Thought provoking UK graffiti artist Banksy

Banksy is a anonymous graffiti artist from the UK. His work is quite extraordinary and has a social commentary angle. According to Wikipedia:

He is believed to be a native of Yate, South Gloucestershire, near Bristol^[2] and to have been born in 1974,^[5] but there is substantial public uncertainty about his identity and personal and biographical details.^[6] According to Tristan Manco, Banksy “was born in 1974 and raised in Bristol, England. The son of a photocopier technician, he trained as a butcher but became involved in graffiti during the great Bristol aerosol boom of the late 1980s.”^[7] His artworks are often satirical pieces of art on topics such as politics, culture, and ethics. His street art, which combines graffiti writing with a distinctive stencilling technique, is similar to Blek le Rat, who began to work with stencils in 1981 in Paris and members of the anarcho-punk band Crass who maintained a graffiti stencil campaign on the London Tube System in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His art has appeared in cities around the world.^[8] Banksy’s work was born out of the Bristol underground scene which involved collaborations between artists and musicians.

One of the most impressive things about Banksy is that he doesn’t sell photos or merchandising of his work. Instead, he posts high resolution images on his Web site and encourages people to make their own stuff. He only asks that it is for non-commercial use. Very generous and true to the intention of the art work.

Bad Paintings of Barack Obama

Sometimes even the best intentions fall short. Such is the case with the art featured on this site called “Bad Paintings of Barack Obama.” And they’re not kidding either … they’re beyond bad!

Obama goes green! He’s glowing like a nuclear reactor…

This is from his short lived stint with the Blue Man Group.

Obama and his bestest pal in the world … honest Abe.

YIKES! The only way I could tell it was Obama was because of the logo in the background.

Here’s what Obama would look like if Piccaso painted him … YEAH, RIGHT!

Can the Pickens plan save us from our dependence on energy imports?

Billionaire oilman, philanthropist T. Bone Pickens has a plan to wean us our dependence on energy imports. He plans on building the worlds largest wind farm. It’s a far more detailed plan than either presidential candidate has laid out. But then again, the best plans always rise from the private sector.

From Forbes:

At 80 the oilman and financier is healthy and having some of his best years in business. “Of all the taxes I’ve paid, 90% of them were after I was 70,” says Pickens, who forwarded $200 million of his capital gains to the U.S. Treasury last year. Worth $3 billion at last count, he’s still drilling for oil and buying water rights. His Mesa Energy in May bought 667 wind turbines from GE and has spent $2 billion so far developing a 4-gigawatt wind farm, the world’s biggest, in the Texas panhandle.

From Cleantechnica:

When one of Texas’s richest oil men bets big on wind energy, it gets attention. Yesterday NPR’s Living on Earth broadcast an interview with Mr. Pickens, who shared the salient facts about his planned wind project:

• It will be the largest in the world, he reckons, at 4,000 megawatts
• It will provide enough power for 1,300,000 homes
• It’s a $10 billion dollar project from which he plans a 15%-25% profit

Asked why he is investing in wind now, Pickens replied:

“For a number of years I’ve watched the wind turbines develop — and I feel like it’s time for it. I think that oil has peaked at 85 million barrels in the world. We’ve got to develop other forms of energy — wind, I think solar will be next, and I hope I’m still around to be in the solar deal.” (Pickens is 80 years old.

So Pickens has a plan. Sounds like a good one. I applaud this man for stepping up and doing something with his brain and his money.

Obama or Clinton – Who has the better splash page?

Forget about the two remaining democrats for now – let’s ask the all important question – who has the better splash? The splash page is what you see when you first reach a Web site. In both cases, the primary goal is to get you on the mailing list. The good news is that they both drop a cookie so you never see the page again.Let’s start with the splash pages. Both use traditional colors – red, white, and blue. Let’s workshop the splash pages:

Hillary Clinton’s splash page

Info
Requires first name, last name, email and zip code. They obviously want to know who you are and where you live. Important for getting the word out. Once the form is complete, you are redirected to the homepage.

Tagline
“Help make history” – Somewhat confusing. Does it refer to the history that will be made because it’s a first for a woman nominee? If so, that message is really more about Clinton. You can help HER make history. This tag line appeals to some but not all.

Design
Traditional non flashy design displaying Hillary’s three quarter photo. Generally photos that are shot under the chin looking up are a no no. The face does point in towards the message and that works well. The logo “Hillary for President” is confusing as it also shares this tag line “Help Make History.” There are no styles attached to the form. The GIANT submit button is a bit overkill. It’s red. It doesn’t need to be bigger than the logo.

Overall
The design is very traditional and old school.

Barack Obama’s splash page

Info
Only requires an email and zip code. This tells me the Obama camp understands the internet much better. You can add your email and zip and still remain anonymous. In all fairness, Obama uses a rather large button as well. However, Obama’s says “Learn More” which may encourage a click. Also, unlike Clinton’s splash page, you are first taken to a “Thanks for joining the movement” page then redirected to the homepage. Good feedback for the user.

Tagline”
Change we can believe in” – Obama’s tag line appeals to all. Everybody can get behind this type of inspirational message.

Design
The overall design is pleasing to the eye. The bold use of blue works well and helps to frame the message. There is a clear distinction between the logo “Obama 08″ and the inspirational tag line “Change we can believe in.” The black and white photo of Obama and his family is tastefully done. The vignette also allows the photo to breathe and bathe in the whitespace.

Overall
The design is more web 2.0 and much cleaner.I give this round to Obama. Simply on design alone.

Hillary Clinton for President. Hillary Clinton… the world’s best nutcracker?

This is arguably the best political product of the year!

I can see this sitting handsomely at the Thanksgiving dinner table. Sure, Grandpa, I would love another helping of cranberry sauce. Oh, and can you pass Hillary too. I have a couple of nuts over here that need cracking.

It’s easy to use:
Step 1: Put nut between legs
Step 2: Squeeze

You too can own this wonderful nutcracker. Just head over to Overstock.com. In the link, Head over to bradsdeals.com for extra savings.

Happy nut cracking!

New immigration policy – Reward those who break the law

By now everyone has witnessed the large immigration rallies and protests in Dallas and L.A. It’s been the hottest topic on the cable news stations.

My stance on immigration is simple. If you want to live or work in the United States there are a couple of things I want to know:

1. Who are you?
2. Where are you?
3. Are you paying taxes?
4. Are you law abiding?
5. Do you want to make a contribution to this country or just in it for yourself?

Sure, it could sound harsh. However, millions of Americans each day are subject to these rules. The government knows exactly who I am, how much tax I should pay, and where I live.

What about the people who are waiting in line to come to the U.S. the legal way? What about a Chinese person who has been waiting for more than nine years to get a Visa. What about my Romanian friend? He immigrated to Holland to make a better life for himself. He has been trying to get a visa just to visit the U.S. for a week and has been denied for the past five years!

What about people who gave up everything to come to live in the US via political asylum?

Hey, if you’re ex-Taliban leader, you can easily come and live here and attend an Ivy League school! Terrific!

So what’s the message here about immigration?

Immigrate to the U.S. the legal way and you may be waiting years. Hop across the border and you are rewarded for breaking the law.

Yeah… That makes sense.

The French wave the white flag again.
Way to go Jacques Chirac!

For a long time, the French have been the butt end of countless jokes. When you would google “French Military Victories” google would return “You mean french Military defeats“. There’s the French military in a nutshell, any Monte Python episode, etc.

The youth unemployment in France is a stagering 20%. In an attempt to decrease unemployment amongst the youth and create a more competitive marketplace, Mr. Chirac and his protege Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin drafted a new law. Here’s an excerpt from a BBC article:

The law introduced a new work contract, known as the First Employment Contract or CPE for under-26s. It was to allow a two-year trial period, during which employers could end a contract without explanation.

Of course the plan was shelved after the worst protests in 40 years. The kids protested and our man Chirac listened. Of course Prime Minister Dom De Villepin is the favorite successor for the presidency. Easy to understand why a speedy change was made especially after De Villepin’s approval rating fell from 49% to an uncomfortable 25%. OUCH.

Of course President Bush’s approval rating has fallen. I believe it may have dropped below 25% as I’ve been writing this. That’s the difference between a leader and a sheep herder. The leader makes tough decisions in the best interest of all people, the sheep herder listens to a few of the sheep and makes a decision at the expense of the rest of the people.

I really thought the French might be on to something worthwhile by creating some competition in the workplace. Actually doing the right thing for a change. Once again very predictable. Keep waving that white flag my fine frenchmen. Way to go Jacques Chirac!

What side of the fence are you on?

Everybody has an opinion in today’s thick political climate. The left, the right, middle of the road. Some people are passionate, some people unsure, and some people could care less when it comes to politics. Here’s a quick little quiz to see where you really stand. The results may surprise you. Go ahead and give it a shot. It will take you less than a minute!

Take the quiz now!