Free Republic

They say no publicity is bad publicity, and for that Paul M. Kramer must be truly grateful. Since word of his upcoming children’s book, Maggie Goes On a Diet spread throughout the blogosphere, he has received considerable bad press.

My wife, Jan and I, and our children, Amy and Nathan Starkey, lived near Battle Ground until the early 1990s. Our son, Nathan, was in 8th grade at Lewisville Middle School and our daughter, Amy, was a student at Battle Ground High School in 1988 when a serious auto accident fatally injured Nathan less than a mile from school. Amy was driving and pulled out without seeing a logging truck. Though injured, Amy, and two other children in the car survived. Nathan, age 13, was buried in the Venersborg Cemetery, east of Battle Ground, near our home. In 1992, I...

(Photo Exhibits Above) Remember Whoopi Goldberg at the Academy Awards, 1999. Great stuff! She was dressed up as Elizabeth I -face painted white, naturally. But when, in 2011, “two white men declare a black man their hero and are denounced as racists,” what message are elites sending out? QANTAS has overreacted.

Unfortunately, cracks have formed in the iconic Washington Monument, caused by the earthquake that struck the east coast earlier this week:

I need to take pro quality photos of sculptures, bronzes and wire pieces, would you pros use a light box?

Does anyone else notice that the ML King statue in Washington looks remarkably like the Sphinx? The same grandiosity, the image of a ruler, made by the same sculptor who immortalized Chairman Mao. God has his little joke.

Many of you have offered prayers for my family and mother-in-law who was ill for quite some time. Thanks to all for the thoughts. Here's the obituary from the LA Times about her: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-june-wayne-20110825,0,2512278.story?page=1

This ought to instill an appropriate level of fear, then The above photo by Ronnie Miranda appeared various places following the Stanley Cup riot in Vancouver in mid-June. But the original is not just any wide-angle shot, for what he captured was actually a massive 1.0 gigapixel (one billion) digital image.Such technology offers astonishing detail that is obviously useful to anyone working in law enforcement or security/intelligence -how useful? Simply click on the pic above and then zoom right down by double-clicking on anybody in the crowd... pretty scary. One can clearly see the faces of almost every single individual (prior to the trouble breaking-out) with just...

Serial art plagiarist Shepard Fairey, the man responsible for stealing a photo and making it an icon, was attacked last weekend in Copenhagen after he failed to understand that history has meaning. Fairey had been in the city creating a series of “street art” murals on the sides of buildings. The Guardian reports: “The LA-based artist believes the attack was sparked by a misunderstanding over his mural commemorating the demolition of the legendary “Ungdomshuset” (youth house) at Jagtvej 69… Fairey’s installation, painted on a building adjacent to the vacant site, depicted a dove in flight above the word “peace” and...

(See Politically Incorrect Image Above.) Introducing, The Three Golliwogs by Enid Blyton. I suspect she’d have a wee bit of trouble finding a mainstream publisher today.

I've posted my work here from time to time. Haven't done so in awhile and I've been working on a lot of new artwork. Here's the direct link if you'd like to check it out. michaellekites

“Celibacy has existed in one form or another throughout history and in virtually all the major religions of the world,” informs Encyclopedia Britannica. Whether it is for spiritual or health reasons – perhaps both – some creative types have embraced celibacy for years: Teen idols Nick, Joe, and Kevin Jonas Pop singer/songwriter Prince Rock star Lenny Kravitz (above) Actor Terrance Howard Writer Eve Tushnet For some artists, celibacy is seasonal. For others, a long-term commitment. Nevertheless, supporters say abstaining is often beneficial. With the support and guidance of a faith, it can also guard against diseases. Artists stand out probably...

Photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kissing_the_War_Goodbye.jpg Above is the lesser known photo taken by Lt. Victor Jorgensen of a sailor kissing a passing nurse on VJ Day in Times Square. The most famous and iconic picture of this same subject - VJ Day in Times Square - taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt, was published in LIFE in 1945 with the caption, In New York's Times Square a white-clad girl clutches her purse and skirt as an uninhibited sailor plants his lips squarely on hers. August 14, 1945 in New York City was a magical moment - a confluence of history, a place, and everyday people....

You can listen and sample for free at his site! Here's the direct link!

A friend and I are starting up a grass-roots movement to replace House Speaker John Boehner with someone who has a spine to stand up to the RATS. We need someone who has some graphic arts abilities to help us. If you are interested please send me a FReepmail and I will respond to you this afternoon.

Every couple of years I would scour the Al Gore's most famous invention after climate for interesting music, sites like artistsdirect.com, garageband.com and others that don't exist anymore and where unsigned bands, or signed and little known artists uploaded their music, oftentimes quite good, occasionally brilliant. I'd listen to hundreds, thousands of cuts to find a few diamonds in the rough.  I had a method, which probably missed a few rarities, but which served me well. I'd listen to a few seconds to decide, 5, 15, 30.  Certain guitar chords alerted me to the worth of the rest of a...

Back in the 60s St. Augustine was a gathering spot for some of the best folk and bluegrass artists. I got to know some of them.Paul Champion was a quiet and shy man, he could sit in a corner unnoticed for hours, until he started with a banjo or guitar.One night he was onstage picking, stomped a little too hard and went through the stage up to his knees. and he never missed a lick.Lots of MP3 files you can download.

Our world as seen through the eyes of the Obammunist  More news/views/humor at Reaganite Republican

A new exhibit at a Michigan city art gallery features a provocative piece that depicts four Republican governors beneath the Nazi party symbol. Despite complaints, the work will remain on display. Titled “The Faces of American Fascism,” the poster has pictures of Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Wis. Gov. Scott Walker, Mich. Gov. Rick Snyder and Fla. Gov. Rick Scott under the national insignia of Nazi Germany. The symbol of the Republican Party is encircled in the wreath under the eagle instead of a swastika. Written in the middle of the poster are the words, “Anti union,” “anti worker,” “anti woman,”...

The KEH blog isn't widely known but if you are interested in photography it's an interesting and informative place to visit.KEH is one of the largest outlets of photo gear and extremely reliable.I don't have any stake in KEH, it is just one of the businesses I can recommend without reservation.