rise and shine

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White House live

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President Barack Obama walks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel after the G20 Working Dinner on Global Governance in Cannes, France, Nov. 3, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Morning birthday girls, morning everyone

Will catch up properly later, busy busy busy for the next couple of hours. Chat away 😉

hey, smart!

Janet Kavandi, Director of Flight Crew Operations at Johnson Space Center, presents President Obama with a jacket during a drop by with the crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis in the Oval Office, Nov. 1, 2011. The jacket features patches from several past space shuttle missions. Pictured in the background, from left, are: Pilot Doug Hurley, Mission Specialist Sandy Magnus, Commander Chris Ferguson and Mission Specialist Rex Walheim. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Wednesday

11:25 The President delivers remarks in front of the Key Bridge at Georgetown’s Waterfront Park in Washington, DC

12:30 Jay Carney’s press briefing

2:30 Michelle Obama hosts the PCAH’s National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards

4:15 The President and Vice President meet with Senate Democratic leadership

7:0 The President departs Joint Base Andrews en route to Nice, France

7:0 The Vice President and Jill Biden host Eric Cantor and his wife Diana for dinner at the Naval Observatory

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President Obama will have at least three bilateral meetings while in France this week for the G-20, and he plans to end the week with a press conference.

On Thursday, he’ll meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel and on Friday he will meet with Argentine President Cristina Kirchner.

The President’s press conference will be on Friday, before he returns to Washington.

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May 2011:

Thanks Lisa – you have to wonder how Mittens will cope with the pressure if he makes it as far as the Presidential campaign ……. 😉

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Hi everyone, I’ve just added a section on the site for videos of your very, very, very most loved speeches by the President – you’ll see the link on the sidebar on the right. I’ll update it over the next few days, but would be huuUUuugely grateful if you could let me know in the comments (here) which speeches were your favorites – I’ll be be happy to include them. Thanks people.

safe home

‘hailed by the chief’

MSNBC: President Barack Obama told the crew of the space shuttle program’s last mission that he’s proud of them and the “amazing feats” they are accomplishing in space.

… When the astronauts came on the line, the president feigned surprise, saying, “I was just dialing out for pizza and I didn’t expect to end up in space.”

Later in the call, he referred to the fact that 10 people had to share the space station’s two toilets and Atlantis’ sole bathroom. “My wife and my daughters are always crowding me out – hopefully you guys have a more organized arrangement than we do.”

More here

lift-off

President Obama watches the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis on a television monitor in the Outer Oval Office, July 8. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

gifted

President Obama receives a gift from the crew of the final Discovery Space Shuttle mission commemorating their flight, in the Oval Office, May 9. The crew pictured are Commander Steve Lindsey (L), Mission Specialist Alvin Drew and Mission Specialist Michael Barratt.

cape canaveral

President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, their daughters Sasha and Malia, and Astronaut Janet Kavandi, walk under the landing gear from beneath the nose of Space Shuttle Atlantis as they visit Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral

Pool report: Potus met with Rep. Giffords for approx 10 minutes before he came down to meet the full crew. Prior to going in to see her, Potus greeted Mark Kelly in a corridor. “I bet you were hoping to see a rocket launch today,” Mr. Kelly said. Replied Potus: “We were hoping to see you.” They shook hands and embraced. Mr. Kelly updated the President and First Lady on Rep. Giffords’ condition, and then they went down the corridor to see her.

Terry White, a tile technician on the Shuttle Atlantis, talks about the space shuttle tiles with the Obama family

heading south

The First Family depart the White House, April 29. They are traveling to Alabama to survey damage from tornados before heading for Florida for a space shuttle launch.

endeavour

(The President and first family will travel to Florida on Friday to view the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour)

‘we are better than this’

Scott and Mark Kelly

BBC: The crew on board the International Space Station (ISS) have paused in silence for six people killed in a shooting in Arizona which left US congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, seriously wounded.

The ISS Commander, Scott Kelly, who is Ms Giffords’ brother-in-law led a tribute to the victims. Ms Giffords’ husband, Mark Kelly, is also an astronaut.

Commander Kelly:

“As I look out the window, I see a very beautiful planet that seems very inviting and peaceful. Unfortunately, it is not. These days, we are constantly reminded of the unspeakable acts of violence and damage we can inflict upon one another, not just with our actions but also with our irresponsible words. We are better than this. We must do better.”