Christmas at the White House 2009

Christmas at the White House 2009 from White House on Vimeo.

Obama's "Friends" on SNL this weekend...funny stuff.

Public Option Please Design by Michael Cuffe

Friends and Family,

I recently completed a design for the grassroots organization Public Option Please. They are keeping the democratic members of congress honest and focused on the idea of a public option.

There are 6 grand winners that were picked out of 30 finalists, and I need your votes for my design (I’d dearly appreciate it!). Saturday is the deadline, so I need them a.s.a.p.

Vote here:
http://publicoptionplease.com/campaign-art-contest/

The “Public Choice” winner will be announced along with special Juried Prizes chosen by a panel of experts including Arianna Huffington, Margaret Cho, Aaron Rose, Jesse Dylan, Robbie Conal, Marshall Ganz, and Arlene Holt Baker.

Thanks so much!
-Michael Cuffe

The House Passes Health Reform Bill!!!

What more can one say...

"Art For Obama" book release by Shepard Fairy & Jennifer Gross Featuring Michael Cuffe

Friends, Lovers, Patriots,

I am happy to announce that Shepard Fairey and Jennifer Gross have produced a wonderful book entitled "Art for Obama" (Abrams Publishing) which features a cavalcade of art produced during the Obama Campaign and for Manifest Hope: Denver and D.C.

I am stoked to tell you that my piece "The Hopeful Hearts Club" made it into the book (pg. 176) alongside so many other wonderful artist friends and talented individuals.

Below is a video advertising the book, look for quick shot of me at :49 seconds.

Additionally, you will find a link to Amazon where you can buy the book directly.

Best,
-Michael Cuffe

Buy Here at Amazon: Click Here

Obama's Consistant Smile (Video)

Barack Obama's amazingly consistent smile from Eric Spiegelman on Vimeo.

Will Ferrel and Don Draper on Health Reform and Insurance Executives - Pretty Funny

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

The Max Baucus Bill Mess

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Obama vs. Kanye West

Over the weekend the MTV Video Music Awards and there was an incident with Kanye West.

As reported by TMZ:

"After Taylor Swift -- who is just 19 years old, mind you -- won the award for Best Female Video at the VMAs, Kanye rushed the stage, took the mic from her and proclaimed Beyonce had "one of the best videos of all-time."

For her part, Beyonce looked completed mortified by Kanye's childish actions."

This is a funny video remix that put Kanye in place of Joe Wilson.

Enjoy,
-Mike

My Cousin Zach interviewed for his new show The Vampire Diaries by CNN

The End of Last Nights Obama Health Care Speech

Beautifully animated "Energy Giant" short

RWE Energy Giant from Andrés Rosas Hott on Vimeo.

Sen. Al Franken Talks Down Angry Mob Over Healthcare

Teabaggers and Obama Editorial Cartoon Genius

More Health Care Enlightenment from Bill Moyers

We need a public pet option By Garrison Keillor

Sept. 2, 2009

I caught part of a radio call-in show the other day on which a vet was fielding questions about Addison's disease among basset hounds and a cocker spaniel's hypothyroid problem and what can be done about a bulldog who snores (he needs to lose weight), and it was interesting to discover the excellent medical care that dogs have come to expect these days. The vet was herself a dog parent, as she put it, and there was genuine feeling in her voice when she discussed the bassets' hormonal problems, something I haven't heard in the debate over healthcare for humans this summer.

I have not been a pet parent for 20 years so perhaps I'm not up to speed here, but back in the day, dogs slept in the garage or on the porch so they could defend the home against socialism, and if they snored, it definitely was their problem and not ours. Ditto hypothyroidism. And there was a death panel around whose name was Dad.

Dad grew up on a farm and was not overly sentimental about animals. He did not purchase jewelry for them or talk to them in a high-pitched voice. He would have blanched at the thought that the average cost of a visit to the vet with your cat is now $172. The chance of Dad paying that much to care for Snowball was about the same as Snowball's chances in hell. But that has all changed, and now the American people shell out upward of $10 billion a year for healthcare for pets.

Fine. Not an issue. Nobody called in to the show to suggest that the knee operation on the 14-year-old golden retriever (a recent cancer survivor) shows a level of caring far beyond what we extend to three-fourths of the world's human population. I could have, but I don't care to upset the golden retriever community. Live and let live is my motto, dear reader. If your gerbil Mitzi needs a new heart valve and you've got the 15 grand to spend on it, I am not here to stand in your way. Period.

And so the summer fades into September. Here on the upper Mississippi we've already felt an autumnal chill. I have gone to the State Fair and fed my child her allotment of corn dogs and deep-fried cheese curds and led her through the poultry barn so she knows where the omelet comes from and now it's time for her to resume science and mathematics and learn the subjunctive mood.

Here is an example of the subjunctive: Had we known that Republicans were so paranoid about public health, we would have packaged healthcare reform differently and come up with better slogans.

Perhaps there should be a public pet option.

There was real sympathy for the parent of the bassets with the adrenal deficiency, whereas the 48 million uninsured Americans (of whom two-thirds come from a family with at least one full-time worker) are merely a big fat statistic and so far Democrats have failed to produce a poster child. We can sort of imagine the misery of walking into an emergency room with no money, no plastic, no Blue Cross card, and trying to obtain treatment for some ailment that doesn't involve bone fragments protruding from the skin, but it doesn't speak to the heart the way an injured dog does.

Animals love us unconditionally and we love them back, maybe more than we love our neighbors, and that's just the truth, Ruth. People can be irksome, petty, especially raggedy ones -- poverty does not always bring out the best in folks -- and that's why it's difficult to get people to care about the uninsured.

If you put a pet option in the healthcare reform scheme, Republicans would be in a bind. It's one thing to oppose big government taking over from those little mom-and-pop insurance companies, but do you favor throwing Mr. Mittens out the car window when he gets old and feeble and needs an IV because he can't chew his kibble? You'd have weepy pet parents at town hall meetings waving photographs of kittycats in need of new kidneys, and finally you'd start to see some empathy. People love their animals, and if we could just agree that everybody in America should receive the same level of care enjoyed by an elderly golden retriever, we could be done with this and get ready for the World Series.

(Garrison Keillor is the author of "77 Love Sonnets," published by Common Good Books.)

© 2009 by Garrison Keillor. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Listen to it Rain - Pretty Amazing Little Clip

Bill Maher Interviews Bill Moyers...and it is Excellent!

Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_BUx49UEng

Part 3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeDcd6BS5AM


Enjoy,
-Mike

Support Wellness: Nationalize Health Care Poster Print Release

I am happy to announce the release of my latest poster print geared at bringing attention to the National Health Care debate currently occurring in this country. As a artist who has gone through the strain of paying high premiums and many periods of not being able to afford health insurance, I feel particularly passionate about this issue.

I have watched as recently as the last year, as more than one family member has been denied life saving treatments due to a tired system that focuses more on the bottom line, and less on human life. Even the best insurance offered provides little protection to high premium paying customers... namely all of us.

I believe that EVERYONE DESERVES WELLNESS. Nationalizing health care is an idea that has been proven to work worldwide, will make a difference in the lives of those you love, and can work for America.

-Michael Cuffe

Click here to buy the latest poster print

L.A.

This girl that moved to L.A. from "Boom" Chicago. Her video explains to her friend why not to move back to L.A.

Pure Genius.

Kid Riding His Giant Python

Video of Obama's Speech to the Mideast in Full

Get laid' at Costco

Giggitty.

Coffee Sundae for Monday @ 7-11

Banana Foster cappuccino? Seriously?


-- Post From My iPhone

How to Shave your Groin - A REAL commercial by Gillette

Amazing Dog Escape

Kid Chicken @ Bay to Breakers 2009

The video speaks for itself...

Future Man

Click on image below to see it in full...
-Mike

New Show by Isabel Samaras at Shooting Gallery SF

Lyrica and I swung by the Shooting Gallery in SF to catch the new show INTO THE WOODS by Isabel Samaras.

Isabel's works incorporate a vintage woodland imagery compiled with a hip hop flair. Almost a "Who's steppin' in my woods?" feel.

The charm and beautiful style of her oil based works really stand out and add a air of freshness to a contemporary art world that often likes to delve down deeper, darker paths.

Stop by The Shooting Gallery so you can see some of these beautifully executed works for yourself.

Click here for more on Isabel's show at the Shooting Gallery

-Michael Cuffe

In case you missed this...

President Obama & Wanda Sykes doing Stand-Up over the weekend at The White House Correspondent's dinner

Obama's stand up routine this weekend...





Followed by Wanda Sykes, which is even funnier...

Leif

-- Post From My iPhone

Extreme Sheep LED Art

This is one of the better viral videos I've seen out there.  It was produced for Samsung by attaching thousands of led's to sheep that were then herded into patterns and designs.  

I have to say I've never seen anything like this...

Excuse me sir, but is that a Wolverine in your coffee?

Hey Bub, how 'bout some Cappuccino and adamantium?

7 Eleven's newest flavor...



-- Post From My iPhone

Google's Panda Lovin' CADIE

All,

Google's yearly April Fools joke was a slam dunk this year.

They introduced their CADIE which stands for "Cognitive Autoheuristic Distributed-Intelligence Entity."

In a nod to 2001's HAL, CADIE finds the human race interesting, but I don't think she'll take over the ship's mainframe anytime soon.

She has already developed her own webpage, and seems to have a deep fondness for Panda Bears.

You just have to see what Google's first piece of artificial intelligence has created.

Enjoy:

http://cadiesingularity.blogspot.com/

Time spent in the Redwoods

I just had my oil and transmission fluid changed yesterday and needed to put some miles on the car to lube up the engine again.

Not far from where we live (5 miles or so) is Big Basin Redwood Forest. I love to go for hikes there and feel a million miles from civilization.

I arrived at about 4:30pm and the sun was cutting through the Pacific side. It was beautiful as always, and spring is just starting up on the mountain here. Here are some pics...



-- Post From My iPhone

A day at The Shooting Gallery

Today Lyrica and I visited one of my favorite galleries in the city "The Shooting Gallery."

The Shooting Gallery is currently featuring the work of artist Joshua Petker's exhibit "Water Lilies" which runs through April 4, 2009.

The Shooting Gallery

Check out some of the work below.

Lyrica the primer queen...

The home we are currently living in is getting a facelift. Lyrica has gotten a knack for drinking a glass of wine and priming/painting.

Here she does what she knows best...


-- Post From My iPhone

Taking the Nintendo WII remote to new lengths.

Enjoy...


Wii Loop Machine Demo from The Amazing Rolo on Vimeo.

The Taste of 7 Eleven Mornings

I couldn't resist taking a picture of 7 Elevens' newest coffee flavor "Vanilla Cupcake Cappuccino."

For some reason this seems very wrong, but others I've asked "get the idea."

You be the judge...

Her Morning Elegance

This is one of the best stop-motion masterpieces I've seen...

Manifest Hope DC: Jake and I

So many of you are probably wondering who fulfills many of your orders. Welcome Jake Kreiss to the mix. Jake is an assistant to both Lyrica and I, and really kicks ass at helping us to do all that we do.

Many of you at Manifest Hope: DC probably met Jake. He is in many ways the face of our operation.

Anyway, I cannot thank Jake enough for his help during Manifest Hope: DC in passing out Hopeful Hearts Club posters, stickers, and business cards.

Jake is an street artist himself and you should expect to see his work soon... if you haven't already. ;)

Peace,
- Cuffe

Mike Cuffe and Lyrica Glory in Vanity Fair video!

Great little segment featured on Vanity Fair . com on our feelings about Bush. We're the last interview.

How I spent my Monday...

The picture says it all...