inauguration day roundup

it's inauguration day! let's savor this moment in history with a presidential roundup of obama goodness with nary a commemorative plate to be found! i only hope everyone gives the man some time to tackle all the issues facing our country and that me, you and everyone else does his/her part to help fix it so that we all live in a better world four years from now.

1 - the obamas get the superhero treatment with this fabulous celebrate change greeting card.

2 - crazy shirts jumps aboard the obama love fest with new tee designs.

3 - kona joe coffee introduces their barack o blend made with beans grown in hawaii, kenya, and indonesia.

4 - secret service won't give you clearance to drop in to the oval office and talk story with uncle barry? invite the president into your home with a custom wall decal.

5 - oahu artist mark chai (who designed these lovely plywood lamps) is making 10 limited edition "light of hope" table lamps from recycled plastic and koa (a portion of sales will go to feed hawaii's homeless). [update: mark just wrote in with news that one of the lamps is currently being auctioned off on ebay]

and, as expected, the official hawaii tourism website has a page devoted to president obama's hawaii.

p.s. to celebrate this happy, happy day, i scooped up 44 of shepard fairey's yes we did stickers just for h|h readers. email your name & mailing address to aloha [at] hapahale [dot] com by fri, jan 23rd and you just may find a presidential surprise waiting in your mailbox.

p.p.s. watch president obama's inaugural address here.

power to the people

yesterday, moveon announced that graphic designer shepard fairey (creator of the now iconic hope poster) has made a limited edition victory poster to celebrate barack obama's election to the presidency. only 5000 posters will be made available ($500 signed & $80 unsigned) with the proceeds helping to fund moveon's progressive movement.

no question that competition will be fierce so, while i must confess to briefly toying with the idea of holding out on you, what's a few extra peeps vying for what is sure to be an instant collectible proving you were present for this wonderful moment in u.s. history?

poster drops tomorrow, sat, nov 8th at 12:30p est / 9:30a pst / 7:30a hst.

p.s. sticker versions are also available on moveon's website. 1.6 million and counting as of this post!

hometown hero

best. (belated) birthday. gift. ever.

a few post-election clicks:

• in case you missed barack's acceptance speech, you can watch the entire clip on youtube.

• take a peek at the front page from newspapers around the world over at the newseum.

• stephen colbert's tongue-in-cheek take on the importance of electing the first "hawaiian" president.

and, because hawaii always represents, a little more obama goodness for your consideration:

1 - go bold with an obama homeboy tee (click here for m's sizes).

2/3 - satisfactory's obama (m's) for president (w's) is one of the nicest designs to be found in obama-land.

4 - rock the abstract look with a happy explosion of multicolored o's.

5 - the onslaught of obama souvenir swag begins with the rainbow license plate getting a presidential makeover.

p.s. the official obama online shop is clearing out all its merchandise including the marc jacobs tote and remaining designer tees.

election day edition

election day is finally here and, since we vote by mail around here, my ballot is already waiting to be counted at the registrar of voters. wherever you call home, consider this one of the many, many reminders to do your part and vote today!

essential election clicks include google to find your polling place and project vote smart if you need to brush up on the issues before heading to the polls.

the past two elections have proven there are no guarantees and i could not let this historic day pass without posting one more (but hopefully not last) roundup of obama gear for your enjoyment:

1 - freddy & ma, purveyor of semi-custom handbags, debuts a limited edition collection of vote totes made of recycled cotton.

2 - toy collectors can add a custom painted obama mini munny to their kid robot collection.

3 - the evidence that artists heart obama continues to grow with yet another poster of hope.

4 - the obama 'ohana tee gets a green update with an organic cotton edition.

and, after you rock the vote, enjoy foodie freebies from starbucks to ben & jerry's by flashing your i voted sticker!

obama-rama

it seems only fitting to post a spanking new roundup of obama goodness in anticipation of what will truly be a historic speech tonight (previous editions can be found here and here). did you ever think you would see a presidential candidate from hawaii in your lifetime let alone one who is hapa?

1 - it's a bird, it's a plane, it's a . . . barack obama action figure!

2 - obama tees are a dime a dozen these days but maart + mart's obama 08 design pops a subdued graphic punch.

3 - a handcrafted leather cuff is a stylish yet stealth way to show your support ($5 of each sale will be donated to the obama campaign).

4 - you may not have gone to punahou but you can still slip into a replica of the high school basketball jersey worn when obama was just a boy called barry.

and, if you still can't find a design to your liking, an official tee contest kicked off earlier this week with just days left to enter your submission before the aug 31st deadline. we the people will select the winning design so hele over and get your vote in (speaking of voting, surely you are already registered but here's a fun widget to remind your pals).