Chillin in Redmond

I haven't measured exactly but it takes me about 20 minutes to bike to work, and 3 minutes to bike back. Crazy Seattle hills ...

Best lip syncing on the internet

Lip Dub - Tambureddu HD from Leonardo Dalessandri on Vimeo.

Fist Bump

Obama Celebrations Nov 4 Washington DC

On November 4, 2008, US Senator Barack Obama was elected 44th President of the United States of America. I watched the returns with some loud Washingtonians at Busboys and Poets. After midnight we emerged onto a ruckus scene on 16th and U Street (near the African American Civil War Memorial and the Historic Shaw district) for a wild party into the early morning. Barack Obama won 93% of the vote in the District of Columbia.

There was gridlock on the streets, but no one was trying to go anywhere. Just honking loudly...



... and having a celebration.



Some people gathered to clang their gongs ....



... and beat their drums.



Then we started a 1.5 mile journey down 16th street to the White House ...



... to bid adieu to President George W. Bush.

Samantha Power

I just watched this great interview with Barack Obama's (former) foreign policy adviser, Samantha Power. In the first part of the interview she talks about Obama's ideas for a new approach to foreign policy (which she helped to foster). In the second part of the interview she talks about Sergio de Mello, a top UN diplomat on human rights who was killed in Iraq in 2003. It is a great interview because it covers many areas in international relations, and also focuses on the role of the UN.

How many accents was that?

I'm impressed. And I thought my accent was confused: a fusion of Nigerian, British and American.

(h/t tighten up)

TENORI-ON

Its been called the world's newest instrument. Introducing TENORI-ON.

(h/t andrew sullivan)

The Folly of Attacking Iran

I once heard N.T. Wright say that every generation has a story, a context that defines our present circumstances. The problem is that many of us do not know our story, because we do not know the history that led to our existence. Worse, we do not know the stories of those around us, yet we seek to judge them.

This video, by some academics trying to head off war with Iran, reveals some parts of that story that need to be part of the current political discourse.

(hat tip pk)



Robert Naiman wonders how American policy would be different if everyone knew this history, and points out that Barack Obama supports real diplomacy (no preconditions) with Iran.

How to get out of Iraq

Some people wonder how the US can extricate itself from Iraq without generating chaos. Barack Obama's foreign policy advisor (Samantha Power) discusses how the Obama camp have been thinking about this for months and have realistic expectations about what they can accomplish. They also have plans to ensure the Iraqi people are taken care of:

I am currently...

Playing around with Yahoo Pipes. I am (successfully!) reformatting some RSS feeds from CPCP and merging them together to create the future CPCP Stream. Stay tuned...

Breaking news!

CIA Realizes It's Been Using Black Highlighters All These Years

LANGLEY, VA-The most crucial passages of U.S. intelligence have been emphasized with indelible black highlighters.

Rebutting the naysayers

Obama can be very light-hearted, even when he's defending himself. The audience members are all smiles in this video, even as Obama works his way through some of the most scurrilous charges against him:

See my dress

The salvation army is selling some second-hand clothes. I love the use of color on this website:
http://www.seemydress.com