Perhaps I missed the presidential oath that swears to uphold the latest fashion standards on that cold January afternoon six months ago. Perhaps I wrongly assumed "mom jeans" were for...moms. And perhaps I missed the band wagon for the skinny jean rage (for the record I adamantly oppose such fabric!).
Seriously, give the man a break.
He inherited the world's richest country (only it's not so rich anymore), right-wing conspiracy theorists are out to get him, and he's only worked at his job for six months. Why shouldn't his jeans be a little loose?
But let's not go crazy and call them "mom jeans" - those are reserved for a very unspecial design of stretchy spandex demin fabric with a waistline sitting 4 inches above the navel and tapered leg that ungratuitously hugs every crevice within the vicinity.
Obama's jeans are loose fit, straight leg denim, albeit slightly grey. Their only disappointment is they are grey and every fashionista knows dismal denim colors are skanky; but Obama isn't a fashionista, he's the president - and male at that. Of course men don't like to shop and we should all be thankful that given our nation's plunging circumstances, the President has not found time to shop.
Though Presidential shopping could be the next economic policy. Take notes, Bernake.
http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/92832
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Is fashion a new Presidential requirement?
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Night Lights
This image is from NASA's Earth lights satellite composites. It's amazing that electricity was invented over 100 years ago (a blink in the span of time) and we've lit nearly every corner of the Earth (despite it being a sphere ;).
I wonder how big of a light it takes to show up on a satellite image? For instance, what is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, just east of the US? Other things to notice: Russia has built an extensive network to Siberia; the Nile is a solid bright line; Australia - not as bright as one would expect; and Canadians apparently live mostly on the US border, but who can blame them, right?
The question is: is this a positive achievement or some disasterous consequence of urbanization?
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Just Pick a Date
As we celebrate the historical proclamation of being independent with all of the fireworks and hot dogs one can imagine, we are doing so on a seemingly random day chosen from the summer of 1776.
As tensions brewed during the hot summer days when the 2nd Continental Congress convened to write out a list of grievances the crown had imposed on the colonists, the foundations of our American government...well, began to work like our current American government - slow.
On June 7, Richard Henry Lee moved for independence with John Adams seconding the notion formally, although support had been growing for some time by then. But the issue was "deferred" until July 1 while Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston drafted a declaration. Although Jefferson claimed that he did not refer to other historical literature, many of the ideas and phrases he chose did make it into the document.
After the declaration was editted, a semi-unanimous vote was taken on July 2 (because New York delegates hadn't been given "official" voting power - though they did finally cast a vote July 9). Later in the month, July 19, the declaration was officially copied to parchment, which is the preserved copy now residing in a temperature-controlled case under guard) but it wasn't until August 2 that the delegate members actually signed that parchment with 3 absent members signing it later.
So the notion of celebrating the essential act of giving Britain the middle finger on the fourth day of July is arbitrary at most; really we should celebrate the entire summer and for most intents and purposes, we do. But everytime you pay taxes, participate in a trial and vote for elected officials, you are celebrating the real intent of the Declaration.
And that, my fellow citizens, should be celebrated all year.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Video Resumes
I recently made the analogy that trying to find a teaching job, or any job for that matter these days, is rife with rejection and if I was going to face so much rejection, I rather be an actress because the payoff is much more substantial. I know there are billions of paper resumes out there that have never seen the light of day.
And why should they? No one is reading them.
But like all dying practices, survival is dependent on adaptiveness. That phenomenon has reached the unemployed. CBS aired a segment over TWO YEARS ago about video resumes. If you search "resume" on You Tube, you received about 37,000 results; on Yahoo, 379,000,000. And there are STILL some businesses that require a 1-2 page printed application with resume attachment optional.
So here's the issue: are employers going to see this as a faster, more authentic way to screen potential workers and thus embrace it, or are employees, given the economic plumment, force this method on employers to break out of the paper-pack?
I smell a new type of worker revolution brewing....and it smells like Flash!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
A Humorous Take on Biased Media
There's much debate about whether a clear bias exists in the American media, particularly those of major news corporations. Upon an equally contingent debate over President Obama's first 100 days in the White House, "The Daily Show" presents what it does best: poking fun at the uber-seriousness of explicit bias in the media.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Obama 101 | ||||
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Monday, June 29, 2009
Is this the New American Form of Imperialism?
This week an icon passed and we were reminded of the vast influence American pop culture has throughout the far corners of the planet.
Within hours of collapsing that afternoon, news of Michael Jackson's rush to the UCLA Medical Center on Thursday, June 25, 2009 was broadcasted around the world via every communication tool available. Aside from the "normal" media frenzy, individuals were trying to be the first to break new developments and alas his death. By dinner time, massive crowds had gathered to begin the mourning process and tributes were immediately presented - from music channels constant music video loops, You Tube clips, Wikipedia biography updates, and personal interviews of family, friends, and fans - billions of people were sharing common experiences simultaneously.
So much so that the web actually collapsed on some servers. I read a CNN byline that said, "How many people does it take to crash the web? One man apparently....if that man is Michael Jackson." The thought that one single African-American male can create that kind of technological response is trully amazing, a testament to the prolific advances in media and world-wide fame. This may be the prime example of a new form of American imperialism.
Phillipino prisoners created a video that was posted on You Tube in which they performed dance to MJ's songs...songs that were initally played on American radio almost 30 years ago and still are today. Ask anyone born between 1968 and 1988 and I bet you they can sing at least 5 MJ songs. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who has never heard of him.
Despite all of the drama and frenzy that surrounded one single man, his music and influence in people's lives has continued for over 40 years and will probably will for many more. Through the media, this icon became much more than a simple American export; this icon became the world's top historical pop cultural influence.
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