July 4th Parade Photos – Anchorage (Part 1)
This July 4th was a wet one in Anchorage. The day started with a slight drizzle and then just petered out to be damp, a bit cold. Luckily there was a good amount to do and see on the Anchorage park strip – between the parade and the fair so I kept warm. There was also a chili cook off that unfortunately I forgot to test out. I took quite a few photos – and even after the edits ended up with a pretty size-able photo-essay so I decided to cut it into two parts. The second part will be…
Music for Your Patriotism Hangover
Back in 2011 at Netroots Nation I was lucky enough to be introduced to the amazing music of Jill Sobule. It was the first Netroots (progressive blogger convention) after the clusterf**k that was the 2010 elections. We were beaten and bruised. Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth, were just hopefuls… most didn’t even know their names. We had been inundated with 2 years of “We want our America back!” and other such subtly racist phrases spewed by the Koch funded Tea Party machine. We needed an anthem. Something that fit our ironic, but self-loathing sensibilities. Suddenly on stage came Jill Sobule and she started…
Swiveling for Freedom
Thomas Jefferson. Founding father. President. Writer. Inventor. Nearly everyone loves Thomas Jefferson in this country. He’s a Tea Party favorite, liberals love him – hell, even Christopher Hitchens was a fan. So while everyone celebrates the United States’ birthday – and thus celebrates one of the finest pieces of American writing, The Declaration of Independence, consider one of Thomas Jefferson’s other additions to American life. Legend has it that Jefferson used a specially made chair while writing the Declaration – one he invented himself. The swivel chair. Technically it was a “Revolving Windsor Armchair,” according to Jefferson’s Monticello, but either…