Established in 2007, the annual Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award honors women around the globe who have exemplified exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for human rights, women’s equality, and social progress, often at great personal risk. This is the only Department of State award that pays tribute to emerging women leaders worldwide.
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2013 International Women of Courage Award Winners
Office of Global Women’s Issues
March 4, 2013 state.gov
Malalai Bahaduri
First Sergeant, Afghan National Interdiction Unit (NIU), Senior Instructor, Afghanistan
Tsering Woeser (Wei Se)
Tibetan author, poet, and blogger, China
Samira Ibrahim
Coordinator, Know Your Rights, Egypt
Julieta Castellanos
Rector, National Autonomous University of Honduras, Honduras
Nirbhaya “Fearless”
India
Dr. Josephine Obiajulu Odumakin
President, Campaign for Democracy, Nigeria
Elena Milashina
Journalist human rights activist, Russia
Fartuun Adan
Executive Director, Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre, Somalia
Razan Zeitunah
Human Rights Lawyer, Founder of Local Coordination Committees (LCCs), Syria
Ta Phong Tan
Blogger, Vietnam
For the entire article: http://www.state.gov/s/gwi/programs/iwoc/2013/bio/index.htm
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March 8, 2013 - 3:00 PM ET
First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary John Kerry honor recipients of the International Women of Courage Award
February 28, 2013
Presidential Proclamation — Women’s History Month, 2013
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH, 2013
- – - – - – -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
For more than two centuries, our Nation has grown under the simple creed that each of us is created equal. It is a notion that makes America unlike any other place on earth — a country where no matter where you come from or what you look like, you can go as far as your talents will take you.
Women’s History Month is a time to remember those who fought to make that freedom as real for our daughters as for our sons. Written out of the promise of the franchise, they were women who reached up to close the gap between what America was and what it could be. They were driven by a faith that our Union could extend true equality to every citizen willing to claim it. Year after year, visionary women met and marched and mobilized to prove what should have been self-evident. They grew a meeting at Seneca Falls into a movement that touched every community and took on our highest institutions. And after decades of slow, steady, extraordinary progress, women have written equal opportunity into the law again and again, giving generations of girls a future worthy of their potential.
That legacy of change is all around us. Women are nearly half of our Nation’s workforce and more than half of our college graduates. But even now, too many women feel the weight of discrimination on their shoulders. They face a pay gap at work, or higher premiums for health insurance, or inadequate options for family leave. These issues affect all of us, and failing to address them holds our country back.
That is why my Administration has made the needs of women and girls a priority since day one — from signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to helping ensure women are represented among tomorrow’s top scientists and engineers. It is why we secured stronger protections and more preventive services for women under the Affordable Care Act. It is why we have fought for greater workplace flexibility, access to capital and training for women-owned businesses, and equal pay for equal work. And it is why we have taken action to reduce violence against women at home and abroad, and to empower women around the world with full political and economic opportunity.
Meeting those challenges will not be easy. But our history shows that when we couple grit and ingenuity with our basic beliefs, there is no barrier we cannot overcome. We can stay true to our founding creed that in America, all things should be possible for all people. That spirit is what called our mothers and grandmothers to fight for a world where no wall or ceiling could keep their daughters from their dreams. And today, as we take on the defining issues of our time, America looks to the next generation of movers and marchers to lead the way.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2013 as Women’s History Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month and to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, 2013, with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities. I also invite all Americans to visit http://www.WomensHistoryMonth.gov to learn more about the generations of women who have shaped our history.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.
BARACK OBAMA
Friday, March 8, 2013
All Times Eastern
In the afternoon, Vice President Biden attends meetings at the White House.
7:00 AM
8:00 AM
9:00 AM
9:30 AM
President Obama and Vice President Biden receive the presidential daily briefing
10:00 AM
President Obama meets with senior advisers.
11:00 AM
11:15 AM
President Obama meets with faith leaders to discuss immigration reform.
12:00 PM
12:30 PM
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest briefs the press
1:00 PM
1:30 PM
First Lady Michelle Obama delivers the keynote address at Partnership for a Healthier America’s childhood obesity summit, Building a Healthier Future
Grand Hyatt Washington, Washington, DC.
2:00 PM
3:00 PM
First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary John Kerry honor recipients of the International Women of Courage Award
4:00 PM
5:00 PM
6:00 PM
7:00 PM
8:00 PM
9:00 PM
10:00 PM
March 8, 2013
WhiteHouse.gov http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
12:30 PM ET
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest briefs the press
3:00 PM ET
First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary John Kerry honor recipients of the International Women of Courage Award
—-
ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/Live/
12:30 PM ET
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest briefs the press
—-
CSPAN http://www.cspan.org/
9:00 AM ET
George Washington University
Lessons Learned from the Columbia Shuttle Disaster http://www.c-span.org/Events/Space-Shuttle-Columbia-Disaster-Remembered/10737438661/
9:30 AM ET
Department of Justice
Consumer Protection Summit http://www.c-span.org/Events/Consumer-Protection-Summit-Identifies-Frauds-Scams/10737438656/
10:00 AM ET
Health Care Act Implementation in the States http://www.c-span.org/Events/NPC-Press-Conference-Discusses-Obamacare-Implementation/10737438658/
12:00 PM ET
Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee: Online Piracy http://www.c-span.org/Events/Congressional-Internet-Caucus-Meets-on-Copyright-and-Piracy/10737438657/
12:30 PM ET
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest briefs the press
1:00 PM ET
First Lady Michelle Obama delivers the keynote address at Partnership for a Healthier America’s childhood obesity summit, Building a Healthier Future
Grand Hyatt Washington, Washington, DC. http://www.c-span.org/Events/First-Lady-Michelle-Obama-Speaks-at-Childhood-Obesity-Conference/10737438662/
3:00 PM ET
First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary John Kerry honor recipients of the International Women of Courage Award http://www.c-span.org/Events/State-Department-Hosts-Women-of-Courage-Awards/10737438660/
———
Department of State http://www.state.gov
3:00 PM ET
First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary John Kerry honor recipients of the International Women of Courage Award
Women of Courage
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Secretary’s International Women of Courage Award
Established in 2007, the annual Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award honors women around the globe who have exemplified exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for human rights, women’s equality, and social progress, often at great personal risk. This is the only Department of State award that pays tribute to emerging women leaders worldwide.
———–
2013 International Women of Courage Award Winners
Office of Global Women’s Issues
March 4, 2013 state.gov
Malalai Bahaduri
First Sergeant, Afghan National Interdiction Unit (NIU), Senior Instructor, Afghanistan
Tsering Woeser (Wei Se)
Tibetan author, poet, and blogger, China
Samira Ibrahim
Coordinator, Know Your Rights, Egypt
Julieta Castellanos
Rector, National Autonomous University of Honduras, Honduras
Nirbhaya “Fearless”
India
Dr. Josephine Obiajulu Odumakin
President, Campaign for Democracy, Nigeria
Elena Milashina
Journalist human rights activist , Russia
Fartuun Adan
Executive Director, Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre,
Somalia
Razan Zeitunah
Human Rights Lawyer, Founder of Local Coordination Committees (LCCs), Syria
Ta Phong Tan
Blogger, Vietnam
For the entire article: http://www.state.gov/s/gwi/programs/iwoc/2013/bio/index.htm
US reverses decision to honor Egyptian woman
3/8/13 By BRADLEY KLAPPER | Associated Press – 3 hrs ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is postponing an award for an Egyptian activist who was subjected to a “virginity test” after protesting in Cairo’s Tahrir (tah-HREER’) Square.
The State Department had said Samira Ibrahim would be among recipients of an International Women of Courage award presented by Secretary of State John Kerry and first lady Michelle Obama on Friday.
Now the State Department says she won’t be honored Friday because of anti-American and anti-Semitic comments on her Twitter account.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Thursday officials will first study the tweets, which include support for attacks against U.S. diplomatic installations and praise for a terrorist assault against Israeli citizens in Bulgaria.
Ibrahim is already in the U.S. She says her account was hacked, though the comments stretch back several months.
International Women’s Day, recognized by the UN
International Women’s Day (IWD), originally called International Working Women’s Day, is marked on March 8 every year. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women’s economic, political and social achievements.
For more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Day_for_Women%27s_Rights_and_International_Peace
March 08, 2013
Statement by the President on International Women’s Day
On International Women’s Day we celebrate the many milestones on the road to gender equality, and recommit ourselves to fight for the rights and opportunities of women and girls around the world.
Empowering women isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s the smart thing to do. When women succeed, nations are more safe, more secure, and more prosperous. Over the last year, we’ve seen women and girls inspiring communities and entire countries to stand up for freedom and justice, and I’m proud of my Administration’s efforts to promote gender equality worldwide.
As a nation, we’ve launched new efforts to promote women’s economic empowerment and political participation, to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, and to strengthen our commitment to helping more women participate in peacebuilding and conflict resolution. We are promoting food security initiatives that recognize the rights and needs of women farmers, and ensuring that women and girls are at the center of global health programs. And we will continue to focus on empowering women and girls at home and abroad.
We’ve also worked with a wide range of partners – from the United Nations and civil society groups to the private sector – to advance this important agenda. Because when it comes to creating a world in which our sons and daughters can reach their potential, we each have a role to play. And we can make even more progress together.
February 28, 2013
Presidential Proclamation — Women’s History Month, 2013
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH, 2013
- – - – - – -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
For more than two centuries, our Nation has grown under the simple creed that each of us is created equal. It is a notion that makes America unlike any other place on earth — a country where no matter where you come from or what you look like, you can go as far as your talents will take you.
Women’s History Month is a time to remember those who fought to make that freedom as real for our daughters as for our sons. Written out of the promise of the franchise, they were women who reached up to close the gap between what America was and what it could be. They were driven by a faith that our Union could extend true equality to every citizen willing to claim it. Year after year, visionary women met and marched and mobilized to prove what should have been self-evident. They grew a meeting at Seneca Falls into a movement that touched every community and took on our highest institutions. And after decades of slow, steady, extraordinary progress, women have written equal opportunity into the law again and again, giving generations of girls a future worthy of their potential.
That legacy of change is all around us. Women are nearly half of our Nation’s workforce and more than half of our college graduates. But even now, too many women feel the weight of discrimination on their shoulders. They face a pay gap at work, or higher premiums for health insurance, or inadequate options for family leave. These issues affect all of us, and failing to address them holds our country back.
That is why my Administration has made the needs of women and girls a priority since day one — from signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to helping ensure women are represented among tomorrow’s top scientists and engineers. It is why we secured stronger protections and more preventive services for women under the Affordable Care Act. It is why we have fought for greater workplace flexibility, access to capital and training for women-owned businesses, and equal pay for equal work. And it is why we have taken action to reduce violence against women at home and abroad, and to empower women around the world with full political and economic opportunity.
Meeting those challenges will not be easy. But our history shows that when we couple grit and ingenuity with our basic beliefs, there is no barrier we cannot overcome. We can stay true to our founding creed that in America, all things should be possible for all people. That spirit is what called our mothers and grandmothers to fight for a world where no wall or ceiling could keep their daughters from their dreams. And today, as we take on the defining issues of our time, America looks to the next generation of movers and marchers to lead the way.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2013 as Women’s History Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month and to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, 2013, with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities. I also invite all Americans to visit http://www.WomensHistoryMonth.gov to learn more about the generations of women who have shaped our history.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.
BARACK OBAMA
Heroines On The Battlefield
It was not all that unusual to see women on the battlefield during the American Revolution. In the Civil War, almost 400 women posed as men to join the Union and Confederate armies- and those are only the ones that we know about.
Here are some of those women:
Margaret Corbin
Deborah Sampson Gannett
Mary Ludwig Hays
Sarah Emma Evelyn Edmonds
Sarah Rosetta Wakeman
Jennie Hodges
Rose Rooney
Source:
That’s Not in My American History Book A Compilation of Little Known Events and Forgotten Heroes
By Thomas Ayres https://rowman.com/ISBN/978-1-58979-107-7
Women in History- Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines play vital role in nation’s defense
March 23, 2009 Ms. Jennifer M Caprioli (IMCOM)
TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, Pa. – Who do you think of when you hear the phrase “women in the military’” Does a black and white photo of your mother, sporting her dress blues, pop into your head; do you see your sister the night she broke the news to your parents that she was joining the service; or do you picture your daughter, bearing a Cheshire Cat grin, the day she returned from basic training’
March is National Women’s History Month. These 31 days are set aside each year to honor and ensure that the history of women will be recognized and celebrated throughout the country. Although there is no specific month or day to recognize women in the military, they are a strong aspect of our nation’s history; one recent example includes Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, commander, U.S. Army Materiel Command. On Nov. 14, she became the first woman in U.S. history to earn the rank of four-star general.
Dunwoody is joined by other distinguished military women, including Air Force Maj. Gen. Jeanne M. Holm, the first woman in the armed forces to be promoted to the rank of major general; Brig. Gen. B. Sue Dueitt, the first woman “officer of the line” promoted to brigadier general in the Army Reserve components; and Brig. Gen. Margaret A. Brewer, the first female general officer in the Marine Corps.
In 2001, Brig. Gen. Patricia E. McQuistion (then a colonel) became the first and only female commander at the depot. She currently serves as commander of the Defense Supply Center-Columbus.
According to the Center for Defense Information, women in the military date back to the American Revolution when they dressed as men so they could join the Continental Army.
For the entire article: http://www.army.mil/article/18579/women-in-history–soldiers-sailors-airmen-marines-play-vital-role-in-nations-defense/
CIA sisterhood: One spy cared for her dying colleague, an agency pioneer
January 15 By Ian Shapira, washingtonpost
Inside the Reston nursing home, the 80-year-old CIA pioneer was dying of cancer. Her best friend and former colleague sat in a nearby chair and tended to her needs.
Sandy Grimes, who’d once hunted a notorious Cold War mole with Jeanne Vertefeuille, adjusted her friend’s pillow. She helped her count past 20. She fed Vertefeuille meals, making sure to serve dessert first and that the pudding came with whipped cream. Grimes also read her a stream of get-well cards, many from colleagues at the CIA. There, the women made history. There, they helped bring down one of Langley’s most elusive traitors, Aldrich “Rick” Ames.
“I felt an obligation to be there with her,” recalled Grimes, 67, of Great Falls. “I can’t imagine not doing it. I was the one Jeanne would accept. I owed it to her as a friend.”
Even before they helped identify the CIA officer-turned-Soviet-spy in the early 1990s, Vertefeuille (pronounced VER-teh-fay) and Grimes forged a bond.
They met at the male-dominated agency, where Vertefeuille began her career as a typist in 1954 and rose to become a counterintelligence expert and, in the words of Acting Director Michael J. Morell, “a true CIA icon.” Grimes joined the agency right out of college 13 years later, and the two women became close as they investigated the disappearance of at least eight Soviet assets in the 1980s. It was a hunt that led to Ames, who was convicted of espionage in 1994.
So when Vertefeuille’s cancer was diagnosed last summer — just as she and Grimes were finishing a memoir about the Ames case called “Circle of Treason” — Grimes became her caregiver. By the fall, Grimes moved the intensely private Vertefeuille, who never married or had kids and was working as a CIA contractor before her illness, into a nursing home.
For more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/cia-sisterhood-one-spy-cared-for-her-dying-colleague-an-agency-pioneer/2013/01/15/e3b66470-5e8f-11e2-9940-6fc488f3fecd_story.html?hpid=z5
American women have served and died from the first
1/25/13 By CONNIE CASS | Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — American women have served and died on the nation’s battlefields from the first. They were nurses and cooks, spies and couriers in the Revolutionary War. Some disguised themselves as men to fight for the Union or the Confederacy. Yet the U.S. military’s official acceptance of women in combat took more than two centuries.
New roles for females have been doled out fitfully, whenever commanders have gotten in binds and realized they needed women’s help.
“The main driver is that it’s been militarily necessary,” says retired Capt. Lory Manning, a 25-year Navy veteran who leads military studies for the Women’s Research & Education Institute. She points, for example, to creation of the Army Nurse Corps in response to the struggle against disease in the Spanish-American War.
Some milestones on the way to this week’s lifting of the ban on women in ground combat jobs:
___
FROM THE FIRST
They didn’t wear uniforms, but the Army hired women as nurses, cooks and laundresses during the American Revolution. Women were also spies and saboteurs. They carried George Washington’s messages across enemy lines to his generals.
For more: http://news.yahoo.com/american-women-served-died-first-221159980.html
Statement on Women in Service
As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, Pentagon Press Briefing Room,
Thursday, January 24, 2013 defense.gov
Good afternoon. One of my priorities as Secretary of Defense has been to remove as many barriers as possible for talented and qualified people to be able to serve this country in uniform. Our nation was built on the premise of the citizen-soldier. In our democracy, I believe it is the responsibility of every citizen to protect the nation. And every citizen who can meet the qualifications of service should have that opportunity.
To that end, I’ve been working closely with General Dempsey and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. We’ve been working for well over a year to examine, how can we expand the opportunities for women in the armed services?
It’s clear to all of us that women are contributing in unprecedented ways to the military’s mission of defending the nation. Women represent 15 percent of the force, over 200,000. They’re serving in a growing number of critical roles on and off the battlefield. The fact is that they have become an integral part of our ability to perform our mission.
Over more than a decade of war, they have demonstrated courage and skill and patriotism. A hundred and fifty-two women in uniform have died serving this nation in Iraq and Afghanistan. Female servicemembers have faced the reality of combat, proven their willingness to fight and, yes, to die to defend their fellow Americans.
However, many military positions, particularly in ground combat units, still remain closed to women because of the 1994 direct ground combat definition and assignment rule. Military and civilian leaders in this department have been taking a hard look at that rule based on the experiences of the last decade.
In early 2012, we announced a series of modifications to that rule which opened up more than 14,000 new positions to women, including positions that were collocated with ground combat units and certain positions in ground combat units below the battalion level. These changes have been implemented, and the experience has been very positive.
Every time I visited the warzone, every time I’ve met with troops, reviewed military operations, and talked to wounded warriors, I’ve been impressed with the fact that everyone – men and women alike – everyone is committed to doing the job. They’re fighting and they’re dying together. And the time has come for our policies to recognize that reality.
The chairman and the Joint Chiefs of Staff and I believe that we must open up service opportunities for women as fully as possible. And therefore today, General Dempsey and I are pleased to announce that we are eliminating the direct ground combat exclusion rule for women and we are moving forward with a plan to eliminate all unnecessary gender-based barriers to service. In a few moments after we speak, we’ll both sign a memo that will rescind the ’94 barrier.
Our purpose is to ensure that the mission is carried out by the best qualified and the most capable servicemembers, regardless of gender and regardless of creed and beliefs. If members of our military can meet the qualifications for a job – and let me be clear, I’m not talking about reducing the qualifications for the job – if they can meet the qualifications for the job, then they should have the right to serve, regardless of creed or color or gender or sexual orientation.
For more: http://www.defense.gov/speeches/speech.aspx?speechid=1746
January 24, 2013
Statement by the President on the Opening of Combat Units to Women
Today, by moving to open more military positions—including ground combat units—to women, our armed forces have taken another historic step toward harnessing the talents and skills of all our citizens. This milestone reflects the courageous and patriotic service of women through more than two centuries of American history and the indispensable role of women in today’s military. Many have made the ultimate sacrifice, including more than 150 women who have given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan—patriots whose sacrifices show that valor knows no gender.
Earlier today I called Secretary of Defense Panetta to express my strong support for this decision, which will strengthen our military, enhance our readiness, and be another step toward fulfilling our nation’s founding ideals of fairness and equality. I congratulate our military, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for the rigor that they have brought to this process. As Commander in Chief, I am absolutely confident that—as with the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’—the professionalism of our armed forces will ensure a smooth transition and keep our military the very best in the world. Today, every American can be proud that our military will grow even stronger with our mothers, wives, sisters and daughters playing a greater role in protecting this country we love.
US First Ladies of the Democratic Party
Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams
(married to President John Quincy Adams)
Only First Lady born outside the United States, Louisa Catherine Adams did not come to this country until four years after she had married John Quincy Adams. Political enemies sometimes called her English. She was born in London to an English mother, Catherine Nuth Johnson, but her father was American–Joshua Johnson, of Maryland–and he served as United States consul after 1790.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/louisaadams
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* James Buchanan never did marry. When asked about marriage Buchanan vowed he would never marry. He gave this response:
“Marry I could not, for my affections were buried in the grave.” He preserved Ann Coleman‘s letters, keeping them with him throughout his life; at his request, they were burned upon his death.
——–
Rosalynn Smith Carter
(married to President Jimmy Carter)
“She’s the girl I want to marry,” Jimmy Carter told his mother after his first date with 17-year-old Rosalynn Smith, who had grown up as a friend and neighbor of the Carter family in Plains, Georgia.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/rosalynncarter
———
Frances Folsom Cleveland
(married to President Grover Cleveland)
“I detest him so much that I don’t even think his wife is beautiful.” So spoke one of President Grover Cleveland’s political foes–the only person, it seems, to deny the loveliness of this notable First Lady, first bride of a President to be married in the White House.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/francescleveland
———
Hillary Rodham Clinton
(married to President William Clinton)
During the 1992 presidential campaign, Hillary Rodham Clinton observed, “Our lives are a mixture of different roles. Most of us are doing the best we can to find whatever the right balance is . . . For me, that balance is family, work, and service.”
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/hillaryclinton
———-
Rachel Donelson Jackson
(married to President Andrew Jackson)
Wearing the white dress she had purchased for her husband’s inaugural ceremonies in March 1829, Rachel Donelson Jackson was buried in the garden at The Hermitage, her home near Nashville, Tennessee, on Christmas Eve in 1828. Lines from her epitaph–”A being so gentle and so virtuous slander might wound, but could not dishonor”–reflected his bitterness at campaign slurs that seemed to precipitate her death.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/racheljackson
———–
Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson
(married to President Thomas Jefferson)
When Thomas Jefferson came courting, Martha Wayles Skelton at 22 was already a widow, an heiress, and a mother whose firstborn son would die in early childhood. Family tradition says that she was accomplished and beautiful–with slender figure, hazel eyes, and auburn hair–and wooed by many. Perhaps a mutual love of music cemented the romance; Jefferson played the violin, and one of the furnishings he ordered for the home he was building at Monticello was a “forte-piano” for his bride.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/marthajefferson
———–
Eliza McCardle Johnson
(married to President Andrew Johnson)
“I knew he’d be acquitted; I knew it,” declared Eliza McCardle Johnson, told how the Senate had voted in her husband’s impeachment trial. Her faith in him had never wavered during those difficult days in 1868, when her courage dictated that all White House social events should continue as usual.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/elizajohnson
———–
Claudia Taylor (Lady Bird) Johnson
(married to President Lyndon Johnson)
Christened Claudia Alta Taylor when she was born in a country mansion near Karnack, Texas, she received her nickname “Lady Bird” as a small child; and as Lady Bird she was known and loved throughout America. Perhaps that name was prophetic, as there has seldom been a First Lady so attuned to nature and the importance of conserving the environment.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/ladybirdjohnson
———–
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy
(married to President John F Kennedy
The inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961 brought to the White House and to the heart of the nation a beautiful young wife and the first young children of a President in half a century.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/jacquelinekennedy
———–
Dolley Payne Todd Madison
(married to President James Madison
For half a century she was the most important woman in the social circles of America. To this day she remains one of the best known and best loved ladies of the White House–though often referred to, mistakenly, as Dorothy or Dorothea.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/dolleymadison
———–
Elizabeth Kortright Monroe
(married to President James Monroe)
Romance glints from the little that is known about Elizabeth Kortright’s early life. She was born in New York City in 1768, daughter of an old New York family. Her father, Lawrence, had served the Crown by privateering during the French and Indian War and made a fortune. He took no active part in the War of Independence; and James Monroe wrote to his friend Thomas Jefferson in Paris in 1786 that he had married the daughter of a gentleman, “injured in his fortunes” by the Revolution.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/elizabethmonroe
———–
Michelle Obama
(married to President
Barack Obama
When people ask First Lady Michelle Obama to describe herself, she doesn’t hesitate to say that first and foremost, she is Malia and Sasha’s mom.
But before she was a mother — or a wife, lawyer or public servant — she was Fraser and Marian Robinson’s daughter.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/michelleobama
———–
Jane Means Appleton Pierce
(married to President Franklin Pierce
In looks and in pathetic destiny young Jane Means Appleton resembled the heroine of a Victorian novel. The gentle dignity of her face reflected her sensitive, retiring personality and physical weakness. Her father had died–he was a Congregational minister, the Reverend Jesse Appleton, president of Bowdoin College–and her mother had taken the family to Amherst, New Hampshire. And Jane met a Bowdoin graduate, a young lawyer with political ambitions, Franklin Pierce.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/janepierce
———–
Sarah Childress Polk
(married to President James Polk)
Silks and satins little Sarah took for granted, growing up on a plantation near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Elder daughter of Captain Joel and Elizabeth Childress, she gained something rarer from her father’s wealth. He sent her and her sister away to school, first to Nashville, then to the Moravians’ “female academy” at Salem, North Carolina, one of the very few institutions of higher learning available to women in the early 19th century. So she acquired an education that made her especially fitted to assist a man with a political career.
For more; http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/sarahpolk
———–
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt
(married to President Franklin D Roosevelt)
A shy, awkward child, starved for recognition and love, Eleanor Roosevelt grew into a woman with great sensitivity to the underprivileged of all creeds, races, and nations. Her constant work to improve their lot made her one of the most loved–and for some years one of the most revered–women of her generation.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/eleanorroosevelt
———–
Elizabeth Virginia Wallace Truman
(married to President Harry Truman)
Whistle-stopping in 1948, President Harry Truman often ended his campaign talk by introducing his wife as “the Boss” and his daughter, Margaret, as “the Boss’s Boss,” and they smiled and waved as the train picked up steam. The sight of that close-knit family gallantly fighting against such long odds had much to do with his surprise victory at the polls that November.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/besstruman
———–
Hannah Hoes Van Buren
(married to President Martin Van Buren)
Cousins in a close-knit Dutch community, Hannah Hoes and Martin Van Buren grew up together in Kinderhook, New York. Evidently he wanted to establish his law practice before marrying his sweetheart–they were not wed until 1807, when he was 24 and his bride just three months younger. Apparently their marriage was a happy one, though little is known of Hannah as a person.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/hannahvanburen
March 8, 2013
U.S. Women vs. China PR Women
9 a.m. ET
Estadio Municipal
Albufeira, Portugal
pay-per-view
Score to follow
*honk*
Great post, CR!
>^..^<
WOMEN Power!
West Wing Week: 03/08/13 or “Jedi Mind-Meld”
Published on Mar 7, 2013
This week, the President urged Congress to resolve harmful budget cuts and reduce the deficit in a way that helps grow the economy and strengthen the middle class, held his first Cabinet meeting of the second term, announced three key Cabinet nominations, and signed the Violence Against Women Act.
Brennan takes oath on draft Constitution
Mar 08, 2013 07:52 PM cia.gov
John O. Brennan was sworn in this morning as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency by Vice President Joseph R. Biden in a ceremony at the White House. Director Brennan took the oath of office with his hand on an original draft of the Constitution, symbolizing that the CIA is committed to the rule of law. Brennan, who most recently served as Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, is the twenty-first Director to lead the women and men of the CIA.
Following his swearing-in, Director Brennan addressed the Agency’s global workforce from the auditorium at CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia, praising their hard work, courage, and dedication, and thanking their families for the sacrifices they have made. He emphasized that the CIA’s most precious asset is its workforce, and highlighted the importance of teamwork within the CIA, across the United States government, and with allies, as well as the need to invest in the Agency’s future.
After thanking Deputy Director Michael Morell for his outstanding stewardship of the Agency, Director Brennan told employees, “It is just terrific to be home and it is the honor and privilege of my life to be working with you as CIA Director.” He added, “I have seen first-hand the value of intelligence to policy formulation and commend the Agency’s employees for their vital role in keeping our country safe.”
Director Brennan answered questions from the workforce about topics such as the CIA’s need to recruit and retain talented people and the responsibilities that go along with working at the Agency.
Brennan addresses CIA employees (CIA photo)
“I will never expect of others what I don’t expect of myself,” Director Brennan said, adding that he believed in the values of “honesty, hard work, and respect for others.” Director Brennan told CIA’s workforce that Americans who want to serve our nation in the field of national security need to know their work will be valued at the Agency and said, “We all should be committed to leaving the Agency a little better, a little stronger, a little more capable than it was when we first got here.”
For more: https://www.cia.gov/news-information/press-releases-statements/2013-press-releases-statements/brennan-takes-helm-as-dcia.html
Bin Laden son-in-law to face conspiracy charges in New York court’
3/8/13 Ellen Wulfhorst and Paul Simao – Reuters – 45 mins ago
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A son-in-law of Osama bin Laden faces arraignment on Friday in a federal court in New York, where he is charged with conspiracy to kill Americans.
Suleiman Abu Ghaith, a militant who appeared in videos representing al Qaeda after the September 11, 2001 attacks, was arrested in Turkey and brought to New York City to stand trial, U.S. government sources said.
Abu Ghaith is one of the highest-ranking al Qaeda figures to be brought to the United States to face a civilian trial.
“Among other things, Abu Ghaith urged others to swear allegiance to bin Laden, spoke on behalf of and in support of al Qaeda’s mission, and warned that attacks similar to those of September 11, 2001 would continue,” according to the indictment, which was announced on Thursday.
It accuses him of acting in a conspiracy that “would and did murder United States nationals anywhere in the world,” listing actions before and after September 11, 2001.
Authorities said Abu Ghaith would be arraigned on Friday morning at U.S. District Court in downtown Manhattan, only blocks from the site of the World Trade Center, which was destroyed in the September 11 attacks.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder previously had announced plans to try defendants in the September 11 attacks in the same courthouse, but public opposition forced him to back down, and the trials were moved to the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Abu Ghaith initially was picked up in Turkey, deported to Jordan and brought to the United States in the last few days in an operation led by Jordanian authorities and the FBI, the sources said.
Obama sets end-of-July goal for bipartisan agreement on deficit
3/07/13 07:33 PM ET By Alexander Bolton – TheHill
President Obama wants to complete a grand bargain to reduce the deficit by the end of July, an aggressive timeline coinciding with the expiration of the nation’s debt limit.
Obama told a small group of Republican senators who had dinner with him Wednesday evening that a deficit-reduction deal needs to happen in the next four to five months, according to three sources familiar with the meeting.
A GOP lawmaker who met with Obama said the accelerated timeline has two advantages. Reaching a broad deficit deal by August would allow the president to avoid another messy standoff over raising the debt limit. The president, who has said he will not negotiate on the debt limit, believes it will be harder to forge a major deal in September and beyond, as both parties begin to position themselves for the 2014 mid-term election.
“The president said it would be good to do this in the next five months because that is when we’ll be considering the [continuing resolution] and the debt limit,” said the lawmaker. “After August you start getting ready for the mid-term.”
Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/286951-obama-sets-end-of-july-goal-for-bipartisan-deal-on-deficit
Employment Situation
Released On 3/8/2013 8:30:00 AM For Feb, 2013
Prior Prior Revised Consensus Consensus Range Actual
Nonfarm Payrolls – M/M change 157,000 119,000 171,000 130,000 to 225,000 236,000
Unemployment Rate – Level 7.9 % 7.8 % 7.7 % to 7.9 % 7.7 %
Average Hourly Earnings – M/M change 0.2 % 0.1 % 0.2 % 0.1 % to 0.4 % 0.2 %
Av Workweek – All Employees 34.4 hrs 34.4 hrs 34.3 hrs to 34.5 hrs 34.5 hrs
Private Payrolls – M/M change 166,000 140,000 195,000 160,000 to 235,000 246,000
Highlights
The jobs market has improved more than expected with a sizeable gain in payroll employment. The unemployment rate declined to 7.7 percent from 7.9 percent in January. Market expectations were for a 7.8 percent unemployment rate.
Payroll jobs in February were much stronger than expected. They posted at a gain of 236,000, following an increase of 119,000 in January (originally up 157,000) and an increase of 219,000 in December (previously up 196,000). The net revisions for December and January were down 15,000. Analysts forecast a 171,000 rise for February.
Private payrolls advanced 246,000 in February, following a boost of 140,000 in January (originally 166,000). Expectations were for a 195,000 gain.
Earnings have been oscillating but upward. Average hourly earnings increased 0.2 percent in February, following a gain of 0.1 percent January. The market consensus was for a 0.2 percent improvement. The average workweek edged up to 34.5 hours in February from 34.4 hours the month before. The median forecast was for 34.4 hours.
Turning to detail for the household survey, decrease in the unemployment rate reflected a 130,000 drop in the labor force, a 170,000 rise in household employment, and a 300,000 decrease in unemployed.
On the news, equities rose modestly.
Source: http://bloomberg.econoday.com/byshoweventfull.asp?fid=456021&cust=bloomberg-us&year=2013&lid=0&prev=/byweek.asp#top
Housing revives, and so do home improvement chains
3/7/13 by Mitchell Hartman – Marketplace Morning Report
There have been multiple signs of a comeback in the crucial housing sector in recent weeks. It’s a sector that typically leads the way out of recession, but has lagged badly in this recovery.
In January, existing home sales were up 15.6 perecent. New home construction is expected to rise steadily this year, and home prices are climbing across the country.
Connect the dots — and you get to Home Depot and Lowe’s. The big home improvement chains reported higher sales and predicted continuing growth when they released earnings this week. They’re also hiring up for the spring shopping season.
Debbie Kitchin of InterWorks general contractors is a steady customer of the big chains, as well as local suppliers to the professional trade. She was giving a tour of a quaint little bungalow her firm is renovating in Portland, Oregon. The house, about 1,600 square feet, recently sold for $225,000. It’s in an older residential neighborhood of streets lined with towering fir trees, where the real estate market is now brisk again after the housing slump of the late 2000s.
For the entire article and audio interview: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/housing-revives-and-so-do-home-improvement-chains
US household wealth tops pre-recession peak on rising stock market and higher home prices
March 7, 2013 By Associated Press
WASHINGTON — It took 5½ years.
Surging stock prices and steady home-price increases have finally allowed Americans to regain the $16 trillion in wealth they lost to the Great Recession. The gains are helping support the economy and could lead to further spending and growth.
The recovered wealth — most of it from higher stock prices — has been flowing mainly to richer Americans. By contrast, middle class wealth is mostly in the form of home equity, which has risen much less.
Household wealth amounted to $66.1 trillion at the end of 2012, the Federal Reserve said Thursday. That was $1.2 trillion more than three months earlier and 98 percent of the pre-recession peak.
Further increases in stock and home prices this year mean that Americans’ net worth has since topped the pre-recession peak of $67.4 trillion, private economists say. Wealth had bottomed at $51.4 trillion in early 2009.
“It’s all but certain that we surpassed that peak in the first quarter,” said Aaron Smith, senior economist at Moody’s Analytics.
Household wealth, or net worth, reflects the value of assets like homes, stocks and bank accounts minus debts like mortgages and credit cards. National home prices have extended their gains this year. And the Standard & Poor’s 500 index, a broad gauge of the stock market, has surged 8 percent so far this year.
For more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-household-wealth-tops-pre-recession-peak-on-rising-stock-market-and-higher-home-prices/2013/03/07/d2f7b942-874b-11e2-a80b-3edc779b676f_story.html
Leon Panetta: Military ‘looked the other way’ in case of Jeremy Goulet, and Santa Cruz officers paid the price
3/7/13 Josh Richman – bayareanewsgroup.com
SAN JOSE — Some U.S. military officials “looked the other way” rather than aggressively pursuing rape charges against a sexually troubled soldier who ended up killing two Santa Cruz police officers last week, former U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said at the officers’ funeral Thursday.
Experts say Panetta’s unusually strong words — which implied that the military justice system might share some blame for the officers’ deaths — highlight the ongoing push to change a military culture that has given rise to an epidemic of sexual assault.
Jeremy Goulet, whose 2006 Army court martial in Hawaii for two purported rapes of military officers ended with a plea bargain in which he accepted an “other-than-honorable” discharge, shot and killed two officers investigating a new groping accusation against Goulet on Feb. 26. Had Goulet been convicted of the two rapes, he probably would have landed in a military prison for life.
Panetta, who just left the top job at the Pentagon last week, acknowledged Thursday that military sex offenders were not always prosecuted for the offenses they committed. “And at some point, somebody pays a price,” Panetta added.
Of the 35-year-old Goulet, who was killed in a gun battle with police and sheriff’s deputies, Panetta said: “We do know that he had a history of sexual violence both in and out of the military. And for whatever reason, people somehow always looked the other way.”
Elizabeth Hillman, a UC Hastings law professor and president of the National Institute for Military Justice, said Panetta’s words are particularly poignant coming from someone who had spoken out publicly on the issue of sexual violence in the military — and set new policies.
“I think he realizes it hasn’t been enough,” said Hillman, who in January testified before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights about military rape and sexual assault.
In September, Panetta set new policies to let rape victims rapidly transfer out of units in which they were assaulted, requiring that such cases be handled by senior, not unit, commanders. He also moved to create special investigative units and called for prosecuting more sex offenders.
Chuck Hagel, the new U.S. secretary of defense, vowed at his Jan. 31 confirmation hearing to “continue the important work” Panetta began to combat military sex crimes. “I agree it is not good enough just to say zero tolerance,” Hagel said. “The whole chain of command needs to be accountable for this, all the way down to the bottom.”
For more: http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_22742944/panetta-military-looked-other-way-case-jeremy-goulet
Slain Santa Cruz Officers Lie in State in Advance of Funeral Services
Published on Mar 6, 2013 KRON 4′s Scott Rates reports
Santa Cruz Officers Funeral – Final Comments and Exit Procession
Published on Mar 7, 2013
Final Comments and Exit Procession at Funeral for Sgt Butch Baker and Det Elizabeth Butler
11:15 AM ET
President Obama meets with faith leaders to discuss immigration reform.
March 8, 2013
Readout of the President’s Meeting on Commonsense Immigration Reform
This morning, the President, joined by members of his senior staff, met with leaders from the faith community to discuss the need to fix the broken immigration system so that everyone plays by the same rules. The President thanked the leaders for their support and reiterated his strong commitment to working with Congress in a bipartisan manner so that they can swiftly pass and send a commonsense immigration reform bill to his desk. The leaders expressed their concerns over the impact the broken immigration system is having on families throughout their congregations. The President and the leaders discussed the pillars the President has put forward for reform, including that any bill must include a pathway to earned citizenship, as well as measures to crack down on employers who game the system and exploit both American and immigrant workers, continuing to strengthen our border security, and strengthening the legal immigration system for families, employers, and workers. The President noted that there is good progress being made by a bipartisan group in the Senate, but urged the leaders to continue to make this important issue a priority. The President and the leaders agreed that the diversity of faith communities represented around the table was indicative of the growing consensus across America in support of fixing the broken immigration system. The leaders thanked the President for his leadership, offered a prayer, and agreed to continue working together to move the immigration debate forward in Congress.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/03/08/readout-president-s-meeting-commonsense-immigration-reform
Next Up…
1:00 PM ET
First Lady Michelle Obama delivers the keynote address at Partnership for a Healthier America’s childhood obesity summit, Building a Healthier Future
Grand Hyatt Washington, Washington, DC.
CSPAN http://www.c-span.org/Events/First-Lady-Michelle-Obama-Speaks-at-Childhood-Obesity-Conference/10737438662/
March 08, 2013
Remarks by the First Lady to the Partnership for a Healthier America Summit
George Washington University
Washington, D.C.
1:45 P.M. EST
MRS. OBAMA: (Applause.) Thank you all so much. (Applause.) Oh, my goodness. Yes! (Applause.) Thank you all so much. It’s great to see you. It is truly a pleasure to be with all of you today.
And of course, I want to start by thanking Eli Manning — (applause) — oh, my gosh! — for that very kind introduction. I’m probably as excited to see him as I am to see all of you. (Laughter.) But I’m thrilled that he could join us today, and I’m just grateful for all of his work and leadership.
I also want to thank Dr. Steven Knapp, not just for hosting us here at GW, but for all the wonderful work this university is doing to forward the agenda of nutrition and fitness. We are so grateful that they are our partners and our neighbors as well.
And I also want to recognize Larry Soler — Larry for — and everybody else at the partnership for all of their wonderful work, as well as Kathleen Tullie and the team at Reebok for all of their leadership. And it’s just a thrill to be working with both of these wonderful organizations and companies that are doing all of these terrific things.
But most of all, I want to thank all of you — the advocates, experts, and executives who have been leading the way to give all of our children a healthy start to their lives. Because of your tremendous efforts, more than half a million people in underserved communities now have access to fresh, healthy food. Because of you, major American businesses like Disney and Walmart and Darden Restaurants are now offering healthier menus and products. Military leaders are serving healthier food on their bases. Faith leaders are educating their congregations about eating healthy. Nearly two and a half million kids have enrolled in recreational sports classes. Democrats and Republicans right here in Washington — (laughter) — came together to pass groundbreaking legislation that is transforming our school lunch program.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/03/08/remarks-first-lady-partnership-healthier-america-summit
Next Up…
3:00 PM ET
First Lady Michelle Obama and Kerry honor recipients of the International Women of Courage Award.
CNN http://live.cnn.com
CSPAN http://www.c-span.org/Events/State-Department-Hosts-Women-of-Courage-Awards/10737438660/
Department of State http://www.state.gov
March 08, 2013
Remarks by the First Lady at the International Women of Courage Awards
State Department
Washington D.C.
2:57 P.M. EST
MRS. OBAMA: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you all. Thank you. (Applause.) Well, let me begin by thanking Under Secretary Sherman for that very kind and gracious introduction, but also for your leadership on behalf of our country.
I also want to thank Secretary Kerry for hosting us here today. Needless to say, we are all thrilled to have you as our new Secretary of State, for no other reason than I love your wife. You do know that. (Applause.) I love our Secretary, but Teresa Heinz Kerry is another woman of courage who has been just a dear friend and supporter to me for a very long time, and it is just a thrill to have you both in this role. Congratulations, and thank you. (Applause.)
I also want to recognize Secretary Sebelius, who can also do the dougie — (laughter) — I’ve seen it — and all of the administration officials, members of Congress and members of the diplomatic community who have joined us today.
And of course, I want to thank all of you for joining us this afternoon as we celebrate International Women’s Day. This is the fifth time I’ve had the privilege to take part in this event, and every year, I look forward to it because it shows us what our most basic values look like when they’re put to the test.
When these women witnessed horrific crimes or the disregard for basic human rights they spoke up, risking everything they had to see that justice was done. When they saw their communities or their countries were ignoring issues like sexual violence or women’s rights, they gave those issues a face and a voice. And with every act of strength and defiance, with every blog post, with every community meeting, these women have inspired millions to stand with them, and find their own voices, and work together to achieve real and lasting change.
And that is truly the power of the International Women of Courage Award — that this is not simply an honor bestowed upon a few, but a call for all of us to open our eyes to the injustices around us, and to ask ourselves just what kind of courage we’ve got inside our own hearts.
And that is the lesson we can learn from the journalist who speaks out against torture and racism; from the poet who takes to Twitter to make a stand against oppression; from the mother whose son was murdered, but channeled her grief into a nationwide movement for change. That is the spirit that we celebrate today. And that is the potential that lies within every woman and every girl — the potential to stand up, to demand action, and to build a better world for our next generation.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/03/08/remarks-first-lady-international-women-courage-awards
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
28 now.
March 08, 2013
Fact Sheet: Implementation of Export Control Reform
Today, the Administration announced two key steps to further the goals of President Obama’s Export Control Reform Initiative, which is a common sense approach to overhauling the nation’s export control system. President Obama signed an Executive Order today to update delegated presidential authorities over the administration of certain export and import controls under the Arms Export Control Act of 1976, and yesterday the Administration notified Congress of the first in a series of changes to the U.S. Munitions List.
Executive Order
Executive Order 11958 delegated authority to control exports of defense articles and services to the Secretary of State and delegated the comparable authority to control imports to the Secretary of the Treasury. The Department of State controls the export of defense articles and services on its U.S. Munitions List (USML); the Department of Justice controls their import pursuant to the U.S. Munitions Import List (USMIL) administered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The USMIL was previously a subset of State’s USML. The most recent comprehensive delegation of these authorities was in Executive Order 11958 of January 18, 1977. The President’s new Executive Order updates delegated authorities consistent with the upcoming changes to our export control lists. It supersedes and replaces Executive Order 11958 and amends Executive Order 13222 of August 17, 2001, that pertains to the Department of Commerce-administered controls. The new Executive Order makes the following changes:
1. Consolidation of All Brokering Responsibilities with the Department of State
2. Elimination of Possible “Double Licensing” Requirements
3. Congressional Notification Process
4. Other Administrative Updates
For more; http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/03/08/fact-sheet-implementation-export-control-reform
Happy and HOPEful Friday, CR and all friends!
>^..^<
Sad for the surviviors of the Santa Cruz officers; glad that Sec. Hagel will continue Sec. Panetta's reforms.
Amazing women profiled at International Women of Courage awards today!
Happy and HOPEful Friday Kat!
Saturday, March 9, 2013
All Times Eastern
President Obama receives the presidential daily briefing
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
6:00 PM
7:00 PM
President Obama delivers remarks at the Gridiron Dinner
Renaissance Hotel, Washington, DC
8:00 PM
9:00 PM
10:00 PM
March 9, 2013
WhiteHouse.gov http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
—-
ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/Live/
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CSPAN http://www.cspan.org/
Obama to attend Gridiron dinner
2/22/13 5:38 PM EST 11 By DYLAN BYERS – POLITICO
President Obama has agreed to attend this year’s Gridiron Club Dinner, the annual white-tie event hosted by 65 of Washington’s top media figures.
“I am pleased to report that President Obama has accepted our invitation to the March 9, 2013, Spring Dinner, his fourth Gridiron dinner,” Chuck Lewis, the president of the Gridiron club, wrote in an email to members on Friday.
This will be Obama’s second appearance at the dinner as President; he did not attend the 2009, 2010 and 2012 dinners. Though smaller than the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, the Gridiron dinner is a significant event in Washington, especially for the press. The dinner includes satirical skits and humorous speeches — or, at least, speeches intended to be humorous — from political guests.
Obama’s 2011 speech received a positive response from the roughly 700 audience members, as did his 2004 and 2006 speeches as a Senator.
“We look forward to welcoming him to bask in the warmth of the Gridiron next month when we will end our third consecutive dinner with ‘Auld Lang Syne’ before 10:20 p.m.,” Lewis wrote in his email.
UPDATE (5:47 p.m.): Gov. Bobby Jindal will be the Republican speaker and Amy Jean Klobuchar will be the Democratic speaker.
Don’t forget to set your clocks forward one hour tonight
On Board with The First Lady: Let’s Move! 3rd Anniversary Tour
Published on Mar 8, 2013
On Board with the First Lady! First Lady Michelle Obama travels to Mississippi, Chicago and Missouri on the Let’s Move! 3rd anniversary tour. She meet with elementary school kids and teachers, announced the Let’s Move Healthy Schools initiative, filmed a lunch-lady cook off with Rachael Ray and visited a Walmat neighborhood market to see changes that have been made to make healthy foods more accessible and affordable to families.
March 09, 2013
Weekly Address: End the Sequester to Keep Growing the Economy
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
March 9, 2013
Hi, everybody. My top priority as President is making sure we do everything we can to reignite the true engine of America’s economic growth – a rising, thriving middle class.
Yesterday, we received some welcome news on that front. We learned that our businesses added nearly 250,000 new jobs last month. The unemployment rate fell to 7.7% – still too high, but now lower than it was when I took office.
Our businesses have created jobs every month for three years straight – nearly 6.4 million new jobs in all. Our manufacturers are bringing jobs back to America. Our stock market has rebounded. New homes are being built and sold at a faster pace. And we need to do everything we can to keep that momentum going.
That means asking ourselves three questions every day: How do we make America a magnet for new jobs? How do we equip more of our people with the skills those jobs require? And how do we make sure that your hard work leads to a decent living?
That has to be our driving focus – our North Star. And at a time when our businesses are gaining a little more traction, the last thing we should do is allow Washington politics to get in the way. You deserve better than the same political gridlock and refusal to compromise that has too often passed for serious debate over the last few years.
That’s why I’ve been reaching out to Republicans and Democrats to see if we can untangle some of the gridlock. Earlier this week, I met with some Republican Senators to see if there were smarter ways to grow our economy and reduce our deficits than the arbitrary cuts and the so-called “sequester” that recently went into place. We had an open and honest conversation about critical issues like immigration reform and gun violence, and other areas where we can work together to move this country forward. And next week, I’ll attend both the Democratic and Republican party meetings in the Capitol to continue those discussions.
The fact is, America is a nation of different beliefs and different points of view. That’s what makes us strong, and frankly, makes our democratic debates messy and often frustrating. But ultimately what makes us special is when we summon the ability to see past those differences, and come together around the belief that what binds us together will always be more powerful than what drives us apart.
As Democrats and Republicans, we may disagree on the best way to achieve our goals, but I’m confident we can agree on what those goals should be. A strong and vibrant middle class. An economy that allows businesses to grow and thrive. An education system that gives more Americans the skills they need to compete for the jobs of the future. An immigration system that actually works for families and businesses. Stronger communities and safer streets for our children.
Making progress on these issues won’t be easy. In the months ahead, there will be more contentious debate and honest disagreement between principled people who want what’s best for this country. But I still believe that compromise is possible. I still believe we can come together to do big things. And I know there are leaders on the other side who share that belief.
So I’ll keep fighting to solve the real challenges facing middle-class families. And I’ll enlist anyone who is willing to help. That’s what this country needs now – and that’s what you deserve.
Thanks.
Sports Illustrated names Obama one of the most powerful people in sports
3/9/13 9:55 AM EST By DONOVAN SLACK – POLITICO44
Sports Illustrated has put together a list of the 50 most powerful people in sports and President Obama comes in at — No. 44:
44 BARACK OBAMA
U.S. President
[TASTEMAKER ] [WORLD POWER ] [HAS NUCLEAR CODES ] [SOCIAL SAVVY ]
POTUS might be the ultimate global power player, but he also wields significant influence in the Republic of Sports. One relevant riff-on his NCAA tourney picks, on his desire for a college football playoff, on his concern over permitting the sons that he doesn’t have to play football-and the sports world takes notice. Plus, the 51-year-old can shoot the J.
And we know that anything that First Lady Michelle also wields significant influence in everything she is associated with.
Yes!
Please join me in lighting a candle for the President, First Family and the Nation.
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=PBO
Harriet Tubman park to be on Maryland land she worked as a slave
3/9/13 By Lacey Johnson | Reuters – 1 hr 4 mins ago
CAMBRIDGE, Maryland (Reuters) – Abolitionist Harriet Tubman‘s struggle to help roughly 70 slaves escape to freedom using the Underground Railroad was remembered on Saturday at the groundbreaking of a Maryland state park in her honor.
An escaped slave herself, Tubman toiled in bondage on the land that will soon be the 17-acre Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park on the eastern shore of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay.
Construction of the park on open marshland and forests in Dorchester County marks the 100-year anniversary of the abolitionist leader’s death.
It also coincides with the opening of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, a 125-mile drive with more than 30 historical stops related to Tubman’s early life and the Underground Railroad. Highlights include the Mason-Dixon Line, a one-room school, a historic village store with artifacts from the 1800s and, eventually, the new Harriet Tubman park itself.
“I think the byway is awesome, because we’re connecting the dots again. We’re telling the complete story,” said Patricia Ross-Hawkins, 51, a distant relative of Tubman who spoke to the crowd of more than 200 people at Saturday’s celebration. The morning’s events included singing by a local Baptist church choir, a theatrical speech by a Harriet Tubman re-enactor and remarks from Govenor Martin O’Malley.
“It’s been a long time coming but it’s here,” she said.
Slated to open in 2015, the park is located on the same land where Tubman worked as a slave before escaping to Pennsylvania at the age of 27. While in bondage, she had been rented out for work throughout the region, including chopping wood on the land that will now be named after her.
For more; http://news.yahoo.com/harriet-tubman-park-maryland-land-she-worked-slave-215012329.html
7:00 PM ET
President Obama delivers remarks at the Gridiron Dinner
Renaissance Hotel, Washington, DC
March 09, 2013
Remarks by the President at the Gridiron Dinner
Washington Renaissance Hotel
Washington, DC
10:03 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Before I begin, I know some of you have noticed that I’m dressed a little differently from the other gentlemen. Because of sequester, they cut my tails. (Laughter.) My joke writers have been placed on furlough. (Laughter.) I know a lot of you reported that no one will feel any immediate impact because of the sequester. Well, you’re about to find out how wrong you are. (Laughter.)
Of course, there’s one thing in Washington that didn’t get cut — the length of this dinner. (Laughter.) Yet more proof that the sequester makes no sense. (Laughter.)
As you know, I last attended the Gridiron dinner two years ago. Back then, I addressed a number of topics — a dysfunctional Congress, a looming budget crisis, complaints that I don’t spend enough time with the press. It’s funny, it seems like it was just yesterday. (Laughter.)
We noticed that some folks couldn’t make it this evening. It’s been noted that Bob Woodward sends his regrets, which Gene Sperling predicted. (Laughter.) I have to admit this whole brouhaha had me a little surprised. Who knew Gene could be so intimidating? (Laughter.) Or let me phrase it differently — who knew anybody named Gene could be this intimidating? (Laughter.)
Now I know that some folks think we responded to Woodward too aggressively. But hey, when has — can anybody tell me when an administration has ever regretted picking a fight with Bob Woodward? (Laughter.) What’s the worst that could happen? (Laughter and applause.)
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/03/10/remarks-president-gridiron-dinner
Sunday, March 10, 2013
All Times Eastern
President Obama receives the presidential daily briefing
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
6:00 PM
7:00 PM
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9:00 PM
10:00 PM
March 10, 2013
WhiteHouse.gov http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
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ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/Live/
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CSPAN http://www.cspan.org/
Sunday talk show tip sheet
By KATIE GLUECK | 3/8/13 5:38 PM EST
“Meet the Press” on NBC
• Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R)
• Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.)
• Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)
• Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.)
• Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii)
• Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)
• MSNBC host and former Rep. Joe Scarborough (R-Fla.)
• Democratic strategist Dee Dee Myers
• Republican strategist Steve Schmidt
“This Week” on ABC
• Bush
• Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)
• Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), chairwoman, Democratic National Committee
“Face the Nation” on CBS
• Bush
• New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg
• Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio)
• Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), ranking member, House Budget Committee
“State of the Union” on CNN
• Bush
• House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)
• House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)
• Former House Speaker and presidential candidate Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.)
• Democratic strategist Donna Brazile
• Republican consultant Alex Castellanos
• Former White House Communications Director Anita Dunn
“Fox News Sunday” on Fox
• Bush
• Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), chairman, House Budget Committee
“Al Punto” on Univision
• Bush
“Political Capital” on Bloomberg TV
• Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), chairman, House Foreign Affairs Committee
“Newsmakers” on C-SPAN
• Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.), ranking member, House Ways and Means Committee
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/sunday-talk-show-tip-sheet-88645.html#ixzz2N4UnOGyY
Please join me in lighting a candle for the President, First Family and our Nation.
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=PBO
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