bits n pieces

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President Obama hosts a summit meeting with European Union leaders, Nov. 28, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House

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Ah, you gotta love AP. They have an article posted today by Lolita Baldor about National Guard and Reserve troops facing unemployment now that the Iraq war is over and troops are gradually being withdrawn from Afghanistan.

Needless to say, it’s desperately sad that these men and women are facing unemployment, an issue the President has repeatedly addressed over the past three years and has introduced legislation and various measures to try and boost their chances of finding work.

See how Baldor frames it, though, when talking about one such member of the National Guard, Demetries Luckett:

“… just a month after he arrived for training, the Army decided Uncle Sam didn’t need him after all. Now Luckett’s unemployed and back home in Harper Woods, Mich. – a victim of the Obama administration‘s ongoing effort to pull at least 33,000 U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by next fall.”

A victim? Jeez, like not sending soldiers in to harm’s way and ending wars is a bad thing? 🙄

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President Obama signs the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010 at the U.S. Department of Interior, Dec. 22

MSNBC: Since the lifting two months ago of a longstanding U.S. ban on gays serving openly in the military, U.S. Marines across the globe have adapted smoothly and embraced the change, says their top officer, Gen. James F. Amos, who previously had argued against repealing the ban during wartime.

“I’m very pleased with how it has gone,” Amos said during a week-long trip that included four days in Afghanistan, where he held more than a dozen town hall-style meetings with Marines of virtually every rank. He was asked about a wide range of issues …. Not once was he asked in Afghanistan about the repeal of the gay ban.

…. The apparent absence of angst about gays serving openly in the Marines seemed to confirm Amos’ view that the change has been taken in stride, without hurting the war effort.

….. A Defense Department spokeswoman, Cynthia O. Smith, said implementation of the repeal of the gay ban is proceeding smoothly across the military. “We attribute this success to our comprehensive pre-repeal training program, combined with the continued close monitoring and enforcement of standards by our military leaders at all levels,” Smith said.

More here

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The White House has released this statement on Barney Frank’s retirement from President Obama:

“This country has never had a Congressman like Barney Frank, and the House of Representatives will not be the same without him. For over 30 years, Barney has been a fierce advocate for the people of Massachusetts and Americans everywhere who needed a voice. He has worked tirelessly on behalf of families and businesses and helped make housing more affordable. He has stood up for the rights of LGBT Americans and fought to end discrimination against them. And it is only thanks to his leadership that we were able to pass the most sweeping financial reform in history designed to protect consumers and prevent the kind of excessive risk-taking that led to the financial crisis from ever happening again. Barney’s passion and his quick wit will be missed in the halls of Congress, and Michelle and I join the people of the Bay State in thanking him for his years of service.”

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The guy in the yellow shirt? Em, nice name!

Gabon’s striker Christ Obama vies with China’s Lui Binbin during a friendly football match between Gabon and the Chinese Junior team during the inauguration of the Sino-Gabonese friendship stadium in Libreville on November 27

oxford, wednesday

First Lady Michelle Obama listens to students from the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School during a visit to Christ Church College at Oxford University

BBC: US First Lady Michelle Obama has been reunited with a group of British schoolgirls she met during a previous visit to the UK … Mrs Obama made a speech at Oxford University and took questions from the children. She paid an emotional visit to their school in Islington, London, in 2009.

…..the First Lady told the schoolchildren she was “thrilled to be back” in the UK and spoke of her own experience of making it from a poor background to a top university.

…. She had received a rapturous round of applause as she arrived at the university’s Christ Church college. She greeted the pupils from Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (EGA) secondary school as she entered the college’s dining room, where the girls sat at two long tables to listen to Mrs Obama’s remarks.

…The 37 girls were picked for today’s event because they were interested in science but not reaching their full potential. Their meeting with the US president’s wife came after a day of activities for the pupils, including campus tours, career discussions and mentoring sessions. The trip – arranged at Mrs Obama’s suggestion – was designed to encourage the girls to think about studying for a degree. Since visiting EGA in 2009, Mrs Obama has kept in touch with the school, writing letters and encouraging the girls in their studies.

More here

brazil (pete souza)

President Barack Obama fist bumps a young person reaching through the door at the Cidade de Deus (City of God) favela Community Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 20 (Pete Souza)

…. playing soccer with children at the Cidade de Deus (City of God) favela Community Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 20 (Pete Souza)

…. waving to people gathered on the street outside the Cidade de Deus (City of God) favela Community Center in Rio de Janeiro, March 20 (Pete Souza)

….acknowledging applause after delivering a speech at the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, March 20 (Pete Souza)

…. the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, March 19 (Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama walks with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff following the arrival of First Lady Michelle Obama, and daughters Sasha and Malia, at the Palacio do Alvorada in Brasilia, Brazil, March 19. Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota, right, shakes hands with Malia (Pete Souza)

brazil

Music: Nocturne by Secret Garden

‘christ the redeemer’ (video)

‘blessed by god and beautiful by nature’

President Obama on Brazil: “Blessed by God and beautiful by nature” (‘Abencoado por Deus e bonito por natureza’)

‘christ the redeemer’

President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters Sasha and Malia tour the Christ the Redeemer Statue on Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, March 20

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A big hello to all our visiting wingnut birther buddies from wingnutevents.com (okay, okay, that’s not the blog’s real name, you didn’t think I was going to link it, did you?)

They’re all dropping by to have a look at the photos of the President and Christ the Redeemer – “Imagine George Bush snapping these photos the day after launching a military campaign against a Muslim country,” barks one of the creatures.

Um…….while, President Obama was on official duty in South and Latin America …. here’s Bush being photographed clearing brush and riding his bike during one of his many lengthy vacations at his beloved ranch … while American troops were dying in Iraq and Afghanistan:

Sourcewatch: While the war on terrorism – that is, the global struggle against violent extremism – continues in such places as Iraq and Afghanistan, President Bush will keep busy throughout the month of August, beginning on August 4th, when he will “host Colombian President Alvaro Uribe at his ranch” and “spend time outdoors … at his ranch, doing things like clearing brush and riding his bike.”

Indeed, he was a classy President:

Washington Post (2002): …President Bush … sprang from his golf cart at 6:15 a.m. and said he was “distressed to hear about the latest suicide bombers in Israel.” Just over four hours before, as Bush slept at his parents’ seaside retreat, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew up a bus in Israel, killing nine passengers.

Bush, wearing khakis and a knit shirt, was holding a driver in his gloved left hand …. however incongruous the setting, the president plunged ahead. “There are a few killers who want to stop the peace process that we have started, and we must not let them,” he said. “I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers.”

His business out of the way, Bush barely paused for breath before saying, “Thank you. Now watch this drive.”

The abrupt segue illustrates the dilemma Bush will face over the next month as he relaxes and works at his ranch in Crawford, Tex., at a time of global political volatility. On Tuesday, Bush will leave Washington behind until Labor Day. That is likely to mean a return to the golf-cart diplomacy of last summer when Bush talked Middle East peace between playing holes, at one point dripping sweat as he said Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat “can do a lot more to be convincing the people on the street to stop these acts of terrorism.”

Must try harder, wingnuts 😉 Hugs!