Friday, January 15, 2010

Our two favorite letters from George W. Bush

By Pablo Fanque (National Affairs Ed.) and Jack Brummet (Arts and Social Mores ed.)


As you may or may not remember, we (Jack and Pablo) have corresponded periodically with the Presidents (we've only had two since All This Is That started five years ago). Our letters to them ranged from out and out trolls to respectful invitations. One letter we received--that we cannot find!--came from a staffer and basically said "are you crazy? We're not giving this to The President."

But in response to some of our more, shall we say apparently positive and supportive letters?, we did hear back from The Boss himself.

Click the letters to enlarge.




---o0o---

A salute to Rev.Pat Robertson


I have a zero tolerance for sanctimonious morons who try to scare people.
- Pat Robertson



---o0o---

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Mount Shuksan

A photo of that most gorgeous mountain Mount Shuksan. Shuksan is a glaciated peak in the North Cascades, north of Seattle, near Mt. Baker, and just below the Canadian border. It is 9,127 feet tall, and 'though it is 5,000 feet lower than Rainier, it one of the most photographed of the Cascade Mountains. I've always thought this was a beautiful mountain.




click to enlarge

by David et Magalie from Vancouver, Canada
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
You are free:
to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work
to remix – to adapt the work
Under the following conditions:
attribution – You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).

---o0o---

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Fun With Dick Nixon's Ghost



If you're a friend, or a blog follower, you probably know that LBJ and Nixon are the presidents I've studied most. With Nixon, it has been a life-long fascination. When I lived in NYC, I often brought friends over to pay homage at his townhouse on the Upper East Side--and where the Secret Service never hassled us, although we rarely arrived there before 2 AM, or even closing time (which in NYC then was 4 AM). I wrote a while ago about visiting him here. Or check here.


Anyhow, yesterday, I spent a half hour at his grave site, communing with the shade of Richard Nixon, who has fascinated me for forty-some years, and a couple more hours at his library, and birthplace. Despite being a Gorbachev Democrat, I still like the guy, and despise about 90% of his politics. He was a treacherous sneak, but managed to pull off some pretty stunning accomplishments before he was driven to the sea.
---o0o---

Monday, January 11, 2010

Adlai Stevenson quote on Republican lies




By Pablo Fanque
National Affairs Editor

Adlai Stevenson wasn't very good at winning Presidential elections, but he was a very wise man.

"I have been thinking that I would make a proposition to my Republican friends... that if they will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them.”

---o0o---

I don't know if it's safe to make cop jokes again (is it too early?) after recent events


click to enlarge
---o0o---

Brummet Island


click to enlarge

Brummet Island is located in Carroll County, New Hampshire. The island sits in Lake Wentworth, and has an elevation of 535 feet. Latitude: 43-35'18'' N Longitude: 71-08'31'' W.




To get there from Seattle:

1. Check your tires, wipers, and gasoline.
2. Pack some food.
3. Merge onto I-5 S via the ramp to Seattle 6.0 mi
4. Take the exit onto I-90 E toward Bellevue/Spokane
Passing through Idaho
Entering Montana 824 mi
5. Continue onto I-94 E
Passing through North Dakota
Entering Minnesota 824 mi
6. Continue straight onto I-694 E 11.7 mi
7. Slight right at US-10 E (signs for I-35E S/US-10/St Paul) 0.6 mi
8. Merge onto I-35E S 4.8 mi
9. Continue onto US-10 E (signs for US-52 S/US-10 E/I-94 E) 0.5 mi
10. Merge onto I-94 E
Entering Wisconsin 255 mi
11. Continue straight onto I-90 E
Partial toll road
Passing through Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania
Entering New York 950 mi
12. Continue onto Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway/New York State Thruway (signs for I-87 N/Newyork/Boston) 1.0 mi
13. Continue onto I-87 S 13.5 mi
14. Take exit 21A toward I-90 E/Mass Turnpike/Boston 1.1 mi
15. Merge onto Berkshire Ext Ny Thruway 0.7 mi
16. Continue onto Ny St Thruway Berkshire Extd 5.6 mi
17. Continue onto I-90 E
Partial toll road
Entering Massachusetts 107 mi
18. Take exit 10 to merge onto I-290 E toward Worcester
Partial toll road 21.2 mi
19. Take exit 26B on the left to merge onto I-495 N toward Lowell
Partial toll road 56.1 mi
20. Merge onto I-95 N
Toll road
Entering New Hampshire 15.1 mi
21. Take exit 5 toward US-1 Bypass/Portsmouth Cir 0.5 mi
22. Continue straight 0.1 mi
23. At the traffic circle, take the 3rd exit onto NH-16 N/Spaulding Turnpike/US-4 W 5.3 mi
24. Continue onto NH-16 N
Partial toll road 14.5 mi
25. Continue onto US-202 E 2.2 mi
26. Continue onto NH-16 N 16.8 mi
27. Turn left at NH-109 N/Wentworth Rd 1.2 mi
28. Turn left at Govenors Rd 0.4 mi
29. Take the 2nd right onto Moose Mountain Rd 0.8 mi
30. Slight right at Tumble Down Dick Rd 3.2 mi
31. Tumble Down Dick Rd turns left and becomes Pleasant Valley Rd 1.5 mi
32. Turn right at Point Breeze Rd 0.4 mi

---o0o---

Drawing: Faces No. 30: Multiples


click to enlarge
---o0o---

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Analog art: Painting--Justice at work

Painting: Justice at work by Jack Brummet



click to enlarge
I painted this at least 12 years ago, and I think someone bought it or I traded it. Anyhow, all I have left is this low resolution photo. This was done with acrylic and pen on canvas, and was about two by three feet. One thing I notice is that is the ensuing years, my drawing skills have remained utterly static. Either I am a complete dolt, or found my "style" early on.
---o0o---

Drawing: Faces No. 32

Drawing by Jack Brummet


click to enlarge
---o0o---

Saturday, January 09, 2010