Barack Obama NOW!

It’s been quite a week. Tuesday was certainly a very big day for the United States of America.

Boston.com collected some amazing photos from the inaugural as part of it’s Big Picture series. Here’s some of my favorites from that collection…

Spectators in Times Square watch President Barack Obama take the oath of office during his inauguration Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Residents of Kibera, one of the poorest quarters in Nairobi gather to watch the inauguration ceremony of US President Barack Obama in Nairobi on January 20, 2009. (YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images)

People watch a big television screen broadcasting Barack Obama being sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America on the West Front of the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 during a ceremony at the Paris town hall in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon)

Vertie Hodge, 74, weeps during an Inauguration Day party near Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. in Houston on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 after President Barack Obama delivered his speech after taking the oath of office, becoming the first black president in the United States. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Mayra Beltran)

I love the Boston.com Big Picture photo spreads. Click here to see some of the other ones, including one on the inaugural preparations

One of the coolest photographs of the inauguration was captured by David Bergman using “Gigapan” technology, which involves the usage of a robotic camera mount that captures a very large picture with multiple images, pieces it all together with specialized software, and then shares it online using technology similar to GoogleMaps.

photograph and technology courtesy of Gigapan.com

When you zoom into the image, you can seen an amazing amount of detail, of the various participants at this event. Here’s a close-up of the new president:

Here’s a close-up of some of the other photographers:

I have no doubt there will be plenty of other exceptional photographs from this big day. By all means, feel free to share in the comments.

Here’s an image from where the creator of this blog was at on this very special day – Santa Cruz, California.

Congratulations, America! Now, it’s time to fix the big problems…

January 26th, 2009 | Category: celebrations | Comments (6)

The moment so many of us have been waiting for has finally happened.

Barack Obama is now the President of the United States of America.

As he said today…

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.
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On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
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On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
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We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
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In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
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For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
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For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
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For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
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Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
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This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

There is now an official White House blog at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/

In San Francisco, Bush Street has been re-named as Obama Street.

Here’s a couple of video clips to help celebrate the moment…

First, a snippet of President Obama at the Lincoln Memorial Concert on Sunday…

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…followed by some songs of celebration…

Sheryl Crow, Will.i.am, and Herbie Hancock channel Bob Marley with “One Love”
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The Boys Choir of Kenya singing on the National Mall on January 19, 2009…. I wish the CNN footage was shared. I love these guys!
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… a song that resonates with my soul…
Beyonce channeling Etta James for “At Last”
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“I Can See Clearly Now” – Johnny Nash
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… and one of the finest American anthems,
“America the Beautiful” by Ray Charles

Thank you, America!

January 20th, 2009 | Category: celebrations, Music, news | Comments (10)

Here’s a few links to share before tomorrow, with thanks to porhomme …

Barack Obama’s Pre-Inauguration checklist

Rush Limbaugh: I Hope Obama Fails
…spoken like the true hypocritical “patriot” that claims to “love” his country…

Will Obama say ‘banana’ in inaugural speech? Place yer bets!
Swedish online betting site Betsson sets the odds at 1,000 to 1

Dear Sir Obama: Presidential Advice
Children write to the President-elect

Historic Failure: Bush’s Final Approval Rating is at 22%
Bush’s final approval rating is the lowest final rating for an outgoing president since Gallup began asking about presidential approval more than 70 years ago

Photographer that inspired iconic Obama image is revealed
Jim Young didn’t even know he was the source for Shepard Fairey’s iconic image
… more details at MikeWebkist Flickr page

January 19th, 2009 | Category: celebrations, news, pop culture | Comments (3)

With less than 24 hours to go, there’s a lot of excitement in the air. Both the Washington Post and the Huffington Post referred to yesterday’s concert as “Obama-Stock.” It was estimated that the crowd was at least as large, if not bigger than the earlier 500,000 prediction.

Today is Martin Luther King Day in the United States of America, and many people are paying tribute to the man by helping others, volunteering to make a difference for others in need.

BBC World News America has unearthed a fascinating video clip of Dr Martin Luther King speaking to the BBC’s Bob McKenzie in 1964 in which Dr King predicts an African-American president “in less than 40 years.” Click here to see his clip.

A.P. had a story about the pricetag of the big inauguration, and how the whole thing may cost $150 million.

Luckily, there’s some folks like Media Matters putting the matter in perspective:

It’s hard to find journalism more shoddy than this, courtesy of the AP’s Matt Apuzzo [emphasis added]:

The price tag for President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration gala is expected to break records, with some estimates reaching as high as $150 million. Despite the bleak economy, however, Democrats who called on President George W. Bush to be frugal four years ago are issuing no such demands now that an inaugural weekend of rock concerts and star-studded parties has begun.

Where does that jaw-dropping number of $150 million come from? The AP never says. It doesn’t quote anybody, it doesn’t point to any facts. There’s no nothing. The AP builds an entire story around how much Obama’s inauguration might cost (why stop at $150 million?), yet never substantiates the what-if estimates.
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As we said, journalism doesn’t get much worse than that.
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For an ind-depth look at the phony controversy over Obama’s possible inauguration costs, click here.

January 19th, 2009 | Category: celebrations, history | Leave a comment

With one eye on my trusty Powerbook, and the other on the live HBO coverage of the Lincoln Memorial celebration, I’m basking in the big celebrations. Will.i.am, Sheryl Crow, and Herbie Hancock did an excellent version of a Bob Marley song. Garth Brooks delivered a delicious “American Pie.” Stevie Wonder was joined by Usher and Shakira to deliver a “Higher Power.”

The graphic of Obama is from BringChangeHome.com, a website that celebrates the President-elect’s love for the Chicago White Sox. The official White Sox website has a special page dedicated to the “First Fan.”

While I’m loving the big celebrations for Obama, I want to also enjoy the cleansing of the administration that left behind such a mess.

Here’s an inspired advertisement – Townhouse Spa and Beauty Bar in New York City, is celebrating a change of administration with a “Goodbye Mr. Bush” special – 40% off a bikini or Brazilian wax!

In today’s SJ Mercury, someone wrote a letter to the editor, suggesting yet another song to celebrate the change of presidents…

“How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away?” – Dan Hicks & his Hot Licks

By all means, if you can think of any other great songs to celebrate this moment, please share in the comments.

January 18th, 2009 | Category: celebrations, Music, pop culture, television | Comments (1)

WIth four more days before the big change-over, more people are sharing their Obama-inspired with me….

Jed Alexander of JedAlexander.com created a new Obama-inspired poster of “Rosie the Riveter”, done in the style of the iconic Shepard Fairey graphic that’s been seen all over the world.

Speaking of which… did you see Shepard Fairey on Colbert Nation last night? Good show…

Kellie Walsh May wanted me to know about the Obama Lava Lamp that will be available at select retailers in the U.S. and the official LavaLite.com website.

Artist Charlie LaGreca, game designer Kurt Bieg and writer Jeff LaGreca created a new product called Obama! The Card Game in which each participant gets the chance to play the President elect himself.

Causecast.org has an ongoing campaign entitled “State Your Change” where they’re asking people to state the change they’d like to see in the world, using videos to share their messages.

Then, there’s the official Change.gov website from the Obama-Biden that encourages citizens to submit their ideas.

We can never have enough good ideas, right? They’ve certainly been absent in government for a long time…

Dave Smith of TimeToBelieve.org shared this inspirational video.

Last but not least, here’s a mixed-media stop motion music video and celebration from the video team known as GOLD, commemorating the election and inauguration of Barack Obama, using Adam Freeland‘s remix of Daft Punk‘s “Aerodynamic” and some toys created by Dalek, Bill McMullen and Kubrick. The last minute of this video is where it really gets exciting!

January 16th, 2009 | Category: celebrations, editorials, grassroots activism, Music, pop culture, video | Comments (1)

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been thinking about songs to celebrate the upcoming Obama presidency. With the help of my friends, I’ve created a very large list of songs, but it appears that I’ve forgotten one very important song that speaks to the heart and soul of that which is the United States of America.

Luckily, the Woody Guthrie Foundation sent me a little reminder of the unofficial American theme song….

Bruce Springsteen and The Inaugural Celebration Chorus will perform “This Land Is Your Land” at the Opening Celebration for the 56th Presidential Inaugural, presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday, January 18. The event will be free and open to the public, kicking off the most open and accessible Inauguration in history.

John Mellencamp has just been added to a list of performers that include Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, will.i.am, and Stevie Wonder. Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington will be reading historical passages.

HBO will air the concert live at 2:30pm and will repeat the concert at 7:00pm and 11:30pm (EST).

Adding to the list of celebratory music for the Obama administration, Ashford & Simpson just unveiled an inspired revision of one of their big hit songs…

Click this Huffington Post link to hear their new recording of “Solid (as Barack).”

What makes this story especially interesting is the fact that Ashford & Simpson weren’t planning to do any kind of pro-Obama song. After hearing audiences change the lyrics to their 1984 hit song “Solid (as a Rock)” to “Solid (as Barack)” – and watching “Saturday Night Live” perform a skit in which cast members did the same thing – the performing duo went back into the studio, retooled the lyrics to honor Obama, and recorded the new version, which will be officially released as digital download on Inauguration Day.

January 15th, 2009 | Category: celebrations, Music, pop culture | Comments (1)

President Barack Obama will be the recipient of a lot of very cool tools at his disposal.

For a start, he’ll be driven around in an all-new ObamaMobile. Officially named as “Cadillac One,” this new chariot will utilize bulletproof glass and armor plating, hermetically-sealed to withstand both rocket and chemical attacks. UK Daily Mail provides a nice overview of this new vehicle that is reminiscent of the type of cars utilized by Batman, James Bond, the Green Hornet, and other fictional action heros.

MAD magazine imagined what the first 100 minutes of the Obama administration would look like, sharing a preview with Comedy Central Indecision, which was recycled by my friends at Laughing Squid. Click on the graphic to see the full preview.

In the meantime, the status of Obama’s precious Blackberry remains unclear.

Endgadget recently shared an article about NSA-approved smartphones, and yes, they are pretty damned ugly. You’d think the leader of free world would be able to use the cell phone of choice, but apparently there’s some real security issues with the Blackberry.

I’m sure he’s got his people working to find a solution to this problem. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he receives a new Blackberry with powers beyond the reach of normal Blackberry devices.

January 13th, 2009 | Category: automotive, cartoons, humor, pop culture, technology | Comments (11)

With less than a week to go, things are pretty exciting in the Obama universe as the world waits for the big transformation.

I’m looking at the official 2009 Presidential Inauguration merchandise webpage, and I see a listing for a panoramic photo of the event that’s going to be taking place in less than 7 days. It would be nice to purchase this photographic memento of a very historic day, but spending $400 for any rare collectibles is not exactly the sort of thing many folks can afford to do these days.

Me, I’m hoping I can still get a copy of Amazing Spider-Man #583, which officially goes on sale tomorrow. It features a cover story with Spider-Man and soon-to-be-President Obama, who admits he was a big fan of this iconic superhero. I have a feeling it may already be sold out.

Meanwhile, the celebrations for the Obama inauguration continue to grow.

Brian Webster of SoundAction.com shared this report from Matea Gold:

A slew of A-list talent has signed on to kick off next week’s presidential inauguration festivities. The official organizing committee announced today that “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial,” which will air Sunday on HBO, will feature performances from the likes of Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, will.i.am and Stevie Wonder.
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Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington will read historical passages at the 90-minute free event, which is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. EST on the Mall in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Members of the public do not need tickets to attend. A spokesman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee said there will be a room for hundreds of thousands of people.
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HBO will televise the celebration at 7 p.m. in each U.S. time zone, using an open signal, so it will be accessible to anyone with cable or satellite television.
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“This is a great opportunity to capture an historic event in a very meaningful setting,” said producer and director Don Mischer, whose past credits include the Olympic ceremonies and Super Bowl halftime shows. “We will have the statue of Abraham Lincoln looking down on our stage and a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people lining the mall — a tableau any director would relish.”

There’s another type of celebration taking place with the premiere of a new documentary…

Here’s a quick run-down of this new film from the official CrawfordMovie.com website:

January 2009 will be a time of reflection for the entire country. As America looks to a future of change, the pundits will provide their own spin on what the last 8 years have meant.
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CRAWFORD, an extraordinary documentary by first-time filmmaker David Modigliani, provides a unique perspective on the Bush presidency: through the eyes of the 705 residents of Crawford, Texas.
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B-Side Entertainment is proud to announce a nationwide grassroots exhibition program for this exceptional film – “Host Your Own Farewell to W. – CRAWFORD’s 50-State Screening Party”. Through February, we will be coordinating grassroots screening events in all 50 states – red, blue, and everything in between.

Elsewhere around America, there’s a lot of celebrations taking place. Here’s a photo I found in cyberspace that gave me a good chuckle. Disrespectful as some pundits may think this photo may be, it’s wonderful to see a 91 year old lady enjoying herself with this little celebration!

You can find some celebrations close to you by checking out the MoveOn January 20th party database.

… and here’s a few more suggested songs to add to the proverbial celebratory iPod, Zone, jukebox, boombox, or mix tape:

“America is Waiting” by David Byrne & Brian Eno
“Instant Karma” by John Lennon
“Let’s See Action” by Pete Townshend, the Who
.. and especially…
“A Change Is Gonna Come” by Aretha Franklin (originally by Sam Cooke)

January 13th, 2009 | Category: celebrations, Music, news, pop culture, television | Comments (1)