President Obama and President Calderón of Mexico held a joint press availability this afternoon ahead of the State Dinner to discuss the many issues that naturally draw such close neighbors into common interest. President Obama talked about the “highest economic priority” of both nations to create jobs for their people, including clean energy jobs, and increasing competitiveness in the global economy. He also discussed their commitment to common security, specifically standing together against drug cartels, stating that “Mexico can count on the United States as a full partner in this effort.” Read more here
Dear friends. Exactly one year ago, I was in Haiti to assess the damage caused by the hurricanes that had cruelly ravaged a country that has suffered so much, and to support the reconstruction efforts there.
Yesterday, fate once again turned against the people of Haiti, who had only just begun to see a glimmer of hope.
I would first like to say that my husband, Jean-Daniel, our daughter Marie-Éden and I are all thinking about the victims, the countless families who have been affected and are in mourning, and all those who, like us, are so worried about their loved ones and friends in Haiti.
Like me, Haitian communities across Canada are heartbroken and overwhelmed by the magnitude of this catastrophe. The images and news reports are unbearable to watch. So much distress, suffering and loss. We are also, of course, imagining the worst, situations no image can capture that only increase our feeling of helplessness.
I salute the friendship and solidarity being demonstrated all across Canada and throughout the international community.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Prime Minister of Canada for all the emergency assistance that has been sent. I thank the Minister of Foreign Affairs and in particular the Minister of Defence, with whom I have closely monitored the situation as it evolved and discussed, along with the Chief of the Defence Staff, the urgent needs to be deployed to Haiti.
I am also grateful to our Ambassador, Gilles Rivard, and to his team in Port-au-Prince, with whom we have remained in contact via satellite, who are making remarkable efforts to help Canadians in Haiti and who are standing beside the people of Haiti at this terrible time.
My thoughts are also with our police officers, soldiers, missionaries and humanitarian workers, and our UN family, who have all been hit very hard by this new disaster.
We still have no news of our dear friend, Hédi Annabi, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Haiti. All we know is that he was with his colleagues in the United Nations’ headquarters, which collapsed.
Thank you to you, the media, for your all your reports and updates on the situation.
Now more than ever, it is time for us to show our solidarity with the most vulnerable people in the Americas, our brothers and sisters in Haiti, whose courage is once again being so harshly tested.
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama , Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mrs. Gursharan Kaur
Desiree Rogers, White House Social Secretary
DC Mayor Adrian Fenty and wife Michelle Fenty
In honor of the arrival of His Excellency Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, and his wife, Mrs. Gursharan Kaur, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will hold the first official State Dinner of the Presidency. The event promises to be a celebration of President Obama’s deep respect for India and its people, setting the tone for a long-lasting relationship between the nations. source
" Fiesta Latina brought some of the country's best Latin music performers to the White House, including: Mark Anthony, Gloria Estefan, Jose Feliciano, Pete Escovedo, Thalía, Tito "El Bambino," Aventura, Los Lobos and Sheila E., with hosts Jimmy Smits, Eva Longoria and George Lopez. " source
President Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. The first African-American to win the White House, Obama was praised by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
"Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," the committee said. "His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population."
The committee also said Obama has "created a new climate in international politics."
The announcement came as a surprise -- Obama's name had not been mentioned among front-runners -- and the roomful of reporters in Oslo, Norway, gasped when he was named.
In his short time in office, Obama has acted on a wide range of issues from the economy to terrorism and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. continue reading here
"President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with H.E. Blaise Compaore, President of Burkina Faso, and his wife, Mrs. Chantal Compaore."
"No one has written your destiny for you. Your destiny is in your hands -- you cannot forget that. That's what we have to teach all of our children. No excuses." Barack Obama
Ahead of a visit to Ghana at the weekend, he said: "Ultimately, I'm a big believer that Africans are responsible for Africa.
"I think part of what's hampered advancement in Africa is that for many years we've made excuses about corruption or poor governance, that this was somehow the consequence of neo-colonialism, or the West has been oppressive, or racism – I'm not a big – I'm not a believer in excuses."
"In many ways, I came to understand the importance of fatherhood through its absence—both in my life and in the lives of others. I came to understand that the hole a man leaves when he abandons his responsibility to his children is one that no government can fill. We can do everything possible to provide good jobs and good schools and safe streets for our kids, but it will never be enough to fully make up the difference.
That is why we need fathers to step up, to realize that their job does not end at conception; that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise one. "
"Our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons, and our common prosperity will be advanced by allowing all humanity – men and women – to reach their full potential"
Michelle and Barack Obama @ a concert held at the White House to honor Stevie Wonder. Stevie Wonder was awarded with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song
"(Obama) has accepted an invitation from Prime Minister Stephen Harper to visit Canada once he is sworn in as president on January 20th," CTV's Robert Fife said Saturday. The planned trip will continue a longstanding tradition of new American presidents choosing Canada for their first official state visit. Fife said the tradition was broken by President George Bush after his election when he visited Mexico instead." Continue reading here
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