First Lady Michelle Obama delivers remarks during the annual Mother’s Day tea to honor military mothers at the White House. Part of the Joining Forces initiative, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden also helped military kids create Mother’s Day cards and homemade gifts, which the children presented to their mothers and grandmothers.
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ABC News: First Lady Praises Her Mom At Mother’s Day Event
Extending the Mother’s Day celebration by a day, Michelle Obama on Monday saluted military mothers for the sacrifices they make both for their families and their country, and she honored her own mother as the person who keeps her “standing up straight on my feet.” The first lady joked that her mother, Marian Robinson, “never comes to anything” at the White House, except this annual Mother’s Day tea for military moms. Mrs. Obama and Jill Biden, Vice President Joe Biden’s wife, co-host the event as part of Joining Forces, their nationwide initiative to encourage the public to support military families and veterans. Speaking of her mother, Mrs. Obama said the event “gives me an opportunity, once a year, to embarrass her by publicly stating how much my mom has meant to me.” Mrs. Robinson lives in the White House. She sat in the front row for the East Room event.
“There is no way I would be standing up straight on my feet if it weren’t for my mom, who is always there to look after our girls, to love them and to be mad at me when I’m disciplining them,” she told dozens of military mothers, grandmothers and children. Mrs. Obama said mother also has “been that shoulder for me to lean on.” “I can always go up to her room and cry, complain, argue and she just says, ‘Go on back down there,'” Mrs. Obama said. “So if my mom reflects the love and support the moms here have given to their families, then we’re in a good place here.” Near the end of the ceremony, a girl raised her hand and, in a tearful voice, told Mrs. Obama she didn’t get to do all the crafts with the first lady. Mrs. Obama linked the girl with an aide and promised that “you’re going to do every single craft that we have.”
More here
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Singer-songwriter Norah Jones holds her new baby as the stands next to her mother Sue Jones after singing during the annual Mother’s Day tea to honor military mothers, hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden
First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden visit with children working on crafts as they host their annual Mother’s Day tea to honor military mothers
The Obama Diary 
🙂
Did I get lucky? 😎
you’re not lucky. you’re just that good. 😉
Hi a4A. 🙂 I think it’s my lucky day – this is the second time today ‘good’ has been used in reference to me. I’m feeling quite swell-headed. 😀 😀
ha! It’s a trend! 🙂
A ‘good’ one. 😉 😉 🙂
Yes you DID!
Congrats on 1st VCP!
Now do the HAPPY DANCE : )
My happy dance needs practice. 😉
You could just clap your hands….
But, but, but, that will do nothing for my fig – ure!
Hello and how was your day at work?
Good. This little 87 year old is an absolute darling, no short term memory left at all, but a sweet temperament, and lovely long-term memory stories to share. I really enjoy her. Despite being tired afterwards! She is enthralled with photos of my kitty, just wants to look at photos on my phone all the time!!
Happy to hear she has a sweet temperament; that is bound to make caring for her easier and more ‘fun’.
For sure! Very different to another client I had, passed on now, rest her soul, who used to smack me!! Ai yai yai!!
Do you know what the signs are that foretell who will be a cranky old person and who will be ‘sweet’? 😉
Thank you, Ms Wonka, These are the first pictures I’ve seen of this year’s MD WHouse celebrations.
Congrats on #1, VC.
Very speedy of you, as I was still posting at the last thread.
Was this what you were referring to re: specifics on US involvement against Boko Haram? (…unnamed senior administration official)
My speedy entrance was unplanned, A415. I refreshed after a trip to twitter and there was the gate, open and welcoming, so I hopped through.
‘specifics on US involvement against Boko Haram?’
Doesn’t sound like me. I don’t usually ask for more than the O-Admin releases because I do so strongly trust PBO; as well I hold the strong belief that he ought to be able to keep some things secret because in some instances that’s the best thing to do for everyone involved.
I’m one of those not much for the media thinking that they have the right to know everything. Frankly, I think they are for the most part too dumb, shortsighted, and inflammatory to be trusted with ‘everything’.
/smh/ All of that to say, I don’t *think* that ‘specifics’ reference was me
My bad, VC.
It was Vicki on the previous thread.
But do I recall a conversation between the two of you, where you confessed to having the same name? (That’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it, LOL.)
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/05/12/president-obama-honors-2014-top-cops/#comment-1023015
I am delighted that PBO announced some specifics about what we are doing to search for the girls in Nigeria.
My question is this: Don’t we have sophisticated imaging devices that can detect movement beneath trees and greenery in forests?
or have I been watching too much tv?
I’m hoping we have all kinds of technology and Special Ops teams on the ground in Nigeria and that we will have some good news soon.
The parents of these children must be so freaked out—horrifying.
:Yes, your excuse does work. 🙂 🙂
That was me alright. Not asking for secrets, just wondering if our technology was being utitlized.
Just when I think Ann Coulter can’t be more vile:
Ann Coulter is not a human being.
Ann Coulter is a thing without a soul.
When she gets her due…….she will beg for madness.
That Nora Jones 1st musical line was definitely a teaser. 😉 Means I’ll probably go look her up on youtube……later.
hey VC….A favorite…
NORA JONES….Come away with me!
She has such a lovely voice and comes from great musical royalty.
Yesss……I discovered her a few years ago….
Yes, her voice is lovely. Do you happen to know the name of the song she shared at today’s gathering? I got her teaser line ‘It’s not the pale moon that excites me..’ but didn’t hear that in the number above.
Thanks, PF. You are a dear.
smilin
Although their voices aren’t similar, in the photos above, Norah reminds me of Linda Ronstadt, one of my favs from the 1970s.
LOVE Norah Jones. Incredible musicality. (Love her father, too) She also played a beautiful tribute to Steve Jobs at his memorial.
Another Fav….
NORA JONES….Turn me On!!
Someone should ask hashtag dissers like George Will whether an event in Nigeria would be leading the US evening news if #BringBackOurGirls didn’t exist.
DF linked to @BobCesca_Go’s excellent article where he documents clearly that the intent of the hashtag was to light a fire under Nigeria’s President who pretty much denied anything was amiss before the hashtag was created,
Just when you think these right wing racists haters couldn’t sink any lower they prove me wrong. They are disgusting. While they are criticizing this hashtag campaign, what are they doing? Oh, I forgot they don’t give a dam about those black girls over there.
And most of the news broadcasts in my world include a picture of Michelle Obama – she has the power and uses it very sparingly and very wisely.
what the hell does that even mean? self-esteem? geezus.
Washington (AFP) – A leading US medical journal hit out at the powerful American gun lobby for opposing the nomination for the post of top doctor, calling it a new form of “political blackmail.”
At issue is the nomination to the post of surgeon general of a Harvard medical school physician named Vivek Murthy, whose parents were born in India.
Murthy “has lived the American dream,” said the editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine, noting his role in expanding HIV education, broadening access to healthcare and fighting childhood obesity. His nomination awaits a vote in the US Senate, but that vote may be postponed or his candidacy withdrawn, amid reports that as many as 10 Senate Democrats would vote against him, enough to keep him out of the post……..
…..A separate email alert to NRA members described Murthy as someone who agrees with President Barack Obama’s “radical anti-gun agenda” and who has “advocated on many occasions for the banning of lawfully owned firearms.” “It’s clear that Dr. Murthy would be a prescription for disaster for America’s law-abiding gun owners,” the email said, urging NRA members to contact their senators to express their opposition.
The editors of the New England Journal of Medicine said Murthy has stood for “reasonable and mainstream forms of gun regulation, including an assault weapons ban, a limit on ammunition sales, and required safety training.” These views are “unsurprising” given the more than 30,000 firearm deaths in the United States each year, the editorial said…..”
oh Norah Jones! I love her voice – I haven’t heard anything from her for awhile so nice to see her. 🙂
“A new study by researchers at NASA and the University of California, Irvine, finds a rapidly melting section of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet appears to be in an irreversible state of decline, with nothing to stop the glaciers in this area from melting into the sea.
The study presents multiple lines of evidence, incorporating 40 years of observations that indicate the glaciers in the Amundsen Sea sector of West Antarctica “have passed the point of no return,” according to glaciologist and lead author Eric Rignot, of UC Irvine and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The new study has been accepted for publication in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. These glaciers already contribute significantly to sea level rise, releasing almost as much ice into the ocean annually as the entire Greenland Ice Sheet. They contain enough ice to raise global sea level by 4 feet (1.2 meters) and are melting faster than most scientists had expected…..
The bedrock topography is another key to the fate of the ice in this basin. All the glacier beds slope deeper below sea level as they extend farther inland. As the glaciers retreat, they cannot escape the reach of the ocean, and the warm water will keep melting them even more rapidly. The accelerating flow rates, lack of pinning points and sloping bedrock all point to one conclusion, Rignot said.
“The collapse of this sector of West Antarctica appears to be unstoppable,” he said. “The fact that the retreat is happening simultaneously over a large sector suggests it was triggered by a common cause, such as an increase in the amount of ocean heat beneath the floating sections of the glaciers. At this point, the end of this sector appears to be inevitable.” Because of the importance of this part of West Antarctica, NASA’s Operation IceBridge will continue to monitor its evolution closely during this year’s Antarctica deployment, which begins in October. IceBridge uses a specialized fleet of research aircraft carrying the most sophisticated suite of science instruments ever assembled to characterize changes in thickness of glaciers, ice sheets and sea ice…….
I heard about this on my way home today. sobering.
Indeed……..infuriating as well considering the total absence of *news* coverage last week on the Obama administration’s Climate Report.
Climate change is here now, and vocal naysayers can do nothing to change that fact except line the pockets of the Koch brothers and their ilk.
Humans have altered the climate, which means Alaska may end up a soggy swamp instead of the gorgeous glacier-filled state it is now, and non-tropical/desert flora and fauna which can’t adapt will become extinct.
So what we’ve taken for granted will become “history,” and future political debates will focus on how best to abandon low-lying coastal cities.
This is what truly frightens me, Arapaho–the horrific world our grandchildren will inherit. Babies born today will grow up wondering why we let this happen to them. They’ll ask how we could have been so selfish and short-sighted as they struggle to find a livable space. They’ll read about climate deniers and curse them for their stupidity, but it will be too late.
It’s going to be tough for coastal cities to cope with such tremendous change, but the worst effects will happen 100-900 years from now.
With adequate planning (relocation plans for existing residents, new development & transportation to inland/upland areas) our grandchildren’s lives may be disrupted, but they will miss glaciers and extinct species in the same way that we now mourn for extinct animals such as the Dodo Bird and the Passenger Pigeon. It’s a loss for the world, but things do change, losses do happen.
Humans are the most adaptable species on the planet. We need to make the Koch brothers fade into history, while the rest of the country welcomes renewable energy and more efficient transportation.
This kinda blew me away…..but the more I pondered it made sense….. from Bill Gates:
“What would you say is the most dangerous animal on Earth? Sharks? Snakes? Humans? Of course the answer depends on how you define dangerous. Personally I’ve had a thing about sharks since the first time I saw Jaws. But if you’re judging by how many people are killed by an animal every year, then the answer isn’t any of the above. It’s mosquitoes.
When it comes to killing humans, no other animal even comes close. Take a look”
What makes mosquitoes so dangerous? Despite their innocuous-sounding name—Spanish for “little fly”—they carry devastating diseases. The worst is malaria, which kills more than 600,000 people every year; another 200 million cases incapacitate people for days at a time. It threatens half of the world’s population and causes billions of dollars in lost productivity annually. Other mosquito-borne diseases include dengue fever, yellow fever, and encephalitis.
There are more than 2,500 species of mosquito, and mosquitoes are found in every region of the world except Antarctica. During the peak breeding seasons, they outnumber every other animal on Earth, except termites and ants. They were responsible for tens of thousands of deaths during the construction of the Panama Canal. And they affect population patterns on a grand scale: In many malarial zones, the disease drives people inland and away from the coast, where the climate is more welcoming to mosquitoes…….”
My heart goes out to the lady sailor a Senior Chief Hospital Corpman with over 16 years of service. Attention on deck!
Michelle Obama is going to be a hard act to follow in the White House. Frankly, I don’t know who will be able to be as creative and inclusive as she and Jill Biden are. They are an unbelievable pair, like PBO and JB are.
Every event looks so delightful and informal and special.
You know I agree with you carolyn. Up until the Obamas, I have never follow a President and First Lady like I do the Obamas. And I doubt if I will when they leave the WH.
I just love the respect and love FLOTUS show her Mother. And kidding her about getting mad when she try to disciple the girls. 🙂
Carolyn–I don’t believe anyone else will ever come close to the warmth, charisma, intelligence and infectious spirit of Michelle Obama. She is a one of a kind and will remain so in history, just like her husband.
Bringing over from the end of the previous thread:
Since MSM loves the #Benghazi story so much, have they covered this in-fighting between two CA Republicans over #Benghazi?
What’s that, crickets you say?
Ladyhawke linked to an Up With Steve segment this morning where Dave Wiegel said that GOP voters he’s talked to say their concern is that President Obama wasn’t aware/didn’t care what happened or that the military was told to stand down. Neither of which is true, of course.
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/whats-benghazi-really-all-about
Arapaho, as all of us know, Republican voters are afflicted with deep levels of Know Nothingness. They follow right wing media, which shoves lies down their throats at every turn so they can only express utter ignorance when it comes to issues.
I know you’ve been busy, and more traveling tomorrow for your MIL, but wanted you to know that the NYTimes had a front page story on the PA Gov race on Saturday (I posted this yesterday, and said that PA Dems need to realize that tearing down each other doesn’t appeal to PA Dem voters).
“The potential challengers have begun to do the governor’s work for him, aggressively attacking one another, and especially the front-runner, Tom Wolf.”
snip /
“But the state ranked 48th in job creation last year, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Standard & Poor’s recently scolded state lawmakers for a budget out of whack between revenue and spending. In a year when other states have surpluses, Pennsylvania is facing a $1 billion deficit, for which critics say the governor’s business tax breaks are to blame.”
Arapaho, I read the article and agree that some of the candidates have been desperate to make an impact in these last days. Mercifully, it will all be over by next Tuesday and we can get on to the real work of defeating Corbett. In a positive sign, one of the candidates that dropped out earlier–John Hanger–threw his support to Tom Wolf, so maybe there’s hope the others will rally as well. Unfortunately Allyson Schwartz gave up her congressional seat to run for governor, so she has nothing to fall back on if she loses. I’m not a Schwartz supporter, but I hope she, too, will rise to the occasion if she’s defeated (which I hope she is).
Yeah, I’m in a mood.
Does this mean I can have ocean front property in Oklahoma?????
Probably.
Heck, maybe even Kansas or Nebraska.
Lovely pics of FLOTUS today.
Oh, NW, what a delightful post. Does anybody else agree with me that our First Lady is getting more gorgeous by the day? Her look of radiance could only mean one thing, which should delight all of us: she’s happy.
Thanks, Ms. J’OB!
100% concur with your comment.
Boy, MoJo is really on Martinez’ case.
Good for them, but seems like few people are paying them (MoJo) much mind.
Hmm?
Just about all the GOP govs elected in 2010 have issues.
In MI. PA, IA, WI, OH, KS, NM, NV and SC.
I hope Dems wake up and help in defeating a great bunch of these fools.
Have you ever had the experience of remembering a random joke from years ago while you’re in the public eye and trying not to laugh or smile? And of course when you look up, there is someone looking back, seeing you smiling/laughing for no good reason?
I try to stay out of the public eye, Hopefruit. 😉
[Republicans] Will Stop Punching Themselves in the Face
Kevin Drum is right that non-participation in the Medicaid expansion is basically a tribal revolt against President Obama that has no policy merit, but the enormous difference in profitability for hospitals in red and blue states will eventually drive non-participation out of existence. Not only are blue state hospitals seeing a big downtick in uninsured patients and a big uptick in Medicaid patients (both phenomena are not evidenced in non-participating red states), but hospitals are no longer getting compensation from the federal government for treating the uninsured.
…………..snip………………..
But I think that logic (and economic self-interest) will win out here before too long.
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2014/5/12/154019/357
Without any doubt, VC, as we approach November it will be these facts that Dems can use to maul the #KOCHSTERS (aka Republicans). We just need to continue encouraging them to do so.
Hel-lo busy neighbour!
My hope is the Repubs won’t knock themselves out so early that they end up with enough time to recover a bit, or to have the purple bruises visible, before November.
I share that hope, oh ‘quiet one’ 🙂
🙂
oohh, I would love one of these! hook us up, meta 🙂
Seriously! I bet it smells and feels fantastic.
1st and Second for VC.
Congrats.
🙂 🙂 [Pretend these are two coy smiles.]
As Jay delivers his presser today 5-12-14
Foxx was present to talk about Transportation and Funding
An absolute ‘Must Read’ ….
First Lady Michelle Obama. Sigh. What a gift to this country, and to the world. After slowly slowly scrolling through these photos, I have no doubt it is the love, support, care and encouragement of this beautiful woman which keeps President Barack Obama going day after day after day. Her presence, her intelligence, her wit, her brilliant mind, her shining Soul energy there for all to witness. How sad for those who choose not to see.
For Mrs. Obama: http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=PBO
MP – you stated that thought so beautifully!
The inspiration comes solely from Mrs. Obama. She is a miracle in human form! ❤
Amen, MP! She is an incredible person!
A daily, ‘Must Read’ …
Dmitry Tymchuk’s Military Blog: Summary for May 12, 2014
http://maidantranslations.com/2014/05/12/dmitry-tymchuks-military-blog-summary-for-may-12-2014/
“Strelok” is a #TzarVlad employee …
I love this blog, Bob. Dmitry’s writing is so direct, forceful and honest, you feel you are in Ukraine and facing the reality of Russian terrorism with him. His is the opposite of diplomatic writing– no qualifiers, no hedging. It’s all out there and he doesn’t care who knows it.
MP, my exact sentiments.
As distinguish looking as he is, Michelle with the WHOLE package compliments him perfectly. Whenever I see them together I see them as one. He acts, reacts and seems so complete when she is around. The previous pics that were posted showing him whispering in her ear is just so lovely. When who never been held like that will either hate, be lea loud, find fault. Or ALL three…….
Such a great feeling to have your man playfully hold you and whisper sweet something or nothing in your ear. Too sweet for words….you have to experience it for yourselves.
I’ve thought the same, LDS. I often marvel that they were able to meet and now bless the world ‘as one’. I agree, PBO does seem more ‘complete’ when he’s with Michelle. My heart tugs for him when he’s on the long trips without her (like recently in Asia).
Uncle Joe/Elizabeth Warren 2016 – win/win
Yes!
You heard it here first.
That’s certainly my ‘dream ticket’ 🙂
Obama coalition/loony left (though she is sane and a populist). With PBO & MO on campaign trail, we might even flip some red states.
I suspect, thanks to women, young folk, AAs, Hispanics, LGBTs, etc., we could turn almost ever State Blue in 2016 – and keep it that way until a valid ‘opposition party’ emerged.
Yup, Warren would be a better choice than Hillary for those women voters seeking to empower women.
I’ve said it before, but if VP Biden doesn’t run, I’m all for an Martin O’Malley-Deval Patrick ticket.
True progressives like Biden-Warren, unlike HRC.
I am bothered that so many people who were with the Obama-Biden team (as field managers — discussed on an earlier thread) are now jumping ship to sign on with HRC. It’s wrong that they do this before the midterms.
I’ve broken my promise to myself to avoid getting sucked into 2016 discussions, but while I’m at it, here’s another predictable talking point (no doubt from HRC’s fainting spell after #Benghazi – I didn’t click on the article):
Ah yes, Karl Rove, the great brain specialist, speaking from an empty heart, a twisted twisted ideology and a shriveled spirit.
I don’t why sensible people still listen to Karl Rove and Dick Morris. I’ve never been impressed with Rove. He lost the 2000 election, but he was saved by Jeb Bush and Kathleen Harris who stole Florida with the acquiescence of the U.S. Supreme Court. He barely won the 2004 Bush re-election (there is credible evidence that Ken Blackwell helped him steal Ohio). He Predicted that Republicans would win the 2006 mid-term elections; instead they took a shellacking. He predicted a Romney win in 2012 which never materialized. As far as I am concerned, Rove is one of those overrated people. I see no evidence of his reputed political skills.
Mine, also.
Now, we are talking!
Meaning my “dream ticket” for JB/ EW……
I just cannot bear to hear Bill Clinton take all the credit for the hard work President Barack Obama is doing.
He can sit his dot. com ass down and play with his grandchild.
I have thought of that combo too or Martin O’Malley and Elizabeth Warren
Great choice!
New post.
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/05/12/the-president-and-vice-president-honor-the-nations-top-cops/
These Ukrainians are not going to succumb to FASCIST #TzarPutin …..
This is some awesome: