A New Sign at the Damen House

Looks like they put up a new sign and are apparently enlisting Kinkos for some help. The black and white block typecase is certainly clear, but it lacks the personality of all their past homemade signs.

The Loud House on Damen

On one of my bike routes to work I pass a house on Damen Avenue just north of Diversey. The owner make signs and hangs them from the balcony for all the passers-by to read. They're usually of a political nature, but sometime just more general social commentary. I started taking a pictures of them last summer.

Arizona State Snubs Obama

Daily Show's take on that absurdity last week.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Arizona State Snubs Obama
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

Thanks Ryan for this one.

The Daily Show in Sweden

Wyatt Cenac goes to Stockholm to examine their socialist nightmare.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
The Stockholm Syndrome
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
The Stockholm Syndrome Pt. 2
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

I love Robyn.

Obama’s Inauguration as Witnessed by Kelly

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GUEST POST BY KELLY
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The trip started on a beautiful Seattle day. The sun hadn’t been out in a while and I knew the trip was starting off on the right foot. Here is the view from my friend Susie and Duff’s roof - Brag Alert…



My travel partners were Steve and Susie. Many of you have met Steve from the days of Hippie Kelly and Iowa City visits. Some of you may have met Susie on a visit out here to Seattle. They are two of my very favorite people. Traveling was super easy. There was increased security in Minneapolis as we boarded our flight to BWI but the TSA officers were helpful and friendly. The energy already began feeling Obamarific and only got better as the days went on.



We landed at BWI with our friend Martha’s car waiting for us. Now we just had to find the key..



Lucky for us we have fun friends. Martha and Abbey (formerly of Team Seattle) live in a cute row house in SE Capitol Hill area – they welcomed us from the west coast with a cold keg of Miller Light and lots of friendly faces. We partied till 5am and toasted to the last day of Bush!



Monday was a slow start as we were all hung over from Miller Light. We took a lazy Monday stroll through the neighborhood, visited Abbey at her Hardware Store, and enjoyed a cold but sunny day outside –Whiffle Ball anyone?



After a walkin’ around we met up with Martha at the bar. Martha had just picked up her and Abbey’s Silver Inauguration tickets. They were beautiful. I wish my photo was better quality but check it out:



The president seal was embossed and the ink was shiny silver. SUPER cool.

Here we are the night before inauguration. Everyone is very excited, especially me because now Marissa is with us!! Whoohoo! So great to have an old friend from Chicago with us for the celebration. Everyone loves Marissa – of course.



TEAM INAUGURATION! From the left (back row) Martha, Abbey, Susie. (front row) Joseph, Me, Duff, Kelsey, Stevo, Marissa



We decided to take it easy the night before and rested up for the big day. Slumber Party 2k9



The morning of Inauguration was all about layers. Everyone put on everything they had. We all got outside and some of us went back in for more layers. It was pretty chilly, but overall a beautiful sunny day. Everyone was all smiles, especially because we decided not to get up at 5am like the rest of the 1.8 million. Instead we strolled to the capital with whiskey in our coffee at about 9am.



Our walk with Abbey and Martha ended at the Silver ticket security line and our non-ticketed group headed in the opposite direction of the crowds. Our strategy was to get as far back as we could. Probably the smartest decision we made. The crowds trying to get into the mall area were very very packed. Many times you couldn’t move. Our group headed far and wide. We walked on the closed highway all the way until the exit to the Washington Monument! Headed over and found ourselves a nice big jumbotron to settle in for the show. Although it would have been amazing to at least see the Capitol Building we had plenty of company behind the Monument. I would say there were at least 100,000 people behind us. It was awesome. The folks right around our group were hootin’, hollerin’, high fivin’, and smilin’ from ear to ear.

The BOOs you heard from the crowd when Bush was announced were real and very very loud. The crowd was incredible quiet during Obama’s oath and speech, it was impressive. Then the crowd went wild when we was pronounced the president. We all hugged and kissed and danced around. It was all very emotional.



This dude was awesome. He had a Kenyan flag around his back and was hugging everyone in sight



The walk home was equally as fun as the walk to the Capitol. Once again we took the long around about way. High fivin’ with special police and taking in the happiness flowin’ in the air. Two highlights on the way home were this life size Obama cut-out and a 12 year old with the Obama campaign logo shaved into his head!



That night we celebrated some more at a local bar by Martha and Abbey’s.



It is amazing to see the preserved history of DC juxtaposed with the living history of the week. Welcome Home Obama.



As a conclusion to my post …A picture of DC’s Metro train system. It is impeccably clean, efficient, and cheap. Only 1.65 a ride. They even have carpet and cushions on the seats - What luxury!




Thanks for letting me share. I am proud to have my very first guest blog on Stiles and even more proud to live in a country that can transfer power to a new president with 1.8 million people in a small city with ZERO arrests or major injuries. I miss you all in the Midwest and hope to catch up in the Spring. GOBAMA!

PRESIDENT Obama's New Ride

Click the image for a large version. This thing is insane (thanks Brendan for finding this).


Sorry I haven't posted much at all lately. Things have been crazy with work and home life. I found roommates though!
Also, Kelly is at the inauguration now and we can expect pictures and commentary from her next week.

Jon Stewart and Mike Huckabee on Gay Marriage

Jon Stewart can be so eloquent sometimes. Also, as much as I disagree with him on so many issues, Mike Huckabee is a surprisingly likable figure.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mike Huckabee Pt. 2

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Prop 8 Musical

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

It Could Be True If We Want It To Be True

The depth and the complexity of the recent "prank" by the Yes Men in which they printed 1.2 million copies of The New York Times featuring the lead story "IRAQ WAR ENDS" blows my mind. It's amazing. The papers are dated July 4, 2009 and were dispersed nationwide for free. They even re-created the NYT website to reflect the stories. Please check it out and make sure to watch the videos of people reacting to the paper.

The Unforgettable Night of November 4, 2008

My friends Matt and Megan each secured connecting "Spectacular" suites at The W hotel, where I would watch the election returns before heading to the Grant Park Rally. Hannah and I biked down there because we knew the El and cabs would be a mess, driving was certainly out of the question, and the weather was nicer than anyone could imagine for Chicago in November. The rooms were quite nice and drinks were flowing. I participated in a beer run in which a bar/liquor store (closed for the night) re-opened briefly to sell us wildly overpriced cases of Budweiser and High Life ($24 each). If anyone tells you there's nowhere to get carry-out booze in the loop at night, tell them about the White Hen on Jackson and Desplaines I discovered minutes after being ripped off by Cal's.





Back at The W, states were rolling in swiftly for Barack. I didn't look like he could lose, but it wasn't until Ohio went blue that we decided it was a done deal and started our brief walk up the street to Grant Park. The vibe was nervously excited as we cruised, surprisingly swiftly, through security and onto Hutchinson Field. Perhaps it was because we had personalized tickets, and the background checks came through without a hitch, that they only checked IDs and bags (apparently the non-ticket holders went through metal detectors on the way into their section).

Photo by Carmen. Full set here.



Just before settling on a spot to watch history, CNN, blaring sight and sound across Grant Park, called Virginia for Obama. We all screamed with joy then decided to take advantage of the porto-potties just to our left before settling into one spot for the night. A minute later, I'm in the john doing my thing when the crowd explodes with excitement. Barack Obama was declared president elect. I carefully and quickly zipped up and ran out onto the field with my friends to celebrate.



Here's the countdown to the west-coast poll closing culminating in CNN's calling the election for Obama. Other countdown videos here.

After minutes of cheering and upbeat music, a sound tech's voice came over the system "sound check for the next president, check for president-elect Barack Obama". After a prayer by some bishop and a few words by someone else (sorry, for the lack of info, but the Bishop's words were great) a singer (who's name I also don't know) came out to sing a powerful version of the National Anthem. After this we said the pledge of allegiance and the Obama family hit the stage. We could only see the back of the stage, but it was cool enough just to be on the field with so many people exploding with happiness about what had just happened. Obama's speech was excellent, as always. I liked how much he emphasized the role we would play in the next administration. Focus on serving one's community is one of my favorite things about his message.

"It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to where we are today, but we have just begun. Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today."

We headed out quickly after he finished. Everywhere around us people were crying tears of joy and smiling uncontrollably. It was an unforgettable night in so many ways for me. I've never supported a winner. I've never been so passionately excited about my candidate. I know he won't work miracles, but I am very hopeful that if anyone can fix this hurting country, it is Barack Obama.

That night on the bike ride home around 12:30, the Chicago streets were quiet as can be. Like me, I think the city was emotionally exhausted and ready for a peaceful and satisfied night's sleep. In my inbox the next morning I found some nice message from friends. Alex says:

Thoughts as I go to bed.... There comes a time in your life when you cannot understand why things are the way that they are. There comes a time in your life when you look at the past and try to figure out what you can do to change things. There comes a time in your life when you are soooo damn frustrated that nothing seems possible. It was a speech, a victory, and hopefully a change that happened tonight. What I witnessed was hopefully the beginning of an era of hope. An era where we can all come together and work on our weaknesses and strengthen our faults. Who knows what tonight will bring.....but I will tell you my friends - - - I'm at peace. Good night to you all. I hope the tequila was strong and the beers were cold....and your rides at the L were awaiting. God Bless Obama

Kelly says:

Dear Family and Friends, I hope you all had a wonderful celebration last night. What an exciting time for us!!! I can't decide what I am feeling: relief, hope, excitement, anxiousness... No matter what it is, I am very proud to live in a country that finally made a bold and right choice. My friend Eric sent this quote from Ethan Bronner, a NYT reporter from Gaza and I wanted to share it with you all. "From far away, this is how it looks: There is a country out there where tens of millions of white Christians, voting freely, select as their leader a black man of modest origin, the son of a Muslim. There is a place on Earth—call it America—where such a thing happens." Happy Day to all of you...High Fives...Hugs...HONNNNKKKKSSS!!! Love, Kelly PS. Anyone want to join me in DC on January 20th!?!

Megan, who spent a number of months working for the campaign in Ohio (and her work paid off) had this to say about her election night:

Election night here in Cleveland, Ohio was filled with groundbreaking disbelief, joy, and relief. I spent my evening celebrating with the canvassing team I joined about a month ago. By the time we reached the tiny bar in Ohio City we had all been reduced to puddles; our knuckles were swollen, our aching legs and feet could barely carry us to the bar stools, and our nerves were frayed from countless heated discussions with total strangers. The only thing pulling us into the bar was a tiny thread of hope reeling us in; hoping that tonight America would be victorious. They announced that Obama had won two of the five swing states he needed to carry the election, and Ohio was next…we held our breath, tears already welling up in people's eyes, not sure if they would be drops of joy, or tears of pain. OBAMA WON OHIO!!! A tidal wave of people splashed together, embracing the family of canvassers that Obama had built here in Cleveland. We cried, screamed, smiled, laughed…and when all that settled, I took the longest, deepest breath of relief and let it out into a country no longer piloted by fear, but one full of hope.

Craig at Threadless put together this great wrap up of the night.

If anyone hasn't yet, please check out this election night Flickr set from the Obama photographer. The shots are awesomely personal.


Here's the the night in 10 minutes from the TV watchers perspective.

The Trib put together this time-lapse video of the rally from start to finish in 3 minutes. Very cool.

Oh and perhaps you'd like to watch the excellent acceptance speech in it's entirety, Hulu's got a nice high quality version right here.



Well done America.

Check out my November 4 day in Indiana here.