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Q&A With Artist Robbie Conal

Article: Q&A With Artist Robbie Conal

Posted July 20th, 2010, 5:07 PM by

Robbie Conal was born in New York City in 1944. He studied art at San Francisco State University and obtained his MFA at Stanford University before moving to Los Angeles in 1984. It was during this time in the 1980s that he combined his art with his social concerns: politics, power and the abuses of both.

Realizing the limited opportunities for art institutions to showcase his work, he transferred his paintings to posters and showcased them on the streets of Los Angeles with the help of his volunteer “guerrilla army.”

His books include “Art Attack: The Midnight Politics of A Guerrilla Artist” and “Artburn.”

Sundance Channel caught up with Robbie at his studio in California to discuss his background, influences, work, and future projects.

Senator and artist Al Franken multitasking during Kagan hearing

Article: Senator and artist Al Franken multitasking during Kagan hearing

Posted July 07th, 2010, 2:07 PM by

Last year I blogged about Al Franken’s (talented) ability to free hand draw an accurate map of the United States from memory. During the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, the AP snapped this photo of Senator Franken multitasking and demonstrating that his illustration abilities extends beyond cartography with his sharp sketch of…

10 thoughts on the separation of Al and Tipper Gore

Article: 10 thoughts on the separation of Al and Tipper Gore

Posted June 03rd, 2010, 1:06 PM by

Really? The Gores? The couple most likely to make it to old age on a rocker-for-two on the front porch?!
Not the Clintons? We have to admit, it’s a little refreshing to know that even such public marriages can have their secrets and mysteries.
We now feel truly bad about the number of times we made fun of the Gores’ ew-Mom-and-Dad-are-kissing smooch at the 2000 Democratic Convention.

House votes to allow repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell"

Article: House votes to allow repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell"

Posted June 01st, 2010, 12:06 PM by

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Just in case you missed it over this long holiday weekend, at the end of last week the House voted to allow the repeal of the military’s discriminatory “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy against gays, as did the Senate Armed Services Committee. It’s…

Will the real Elena Kagan please stand up?

Article: Will the real Elena Kagan please stand up?

Posted May 24th, 2010, 4:05 PM by

We have mixed feelings about Maureen Dowd: on the one hand she is a totally awesome butt-kicking columnist who can swing with the big boys while pointing out how many of them are actually just whiny little boys. But on the other hand, she seems to phone it in a lot these days. That said, her recent columns about Elena Kagan have made us swoon again.

The 50th anniversary of The Pill

Article: The 50th anniversary of The Pill

Posted May 07th, 2010, 1:05 PM by

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Pill, and there’s been some interesting coverage of it by the media. Margaret Marsh, one of the first researchers granted access to the personal letters of the Pill’s co-developer, John Rock, discusses his Catholicism, among other Pill tidbits.

Illinois state lawmaker makes a personal case for gay marriage

Article: Illinois state lawmaker makes a personal case for gay marriage

Posted May 03rd, 2010, 4:05 PM by

Last week, Illinois lawmaker Deborah Mell spoke on the state House floor to announce her “bittersweet” engagement to her girlfriend of six years — “bittersweet” because she’ll have to go next door to Iowa to tie the knot instead of doing it in the state where she grew up, where she now represents 100,000 people…

Tea Party crashers!

Article: Tea Party crashers!

Posted April 16th, 2010, 6:04 PM by

If Jason Levin’s plan is successful, the Tea Party just got a bit wilder with some uninvited party crashers at their rallies and protests. Levin, an Oregon technology consultant, is spearheading the “Crash the Tea Party” movement which is encouraging people to join the tea party’s public gatherings where they’ll be indistinguishable except for one…

Pres. Obama's edits to HCR speech

Article: Pres. Obama's edits to HCR speech

Posted April 01st, 2010, 5:04 PM by

The political and news blogosphere was recently ablaze over this amazing photo (view larger size here) snapped by White House official photographer Pete Souza and posted on the White House Flickr site. Back when the outlook on the passage of a health care reform bill seemed bleak, President Obama went on the offensive to persuade…

Naked News: health care, gay census results, and prison sex

Article: Naked News: health care, gay census results, and prison sex

Posted March 23rd, 2010, 4:03 PM by

House passes health reform bill (aw yeah), albeit along with an executive order restating and expanding on restrictions on public funding of abortions (aw crap). If you’re feeling as confused as we are as to what health reform actually means for your own coverage, check out this Q&A.
An auction for Sex.com was canceled after three creditors filed a petition forcing the owner into bankruptcy.

The GQ interview with Rielle Hunter

Article: The GQ interview with Rielle Hunter

Posted March 19th, 2010, 1:03 PM by

Have you read the no-holds-barred GQ interview with Rielle Hunter, John Edwards’ mistress during his presidential campaign and father of her only child? It’s required reading. Not necessarily for the intimate behind-the-scene details you learn about Edwards’ relationships, both with Hunter and his wife Elizabeth, but for the voyeuristic door it opens into the mind…

72 hours for clean American energy

Article: 72 hours for clean American energy

Posted March 04th, 2010, 2:03 PM by

The news out of Washington has grown discouraging lately. Lawmakers are bickering and Congress is in gridlock. Corporations, meanwhile, have been given license by the Supreme Court to purchase more political influence than ever before.

Pro-choice responses to the Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad

Article: Pro-choice responses to the Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad

Posted February 05th, 2010, 12:02 PM by

To kick off your Superbowl weekend, check out these 3 bits that you won’t (but should!) see during the game this Sunday — all are in response to the anti-choice, anti-equality, anti-gay Christian group Focus on the Family’s 2.5-million-dollar spot (that we mentioned the other day) featuring football star Tim Tebow and his mom talking about how she refused to have an abortion after doctors advised her to. Hey, good for Mrs. Tebow, who had the right to make her own decisions about her reproductive health! Guess we can now hold our breath until CBS runs an equally “appropriate” ad about preserving that right to choose:

Two more after the break.

Trend-spotting at Sundance Film Festival 2010

Article: Trend-spotting at Sundance Film Festival 2010

Posted January 21st, 2010, 2:01 PM by

Image from HOWL

Journalists at film festivals invariably find themselves with the task of connecting the dots among dozens of disparate movies — looking for the big picture, whether in the form of a new fad or a larger cultural moment (e.g., last year’s elusive search, during a Sundance that coincided with a historic inauguration, for the quintessential Obama movie). Expect lots of trend-spotting once Sundance 2010 kicks off on Thursday night, and expect these three topics to get plenty of play:

Planned Parenthood's "Blogger Bee" about the Stupak Amendment

Article: Planned Parenthood's "Blogger Bee" about the Stupak Amendment

Posted December 02nd, 2009, 1:12 PM by

Today, Planned Parenthood is organizing a “National Day of Action” to inform people about the Stupak Amendment and to lobby the Senate for health care reform that ensures women’s access to reproductive health care. Their bullet points below very clearly (finally!) outline how exactly the Stupak Amendment would affect women’s lives and health (because let’s face it, when you hear “The Exchange” and “affordability credits” and “subsidies” mentioned vaguely in the news, it goes in one ear and out the other). So if you’re a woman or you care about one (i.e. everyone) then take a minute to familiarize yourself with this important — and frightening — info.

What you need to know about the Stupak Amendment

Article: What you need to know about the Stupak Amendment

Posted November 11th, 2009, 3:11 PM by

photo by cliff1066™ There’s been a lot of self-congratulatory back-patting around the House’s passing of the Health Reform Bill this past Saturday — but it’s come at a huge price. The Democratic Congress pretty much abandoned women’s reproductive rights by including the last-minute Stupak-Pitts Amendment to appease some religio-conservative members of Congress, including several male…

Designing Obama

Article: Designing Obama

Posted November 05th, 2009, 2:11 PM by

Designing Obama from mas / menos on Vimeo. Barack Obama’s campaign, which led to his election last year, was groundbreaking for many of the obvious reasons. One element that is sometimes overlooked is the visual imagery crafted by the campaign. Obama created a movement among many designers and artists inspired by his message of hope.…

Top 10 reasons why the First Marriage totally rocks our world

Article: Top 10 reasons why the First Marriage totally rocks our world

Posted October 29th, 2009, 12:10 PM by

photo by cliff1066
The cover story in this weekend’s New York Times Magazine is about the First Marriage. It’s both inspiring and a little chastening — let’s see you be President or First Lady and still rock hot monogamy like that. And also a little terrifying — how would we ever recover from an Obama divorce? We’d lose faith in the very institution of marriage! So please, Mr. and Mrs. Obama, hang in there, for us. Here are top 10 reasons why we think they will:

Let's end Don't Ask, Don't Tell…finally

Article: Let's end Don't Ask, Don't Tell…finally

Posted October 16th, 2009, 12:10 PM by

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c The Gay After Tomorrow www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview We sure do wish Jon Stewart and “The Daily Show” would address reproductive rights more…ever. Oh, well, nobody’s perfect. At least there’s one sexual issue they tackle well…and often:…

Governors' Global Climate Summit Backs Treaty With Teeth

Article: Governors' Global Climate Summit Backs Treaty With Teeth

Posted October 03rd, 2009, 2:10 PM by

At the Governors’ Global Climate Summit today, 30 governors, premiers, mayors and senior officials from around the world and the United Nations declared that workable solutions to global warming exist and they want a strong climate deal to emerge from negotiations in Copenhagen this December.

Jimmy Carter's an ass and other political tattoos

Article: Jimmy Carter's an ass and other political tattoos

Posted October 01st, 2009, 4:10 PM by

As someone who is both politically outspoken and tattooed, you’d think I’d be more accepting of political tattoos. Oh, no, dear. As Huffington Post has found out, by collecting many of these images, ink and politics just don’t seem to mix. Sarah Palin and Jimmy Carter may belong in many a joke. The ones on…

Answering "who is Barack Obama?"

Article: Answering "who is Barack Obama?"

Posted September 22nd, 2009, 5:09 PM by

Yesterday I wrote about some of the absurd signs appearing at anti-Obama gatherings across the country. This week’s New York Magazine takes a more in-depth look at some of the movements, from Tea Parties to birthers, that are collectively forming a movement that is becoming more than just fringe. The writer, Philip Weiss, described the…

A love letter from Washington

Article: A love letter from Washington

Posted September 21st, 2009, 12:09 PM by

How novel is this? A politician sends out an email to his supporters and doesn’t ask for money…he doesn’t ask you to write letters about policy…or to volunteer your time to some campaign. He simply asks you to “remember a funny story about someone you love, smile, and be thankful.”

We heart Al Franken. Thank goodness he’s one of the Minnesota senators now.

This past Saturday, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the night he met Franni, his wife, he emailed all of his supporters basically an open love letter to her, acknowledging that he wouldn’t be where he is today — the United States Congress — without her. Those with a block of ice for a heart might find this a little too precious, or perhaps even inappropriate for a man in public office, but we think it’s comforting to know that at least one politician in Washington is actually a human being. Even better, a human being with a romantic streak. Here’s the letter:

Al Franken's mapping party trick

Article: Al Franken's mapping party trick

Posted September 10th, 2009, 4:09 PM by

I was blown away by this video of Senator Al Franken freehand drawing from memory a relatively detailed map of the United States and all 50 states recently at the Minnesota State Fair. Gawker poured its predictably snarky haterade over this party trick by calling it a “two-decade old joke” because Al Franken has done…