ObamaNation:Passion of the Moment

collage by marguerita -d'apres Titian
Hot is the word for this .It was "interesting," said Gertrude Stein of the Civil War, although she was far more intrigued by General Grant than Abraham Lincoln, whom she virtually ignored. She's the only one, so it seems, especially now with the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth, duly touted by committees, books and celebration, having arrived just a few weeks after President Barack Obama's historic inauguration, during which he took the oath of office using Lincoln's burgundy velvet Bible. But then Lincoln has been for a very long time enshrined as a legend, albeit a complex one, whose fate was sealed by the martyrdom that gave him to the ages, or angels, depending on how one recalls Secretary of War Edwin Stanton's tender benediction.
Devotional ardor radiates from monumental church paintings. In a gallery of female nudes with skin so incandescent as to barely need lighting, eroticism floats like a scent. For the first time in European art we see paint itself used as an impassioned material, the instrument of fervid hands and inflamed personalities.

Obama versus McPain,oops McCain

drawing by marguerita

"They're in some pain but in very good spirits''

In tonight’s debate the two candidates will be seated next to each other at a table. The format is intended to promote conversation rather than the regurgitation of stump speeches. It sometimes encourages candidates to be more civil toward one another, but it can also have the opposite effectMr. McCain has already vowed to “whip” Mr. Obama’s “you-know-what” tonight. Of course, he has signaled such a get-tough approach before, only to flag..What to Watch for During the Final Debate - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com

Davos:"Tout va très bien madame la marquise"

Forget the stock market. Forget the current state of the global economy. There are only two issues being discussed at this year's Davos that will have any long-term traction: climate change and the changing global balance of power. http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/larry_elliott/2008/01/davos_08_the_shifting_global_balance.html