At the beginning of the presidential campaign–before it, really–I wanted Barack Obama to get the nomination. I freely admit it. His convention speech sealed it, but I had bought in before he ever took the stage in Boston (I’m from Illinois, so I was paying…
C. J. Peete (“The Magnolia”) in Central City.
A friend in Bloomington sent me a clipping from his local newspaper, the Pantagraph. Here are the salient details: State Farm Insurance Cos. reported record earnings of $5.46 billion in 2007, breaking the record set the previous year when it earned $5.32 billion. It was…
Hillary Clinton apparently has her own pastor problem. It’s really weird, too. A book is forthcoming and Barbara Ehrenreich has the goods at The Nation: What drew Clinton into the sinister heart of the international right? Maybe it was just a phase in her tormented…
Did you know that Arthur C. Clarke invented the beep? He was the first person to publish the word “beep” in the modern context anyway.
My Dad is at it again. I noted earlier that he has a painting that will be exhibited at a show in New Orleans in May. Today he sent me a digital image of a more recent painting he completed based on a photo I…
Responses to Barack Obama’s speech fall into four categories: 1) He hit it out of the park, I heard the angels sing, I saw history, he talked to me like I was an adult; 2) Too little, too late, he didn’t do enough to persuade…
My father will be in town May 17 for the opening reception of the Louisiana Watercolor Society’s 38th Annual International Exhibition at Place St. Charles (201 St. Charles Avenue), where his painting Guard Watch will be on display: (All Rights Reserved © David M. Bridges)…
During this whole Rev. Wright brouhaha I’ve had a Chris Rock bit (from Bigger & Blacker, 1999) in the back of my mind: A brother in his sixties hates everybody. He can’t stand white people. Why? Because old black men went through real racism. He…
According to Marc Ambinder, Rush Limbaugh said of Obama after his speech today: (He) is not an agent of racial healing, he is a product of it. Limbaugh wouldn’t recognize “an agent of racial healing” if he saw one–or maybe he would, and maybe he…
From WaPo: McCain said it was “common knowledge and has been reported in the media that al-Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran, that’s well known. And it’s unfortunate.” A few moments later, Sen. Joseph…
Barack Obama’s speech today (here’s a link to the video) was certainly more than “just words.” He spoke to the American people as an adult, unflinching in his assessment of the pain and bitterness many Americans feel: I can no more disown (Rev. Wright) than…
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills divorced yesterday. Mills received a $48.6 million dollar settlement, or about $34,000 for every day she was married to him. She also received $70K a year as child support for their 4-year-old daughter. However, Mills said the settlement would require…