7th District US Congressional Candidate, Gabrielle Campo's TV Advertisement

My political pitch to the Indy folks:
Please watch this very positive campaign Ad and support & vote for Gabrielle for US Congress. She's an awesome person and would make a wonderful, proactive, sincere & thoughtful Congresswoman!! I'm splitting this ticket like crazy this year, as are a lot of us. Don't just vote Carson because of the name or the party, actually look at his Congressional record. I guarantee, if elected, Gabrielle won't rest on her laurels. I loved and respected Julia. I knew Julia, and Andre; You are not Julia! My endorsement, which she sneaked onto her website & I somehow missed it! :) Thanks for listening.

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

SARAH PALIN:  Before it got to the other side, I shot the chicken, cleaned and dressed it, and had chicken burgers for lunch.

BARACK OBAMA:  The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change!

JOHN MC CAIN:  My friends that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON:  When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road.  But then, this really isn’t about me.

GEORGE W. BUSH:  We don’t really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY:  Where’s my gun?

COLIN POWELL:  Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON:  I did not cross the road with that chicken.  What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE:  I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY:  Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken’s intentions.  I am not for it now and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON:  Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

DR. PHIL:  The problem we have here is that this chicken doesn’t realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he’s acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.

OPRAH:  Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I’m going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed access to the other side of the road.

NANCY GRACE:  That chicken crossed the road because he’s guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN:  To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART:  No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going.  I had a standing order at the Farmer’s Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level.  No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS:  Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I’ve not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.

GRANDPA:  In my day we didn’t ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS:  Isn’t that interesting?  In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart-warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE:  It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON:  Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES:  I have just released eChicken 2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook.  Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken 2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never crash or need to be rebooted.

ALBERT EINSTEIN:  Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS:  Did I miss one?

Via: e-mail from a friend. Photo: Fafou - Flickr

Girls For Obama

This is great and fun and moving. Take a look.

I'm Sorry, I'm So So Sorry!! I Blew the Election for Barack Obama!!

Monitor shifts from print to Web-based strategy

In 2009, the Monitor will become the first nationally circulated newspaper to replace its daily print edition with its website; the 100 year-old news organization will also offer subscribers weekly print and daily e-mail editions.

Hoosier Popcorn Farmer Makes Good

Did you know that Orville Redenbacher is from a small town (Brazil) right here in Indiana? Born in 1907, Redenbacher developed his first popcorn hybrids while in 4H in Clay County. He went on to graduate from Purdue and create one of the most well-known popcorn brands.

One of the ways Clay County celebrates Redenbacher is with the annual Popcorn Festival. Held (in early) October..., everyone in attendance gets free popcorn and can also take part in the many events that will be happening.

Via: visitindiana blog.

Skits I'd Like to See on SNL, But Probably Won't

I wanna see a skit where Tina/Palin is prepping Granny the racist and Joe the plumber for their on air debuts just like she was prepared...

I wanna see a skit where Tina/Palin is giving paid tours of Russia from her back yard…

I wanna see a skit where Tina/Palin is trying to show McCain how to sell stuff on Ebay… except he can’t because he can’t use a computer… Maybe he accidentally sells the Bus?

I wanna see a skit where McCain parachutes into Washington to save Wall St… except he gets his chute all tangled up in the bureaucracy…

I wanna see a skit showing McCain’s real reaction to his camp picking Palin as his VP with out vetting her…

I wanna see a skit where Obama gets secret intel that McCain is planting Joe’s in his audiences… Obama practicing "keeping cool" faces in front of a mirror...

How about a skit where Palin’s Yahoo account gets broken into and and… and… Oh! that already happened… My Bad… NEXT!!!

How about a skit where Palin is interviewing for the next Joe… Joe Average shows up along with, Joe blow, Momma, Joe Daddy, Camel, and...

How about a skit where a bunch of recording artists show up to McPalin rallies and sues them for using their music… Well, yeah, that's sorta happened too...

How about a skit where Palin gets Georgia (as in the US’s State of) confused with Georgia as in former territory of Russia…

Politics Defined

FEUDALISM: You have two cows. Your lord takes some of the milk.

PURE SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and puts them in a barn with everyone else's cows. You have to take care of all of the cows. The government gives you as much milk as you need.

BUREAUCRATIC SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and put them in a barn with everyone else's cows. They are cared for by ex-chicken farmers. You have to take care of the chickens the government took from the chicken farmers. The government gives you as much milk and eggs as the regulations say you need.

FASCISM: You have two cows. The government takes both, hires you to take care of them and sells you the milk.

PURE COMMUNISM: You have two cows. Your neighbors help you take care of them, and you all share the milk.

RUSSIAN COMMUNISM: You have two cows. You have to take care of them, but the government takes all the milk.

CAMBODIAN COMMUNISM: You have two cows. The government takes both of them and shoots you.

DICTATORSHIP: You have two cows. The government takes both and drafts you.

PURE DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. Your neighbors decide who gets the milk.

REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. Your neighbors pick someone to tell you who gets the milk.

BUREAUCRACY: You have two cows. At first the government regulates what you can feed them and when you can milk them. Then it pays you not to milk them. Then it takes both, shoots one, milks the other and pours the milk down the drain. Then it requires you to fill out forms accounting for the missing cows.

PURE ANARCHY: You have two cows. Either you sell the milk at a fair price or your neighbors try to take the cows and kill you.

LIBERTARIAN/ANARCHO-CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.

SURREALISM: You have two giraffes. The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.

In the Spirit of: A Team of Rivals

Early in the primary season, a member of the audience at an Iowa rally asked Barack Obama what book he might recommend, other than his own. He mentioned Doris Kerns Goodwin's, Team of Rivals, about Lincoln. He said, reading the book, you realize what can happen in politics with great leadership in Washington. Although he was confident in his judgment and his moral bearings, he was extraordinarily humble when it came to looking for people around him that could do the job, even if they didn't like him - even if they were his opponents. So what he did was take all of his opponents and appointed them to his cabinet positions. They would argue with him and oppose him, but because they were good at their job, he didn't mind their independence, and they helped him guide the country through one of the biggest crises in our nation's history. He said, it reminds him of what can happen when you take yourself out of politics and remind yourself what you're doing it for.

The After-Life's Jumped on the Social Networking Bandwagon

The after-life has jumped on the social networking bandwagon as 23rd Pres. Benjamin Harrison is posting on the micro-blogging site Twitter. It's an interesting experiment in historiographic metafiction sidling up and wedging itself into the evolving and porous fabric of social networking.

Some tweets are interesting.

Some are kinda funny as he interacts with other dubious Twitterers.

The "associate" of Mr. Harrison claims they are not affiliated with the Pres. Benjamin Harrison Home in Indianapolis but knows Mr. Harrison VERY well. Knows his personality, voice and history. They say that the idea behind the Twitter presence is to inform people today of some of the parallels of history from 100 years ago.

Set in the year 1900, the last full year of Harrison's life. Mr. Harrison has one foot firmly planted in the 19th Century and those views often contrast when he interacts with contemporary figures who have one foot firmly planted in the awaiting 20th. Newspaper articles, fun facts, books, illustrations and just life observations by Harrison will be featured.

Interactivity, open-mindedness, a sense of humor and a suspension of disbelief is asked and probably needed. The idea is that in the year 1900, Mr. Harrison received a steampunk looking "contraption" on his door-step. In it were instructions of how to link it to his outlets and another note explaining how imperative to the future all of this is. He then begins corresponding with his associate in the 21st Century, then with his audience. As his comfort with it grows, his "tweets" will be a bit less formal. He has no idea why this is happening or what it is he is supposed to say to the future.

They hope to inform his audience of a somewhat forgotten American President and show some of the events that happened during his presidency. To interact in character AND with historical accuracy and to maintain respect for his memory as a President but to have a bit of fun too. They have plans to "live-tweet" with teachers and their classes. They ask anyone interested to DM @Pres_BHarrison for information.

So go on, have some fun and follow along @Pres_BHarrison on Twitter.

Mini Bio: Benjamin Harrison reached the rank of brigadier general during the Civil War, and served in the U.S. Senate for six years. As an odd tidbit of trivia, Harrison was the last bearded president we’ve had. Harrison’s presidency offers a dichotomy of success and failure. He made a number of foreign relations successes during his presidency, setting in motion the U.S.’s backing of the Panama Canal, the annexation of Hawaii, creation of the modern steel-hauled navy and setting up Samoa as a protectorate are among his foreign policy actions that did more in the late 19th century to push America toward its superpower status in the world. On the other hand, he was, at best, a mediocre domestic policy president, pushing forth a number of decisions that helped bring on, but didn't solely cause the depression of 1893, the worst in the nation’s history to that point. He was also seemingly completely unaware of the strife facing the poorest Americans. Though, on the other hand, he did focus great energy on resource conservation and the rights of African-Americans, much more so than other presidents of the era.

Victorian Theatre by Candlelight: A Play of Cold-Blooded Murder & Historic Firsts

THE PRESIDENT'S THEATRE PRESENTS:
VICTORIAN THEATRE by CANDLELIGHT: COLD-BLOODED AT COLD SPRING: THE THIRD TRIAL by James Trofatter

Location: President Benjamin Harrison Home Museum 1230 North Delaware Street,  Indianapolis, IN 46202 (317) 631-1888

Dates: Fridays and Saturdays, October 17, 18, 24, 25 and Sunday, Oct. 26

Fri. and Sat. Performance Times: 6:00pm, 6:30pm, 7:00pm, 7:30pm, 8:00pm, 8:30pm

Sun. Matinee Performance Times: 3:30pm, 4:00pm, 4:30pm, 5:00pm, 5:30pm, 6:00pm (Note: Each time is the start of a progressive play that lasts approximately 45-60 minutes.)

Cost: $10.00 adults, $6.00 students (ages 6 to 17) 

Description: It's September 1868, and Jacob and Nancy Jane Young are joining Jacob's business associate for a picnic along the White River. The day was idyllic, like a dream. But the dream soon turned to nightmare. Instead of building memories, the Youngs became memories. When the identity of who masterminded their murder is revealed, scandal and shock sets in. Nancy Clem, a woman, is accused. The articulate and ambitious city attorney, Benjamin Harrison, was brought in to prosecute Clem, her brother and a third associate in what became a landmark case: the first woman tried for murder in the State of Indiana. Witness the dramatic trail testimonies and the events of that tragic day as they unfold within the rooms of the President Benjamin Harrison Home. Come judge the outcome for yourself!  More PBHH theatre information.

Hey Sarah Palin

Hey Sarah Palin (with lyrics/subtitles)

That One

Image: mcmay on Flickr

Epic Fu Gives You a Twitter Users Guide

Some Twitter Resources

• Twitter
• Twitter Fan Wiki
• Twitterholic - find the big hitters on Twitter
• Twitter API
• TwitterLocal - find tweets in your area
• Twubble - see who you're missing
• Twitter Search
• FeedMyInbox - get search results delivered to you
• TweetScan - search alternative
• Twitturly - find popular URLs posted on Twitter
• TwitScoop - creates a Twitter tag cloud
• TweetMeme - find tweets by category
• Twhirl - desktop app
• Twitterific - another desktop app
• TweetDeck - an Adobe Air app currently in public beta
• TwitPic - send photos
• Twittergram connects to Flickr
•  edutwitter- Directory of Learning Professionals on
• TwitterTwitSay - call in your tweets
• Hahlo for the iPhone
• m.twitter.com - Twitters' mobile site 
• TweetBeep - like Google Alerts for Twitter
• Twitterpatterns - Free background patterns for Twitter

The Twitter Song

EpicFu on Revision3

@w00d’s nerdtainment

Stalk Me On Twitter

Sarah Vowell On Jon Stewart: Does it Get Any Better?

Those who read this blog may remember that a month ago I received an advance copy of her new book The Wordy Shipmates to review and I'm sad to say, I haven't finished it yet so have yet to review it. Life sorta got in the way and I just wasn't feeling the Puritans, even via the extraordinary Ms. Vowell. I WILL read it and review it soon, promise.

7th District Republican Candidate Campo Calls for Transparency in Legislation

From Press Release, 10/07/09

INDIANAPOLIS—Gabrielle Campo, 7th Congressional District  Candidate, released the following statement after Andre Carson flip-flopped on his vote on the economic "rescue" bill passed by Congress last week:

"As evident by the markets' historic lows, the corporate bailout and political pork did not quench the financial fears that so many in our district face. Uncertainty within the markets has made lenders afraid to lend money, underscoring the price paid by Hoosiers because of politics as usual. Congressman Andre Carson folded under political pressure when he flipped his vote on the second draft of the bail out. (Carson also reportedly had accepted more than $137,400 from the financial industry.) The second bill will likely lead to purchase of assets above market value, putting taxpayers on the line for the difference. To make this decision easier for politicians, the bill was pumped with pork. ( Click here to read the rest of her statement on her Website. )

What's Your Tweet Worth Tries to Answer How Much Your Twitter Time is Worth

What's Your Tweet Worth?  Another project from Twittad.com shows how valuable your Twittering time is. 

The first few times I tried to use the service, it said that is was unavailable.  I finally worked when I tried again. I'm by no means a power Twitter user. I'm just a guy in Indy who tweets about history, life, science fiction and politics, so my price was $13 a month. I put in power Twiterati @feliciaday and she was worth almost $300 a month!

So, my question with it is...so what? How is the amount calculated and what does it mean? I could charge $13 a month to advertise on my page? I'm wasting $13 worth of my time each month? Because I guarantee you it's much more than that. It generates a nifty badge for you to put wherever and you can sign up, which I didn't. Maybe that would answer my questions.

A Few Thoughts on the Debate and Sarah Palin

After watching the grand theatre that was last night's Vice Presidential Debate, I have a few thoughts I'd like to share. I've  finally figured out exactly why I don't like Gov. Palin, she is exactly like G.W. Bush. She has this ugly and condescending, sarcastically arrogant side that clearly isn't earned, just like Bush. Arrogance in any form is never pretty, but none bothers me more so than unearned arrogance. 

Bush has unraveled our economy, gotten us into two wars, ruined our international reputation, squandered the capital of international good will after 9/11., ignored the growing crisis of Global Warming and spent four years (2001-2005) actively creating a police state mentality. This is the present NOT the past. This is the mess that the worst President in American history has gotten us into. I don't want someone dealing with foreign policy and dignitaries by cramming the night before and not being able to deviate from talking points. For me, I want my President and VP to be the smartest people in the room.

When it comes to Sarah Palin, here’s what I do care about.

I care that Sarah Palin thinks that the war in Iraq is part of God’s plan.

I care that Sarah Palin thinks religious creationism should be taught as science in public schools.

I care that Sarah Palin thinks dinosaurs and people may have lived at the same time.

I care that Sarah Palin doesn’t know enough about foreign policy to know what the Bush Doctrine is . . . and that she seems to think she has foreign policy experience because “you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska.” (Or, as Tina Fey put it, “I can see Russia from my house!”)

I care that she lies, repeatedly, about whether she sought and accepted pork barrel money from Congress for her town and her state. I care that her only government experience is as a city council member of a town of less than 10,000, as mayor of said town, and as governor of Alaska for less than two years. I care that, as Matt Damon put it (yes, you heard me, Matt Damon — it’s an amazing video and you’ve got to watch it), the prospect of a Palin presidency is “like a really bad Disney movie.” I care . . . oh, you get the picture.

Then there are all the unnerving things that keep coming out about her. How she was an arrogant Mayor who left her town in debt. How she tired to fire her ex-bother-in-law. How she was for the Bridge To No Where before she was against it. How she accepted gifts over the dollar limit since being Governor. How she tried to ban books in her hometown Library while she was Mayor. How she tried to BAN BOOKS in her hometown Library!! How she cites foreign policy experience by pointing out her states' proximity to Russia. How she signed into law an act charging rape victims in Wasilla for their rape kits, (even though she claims not to know if it did or not. Her signature was on it. It's her responsibility to read the laws she signs as Mayor or Governor.) How she approved a law on aerial hunting of wolves and other wildlife!

I care that the McCain campaign and the Republican party were so sloppy in vetting her that they keep getting ambushed with new outrages and inanities about her, every day of the campaign. I care that their thought process in picking her was apparently not, “Who might be qualified to be President if the 72- year-old McCain dies?” but, “How can we get evangelicals and disaffected female Hillary supporters to vote for McCain?” I care that Palin was nominated, in large part, because the GOP (a) wanted to get women voters, and (b) thinks women voters are idiots. I care that they view their Vice- Presidential nominee as, essentially, Dan Quayle in a dress. I could go on, but again, this person has no business being where she is.

I like and respect John McCain. I don't like his campaign this year. The tone is very Bush and the stakes in this election are far too high. If McCain would have gotten the nomination over Bush in 2000, I would have voted for him over Gore. Just so you know, I'm not one to tow a 'party line". I vet the best person for the job, for my values and for my Country. I would normally end this as I have in the past by saying just vote, I don't care who for, just vote. I'm NOT going to say it anymore. It's too important. It really really is. This is an election for our future, our children's future and our World. Please look past race, look past party, look past agendas, look past diatribe and please vote Obama/Biden. Please! The choice seems so obvious. Please open your mind, your heart and read, research and evaluate. The urgency is clear. Your not just voting for the next four years, but the future of humanity, our world, our country, our economy, our safety, our future.

No one will ever know you did. You can publicly deny it later, but in the privacy of that booth; please pull the lever, push the button, punch the card, darken the circle for a better, safer and saner future. Please? Peace.

Photo: Reuters/Jim Young

Looking for Something Fun to Do With the Family This Weekend In Indy? Go to the Riley Festival

The Riley Festival runs Thursday through Sunday on the streets of downtown Greenfield, with most activities within a stone's throw of the courthouse square.

This year's festival theme -- drawn each year from a James Whitcomb Riley poem -- is "Our Hired Girl." Riley was born Oct. 7, 1849, in Greenfield and died July 22, 1916, in Indianapolis.

With hundreds of crafts and vendor booths, the festival also will feature more than 100 units in the parade down Main Street at 11 AM Saturday.

The Riley Home, where James Whitcomb spent his boyhood years, is at 250 W. Main St. in Greenfield, and will be open during the festival from 10 AM to 6 PM For information, call (317) 462-8539.

My Favorite Calvin and Hobbes

The Winners of the 2008 Twitties Are Announced!

You nominated them, you voted for them. Here they are, the best of Twitter for 2008!

MissRFTC I am totally serious. My Ob/Gyn was IN my vagina and an earthquake started rattling the room! 02:44 PM July 29, 2008

wilw When I was a kid, our footie pajamas weren't flame retardant. GodDAMN, we were hardcore. 03:20 PM August 06, 2008

MarsPhoenix Iron Chef on Mars? Set the oven to 1003 degrees Celsius (1837 F) and baked a soil sample and find secret ingredients :D Minerals, that is. 06:16 PM June 17, 2008

To see the rest, go to the Twitties Official site.

Meet and Greet

In certain cultures people greet each other with a little bow and their hands pressed together in a prayer position. This is meant to convey that one acknowledges the divinity in the other. In our culture we greet each other by shaking hands, a gesture meant to convey the cheery thought, "See? I'm not holding a weapon." Personally, I like the divinity "hi, how are ya" a lot better. In fact, sometimes I like to walk down the street and remind myself that each and every person I see is of divine origin and on a journey that is unique, profound, tragic, joyous and, to them, immensely important (I'm sure airports are also good for this exercise, if only I didn't have a preternatural fear of flying since 9/11).

Now that's not to say that I don't often consider others as being mere speed bumps on my little drive through life. I just find that when I make the slightest effort to acknowledge that spark of divinity in the people I meet, I feel better. Life is less threatening. I feel safer. More inclined to being open and loving. More inclined to leave the safety on.

Does Governor Mitch Daniels’ Campaign Commercial Borrow From Disney?

Any one else notice that the music from Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels’ campaign commercial Change That’s Working, sounds a lot like Disney’s, Pirates of the Caribbean theme?

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels’ campaign commercial 'Change That’s Working'

Not really, it's called Mutiny on the Sea by Mark Petrie. Check out his site here.

He's a New Zealand born composer who mentored under legendary composer, Mike Post. He works out of LA scoring documentaries, obscure movies and TV commercials. So there you go! House of Mouse conspiracy averted.

Via: My other blog ab initio. ab intra. (now a pop culture themed site)

5 Pieces of Advice You Didn’t Ask For & Didn’t Know You Needed

1.  Never stop asking questions. Be curious, be amazed, daydream, get lost on purpose, and wonder “Why?” every chance you get.

2.  Live in love, not fear. Those are your only two choices. Hold onto someone’s hand during the scary parts, and respect rattlesnakes, angry people, and tornados. But don’t let anyone or anything make you so frightened that you live a half life.

3.  Look around right now. Now is where we live. Now is where we are breathing, sitting, and experiencing. You can throw Now away by regretting yesterday, or feeling anxious about tomorrow. Or you can be alive- right now. Now is the Main Thing. In a little while, it will be something else.

4.  Make your circles bigger. Discover that those people at the edges are really interesting!  Go out of your way to meet someone who is a different race, speaks a different language, who is lost, or afraid, is younger/older, richer/poorer, attractive/repulsive.  Then listen. Ask those questions! See the world in colors you haven’t seen yet!

5.  Realize- know, believe, understand, and accept- that YOU are a vital part of God’s Continuing Creation. We’re not here to take, we are here to give. Takers rarely experience happiness. Givers are swimming in it.