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US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a group photo with children dressed in Christmas elves costumes at a Christmas In Washington celebration at the Building Museum in Washington, on December 12, 2010. Obama’s daughters Malia and Sasha are at (L) in the background. UPI/Mike Theiler/Pool
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Joyeux Noel…Fröhliche Weihnachten…Mele Kalikimaka
Buone Feste Natalizie…Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Sung Tan Chuk Ha……..Feliz Navidad
Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom
Friday Dec. 24, 2010
All Times Eastern
Pres Obama receives the presidential daily briefing in Honolulu.
7:00 AM
8:00 AM
9:00 AM
10:00 AM
11:00 AM
12:00 PM
1:00 PM
2:00 PM
3:00 PM
4:00 PM
5:00 PM
Dec 24 Live Feed Schedule
WhiteHouse.gov http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
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CNN http://live.cnn.com/
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CSPAN http://www.cspan.org/
The First Lady Receives the White House Christmas Tree
From: whitehouse | November 26, 2010
The First Lady is presented with the Official White House Christmas Tree.
How do Native Americans celebrate Christmas?
Christmas celebrations and traditions, as most of us in the US celebrate them today, became more common in America during the mid-1800s. The introduction of Christmas services in Sunday schools reduced religious opposition to a secular festival, as opposed to a somber religious day, while the Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol popularized the holiday as a family event, and women’s magazines promoted the ideas of decorating for this holiday.
Some scholars suspect that Christians chose to celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25 to make it easier to convert the pagan tribes. Referring to Jesus as the “light of the world” also fit with existing pagan beliefs about the birth of the sun. The ancient “return of the sun” philosophy had been replaced by the “coming of the son” message of Christianity.
Many Native Americans in North America, and Aboriginal groups elsewhere in the world, as well as other pagen religions such as wicca, did observe a celebration near Christmas time, called the Winter Solstice. The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year and falls on December 21-22 and was celebrated in the Americas long before European influence arrived. Different indian tribes associate different beliefs and rituals with it.
For example, the Hopi tribal celebrations are dedicated to giving aid and direction to the sun which is ready to return and give strength to new life. Their ceremony is called Soyal. It lasts for 20 days and includes prayerstick making, purification, rituals, and a concluding rabbit hunt, feast and blessings.
The First Native American Christmas Carol
The first written native american Christmas carol was written down by a Jesuit missionary priest, Friar Jean de Brebeuf, around 1640-41, for the Huron Indians. The Hurons built a small chapel of fir trees and bark in honor of the manger at Bethlehem. This became the ‘stable’ where Jesus was born. Some Hurons travelled as much as two days to be there for the Christmas celebration.
The animals at the manger were the Fox, the Buffalo and the Bear. The Hurons also made a traditional tent of skins and their nativity figures were all dressed as native Americans. This Huron Carol, originally written in the Huron language and later translated to French, has become a well known and much loved carol today.
For the entire article:
http://www.aaanativearts.com/article1412.html
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The Huron Carol: 17th-century version
Uploaded by QuireCleveland on Sep 6, 2010
From “Carols for Quire”: Quire Cleveland, conducted by Peter Bennett, performing at Trinity Cathedral, Cleveland OH, December 18-20, 2009. Jean de Brébeuf, a Jesuit missionary among the Huron Indians in Canada, purportedly wrote this carol in Wendat (Wyandot), the now extinct language of the Hurons, sometime before he was martyred in 1649. The earliest musical version is from 1907 but is clearly based on the 16th-century tune, “Une jeune fillette,” so this choral arrangement by Ross W. Duffin sets the Wendat words to a 17th-century version of that tune.
First Lady Michelle Obama Unveils 2010 White House Holiday Theme & Decorations
December 01, 2010 obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/
Volunteers have been busily decorating the White House for the holidays since Friday, when First Lady Michelle Obama, accompanied by daughters Malia and Sasha, accepted delivery of the 18 1/2 foot tall Douglas Fir Christmas Tree that will grace the Blue Room for the next six weeks. Mrs. Obama will formally unveil the 2010 White House holiday theme and decorations today, during an afternoon event at 12:30 PM.
For the entire article: http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2010/12/today-first-lady-michell-obama-unveils.html
AssociatedPress | December 01, 2010
The White House unveils its array of holiday decorations, from trees brimming with ornaments to a gingerbread-and-white-chocolate White House, complete with a tiny Bo, the First Dog. (Dec. 1)
I love that music. Wish I knew the title.
CR – What a gorgeous photo! Thanks for giving us so much – at Christmastime and all year long!
Hugs!
Ain’t that the truth, JO’B!
((HUGS)) all around to everyone!
December 01, 2010
Remarks by the First Lady at Holiday Press Preview
East Room
12:29 P.M. EST
MRS. OBAMA: Well, hello, everyone. Good morning.
AUDIENCE: Good morning.
MRS. OBAMA: And Happy Holidays. All right now, it’s Christmas. I know you guys are in the military and you keep your kids — but they can scream! It’s Christmas! It’s exciting! They’re so disciplined. (Laughter.)
Well, it’s good to have you all. I want to thank you all for joining us today as we kick off the holiday season here at the White House. And this is a very exciting time here at the White House for me and our family.
Now, looking around, it’s easy to see and hopefully you guys have gotten to see a little bit, but you’ll get to see more, but you can understand why this is one of my favorite times of the year. It really is.
First of all, seeing all you beautiful kids dressed up and looking so smart and pretty and beautiful in your dresses is just so exciting. But we’ve got — here at the White House we have 19 Christmas trees in every corner of the White House. So there are 19 Christmas trees here, right? So when you walk around you count them, okay, to make sure that I was right. All right?
We have a giant Bo made out of pipe cleaners. Have you all seen that yet? Well, you’re going to see that. It’s pretty, pretty shocking. But it’s very cool and he’s very soft.
We have 350 pounds of gingerbread house that you’ll get to see that took our wonderful pastry chef Bill Yosses and his team and entire month to create. It took him a month to make this. So you guys are going to get to see that.
We also have some creative stations that we’ll be doing some projects this afternoon. And I’m going to help, hopefully, if it’s not too messy.
For the entire transcript: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/12/01/remarks-first-lady-holiday-press-preview
Behind-the-Scenes Look: Time-Lapse Of The White House Christmas Tree
From: whitehouse | December 02, 2010
Watch a behind-the-scenes time lapse of the official White House Christmas Tree in the Blue Room of the White House, showing the work and energy that goes into decorating the White House for the holidays.
December 17, 2010
Remarks by the President to Children During a School Visit
Long Branch Elementary School, Arlington, Virginia
11:14 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Now let me just say one more thing and then maybe we can take a picture together. One of the things about Christmas obviously is getting presents and having stockings full and spending time with your family and eating good stuff. But part of the Christmas spirit is also making sure that we’re kind to each other and we’re thinking about people who aren’t as lucky as we are.
And so I hope that all of you, even as you’re having a lot of fun during the holidays, whether it’s Christmas or Hanukkah, I want to make sure that all of you are also thinking about how can you guys be nicer to each other and think about people who have less than you do, because not everybody is as lucky as we are. There are a lot of kids out there who they may not be able to get a lot of presents for Christmas because their parents don’t have a lot of money.
There are a lot of parents right now who are maybe away from their families. Some of them are in our military and they’re fighting overseas, and so they can’t be home for Christmas or the holidays. So I hope you guys think about them too, all right? And I want you all to remember that the spirit of Christmas is making sure that — not just that you’re getting something from somebody but that you’re also giving back to other people. Does that make sense?
CHILDREN: Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: Who wants to take a picture with me?
(A picture is taken.)
THE PRESIDENT: Well, listen, I hope you guys have so much fun during the holidays. And I’m so proud of you. You guys are all working hard in school and learning all kinds of stuff. It’s really exciting to see you guys doing so well.
So — and I want to thank all the teachers and the faculty, the staff who are here, because I know that you guys put your heart and soul into doing this great work.
For the entire transcript: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/12/17/remarks-president-children-during-a-school-visit
Our First Family Christmas Card
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whitehouse | December 22, 2010
Happy Holidays from The White House! http://whitehouse.gov/holidays
I am reposting this from the previous thread.
Hey O friends. I was reading this article by Frank Schaffer and I am posting the part that I really liked. He wrote this on December 21, 2010
SNIP…
“Not since the days of the rise of fascism in Europe, the Second World War and the Depression has any president faced more adversity.
As the president’s poll numbers fell he never lost sight of his goals. Even so his support from some on the Left, that were hailing him as a Messiah not long ago; all those lefty websites and commentators that were falling all over themselves on behalf of our first black president during the 2008 election evaporated — when he didn’t instantly do everything they hoped for on their timetable.
The Left’s lack of faith became a self-fulfilling “prophecy” at the midterms — snipe at the president and then watch the poll numbers fall and then pretend you didn’t have anything to do with it! The Left wanted a rock star and got a president smarter than the talking heads. They wanted miracles and got hard work instead, they wanted magic and got the slogging reality of trying to govern. The Left helped undermine the enthusiasm for our first black president and contributed to the midterm losses.
But Obama is triumphing notwithstanding.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/new-start-and-dadt-obama-_b_799532.html
Thanks COS!
Good one, COS!
A really lovely thread, CR. Merry Christmas to our beloved First Family and the whole O-family!
Merry Christmas O-Family!!! ((HUG))
Merry Christmas CR & O-Family..!! ((hugs))
((Hugs)) Merry Christmas Tigerfists!
I agree Kat. I love all of the videos.
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Holiday Message from First Lady Michelle Obama:
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Email from Pres Obama:
This time of year, Americans around the country are taking the time to exchange heartfelt messages with friends and loved ones, reflecting on the past year. They write of achievements and setbacks, of births, graduations, promotions, and moves.
These messages allow us to overcome the miles that separate us. And they allow us to continue one of the most basic American traditions that has held folks close for centuries — the simple sharing of stories.
And as families gather around holiday tables this season, we also have the opportunity to share the stories of the change this movement has achieved together.
It is a narrative woven by individuals across America — in big cities and small towns, hospitals and classrooms, in auto manufacturing plants and auto supply stores.
These are stories of rebuilding, and of innovation. Stories of communities breathing new life into old roads and bridges, of local plants harnessing alternative fuel into new energy. Stories of small businesses getting up, dusting themselves off, and beginning to grow again. Stories of soldiers who served multiple tours of duty in Iraq now coming home — and enjoying the holidays this year in the company of loved ones.
These are stories of progress.
They unite us, and they are ours to share.
We’ve pulled many of them together in one place, PROGRESS. You can see what our reforms have meant to Americans in every state — block by block, community by community.
Click here to read about stories of progress in your area — and share them with your friends and family.
The reforms that we fought long and hard for are not talking points.
And their effects don’t change based on the whims of politicians in Washington. They are achievements that have a real and meaningful impact on the lives of Americans around the country. They are achievements that would not have been possible without you. PROGRESS localizes them — and brings them to life.
It tells of how a green technology business in Phoenix, Arizona, is using a grant through the Recovery Act’s Transportation Electrification program to bring the first electric-drive vehicles and charging stations to cities around the country.
It tells how, thanks to closing the “donut hole” in prescription drug coverage, a diabetic woman in Burlington, Vermont will no longer have to choose between purchasing her monthly groceries or the insulin she needs to survive.
It tells about how 136,000 Pennsylvania residents’ jobs were saved or created by the Recovery Act. To check what the Recovery Act has done in your state: http://www.recovery.gov
And about how, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 22,900 small businesses in Utah’s 2nd Congressional District are now eligible for health care tax credits — and how 17,500 residents in Idaho’s 1st with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied coverage.
There are thousands more stories like these.
In the coming days, as we gather with our loved ones at dinner tables around the nation, let’s pass them on. Let’s celebrate the spirit of service and responsibility that brought them to fruition. And let’s steady ourselves with the resolve to continue pressing forward.
Because the coming year will hold new challenges — battles that have yet to be fought, and stories of progress that have yet to be written.
Take a look at the progress we’ve made in your area — and share the stories you read with your friends and family: http://progress.democrats.org
Happy holidays, and God bless,
Barack
Obama’s latest tweet:
“On behalf of Michelle, Malia, Sasha, and Bo, have a very merry Christmas. http://OFA.BO/EJ7hbg.” (Dec 25, 2010)
The Week Before Christmas
12/20/10 William Kristol – TheWeeklyStandard
Vol. 016, Issue 15
’Twas the week before Christmas, and all through
the House
The liberals were stirring, and boy did they grouse!
While earmarks were hung on the Reid bill with care
In hopes that the public would not see them there,
The “rich folks” were nestled all snug in their bed—
In hopes they’d be spared, like the president said—
While Nancy in kerchief and Bernie in cap
Were hunting for corpses that Congress could tap.
So the week before Christmas there came the big test:
Did liberals still have the power to best
The public and almost the whole GOP,
Or had they been routed?—yes, that’s what we’d see.
The tax cutters crushed all the Dems in their way,
And the omnibus crashed like a blown-out soufflé.
In the end, we discovered, elections do matter—
And so does a public that makes a loud clatter.
A tax cut for Christmas is mighty surprisin’,
With nary an earmark to cloud the horizon—
Obamacare’s reeling, there’s progress in ’Stan,
It’s important next year that we stick with the plan.
By then we’ll have entered the era of Boehner:
Our pocketbooks fuller, our politics saner.
We’ll even buy beers for the lib’ruls to cry in
When they see the budget from Chairman Paul Ryan.
So The Standard exclaims, with the future so bright:
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
—William Kristol
I am like PBO, it appears that Kristol put a lot of thought in this.
Heh!
hehe
MERRY CHRISTMAS O FRIENDS.
Merry Christmas COS! ((Hug)))
December 13, 2010
Remarks by the President at Christmas in Washington
National Building Museum, Washington, D.C.
December 12, 2010
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. (Applause.) Thank you so much. Thank you, everybody. Please, please have a seat.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everybody. I want to thank our wonderful host, Ellen DeGeneres, for being here tonight. And of course, a special thanks to all of tonight’s extraordinary performers: Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli, Miranda Cosgrove, Annie Lennox, Maxwell, Matthew Morrison, the Washington Youth Choir, the American Family Choir, and the United States Army Band Herald Trumpets. Please give them a huge round of applause. (Applause.)
What a wonderful show here at the National Building Museum — and we’re grateful that the Children’s National Medical Center is the beneficiary of tonight’s performance. Day in and day out, the folks there are saving lives and bringing healing and comfort to our children.
This season reminds us that more than 2,000 years ago, a child born in a stable brought our world a redeeming gift of peace and salvation. It’s a story with a message that speaks to us to this day — that we are called to love each other as we love ourselves, that we are our brother’s keeper and our sister’s keeper, and our destinies are linked.
It’s a message that guides my Christian faith and it focuses us as we think about all those whose holidays may be a bit tougher this year. We pray for our troops serving far away from the warmth of family and homespun traditions. We remember those who are out of work, or struggling just to get by. We hold in our hearts all those who’ve fallen on hard times this holiday season.
Because while Christmas is a time to celebrate, a time to sing chorals and exchange gifts, it’s also something more. It’s a time to rediscover the meaning of words like “charity” and “compassion” and “goodwill”; to do our part for our neighbors; to serve God through serving others. So from our family to yours, happy holidays, everybody. Merry Christmas, and God bless you all. And God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END
The First Lady Reads “The Night Before Christmas”
From: whitehouse | December 23, 2009
First Lady Michelle Obama visits Children’s National Medial Center in Washington D.C. to read “The Night Before Christmas”. Joined by daughters Malia and Sasha, along with dog Bo, the First Lady continues this tradition of visiting with patients which dates back to Bess Truman. December 22, 2009
Merry Christmas, guys. Much love to you all.
Thanks for everything, CR.
Merry Christmas BWD!
blackwaterdog,
Love your pictures….
President & First Lady embraces…
President with children, hugging admirers…
Great photos…
Thank you!
West Wing Week: 12/24/10 or “AKA Santa Claus”
From: whitehouse | December 23, 2010 |
Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that’s happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Walk step by step with the President as he signs the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” looks back at an historic lame duck session, reads to kids for the Holiday season, and receives the Census report.
Medvedev lauds Obama, laments pace of Russian change
12/24/10 Alissa de Carbonnel -Reuters
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev praised President Barack Obama on Friday for winning U.S. support for an arms treaty at the center of a “reset” in ties and lamented the slow pace of his own drive to modernize Russia.
In an annual year-end interview with Russia’s three top television channels, Medvedev said carrying out his ambitious reform agenda would take time, but gave no indication of whether he would seek a second term in 2012.
Medvedev’s remarks in a live television interview strongly indicated Russian lawmakers will follow the U.S. Senate in ratifying the New START treaty, despite criticism of wording attached to accompanying documents by their U.S. counterparts.
“In rather difficult circumstances, he was able to push through the ratification of the paramount START document which will ensure our security in the coming years,” Medvedev said of Obama.
He said Obama “fulfills his promises” and stressed that the publication of U.S. diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks, which portrayed Russia in a negative light, would not set back relations.
Securing the START treaty has been crucial for Medvedev, who observers say has little to show for more than two years as president since Vladimir Putin steered him into the presidency as his successor in March 2008.
In an interview focusing on domestic issues, Medvedev acknowledged a lack of major progress on his pledge to modernize Russia’s economy and reduce its reliance on energy exports.
“Modernization is progressing, its pace may have accelerated from the start of the year, but of course not much has been achieved so far,” Medvedev acknowledged. “I think (results) exist. But they are not great in number.”
For the entire article: http://yhoo.it/htAYsc
Obama the Genius
12/24/10 Susan Estrich – creators.com
Creators Syndicate – Was it only a month ago that the chattering class was writing off the president as being almost as thoroughly defeated as the lame duck Congress, as the failed leader who had lost his way, popularity plummeting, accomplishments vulnerable? Insiders worried about who was up next. How much worse could it get? Did he really want to be a one-term president? Any Republican could beat him, friend and foe asserted. (Well, maybe not any Republican, but almost any). And then, like the weather in New England, everything changed.
In politics, the distance between idiot and genius, especially at the highest levels, can be measured in days.
In the past 30, this president has put in place a tax deal that also extends unemployment benefits – and made clear to House Democrats that they could like it or lump it. He pushed to a vote a new nuclear arms treaty with Russia, signed into law the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” and even got some judges confirmed. That’s just off the top of my head.
Even without Rahm, it turns out the president knows his way around tough negotiations and games of chicken, not only forging a compromise but landing himself squarely in the middle. “Triangulation” minus Dick Morris. He has been decisive, tough and confident. When House Democrats revolted, he stood up to them and told them what was what. The once unified Republican bloc splintered. He found the votes he needed. The issue that threatened the early days of Bill Clinton’s presidency — gays in the military — was resolved with the stroke of a pen.
Who is this genius?
Who is this natural-born leader?
None other than last month’s beaten man. The man we would wish were president if only he weren’t.
Hillary has probably never been more popular. (Sometimes I wonder how she ever lost the nomination what with all the folks who now claim they were for her and were right, to boot. But then, I can remember when public opinion polls during Watergate showed that McGovern must have beaten Nixon.)
President Obama is the only grown-up in Washington
12/21/10 By David True – ChristianScienceMonitor
Chambersburg, Penn. – “Politicians are not stupid. Politicians are not stupid. Politicians are not stupid.” This is the first rule of political analysis.
They know when to cover their behinds. Usually, this is all too apparent, but these past few weeks the folks in Congress have been acting so crazy, I have to keep repeating this mantra to myself.
And caught in the middle, vilified by both sides (even his own), is President Obama – the only grown-up in the room.
Bush tax cuts 101: Who will get what
Self-righteous indignationThe Democrats are ticked at their party’s leader, Mr. Obama, for working out a compromise with the party of small government and big tax cuts. Never mind that the deal may just keep the economy from slowing to a standstill. Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago that everyone was talking about the sluggish economy as the reason that Democrats lost so many seats?
Even some of the same Democrats who voted for Bush’s original tax cuts have apparently found religion and were full of self-righteous indignation that Obama agreed to a two-year extension of their vote. I know they are supposed to look after their own interests, but can this be smart? They seemed so angry to me that I actually think their feelings were hurt.
I’ve heard that the Obama administration has been terrible at communicating with Democrats on Capitol Hill, and I know that liberals have had to settle for a good bit of moderate legislation, but do they really think they could have gotten something better?
For the entire article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20101221/cm_csm/351398
Biden Family Christmas Card
Merry Christmas to the Biden Family
Thank you to VP Joe Biden for being a wonderful Vice President who sticks up for the regular Americans and to Second Lady Jill Biden for all her hard work!
Former Pres Clinton and Madam Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Christmas Card
Merry Christmas to Former Pres Clinton and Madam Secretary Hillary Clinton
Thank you Former Pres Clinton and Secretary Clinton for all that you continue to do for America!
Good morning everyone! I HOPE that you have a good day!
Hi Cr,
Hope you & your husband, & all of your family have a blessed Christmas & a healthy, happy new year.
Merry Christmas AZGrammy! ((Hug))
DODvClips | December 23, 2010
Military members from around the world send holiday greetings to those at home.
Merry Christmas and thank you to all our military men and women and their families!
Good Morning everyone! Happy Christmas Eve!
Merry Christmas everyone. My wish to all is Peace, Health, good friends and family. Love you all.
Happy Christmas Eve Sandy!
Mele Kalikimaka
Photos of Pres Obama starts his vacation in Hawaii http://www.staradvertiser.com/multimedia/photo_galleries/Photo_Gallery_Obama_Visit_Day_1.html
Enjoy your vacation, Mr. President! You have earned it a gazillion times over!
Our POTUS in headphones and on the links… he just looks cool!
CR, is there special meaning to the lei of leaves?
It is a Maile Lei http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maile
Kranky Cartoon http://www.krankyscartoons.com/images/Obama_Cares.jpg
Matson Cartoon http://bit.ly/hXO7J8
Ariail Cartoon http://robertariail.com/2010/12/23/lame-duck-express/
Auth Cartoon http://www.gocomics.com/features/166-tonyauth
Luckovich Cartoon http://comics.com/mike_luckovich/2010-12-23/
President Obama: Two Years of Progress
From: DemocraticVideo | December 22, 2010
A look back at President Obama’s accomplishments over the first two years of his administration.
Merry Christmas Eve, everybody!
>^..^<
Merry Christmas Eve Kathleen!
The White House Blog, Dec. 24, 2010:
Tracking Santa — An Interview with the Head Researcher
Posted by Ginny Simmons
Every year since 1998, the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos lab has been using state of the art technology to track Santa Claus as he circles the globe the night before Christmas. You’ll be able to start monitoring St. Nick’s journey here starting at 6 AM ET on Christmas Eve.
This week, I got a chance to talk to Santa Tracker Head Researcher (and Cibola Flight Experiment Project Leader) Diane Roussel-Dupre to get a little more insight into the program.
Q: How did you get into this line of work? Did you always expect Santa tracking to be a core specialty in your career?
Diane Roussel-Dupre: Developing and flying small experimental satellites to help keep America safer has been a unique career opportunity never envisioned when I was in school. When we first started tracking Santa, we did so to help with his flight safety just in case he had troubles along the way.
Q: What is the hardest part of keeping track of Santa?
Diane Roussel-Dupre: Because of his wish to surprise, Santa does not file a flight path with the Federal Aviation Administration, so we never really know where he will be….
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/12/24/tracking-santa-interview-with-head-researcher
DODvClips | December 23, 2010
For the 55th year the North American Aerospace Defense Command – or NORAD – is getting ready to track Santa! Visit NORADSANTA.org
ABC News, Dec. 24, 2010:
Vice President on Good Morning America
ABCNews.com, Dec. 24, 2010:
Exclusive – Biden: White House to Hold Line on Taxes in 2012
By George Stephanopoulos
The president’s primary negotiator for the tax cut deal on Capitol Hill told me the administration will hold the line in two years when those cuts expire despite the surge of incoming GOP congressmen about to flood Capitol Hill.
“George, that’s why I think I felt confident in being asked by the President to negotiate a deal on taxes that the equities and the economic imperatives are going to be to not extend the high end tax cut, which would cost $700 billion over 10 years. And not extend this overly generous estate tax,” Vice President Joe Biden told me.
Is that a guarantee?
“Nothing’s a guarantee,” he said.
“But I think all the equities, if people look at it objectively, are going to say we have to cut spending. We have to deal with tax revenues. And the obvious, obvious place to do that is not to add another $700 billion dollars to the debt for the high end tax cuts and/or another $120 billion dollars to the debt for this overly generous estate tax,” Biden told me….
My interview with Biden capped off a busy lame-duck session following the passage of the 9/11 health bill, the food safety bill and the Senate ratifying the START treaty.
President Obama called it the “most productive post-election period that we’ve had in decades.”
Biden – who also had a prominent role in the passage of the nuclear arms deal with Russia – said the combination of the demand for cooperation from the public and the urgency of a short timeframe helped.
“It either makes it impossible or accelerates the prospect of it happening. And I think in this case it accelerated the prospect of it happening,” he said.
But cooperation will be more challenging next term, he said, and offered words of warning for the new Republicans members.
“I think that what appears to be sort of a slam dunk for some very conservative Republicans’ point of view is not– is going to turn out not to be so easy. I think there’s going to be a need on everyone’s part, and a realization that it’s in everyone’s interest politically to cooperate in dealing with keeping the economy growing and beginning to address the long-term debt,” he said….
http://abcn.ws/hDyoZx
AP, Dec. 24, 2010:
EPA moving unilaterally to limit greenhouse gases
Stymied in Congress, the Obama administration is moving unilaterally to clamp down on power plant and oil refinery greenhouse emissions, announcing plans for developing new standards over the next year.
In a statement posted on the agency’s website late Thursday, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson said the aim was to better cope with pollution contributing to climate change.
“We are following through on our commitment to proceed in a measured and careful way to reduce GHG pollution that threatens the health and welfare of Americans,” Jackson said in a statement. She said emissions from power plants and oil refineries constitute about 40 percent of the greenhouse gas pollution in this country.
President Barack Obama had said two days after the midterm elections that he was disappointed Congress hadn’t acted on legislation achieving the same end, signaling that other options were under consideration.
Jackson’s announcement came on the same day that the administration showed a go-it-alone approach on federal wilderness protection — another major environmental issue. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said his agency was repealing the Bush era’s policy limiting wilderness protection, which was adopted under former Interior Secretary Gale Norton….
http://yhoo.it/f8EXGi
WashingtonMonthly.com, Dec. 24, 2010:
KRAUTHAMMER SEES OBAMA ‘BACK WITH A VENGEANCE’
By Steve Benen
…. Krauthammer, who vehemently opposes the president and his agenda, added, “Obama is back” and “conservative gloaters were simply fooled.” The columnist went so far as to describe this president as another “comeback kid.”
…. given the developments of December, Krauthammer concludes, “Obama came back with a vengeance. His string of lame-duck successes is a singular political achievement. Because of it, the epic battles of the 112th Congress begin on what would have seemed impossible just one month ago — a level playing field.”
If this helps capture the conventional wisdom in D.C., and shapes perceptions accordingly, the White House has to feel like it’s entering 2011 right where it wants to be.
http://bit.ly/gGAA6v
Very good article!
WashingtonMonthly.com, Dec. 24, 2010:
LEAVING A DIAMOND BEHIND
By Steve Benen
…. Before wrapping up the lame-duck session, the Senate confirmed quite a few pending nominees submitted by the Obama administration. Regrettably, Peter Diamond wasn’t among them.
“The White House says President Obama will resubmit the nomination of a Nobel prize-winning economist to the Federal Reserve, even though he faces stronger opposition from the next Congress….
Senate Republicans opposed the Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor’s nomination, questioning his qualifications for the job.”
This is, of course, deeply foolish. Diamond, among the most accomplished economists of his generation, was blocked by one far-right senator, Alabama’s Richard Shelby (R). Even after Diamond won a Nobel Prize in economics, Shelby insisted the economist lacked the qualifications to join the board of governors of the Federal Reserve….
The White House intends to try again with Diamond in 2011. I’m glad to hear it.
http://bit.ly/fUeTUV
Please join me in lighting a candle for our President, First Family and the Nation.
.
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=PBO
,
President and first lady start Christmas Eve with workout
12/24 By Star-Advertiser Staff
President Barack Obama began his second day of vacation in Hawaii the same way he started yesterday — with a morning workout at Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay.
The president and first lady were seen in a motorcade which left their Kailua vacation compound at 8:07 a.m. and arrived at the gym a few minutes later.
People waved and took pictures as the motorcade passed.
The president and first lady returned to the vacation home at 9:51 a.m.
On the way back, they may have caught a glimpse of a sign welcoming the family to Hawaii posted along the canal leading to the compound. The sign read: “E Komo Mai Obama Ohana.”
A neighbor told reporters covering the president that she was able to meet first dog Bo when she was out walking her dog yesterday.
For the entire article: http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/President_and_first_lady_start_Christmas_Eve_with_workout.html
Merry Christmas Eve to all of my O friends. Thanks for posting this update CR. I also like this link from the article. Ratification of the START Treaty was important in so many ways.
Russian president has praise for Obama
By Bloomberg News
POSTED: 07:35 a.m. HST, Dec 24, 2010
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama is the kind of politician who keeps his word.
Obama has delivered on promises to Russia on issues including the New Start nuclear treaty and membership in the World Trade Organization, Medvedev said on state television today.
Meanwhile, Russia’s lower house of parliament began ratifying the treaty, approving the first of three readings, according to a vote broadcast on the website of state-run television channel Rossiya 24.
However, full ratification is expected no earlier than in January, according to Konstantin Kosachyov, the head of Russian lower house of parliament’s foreign affairs committee.
Hi COS! Thanks for the article!
Holiday 2010: The year shoppers came back
12/24/10 ANNE D’INNOCENZIO- AP
NEW YORK – Shoppers came back in force for the holidays, right to the very end. After two dreary years, Christmas 2010 will go down as the moment when Americans rediscovered how much they like to shop.
People spent more than expected on family and friends and splurged on themselves, too, an ingredient missing for the past two Christmases. Clothing such as fur vests and beaded sweaters replaced practical items like pots and pans. Even the family dog is getting a little something extra.
“You saw joy back in the holiday season,” said Sherif Mityas, partner in the retail practice at A.T. Kearney.
A strong Christmas Eve rounded out a great season for retailers. The National Retail Federation predicts that holiday spending will reach $451.5 billion this year, up 3.3 percent over last year.
That would be the biggest increase since 2006, and the largest total since a record $452.8 billion in 2007. And a strong week after Christmas could make this shopping season the biggest of all time. Final figures won’t be available until next week.
The economy hasn’t drastically improved from last year. Unemployment is 9.8 percent, credit remains tight and the housing market is moribund. But recent economic reports suggest employers are laying off fewer workers, and businesses are ordering more computers and appliances. Shoppers are spending with more confidence.
“I was unemployed last year, so I’m feeling better,” said Hope Jackson, who was at Maryland’s Mall in Columbia on Friday morning. Jackson bought laptops and PlayStation 2 games for her three daughters earlier in the season but was at the mall on Christmas Eve to grab $50 shirts marked down to $12 at Aeropostale.
For the entire article: http://yhoo.it/eNGOcq
U.S. opens tax investigation on Swiss banks: report
12/24/10 Yinka Adegoke and Jeremy Pelofsky -Reuters
– Fri Dec 24, 2:51 pm ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into small Swiss regional banks which may have helped Americans evade taxes, the New York Times reported, citing two people briefed on the matter.
The investigation will also look at Wall Street banks that provide banking services to these regional banks, known as cantonal banks, the paper said in an article published on Thursday.
The Wall Street banks might have been used by the regional banks to pool client money so individual clients could not be identified by U.S. authorities, the paper said.
A spokesperson for the Justice Department was not immediately available. The department was closed on Friday for the Christmas holiday.
The new investigation will focus on Basel-based Basler Kantonalbank, the paper said.
Earlier this month a former UBS banker pleaded guilty to charges he helped wealthy American clients hide their money from U.S. authorities. Renzo Gadola, a Swiss citizen, was charged with helping clients shift their undeclared money from UBS accounts to Basler Kantonalbank.
Bo Obama Knows Hawaii
12/24/10 By CAROL E. LEE – POLITICO
HONOLULU – Hawaii residents haven’t seen much of President Barack Obama since he arrived in his home state for a holiday vacation two days ago, but the first dog, Bo, is already making an impression.
As the president and first lady readied to leave their beachfront compound for the gym Friday morning, one of their neighbors told reporters that her dog had met and made friends with Bo the day before when the first pup was out for a stroll.
On Thursday another one of the Obamas’ neighbors was out walking his dog and said he’d spotted Bo on the beach earlier in the day.
It’s Bo’s first trip to Hawaii for the Obama family’s annual holiday vacation. Last year he spent Christmas in Washington. This time the first family made sure he went through the several layers of shots and testing Hawaii law requires, including a brief quarantine.
A white, sandy Christmas
Hawaii hosts Obama; Del. for Biden
12/23/10 By MATT NEGRIN – POLITICO
President Obama is in Honolulu, celebrating Christmas and New Year’s with his family. Obama “will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing every day, but there are no public events scheduled,” the White House said in guidance to reporters.
Vice President Biden, meanwhile, is in Wilmington, Del., where he’ll celebrate Christmas “with his extended family,” the White House says.
Here’s hoping this wonderful community finds the fulfillment of all your Christmas wishes! Enjoy every moment with family and friends. I hope you feel a sense of pride and accomplishment in all that’s happened this year. I’m excited about 2011 and wish you all the very best. Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Meta!
Discrediting anti-Obama ‘birthers’ is a top priority for Hawaii governor
12/24/10 By Michael A. Memoli, Tribune Washington Bureau
Frustrated by what he sees as a never-ending campaign to undermine President Barack Obama, Hawaii’s new governor says he plans to use his new post to counter conspiracy theorists who continue to allege that the president was not born in the United States.
Neil Abercrombie, a Democrat who took office Dec. 6, has known Obama since the president’s days growing up in Hawaii. He’s also one of the few people who knew both Obama’s father, also named Barack, and mother, Stanley Ann Dunham.
That longstanding relationship is a major reason Abercrombie, 72, takes umbrage with the persistent effort by Obama’s most ardent foes to assert that he was born in Kenya, which would constitutionally bar him from holding the office of president.
“Now that I’m governor, I’m going to do something about that,” Abercrombie vowed during an interview in his fifth-floor office in the state capitol. Abercrombie, who spent 19 years representing Hawaii’s 1st District as one of the more liberal members of Congress, acknowledged he has not yet determined a specific remedy.
“What bothers me is that some people who should know better are trying to use this for political reasons,” he said. Leaning forward from behind his desk, he added, “Maybe I’m the only one in the country that could look you right in the eye right now and tell you, ‘I was here when that baby was born.”‘
One of Abercrombie’s aides said the governor is voicing the frustration of many Hawaiians who continue to be troubled by the rumors, which they see as emblematic of the view that Hawaiians are not Americans in the same way as those who live in the continental United States.
Abercrombie’s Hawaiian pride may be trumping practical politics. Ample evidence has been produced to discredit the “birther” movement, so in the view of the White House, the governor’s comments are reviving an issue that most people see as resolved.
For the entire article: http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/112439049.html
BIG MAHALO TO GOV ABERCROMBIE FROM THIS HAWAIIAN DEMOCRAT WAHINE!
MSNBC.com, Dec. 24, 2010:
Secret Santa helper: First lady pitches in with NORAD
Phone volunteers don’t get specific about Santa’s ETA, but they do encourage kids to get to bed
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Some kids who call NORAD on Christmas Eve to find out where Santa is hang up as soon as a volunteer answers the phone — probably because they expected a recording and not a real person, veteran Santa trackers say.
There were some especially awed kids Friday, when one of the people answering the phone was first lady Michelle Obama.
A telephone link from Hawaii, where the Obamas are on vacation, allowed her to pitch in with volunteers at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., who were answering phone calls and e-mails for the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Santa-tracking program….
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40803123/ns/us_news-life/
I love that!
Merry Christmas, everybody!
Robert Gibbs is still on the job, answering questions!
http://twitter.com/PressSec
What a trooper!
A little short video of Bo kicking back in Hawaii.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/bo-obama-kicks-back-in-hawaii-12470197&tab=9482931§ion=2808950&playlist=2808979
Thanks COS!!
Aw. He looks happy.
Now usually Santa arrives on his sled guided by eight reindeer and lands on people’s chimneys.
Well in Hawaii Santa arrives to shore on an outrigger canoe. I guess as soon as the sled and reindeer clears the airport scanners and animal quarantine then they meet up with Santa and he continues to deliver presents the traditional way.
Mele Kalikimaka!
First family enjoys day at the beach on Christmas Eve
12/24/10 By Star-Advertiser Staff
While President Obama and his daughters enjoyed a day at the beach, first lady Michelle Obama spent part of Christmas Eve answering calls about Santa’s whereabouts.
The first lady took part in the “NORAD Tracks Santa” program, answering calls from children trying to find out the location of the Jolly Old Elf on Christmas Eve.
Starting at noon Hawaii time the North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) Command coordinated incoming phone calls and directed them to Mrs. Obama, who introduced herself to the callers. When asked for Santa’s location, she consulted the NORAD Santa Route Schedule and gave that information to the child callers, the White House said.
The first lady answered calls for about 40 minutes as the rest of her family enjoyed Pyramid Rock Beach where they also spent time during their vacation last year.
If the president takes a dip in the waves there, he will be out of view of the reporters and photographers traveling with him.
The group returned to Kailua at about 2:40 p.m. as the weather turned cloudy and are expected to spend the rest of Christmas Eve at their vacation home.
Obama began his second day of vacation in Hawaii the same way he started yesterday — with a morning workout at Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay.
For the entire article: http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/President_and_first_lady_start_Christmas_Eve_with_workout.html
“E Komo Mai Obama Ohana” means “Welcome Obama Family”
Saturday Dec. 25, 2010
All Times Eastern
~*~Sometime Friday night Santa Claus came and left presents for all good little girls and boys.~ * ~ He sends his sympathies to the TeaBaggers.
Pres Obama receives the presidential daily briefing in Honolulu.
7:00 AM
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Dec 25 Live Feed Schedule
WhiteHouse.gov http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
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CNN http://live.cnn.com/
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Remarks of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
December 25, 2010
THE PRESIDENT: Merry Christmas, everybody. Michelle and I just wanted to take a moment today to send greetings from our family to yours.
THE FIRST LADY: This is one of our favorite times of year. And we’re so fortunate to be able to celebrate it together in this wonderful home.
This is the “People’s House.” So Barack and I try to open it to as many people as we can, especially during the holiday season.
This month, more than 100,000 Americans have passed through these halls. And the idea behind this year’s theme, “Simple Gifts,” is that the greatest blessings of all are the ones that don’t cost a thing – the comfort of spending time with loved ones…the freedoms we enjoy as Americans… and the joy we feel upon giving something of ourselves.
So in this time of family, friends, and good cheer; let’s also be sure to look out for those who are less fortunate, who’ve hit a run of bad luck, or who are hungry and alone this holiday season.
THE PRESIDENT: Because this is the season when we celebrate the simplest yet most profound gift of all: the birth of a child who devoted his life to a message of peace, love, and redemption. A message that says no matter who we are, we are called to love one another – we are our brother’s keeper, we are our sister’s keeper, our separate stories in this big and busy world are really one.
Today, we’re also thinking of those who can’t be home for the holidays – especially all our courageous countrymen serving overseas.
For the entire transcript: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/12/25/weekly-address-president-and-first-lady-extend-christmas-greeting-and-ur
Merry Christmas from President Barack Obama passed on by Marine Corps Commandant
From: marines | December 26, 2010
The Commandant and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps stopped in at Camp Dwyer, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, for a Christmas Eve Dinner with Regimental Combat team 1, December 24. The Commandant also addressed all the Marines where he passed along a message from their Commander in Chief. Shot by Cpl. Skyler Tooker.
Obama’s agenda calls for quiet Christmas
12/25/10 JULIE PACE, AP
HONOLULU – President Barack Obama’s Christmas wish may simply be to have a quieter holiday than last year.
Obama was with his family in the same oceanfront neighborhood on the island of Oahu last December, when a 23-year-old Nigerian man allegedly attempted to blow up a plane bound for Detroit. The incident raised questions about the nation’s terror readiness and consumed the rest of Obama’s vacation.
This year’s presidential holiday is off to a far more low-key start, and the White House is hoping it stays that way. Obama plans to spend Christmas at his rented oceanfront home in Kailua with his family and his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, who lives on Oahu. Several of Obama’s childhood friends are also in town, along with family friends from Chicago.
On the first family’s Christmas Day menu: steak, roasted potatoes, green beans and pie.
Thus far, Obama’s excursions in Hawaii have been limited to the gym, golf course, and a Christmas Eve trip to the beach with his daughters.
Mrs. Obama skipped the beach so she could give some lucky children a Christmas surprise. The first lady answered calls for the “Tracking Santa” program, a Christmas tradition run by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). With help from NORAD’s Santa Route Schedule, Mrs. Obama was able to tell children Santa’s whereabouts as he made his Christmas Eve rounds.
Last Christmas, the president and first lady surprised troops stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, greeting service members during their holiday dinner. White House officials wouldn’t say whether Obama planned to visit the troops again this Christmas.
In his weekly radio and Internet address, the president encouraged Americans to find ways to support U.S. service members, many of whom are spending the holidays away from their families.
“Let’s all remind them this holiday season that we’re thinking of them, and that America will forever be here for them, just as they’ve been there for us,” Obama said.
For the entire article: http://yhoo.it/gwlzDW
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Happy Holidays Everyone! I HOPE that you have a good Christmas!
Please join me in lighting a candle for our President, First Family and the Nation.
.
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=PBO
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Merry Christmas, CR!
Merry Christmas Kat!
Merry Christmas Kat..!!
Merry Christmas, Tigerfists!
24 now.
Merry Christmas CR..!!
Merry Christmas Tigerfists!
Recommended Christmas movies:
A Native American Christmas movie: “Christmas in the Clouds” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0221074/
A WWI Christmas movie: “Joyeux Noël ” http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=Joyeux+No%C3%ABl
Merry Christmas!!
Merry Christmas Vero!
Merry Christma, Vero!
Merry Christmas Vero..!!
Hello Cheryl and O family
me,my family and friends wish you a merry christmas ~ joyeux noel ~ feliz navidad from Germany! Here in Europe it’s a white christmas this year and we enjoy it. It’s calm and cosy.
Thank you Cheryl for your greetings and this great blog. I’m very happy and you can be so proud of what President Obama achieved.
A hug and best wishes
Angelika
Frohe Weihnachten Angelika!
Merry Christmas, Angelika!
Merry Christmas, Kathleen!
Here’s a winter snapshot (near Detmold in Lippe
http://www.nw-news.de/_em_daten/_nw/2010/01/13/100113_1340_anders3.jpg
That is beautiful!
Oh, that is lovely and dramatic! I will show it to my husband.
Merry Christmas O friends. Have a wonderful and blessed day.
Merry Christmas COS!
Merry Christmas, COS!
Merry Christmas COS..!!
Merry Christmas, COS!
Hawaii could see sea changes from Christmas quake in Vanuatu
12/25/10 By Star-Advertiser staff
No waves threaten Hawaii from a 7.3-magnitude earthquake in Vanuatu, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has announced.
The Christmas quake rattled the southwest Pacific island at about 3:17 a.m. about 140 miles south of Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila. The U.S. Geological Survey said it was about 15 miles below the ocean floor.
At 3:28 a.m., the warning center notified Hawaii Civil Defense that the tsunami threat was to the Vanuatu region only.
But the center, based in Ewa Beach, said some coastal areas in Hawaii could “experience small nondestructive sea level changes and strong and unusual currents lasting up to several hours,” starting at 10:51 a.m.
A tsunami wave measuring about 6 inches was recorded on some coastlines at Vanuatu, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. New Caledonia and Fiji also were warned a tsunami was possible on their coasts, but the warning was canceled about an hour and a half after the temblor.
Vanuatu is part of the Pacific “ring of fire” — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching from Chile in South America through Alaska and down through the South Pacific.
A 7.5 temblor that struck under the sea floor just 25 miles from Port Vila in August panicked residents but did not cause significant damage.
Christmas photos from around the world:
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Christmas-Around-World/ss/events/wl/122410christmas
Hi & Merry Christmas to everyone.
We had our big dinner last night, brunch this morning, gift opening, & turkey leftovers this afternoon! Gotta take a snooze; I’m wiped.
I am so grateful for PBO & his lovely family; I pray 2011 will be one where all Americans will see his unselfish desires for everyone to succeed. May all R & D’s see how his policies are for the benefit of all our brothers & sisters.
God Bless y’all.
Hello, CanadaBarb! So nice to run into you here.
Merry Christmas!
lolol…great minds think alike Jackie; won’t write the rest of the quote…lol
Merry Christmas Ms O’Boomer!
Merry Christmas, Jacqueline!
Merry Christmas, Kat and CR! I’m still celebrating – having a tiny bit of the bubbly. So glad I moved to the Midwest, so I could spend this Christmas with my son!
I am so happy for you!
What a nice Christmas!
Thanks, darlin’!!!
Merry Christmas CanadaBarb!
Merry Christmas CR & thanks so much for this blog.
Thank you for being part of our O-Family!
Without ALL of you guys here there would not be a blog…I would be just talking to myself!
Merry Christmas, Barb, and may your prayers be answered!
Same to you too Kat. Was thinking of you as I ate each mouthful of chocolate!
Well, was going to grab 40 winks, but I think I’ll go downstairs and grab another piece of homemade fudge, oh and maybe a few shortbread too or Christmas cake or carrot cake or butter tarts or chocolate covered popcorn or OMG I’m on a sugar hi today.
Now you are making me hungry!
I just got back & brought an extra goodie bag for you, CR and one for Jackie & one for Kat.
Yipeee! Thank You!!!
Barb – There’s more than one Jackie on here … oh, please, let it be me this time! If there are goodies involved, I’m involved!
yesssssindeed it was for you Ms. O’Boomer. But I went back downstairs & got several goodie bags for the whole gang.
CHOCOLATE…?
>^OO^<
Obama visits with servicemembers at Kaneohe Marine base
12/25/10 By Star-Advertiser staff
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama took time out of a quiet Christmas with family, friends and basketball to greet service men and women during their Christmas dinner on the Marine Corps Base Hawaii this afternoon.
The unannounced visit happened at about 3:30 p.m. Obama visited with service members at the same base at about the same times during his last two visits.
The public appearance contrasts with the rest of the president’s Christmas Day, spent at a luxurious oceanfront home in Kailua with his wife, Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha. The first family celebrated Christmas with a small circle of friends and family, including some of Obama’s childhood friends and the president’s sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, who lives here on Oahu, the island where Obama was born and spent much of his childhood.
The Obamas dined on steak, roasted potatoes, green beans and pie, and the sports-obsessed president got a chance to relax and watch some NBA basketball.
The president’s Christmas was been far quieter than last year’s holiday, when a 23-year-old Nigerian man allegedly attempted to blow up a plane bound for Detroit. The incident raised questions about the nation’s terror readiness and consumed the rest of Obama’s vacation.
For the entire article: http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/_A_quiet_and_private_Christmas_morning_for_Obamas__.html
The Obama family never forgets our servicemen and women. Merry Christmas to all!
WhiteBoard
12/25/10 POLITICO44
MARINE DINNER:The Obamas dined with Marines and their families at the Marine Corp Base Hawaii.
“Did you get everything you wanted?” President Obama asked one little girl. She said they did and showed him her new bracelet. He checked it out and pointed Michelle Obama’s wrist, indicating that she, too, had a new bracelet. The first lady and the little girl compared bracelets.
At another point, Michelle Obama cradled a tiny infant baby who was wearing a Christmas bib. Another little boy at the table kept telling the president, “I got a punching bag for Christmas! I got a punching bag for Christmas!” So the president held up his hands and let the little kid take a few whacks at his palms. He then posed for a photo with the family. “Who’s action figure is that on the floor?” he asked, and the little boy who got the punching bag quickly snatched it up.
Photos here!
http://reut.rs/i1047m
Thanks Kat!
POTUS & FLOTUS are so thoughtful…Thank u CR
Hey Tigerfists!
… and thanks for everything you do, Admiral Mullen – especially your personal (as well as professional) support for DADT. That gave a happy holiday to many in the military, or considering joining the military.
Well done!
Sunday Dec. 26, 2010
All Times Eastern
Pres Obama receives the presidential daily briefing in Honolulu.
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Dec 26 Live Feed Schedule
WhiteHouse.gov http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
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CNN http://live.cnn.com/
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CSPAN http://www.cspan.org/
The Bidens Have Christmas Dinner With Troops
December 25, 2010 obamafoodorama.blogspot.com
On Christmas Day, Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden attended the Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s annual Christmas Day Dinner, to visit with troops and their families. They “spent time thanking patients and their families for their service to and sacrifice for our country,” according to the White House.
After the dinner, the Bidens visited with patients and families in the medical center who were unable to attend the dinner. Walter Reed is located in Washington, D.C.. Dr. Biden appeared on Rachael Ray’s TV show on December 15th to cook with Ray, and show how to create care packages for members of the military.
So nice – and the Bidens are a military family, too, so they understand the worries of the troops and their loved ones. They are a very caring couple, and I just love them.
The Vice President & Dr. Biden at Walter Reed on Christmas
http://twitpic.com/3jqfep
Obama, military mingle
The president visits service members and their families at the Kaneohe Marine base
12/26/10 By Craig Gima – StarAdvertiser
President Barack Obama took time out of a quiet Christmas with family, friends and basketball to greet servicemen and women during their Christmas dinner on the Marine Corps Base Hawaii yesterday afternoon.
The president and first lady Michelle Obama posed for pictures, shook hands, hugged children and picked up babies. The president even joked about his busted lip.
“I don’t think he left before he got a chance to shake hands with everyone who was there,” said Maj. Alan Crouch, the public affairs officer for the base. “He seemed appreciative of the service members and family members. It seemed like he got a lot out of it, as well.”
The unannounced visit to Anderson Hall happened at about 3:30 p.m. but may not have been much of a surprise. Obama visited with service members at the same dining hall at the same base at about the same times during his last two vacations in Hawaii.
About 200 service members and their families got to meet the president and first lady.
Marines from Kaneohe were part of the surge in Afghanistan ordered by Obama last year. About 1,400 Marines—the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment and a helicopter squadron—deployed to Helmand province in 2009. Some of the Marines went directly from Iraq to Afghanistan to be part of the surge.
Marines and sailors from the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Regiment just returned from Afghanistan earlier this month.
For the entire article: http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20101226_Obama_military_mingle.html
Retailers roll out after-Christmas sales
12/26/10 MAE ANDERSON- AP
NEW YORK – The shopping marathon continues: Americans are hitting the malls to spend gift cards on whatever items Santa may have missed and pick up items on clearance.
Retailers are rolling out deals to attract shoppers back to stores. But bargains on the most desirable merchandise may be scarce.
“There will be good stuff on sale after Christmas but what you really wanted will be sold out,” Stifel Nicolas analyst Richard Jaffe said. “You wanted the sweater in blue, the prettiest color, and it’s gone.”
Strong sales in the coming week would build on the highest-spending holiday season since 2007, which was a record year. Dec. 26-Jan. 1 makes up less than 10 percent of the Nov 1-Dec. 31 holiday season but accounts for more than 15 percent of holiday retail spending, research firm ShopperTrak says.
For the entire article: http://yhoo.it/dEpwh8
Obama condemns terror attack outside Pakistan aid center
12/25/10 By Jordan Fabian – TheHill.com
President Obama condemned a Christmas Day suicide bombing outside a food center in Pakistan that killed at least 45 people.
A female suicide bomber donning a burqua threw hand grenades then detonated her explosive belt in a crowd of nearly 300 people waiting to collect food stamps at a World Food Program aid center in the town of Khar in the northwest part of the country. Authorities believe Saturday’s attack was the first carried out by a woman in Pakistan.
“I strongly condemn the outrageous terrorist attack in Khar, Pakistan,” Obama, who is vacationing in Hawaii with his family, said in a statement. “Killing innocent civilians outside a World Food Program distribution point is an affront to the people of Pakistan, and to all humanity. The United States stands with the people of Pakistan in this difficult time, and will strongly support Pakistan’s efforts to ensure greater peace, security and justice for its people.”
The attack came amid an outbreak of violence between militants and government security forces in the tribal region of Mohmand to the south. The clashes killed 11 soldiers and 24 militants.
For the entire article: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/135099-obama-condemns-terror-attack-in-pakistan
Petraeus commends Pakistan’s counterinsurgency
12/26/10 ELENA BECATOROS- AP
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan – The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan said there will be more coordinated military operations on either side of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, and commended Pakistan on its “impressive” counterinsurgency efforts.
The Taliban in Afghanistan and other extremist groups use safe havens across the border in Pakistan, and the U.S. has been pushing Islamabad to clear the lawless tribal belt that runs along the frontier. The pressure has often strained U.S.-Pakistani relations, with Islamabad bristling at suggestions it should do more.
Gen. David Petraeus, who took over command of coalition troops in Afghanistan in July, told The Associated Press there had already been coordinated operations on both sides of the border, with Pakistani forces on one side and NATO and Afghan troops on the other.
“We want to do more hammer and anvil operations,” Petraeus said late Saturday, in an interview aboard a military transport aircraft as he flew around the country on Christmas visits to bases and combat outposts dotted across north, west, south and east Afghanistan.
Pakistan recognized “the need to do more to solidify their gains in (Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas), and we are going to coordinate with them to help their operations,” he said.
But the general insisted that Pakistan’s efforts at combating the various militant groups active in the country must be commended.
For the entire article: http://yhoo.it/i5R6Pn
Bipartisan effort pressures Obama to help Iraq’s Christians
12/25/10 By Bridget Johnson – TheHill.com
Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill are fervently pressing the White House to stem mounting attacks on Christians in Iraq.
Fearful of fresh violence in Iraq, many of the oldest sects of Christianity in the ancient biblical land are planning low-key Christmas celebrations this year.
Since 2004, 40 Christian churches and institutions have been bombed, according to the Chaldean Assyrian Syriac Council of America, seven alone on the eve of Orthodox Christmas in 2007.
In a recent letter to President Obama, the group warned that the current situation “promises more innocent Christian blood in Iraq, more turmoil in that country, and more shame for America.”
Lawmakers hope they can steer the attention of the White House to the intensifying violence.
Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), the only Assyrian member of Congress and a close friend of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), remembers well listening to her grandparents’ stories of family members being slain or fleeing the region, as they did when they came to the United States.
For the entire article: http://thehill.com/news-by-subject/foreign-policy/135075-bipartisan-effort-pressures-white-house-to-help-save-iraqs-christians
StartLoving4 | December 25, 2010 |
MSNBC – Inside the Female Engagement Team
Wounded Warriors Christmas
From: dvidshub | December 25, 2010
Santa Clause and the Coalition Christmas Choir visited the wounded warriors at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan on Christmas day to hare the holiday spirit. Produced by Cpl. Megan Sindelar. Also available in high definition. Provided by Regional Command Southwest.
Baghdad Christmas Dinner
From: dvidshub | December 25, 2010
B-roll of service members deployed to Baghdad, Iraq enjoying Christmas Day dinner. The Sports Oasis dining facility on Camp Victory served the service members in support of Operation New Dawn. Scenes include holiday greetings to III Corps, Fort Hood and their central Texas families and shots of the service member eating in the dining hall decorated for the holiday.
Rachel Maddow- Will Senate Dems follow through on filibuster reform-
From: StartLoving4 | December 23, 2010
Lawrence O’Donnell – 2011 – Year of the filibuster-
From: StartLoving4 | December 25, 2010
Lawrence O’Donnell – 2011 – Year of the filibuster-
How about Year of the Compromise, O’Donnell? How about year that you try to understand our President?
I don’t want to sound grouchy, since I’m not, so:
Good morning everyone! I HOPE that you have a good day!
Good morning and happy day after, CR!
Wow – lots of snow predicted around the country. Everybody be safe and stay warm!
Yes stay safe and warm!
Gibbs: No big changes in Cabinet expected
12/26/10 AP
WASHINGTON – Don’t look for any big changes in President Barack Obama’s Cabinet as the new year gets under way.
The president’s press secretary, Robert Gibbs, tells CNN’s “State of the Union” that he doesn’t expect any major shuffling to take place in the Cabinet.
Gibbs says that there’s much work yet to be done at the Treasury Department to implement financial reform and at the Health and Human Services Department to implement health care reform. He calls the president’s team “very talented.”
Obama’s top economic adviser, Lawrence Summers, had been expected to depart the administration last fall. Gibbs says he thinks Obama will name Summers’ replacement a week or two after the new Congress convenes.
CNN’s interview with Gibbs aired Sunday.
Jarrett: Obama to travel more in 2011
12/26/10 Josh Gerstein – POLITICO
President Barack Obama will be hitting the road more in the coming year, according to one of his top advisers.
In an interview aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett said Obama is concerned that he’s spending too much time in Washington and plans to spend more time mixing and mingling with the public.
“He often says that this is his biggest regret is that when he took office, because of the crisis that was presented to him, he had to spend almost every waking hour in Washington focusing very hard on solving that crisis. And what he missed sorely was the engagement with the American people,” Jarrett said.
Jarrett said that just before Obama left for his Christmas vacation in Hawaii, he underscored the point, saying, “When I get back, I really want to figure out a way where I can spend more time outside of Washington, listening and learning and engaging with the American people.”
“It’s really what gives him his energy and his strength. And so, we’re determined in the new year to make sure that his schedule reflects that priority,” she said.
Valerie Jarrett: Obama 2012 Campaign Will Be Different From 2008 Political Operation (VIDEO)
12/26/10 Elyse Siegel – The Huffington Post
During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett suggested that President Obama’s quest for reelection in 2012 will look a bit different than the operation he ran in 2008 to win the White House.
“Because he’s the President of the United States, he’s not out there running the way he was before when he was the U.S. Senator,” she explained. “The American people expect him to lead. He’s their President. He’s everybody’s President regardless of party affiliation.”
Jarrett went on to elaborate, “That doesn’t mean that at some point he’s not going to get out there and launch a campaign, but the most important thing that he can do for the American people is think of them every single day and let them guide his actions.”
According to Jarrett, a priority for Obama heading into the new year will be to step outside of Washington, DC more frequently with the goal of engaging more readily with the American people. “It’s really what gives him his energy and his strength, and so we’re determined in the new year to make sure that his schedule reflects that priority,” she said.
For the entire article and video: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/26/valerie-jarrett-obama-2012_n_801363.html
Good morning CR and J O’B. Happy day after. CR, thank you for all the news upthread. You have certainly been busy. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I spent the day with my #2 son and his family but I was here in spirit.
PS CR, thank you for my jibjab!
Good morning Jackie! Glad to hear that you had a nice Christmas!
Please join me in lighting a candle for our President, First Family and the Nation.
.
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=PBO
.
You beat me to it CR. My candle is lit.
President and family attend church services at Marine base
12/26/10 By Star Advertiser Staff
President Barack Obama, his family and friends went to church at Marine Corps Base Hawaii on the Sunday after Christmas.
The president attended services at St. Michael’s church on base, sitting in a front row with about 100 parishioners.
This is the second trip to the base today for Obama.
After taking a day off for Christmas, the president left the Kailua vacation rental at just before 8 this morning for to workout at the gym at the base, returning after about a hour.
Yesterday, the president capped a quiet Christmas Saturday with a surprise visit to a Marine base to thank U.S. troops for the sacrifices they’ve made, including being away from their families at the holidays.
The president, along with his wife, Michelle Obama, spent more than an hour shaking hands and hugging service members who had arrived for Christmas dinner at the mess hall at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. It’s the third year in a row the Obamas visited the base on Christmas.
The president, dressed casually in a short-sleeved shirt and dark grey pants for the most visible outing of his Hawaiian vacation thus far, made no formal remarks, instead greeting service members individually. He told one athletic-looking man that he should join Obama’s basketball team so the president could avoid getting an “elbow in the lip”, a reference to the injury Obama suffered during a game last month.
With U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and other outposts around the world, the Obamas also used the president’s weekly radio and Internet address to encourage Americans to find ways to support service members during the holiday season.
SECURITY BRIEFING
12/26/10 POLITICO44
The White House Sunday released the following readout of a conference call between President Obama and his top national security staff:
This morning, John Brennan convened an inter-agency coordination call with Secretary Napolitano, DNI Clapper, NCTC Director Leiter, National Security Staff travelling with the President in Hawaii, and other representatives from the FBI, CIA, and the counterterrorism community. During the call, they reviewed our continued efforts to stay vigilant throughout the holiday season, and to coordinate with our foreign partners.
Later this morning, President Obama received a briefing on our ongoing counter-terrorism efforts from National Security Staff Senior Director for Counterterrorism Nick Rasmussen and Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes. The President was also briefed on the tragic traffic accident that took the lives of a number of American citizens in Egypt, and the U.S. government’s ongoing efforts to support the victims and their families.
Wishing him well
Obama calls ailing Saudi king
12/26/10 By POLITICO STAFF
President Obama called King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Sunday “to wish him well, and to congratulate him on the progress that he has made toward a full recovery,” the White House said in a statement.
“King Abdullah congratulated the president on the recent Senate approval of the new START Treaty, and the resident thanked him and told him that he looked forward to working closely together in the coming year. The two leaders underscored the importance of our bilateral relationship, and agreed to continue cooperating closely on a range of issues.”
HAPPY KWANZAA
12/26/10 POLITICO44
The White House released a statement Sunday from President Obama and first lady Michell Obama on Kwanzaa:
“Michelle and I extend our warmest thoughts and wishes to all those who are celebrating Kwanzaa this holiday season. Today is the first of a joyful seven-day celebration of African American culture and heritage. The seven principles of Kwanzaa — Unity, Self Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith — are some of the very values that make us Americans.
“As families across America and around the world light the Kinara today in the spirit of umoja or unity, our family sends our well wishes and blessings for a happy and healthy new year.”
StartLoving4 | December 26, 2010 -
President Obama working on vacation
AssociatedPress | December 26, 2010 -
Raw Video: Obamas Greet Troops on Christmas
President Barack Obama made a surprise Christmas visit to a Marine base in Hawaii on Saturday to thank the troops for their service, including being away from their families during the holidays.
Thanks Kat!!
This is why the Obamas like to vacation in Hawaii:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Top_Koolau_Range.jpg
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titled: “ Give The Gift Of Life For 3 People”
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