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I didn't actually watch the coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner, instead, I watched a very entertaining and quirky film called In Bruges (starring Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell). I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but had read good reviews of this film, so when I saw it recently on the sale table for $3.99 I snapped it up, then promptly forgot I bought it ... until tonight, when I was clearing up some of the DVD clutter and rediscovered it. Since Fernymoss was closing tonight (and I knew he had little to no interest in this one), I sat down with my dinner and popped it in. And I was very pleasantly surprised that this film --ostensibly about two hit men hiding out in Bruges after a job gone sour in England -- turned out to be so humorous and full of enjoyable plot twists throughout. Yes, there's a fair amount of pretty bloody violence (they are hit men after all) and coarse language, but there are also some pretty funny scenes in it, some almost worthy of classic Monty Python sketches.
I won't even try to summarize its plot, because this is one of those "little" films that is best experienced "cold" to fully appreciate its quirky charms. And if you are a fan of Colin Farrell, it's a must see (I have to admit that I find him quite hot) to see him successfully tackle a role that demands that he not only be callous and cold, yet incredibly funny at other moments, while still conveying an underlying sense of humanity. That's an odd mix to have to pull off, but I think he did a great job ... and the supporting cast is equally adept at turning this bloody tale into a satisfying mix of drama and comedy. So, if you can get past the basic thematic elements (hit men, violence), it's well worth a look. Obviously this is not one of the classics for the ages, but it is very well directed and does have a tightly written script with a lot of truly witty contemporary social commentary (not particularly kind to Americans, I might add). I'd give it 3.5 Hibiscus Blooms out of a possible 5.0!On to the real subject of this post, our President's speech at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night. As I mentioned, I didn't watch it in real time because I figured I'd catch the highlights later on MSNBC or online ... and happily, these two videos (the entire segment Obama did) were promptly posted on YouTube, so if you're interested in seeing how he did, you've got them right in front of you now! Just click on the image below for Part I.
Isn't it great to have a President with a smart sense of humor? After the last eight years of a bumbling wannabe tyrant who mangled the English language on a daily basis, it's just so refreshing to see a President who can not only express himself intelligently, wittily and demonstrate a self-deprecating sense of humor. Not to mention, some of his best zingers are well worth quoting (note the comments about Rush Limbaugh, Darth Cheney, Michael Steele and John Boehner). For Part II, click on the image below.
Fernymoss and I just about fell out of our chairs laughing at the Boehner quip, and it has to be seen to be believed. I'm sure there are a lot of Rethuglicans foaming at the mouth out there tonight because of Obama's mockery of them. One could (theoretically) I suppose debate the propriety of such a political skewering, but in my estimation, after having been demonized for the past eight years by bloviating Rethuglican gasbags, my response is basically: get over it. Payback is a bi$ch, eh? If you can't take a joke, you're seriously in need of an attitude adjustment (but we already knew that didn't we?). In case you're interested in a bit of Wanda Sykes' follow up to Obama, you can catch an excerpt here.Ok, on to what you're really here for: the vicarious, gratuitous puppy pics! So, without further delay, here are some shots that Fernymoss took just a while ago of Hanna attacking her new favorite toy, the Monster Mouth, filled with treats. She loves this new toy that we got her for her birthday last weekend ... it has little chambers inside where you can hide small treats ... and since Hanna loves solving puzzles, this one didn't take her long to crack, but she still gets a real kick out of working it for all it's worth. And the rubber is so tough she can't crack it, something we've come to realize is an essential feature of any toy we give her....
What are you looking at? I'm workin here!
I just know I can get that last bit out if I work a bit harder at it....
I'd dearly love to paraphrase Gerald Ford's famous quote about Our long national nightmare is now over, but something tells me that we are only at the very beginning of the end of the national nightmare we've been forced to endure for the last eight years. There still remain so many constitutional wrongs to be righted, so many affronts to our personal liberties to be corrected, that it's probably unrealistic for us to expect that one man, our newly elected President Obama, will be able to address all these immediately, but I do have faith in his intrinsic goodness, integrity and honesty to believe that these things will not go neglected.
This remarkable man, who led a truly inspiring campaign to victory against many culturally ingrained odds and prevailed despite all the lies and hateful attacks, has made me so proud. And it's abundantly clear that the rest of the world (for the most part) is on board in cheering his election Tuesday night.... I remember several conversations that Fernymoss and I had last fall when the caucuses and primaries were getting going and I remarked that if Barack Obama were to be elected that it would be an instantaneous boost and corrective to our severely damaged image with the rest of the world. Even then, I had serious doubts that our country was ready to elect a biracial man to our highest office, but as the primaries progressed, I became increasingly hopeful that he could prevail to win the nomination and the presidency. And now it has happened for real and I'm still having a bit of difficulty truly believing that it really happened ... folks, people finally woke up and came out in record numbers (highest turnout since 1908) to make history. I am, after all these painful and depressing last eight years, proud of the promise of our country again ... now if we can only keep up the momentum, we may well be at a transformational turning point in our history. We've accomplished the first step, but there is still so much work to be done on OUR parts to make sure that we stay on the right track.
There's only so much one man can accomplish. But we need to pledge our faith and support to Obama's vision for transforming our politics and country. Really. Seriously. Look back on the insane degree of latitude given to Bu$h by the media after his illegitimate appointment by the Supreme Court back in 2000. At the very least, even those who voted against Obama owe it to our country to give him the benefit of the doubt and cease the scurrilous and downright hateful assaults against his character that were so poisonously lobbed at him during the campaign. Yes, I'm sure he will make missteps at points, but we need to be patient and let him steer the course out of these past eight horrid years.... He's been handed a plate full of nastiness that won't be resolved quickly, so we OWE him our support as he tackles these daunting challenges. Our country has reached the point of near economic collapse, due to the failed "conservative" policies of the last eight years (and since Reagan), and in the recession/depression that is either imminent or already happening, we're going to need some powerful and inspiring leadership, the likes of which we probably haven't seen since FDR. And I truly believe that Barack Obama will provide us with that leadership.
I could go on and on, but I hope I've made my basic point about how stunning his victory was on Tuesday ... I'm still pinching myself and after these few days I think it's finally starting to sink in. I remind myself every morning when I wake up that yes, indeed We Did It and come January 20, he will be our next president. What a relief! After imagining so many nightmare scenarios about how he could be prevented from assuming the office, it now looks that we're on track to have a president who will help bring this nation back from the brink, re-establish our international reputation, and begin to right the innumerable wrongs perpetrated upon our country by his illegitimate predecessor in the office.
Just consider how refreshing it will be to see our President speak at press conferences and such events ...a man who can construct an intelligent and coherent sentence ... who has a wry sense of honest humor ... who has the potential to put us back on a positive track to make us all proud to be citizens of the USA. There are no red states, there are no blue states, there are only the United States of America. Indeed ... I so look forward to that new beginning!
And to end on a lighter note, here's a brief clip of President-Elect Obama answering a question about the new dog soon to occupy the White House. I'm still in awe about how he can imbue such gravity and humor into a subject that many might find trivial, but I think is very weighty ... the choice of the right dog for Malia and Sasha....
I'm eagerly awaiting to see what the new "First Puppy" turns out to be ... One thing I'm pretty sure won't happen is that it will be a Scottish Terrier after that incident yesterday when Barney bit a reporter from Reuters!
As regular readers know, from time to time I can't help but let the reality of the current presidential campaign intrude upon my usual garden musings, and after yesterday's post, it should be abundantly clear who we're voting for later this week. For the first time in my adult (voting) life, I will be enthusiastically voting FOR a presidential candidate who has truly inspired us and millions of other very real Americans who dearly love their country and desperately want to see it set back on a saner course after the rape, pillage and plunder of our democracy, constitution and economy after the past eight illegitimate years of the current administration. Little more needs to be said about that, and my intention is not to launch an angry polemic ... rather, I prefer to laud a very special woman, who along with her husband instilled the young Barack Obama with his fundamental values and helped him become the remarkable man he is today.
No doubt you've already heard the news announced last night that Barack Obama is taking Thursday and Friday off the campaign trail to fly to Hawaii to the bedside of his last remaining immediate family member (other than his sister Maya), his grandmother Madelyn Dunham, who according to some accounts is dangerously ill as a result of falling and breaking her hip recently. To say that "Toot" (as Barack calls her) played a crucial formative role in his upbringing is a grossly reductive formulation of the richness and unconditional love she and her husband Stanley brought to Barack's life, and is a characterization best left to Senator Obama himself (as he has previously detailed in his books). I won't even attempt to go there, and my intention is more to express my deepest admiration for this exemplary woman, who with her husband helped to bring us the most inspiring presidential candidate since my hazy recollections of the days of John F. Kennedy (I was 5 when he was assassinated).
Just look at the young couple in the photo above ... young Stanley and Madelyn Dunham (ca. 1940's, though I'm not sure when it was taken), the grandparents of Barack Obama. Look at them very closely, especially Stanley. When I first saw this photo today I was stunned by the unmistakable resemblance Barack bears to his young grandfather ... there's no question about his heritage, and just take a closer look at Madelyn's wonderfully genuine smile ... these are good people, you can see it in their mere presence. And you can see it in Barack Obama's presence today, for he is truly their legacy, indeed gift, to the American people, no matter what the flailing right wing screech monkeys of the McCain campaign try to fling at him. (And we all know what monkeys like to fling best, don't we?) This humble couple from Kansas, who by happenstance ended up in Hawaii, took on the task of raising young Barack during the years their daughter was abroad studying, apparently never considered their grandson as "Other" (the meme so desperately propagated by those less accepting and tolerant) despite the times they lived in. By all accounts, he was just their "Barry" whom they cherished and nurtured as he grew up. And it's only fitting that Barack now must take the time he needs to spend what time he may have left with his beloved grandmother "Toot" despite the pressures of the final days of his historic campaign.
Anyone who dares to criticize or cynically dismiss this move on his part to pay tribute and express his love to his grandmother is indeed a heartless, soullless person. Unfortunately, in this, George W. Bush's America, there are a lot of those types out there screeching in derision. Enough. It's time to take our country back before we truly dissolve into eventual mindless mob rule, the likes of which Sarah Palin and John McCain have so gleefully encouraged the past few weeks. We're a much better people than this, and Barack Obama can lead us back to a saner world, provided we give him the chance to actualize the concepts of hard work, fairness and devotion to a common purpose and greater good that his grandparents instilled in him.
Two weeks from today, we will hopefully cross an historic threshold by electing this man who can restore our faith in that common purpose and begin to heal the wounds of this divided nation so cynically inflicted by the liar who claimed to be "a uniter, not a divider" who cheated and bullied his way into the White House, thanks to a stolen election and complicit cooperation by certain corrupt members of the Supreme Court. Hope may spring eternal, as some long ago phrasemaker put it, but I fear that if we don't seize this opportunity, America as we grew up to know, love and cherish it, may be lost forever to the minions of hate, fear and cynical self-interest.
We're an infinitely better people than that, I desperately hope. But I've lived long enough to see plenty of ideals dashed and harsh realities bitterly replace them. I want so much to see those hopes and ideals revived before I die.
So let us all, despite any partisan leanings, send our best thoughts and prayers toward Madelyn Dunham, in the hope that she may see her beloved grandson Barack fulfill the great truly American values she worked so hard to instill in him and sacrificed to give him a better chance in life than she was able to achieve for herself (despite her own success as becoming the first female bank Vice President in Hawaii). Her selfless devotion to family is truly an inspiration to us all. Or at least it should be, in a better America. I sincerely hope that we are up to the challenge of bringing that America back to stay.
Thanks to Ta-Nehisi Coates at The Atlantic for her inspired and truly touching post today that set me on this path tonight. I literally wept as I read her post about the Dunhams, and it's a must read.
And if you still haven't seen Barack Obama's electrifying acceptance speech at the Democratic Convention in August, please take the time now to see for yourself the new direction he wants to take this country in ... far away from the darkness and despair of the past eight years.
I'll step down from my soapbox now. Even humble gardeners such as myself have to express other passions from time to time. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to vote! If you can go early (as we lucky folks in Iowa can do until November 3), by all means do so. It looks to be crowded out there on November 4th.
Just to follow up on the Monarch Caterpillar I posted on Tuesday ... and a big shout out to Shady Gardener for her comment providing us with such great information about the progress to expect over the next few days! Thanks so much, Shady! (Need any more Monarda? LOL)
This afternoon, after Fernymoss got back from work, I was telling him what we might see be able to expect from the caterpillar, so he had to grab the camera and head out to get some shots of what has happened since he first discovered it back on August 24. Lo and behold, our friend is well on its way to full adulthood and will probably emerge within the next few days and then wing on out on its migration south (perhaps after lingering here a while I hope...). We both are really excited about its decision to undergo its metamorphosis in our humble Woodland Garden, but apparently it was an inviting enough place for it to undergo the most important phase of its life so far. We feel really flattered and privileged that it has chosen our garden which, as most know by now, we try to make as butterfly friendly as we can by planting some of their favorite feeding and resting places. I think that this year, we definitely hit pay dirt for a bit of butterfly love, and from all possible ones, it's a Monarch!
In this shot you can clearly see the outline of the fully formed wings through the still somewhat opaque chrysalis, but according to Shady, it should clear up gradually as emergence time approaches. Also note the interesting gold spots on the outside of the chrysalis .. I'm not sure exactly what those are all about in the greater scheme of things, but they surely mark this butterfly in the making as a Monarch. Never fear, we'll be out every day now until it emerges to chronicle the progress going on just outside of the living room windows! So stay tuned, so to speak....
Work is shaping up to be another busy week, so I offer my apologies in advance if I miss a post or two here, or if I don't visit the other great garden blogs that I've been in the habit of haunting the past several months. I have to admit that I was a bit lax last week, due in part to the Democratic Convention (yes, I'm a political junkie if you hadn't figured that out yet) and part due to work demands, so I got a little slackerly on keeping up with things around here and the garden blogosphere.
I usually try to keep politics out of the garden here, but there are some times when I'm compelled to devote a post or a link or two to the election, and the truly inspiring acceptance speech last Thursday by Barack Obama is one of those exceptions. If you're one of the over 40 million people who saw it live last week, you know what I mean ... and in my opinion, it was truly the best political speech I've heard in my lifetime (if not in several generations), not to mention its historic proportions. Yes, I've heard all the major Kennedy speeches over the years (though I was but a toddler when he ran for president), and in my estimation, Obama rose to those legendary heights and then managed to go even further as he laid out his vision for his Presidency. We watched it live and we were both electrified and energized by the power of this man's vision and were left, quite simply, overwhelmed. On MSNBC that night, even Pat Buchanan (yes, that Pat) had nothing but praise for Obama and gushed on endlessly to my surprise.
Folks, if you didn't see this speech in its entirety, you owe it to yourselves to watch, no matter what your own opinions may be regarding the election. This is truly one for the ages, and will be cited in the history books one day, it's that brilliant. You can see it on YouTube here, in the unedited CSPAN high quality video from their website. This week, out of a somewhat masochistic sense of fairness, we also plan to watch the acceptance speeches of the Republican ticket, just to compare how their respective agendas play out at their convention. Then at least we can say we gave each side a fair shot at winning us over. Honestly, we're unlikely to be swayed, but we're going to try to at least approach it with an open mind. I would hope that more Americans would try to do the same, but I'm not holding my breath....
I'm sure by now just about everyone has heard (or seen soundbites) the stirring and sweeping speech that Barack Obama delivered today to an enthusiastic crowd estimated at over 200,000 in Berlin. I watched several of MSNBC's programs tonight, who had extended (endless) chattering about the speech (Chris Matthews was especially nauseating tonight), but very few real excerpts that provided the larger context of the speech.
Fortunately, MSNBC has posted the entire unedited video of the speech here, and for those interested, I really recommend you watch it in its entirety (it's about 25 min long). The MSNBC version is very high quality, and you only have to suffer through a 30 second commercial before it begins. If Youtube is more your style, you can see it there as well, but the people posting it have broken it down into three videos.
This is what a real president looks like. This is how a real president speaks. This is how a real president strives to be a true uniter, not only for us, but the world at large. This is the moment....
It's finally over. (Except in one power crazed, deluded woman's mind.) That ungracious, sore loser speech the Clinton Creature gave tonight flabbergasted me with its hubristic self-entitled delusions of grandeur. I was literally reduced to hurling obscenities at the TV for all her cant and lies. Not once this primary season have I heard that Clinton Creature congratulate Obama on a win, whereas he has always been classy, respectful and laudatory with regard to her. I guess that's the difference between CRASS and true CLASS.
Finally, a Democratic presidential nominee who inspires me like no other has since JFK (when I was a toddler, and I'm sure he inspired me too, as small as I was). What an incredible historic moment for the Democratic Party and our nation ... which I hope will become the signal that will not only change our country, but just as importantly begin repairing our greatly damaged reputation and image abroad. Can the political sea change finally be upon us in these sad and desperate days we've been living for the last 28 years? Something is afoot, of that I'm sure. And for once in my adult (voting) life, HOPE at least appears to be winning at least this day. I never dreamed that we could actually nominate an African American or Biracial candidate, though I voted twice in primaries for Jesse Jackson (in 1984 and 1988). I truly want to believe we've made enough progress in this country to carry through to enact Barack Obama's progressive vision of a better America. The choice is now clear: do we want to continue the "failed policies of the past" (as John McCain intoned tonight, without understanding the inherent sad irony) with an angry old man who yells at clouds or do we want a candidate who extols the beauty of those clouds and their capacity to move us to accomplish better things? For me, at least, that's a no-brainer.
I certainly didn't start out here to write a screed against the Clinton Creature or the Cranky Old Man. But just consider the dramatic contrasts when you put them all before yourself and ask where you'd rather go. The choice, I think, is blindingly clear.
Way back when, on 3 January, 2008, I went to the Caucus as a dedicated John Edwards supporter (and a second choice Obama supporter). And I still believe in John Edwards, but he just didn't make the cut here. I think he's a perfect fit for an Obama administration's Attorney General or Secretary of Labor, and hope he will eventually play a role on Barack's team. I was disappointed that he didn't come out stronger from the gate, but I was in no way angry that Obama won so decisively here. In fact, Obama's Caucus Night speech electrified me and brought me to tears, as have so many of his subsequent speeches. That was when I realized that the man who I had previously feared was an "empty suit" convinced me that he was for real. I still think so, and I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure that we elect him our 44th president in November!
I was particularly encouraged and amused to see this endorsement for Obama mentioned in The Nation yesterday by Ari Melber. And in the interests of full disclosure, I've been a long time Deadhead myself, though in recent years I've tended to listen to them less (the loss of Jerry Garcia in 1995 has a lot to do with that), they still remain one of the seminal rock bands in my life. I grew up with them rather late in the 1970's, but I followed them enthusiastically throughout the 1980's, attending all concerts I was near until about 1988, when I was finishing my PhD dissertation (which, unfortunately consumed most of my time for some odd reason).
No matter what you may think (or have thought) of the Grateful Dead, for them to come out at this time (granted it's only Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Billy Kreutzman and Bob Weir) is something that plays of value to this greying ex-hippie. I suspect it will have some marginal impact in California (at least in the Bay area) and that can only be a good thing. Anything that can help Obama whittle away at the Clintons' (the plural is deliberate) lead is encouraging.
To my knowledge, they have never endorsed a political candidate for President, and for the remaining (living) band members to do so now, seems to me to be a positive signal for a great number of potentially 'apolitical' voters to take pause. Maybe I'm ascribing too much to this, but I do think it will help galvanize some younger voters (who came too late to the party) to abandon the bongs for one day, load up their Ipods with US Blues and head out to vote. I doubt there's polling that could truly measure such a metric, but in my more optimistic moments, I'd like to think so.
So, I'm more than pleased that The Dead has come out and endorsed the last best hope for change in the Democratic Party and are throwing their support behind Barack Obama. Of course it remains to be seen whether their 'one time' reunion Monday night will have a real impact on the race in California, I want to believe that it will be yet another cog in the disparate elements of the Progressive community that will help propel Obama to the nomination. Of course we may be eventually disappointed in how it may all turn out in the general election, but for me, it is a more hopeful voter position than what we are faced with at this point. But I do think that Obama can bring more (yes, younger) voters into play this year than Clinton can, and faced with the options of John McCain (aka, Panderbear), can the electorate be that stupid in choosing the status quo? Yeah, I know it's happened before ... but this time around, when I have heard usual Republican voters express enthusiasm about Obama, can we really risk taking this chance? I'm not sure at this point, but I'm willing to give it a chance. Jeebus on the cross we had the idiocy to nominate John Kerry in 2004!
So... let's go full bore and go behind Obama now and take our chances between the flip-flopper panderbears Romney and McCain and 'let's all be a oh shucks Hucksterbee theocratic demolish the church/state barrier' and go for broke. I'm sorry, but the Hillary folks leave me cold. I didn't like how things worked out in the 1990's, so let's let this 'inexperienced' guy (BS alert!) give us our best shot against more war, more corruption and more redistribution of the wealth to the already filthy rich a decent chance! Go back to your sinecure in the Senate, Hillary and spare us the pandering and triangulation! I can tolerate you there (just barely), but at least we may have dodged the dynastic nature of what you and Bill (I used to like you, Bubba) are foisting off on us now.
We will see how it all turns out soon, but I'm hoping for the end of dynastic politics, no matter how it may turn out in the fall. I'd rather lose running Barack Obama (as much as I'd hate such a loss!) than the inevitable loss with a Clinton nominee. Ack, those were tough words to type, but it's the way I see it right now.
What are you looking at? I'm workin here!
I just know I can get that last bit out if I work a bit harder at it....
