Children wave at President Barack Obama’s motorcade as he visits Phoenix on Jan. 8
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People wait in line to get into Central High School in Phoenix to see President Obama speak
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President Barack Obama speaks about housing and home ownership and announces a cut in mortgage insurance premiums on Federal Housing Administration loans, at Central High School in Phoenix
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President Obama, joined by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro speaks outside a home in a housing development in Phoenix
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BREAKING: Watch President Obama announce his #FreeCommunityCollege proposal → go.wh.gov/comm-college vine.co/v/Op6YEKWLOXP
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David Simas (@Simas44) January 08, 2015RT to share the news: President Obama just announced his #FreeCommunityCollege proposal → go.wh.gov/comm-college http://t.co/ORNWhcMAYt
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The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 08, 2015****
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President Obama, joined by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, left, and Chicanos Por La Causa’s Edmundo Hidalgo, right, and David Adame, speaks outside a home in a housing development in Phoenix
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The FHA reduction in premiums will help borrowers save an average of $900 annually over the next three years. http://t.co/B728Oz9RfL
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Julián Castro (@SecretaryCastro) January 08, 2015American home values have gone ↑ for 3 years.
See how President Obama's helping homeowners: go.wh.gov/housing http://t.co/iR8ocEkxOX
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The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 08, 2015****
(Doug Mills)
A woman is surprised when she runs into President Barack Obama in her neighborhood
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"Today, home sales are up nearly 50% from where they were in the worst of the crisis." —President #ObamaInPhoenix http://t.co/bmJTRzlCc9
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The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 08, 2015"I’m going to take a new action to help even more responsible families...buy their first new home." —#ObamaInPhoenix http://t.co/uimNuUIeYH
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The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 08, 2015****
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@dougmillsnyt: President Obama board Air Force One in AZ, for his trip back the Washington.
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President Barack Obama signs a condolences book during a visit to the French Embassy
President Obama stands with France’s Ambassador to the United States Gerard Araud as he pays his respects over the attack at the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo, during a visit to the French Embassy in Washington
The Obama Diary 
❤ WOW! NW! Rocking!
nice going, bt. you just trampled all over vc’s bt debut.
No trampling. All’s good. I wasn’t sure if they were both caught in traffic and couldn’t make it back.
My iphone felt like it was in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Interstate at 75mph!! I was busting it to get all those threads open, and even found myself on first (somehow).. giddy. Yes. Giddy.
Good stepping, MP! 😀 I can never access the village properly on my phone – I can maybe read, but can’t manoeuvre enough to answer as well, so I gave up on trying. You’re a star!
Well, it was so very weird, as I had so low a signal, I walked down the hall to strengthen it and BeHold!! Your post opened, I was boggled, typed in a note, and heard my email chime. Popped over there, and NW had posted as well, within 5 minutes, so I was even more boggled!! And for me, this is the new/old iPhone4 my daughter gave me, which still kind of kicks my booty, if you know what I mean. !
Nice system you have going there with your daughter – you get the new old phone while she moves up to the new-er. It used to bug me when offspring was younger that they’d bring out a new gaming system each year when the previous one was perfectly fine! Money grab for sure – luckily he was not a fussy child.
oh, go take a peek at your email! 😉
Okay. I’m heading off to bed any moment now, so will check before I go.
😆
Mine own child is very fussy indeed! And, yes, Mum inherits the done-for, worn out, and abused cast offs, but it’s the only way ‘Mum’ would get an upgrade! Ol’ Mum still 4 or 5 years behind real technology! Still running the original search engine on my macbook, c. 2009! Surprising it boots up at all…
Well, as the ‘old folks’ might have said ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’
I must be one of those ‘old folks’
We – ell. I didn’t say it.
Please don’t post it tonight, I want to be awake to see its debut
Not Nerdy’s fault Flower, mine 🙂
of course it is. did you miss the bt part?
When do we have the pleasure of seeing VC’s debut … maybe tomorrow morning … or ??
#noidea. depends on bt’s power drunkenness.
😀 😀
My two cents – I hope the debut is while I’m at work – between the hours of 8am and 12Noon PST. 😀 (hint, hint)
Now you guys have made me nervous. Geesh. It wasn’t a biggie; not something for bright morning lights, Gx2 – I simply put a few of PBO’s quotes together. Stop calling it a ‘debut’ like it’s a real debut.
“a person’s first appearance or performance in a particular capacity or role.” (Websters Dictionary)
I rest my case. And I’m going to rest my mind and body. Good night everyone 🙂
Well, this would neither have been a first appearance nor a performance, tee-hee-hee ,so your case can’t be rested here. G’night and sweet dreams!
^5 This.
Guess I wasn’t meant to be First
There you are! I love the nice, clear pics, NerdyW.
Magnifico, Nerdy, what an amazing day – thank you Legend!!
Thanks, Chips.
Congrats on 1st MP!!
NW – FANTASTIC PHOTOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and more!!!!!!!!!! Thank you
Thanks, Bob.
A slew of updates, via RTs, at the sidebar, but wanted to share ….
And ….
And, will close with this one ….
The Pope’s as busy as our President!
He certainly is Jacqueline and, like our President, he’s mixing it up with the biggest challenges facing humanity!!
And, there’s that smile of his ….
Nothing like a sincere smile – a thing of beauty!
And taking it all in stride. Those two are amazing!
I’m sure you spotted the Pope is raffling off his personal car, and donating the funds to the poor. He’ll be selling off the artifacts soon, as my friends and I predicted! No matter what he does, I wish him well, and obviously wish our President well in all of his fine endeavors. President Obama never stops delivering on his promises, here in the “fourth quarter”!
Good on him!! I pray he opens those catacombs down below the Vatican and the world can finally see the Truth and Reality of how all this came to be. It is time.
It’s a lovely act of kindness, Jacqueline, and yet just another of his long list of amazing gifts – sleeping bags to the homeless on his recent birthday, inviting the homeless to have breakfast him on his birthday in 2013, etc.!!
To Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Bravo to NOLA on being the first city to end veterans homelessness. A great job.
I’ve now looked through all the pictures very carefully, yet was unable to locate Desertf.
lolol………i was looking too…but i have not a clue at her appearance…i was just looking for the most excited person….smilin
Nor do I have a clue, Pf! 😀
I can’t wait to ask Df if her name is actually Lorraine, even tho PBO said Lorraine is now retired. 😉 😉
vc, LOL!
Sadly, I’m discovering that post with a lot of pictures or tweets have a really really hard time loading on my phone. I saw the Leave a Comment, but, couldn’t leave a comment because the pics were still loading 😦
Shorties are my best chance via my phone. 🙂
GGail, it is because I was up here in Seattle, driving my iPhone across TOD TWO POSTS AT ONE TIME!! Never happened before, and couldn’t even find VC’s debut post when I finally got my feet back on the carpet! Sorry, stuff happens.
Couple of items regarding President Obama’s always inspiring and very pragmatic speeches – yesterday’s and today’s:
1. Do be sure not to miss his right hand as he mentions #OBAMACARE during his FordMoCo speech 😉
2. You’ll notice that he mentioned a very specific person, yesterday and today, and told their story – will not surprise me a tad if those two (and, likely, whomever he highlights during his Edu speech tomorrow) are sitting near First Lady Obama during #SOTU 🙂
Yes We Can
Just reviewed the Ford speech and, oh my, Bobfr, I take it you’re referring to his sleight of hand??!! HA!!
Ah yes, it was quick and not the least bit subtle 😀 😀
Hmm…very interesting observations Sir Bob. Makes me even more FIRED UP for his #SOTU!
Agree, hf2! And, I’ll be watching that right (and left) hand, closely 😀 😀
NerdyW, even though I may have seen many or most of the events of the day, there’s always so much more that you bring here that I missed. Thank you for the stellar work you do each and every day. You are truly and greatly appreciated.
I’m on my mac now and the post loads much quicker. I have to agree with you meta, there are more pics here, thanks to NW.
Thank you very much, Meta.
so, df got hitched yet?
😀
She’s probably still recovering from the wonderful encounter with our President and the many who love him …
Waiting for Mrs Barack II to arrive 🙂
One beautiful post, NW! Good evening, all!
J’OB, here you are. Did you take a nap around mid-day? You were up mighty early this morning 🙂
Is the Pope Catholic?
🙂
😀 yup!
Thanks, Ms. J’OB.
Good evening to you, too. 🙂
LOL!!!
numb nutz.
And that even funnier moment when you are seen all across the InterWebz looking like a real mom, with a two year old… trying not to faint!! Umm,
US will close 15 military bases across Europe, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel confirms, to save the Pentagon $500m (£300m) a year.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30731926
cue rethugs’ and msm’s spluttering.
wow….
2nd term baby….
Check out the colours here!
The best sunsets I’ve seen in the lower 48 have been in Arizona/New Mexico (haven’t spent much time in Utah, though).
360 degree sunsets are not uncommon, and there’s usually clouds to for amazing colors to reflect off of (unlike SoCal, which gets very few clouds).
Best plane trip I took was from Denver to LAX at sunset during the summer, when you can set your watch by the thunderstorms that roll in about 4 pm. It was sunset the entire trip, all the clouds pink and purple with flashes of lightning. Just gorgeous the whole way, until we passed the SoCal desert — no clouds at all over LA.
You CA people are odd – one told me recently she loves to fly, highlighting takeoff and landing, by far the queasiest part. Now you are in ecstasy about ‘purple flashes of lightning’ from thunderstorms WHILE IN THE AIR! Very odd, if you ask me. Me, I like the colours from the safety of the ground, thank you very much.
I’m not a CA person, but I love takeoffs, too!
/smh/ I suppose you are one of those who also loved the rides at amusement parks?
Truth be told, only the ferris wheels because-you-can-smell-the-funnel-cakes-from-up-there!
🙂
“You CA people are odd”…
LOL, you got that right!
I personally hate to fly; have been on more plane trips than I care to remember, but miraculously have never had a bad experience on any flight.
I was quite trepidatious about taking off in the lightning/thunderstorm, but once you’re up in the air, you’re committed to that space until you reach your destination.
The 2-hour sunset was an amazing experience, though.
‘once you’re up in the air, you’re committed to that space until you reach your destination.’
So smart, non-CA haters of plane travel, like me, fasten their eyes in a very good, very well written book and try to transport themselves into ‘another world’ until the plane wheels touch ground again.
I had no idea Denver Colorado had such crazy weather. I was in CO in early October and one minute it was warm and sunny the next minutes in was windy, stormy, thunder and lightening. All flights were canceled and the day Denver International was so crazy. I must admit we don’t have a lot of clouds unless there is chance of rain. That’s why I love the fall and winter because we get so many clouds and beautiful sunsets.
Perfection!
Thanks Nerdy for this EXCELLENT summary of our President’s amazing day! Chuck full of important announcements aimed at bringing opportunity to the people…PBO won the day and he also won Twitter with his top trending announcement on community college education. 🙂
You’re welcome, HF.
AWesomeness….i am running out superlative adjectives to describe your posts……
Thank You for all you do….
Thanks, PF.
PBO:A paragon of class, style and civility……..Watch and learn young’ns.
Ok people! I am FINALLY here! Eating dinner, but I have to get this started as promised:) Today was surreal. Everything went like clockwork, so smooth and organized, just like this man runs govt. Smooth and organized. I woke at 4:30 this morning…cat napped all last night because I couldn’t turn off my excitement and was so afraid I’d miss the alarm, I suppose. Dropped my son at work at 7am, stopped for gas, which, by the way, I paid $ 1.69/gal for!! Made my way to the freeway and down to the parking lot at a large church that we were about to park our cars and be shuttled to the venue.
Everyone, and I mean everyone, from the security in the parking lot, to the bus drivers, were thrilled and honored to be doing what they did today because the President was here. I spoke to everyone ( that’s what I do!) and they all were just filled with pride. Nice to see when all you normally hear from AZ is nuts and crazies. These were good people…regular folks, just thrilled that the President took time to come to our town.
When I got on the bus that would shuttle us to the high school, everyone was in such a good mood! Wonder why:) Lines were outrageously long, but moved very quickly and orderly….they broke the line into 2 as we got closer to the school….gold tickets in one line, red and green in another. My ticket was green. I have no idea what that meant, nor did I really care….I was going to see this man speak come hell or high water! Well, as hundreds of people are standing in line, my green ticket allowed me to just keep walking past all those other people that were standing in line! Everytime I came to another group of volunteers, I’d show them my ticket and they kept moving me along, all the way up to security…it was like the airport with the xray machines and body wands….Secret Service was there, Phx. police, canines, it was crazy…but boy, did I feel SAFE!
Naturally, I met people in line that I sat close to…one of them met up with a friend that actually got the ticket for her and she went to sit with him…It was at this time that I saw an older woman sitting on the bleachers beside me that was struggling to be comfortable on those bleachers with no back. I asked her if she wanted to sit in the chair beside me..oh, yes! She was a wonderful woman…here from Georgia to visit her daughter and granddaughter….she was 85 years old and was in rehab after breaking her leg in a fall. She was good company and I helped her stand to see the President, as she was fragile on her legs. Her family was happy that I was there helping her be safe as she stood and moved her so she could view the President that she probably wasn’t sure she’s see in her lifetime. As I tended to mom, they took the pictures that they PROMISED me they would email to me!!
Their phones took MUCH better pictures than mine did…we even took a pic with all of us together, so if it comes out…well…we’ll see:)
Everyone was so excited. I had no idea of the time…I just wanted to sit and soak in all the sounds and sights and smells…just thinking like maybe if I was still and took it all in, that I would be able to recall this experience up when I needed to smile and remember…It was an intimate feel. Right there in a regular basketball court. The bleachers were filled on my side, but not on the other and have have no idea why. There were over 200 people that had tickets, but didn’t get in…I felt so badly for them. Have no idea why that was….bleachers were free. Maybe fire code or something because there was some SRO.
We seemed to wait a long time. People were all very patient and just chatting and taking it in. The high school kids there were wonderful..they should be so proud. The people in this room, looked like America looks. Every kind of different person imaginable and it was great to see the diversity that was represented in just that gym.
You all saw the video of this event by now….the man that came out first was amazing! The mayor of Phoenix is a great man and an excellent mayor. A Democrat, by the way. By the time Julian Castro came out, you could tell that people were anxious to see the President….and almost seemed a little disappointed that they had to listen to someone other than PBO:)
When they put the Presidential Seal on the podium…omg. Closer.and closer to HIM!
I was about 40 or 50 ft away from his podium and had a perfect view right through the crowd of heads in front of me. I didn’t see him come out, but I knew when he did by the way the crowd reacted around me. IT WAS ELECTRIC! 🙂 That is really when I thought of all of you…those that have seen him before and those that I wish could feel this feeling….it was surreal. I remembered meta’s words telling me that I would be amazed, be surprised by how thin he was, and look at his strong, beautiful hands….
I tried to take pictures, and I haven’t looked, but I really suck at taking pics…I was watching him and making sure that my new friend sitting beside me, was alright…
He talked about things I was familiar with, things that helped me and my family keep our home and roots down and stability in a terrifying time for us. I was able to take advantage of money from the Hardest Hit Fund and save my home. This meant the world to me…and it all happened for my family, and so many others, because this man cared enough to find a way to help every day Americans that were struggling through no fault of their own. I wished I could have wrapped my arms around him and told him personally how this helped my family. He will never know how grateful so many of us are. I owe so much to him, and it was an honor and a privilege to be in that room with him today. Kind of a closure to that terrifying part of my life.
I’m going to post this first part before I do something stupid and lose it all…Part Two coming up! Yes…there’s more!!
{{{{{{{{DF}}}}}}}} !!!!! ❤ ❤ ❤ it!
Thanks! Wonderful read….looking for Part Two!
Oh my goodness. Who had the best day? YOU HAD THE BEST DAY! (And so nice of you to help “mom”!)
Ah, oh, I am so delighted to read every word, slowly and carefully. Lovely, Lovely, Lovely!! {{{{{DF}}}}}
((((((((((((DF))))))))))))…ty
Oh wow, he talked about that program and I had no idea you were able to take part in that, too. OMG, what a wonderful feeling you must have had to see him speak on this issue!!
LOVING your story and all the details, df!!
So happy for your experience. Your words described the same for me when I was once fortunate enough to attend a small fundraising with PBO in 2008. I still cherish that day. The description of yours bring back all the good memories.
Oooo! There’s magic in the aaaiiir! 😎 So glad I caught this on my way out the door. Thanks, Desertf! BTW, is your name also Lorraine?
No love:) Not Lorraine:)
Just making sure. 🙂
Awesome! Brings back some of the memories of when I saw PBO and FLMO in person in 2012. I’m so happy for you and that everything went well! Look forward to reading more. 🙂
DF, thank you so much for sharing part of your experience of seeing the President. You made it feel like we were right there with you. Can’t wait to hear the rest.
desertflower, i just knew your report would be worth all the anticipation! you really put us there with you, and i know you’ll be glad you have this written out when you want to recall it all with the poignancy of the moment. thank you for bringing us with you on your wonderful adventure!
Could not be more thrilled for you df!!!!!!!! Thank you for sharing all these lovely details.
DF – just savoring your report and the kindness you showed to the elderly lady. Bless you!
DF, thank you for telling detail and emotion. I can’t wait for Part 2!
<3<3<3
I JUST WROTE A BOOK ON MY DAY TODAY! WHERE IS IT????? OMG this is the second time I have written reams and not had it post! AAAHHHHH!!!! Nerdy or Chips…can you find it??
I’m in moderation. Maybe that’s where my dissertation about my day is!!
OT but on the money.
How ’bout they all get their wangers tied in a knot, that would be great birth control. Eff’ers. They make me sick.
Ouch! That would sure smart! 😆
But would it smarten them up?
df’s posts are in mod and spam bins.
Thank you so much, amk:)
this was bt today. so, ….
free me!!!!
You are freed!!! Just reading your report now, it’s toooooo awesome for words!!!
Thanks…will write more now:)
I’ll tell you what. I must have done something REALLY BAD to piss off the Word Press gods tonight! My Part Two just went somewhere….it’s really annoying to write from your heart all the details and emotions only to have it sucked into a WP vortex some where!
Drat! Tell you what, Df, if it’s not there and you choose to write it again, type it in word first and save it BEFORE copying and pasting it here. That way if it’s ‘lost’ you don’t have to try and recapture the mood; you just have to copy and try pasting again.
I second VC’s suggestion. I typed up my long posts in the past in MS Word first before submitting here, both because I wanted to save for myself and also because I didn’t want it to disappear in the internet ether.
You made it!
Yay, DF is here!
FYI, MSM is catching up on the Colorado Springs NAACP bomb (no doubt shamed by social media).
See @nytimes home page now.
A gospel legend is gone….RIP my brother.
Good Evening TODVille,
I’ve just settled in my hotel room, enjoying the 74 degrees of the mercury, while outside the censor stops at only 20. Brrrrrr…
I hope that I am not offending anyone by stating how much I applaud both NYT and MSNBC for their decision NOT to show the cartoons that gave the French extremist wackos the pretext to shoot many journalists and random people. While I profoundly support free speech, I do find a fine line between my freedom to express what I want and a lack of sensibility toward saying something that may offend others just for the sake of exercising my freedom of speech.
And, I would not definitely expose myself to being victimized by mocking people’s religion, god, or customs. Some people are just too crazy and, like time bombs, wait for a catalyst to kill.
That being said, no one should feel obliged to take another person’s life because what s/he says/writes upsets one’s beliefs or god. The thing with those Muslim wackos is that they are so conditioned that they no longer have brains and will kill at the will of clever monsters that manipulate them on account of religion or religious beliefs. If I know that, what would I let myself be a target of these fools, these assassins? One should not play with deranged people, and those Muslim fanatics are just that: DERANGED. I so hope they catch these two assassins and the killer of the Martinique policewoman (this morning) very soon. Justice must be done.
That’s my take on the publication of “gratuitous insults” to quote MSNBC.
i share your opinion…
I heard that Vox is gonna publish the drawings (Ezra Kline I think).
If it’s ok with everyone…I’m going to try and post Part Two, tomorrow. Been up since ?? 4 am… and had a little excitement today:) tutored for 2 hours tonight…came home and cooked dinner and now it’s time that I go to bed so I can actually go to work tomorrow….maybe if Chips or Nerdy or whomever wants to…you can put all of it together once it’s all complete. I feel a little “punchy” now from being awake so long….thank you family for being there and thinking of me all day. It was a marvelous and incredible day that I’ll never forget. I can die happy…but I can live each day doing the right thing and making this place a better place for all of us. Love you. I’ll finish the saga tomorrow…including my interview with the ASU newspaper:)
Oooooh….I haven’t read part 1 yet, so I will do that in a minute! But just wanted to say thanks df for taking the time to give us all these wonderful updates df on your extraordinarily BUSY day. Sleep well, and looking forward for your part 2 tomorrow 🙂
Will post it all tomorrow DF, the first half is a jooooooy!!! Sleep well pal, so so so happy your day was wonderful!!
Thank you, Df. When you do finish up tomorrow, I suggest you type your recount out first as a word document (instead of typing it directly here), then copy and paste it in. That way if you techie tool quits on you, or your report flies off into wherever land, you don’t need to do it over from scratch.
Good night. Rest well, while having sweet dreams!
Thank you and go get some rest!!
Nerdy’s tweets!
http://theobamadiary.com/2015/01/08/a-tweet-or-two-184/