseas, sweeping aside a pillar of the social policy architecture of George W. Bush’s presidency."

As promising as this news is, I look back at the history of this policy and I want to cry: "President Ronald Reagan first imposed the ban in 1984 when it was announced at a conference in Mexico City. President Bill Clinton lifted it a couple of days after taking office in 1993. Mr. Bush restored it a couple of days after he took office in 2001, and advocates on both sides expected Mr. Obama to lift it again."

So what happens four or eight years from now when Republicans take power again? Without a public debate, this back and forth continues quietly in the halls of power, as the fallout happens on women's bodies and reproductive rights.

Today's One Cool Thing

I know, you're sick of Obama-mania (or is it Obamania?) but consider this a photography- and tech- related post. Here's a 1,474 Megapixel shot of the inauguration, that took a MacBook Pro 6 hours (!!!) to stitch together. You can see everything!

* Full-screen link to the stunning photograph

Inauguration Wrap-up

I missed all the stunning images live from the inauguration this morning, but I listened to the processions on the radio while cruising on the Broadway B-line. It felt old timey to hear the clumsy coverage from CBC, but, without a doubt, the words were made more moving. There is something to be said for closing your eyes and just listening to and remembering what was said today, what promises were made, what duties we all have as global citizens. I think the ceremonies hit a nice balance between pompous and popular. The showstopper was the benediction by Reverend Joseph Lowery [below].

2 Weeks to Go (UPDATE)

UPDATE: My friend Jen has left some really insightful comments regarding this post and provided a perspective I couldn't have. The background regarding the what constitutes a "member" of a church is accurate.

Let me be clear here: this is not an attack on Christian or Evangelical beliefs or practices (everyone knows I'm a raging atheist) but specifically the views of Saddleback Church and Rick Warren. I think his interpretation of Ephesians 5:22-28 is much more extreme than the beautiful one Jen has given. His views towards women are clear to me in his official stance on divorce and abortion. Let the discussion continue!

Due to a surprise snowfall last night, SFU is closed today so there are thousands of students at home, probably sleeping. I'm catching up on some podcasts I subscribe to and found this clip from the Dec 23, 2009 episode of the Rachel Maddow Show: an interview with The Nation writer Katha Pollitt about Obama choice of evangelical crazy Rick Warren to lead the invocation prayer at the Jan 20 inauguration in just two weeks. Warren is the head of the Saddleback (mega)Church of Orange County, known for his genial personality but also his extremely conservative politics. Because Prop 8, which took away marriage rights from gays and lesbians in California, is still fresh Obama's choice is a huge blow to the LGBTQ community. Warren's has gone on the record comparing homosexuality to incest and pedophilia:

"The issue to me, I'm not opposed to that as much as I'm opposed to redefinition of a 5,000 year definition of marriage. I'm opposed to having a brother and sister being together and calling that marriage. I'm opposed to an older guy marrying a child and calling that marriage. I'm opposed to one guy having multiple wives and calling that marriage."

Hey, Rick Warren, you're freaking me out. This is the guy that is going to lead a nation in prayer at the ceremony that is touted as the start of a new era that's more inclusive. Because I just watched The Savages, here's a quote from the movie which I think is particularly appropriate, just switch out "Wendy" for "America": "Hey Wendy, this isn't the time to regress."

But the really scary part of all of this is Warren's doctrines regarding women's rights, which, in my opinion, haven't been properly covered by the press. Pollitt discusses some of these with Maddow in the clip below and wrote a corresponding piece for the LA Times (I insist you read this).

If you're super keen to know about what those freaky undertones are in Warren's sermon on Jan 20, you can check out Saddleback Church's "Bible Q & A." Questions No. 22 and 32 are especially interesting. That isn't Warren talking but these are the views of his church; that is, gays and lesbians cannot be members of the church and that abuse alone is not enough grounds for a divorce. Not to mention,

"At his Saddleback Church, wifely submission is official doctrine: The church website tells women to defer to their husband's "leadership" even when he's wrong on important issues, such as finances. Never mind if she's an accountant and he flunked long division, or if she wants to beef up the kids' college fund and he wants to buy shares in the Brooklyn Bridge. The godly answer is supposed to be "yes, dear." Is elevating this male chauvinist how President-elect Obama thanks women, who gave him more than half his votes?" (Pollitt)

Obama's team announced the choice on December 17 and eyes are on Israel now. In all likeliness, it's too late to pull Warren from the program but I really wish they would.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

More opinions and reading on Warren from HuffPo, because I have the tabs open:
* Discussion on AC360 [video]
* Melissa Etheridge Op-Ed

Obama logo contenders

The graphic design team behind the Obama campaign have posted other interesting mock ups for their logos here. The interview below is very cool, especially part two, which describes where the logo went after the firm handed it off to the campaign. Check out "Pirates for Obama" about 3 minutes in on the second video.



Part two

This is so well done... and informative too. Obama's first month in 2 minutes:

96 point for the fourth time

A bit late but from: Mag Culture, November 5:


I was beginning to worry I wouldn’t find the right story with which to mark this weeks’ good news. But here it is, courtesy of Design Observer.

The front page, above, is only the fourth time the NYTimes has used a headline at 96 point, placing Obama’s election alongside the first man on the moon, Nixon’s resignation and 9/11.

Men of the Year

Mark Seliger, forgive me, you are one hell of a portrait photographer. Obama looks good in this picture from a shoot that was only 1 minute and 45 seconds.