Fresh Loaf

Looking for the transcript of Obama’s Cairo speech, I noticed the main image on the front page of WhiteHouse.gov:

There’s nothing objectionable about a nice photo of the president visiting world landmarks. On the contrary, it’s good for Americans to have their leaders depicted showing interest in non-American things. 

But of all the photos taken by the White House photographer at Giza yesterday, the one they chose to make the lead photo on WhiteHouse.gov depicts Obama’s head above and between the Great Sphinx of Giza and the Pyramid of Khafre.

I hated it when Bush dressed up in war-hero drag and I hate it that this White House thinks it’s a good idea to depict Obama as a casual-Friday King of the Nile.

Luckily for you, Mr. President, I’m in a generous mood. I’m willing to forgive this faux-pas if the health care reform you sign includes a public option.

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1. Injured cops video Shirley probably doesn’t want you to watch (What’s going on in the video made one man so mad, he said he wanted to hit Mayor Shirley Franklin with a baseball bat. Bad idea.)

2. Brenda Lee forcibly removed from Obama press area (Macon reporter — and not the ’60s songstress — makes a spectacle of herself while being dragged away from Air Force One.)

3. Perception of Crime watch (According to the mayor and police chief, Atlanta isn’t experiencing a crime wave — it’s experiencing a perception of crime wave. Have you been a victim of a perception of crime? If so, please fill out this form.)

4. Vindictive, thin-skinned mayor acting vindictive, thin-skinned (Franklin wants the feds to investigate the police union president who made the bat statement. See No. 1.)

5. State Sen. John Wiles confuses MARTA with car wash (Lawmaker so frustrated with transit agency, he says he wouldn’t let them wash his wheels.)

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President Barack Obama has named U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor as his nomination to replace retiring Justice David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court.

From the New York Times:

Judge Sotomayor, 54, who has served for more than a decade on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals based in New York City, would become the nation’s 111th justice, replacing David H. Souter, who is retiring after 19 years on the bench. Although Justice Souter was appointed by the first President George Bush, he became a mainstay of the liberal faction on the court and so his replacement by Judge Sotomayor likely would not shift the overall balance of power.

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President Barack Obama stunned the nation today as he showed his affinity for “celebrity culture” — Dr. Sanjay Gupta, anyone? — and named well-known New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman to head the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Reached for comment at a nanotechnology conference in Hong Kong, Friedman said he did not understand the question, denied the appointment, and asked why our publication is named “Creative Loafing.” We called him a liar, said he was wrong about the Earth being flat, and told him his moustache was well developed.

No, really, but Obama did name a new CDC director today. He’s New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden! His department came up with the awesome (really) idea to distribute subway-themed condoms. He sounds like a hellraiser and we welcome him to our city!

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NPR and MSNBC, citing anonymous sources, both report Supreme Court Justice David Souter has notified the White House that he plans to retire at the end of the current court term. (The Supreme Court declined to comment on the reports.)

The reports say Souter would remain on the bench until President Barack Obama’s nominee to replace him is confirmed. It would be the first Supreme Court Justice pick by the president. NPR says most observers expect the president to make his first appointment to the court a woman.

Since Obama was elected, many Peach State political observers have pointed toward Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears as a worthy nominee if a vacancy appears on the bench. Sears announced her retirement from the highest court in the state last October. She steps down on June 30.

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On April 16, President Barack Obama gave rail lovers some long-awaited good news: As part of the president’s stimulus plan, he offered $8 billion to begin linking major U.S. cities with high-speed rail lines — and an additional $5 billion more to improve rail service over the next four years.

“We need high-speed rail,” Obama said. “It’s happening right now. It’s been happening for decades. The problem is, it’s been happening elsewhere, not here.”

By “elsewhere,” the president was referring to Europe and Asia. But he could just as easily have been talking about Southeastern states other than Georgia. Thanks to a lack of vision, little to no funding, and an almost cartoonish addiction to roads, the Peach State’s far behind many of its neighbors when it comes to rail.

Transit and transportation advocates say if the state’s leadership doesn’t work to catch up, Georgia could miss out on a nationwide rail renaissance.

Click here to continue reading this story.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Obamabucks! They don’t just pay for “comfort stations!”

Dave Williams of the Atlanta Business Chronicle reports:

Georgia will be on the receiving end of $665 million in federal stimulus funds to help educate students with disabilities or from low-income families.

The Georgia Board of Education unanimously approved the allocations on Tuesday in a special called meeting.

More than half of the federal aid — $351 million — will go to Georgia school districts through the federal Title I program, which provides funding for economically disadvantaged students. The rest of the money will come from a federal program dedicated to students with disabilities.

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The Atlanta Business Chronicle has put all of its stories about local spending of federal stimulus money on a single page called the ABC Stimulus Tracker.

Among the local projects I learned about on the site: Cochran Shoals in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is getting a new “comfort station” as well as repairs on its old ones.

All Metro Atlantans who think the federal stimulus is a power grab by the fascistsocialistmuslimfundamentalistKenyanpirate Obama Regime are advised to go potty before visiting the park or to bring adult diapers, lest their bodily excretions be interpreted as stinky tacit approval of Obama’s wasteful, tyrannical policies.

And don’t forget, kids, tea is a diuretic.

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I guess Mayor Boyd Austin of Dallas, Ga., is still a victim of other people playing with his Facebook profile?

Privacy settings, sir! Privacy settings!

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From the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama called Thursday for the country to move swiftly to a system of high-speed rail travel, saying it will relieve congestion, help clean the air and save on energy.

Appearing with Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Obama said the country cannot afford not to invest in a major upgrade to rail travel. He said he understands it necessarily will be “a long-term project” but said the time to start is now.

The president allocated $8 billion in the enormous $787 billion economic stimulus spending package for a start on establishing high-speed rail corridors nationwide.

Included on this list:

- Southeast corridor (Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Macon, Columbia, Savannah, Jacksonville)

- Gulf Coast corridor (Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, Birmingham, Atlanta)

Now if only Georgia would join that Atlanta-New Orleans study commission…

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Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton

Several Republican state representatives on Thursday opposed a privileged resolution to make President Barack Obama an honorary member of Georgia’s Legislative Black Caucus. Members of the caucus called the move political, offensive and bizarre — the state House has passed “thousands” of honorary resolutions without objection, one lawmaker said.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with the color of his skin. It has to do with his policies being inconsistent with our core beliefs as Republicans.”

— State Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton, and 2010 governor candidate, after stating that the legislation read as if the entire Legislature endorsed the president.

“We pass [other] resolutions about people we know nothing about. It’s a matter of respecting the office.”

— State Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta

“In my 35 years I’ve seen many resolutions. And I’ve never seen this type of action taken on the floor of the House. Now there’s a dark cloud over Georgia. And somebody has to remove it. This is a political act.”

— State Rep. Calvin Smyre, D-Macon, the Black Caucus’ national chairman, who had planned to deliver the resolution to Obama at the White House on March 20.

(Courtesy House Communications)

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The most tangible component of President Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus plan — transportation projects — is starting to take shape in metro Atlanta and Georgia.

Yesterday, the State Transportation Board today approved 135 projects — most of which involve bridge maintenance and road resurfacing — valued at more than $512 million.

And today, the Atlanta Regional Commission approved stimulus projects totaling more than $270 million — $95 million of which will help metro region transit agencies replace aging vehicles, complete maintenance projects, and improve park-and-ride facilities. MARTA has been allocated $55 million. Some pedestrian improvements are included in each agency’s project lists.

If Gov. Sonny Perdue approves the projects, bids will be solicited. Work is expected to begin immediately thereafter.

Georgia was allocated $1.1 billion in transportation funding under the plan — $931 million for roads and $144 million for transit projects. GDOT oversees 70 percent of that cash. The remaining funds are distributed among metropolitan planning organizations — i.e. the ARC.

After the jump, screenshots of GDOT’s approved projects in Fulton and DeKalb Counties. To view the entire list and monitor how the agency spends Obamabucks, visit its stimulus projects website. To download a PDF of the ARC’s approved stimulus projects, click here. I’d post screenshots for you, dear reader, but since the projects are all local, it’s best to read the list in full.

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Meet Boyd Austin, mayor of Dallas, Ga. Consider him added to the list of folks who need to realize what many people already know: The Internet was invented to place you in awkward situations.

Yesterday, political blog Wonkette wondered what Austin was talking about when he updated his Facebook status message to say this:

The status message refers to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s recent visit to the United States. Brown gave President Barack Obama a pen holder carved from a magical tree. Obama gave Brown a set of DVDs (come on, we’re in a recession, people!). This pissed off the British media.

I was also baffled by Austin’s status update. Confused as to what I should do, I dusted off my Creative Loafing Employee Ethics Manual, turned to the appendix, and saw that I was supposed to “call the story’s subject.” I was pretty sure that was Austin. The mayor, who identifies himself as such on his Facebook profile, sounded surprised that anyone noticed the status message.

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Maybe Gov. Sonny Perdue, in Washington, D.C. this weekend for the National Governors Association’s winter conference, has the flu. If so, get better and come home soon, sir! We wanna talk to you about this whole might-not-take-some-of-that-stimulus-money thingy.

From the Huffington Post’s frontpage (photo by Charles Dharapak of the Associated Press):

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Remember those Georgia Republican Congressmen who bellyached about President Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus plan? Their constituents might see most of its benefits.

From Jim Galloway at the AJC:

Not surprisingly, according to the White House, the stimulus will be the greatest boon in north metro Atlanta congressional districts whose Republican representatives opposed it.

The package will create or save about 9,900 jobs in Georgia’s 7th congressional district, represented by John Linder of Duluth.

Another 9,200 jobs will be created or saved in Georgia’s 6th District, which is represented by Republican Tom Price of Roswell.

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Current amount, in dollars, of President Obama’s stimulus plan aimed to create jobs and spur the economy: 827 billion

Amount, in dollars, Mayor Shirley Franklin recently requested for Atlanta projects: 1.88 billion

Estimated number of city jobs Franklin says the federal stimulus plan could create: 40,000

Number of police officers Franklin wants to add with stimulus money: 200

Dollar value of sewer projects the city wants to build using stimulus funds: 801 million

Amount, in dollars, the city requested to build the International Terminal at Jackson-Hartsfield International Airport: 500 million

Number of federal dollars Franklin says would go to offset the city’s budget deficit: 0

Amount, in dollars, the Georgia Department of Transportation has requested for state projects: 3.4 billion

Estimated number of jobs Georgia could gain because of the stimulus package: 143,000

Sources: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, U.S. Conference of Mayors

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Gay-hater Peter LaBarbera

The right-fringe moonbat sector of the Internet got its collective panties in a wad recently over alleged plans by an Atlanta gay sex club to hold an orgy in a Washington D.C. hotel over the recent inauguration weekend.

The details are arguably hilarious but unarguably unsuited for delicate sensibilities, so proceed accordingly.

The group that broke the story calls itself (presumably with a straight face) Americans For Truth About Homosexuality, headed by one Peter LaBarbera, who claims to have stumbled across an e-mail invitation to the shindig:

A source has provided Americans For Truth with a copy of a private e-mail intended only for “sex pigs” – sent out by a group called “Fort Troff” (as in pig troff). The e-mail touts the ultra-promiscuous “pig sex” event at Doubletree … for the purpose of pulling together “hard-core pig players” who want to “[sodomize] our brains out.”
The “pig” orgy is being held in concert with the annual “Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend” in D.C. – a three-day sadomasochistic celebration attended mostly by homosexual “leathermen.”

LaBarbera had discovered one of Atlanta’s better-kept secrets: Fort Troff is, indeed, a private Westside club where men partake in pretty extreme bondage- and military-themed gay sex — or, as LaBarbera terms it, “sodomitic activities.” (FYI, Pete: an animal trough is not spelled with two “f”s.)

LaBarbera then posts the entire contents of the invitation and helpfully provides a glossary of gay sex acts, which he variously describes as a “ghastly perversion,” a “revolting act” and a “horrifyingly vile fetish.”

Is it just me, or do these crusading holy-rollers seem way too interested in documenting and sharing details about behavior they claim to abhor?

Long story short, LaBarbera hounded the hotel management until it apparently got cold feet and canceled the event booking entirely. According to this self-appointed morality enforcer, a lesson was learned: “These repulsive behaviors should not occur in private, much less in conference rooms at a hotel used by the public.” The Taliban would be proud.

Anyway, the story has been picked up and drooled over by such conservative “news” sites as Culture Campaign, Free Republic and World Net Daily. Frankly, though, I’m not sure how a story about a canceled gay hotel orgy can compete with some of their other wingnut headlines: “Abortion to remedy global warming threat,” “Obama ‘friend’: End of Israel ‘within reach’” and “Nancy Pelosi’s ‘Condom Stimulus’ Repels Obama.”

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Acclaimed artist Maira Kalman, whose work is currently on view at Jackson Fine Art, has a new illustrated blog for the New York Times about the inauguration. Stream of consciousness musings tie together simple yet poignant illustrations of Kalman’s visit to Washington for the event.

From the blog:

(Photo by Maira Kalman/Courtesy nytimes.com)

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From the New Haven Advocate:

On the eve of his inauguration, painting walls at a Habitat for Humanity dwelling, Obama joshed that this was good practice as he was moving into a new house the next day.

But that MLK Day event also emphasized the critics’ worst fears: Sure, he can make fun of himself, but how easy is it for anyone else to mock a guy who’s out helping the homeless the day before one of the most jam-packed weeks of his life? Where’s the opening for humor there?

A president who takes too many vacations, or mangles speeches, or starts international conflicts when he’s barely traveled out of the country — that’s a guy ripe for the plucking. But Obama’s “no drama” persona translates to “no huma” as well.

The cartoon-Teflon concern is hardly a new one: jokesters have had two years (and Illinois newsies even longer) to come up with Barack characteristics they can exaggerate and crack wise about. All they’ve located so far is his ears.

What are Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert to do now?

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1. Trackside Tavern destroyed by fire (In a sad day for horny drinkers on the prowl, Decatur’s beloved dive bar and hook-up spot was gutted.)

2. Dr. Lowery’s inaugural benediction riffs on the blues (Weird how few media outlets picked up on Lowery’s inaugural nod to Big Bill Broonzy’s “Black, Brown and White.”)

3. Killing what’s left of the press (A legislative proposal that would decimate small-town newspapers. As if the print industry needs any more bad news.)

4. 2009 Georgia General Assembly struggles with budget, gridlock (You think YOU’RE broke? The state is $2 billion in the hole!)

5. Readers can’t keep up with Spidey and Barack (Comic book featuring America’s favorite superhero flies off the shelves. Spider-man is pissed.)

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How can you show your appreciation for our new president and exercise your green thumb at the same time — as well as supporting a craptastically cheesy icon of ’80s-era TV marketing?

Why, that would be buying your very own Chi-O-bama. Enjoy, kiddies.

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WEB SITE: Oxford Comics' Zack Overton flips through the special-edition comic.

Inaugural Obama-mania extends to our nation’s comic book stores as the retailers can’t keep enough copies of The Amazing Spider-man #583, which features Barack Obama on the cover and a six-page story in which the 44th president plays a supporting role. Oxford Comics proprietor Mike Van Houten said that retailers didn’t pre-order enough copies and demand “went nuts,” until first editions were selling for $75 a piece when they went on sale on Jan. 14. Van Houten says that more than 500 customers reserved copies of the second printing, which went on sale today, and that more than 2,000 copies of the third printing will be due in the store next week.

The story, incidentally, finds photographer and Spider-man alter ego Peter Parker attending the inauguration where he sees two Barack Obamas — one of which is longtime Spider-foe the Chameleon, a master of disguise. According to the AP:

Parker decides “the future president’s gonna need Spider-Man,” and springs into action, using basketball to determine the real Obama and punching out the impostor.

I know Barack loves the game, but basketball? Really? The first African-American president has to use basketball to prove his real identity? Oh well, I guess there are worse stereotypes they could have.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Yesterday, the nation’s first African-American president was sworn into office. Today, a chance to reflect on the moment.

Here’s a glimpse:

For older blacks, inauguration a dream fulfilled (Associated Press)

Across Atlanta, a sense of pride and deep reflection (Wall Street Journal Blogs)

Metro Atlantas celebrate Obama inauguration (AJC)

Watching change (Gawker)

News sites see massive demand for online news (The Boston Globe)

Today’s front pages from around the country and world (Newseum)

A tale of two prayers: Rick Warren’s and the Rev. Joseph Lowery’s (Crooks and Liars)

The first blog entry at the White House’s official website (WhiteHouse.gov)

Bush to Obama: A private letter (Los Angeles Times)

Bush daughters offer advice, in the form of a letter, to Obama daughters (Associated Press)

After a day of crowds and celebrations, Obama turns to a sober list of challenges (New York Times)

And finally, a view of yesterday’s ceremony, from way up high, in breathtaking detail (Popular Science)

(Photo from Popular Science)

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One of the lines that stuck with me from Barack Obama’s Inaugural address, one that I’ve heard repeated several times today, came when he said, “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.” Something about the words rang a bell, and after a little Googling, I realized they echo the song “Pick Yourself Up,” a show tune/jazz standard sung by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Diane Krall. Apparently lyricist Dorothy Fields and composer Jerome Kern wrote it for the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musical Swing Time (which, appropriately enough, dates back to 1936, when the United States was still struggling to get out of the Great Depression). Here’s the clip from Swing Time: listen out for the line “Pick yourself up, Dust yourself off, Start all over again:”

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Not a bad look for the White House’s home page:

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