President Barack Obama holds a model used to show how polymers expand and learns how sand less sandbags that are the invention of Peyton Robertson, 12, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., work, while touring the 2014 White House Science Fair exhibits on display in the State Dining Room of the White House. Robertson designed a new kind of sandbag to protect against flooding from hurricanes and other disasters. President Obama was celebrating the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions from across the country
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Brownies from Tulsa, Ok talk to the President about their science project today pic.twitter.com/IVkjAhnTfa
— petesouza (@petesouza) May 28, 2014
'A 'Flood Proof' bridge made of Lego? Coooooooool!'
(Photo by @dougmillsnyt) pic.twitter.com/KT0TMSuY0d
— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) May 28, 2014
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President Barack Obama holds up a model of a flu “bug” as he looks over the flu research display of Eric Chen, 18, of San Diego, California
President Barack Obama poses for a photo with Karen Fan, 17, and Felege Gebru, 18, both of Newton, Massachusetts.
President Barack Obama listens to Elana Simon of New York explain her project about cancer
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ABC News: President Obama Unleashes His ‘Inner Nerd’ At White House Science Fair
President Obama today shined the spotlight on 100 students from 30 states whose work in science, technology and engineering he says should inspire others to excel in the field. “As a society, we have to celebrate outstanding work by young people in science at least as much as we do Super Bowl winners,” he said. Obama said this year’s White House science fair put special emphasis on “amazing girls and young women” to encourage more to pursue careers in science. “I have a confession to make. When I was growing up my science fair projects were not as successful as those here,” Obama joked.
Love that the president treats these science fair students like the rock stars they are #WHScienceFair #GirlsinSTEM http://t.co/olB2u4iExU
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Bobak Ferdowsi (@tweetsoutloud) May 27, 2014He said he killed a bunch of plants in one project; in another, he said mice escaped in his grandmother’s apartment. Obama also got an up close look at several of the exhibits. He tried on a “concussion helmet” designed by one young lady; chatted with three 6th graders about their “app” that helps disabled kids navigate from class to class at school; and viewed a robot designed by Natick, Mass., HS students that helps with icy water search and rescue. Obama tried and tested the robot, and the kids joked that he was now certified in ice rescue. “I love this event. This is one of my favorite things all year long,” Obama later told the crowd.
More here
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President Barack Obama poses with John Moore and Lidia Wolf of Chicago after they explained their FIRST robot project
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Alan Boyle: Obama Unleashes His Inner Geek (Again) At White House Science Fair
Science education went to the head of the class at the White House on Tuesday, with President Barack Obama announcing a $35 million competition for teacher training programs — and checking out an all-star lineup of science fair projects. “I love this event!” Obama told an audience of students, teachers and VIPs. “This is one of my favorite things all year long.” The president chatted with kids from more than two dozen science-fair teams as he made his way through the State Dining Room. “We’re so proud of you,” Obama told Elana Simon, an 18-year-old from New York who survived a bout with a rare liver cancer when she was 12 and developed a genetic database for patients with the same disease. “Can I just say, I did not do this at 12, 13, or 18. … This is just a sample of the kind of outstanding young talent that we’ve got.”
"We need to celebrate science fair winners...at least as much as we do Super Bowl winners." —Obama #WHScienceFair http://t.co/i0TU4jFpOh
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The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 27, 2014At one point, he lingered to play catch with a catapult that was built by a group of Massachusetts teens to study basketball shooting technique. “Last time I was here, there was a guy shooting marshmallows … that thing went fast!” Obama said, recalling a science-fair demonstration that went viral in 2012. The president looked up at the ceiling and joked, “That marshmallow might still be there.” Among this year’s announcements was the latest twist in Obama’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign to spark interest in science careers: an additional $35 million in grants, to be awarded competitively to programs that provide preparation and training for STEM teachers. Other newly announced initiatives included: Expansion of the STEM AmeriCorps program, which was launched at last year’s White House Science Fair, to provide learning opportunities for 18,000 low-income students this summer.
Obama: "We’re putting a special focus on all the inspiring girls and young women who are excelling in science." http://t.co/1lCofhloV4
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The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 27, 2014New mentoring programs in seven cities, supported by the public-private US2020 effort. The cities include Allentown, Pennsylvania; Chicago; Indianapolis; North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park; Philadelphia; San Francisco; and Wichita, Kansas. A nationwide campaign called “Aprender es Triunfar,” aimed at inspiring Latino STEM students. A centerpiece of the campaign, launched by NBC Universal’s Hispanic Enterprises and Content, is a new documentary film titled “Underwater Dreams.” A grant from Esri to make its cloud-based advanced mapping software available for free to more than 100,000 elementary, middle and high schools as part of the White House’s ConnectED Initiative. A series of interactive online lessons to help more students learn the math and science behind going to Mars, presented by Khan Academy and NASA.
More here
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President Barack Obama talks with Deidre Carillo, 18, of San Antonio, Texas, sitting in her electric car
President Barack Obama poses with Olivia Van Amsterdam and Katelyn Sweeney, both from Natick, Massachusetts, along with their rescue robot
Nicolas Badila of Jonesboro, Georgia, tells President Barack Obama how to play STEMville, a STEM video game
President Barack Obama poses for a photo with students from Los Fresnon, Texas. The students developed an app to help a visually-impaired student navigate their school.
Maria Hanes, 19, of Santa Cruz, California, has President Barack Obama pull back a cushioned helmet. Hanes was explaining how she developed a concussion cushion football helmet
President Barack Obama stands with Gerry McManus, 13, Daisjaughn Bass, 13, and Brooke Bohn, 14, all of Hudson, Massachusetts. The students showed Obama their basketball catapult.
President Barack Obama talks with Peyton Robertson, 12, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., about how his sandless sandbags work
President Barack Obama prepares to catch a basketball thrown by team member Brooke Bohn and her project, a basketball catapult
President Barack Obama talks with a 2nd grade Girl Scout Brownie troop from Tulsa, Oklahoma about their design for a “flood proof” bridge
The Obama Diary 
Nerd-Prez! 🙂
Nerd-in-Chief!!!!!
Thank yooooooou Nerdy, love, love, love these photos and videos!!!
Nerds Rule!
🙂 When I saw Nerdy’s post, I said to myself: “Dudette!:
😀 😀 😀
My heart sings while reading this post! Going back over everything in it for the umpteenth time! 🙂
Love it!
Love it!
Love it!
Thanks, Chips.
Science 😉
Au for HF2
Thanks Nena 🙂
Woot for Hf!
Ag for The Grand Empress Bouffee du Fromages
But of course also immorally first!
😀
Congrats on 1st hf!!!
Yet another spectacular post by NW!!! Thank you!!
Thanks Bob! 🙂
Barack Obama, The Science President!
Oh, how I love that man! 😀
Ukrainians make a liar out of Putin
Elections reveal the far right is dead in Ukraine. The European Union is a different story.
Michael Petrou
May 26, 2014
Election results are in and it turns out Vladimir Putin was right all along: The far right is on the rise, enjoying support and electoral success it hasn’t seen in decades.
The Russian president did get one detail wrong, however. It’s in Ukraine where he’s been warning a fascist takeover is imminent, using the supposed threat to justify invading and annexing Crimea following a pro-European revolution that toppled his ally, Viktor Yanukovych, in February. Russian media still overflows with news of the menace posed by right-wing and anti-Semitic extremists hell-bent on crushing the democratic rights of ethnic Russian Ukrainians. Such messaging forms the backdrop to Russia’s continuing, if unacknowledged, intervention in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists are waging a low-level insurrection against the central government in Kyiv.
Unfortunately for Putin, Ukraine’s presidential election on Sunday has debunked his narrative. Oligarch Petro Poroshenko, a chocolate tycoon and decidedly centrist candidate, easily won on the first ballot, earning more than 50 per cent of the vote. His election reflects Ukrainians’ desire for stability and peace. Poroshenko has come to power thanks to the revolutionary movement that drove Yanukovych from office, and he will likely soon sign the Association Agreement with the European Union that Yanukovych would not. But Poroshenko has also said that relations with Russia are a priority. It would take most fantastical sort of propaganda to portray him as a radical. So far even Moscow hasn’t tried.
More at the link: http://www.macleans.ca/news/world/ukrainians-make-a-liar-out-of-putin/
I thought this analysis was interesting.
….When the dust settles from the elections for seats in the European Parliament, the Left will emerge intact and renewed. The biggest loser is the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) which includes members from the French Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) and Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union. The public responded to their default public policy of fiscal austerity. The EPP lost 61 of its seats, almost a quarter of them. However, it will remain the largest single political group in the incoming Parliament….
….When the European Parliament convenes, it could very well be with its representatives on the far-right disorganized and unable to form a political group…..
Thank you, TME. It’s an important and fortunate fact that, though countries like Denmark, France, Austria and others have seen an increase in radically nationalistic, right wing political growth, the Left have prevailed. What’s truly lovely is that Ukraine emerges a model for the type of European Union partner that complements and strengthens the EU Left.
“Ukraine: A Far Cry From Europe’s Far Right
Kyiv, 27 May, 2014. An early presidential election took place in Ukraine on May 25. Despite ongoing instability and violence in the east of the country, a record-breaking turnout of voters – more than 61% – came out to vote nationwide. According to preliminary results, the vast majority of Ukrainians – nearly 60% – have voted for Petro Poroshenko, an active participant in the Euromaidan protests and a multi-millionaire businessman. The two far-right nationalist parties, Svoboda and Right Sector, received less than 2 percent of the votes between them. These results debunk the Kremlin-sponsored myth about neo-Nazis coming to power in Ukraine.
The May 25 presidential elections ended a transitional period in Ukrainian politics: since former president Viktor Yanukovych fled the country in late February, Ukraine has been governed by an Acting Head of State, an Acting Prime Minister and an Acting Government. Under these circumstances, with only the Parliament being without the prefix “Acting”, some have raised questions about the legitimacy of Ukraine’s institutions of power.
Others, primarily Russian propagandists and their apologists in the West, have gone even further, stating that Ukraine’s new government was not only illegitimate, but nationalist and fascist. To justify their blatant propagandistic rhetoric, the Kremlin’s advocates pointed to an alleged dominance of ultra-right political forces in the government, allegedly formed at gun-point by the “radical” leaders of the Euromaidan protests.
The prime targets of the “outbreak of fascism in Ukraine” line of argument were the Ukrainian nationalist party Svoboda and the radical revolutionary movement Right Sector. Over the last six months both have been vilified and demonized – largely unjustly – by Putin’s propaganda and its western stooges.
More at the link: http://euromaidanpr.com/2014/05/27/ukraine-a-far-cry-from-europes-far-right/
Tzar Vlad’s hackers, caught ….
“SSU: Russia is behind hacking of the website of the CEC and CEC system “Elections”
“The attacks were launched mostly from the territory of the Russian Federation using botnets,” – stated the Ukrainian Security Service.
SSU have reported that they arrested a group of hackers in Kyiv, who tried to break informational system of CEC. Technical means, including complex of monitoring and hacking internet networks, as well as specialized Russian software were confiscated from them.
Two servers, which were infected by the virus were identified and blocked in Vinnitsa; they were rented by a Russian citizen. “Intruders, by hacking, gained access to the servers hosting provider “Besthosting” and generated a powerful DDOS-attack on the CEC website (over 200,000 packets per second),” – says the SSU.
In addition to that the SSU and members of the CEC identified and neutralised a virus tab, which was introduced into the electronic data processing system. It was supposed to show victory of Dmitro Yarosh on the elections, which was announced by the channel “Perviy”.”
More at the link: http://inforesist.org/ssu-russia-is-behind-hacking-of-the-website-of-the-cec-and-cec-system-elections/?lang=en
Unbelievable! Either Putin has taken lessons from the GOP on how to change election results or the GOP learned from Russia. In any case, I’m thrilled that Ukrainians recognized and neutralized this outrageous Russian interference in their election.
Our President is so awesome. We could count the ways but would run out of numbers.
The President looks so happy and at home with these smart kids.
What a pleasant change from the dunces in the WHPC and repubs in congress he is aften compelled to spend his days with.
Hello, my beautiful Chips. Thanks for all of the beautiful and brilliant contributors you have with you in this beautiful haven.
Our Nerd-in-Chief again did a brilliant showcase of the brilliant minds in our nation. These young minds gave a sweet dose of intellectual grace to my heart and mind today.HZ
{{{{{{{{HZ}}}}}}} Endless love and hugs to you, our beloved HZ!!
This!!!!!!!!
I’m must’ve said something untoward:
🙂 What have you done to provoke the sheeple, LL?
Can’t think of a thing.
😀
Co-sign. 😆
🙂
Bringing this forward from the previous post. I put this comment in after the link for this new one.
….”It’s not that people haven’t brought this up before, it’s just the word ‘secret’ lists blew it up in the media,” Vietnam Veterans of America’s Richard Weidman said in an interview. “They weren’t secret, they were handwritten” logs kept aside from computerized scheduling. “People should stop the hysteria and say what the root of this problem is.”
The problem, according to Weidman and several other veteran service organizations, is there are not enough medical personnel to meet the demand for VA health care. Several of the groups have complained for years that the VA budget — though continually rising — is too small to provide enough doctors, medical centers and services….
Why do I keep hearing Rev Wright’s words. Who by the way was a Hospital Corpman in the ’60’s.
FLOTUS said,that he last thing we can do is play politics with our kids health. And I agree.
^5
And sadly the 2nd largest school dist. in Illinois—–north suburban Chicago—- just voted to drop out of the new lunch program, saying they will lose money even as they lose the $900,000 subsidy with the program.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-05-09/news/chi-arlington-heights-district-214-votes-to-leave-national-school-lunch-program-20140508_1_reduced-price-meals-reduced-price-meals-smart-snacks
How much will it cost to deal with disease due to kids being obese? North suburban Chicago, let me guess, mostly white schools. Am I wrong, if so I apologize.
The Trek rules too! 😀
Wow. That is Fantastic.
Star Trek
I have 2 bros who loved those shows in the 1970s……..We had 2 TVs. Colored in the Living-room and B&W in the basement. They insisted on watching the show on the Color TV. The show finally got me 😉 to start watching, though never as religiously as my two brothers.
Live Long and Prosper! 🙂
I love the WH Science Fair. Considering that we have a political party that hates science, I love seeing this President respecting science and encouraging these young minds.
GE all….I cannot keep up! I am still at “A President Who Cares” so it will be a while before I catch up with everyone.
Just want to say, thank you to all the BTs for keeping us all updated and informed. Without this blog, I probably would be watching CNN!
This is not so surprising. The Upshot notes that David Axelrod is in London working on Ed Milliband’s Labour (Democrat-like) campaign.
Jim Messina is working for David Cameron’s RW conservative party.
Jim Messina is also working for the Waiting for Hillary campaign. Talk about a “hired gun!”
If your last name wasn’t Obama, the Republicans might be on your side FLOTUS. Sad to say these Republicans are lead by racists stupid people.
Things that use to make common sense to people, it doesn’t any more because all these Republicans see is we don’t want Michelle Obama telling us what to feed our kids.
How evil do you have to be to try to prevent/block kids and schools from making healthier choices just out of political spite?
Same sort of evil that supports gun violence, refuses to pass job bills, veteran support bills, prevents the poorest getting health care, gives to the rich and takes from the poor.
Lots of the other things as well – and they only care about children before they are born.
And still people vote for them & support them – weird world.
Toon.
http://bobcesca.thedailybanter.com/blog-archives/2014/05/a-poorly-regulated-militia.html
Try as I might not to like this guy, he gets cool points every now and then.
🙂
Go Rafa!
Go Serena!
FREEDUMB!!
http://www.abc15.com/news/region-northern-az/payson/pd-toddler-accidentally-shot-killed-by-3-year-old-sibling-in-payson-
This must stop!
Let there be no doubt, there are some AWESOME young folk out there. I hope these old ass flat earth, knuckle draggers don’t dampen their spirit.
^5 on that Sailor!
^5! 🙂
Salute!
^5. 🙂
It’s great to have a president that really enjoys talking STEM and meeting with young people. Just as a measure of how important he thinks it is, besides his interactions with the young people and their projects, you have to look at the time he’s spending with them. A President’s day is extremely scheduled, almost to the minute, and having this sizable block of time designated for this is one of the signs that he places major importance on it. 😀 I can’t remember any other president doing this/
Just as a contrast, back during my military days, one of my friends was detailed off to act as an escort for the (then) Westinghouse science award winners. Their “meet the President” (Reagan) was, as he put it, “We were supposed to have them lined up on the South Lawn, the President would exit the White House and wave to them on the way to Marine One.” 🙄 To Reagan’s credit, what he did was “break the script” and come over to shake everyone’s hands and talk to them for a few minutes. Still, that was about the interest level in science and technology. A brief “hello, congrats, goodbye.” 😦 So it’s really incredible to see this President not only block out the time, but actually love doing it!
Best President Ever!
Oh, I forgot to tell all of you what I had for dinner Sunday: My mother’s world famous paella. Finished off with a wonderful pinot grigio.
Yum! Love ’em both!
This is kind of embarrassing, but also glorious, LL: the last time I had paella was in Barcelona in 1999 (15 years ago this flippin week!), before that rather famous Champions League final between United and Bayern. I still smile at the memory of the disgruntled United fans beside me, in the Gods of the stadium, leaving before Sheringham and Solskjaer did their thing. 🙂
It’s on my bucket list to have paella in Barca and see if it stacks up to my mom’s.
(Confession: I felt a little ill after. But not as much as Bayern 😎 )
‘in Barcelona …. (15 years ago this flippin week!’
😯 I can’t believe your mom let you go overseas to watch football at 7yrs old!!! I’m suddenly reminded of that red-faced 5/6/7yr old boy that you love to post – the one sticking his finger in the air at a football match. I am really surprised that she felt you were mature enough to make the trip to Barcelona! Wonders never cease. 😉
😆
Yea, that’s the one! See how quickly you located it? /smh – looks no older than 7yrs./
Hey, he’s my identical twin!
😀 😀 I don’t doubt you. I’ve seen you display similar expressiveness (of a more positive nature of course) on occasion.
I’m way more tame than my twin though, VC – he’s a rowdy rascal. And I always use two fingers instead of one. 🙂
I never noticed it before, but his hair does have a greenish tint. Hmmmmm.
LOl! 😀
Is this kid for real? Growing up if my mom saw me doing that, I wouldn’t have a finger to ever do it again.
Awww!
These kids were exceptional today. Each of their projects were born out of not only curiosity but a desire to contribute to the greater good. A total inspiration.
I also heard my POTUS say he had a flu bug for about 3 weeks. I mean, WOW. He could have fooled all of us by the look and tempo of his schedule. He’s incredible!
Ahem, hopefruit and i noticed the cough last week, not that it stopped our indefatigable President.
I hope these girls realize what an awesome photo they have with POTUS!
I bet they do!
Joey! Dudette! (Plus other favorite people! Ha – wouldn’t want to play only two of my favorites.)
This guy is ALWAYS wrong – yet the media have his talking points on view over and over and over again
Fact ….
TODers, please RT
http://www.freep.com/article/20140527/NEWS06/305270128/michigan-senate-gary-peters-terri-lynn-land-poll
Peters, a Democratic congressman from Bloomfield Township, held a 44%-38% lead over Republican Land with 18% undecided in an exclusive poll of 600 likely Michigan voters done for the Free Press, WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) and our statewide media polling partners EPIC-MRA of Lansing May 17-20. And the overall margin is largely attributable to a whopping 14-percentage-point advantage Peters had among women.
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In South Dakota……A State to Watch for what happened in MN in 1998 when Jesse Ventura won the Gubernatorial race.
There will be 3 running. A TBGOPer, a GOPer running as an Independent and a Dem. The state is less than 900K with eligible voters in midterm elections averaging less than 300K.
A Dem could win. Or the former GOPer who has said that he would compromise and get things done if elected.
Re: Peters. And rightfully so. That Terri Lynn Land is crazy as hell. Everytime I go view something on YouTube I see her stupidazz political ad. What a joke she is. Talking about “Let’s get to work in Washington” We know good and well she will on sit on her butt with the rest of the GOP and vote no on everything. I will be working hard to make sure, that she will never get Levin’s old senate seat.
Ya gotta luv the stoopid assed press. They would pass gas at a funeral if they thought they could get a story.
Let me watch and see if POTUS snap at that reporter.
Okay I watch it and don’t look like he snap at the reporter to me. He said I’m sorry, this is a science fair, common on. Now I am a supporter of POTUS, and if he snap at the reporter I wouldn’t be afraid to say he did. POTUS is not perfect, he have bad days, this is much to do about nothing.
The president was direct, and maybe blunt but he did not snap….these assholes need to deal with me to know when someone snapped at them.
OHHHH my Goodness
Wow, this guys is something else!
Thank you for posting this, pf58!!
“Even for a pope widely recognized as ebullient and spry, the three-day trip to the Holy Land must have been exhausting. It included helicopter rides, hand-kissing, tomb visits, gentle diplomacy that may boost peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis, and even an argument with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over what language Jesus spoke.
So when Francis finally climbed aboard his plane Monday night to return to Rome, a Vatican spokesman told reporters to keep the questions short. The pope had to rest.
But 77-year-old Francis, looking alert, was having none of that. And in what turned into one of the more freewheeling exchanges of Francis’s 15 months as pontiff, he took an hour of questions that touched on sexual assault victims, celibate priests and whether he had plans for retirement. Both the candor and the impromptu nature with which he responded are likely to expand his growing reputation as the most tolerant, iconoclastic pope of the past 40 years.
The church has “zero tolerance” for sexual abuse …”
More good stuff at the link: http://t.co/KgdwLMD3d8
!!!!!!!!
“His gestures to presidents Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas had been “spontaneous.” In a surprising diplomatic gambit, Francis asked the Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Sunday to travel to the Vatican next month to pray together. And even more surprisingly, both men accepted, rekindling hopes for resuming peace talks that collapsed last month.”
ibid
I believe the Pope referred to it as “come to my house for a visit,” although he lives in a hotel, shunning the trappings of the papal palace at the Vatican.
I can’t wait to tell my liberal Catholic coworker tomorrow!
These girls are from Tulsa…just up the turnpike from me. They got good coverage on our local news this evening.
On The Comcast home page
Snowden Speaks Out: ‘I Was Trained as a Spy’
He’s speaking out against those people saying he wasn’t a spy. What say you Attorney General Holder?
http://a.disquscdn.com/get?url=http%3A%2F%2Fedge2.politicususa.netdna-cdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F04%2Feric-holder.jpg&key=kfFkhidQbM0l-MZkvHvy9g&w=480&h=290.6744791666667
allright I never tweet stuff like this but this but I clicked on play and it was so heart warming and made me a little weepy so I’m sharing. That’s my story and I sticking to it. sniff.
oh wah. it doesn’t work. but trust me it’s about two old friends being reunited. very nice.
this both breaks my heart and fills it up. sooo moving… thanks alice.
Shouldn’t it be a black cub, just kidding.
awwww. lookit. soo cute. 😀
White tiger cubs are rare just like our President…..what an honor.
So are black tiger cubs, just like our President. Excuse me, but it’s just me, I don’t see what’s such an honor to have a cat name after you.
LL’s new post:
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/05/27/the-permanent-dccc-freakout/