Stripes, May 2007, by Meredith Andrews

The entire country is a buzz about the election and who can blame us!? So, I couldn't resist the temptation to write about an image that appeared, initially, to be oh-so-American. Really, what is more American than stripes and shopping carts? Upon closer inspection though, you'll realize these aren't the shopping carts you see in this country, they are instead those that you would find if you were a consumer in post-Soviet Russia.

HHS contender Meredith Andrews explains:

In post-Soviet Russia, where the mighty petro-dollar rules amid entrenched oligarchs and newly emerging entrepreneurs, lies the awkward struggle of the old and the new, the past and the inevitable.

Hers is an approach entirely different but not in opposition to fellow HHS contender, Davin Ellicson. Both are exploring the awkward transition between socialist and capitalist economies, the meeting of agrarian and consumer cultures, and the fight over the Lexus and the olive tree that is happening in post-Soviet countries and all over the world in the name of progress. Both also raise the question, what is progress?

Progress and change are long overdue in the U.S. and with our new president (fingers crossed, holding breath!) we'll be facing new challenges and awkward struggles against the inevitable, but for now, hope remains as strong and bright as these red stripes.