Posts Tagged ‘North Korea

04
Sep
17

Every. Day.

By Nerdy Wonka 135 Comments
Categories: All Photos
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09
Aug
17

Them Facts……Them Facts!

By Nerdy Wonka 128 Comments
Categories: All Photos
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03
Jul
17

A Meeting And A Conference

By Nerdy Wonka 121 Comments
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The Korea Herald

President Moon Jae-in renewed his resolve to pursue sanctions and dialogue to tackle North Korea’s nuclear program during a meeting with former US President Barack Obama on Monday, saying now is the “last chance” for the regime to return to the negotiating table. “Obama said that as many South Koreans hope for his success, Moon would no doubt meet the people’s expectations, quoting former President Abraham Lincoln whom he said he respects the most that with the people’s support you can do anything.”  Obama arrived in Seoul on Sunday along with his wife Michelle and daughters, Sasha and Malia, marking his first visit since his term came to an end in January. Obama is enjoying his post retirement life nonetheless, basking in one of the highest ratings for any former US leader.

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Earlier Monday, he took part in the Asian Leadership Conference hosted by the Chosun Ilbo and met with former President Lee Myung-bak, which he called a chance to “catch up with my old friend.”
At the forum, Obama sought to counter Trump’s criticism for his North Korea policy, pointing to his efforts to intensify sanctions, plug loopholes and boost cooperation with China — the defiant regime’s economic lifeline — and other countries such as in Southeast Asia.  While expressing skepticism a quick solution, he emphasized the need to tighten the enforcement of the sanctions to ensure no “leaks” that may facilitate arms trade and cash flows into the North.  “We should be under no illusions that there is some silver bullet and solve this problem right away,” Obama said.  “But I do think that a good dialogue has opened up between the US and China around this issue, and my hope is that the current administration is continuing that. I think it is also important for us to maintain the kinds of strong application of sanctions.”

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Text of speech

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02
Mar
15

A Tweet Or Two

By Nerdy Wonka 186 Comments
Categories: All Photos and Ferguson
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Sending you positive thoughts, GB. TOD is wrapping its arms around you

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“Apology.” After blaming Tamir Rice, a 12 year old child for his own murder. No concrete action. BS

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Another day, another horrifying case of police brutality

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Yet, she’s alive. Look at that

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Telling how the article used disarm an officer instead of reaching/grabbing for his gun

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Shame on the Democrats attending this farce

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Law and Order theme plays

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Fantastic authors. Get your reading on!

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I believe this is what is called a Jedi Mind Trick Fail

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The Simpsons win again in the prediction business

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KILLER RABBITS!!! The DEA guy really needs to put down the bong

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Obama Derangement Syndrome on blast 😀

22
Jan
15

The Youtube Interview With President Barack Obama

By Nerdy Wonka 109 Comments
Categories: All Videos
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11
Feb
14

Rise and Shine

By Nerdy Wonka 163 Comments
Categories: All Photos, Articles, Joe 'Big Deal' Biden and Michelle Obama
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A child reaches out to First Lady Michelle Obama prior to a Faith and Community Groups Leading the Way event at Northland, A Church Distributed, in Longwood, Fla., Feb. 11, 2012. The event was held in celebration of the second anniversary of the “Let’s Move!” initiative. (Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

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Presidential Daily Schedule (All times Eastern):

9:00 AM: Arrival ceremony at White House for State Visit of French President Francois Hollande

10:00AM: President Obama begins meetings with President Hollande

12:00PM: Joint press conference

1:15PM: Vice President Biden hosts a luncheon in honor of President Hollande

6:55PM: State Dinner in honor of President Hollande

8:40PM: President Obama gives a toast at the State Dinner honoring President Hollande

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President Obama and President Hollande Visit Monticello (@PeteSouza)

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Chicago Tribune: Illinois Partners With The Onion To Push Obamacare Enrollment

Get Covered Illinois, the state’s official Affordable Care Act outreach vehicle, has partnered with the satirical news source The Onion in a push to spur more young and healthy people to sign up for health insurance plans.

Under terms of the agreement, The Onion will run banner ads on its website featuring a man who is forced to sell his action figures to pay for his medical bills because he doesn’t have health insurance. The Onion also will create a video, an editorial and a custom news section about Get Covered Illinois that will be featured online through March 31, the enrollment deadline.

More here

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Washington Post: President Obama To Launch Major New Effort To Help Young Men Of Color

President Obama will launch a significant new effort this week to bolster the lives of young men of color, seeking to use the power of the presidency to help a group of Americans whose lives are disproportionately affected by poverty and prison. Obama on Thursday will announce a new White House initiative called “My Brother’s Keeper,” which will bring foundations and companies together to test a range of strategies across the country to support young male minorities, taking steps to keep them in school and out of the criminal justice system, a White House official said.

He will also announce that his administration will launch a more vigorous evaluation of what policies work best and publicize results to school systems and others across the country. But the announcement of the initiative is just the latest way that Obama, in his second term, has been addressing race and the fortunes of urban youth more directly. Last month, Obama and his wife, Michelle,hosted a forum at the White House to persuade colleges to recruit more low-income Americans. And last year, the Justice Department overhauled drug-sentencing guidelines so that low-level and nonviolent offenders do not face stiff minimum sentences.

More here

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Zachary A. Goldfarb: In Meetings With Young Black Men, Obama Tries To Leave A Mark

Kerron Turner sat with more than a dozen other teenagers in a classroom at Hyde Park Academy High School on this city’s troubled South Side, nervously settling in for an unusual meeting with the president of the United States. They told their stories: Turner worried about the gangs he passes on his way home from school. Robert Scates had dropped out of high school and was working to catch up in time to graduate. Lazarus Daniels feared what would happen to his anger if he couldn’t play football anymore.

Eventually, it was President Obama’s turn to check in — to say how he was feeling emotionally, physically, intellectually and spiritually. Obama’s quiet visit a year ago to the “Becoming a Man” program for inner-city youth in Chicago, along with a follow-up meeting several months later, would test whether Obama could transform the symbolism of his presidency into something more personal, one young man at a time. The meetings left a mark on the president, who has used them as motivation for a forthcoming White House initiative on young men of color that he promised to launch in this year’s State of the Union address.

Back in Room 208 of Hyde Park Academy that winter afternoon, Obama told the group he tries to exercise every day but was feeling the aches of a 51-year-old. Emotionally, he was always thinking about his daughters, and he said he feels intellectually challenged all the time. Spiritually, he said, he prays every night. Then Obama was asked to tell his story: How did a black man become president? He talked about his anger as a young man growing up without a father in the picture. When he was a teen in high school, he partied too much, ignored school too much. He confided that he drank and smoked pot. Daniels struggled to grasp what the president was saying. That could not be the life of the man who became a president, Daniels thought. He half-raised his hand, and asked, “Are you talking about you?” It wasn’t a question the president was expecting. “Yeah, I’m talking about me,” Obama said. “None of this is a secret. I wrote about all of this in my book.” Obama has recounted his meetings with the young men as among the most raw encounters of his tenure.

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Slate: Charlie Crist Thinks Opposition To Obama Might Be A Little Bit Racist

The closest Crist gets to controversy, something I left out of the review, comes in a collection of musings about the rise of the Tea Party. Crist has trouble understanding the alacrity with which anti-Obama anger became so mainstream.

“Sometimes,” he says, “the public’s feelings seemed partly racial. Sometimes, I’m sure they were not. But Barack Obama was the first African American in the White House. Florida had helped to put him there. And it was impossible to imagine an equal measure of virulence for any politician whose skin was white.”

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Jamie Fuller: 80,000 People Protested In NC This Weekend. Here’s Why

The NAACP estimates that 80,000 to 100,000 people gathered outside the North Carolina State Capitol Saturday morning for the Moral March in Raleigh (official attendance numbers have not been released yet). The march was the culmination of a year of Moral Monday protests at the State Capitol organized by The Forward Together Movement, a “fusion movement” of over 150 groups fighting for mostly progressive causes in North Carolina.

A year ago, only 15,000 turned out for the same march in Raleigh. The leap in turnout is a good indicator of the growing support for the movement’s agenda in the months before the 2014 midterms, and a show of how much more popular the movement has become since last February.

So why were nearly 100,000 people in the streets of Raleigh on Saturday? Mostly dissatisfaction with the current state government, which has left North Carolina — once a bastion of progressive policy-making from both parties — a petri dish for Tea Party political experimentation in the eyes of Reverend Dr. William J. Barber, president of the North Carolina chapter of NAACP and leader of the Forward Together Movement.

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Reuters: White House ‘Disappointed’ Invitation Withdrawn For North Korea Visit

The White House said on Monday it was “deeply disappointed” by North Korea’s decision to rescind an invitation to U.S. envoy Robert King to visit Pyongyang to discuss the release of imprisoned U.S. missionary Kenneth Bae. The White House remains prepared to send King, the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, to North Korea (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

“We are deeply disappointed by the DPRK decision for a second time to rescind its invitation for Ambassador King to travel to Pyongyang to discuss Kenneth Bae’s release,” Carney told reporters at a briefing. Bae, a 45-year-old Korean-American, has been held for more than a year in North Korea after being sentenced to 15 years of hard labor on charges of trying to overthrow the state.

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TPM: CBO: Guys, We Didn’t Say Obamacare Would Cost 2.5 Million Jobs

The Congressional Budget Office issued its official rebuttal Monday to the Republican talking point that Obamacare would cost 2.5 million American jobs. In a new FAQ explainer of last week’s budget report, CBO director Doug Elmendorf, answering if 2.5 million people will lose their jobs by 2024 because of the health care reform law, said: “No, we would not describe our estimates in that way.”

In the immediate aftermath of the CBO report, some Republicans characterized the report’s findings as: The law would “cost” the U.S. economy up to 2.5 million jobs. The phrase quickly found its way into a Senate GOP web advertisement. But what the CBO actually said was much different, as TPM reported. The agency said that some Americans would choose to stop working or work less because of the law. They could change their work habits for various reasons, such as starting a new business or choosing to spend time at home. The voluntary cutback in hours would be equal to 2.5 million full-time jobs.

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On This Day:

President Obama leans backward as Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel speaks during a National Economic Council and Domestic Policy Council planning meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Feb. 11, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)

Council of Economic Advisers Chair Christina Romer and Cecilia Rouse, a member of the Council of Economic Advisers, watch as President Obama signs the Economic Report of the President in the Oval Office, Feb. 11, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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President Obama reviews his prepared remarks on Egypt at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, Feb. 11, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)

Vice President Biden welcomes home members of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division who returned from Afghanistan, at Fort Campbell, Ky., Feb. 11, 2011 (Photo by David Lienemann)

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First Lady Michelle Obama at Northland in Longwood, Florida, Feb 11, 2012

First lady Michelle Obama reaches for a hand as she arrives for physical activity with kids at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Florida, Feb. 11, 2012

Continue reading ‘Rise and Shine’

24
Sep
13

Rise and Shine

By Nerdy Wonka 95 Comments
Categories: All Photos and Articles
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On This Day: President Barack Obama meets with advisors prior to a bilateral meeting with President Juan Manuel Santos Calderón of Colombia at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York, N.Y., Sept. 24, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Today (All Times Eastern):

10:10: President Obama addresses the United Nations General Assembly; the First Lady also attends

C-SPAN  White House

10:50: The President meets with John Ashe, President of the United Nations General Assembly

11:35: Holds a bilateral meeting with President Michel Sleiman of the Republic of Lebanon

12:50: Meets with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon

1:15: Attends a luncheon hosted by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon

3:0: Holds a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas

4:55: Participates in a conversation with former President Clinton about the future of health care reform

7:35: Delivers remarks at DNC reception, Waldorf Astoria Hotel

9:40: The President and First Lady depart New York en route Andrews Air Force Base

10:50: Arrive the White House

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President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama share a kiss before departing for separate events after arriving at the Wall Street Landing Zone aboard Marine One in New York, N.Y., Sept. 23 (Pete Souza)

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GetCoveredAmerica.org

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Get Registered!

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Greg Sargent: Nancy Pelosi Moves To Pressure Republicans On Immigration

With House Republicans seemingly stalling on immigration reform, Nancy Pelosi has hit on a plan that is designed to force them to deal with it this fall. Within the next two weeks, Pelosi may introduce a version of the Senate immigration reform bill in the House, in an effort to pressure House Republicans to sign on as co-sponsors, according to an aide familiar with her thinking. No decisions have been made.

Some reformers and Dems had hoped Pelosi would introduce what is known as a “discharge petition,” which would force a vote on the House floor if 218 House Members signed on to it. But the current plan Pelosi is eying does not involve a discharge petition, which is opposed by some who worry no Republicans would sign it, the aide tells me.

More here

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David Corn: Slate Pitch: Obama Is The Shrewdest Political Tactician Since LBJ

The conventional view in Washington these days is that President Barack Obama is not having such a great second term and might already be suffering a bit of lame duckery. But here’s a Slate pitch: Obama is the most wily tactician in the nation’s capital since Lyndon Johnson. Consider what Obama has recently done to two of his most bothersome foes: Vladimir Putin and John Boehner.

The Russian leader was now acknowledging that Assad’s stockpile was indeed a problem and, more important, assuming the role of guarantor. Certainly, the subsequent negotiations would be difficult, with Assad likely to slow-walk and obfuscate. But having sucked Putin into the process, Obama had increased the odds of achieving his chief goal: preventing the further use of chemical weapons by the regime.

Back home, Obama has placed House Speaker Boehner in a different sort of hot seat. By declining to negotiate with Boehner about defunding Obamacare in order to prevent a government shutdown, the president has fueled the ongoing civil war within GOP ranks. True, this pitched battle would wage with or without Obama, as tea partiers try to hold the government hostage in order to destroy Obama’s health care program and less extreme Republicans contend that this act of political terrorism will backfire against their party. But sometimes in politics, it takes discipline to stand back and not get in the way when an opponent is self-immolating.

More here

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Greg Sargent: House GOP To Ted Cruz: Win, Rocky, Win!

When last we checked in on Ted Cruz’s crusade to defund Obamacare, he was callingon Senate Democrats to refrain from passing any amendment to the House “CR” funding the government that would strip its defunding of Obamacare by a simple majority vote in the Senate. The idea is that if Dems allowed this amendment to be subject to a 60 vote threshold (Dems are going to amend the bill to take out the defunding, and kick it back to the House), Senate Republicans could then presumably filibuster it.

Alas for Ted Cruz, that isn’t going to happen. A Senate Democratic aide tells me there is no chance the amendment getting rid of Obamacare defunding will be subject to filibuster, meaning only a simple majority of Senators will have to pass it. Since Dems control 54 votes, that won’t be difficult.

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NJ.Com: ObamaCare Impact: More Patients, More Healthcare Jobs, Experts Predict

Two years before the Affordable Care Act became law and three years before its full implementation, a cadre of concerned professionals was already asking an important question: Who will take care of all these new patients? Which is why the job openings will include much more than just doctors, she said, but also nurse practitioners, lab techs and medical assistants.

“Because of shortages due to new technologies, specifically information technology,” Wise said, “there will also be more need of information specialists to respond to federal mandated electronic health care records. Wise predicted that nurses and nurse practitioners and home care and health care aides will be of critical importance.

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BBC: China Bans Several Weapon-Related North Korea Exports

China says it has banned the export to North Korea of several weapon-related technologies which could be used in the development of nuclear weapons. China’s Commerce Ministry published the list, which includes components for nuclear explosive devices and rocket systems, on Monday. It said the move would help implement UN resolutions on North Korea, and would be effective immediately.

Analysts say the ban shows China taking a firmer line against its ally. The list includes technology in nuclear, missile, chemical and biological fields. It says the restrictions are developed in accordance with several UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea. China is North Korea’s only ally and its major trading partner.

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BBC: President Obama jokes ‘I’m Scared Of My Wife’

US President Barack Obama conquered a long-term smoking habit because he was afraid of his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, he has joked with a UN official. The jesting admission, which the president made apparently unaware he was on camera, came at the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday. Mr Obama privately told a human rights campaigner that he had not had a cigarette in roughly six years.

“That’s because I’m scared of my wife,” he said with a smile. The conversation between Mr Obama and Maina Kiai, the UN special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, occurred near an open microphone and was later broadcast by CNN. “I hope you’ve quit smoking,” Mr Obama said to Mr Kiai, a Kenyan. “Sometimes,” Mr Kiai responded, as the two smiled and shook hands. Both Mr Obama and Mr Kiai attended Harvard University Law School.

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Igor Volsky: Sorry, The Latest Anti-ObamaCare Article To Go Viral Is Totally Wrong

An article published by Forbes claiming that Obamacare will increase health care costs by$7,450 for a typical family of four is spreading like wildfire across the internet, but causing eye rolls from economists across the country. One economist interviewed by ThinkProgress, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities’ Paul Van de Water, described this calculation as one of the stupidest things he’s read in a long time and likened it to arguing that college costs will increase for a “typical” family if the federal government adopts policies that help lower-income Americans afford college educations.

Yes, the nation will spend more on education if more students enroll in colleges and universities, but the “typical” student already attending college won’t; she or he will continuing paying tuition at more or less the same rate, while the newly-enrolled student will presumably benefit from some sort of subsidized tuition rate.

In fact, if anything, the CMS report that Conover links to shows that Obamacare is a good financial proposition. In 2022, total health care spending will increase by 1.5 percent, while the number of non-elderly adults with health care coverage will increase by 9 percent. That’s a pretty good deal any way you slice it.

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HHS.Gov: Countdown To Coverage

Today we’ve reached yet another milestone on the road to affordable health care: 100 days to coverage. For years, millions of Americans have been denied the security and peace of mind of having health insurance. Too many have been priced out, locked out, or dumped out by insurance companies. But thanks to the Affordable Care Act, all of that is changing. January 1, 2014 — 100 days from today –marks a new day, when coverage will be more accessible and affordable. On that day, coverage will begin for those who signed up for a plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace by December 15, 2013.

The Marketplace is a new, simpler way to purchase health insurance –all in one place.  You can go online or call to find and compare options, see if you qualify for lower costs, and select coverage that meets your needs and budget. October 1, 2013, marks the beginning of an extensive six-month-long open enrollment and public education campaign. You can enroll through the end of March.

Many will enroll online at www.HealthCare.gov. For some, it will be easier to enroll by phone (1-800-318-2596; TTY: 1-855-889-4325) or by mail.  To make the process even easier, we have trained local assisters to help answer all of your coverage questions.

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On This Day:

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First Lady Michelle Obama plays table tennis with members of the band Big Time Rush in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House during a taping for NIckelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

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President Barack Obama confers with Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the United Kingdom following the United Nations Security Council meeting at U.N. Headquarters in New York, N.Y., Sept. 24, 2009. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

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First Lady Michelle Obama participates in the National Day of Play on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. Sept. 24, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

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Prior to a luncheon, First Lady Michelle Obama and the spouses of United Nations General Assembly leaders tour the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture with Dan Barber, co-owner and executive chef of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, N.Y., Sept. 24, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

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President Barack Obama confers with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Susan E. Rice, NSC Advisor Gen. Jim Jones and Special Assistant to the President Gary Samore prior to the U.N. Security Council Heads of State meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New York, N.Y., Sept. 24, 2009. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

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