Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Thursday, April 23, 2009
From Huffington Post: My Comcast Cares Day Preview
I posted on HuffPost for the first time this week. It's National Volunteer Week, and President Obama commemorated it by signing Teddy Kennedy's bill to boost volunteerism and national service in America this week. At last count, it looks like over 58,000 of my friends and colleagues from Comcast and our partner organizations around the country will celebrate the spirit of the week by participating in the eighth annual Comcast Cares Day. I did a post that appears on HuffPost and on Comcast Voices to let everyone know about it.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
From the Artist Who Brought You "Obama HOPE"
I'm glad that Randy Kennedy of The New York Times alerted me to the Shepard Fairey exhibit that opened in early February in Boston's very handsome Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). It's always good to have another reason to return to this beautifully situated and architecturally satisfying building on Fort Point facing Boston Harbor.
Fairey is a Charleston-born, RISD-trained street artist. I remember my first (unwitting) exposure to his art, when I saw his Andre the Giant stickers plastered on tollbooths on the New Jersey Turnpike in the early Nineties. As he put it, "the sticker has no meaning but exists only to cause people to react, to contemplate and search for meaning in the sticker." He succeeded. I remember thinking at the time, "What the...?"
In the past year, we've all come to know his art. The centerpiece of his ICA exhibit is a beautiful mixed media rendition of his "Obama HOPE" poster, which I first saw outside the National Constitution Center when Obama and Hillary Clinton came to Philadelphia for a presidential primary debate last spring. In a little over a year, that depiction of Obama has achieved iconic status, and a rendition now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in D.C.
Fairey has been cranking out his version of "propaganda" for about 20 years. His work is inspired chiefly by Russian Constructivists and Latin American Social Realists of the '20s and '30s. He borrows liberally -- images of dictators real and imagined, the graphic styles of Warhol and the Haight, the textures of wheat-paste posters and flocked Victorian wallpaper can all be seen in his work... not to mention photos of Obama "liberated" from AP. He's had success as a printmaker, a designer of skateboard art, and an illustrator of CDs and record albums.
His work often mocks advertising and American symbols by giving them ironic treatments or substituting his own "meaningless" symbols to challenge our perceptions. His pieces are bold, jarring, amusing, annoying. The exhibit is extensive, proceeding across a half-dozen themed exhibit rooms ("Portraiture," "Music," "Propaganda," "Question Everything," etc.). I particularly appreciated his observations on music, which is a major influence on his life and art: "music is a lot cooler (than art) and way more able to reach people's hearts and minds." Agreed -- but his work at the ICA can also reach deeply, and is well worth spending a couple of hours with.
Given his propensity for borrowing from others, I was amused in flipping through the exhibit catalog at the several hundred "bootlegs" he has collected, where his Andre stickers have been adapted to salute Ralph Nader and Don King, among others. And I also realized that I've bought some of his work before -- I think. A couple of holidays ago, I bought some "Obey the Greyhound" paraphernalia for my wife, done in that same Constructivist style. Still not sure if it's his or someone paying homage to his style.
Not many street artists make it to the museum. The ICA exhibit is Fairey's first curated museum exhibit. It's worth the trip to Boston.
Fairey is a Charleston-born, RISD-trained street artist. I remember my first (unwitting) exposure to his art, when I saw his Andre the Giant stickers plastered on tollbooths on the New Jersey Turnpike in the early Nineties. As he put it, "the sticker has no meaning but exists only to cause people to react, to contemplate and search for meaning in the sticker." He succeeded. I remember thinking at the time, "What the...?"
In the past year, we've all come to know his art. The centerpiece of his ICA exhibit is a beautiful mixed media rendition of his "Obama HOPE" poster, which I first saw outside the National Constitution Center when Obama and Hillary Clinton came to Philadelphia for a presidential primary debate last spring. In a little over a year, that depiction of Obama has achieved iconic status, and a rendition now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in D.C.
Fairey has been cranking out his version of "propaganda" for about 20 years. His work is inspired chiefly by Russian Constructivists and Latin American Social Realists of the '20s and '30s. He borrows liberally -- images of dictators real and imagined, the graphic styles of Warhol and the Haight, the textures of wheat-paste posters and flocked Victorian wallpaper can all be seen in his work... not to mention photos of Obama "liberated" from AP. He's had success as a printmaker, a designer of skateboard art, and an illustrator of CDs and record albums.
His work often mocks advertising and American symbols by giving them ironic treatments or substituting his own "meaningless" symbols to challenge our perceptions. His pieces are bold, jarring, amusing, annoying. The exhibit is extensive, proceeding across a half-dozen themed exhibit rooms ("Portraiture," "Music," "Propaganda," "Question Everything," etc.). I particularly appreciated his observations on music, which is a major influence on his life and art: "music is a lot cooler (than art) and way more able to reach people's hearts and minds." Agreed -- but his work at the ICA can also reach deeply, and is well worth spending a couple of hours with.
Given his propensity for borrowing from others, I was amused in flipping through the exhibit catalog at the several hundred "bootlegs" he has collected, where his Andre stickers have been adapted to salute Ralph Nader and Don King, among others. And I also realized that I've bought some of his work before -- I think. A couple of holidays ago, I bought some "Obey the Greyhound" paraphernalia for my wife, done in that same Constructivist style. Still not sure if it's his or someone paying homage to his style.
Not many street artists make it to the museum. The ICA exhibit is Fairey's first curated museum exhibit. It's worth the trip to Boston.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inaugural Recap
With wind chills on Capitol Hill in the teens, it wasn't easy to peck out a post on my Blackberry this morning, so here's a catch-up. The event has been reported to a fare-thee-well, so just a few personal observations onsite.
The lines to enter the Capitol grounds moved along well despite a lack of official or volunteer marshals. Once inside security, as we walked to our seats, the air bore the slighty sweet, slightly manure-like smell of wood chips underfoot.
Under a dappled blue/grey sky, with a mass of humanity behind us as far as the eye can see, the voice of God announced, "The President-Elect of the United States, Barack H. Obama." As he strode through the portal and shook the hands of dignitaries on the way to his seat, the crowd erupted in chants of "Obama, Obama."
It was a bit distressing - but, with such an immense crowd, not surprising - that the introduction of the outgoing President drew a few boos and a few round of "Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye."
During Rick Warren's invocation and other speeches, someone standing in one of the palladian windows behind the podium kept wiping off condensation so that those tucked in a warm room behind the podium could have a good look.
The music: Aretha Franklin sang "America" (introduced by Senator Feinstein as "My Country 'Tis of Thee"). She couldn't hit the high notes of "let freedom ring" and she's lost a lot of vocal strength, but she beautifully occupied the role of icon. The "Air" by John Williams, based on an Aaron Copland theme and performed by a quartet that included Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman, was the single most moving element of the entire ceremony.
Our first impression of the President's inaugural address was "good.". You can only write your Ninth Symphony once, and expectations were high. But Obama plainly wanted to move on from the platitudinous to the practical, immediately reminding us of the hard slog ahead as we look to restore our economy, calling for seriousness and unity of purpose, speaking of peace and war with compassion and strength - and setting the table for what promises to be a busy and challenging agenda.
After his remarks, thousands of us began a show shuffle away from the seating area, mayors and campaign donors and a lot of just plain folks. As we left the secure zone, several guys with paper money in their hands were offering "$20 for your Obama stub" - next stop, eBay. We saw that the streets approaching Capitol Hill were almost covered with shredded newspapers - and it dawned on us that Obama fans who had arrived in the middle of the night had stuffed these in their clothing to keep warm.
We then dropped by a couple of receptions along the Inaugural parade route. At our second stop, a law firm office on the top floor of the Market Square building at 7th and Pennsylvania, we watched as the First Couple stepped out of their tank-like limousine to walk the rest of the parade group, thrilling the spectators.
We continued our long, happy, exhausted walk back to our hotel, looked at each other, and decided to pass on a third night of partying. We'll satisfy ourselves watching ball coverage on CNN. David Gergen just made a statement that sums up our sentiments: "People wait hours to get into these things - and then they're standing there and they ask themselves, 'what the hell are we doing here'?"
The Inauguration was a wonderful day that showed off America at its best. Let's pray that this sense of unity continues. It's essential to the revival of our economy, our global standing and our greatness as a nation.
The lines to enter the Capitol grounds moved along well despite a lack of official or volunteer marshals. Once inside security, as we walked to our seats, the air bore the slighty sweet, slightly manure-like smell of wood chips underfoot.
Under a dappled blue/grey sky, with a mass of humanity behind us as far as the eye can see, the voice of God announced, "The President-Elect of the United States, Barack H. Obama." As he strode through the portal and shook the hands of dignitaries on the way to his seat, the crowd erupted in chants of "Obama, Obama."
It was a bit distressing - but, with such an immense crowd, not surprising - that the introduction of the outgoing President drew a few boos and a few round of "Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye."
During Rick Warren's invocation and other speeches, someone standing in one of the palladian windows behind the podium kept wiping off condensation so that those tucked in a warm room behind the podium could have a good look.
The music: Aretha Franklin sang "America" (introduced by Senator Feinstein as "My Country 'Tis of Thee"). She couldn't hit the high notes of "let freedom ring" and she's lost a lot of vocal strength, but she beautifully occupied the role of icon. The "Air" by John Williams, based on an Aaron Copland theme and performed by a quartet that included Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman, was the single most moving element of the entire ceremony.
Our first impression of the President's inaugural address was "good.". You can only write your Ninth Symphony once, and expectations were high. But Obama plainly wanted to move on from the platitudinous to the practical, immediately reminding us of the hard slog ahead as we look to restore our economy, calling for seriousness and unity of purpose, speaking of peace and war with compassion and strength - and setting the table for what promises to be a busy and challenging agenda.
After his remarks, thousands of us began a show shuffle away from the seating area, mayors and campaign donors and a lot of just plain folks. As we left the secure zone, several guys with paper money in their hands were offering "$20 for your Obama stub" - next stop, eBay. We saw that the streets approaching Capitol Hill were almost covered with shredded newspapers - and it dawned on us that Obama fans who had arrived in the middle of the night had stuffed these in their clothing to keep warm.
We then dropped by a couple of receptions along the Inaugural parade route. At our second stop, a law firm office on the top floor of the Market Square building at 7th and Pennsylvania, we watched as the First Couple stepped out of their tank-like limousine to walk the rest of the parade group, thrilling the spectators.
We continued our long, happy, exhausted walk back to our hotel, looked at each other, and decided to pass on a third night of partying. We'll satisfy ourselves watching ball coverage on CNN. David Gergen just made a statement that sums up our sentiments: "People wait hours to get into these things - and then they're standing there and they ask themselves, 'what the hell are we doing here'?"
The Inauguration was a wonderful day that showed off America at its best. Let's pray that this sense of unity continues. It's essential to the revival of our economy, our global standing and our greatness as a nation.
Obama's Most Quoted Line: Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
Obama called up several great quotes - from the Bible, George Washington, and others - but would be cool to know whether a President has ever before quoted a lyric from a Hollywood musical in his acceptance speech. "Pick Yourself Up" was a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers song in the 1936 movie "Swing Time" -- lyrics by Dorothy Fields, music by Jerome Kern.
Inauguration Day: Off to the Capitol
Roger Simon write on Politico this morning: "I have never seen so much hope, so much optimism and so much sheer joy as in Washington this week."
That captures it. The street scene is like an Istanbul bazaar - hordes of people, everyone well-behaved, striding by retail encampments offering street food (Shep's Chicago Polish sausages look awfully good for breakfast), memorabilia (looks like someone emptied every Washington Post box the morning after Election Day and slipped copies of the paper into glassine sleeves for sale today), tees, totes, red, white and blue boas, and on an on - an unfathomable variety of... stuff.
We decided not to beat the rush, but to take a more Zen approach. We're cabbing to Union Station to our designated security entrance - and making very good time, all things considered.
More from on-site.
That captures it. The street scene is like an Istanbul bazaar - hordes of people, everyone well-behaved, striding by retail encampments offering street food (Shep's Chicago Polish sausages look awfully good for breakfast), memorabilia (looks like someone emptied every Washington Post box the morning after Election Day and slipped copies of the paper into glassine sleeves for sale today), tees, totes, red, white and blue boas, and on an on - an unfathomable variety of... stuff.
We decided not to beat the rush, but to take a more Zen approach. We're cabbing to Union Station to our designated security entrance - and making very good time, all things considered.
More from on-site.
No Longer Live from the HuffPost Gala
An after-party wrap-up from the very welcome warmth of our room:
*Ann could not resist marching up to Larry David and Christopher Guest, declaring herself to be their biggest fan, and shaking their hands. In return, they simply muttered "thank you." Disappointing. We were actually hoping for Emmys tickets.
*Kudos to the DJ who got a great techno groove going under Barack's "red states/white states" speech from the 2004 Democratic Convention, and who mixed samples from Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" with MLK's "I Have A Dream" speech. Made the interminable wait for the live performances more pleasant.
*Additional celebrity spottings: Jesse Jackson, Eric Schmidt of Google, Sen. Frank Lautenberg, Jonathan Alter of Newsweek, Forrest Whitaker, and David Gregory of NBC. Reportedly on the scene but not seen by us: Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, and Robert DeNiro.
*Also spotted: the marvelous actress Glenn Close, who a dozen years ago sat in the front row of the Big Apple Circus on the afternoon when I was the audience member chosen to perform the Lucy-and-Harpo skit in the center ring with Bello the Clown. I thought I had greatly impressed her with my comic timing, but she never called. Too bad, Glenn, we could've torn up the screen together.
* My biggest disappointment: didn't see Kareem, whom I'm told had RSVPed.
*As we walked out into the very cold night, people was buzzing about alternatives to getting up at 6am on Inauguration Day and walking miles to Capitol Hill to stand around until the 11:30am swearing-in ceremony begins. Let's see what the morning brings.
*Ann could not resist marching up to Larry David and Christopher Guest, declaring herself to be their biggest fan, and shaking their hands. In return, they simply muttered "thank you." Disappointing. We were actually hoping for Emmys tickets.
*Kudos to the DJ who got a great techno groove going under Barack's "red states/white states" speech from the 2004 Democratic Convention, and who mixed samples from Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" with MLK's "I Have A Dream" speech. Made the interminable wait for the live performances more pleasant.
*Additional celebrity spottings: Jesse Jackson, Eric Schmidt of Google, Sen. Frank Lautenberg, Jonathan Alter of Newsweek, Forrest Whitaker, and David Gregory of NBC. Reportedly on the scene but not seen by us: Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, and Robert DeNiro.
*Also spotted: the marvelous actress Glenn Close, who a dozen years ago sat in the front row of the Big Apple Circus on the afternoon when I was the audience member chosen to perform the Lucy-and-Harpo skit in the center ring with Bello the Clown. I thought I had greatly impressed her with my comic timing, but she never called. Too bad, Glenn, we could've torn up the screen together.
* My biggest disappointment: didn't see Kareem, whom I'm told had RSVPed.
*As we walked out into the very cold night, people was buzzing about alternatives to getting up at 6am on Inauguration Day and walking miles to Capitol Hill to stand around until the 11:30am swearing-in ceremony begins. Let's see what the morning brings.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Live from the HuffPost Gala
The press and blogosphere said that THE "celebrity-watching" event of the Inaugural would be the Huffington Post "Countdown to Change" at the incredible new Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue, and I'd say they had it right.
We got into the "VIP line" around 9pm, just in time to see VVIP Larry David whoosh by (with, I believe, Ari Emanuel hanging on his shoulders), carrying bags of cashews.
We headed right to the main floor and the lip of the stage (same strategy we used for the '92 MTV Ball). Pretty amazing celebrity parade in just the first half-hour: Jamie Lee Curtis and the brilliant comedy director Christopher Guest, Sting and Will.I.Am (who are to perform tonight), telejournalists Gloria Borger and Bob Franken, Sharon Stone (interviewed by comedian/actor/telejournalist D.L. Hughley), Sen. Chris Dodd, Senator-to-be Ben Affleck, Wanda Sykes, Steve Case, and the inimitable Don King wearing a one-of-a-kind denim-and-spangles jacket celebrating "The United States of America."
We're anchored about 15 feet from the livebloggers who also seem to be trained celeb-spotters. I'll take them at their word (it's on the big screens here, so it must be true) that they've eyed Ricky Schroeder, Val Kilmer, Tina Brown, and Mayors Gavin Newsom and Cory Booker, among others. One of them just blogged, "Hey, famous people, please come closer," so I guess I need to move in their direction after I finish my post.
A nice fellow standing in front of the livebloggers just handed me a copy of "The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging." I can take a hint. I'll read it next weekend and become a real blogger.
OK, guys, bring on Sting!
We got into the "VIP line" around 9pm, just in time to see VVIP Larry David whoosh by (with, I believe, Ari Emanuel hanging on his shoulders), carrying bags of cashews.
We headed right to the main floor and the lip of the stage (same strategy we used for the '92 MTV Ball). Pretty amazing celebrity parade in just the first half-hour: Jamie Lee Curtis and the brilliant comedy director Christopher Guest, Sting and Will.I.Am (who are to perform tonight), telejournalists Gloria Borger and Bob Franken, Sharon Stone (interviewed by comedian/actor/telejournalist D.L. Hughley), Sen. Chris Dodd, Senator-to-be Ben Affleck, Wanda Sykes, Steve Case, and the inimitable Don King wearing a one-of-a-kind denim-and-spangles jacket celebrating "The United States of America."
We're anchored about 15 feet from the livebloggers who also seem to be trained celeb-spotters. I'll take them at their word (it's on the big screens here, so it must be true) that they've eyed Ricky Schroeder, Val Kilmer, Tina Brown, and Mayors Gavin Newsom and Cory Booker, among others. One of them just blogged, "Hey, famous people, please come closer," so I guess I need to move in their direction after I finish my post.
A nice fellow standing in front of the livebloggers just handed me a copy of "The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging." I can take a hint. I'll read it next weekend and become a real blogger.
OK, guys, bring on Sting!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
How to Pack for Barack
*Boarding the "Regional" shortly from 30th Street Station, where the President-Elect began his whistle-stop journey to DC yesterday. Remember when every train route had its own romantic name? I still see the "Keystone" and the "Carolinian" and a few others on the train information board from time to time, but you'd think they could give a cooler name than "Regional" to a train running from Boston to Newport News. "Yankee/Dixie Express"? "The Snowbird"? "Harvard to Hampton"? Brand ideas welcome at www.amtrak.com.
*Not quite sure how to pack to be ready for our trek to the swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday morning. We've been advised to be at security gates as early as 6am for entry to the very large restricted zone, and we expect to walk a mile or more to the East Front of the Capitol. So I decided to take no chances on the weather - dug out my old Patagonia capilenes (do they still make that stuff?) for extra warmth, and brought along my black Stetson (a gift from our corporate retreat last year) just in case. When the cameras pan the crowd, the tall dude in the cowboy hat will likely be me - or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who will also be in town.
*I see the HuffingtonPost folks have teased the guest list for their Monday night "countdown to change" party to The New York Times, which reports that Sting and Will.I.Am will perform and that Halle Berry, Tom Hanks, George Soros and George Stephanopolous are among those expected to attend. I got a peek at the list myself, and I can tell you that what the Times ran is the barest tip of the iceberg - they're expecting more athletes, Hollywood stars and moguls, musicians and entertainers, writers and bloggers, and other Very Interesting People than you can imagine in one place. Hope to have a little time to blog from onsite.
*Not quite sure how to pack to be ready for our trek to the swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday morning. We've been advised to be at security gates as early as 6am for entry to the very large restricted zone, and we expect to walk a mile or more to the East Front of the Capitol. So I decided to take no chances on the weather - dug out my old Patagonia capilenes (do they still make that stuff?) for extra warmth, and brought along my black Stetson (a gift from our corporate retreat last year) just in case. When the cameras pan the crowd, the tall dude in the cowboy hat will likely be me - or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who will also be in town.
*I see the HuffingtonPost folks have teased the guest list for their Monday night "countdown to change" party to The New York Times, which reports that Sting and Will.I.Am will perform and that Halle Berry, Tom Hanks, George Soros and George Stephanopolous are among those expected to attend. I got a peek at the list myself, and I can tell you that what the Times ran is the barest tip of the iceberg - they're expecting more athletes, Hollywood stars and moguls, musicians and entertainers, writers and bloggers, and other Very Interesting People than you can imagine in one place. Hope to have a little time to blog from onsite.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
My First Time
Although I've made a career in and around the political process, I've never felt compelled to attend a Presidential swearing-in. In fact, my only inaugural moment until now was attending the MTV Ball celebrating Bill Clinton in 1992. We stood at the lip of the stage all night to enjoy Michael Stipe, Natalie Merchant, En Vogue (trivia question - who were they?), and an appearance by the First Saxophonist. Why go anywhere else? Best moment was coming face-to-face with ABC news anchor Peter Jennings garbed in what I could only guess was a Canadian admiral's uniform, replete with braids and epaulets.
Well, this time it's different. Ann and I will head from Philadelphia to D.C. on Sunday afternoon (presciently, I had rescheduled my trip from Saturday, which turns out to be the day when the President-Elect will board Amtrak in Philly for a symbolic ride to the Capital). Talk about a mix of anticipation and apprehension - we expect huge crowds, impassable streets, who-knows-what weather... and a deep gulp of history that we'll be proud to be part of.
We will blog our adventures on my trusty Blackberry. Next report on Sunday.
Well, this time it's different. Ann and I will head from Philadelphia to D.C. on Sunday afternoon (presciently, I had rescheduled my trip from Saturday, which turns out to be the day when the President-Elect will board Amtrak in Philly for a symbolic ride to the Capital). Talk about a mix of anticipation and apprehension - we expect huge crowds, impassable streets, who-knows-what weather... and a deep gulp of history that we'll be proud to be part of.
We will blog our adventures on my trusty Blackberry. Next report on Sunday.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Oboomer
As a boomer (and proud of it), I take offense at the assertion by various commentators (among them Gail Collins in The New York Times) that our President-Elect is not part of the boomer generation. Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961. That means he was part of the "second cohort" of baby boomers, born between 1955 and 1964. There are 76 million Americans who make up the boomer generation, including the President-Elect. Three boomers -- Bill Clinton and George W. Bush (both born in 1946) and Barack Obama -- will have served in the White House. I am confident that two of them will be remembered for their successes in war and peace and for their pragmatic and effective centrism.
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