Palin – “The Undefeated”
“Really? You think she’s running?” I’ve been asked this question dozens of times by incredulous-looking people with furrowed brows. Yes. Yes, I do. And today comes the announcement that Sarah Palin, who has been politically written off by anyone who seriously understands how real presidential campaigns are supposed to work; and anyone who is saying to themselves that her numbers are down; and anyone who thinks she doesn’t stand a moose’s chance in September of actually winning, has a “secret weapon.” No it isn’t some kind of magic gas in silver canisters that will be dropped on neighborhoods across America…
Aaaaaaaaaaa!
Zounds! That’s not who you think it is. The movie based on the political best-seller Game Change is coming to HBO, and actress Julianne Moore will have the .. um.. honor of playing our favorite ex-half-governor. Yes, we only have one ex-half-governor which is why she is, by default, our favorite. The Hollywood Reporter noted that Moore has “nailed” the Palin look, complete with glasses, updo, and a patriotic flag pin. But conoisseurs of Palin accessory trivia will note that it is in actuality a blue star pin. Palin wore the pin religiously throughout the campaign, signifying that she had…
Open Thread – Bucolic
Thomas Birch (1779-1851) – The Narrows, New York Bay 1812 In this crazy mixed-up world, it’s hard to go wrong with something that’s just plain bucolic. Another beautiful moment d’art from the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco. They have a beautiful collection of paintings from the Hudson River School, and this one in particular grabbed my attention. I thought about it afterward, and I think it did in part because it’s a lovely collection of so many things I just plain like – a nice calm sandy beach, a cool gnarly tree, sailboats, the light just before a thunderstorm, an…
Open Thread – A Glass of Port
I was recently in the beautiful city of San Francisco, and as is my wont… I hightailed it to the nearest art museum. So, sprinkled over the next undetermined amount of time, you Mudflats museumphiles can join me on a little jaunt through the DeYoung Museum, situated right next to the amazingly lovely Golden Gate Park. The museum houses an impressive collection of American art, and this beautiful painting by John Singer Sargent really caught my eye. If I was a restauranteur, I’d want my place to have this feel. And I would totally comp you guys for whatever you…
Open Thread – Things as They Ought to Be.
The first time I ever saw a billiken, I’ll admit to being a little creeped out. I stared at the impish pointy-headed topless pseudo Buddha-like critter, and I wasn’t quite sure if it was friend or foe. So, when I saw this collection of them in the Juneau State Museum, I was a little startled at first, but decided to read up on the billiken. I was pleasantly surprised. Suddenly the vaguely disturbing outer appearance melted away, and I became aware of the wonderful symbology beneath. The billiken, I found out, is the best god ever. Forget Neptune, or…
Open Thread – Juneau State Museum
Any Mudflatter who’s been around awhile knows that if there’s one thing I can’t resist it’s a museum. I have a great time inside museums when I can find someone who will indulge me, and even if I have to go it alone. I stopped in at the State Museum in Juneau a few days ago, and took some shots of the things that struck me, so you all could go on a virtual museum walk with me. This was one of the first pieces I saw, and I fell in love with it immediately. Then I looked and recognized…
Oyster Roundup! Fake Palin, Heckling Cheney & Dirty Valentines
Greetings from CPAC! Former Vice President Dick Cheney got a heck of a greeting at CPAC, the yearly Conservative Political Action Conference where conservatives of all stripes come together to wallow in varying degrees of narrow-mindedness, religious zeal, military might, fiscal conservatism, and social backwardness. There are usually some internal squabbles about things like LGBT rights, and how they do or don’t fit into the conservative platform. But back to Cheney’s greeting. It was spirited and passionate, but not what the former Veep expected. When Rumsfeld’s name was announced, and he took the stage to accept the conferences “Defenders of…
Open Thread – Unaware
This image is from an old friend and brilliant photographer, Dave Nitsche. He did a great job of capturing the moment we’re all in, in one way or another. You can have fun checking out the rest of his work HERE.
Oyster Roundup!
~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more! Chuitna Coal Comment Period Extended The comment period for the petition to make the Chuit River and its tributaries declared unsuitable for coal strip mining has been extended! That means if you had all the best intentions of emailing and saying, “I think it’s a really bad idea to dig up 11 miles of productive salmon stream for your crappy coal mine” and just didn’t get around to it, you have another chance! The new deadline is tomorrow, February 2, at 5pm so click HERE and jot…
Open Thread – Rescue Dog
This painting entitled “Rescue Dog” is from the University of Alaska’s Museum of the North in Fairbanks. You’ve all helped me before with identifying the artist when I was too captivated by the work to remember to take a picture of the little info card. I couldn’t stop looking at it while I was there, and I couldn’t figure out exactly why. It was one of the last paintings I saw, and I had to meet my ride to the airport but I felt almost rooted to the spot. My camera didn’t capture it, but the dog almost seemed to…