Happy Inauguration Day!

Legoland in California celebrates Obama's Inauguration.

Atlas Shrugged vs. 24

I recently read a fascinating article in The Wall Street Journal that pointed out the similarities between Ayn Rand's classic novel, Atlas Shrugged, and our current economic/political situation. You can read it right here.

For those of you who have not read Ayn Rand's work, I urge you to so immediately - it will change your life!

To briefly summarize, Rand believes in a theory called Objectivism, which emphasizes that a person's happiness should come from personal hard work. Communities will flourish when they are filled with creative, determined individuals who are true to their own beliefs and ambitions. Rand, who lived through communist Russia, was not a fan of big government, as its power can be stifling to individuals' creativity and progress.

The author of the WSJ article argues that the themes in Rand's masterpiece novel, Atlas Shrugged, which was published 52 years ago, still ring true today, specifically with respect to the current economic crisis gripping America.

The numerous programs, laws and taxes that governments create, end up interfering with the natural progress of its citizens accomplishments' only to weaken the economy and create further damage. This is what's happening now and it happened in Atlas Shrugged.

This is especially true for clever businesses who have managed to succeed during the current economic turmoil. Instead of rewarding them, the government is using their tax money to help bailout the weak.

The theme of corrupt government, is also explored in this season's 24 (season 7). Jack Bauer, who is an American hero, having saved his country from numerous terrorist attacks, is being tried for criminal charges since he broke some laws while trying to protect his country. Like the protagonists in Atlas Shrugged, Jack Bauer is being punished for his hard work, even when his efforts have helped thousands of citizens.

For those of you who watch the show and have read Atlas Shrugged, here are the character parallels that I see:

Jack Bauer = Dagny Taggart

Tony Almeida = Francisco D'Anconia

Chloe = Hank Rearden

Bill Buchanan = John Galt (think about how they both look)

Renee Walker ? = Danneskjold

I have a beautiful vision in my mind of the former CTU'ers living peacefully in the utopic valley that the heroes from Atlas Shrugged (or "strikers" as the book calls them) escape to at the end of the novel.

Only 2 more years till the movie comes out!

United States of Change

Two years ago, while living in Boston, there was lots of buzz surrounding Obama and I knew that he would be president. No, I'm not psychic, I just realized that the States needed a new image and Obama was the man for the job. His platform of change was supported by his skin colour and passionately articulated with his Kennedy like oratorical radiance.

Thus, while watching the numbers on tv at a friend's intimate election party, I was not surprised by the final results but was quite excited by all the records that were broken on November 4th, 2008. These statistics are great proof of the change that Obama represents:

* No democrat has won North Carolina since 1976. Obama won it last night.

* No democrat has won Indiana & Virginia since LBJ was in power (think 1964).

Obama won them both.

* Nevada, Ohio, & Iowa, historically all Republican states, voted for Obama.

* The voter turn out,which typically averages around 50%, was at a whopping 64%

Sweet! Good job America. Should be an interesting next four years.

What's in a Name?

What's the deal with Sarah Palin's children's names? For those of you who aren't interested in one of the most historically fascinating presidential campaigns, the 44 year old Ms. Palin is McCain's surprise pick to run as his VP. The former Alaska governor is the epitome of Republican, with her anti-abortion and anti same-sex marriage viewpoints. Did I mention that she's also an avid hunter and fisher?

So why is she so liberal-hippie when it comes to the names she chose for her 5 children? Bristol, Willow and Piper are the names of her daughters while Trig & Track are the names of her sons. Yes, I am being serious. WTF? It doesn't make any sense to me. Feel free to leave a comment if you can figure out this dichotomy.

Do any of the young ladies above look like a Willow to you? What about a Bristol?

$8 for a beer?

A few weeks ago I found myself at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern for the release party of The Stills' latest album, Oceans Will Rise. Now I'm not much of an Indie music fan but I figured that a free concert with good company would make for a fun Tuesday night.

Turns out my expectations were exceeded by the melodic and passionate voice of the lead singer. The Stills' sound was more lyrical and rock based than Indie inspired, which I much preferred.

The fans at the jam packed show were really into the music and didn't seem to mind the humidity and awful acoustics that add to the nostalgic element of the Horseshoe. However, the fans who were waiting outside the venue were probably pretty pissed off that the release party was held at such a small place. Sure an intimate vibe was created, but the nostalgic aspect of the night wore off as soon as I ordered an imported beer and the bartender asked for $8.

Yikes! $8 for a bottle of beer at The Horseshoe? I decided to order a Blue instead for a more reasonable $5 but was dismayed to learn that such a dirty bar with an awful sound and ventiliation system had the nerve to charge so much.

A friend of mine recently visited the newly opened Biermarket at King & Portland and also complained about spending $8 on a beer. However, she ordered a pint and in my opinion, $8 for a large glass of a unique type of beer at a clean and pleasant venue, is much more acceptable.

Paris Hilton for President

Due to popular demand, I've added the Paris Hilton presidential ad which is much classier than the McCain-Obama attack ads have been. Paris Hilton + classy in the same sentence? You bet.

This was definitely a smart PR move for the blond heiress who eloquently speaks about the election issues while looking hot and sophisticated in a one piece leopard print cut out swimsuit.

I'm not sure who makes her suit but I do know that Diesel sells similar ones, as shown below, at their stores in the States.

Attack Ads

Having taken a course in U.S. presidential campaigning, I've witnessed and written about countless attack ads that presidential candidates use to scare voters by resorting to the pre-school tactic of bullying. Unfortunately, since both parties are victims of this historical practice, we continue to see child-like behaviour representing the United States' future leaders.

Pathetic.

There's been a lot of controversy over the recent John McCain ad, starring none other than Paris Hilton & Britney Spears. In the video, which is shown on the YouTube bar to the right, McCain tries to make Obama look useless by claiming that he is simply a celebrity, who doesn't have the proper experience to lead a country.

There have been angry articles claiming that McCain is comparing Obama to the party queen, Paris Hilton, and that the ad stirs up racist fears of black man versus young, white, innocent women....

Woah! Talk about exaggeration. First of all, Hilton is by no means innocent.

Second, Obama is not into partying or singing over-sexualized love songs like Spears.

Third, and most relevant, Hilton & Spears are only in the video for a split second at the beginning. Their faces are shown to set the background of the video so that the viewer knows that Obama is at a large and important event where the United States' favourite people are present.

I think that this ad is actually quite clever because it catches the attention of the large demographic in the States that has no interest in political events or in commercials. Old and young, male & female, U.S. residents love gossip about Spears & Hilton. If viewers were channel surfing or zoning out during commercials, and noticed the image of one of their favourite blond bimbos, their attention would definitely be undivided for the whole duration of the 30 second commercial.

This means that they would hear and see the 5 words claiming "Higher taxes. More Foreign Oil," which translates to:

Wow that would suck. Guess I"m voting for McCain, after all the Hilton family endorses him.