Firas Alkhateeb, Obama Joker Artist Unmasked is a Fellow Chicagoan

Firas Alkhateeb, Los Angeles Times

Remember those cryptic posters portraying President Barack Obama as the Joker from "Batman" began popping up around Los Angeles and other cities? Well, the person behind the image has been revealed -- a 20 year old senior history major at the University of Illinois, Firas Alkhateeb. He reportedly crafted the picture of the president with the recognizable clown makeup using Adobe's Photoshop software.

Alkhateeb had been tinkering with the program to improve the looks of photos he had taken on his clunky Kodak camera. The Joker project was his grandest undertaking yet. Using a tutorial he'd found online about how to "Jokerize" portraits, he downloaded the October 23 Time Magazine cover of Obama and began digitally painting over it. Four or five hours later, he happily had his product.

On Jan. 18, Alkhateeb uploaded the image to photo-sharing site Flickr (shown at right). Over the next two months, he amassed just a couple thousand hits, he said.

Then the counter exploded after a still-anonymous rogue famously found his image, digitally removed the references to Time Magazine, captioned the picture with the word "socialism" and hung printed copies around L.A., making headlines.

Alkhateeb's original Flickr page surpassed 20,000 views. The Times found his Flickr site last week thanks to a tip left by a loyal reader of The Ticket. By Friday, the page had been taken down.

On Alkhateeb's page, a manipulated image condemning fellow Chicagoan and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel (captioned "epic fail") was mixed in with parodies of the "Guitar Hero" game franchises -- dubbed Quran Hero -- and of Napoleon riding a motorcycle (pictured after the jump).

Flickr had removed the Joker image due to copyright-infringement concerns, Alkhateeb says the company told him in an e-mail. A Flickr spokeswoman declined to comment due to a company policy that bars discussing inquiries about individual users. Source: Time Magazine

As menacing as this seems to many, this young man is within his rights to create the picture. Let's not forget that President George W. Bush was caricatured in a similar manner. Of President Obama, Alkhateeb says,"In terms of domestic policy, I don't think he's really doing much good for the country right now," he said. "We don't have to 'hero worship' the guy." He also added that socialism was the wrong caption for the picture and I agree with him wholeheartedly on that!

Michelle Obama Wears Short Shorts on Visit to Grand Canyon, Was It Appropriate for a First Lady to Wear in Public?

Maybe I am a little old fashioned or too conservative in many of my views, but I was surprised to see First Lady Michelle Obama alight from Air Force One last weekend in short shorts. Is it me or was this pushing the envelope a little by the first lady? I can't recall seeing Barbara Bush (that would be a scary sight), Hillary Clinton or Laura Bush wearing short shorts. Don't get me wrong, Mrs. Obama has every right to break the mold and be herself.

You will recall that Mrs. Obama took a lot of flak for baring her arms in February, but I think it's safe to say she is the first first lady to descend the steps of Air Force One in short shorts. There's no doubt Mrs. Obama has gorgeous legs, but do you think it was appropriate for her to bare so much of her legs in public?

PETA's New "Save the Whales, Lose the Blubber: Go Vegetarian" Campaign Sexist and Demeaning to Fat Women

PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is at it again. The group has a new billboard campaign in Jacksonville, Fla., that is raising eyebrows and ire among women and health groups. The drawing on the billboards in Jacksonville depicts an obese woman with the phrase, "Save The Whales, Lose The Blubber: Go Vegetarian." PETA claims in a press release that their goal is to remind people who are struggling to lose weight, that going vegetarian is a viable alternative and an effective way to shed those unwanted pounds that "keep them from looking good in a bikini." Really? Isn't this demeaning and insulting?

In a press release, PETA stated:

Anyone wishing to achieve a hot "beach bod" is reminded that studies show that vegetarians are, on average, about 10 to 20 pounds lighter than meat-eaters. [...]

"Trying to hide your thunder thighs and balloon belly is no day at the beach," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "PETA has a free 'Vegetarian Starter Kit' for people who want to lose pounds while eating as much as they like. Source: PETA

This latest campaign by PETA is sexist, demeaning and though I would not expect any better from the organization, they owe the people of Jacksonville an apology. Being a vegetarian will not change the importance a fat person in the grand scheme of things.

Man Carrying Semi-Automatic Assault Rifle and Pistol at Pro-Health Rally in Arizona where President Obama was Speaking

The Arizona Republic is reporting that a man was spotted carrying a semi-automatic assault rifle and a pistol at a pro-health care reform rally next to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Arizona where President Obama was speaking

A man, who decided not to give his name, was walking around the pro-health care reform rally at 3rd and Washington streets, with a pistol on his hip, and an AR-15 (a semi-automatic assault rifle) on a strap over his shoulder."Because I can do it," he said when asked why he was armed. "In Arizona, I still have some freedoms."

CNN's Ed Henry is reporting that another man is also carrying a rifle. I cannot recall this much drama occurring when former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton were making the rounds. This behavior is unprecedented and disturbing on so many levels. It is troubling because this is the third report in a week of someone bringing a gun to an event where the president was speaking.

GMAC Financial Services & Wal-Mart Pull Advertising from the Glenn Beck Show

Another one bites the dust. GMAC Financial Services and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. have "ceased" advertising on the Glenn Beck show. At least that's the word from GMAC Financial Services' spokesperson Sue Mallino, who spoke with Media Matters. Though she would not comment on whether the move was made in response to Beck's claim that President Obama is a "racist," an allegation that sparked a grassroots campaign by ColorofChange.org to get advertisers to stop supporting Beck's program. 

ColorofChange is also reporting that, in addition to Wal-Mart, Best Buy, CVS, Travelocity, Allergan (maker of Restasis), Ally Bank, Broadview Security, and Re-Bath have also pulled their advertisements on the show.

GMAC Financial Services joins a growing list of advertisers who have recently opted not to advertise Beck's television show. The list includes ConAgra, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, RadioShack, Men’s Wearhouse, State Farm, Sargento, LexisNexis-owned Lawyers.com, Procter & Gamble, and Progressive Insurance.

Dick Armey Says “In September or October there will be a Hyped Up Outbreak of the Swine Flu to Scare Bedwetters to Vote for Health Care Reform"

Dick Armey resigned from DLA Piper, the Washington-based lobbying firm that he has advised since leaving Congress in 2002. He said he decided to resign in order to spare the firm, which counts pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb among its big healthcare clients, any further embarrassment by association with Freedom Works, his pet project. Mr. Armey has inferred that the Obama Administration will use another swine flu outbreak expected in September or October to force "bedwetters" to vote for the health care reform. Those comments are not only reckless, but deeply divisive and makes light of a serious situation.

Mr Armey, 69, predicted that the “grassroots” backlash against what he called Mr Obama’s “hostile government takeover of a sixth of the US economy” would cause the reform to fail spectacularly. But he predicted that supporters of reform would attempt to win over the “bed-wetters caucus” – a group of wavering lawmakers who spanned both parties, he said – with a fear campaign in the autumn.

“In September or October there will be a hyped up outbreak of the swine flu which they’ll say is as bad as the bubonic plague to scare the bed-wetters to vote for healthcare reform,” said Mr Armey. “That is the only way they can push something on to the American people that the American people don’t want.”

Democrats have portrayed groups such as Freedom Works as demagogues out to disrupt town-hall meetings rather than enter into civil debate. Mr Armey said he doubted members of Freedom Works attended meetings to shout down people with whom they disagreed. “I know people have been doing that but that is not the tactics we recommend,” he said. Source: Financial Times

So, it's pretty obvious that Dick Armey hasn't lost his old rabble-rousing ways. Bed-wetters? Wow. Swine flu is nothing to take lightly or even have the hubris to joke about. There have been hundreds of deaths as a result and yes, there will be more cases of the swine flu in the Fall, whether the Democrats or Republicans want to see this or not.

Actress Nia Long Says "There's No Difference Between Fur and Slavery or the Holocaust"

Actress Nia Long is the latest Hollywood star to pose for a PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) ad. It is quite obvious that the image has been manipulated by Photoshop, she stands behind the message -- "I'd rather go naked than wear fur." There are many people who are against wearing fur, but where does that leave leather? Would PETA supporters rather go barefoot than wear a leather shoe or sandal? I was equally amazed at Ms. Long rationale behind being against wearing fur:

“In being a responsible adult and really understanding what happens for one fur coat and how many animals are killed and slaughtered for one fur coat, it just isn’t worth it to me."

When I became a mother, I started to really understand the importance of all living creatures in a way that I didn’t ever think about before. And I’ve realized how important it is that we really take responsibility for … treating animals with love and care just like we would any human being.

There’s no difference, in my opinion, [between fur and] slavery or the Holocaust. It’s just that we’re not dealing with human beings, we’re dealing with animals, but it’s still a living thing.”

Really Nia? Wearing fur is no different from slavery or the Holocaust? Gee, let's see how many movie roles you get in Hollywood that are bankrolled or produced by a Jewish man or woman. Wearing fur does not compare in the least to slavery or the Holocaust.