****
Your March Winner:
President Obama with Pope Francis at the Vatican
****
Your April Winner:
Carolina Garcia Delfin, 94, a Filipina nurse who fought in the resistance against Japanese forces during World War II, kisses President Obama after he mentioned her in his remarks to American and Philippine troops at Fort Bonifacio in Manila, Philippines (Photo by Pete Souza)
****
May
(1) President Obama greets 95-year-old Lewis Coffield, a retired U.S. Army Corporal and “buffalo soldier,” at Stewart Air National Guard Base prior to departure from Newburgh, N.Y., May 28, 2014. With them is fellow “buffalo soldier” Sanders H. Matthews, Sr., 93, a retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant (Photo by Pete Souza)
(2) First Lady Michelle Obama tours the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kan., May 16, 2014. Stephanie Kyriazis, Chief of Interpretation and Education, leads the tour (Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
(3) First Lady Michelle Obama and student performers react to seeing President Barack Obama as he drops by the White House Talent Show, hosted with the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, in the East Room of the White House, May 20, 2014 (Photo by Pete Souza)
(4) President Obama hold Silas McComb, son of Sean McComb, National Teacher of the Year, and Sarah McComb, in the Blue Room prior to the Teacher of the Year event in the East Room of the White House, May 1, 2014 (Photo by Pete Souza)
(5) President Barack Obama hugs children participating in the White House Healthy Kids & Safe Sports Concussion Summit, in the the East Garden Room of the White House, May 29, 2014. The President met with the group indoors when their South Lawn event was canceled due to weather (Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
(6) A soldier hugs President Obama following his remarks at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Sunday, May 25, 2014 (Photo by Pete Souza)
(7) President Obama greets guests during a Federal Judges Association reception in the East Room of the White House, May 6, 2014 (Photo by Pete Souza)
(8) President Barack Obama kisses First Lady Michelle Obama during her remarks at an Affordable Care Act reception in the East Room of the White House, May 1, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
(9) President Obama greets children as he walks back to the White House from the Department of Interior in Washington, D.C., May 21, 2014 (Photo by Pete Souza)
(10) First Lady Michelle Obama joins students from Lame Deer Junior High School for a group photo in the China Room of the White House, prior to the White House Talent Show hosted with the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, May 20, 2014 (Photo by Amanda Lucidon)
****
June
(1) President Obama walks to lunch at Chipotle restaurant with, from left, Shirley Young, Lisa Rumain, Shelby Ramirez and Roger Trombley before he attends the White House Summit on Working Families in Washington, D.C., June 23, 2014 (Photo by Pete Souza)
(2) President Obama greets Zoe Mahan, daughter of Hunter and Kandi Mahan, during a reception for the 2013 President’s Cup championship golf teams in the Blue Room of the White House, June 24, 2014 (Photo by Pete Souza)
(3) WWII veterans greet President Obama following the 70th French-American Commemoration D-Day Ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, June 6, 2014 (Photo by Pete Souza)
(4) President Barack Obama visits with a departing United States Secret Service agent and his wife as their son dives into a couch in the Oval Office, June 23, 2014 (Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
(5) First Lady Michelle Obama delivers remarks at a private memorial service for Dr. Maya Angelou at Wake Forest University’s Wait Chapel in Winston-Salem, N.C., June 7, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
(6) President Obama jokes with a youngster while walking down Grand Avenue in St. Paul, Minn., June 26, 2014 (Photo by Pete Souza)
(7) President Obama, with First Lady Michelle Obama, greets a young boy during the Cannon Ball Flag Day Celebration at the Cannon Ball powwow grounds during a visit to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Reservation in Cannon Ball, N.D., June 13, 2014 (Photo by Pete Souza)
(8) President Barack Obama kisses a baby girl as he and Vice President Joe Biden greet wounded warriors and their families during their tour in the East Room of the White House, June 23, 2014 (Photo by Pete Souza)
(9) President Obama greets WWII veterans on stage during the 70th French-American Commemoration D-Day Ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, June 6, 2014 (Photo by Pete Souza)
(10) President Barack Obama greets introducer Rebekah Erler’s son before delivering remarks on the economy at the Lake Harriet Bandshell in Minneapolis, Minn., June 27, 2014 (Photo by Pete Souza)
The Obama Diary 
Hello Chips and TOD.
First Lady Michelle Obama reacts while talking on the phone to children across the country as part of the annual NORAD Tracks Santa program. Mrs. Obama answered phone calls from Kailua, Hawaii, Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)
Congrats JER on First 🙂
Now, I’ll go up and try to pick a couple of winners
Goooooooood evening BFF!!
Congrats JER 🙂 Hope you and your loved ones having been enjoying a great holiday celebration.
So many fantastic photos!!! Each is a winner!!
1. Why is this annoying, torturous, serves no purpose, computer destroying, gross snow back?
2. To those writing crap about Chelsea, I laugh at you. Why? Because it’s clear you want your team to be as great as Chelsea and it’s not. Your team sucks. It’s just a fact of life.
3. Why is this snow back?
😆 Hellooooooo Nerdy!!
Did you give in again?
Snow I didn’t, because Nerdy will probably spend the rest of the day watching Wayne Rooney videos, so it’s safe to flurry on.
Sorry, sometimes it shows up on work computer and sometimes it doesn’t. I do know that it does seem to affect some of the cheap stuff some people use, but who cares.
Japa, what has happened you, you have already earned whatever the opposite of the Nobel Peace Prize is 😆
Sorry, I get cranky when I don’t have enough sleep. Specially when someone else keeps trying to take away the pleasure of others.
Grumpy Cat to the rescue.
I HATE the snow effect with the heat of a thousand suns.
I’m all, to TODers who enjoy this computer slow-down destroying snow, go out and buy fake snow. Pour it on your head. Twirl and dance as you scream “Yay…..SNOW!” and stop torturing the rest of us. 🙂
Nerdy, I really wish you’d stop beating about the bush and make your feelings on the snow clear!1!1! 😆
I LOVE the snow!
Oooops! NW is back – Chips – quick – turn it off!!!
I LOVE the snow, too!
Damn, these choices get more and more difficult. After having both of my choices rejected for January and February by the rest of the community, it was good to see that TOD showed better discretion for March and April. I voted, but it was difficult narrowing these two months down. I am not looking forward to the picture of the year.
I have already made my choice for Photo of the Year, japa21, so it had better be the one I’m thinking of. 🙂 The poll for it is a way out yet. This is what VC has done to us, isn’t it?? VC???
Much as I like VC, at times she has the ability to drive people crazy.
I feels she took a lot of pleasure in this particular torture. It truly is hard to choose only one for each month!
Oops, Japa, I forgot to let you know earlier that you do have a valid point, though I do use the ability sparingly.
Oh, and my vote for picture of the year has already met its fate.
Lololol actually I am enjoying these they remind me of events that i had forgotten. As for the pics I am even. ❇
PF ~ how did you make that cool golden brown star?
What snow?
Oh Danny! I hope Santa got away on time…..
BTW, it is wonderful to see the snow is back. Since I am not seeing any of the real stuff here in Chicago, I use TOD to get my snow fix.
I am sorry but these are way too hard to pick from.. I love them all, am tearing up from some- and I’ve seen them before.
Oh my. The choices are clearly getting tougher, Chips and VC! Beautiful, all.
And Jacqueline, the crazy thing is I am taking my votes so seriously I’m agonizing for hours, like it will change the course of global politics!!! 🙂
It may! Not me, I’m just cringing and wishing I could pick two or three or more, then I vote for one. Harder than a general election!
‘the crazy thing is I am taking my votes so seriously’
Hel-looo, Chips! You do get that you are only allowed ONE VOTE (not votes) per month, right? So that when you take your ‘votes so seriously’ you **are** referring to the aggregate, right? I wouldn’t want there to be any confusion.
VC!!! (yes, I am shouting)
You cannot make it difficult for us to only pick one, then give us grief when we complain!!!###@@!!!!!!
😀 Tut-tut-tut! Language, please.
psst! I am actually not giving *you* grief. 😉 😉
I am one who’s complaining so yes, you are giving *me* grief 🙂
If you read it again, you’ll see that my grief giving is very targeted. 😉 Especially because I know I can’t take on all of you. 😀
Of course, now that I think of it, I do have a vague memory that a TODobot (or two) whom I won’t name at this time, was trying to sneak in two votes during that preliminary round. Hmmm
*I* know nuttin! 😀
Hi TOD, happy holidays again. I am sorry but I have to say that this getting quite ridiculous, thank you VC and Chips for the wonderful photos but with each month it is getting harder to choose which are my favourite photos and I am getting quite frustrated, thank God Manchester United won otherwise my evening would have been ruined! (Glory Glory Man United……) 🙂
See, that it what I said, before I saw your comment, Sophia. No opinion on football….
Dang it. This voting with so many to choose from, is really hard!! ❤
😆 Truly, this voting is ruining everyone’s Christmas, MightyP!!
Well, maybe not ‘ruining’, close tho. I don’t think anyone expected such a massive challenge during the ‘holiday’. Then again, all this glory speaks volumes about what a beyond the pale Presidency Barack Obama is creating, has created, and will continue to create. So, when does the world end, exactly: January 20th, 2017? {{{{{ Chipsticks ❤ }}}}}
Holidays
Kwanzaa The seven-day festival celebrating African heritage begins. It was started in 1966 by social activist Maulana Karenga. Kwanzaa is Swahili for “first fruit.”
Events
1996 JonBenét Murder Case The Ramsey’s discover their daughter is missing and a three-page ransom note. Her body was later found in the wine cellar.
1967 Magical Mystery Tour by the Beatles is first broadcast, on BBC-TV, later released in the U.S. as a movie.
1931 First musical play to win a Pulitzer George Gershwin’s Of Thee I Sing opens in New York City.
1929 Comics Sea Hag debuts in the Popeye comic strip.
1908 First black heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson becomes champ when he KO’s Tommy Burns.
1865 First coffee percolator is patented, by inventor James H. Nason.
1776 Battle of Trenton Gen. Washington captures 1,000 Hessian troops during the American Revolution.
Births
1974 Tiffany Brissette American actress. TV: Small Wonder (Vicki the robot).
1939 Phil Spector American music producer, “Tycoon of Teen,” developed the “Wall of Sound” recording technique. In 2009, he was convicted of the 2003 shooting death of Lana Clarkson in his home. Music: You’ve Lost the Lovin’ Feeling (producer/co-writer. It is the most played song in the U.S.).
1927 Alan King (Irwin Kniberg), American comedian, appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show a record 83 times.
1921 Steve Allen American comedian, songwriter. TV: The Tonight Show (1954, creator and its first host).
1914 Richard Widmark American actor. Film: Kiss of Death (1947) and Madigan (1968).
1893 Mao Tse-tung d. 1976 Chinese Communist leader, “Founding Father” of the People’s Republic of China.
1893 Robert LeRoy Ripley d. 1949 American cartoonist, created Believe-It-or-Not (1918). Note: He claimed his birthday was Dec 25, believe it or not.
1891 Henry Miller d. 1980 American novelist. Writings: Tropic of Cancer (1931) and Tropic of Capricorn (1939).
1837 George Dewey d. 1917 American naval officer, noted for his spectacular defeat of the Spanish at Manilla Bay during the Spanish-American War (1898). He was the first U.S. admiral (1899).
1792 Charles Babbage d. 1871 English mathematician. He designed a mechanical digital computer, although it was never built.
1738 Thomas Nelson d. 1789 American patriot, signer of the Declaration of Independence, governor of Virginia (1781).
Deaths
2005 Vincent Schiavelli b. 1948 American actor. Film: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982, Mr. Vargas the biology teacher), Ghost (1990, the sad-eyed subway ghost). TV: The Corner Bar (Peter Panama, the first sustained gay character on network American TV). His distinctive looks were due to Marfan syndrome.
1986 Elsa Lanchester b. 1902 (Elizabeth Sullivan), English singer, actress. Film: The Bride of Frankenstein (1935, the blushing bride).
1974 Jack Benny b. 1894 (Benjamin Kubelsky), American comedian, famed for his violin concertos.
1972 Harry S Truman b. 1884 33rd U.S. President (1945-53) and 34th U.S. Vice-President.
1931 Melvil Dewey b. 1851 American librarian, creator of the Dewey Decimal System (1876).
1831 Stephen Girard b. 1750 French philanthropist, founder of Girard College at Philadelphia and for whom Girard, Ohio is named..
418 Saint Zozimus b. ???? Greek-born religious leader, 41st Pope (417-418).
268 Saint Dionysius b. ???? religious leader, 25th Pope (259-268).
Thank yoooooou Shipmate!!
I always feel sorry for people like Saint Dionysius and Saint Zozimus when their birth days are unknown, no can celebrate them for them 😦
I think it might have something to do with the fact most of us can’t pronounce their names 😯
😆 I just call them Zoz and Dion!
Good idea! 😀
Too sad there are many more like them…..Good afternoon by the way……..Back to lurking I go. 🙂
Afternoon Sailor 🙂
Yardarm, my grandfather had a bronze bust of boxer Jack Johnson. He was so proud of him. In later years, I understood that pride. Thanks for that memory.
Don’t thank me. JJ did the work that we have sometimes forgotten to continue…….We must NEVER forget that there is a segment of the population that has/will spend an inordinate amount of energy/time subverting any and all attempts for a rise to parity!
This!
AMEN!
Dang, love all these pictures but HATE having to choose. Just sayin’……………… 🙂 🙂 🙂
**** Chips****** Smartypants came for you:)
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2014/12/jock-vs-geek-settledi-win.html
California tourism ad on BT Sport 1 in the UK. WINNING.
Boy, these two months are harder than the others. I would be happy with any of them.
Tell me about it! ❤
I get it. Y’all are trying to make my head explode while trying to choose a favorite picture. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? I’ve got to choose only one? NO WAY!!!
😆 It’s hellish, isonprize!!!!!
Congrats on the Manchester United win Chips! What a fabulous Xmas present! You must have been very good this year 🙂
These are in honor of the 3 Man U goals:
A bauble for every goal, woooooooot – thank you MadameSoph!!!! 🙂
Wow MadameSoph, these are pretty cute. 🙂
Sounds like you are contemplating them for next year’s Xmas tree, GGail 🙂
Gooooooooal MadameSoph 😀
VC, so far I think May is the toughest month of all to choose just one photo. I wanted to say yes to every one of them. Our President and FLOTUS are just too darned photogenic.
😀 JackieG, I’m beginning to think we may have to put all the featured pictures together to form one pic** of PBO, then label *that* TOD’s 2014 Pic of the Year’
** Something like photographer Anne Savage did in 2008 (and again in 2012, I think).
↓
http://content.time.com/time/person-of-the-year/2008/
Yea, she did it again in 2012.
http://photos.annesavagephotography.com/obama_poster.html
Oh now, after countless complaints, you discover an alternate…was this your plan all along? 🙂
😀 😀 We-ell, I wouldn’t know *how* to put them together. What do you think?
Seriously though, isn’t this the fun-est way to recap the year? I actually think this ‘Picture of the Month/Year’ feature goes beautifully with the 2014 Memorable Moments as end of year treats!
Off to eat – BRB.
I gave the 2008 poster to my son’s mom in law for Christmas.. she cried 🙂 and loved it. I still need to buy the 2012 one for myself.
Very nice gift, Sheri! I remember thinking at the time the first one came out ‘how neat’, especially after I read that the faces were all legit, and I still think so.
oh yes the posters are amazing.. and definitely all made up of the faces of folks – pretty spectacular.
Upon closer inspection, I would not like this arrangement.
Why not?
I was unable to click and fully see the photo I chose
Okay
Our pics are of PBO or FLOTUS and someone or many ones and I’m not sure we would get the whole wonderful scene of a pic this way. Am I explaining this clearly?
Oh yeah, you are. I wasn’t really serious with my hide-all-behind-one suggestion. I get these momentary inspirations from time to time and this one seemed ideal to use as a distraction. 😉
Oh Youuuuuuu! 😀
🙂 🙂 If I were in the mood to imitate a friend of the village I would say … #missionaccomplished.
You just did
A-hem.
Great idea, VC! I’ve always been in favor of all the above pics.
Hello, Nathk, nice to see you in person. 😉 😉
Of course I glanced at the clock as I typed that – it’s after midnight and I hadn’t even realized it! I think I will shuffle off ….soon.
Great, moving photos all! Hard to pick a best one.
I’m sitting here with a cup of tea, thinking we are only up to June. May switch to wine early today….
😀 😀 Let it be known *I* am not the one driving you to drink.
The oicture for May and June 2014 are awesome. For May 2014, I chose what will likely be an iconic picture for race relations in this country. For June, I chose the picture of the President kissing the forehead of the infant girl because it was almost as if he kissed her spirit and in so doing he passed the torch of his great legacy into her spirit.
{{{{{ idon ❤ }}}}}
This is definitely All. Of. The. Above. Gah! Babies and old people! I picked the elderly veteran kissing his hand, because after all the disdain and disrespect he gets, much of it from older white males, it is beautiful to see the love and respect from this man. And I picked the photo of him kissing FLOTUS. It’s such a warm moment. She often looks a a teeny bit embarrassed about his PDAs (or at least she used to – it’s endearing because he obviously doesn’t care) and in this one she just looks so happy and cherished. It is very hard but I am enjoy this and the SNOW!!!! 😀 😀 😀 😀
I can only say that each month get better and better. 🙂
I too love the one of PBO kissing FLOTUS. You can see the love and respect there. I know of no other First Couple who are such wonderful role models.
It’s the way the media demonizes the black community while acting like cops are pure white knights that can do no wrong.
If this is the best the cop-killer supporters can do, tweet photos of the wrong boy/man to demonize the victims, well, that says it all.
Anything to stir up those who are easily manipulated. They see that we are not as outraged about this shooting as they want us to be. We are waiting for the investigation on this one.
There was a news report this morning about two women in a parking structure at one of our popular Hollywood shopping center fighting. One of the women had a baseball bat that she was swinging and hitting a scooter with. When mall security call LAPD, the woman with the bat pulled out a gun. She was shot by the police officer…in the leg and wounded. The investigation is under way.
I would like to see more officers re-trained in this less than lethal means to difuse a situation.
Fierce!!!!
““They are holding not only me, but many more Ukrainians. If they release the other abducted Ukrainians, take their hands off of Crimea and Ukraine, then they can shoot away at me in public for the joy of it” – Savchenko wrote in her first written interview from jail in Moscow, UNIAN reports.
“Ukraine has never been of less worth than Russia. We were, we are, we will be Ukraine and Ukrainians! We have our own history, culture and identity. There is no need to humiliate us, to call us ‘Little Russians,’ ‘Novorossiya.’ We – are Ukrainians, we – are Ukraine! We are not your ‘smaller brothers,’ we are your equals,”– stressed Savchenko.”
OK, finished voting for my photo choices – again a very hard decision to make from amongst so many gorgeous ones
—–
THAT’S NOT A GOLF COURSE…THAT’S PARADISE!…WELL…TO HIM IT’S A GOLF COURSE…THERE IS NO WAY I COULD PUT A HOLE IN THAT GREEN UNLESS I PLANTED ROSES IN IT……………MEN!!!!!…THAT IS TOO GORGEOUS TO RUN OVER WITH A GOLF BALL…HOPE HE’S USING VELVET CLUBS AND THE CADDY IS WEARING BALLERINA SLIPPERS!
Check out this photo of the President posted in Instagram today by Pete Souza. It’s a great photo, but read Pete’s explanation on why he decided not to use it… http://instagram.com/p/xFq8KxtNPg/
Pete Souza will have to release eight volumes of photos of documenting pictures of President Obama and First Lady and I would buy all eight. He is an excellent photographer with so much professionalism. I love all the pictures of PBO he has posted…not a bad one in the bunch. I just love Pete Souza.
New post:
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/12/26/2014-japas-most-memorable-moments/
I love this time of year when it snows on WordPress blogs. Call me sentimental.