DRAWING on OBSERVATIONS

I had a great time in 2008 observing the news and the people who made it. What started as an exercise in observing and drawing a portrait every day, for me at least, became something more after I started posting them. After all, there’s nothing special about these simple doodles done in ball point pen on my morning newspaper. But the whole somehow became greater than the sum of it’s parts. The drawings and the content when seen as a group became a myopic record of sorts, historic events viewed from my kitchen counter over a cup of coffee and peaking out from behind a drawing, the first woman to have a serious shot at being president, the failure of our corporate and financial institutions, the first woman on the GOP ticket, the rising stars and the passing legends. I did my best to depict movie stars, failed leaders, rock stars, celebrity chefs, athletes, cabinet appointments, religious leaders, the famous, the infamous, and the first African American to be elected President of the United States, all doodled right over the stories about them.

Happy New Year.

Stay tuned in 09.

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Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

PM of Israel, Ehud Olmert’s offensive on Hezbolla in Lebanon in 2006 failed to effect change and Hezbolla is stronger today than when Olmert took office.

Yesterday in it’s third day of air strikes, Israel stepped up it’s offensive on Hamas targets in Gaza.

Is history repeating itself?…stay tuned.

Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

The sultry singer, dancer, actress, star of stage and screen, perhaps best known for her 1953 Christmas song Santa Baby, passed away on Christmas day. The multi talented Kitt won two Emmy awards and had multiple Tony and Grammy nominations but I will always remember her as the sexy Cat Woman on the campy Batman TV series. She was 81.

With this years commissions almost all sewn up, I’m in full Holiday mode, decking the halls and singing fa la la… be back soon with an all new doodle. Happy Holidays!

Ball point pen on the morning newspaper

This morning, in perhaps his final act as President of the United States, George W. Bush is doing what the legislative branch fail to, bail out the big 3 U.S. automakers. In the eleventh hour, Bush was forced to concede what the majority of Americans have come to believe, ideology is less important than a competent and timely handling of issues in the best interest of the country, given the current set of facts.

In normal times Bush said he would not be in favor of government intervening in the bankruptcy process but “In the midst of a financial crisis and a recession, allowing the U.S. auto industry to collapse is not a responsible course of action,”

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Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

Baugh was the best all around football player of his or any era. He set 13 NFL records at three different positions: quarterback, punter and defensive back. Fifty six years after his retirement, he still holds the Redskins record for career touchdown passes 187, and completion percentage in a season 770.3. His 31 interceptions on defense are third on the team’s career list. He was the last surviving member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s inaugural class of 1963.
Sammy Baugh passed away last night at the age of 94.

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Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

President-Elect Obama’s choice for Secretary of the Interior is Senator Ken Salazar.
Salazar earned a Bachelors degree in Political Science from Colorado College and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School. He served as Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources before being elected Colorado State Attorney General in 1994. He was  and reelected in 2002 before running and being elected to the US Senate in 2004.

Fellow Chicagoan Arne Duncan was named yesterday as Obama’s choice for Education Secretary. Duncan graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University where he was also co-captain of Harvard’s basketball team. After graduating he played four years of professional basketball with the Eastside Spectres in Australia. Upon returning to the US he ran an education nonprofit on Chigaco’s South Side before being named  the Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Schools.

Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

Early Obama supporter Caroline Kennedy let it be known that she would like to fill Clinton’s New York Senate seat.

Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

Yesterday in Iraq President Bush suffered a grave Arab insult, having two shoes thrown at him.

“This is your farewell kiss, you dog” the corespondent to an Egyptian TV station yelled as he hurled his shoes at Bush.

The President, managed to duck both incoming shoes and later joked they were “a size 10″

SEE THE VIDEO

Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

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Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

A Senate report released today blames Rumsfeld and other Bush officials for the inhumane treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

Recession…what recession? Yanks sign Sabathia to a seven year 161 million dollar contract….That’ll buy a lotta knish!

Carsten Charles Sabathia is a big, hard throwing left handed pitcher. He spent his first seven years in the majors with the Cleavland Indians before having a cup of coffee with the Brewers. CC was the recipient of the 2007 American League Cy Young Award given to the best pitcher in baseball. He has 117 career wins, against 73 losses and a 3.66 career ERA.

Welcome to the Bronx CC.

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Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

Illinios Governor Blagojevich was arrested yesterday in the middle of what the US Attorney described as a political corruption crime spree. Blagojevich was taped by the FBI driving a “hard bargain.” selling President-Elect Obama’s Senate seat. Blagojevich called the Senate seat “a &%$#en valuable thing. You just don’t give it away for nothing.”

“I’ve got this thing and it’s &%^#en golden and uh, uh, I’m not just giving it up for *&%#en nothing,”

Among the prizes Blagojevich envisioned were a position in Obama’s Cabinet, an ambassadorship, a $300,000 job with a union-backed group–even a highly paid position for his wife, Patricia.

Of Obama he was taped saying “they’re not willing to give me anything except appreciation.”

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Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

The National Accountability Bureau of Pakistan was set up by one time Prime Minister, President and General, Pervez Musharraf to supposedly route out corruption in government. In practice it was used to detain and intimidate Musharraf’s Political rivals.The current Prime Minister of Pakistan is Yousaf Raza Gilani. He spent five years in prison under the Musharraf military government. He was elected to PM in 2008.
Since their nations origin in 1947 India and Pakistan have fought three wars and relations between the two nuclear powers are again at the breaking point. India claims that the 10 gunmen who killed 171 people in the recent Mumbai terrorist attacks were all Pakistani. Pakistan claimed yesterday to have captured the mastermind behind the attacks. India wants to take custody of those responsible but Pakistan said they will be tried in Pakistani courts.

Stay tuned

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Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

Hoffman is one of the finest actors of our time, of that, there is no Doubt

Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

I’m not a Buddhist or Hindu, but I like to think that Karma exists.

Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

The auto-makers are back in our nations capitol… this time the contrite group drove there to ask for money.

Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

President-Elect Obama has chosen Bill Richardson to serve in the position of Commerce Secretary. Richardson earned an undergraduate degree in French and Political Science from Tufts University where he also played baseball as a pitcher. He earned his Masters degree in International Affairs from Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
Richardson first ran for Congress in 1978 to represent New Mexico’s 1st district but narrowly lost to Manuel Lujan. In 1980 he was elected to represent newly created 3rd district of NM. He spent 14 years in Congress before going on to serve as The Ambassador to the United Nations and US Secretary of Energy in the Clinton administration. Richardson was elected Governor of New Mexico in 2002 becoming the only hispanic Governor in the United States.
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Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

I’ve always told my kids that talent isn’t as important as hard work and a little brains. It’s a hard sell when as a society we lionize professional athletes who regularly flout the rules, skip meetings, don’t practice and are rewarded with million dollar contracts and diamond studded Super Bowl rings. But along comes Plaxico Burress and all is right in the world of parental lectures. A very talented receiver for the NJ Giants, Burress had the world on a string, a Super Bowl Ring, a young talented championship team, a young talented quarterback who liked to throw to him, a thirty five million dollar contract… and oh yeah, a self inflicted bullet hole in his leg and two felony charges. I wonder if this guy can appreciate the irony that he was carrying a gun to protect all that he had.

Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

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Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

With two wars to fight, President-Elect Obama has elected not to switch horses in midstream and has asked Robert Gates to continue serving as Secretary of Defense. Gates earned a BA in European History from the College of William and Mary, an MA in History from Indiana University, and a Ph.D in Russian/Soviet History from Georgetown University. He has spent most of his career in the defense and intelligence agencies including serving as Director of the CIA, Assistant to the president and Deputy National Security Adviser, Chairman of the National Intelligence Council and Deputy Director of Intelligence.

Doodle note: This morning I did this warm up doodle on the back of a piece of scrap paper complete with coffee mug stain. Peaking through the back side is a Clinton doodle and my note to self is coming out his right ear. When drawing with ball point pen on newspaper the results are spontaneous. I only get one shot on the article but today I think I captured him better over the coffee stained scrap… so I posted it.

Ball point pen on coffee stained scrap paper

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Ball point pen on the morning newsprint

I have to be out early this morning…just had time for a quickie.

…and the beat goes on.

La de da de de, la de da de da