Rain-out?

It's raining this morning, so there may be no underpass painting activity. I'll post a picture from yesterday for now:


It's more interesting in the larger version (click on it to enlarge it), which usually means it's not all that interesting to begin with.

I'm not saying it's heavily manipulated, but this is the picture I started with.

Overpass Project

Took some more pictures of the overpass mural today. There was no activity over the weekend, but the kids were hard at work today.



I might have stylized this picture just a little.

And So It Begins

I've always liked Target stores. They're cleaner than most big-box stores, the aisles are wider. We recently bought a television at our local Target (plus a bunch of school supplies for the local food pantry to give out).

So I was really bummed to read this article in Talking Points Memo. Target Corporation has decided to take advantage of the unique opportunity provided by the Citizens United Supreme Court decision to corrupt the electoral process in Minnesota.

The Target Corporation has effectively given $150,000 of their stockholders' money to a gay-baiting, über-conservative Republican candidate for governor.

According to TPM:

Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel has explained that the company's support for Emmer is based purely on economic issues. "Target has a history of supporting organizations and candidates, on both sides of the aisle, who seek to advance policies aligned with our business objectives, such as job creation and economic growth," wrote Steinhafel. "It is also important to note that we rarely endorse all advocated positions of organizations or candidates we support, and we do not have a political or social agenda."

Well, Gregg, if that's how you feel, use your own damn money. Myself, I'm going to have a hard time walking into a Target store anytime soon.

Street Art

A few blocks away a group of artists are in the process of creating a mural on the walls of a railroad underpass. And I've been dropping by to record their progress.

Here's how things are going so far:

Weiner Becomes a King

Rage is not a popular emotion among politicos. But I've been feeling so much rage for so long about the Republicans that it's a relief to see somebody actually call one out.

In this video, Rep. King (R) of New York is called out by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D), also of New York.



This morning, on Fox [spit] Weiner and King had it out again, or should I say: Weiner sliced and diced.



The commentator's closing comment is idiotic. But it was Fox, so that's redundant.

Thanks to TalkingPointsMemo for posting these clips.

How Crazy Are They Really?

In this morning's NY Times:

The United States and South Korea on Sunday kicked off their largest joint war game in years, with a nuclear-powered American aircraft carrier prowling off the east coast of South Korea while North Korea threatened to retaliate with its nuclear weapons and reportedly put its military on an alert for war.

Seems like this should have made the evening news last night.

Another Fox Network Disgrace

One of these days the mainstream press will run with the actual story: Fox falsifies news whenever they can get away with it.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

A Note About That Video

I was kind of curious about the background on the video posted below, and started searching. The composer of the music is Garry Schyman, and the singer was a high school junior from Minneapolis named Palbasha Siddique. Palbasha was born in Bangladesh, but her parents moved to Minneapolis when she was six. The composer talks about how it came together in his June 22, 2008, entry here.

Matt Harding's girlfriend discovered the singer on a YouTube video from a fellow who does a show for KFAI radio in Minneapolis, who apparently went to the University of St. Thomas (threw that in for Laura).

The lyrics are from a poem by an Indian poet named Rabindranath Tagore, who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1913. Translated, they say:

Stream of Life
The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.
It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.
It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth and of death, in ebb and in flow.
I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life. And my pride is from the lifethrob of ages dancing in my blood this moment.

My suspicion is that Rabindranath Tagore did not make a profit on his lemonade stand.

Truly Remarkable

Chicago Ted sent this truly remarkable video. I promise you'll smile.



I had to make it smaller to fit, but click on those little arrows in the lower right-hand corner. Thanks, Ted.

The John Galt Theory of Lemonade Stands

Here in Chicago we have a personal finance columnist named Terry Savage, who works for the Sun-Times. I rarely read her because 1) I rarely read Chicago newspapers, and 2) especially not the Sun-Times, and 3) I heard her talk about Social Security once and it wasn't conventional wisdom, it was unconventional stupid.

Came across this "column" of hers this morning. Nice to know nothing has changed, and I still don't have to read her. I'll bet she keeps your ball if it goes in her yard.

1,000

In celebration of the 1,000th post here on Sempringham, which this is, I'll share something I found in the back of a closet today: an old family photo.



It's about 34 years old, in fact. That's me and my bride. The Union Army did not issue Adidas sneakers as part of their standard uniform.

If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you'll notice our wedding rings are on our right hands and the U.S. on the belt buckle is backward. That's because images taken using this process (coated glass plate producing a positive image, with no intervening negative) produced reverse images. I could flip it, I guess, but why?

I'm getting a little tired of liberals trashing Obama. They're not paying attention. Rachel Maddow gets on to that (via Andrew Tobias):

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

That's not too bad for a year and a half in office, with the world's economy falling down around us.

It's Better Than Crying, I Guess

From my brother, Mike, on the left coast:

BP Spills Coffee. It's a very small spill on a very large table.

McChrystal

When the Obama Administration was young, the book to read was Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals, about the Lincoln cabinet.

As I write this, Gen. Stanley McChrystal has had a 20-minute meeting with the President, and did not stick around for a meeting on progress in Afghanistan. Smells like toast from here.

Good thing.
A far better book to be reading right now is Lincoln and His Generals, by T. Harry Williams. McChrystal is Obama's McClellan.

There's more than one general in this Army. I'm sure one can be found who knows what loyalty and chain of command mean.

A Man of Honor

Ran across this little tidbit a week or so ago, while doing research in 19th century newspapers:

William A Smith, who died a few days ago in Richmond, Va., enjoyed a unique distinction. He resigned a seat in Congress because he did not think he had sense enough to properly represent his constituents.

The guy deserves a statue.

Energy Dependency

Two Teds recommended this to me. For good reason.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
An Energy-Independent Future
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Kicking Some Ass

I've always liked Fareed Zakaria, and I think he pretty much nails it here, even though I don't think there's nothing that the federal government can do about the oil spill.



There is so much going on right now. The Euro is in danger of meltdown. The North Koreans could nuke the South Koreans any day. The Turks and Brazil are siding with Iran. And I think there's a war or something going on in Afghanistan.

And meanwhile the bobblehead dolls that read the news want Obama to waste time on being mad for public consumption.

Come back, Walter Cronkite. Your country needs you.

GOP Follies

This guy is in a run-off election for the Republican nomination for a Congressional seat in Alabama.



It's looking more and more like the GOP will not be fielding many sane candidates in this year's off-election. Sharron Angle, who will be Harry Reid's opponent in Nevada, apparently not only wants to phase out Social Security and Medicare (a position she describes as "non-negotiable"), but reinstate prohibition. It remains to be seen how popular that position will be in Nevada.

South Carolina

It's my home state. Gail Collins merrily sums up what's happening there, politically.

Department of Useless Information

Yesterday, Andrew Tobias kindly linked to a post I did last year. You remember it: it was that hilarious "commercial" for Somalia: Libertarian Paradise.

Since then, little ole Sempringham has gotten 500+ hits.

Not a single one left a comment.

No reason they should; it's just almost interesting.