Congratulations Obama, Congratulations America

It was definitely an exciting night. I watched the election returns with my parents, and after Obama's victory speech we set off some fireworks outside. It was such a hopeful and exciting feeling to see him elected, and helped erase some of the negativity of the last eight years. I think he'll bring the right attitude and image to the White House, and I'm glad to see that reason prevailed over fear tactics.

By the way, the amazing pciture above was taken on a beach in Puri, India and is part of a photo essay depicting celebrations of Obama's election all over the world. You can see more of them
here. It's a Turkish news website, part of hotnewsturkey.com. The photo essay is great, I reccomend you take a look! We'll be back to books tomorrow, especially since it's Booking Through Thursday (why do I get the feeling I'll be looking forward to that day every week for the rest of the month?).

Vote

The day is upon us Americans. It's kind of surreal, because it feels like the election's been going on for almost two years now, but in less than four hours, the polls will close. That gives you four hours to go vote, if you haven't done so already.

Obviously, from my endorsement a few weeks ago, you probably know who I'm hoping you'll vote for. But at the very least, if you vote for McCain or a third party candidate, I'm begging you to do so because you think they're the best choice, not because you believed their lies about Obama being some sort of Muslim Arab Commie Terrorist. In the final few weeks of the campaign, the bullshit was flying so thick and fast that not even the 24-hour news networks, with their massive shovels, could keep up with it. They've counted on people to be stupid and scared like they always do. Don't let it work on you. Make the best, most well-informed choice you can.

And if you've already done so, here is an old YouTube Eminem video from the last election for your enjoyment.


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Two Endorsements: One Fun, and One Serious

image from barackobama.netimage from ultrapdx.com


Let's get the serious one out of the way first: it should surprise no one who's taken note of my favorite authors or read any of my more political posts that I will be proud to cast a vote for Barack Obama in three weeks' time, and that I hope everyone else does too. This has been an extremely long campaign, and during much of the beginning part of it, I'd hoped that Hillary Clinton would be our candidate (as I'd hoped since I was 16...sigh). I was unconvinced about Obama at first, but the more I hear of him, the more I like him. He's well-spoken and passionate. Some people would have you believe he's an "elitist", but I think the president should be elite. After all, we let a dumbass give it a try for eight years, and look what's happened.

I'd tried to write out a longer commentary, but realized I could not possibly state it better than the New Yorker's editors did last week when they officially endorsed Obama. It's an excellent article, well worth your time. In the past few weeks, it's become so apparent that the country's in serious trouble that even the Republican Masters of Denial can't ignore it anymore. I believe that of the two candidates, Obama is the only one with the patience and understanding to start to get things back on the right track.

Now for my fun endorsement: Leanne Marshall as the winner of Project Runway. This Wednesday, at 9PM on Bravo, we'll get to find out if the judges felt the same way. I caught most of this season, and thought it was reality television at its best. Heroes! Villians! Wacky characters! High highs! Low lows! The triumph of victory! The agony of defeat!

Well, maybe that's a bit much, but it was a pretty exciting season. Leanne stood out for me right away because of her personality. In a case full of opulent Harry Winston and Tiffany 5-karat rocks, Leanne was the simple opal ring that you couldn't help but be drawn to. She was so meek and mild that I wondered how she'd fare in such a high-stress, competitive, backstabbing environment. But week after week, she proved herself. She's won two challenges and has made it all the way to the end now.

Usually, the "home visit" episode decides it for me. Last season, I was touched and inspired to see Christian Siriano's tiny apartment, with the studio that doubled as bedroom. Generally, Tim will talk to the contestant about his or her collection, and then the contestant will take Tim to meet family, friends or significant others. Christian had no one to show off. All his family, he explained, lived far away and only came up rarely. At an age where most people are still trying to find themselves, Christian not only knew what he wanted but had sacrificed everything to get it. So I was very pleased when he won, and I'm happy about the successes he's had already. Hopefully they've allowed him to get a two-bedroom apartment!

In Leanne's case, I was sold by her collection. I think the wave shapes are innovative and beautiful. I loved her wedding and bridesmaid's dresses, and I think her collection has a very cohesive look. It was also probably pretty technically challenging, but it all looks beautifully made.

image from ultrapdx.com

I liked seeing Korto's family and hearing her story too, but I pick Leanne for the ethereal beauty of this collection. You look at it and you feel like you're at the ocean. It's such a simple, beautiful inspriation, and I'd love to see more from her.