PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

 

 

 Versión en Español

Barack H. Obama is the 44th President of the United States.

His story is the American story — values from the heartland, a middle-class upbringing in a strong family, hard work and education as the means of getting ahead, and the conviction that a life so blessed should be lived in service to others.

With a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas, President Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961. He was raised with help from his grandfather, who served in Patton's army, and his grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle management at a bank.

After working his way through college with the help of scholarships and student loans, President Obama moved to Chicago, where he worked with a group of churches to help rebuild communities devastated by the closure of local steel plants.

He went on to attend law school, where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. Upon graduation, he returned to Chicago to help lead a voter registration drive, teach constitutional law at the University of Chicago, and remain active in his community.

President Obama's years of public service are based around his unwavering belief in the ability to unite people around a politics of purpose. In the Illinois State Senate, he passed the first major ethics reform in 25 years, cut taxes for working families, and expanded health care for children and their parents. As a United States Senator, he reached across the aisle to pass groundbreaking lobbying reform, lock up the world's most dangerous weapons, and bring transparency to government by putting federal spending online.

He was elected the 44th President of the United States on November 4, 2008, and sworn in on January 20, 2009. He and his wife, Michelle, are the proud parents of two daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7

Fuente: “Presidente Barack Obama” the White House president Barak Obama 22 Jan 2009 http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president_obama/

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-Presidential inauguration Barack Obama 2009 a new piece of history

                                  

Versión en Español 

The 2009 presidential inauguration of Barack Obama will take place on January 20, 2009, under the provisions of the Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The inauguration will mark the commencement of the four-year term of Barack Obama and Joe Biden as President and Vice President, respectively. The inauguration is expected to draw a record-setting crowd of between 1.5 and 2 million people. The theme of the inauguration is "A New Birth of Freedom," commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.   learn more about presidential inauguration

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The swearing-in of the President of the United States occurs upon the commencement of a new term of a President of the United States. The United States Constitution mandates that the President make the following oath or affirmation before he or she can "enter on the Execution" of the office of the presidency:

The newly elected or re-elected President traditionally adds "so help me God" to the constitutionally mandated statement.  read the full statement

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States”.

Official inauguration events commenced on January 17 with a train ride beginning in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and stopping in Wilmington, Delaware, and Baltimore, Maryland, before continuing on to Washington, D.C. Events are scheduled in Washington from January 18 to January 21, 2009.  see the official page of  presidential inauguration

Inauguration

The inaugural program will begin on January 20 at 10 a.m. EST (15:00 UTC) with the oath of office and inaugural address taking place at noon (17:00 UTC) at the west front of the United States Capitol. The public observation area is the National Mall.                                see full schedule

map of the parade  

The 2009  inauguration is expected to be attended by 1.5 to 2 million people, which would set a record. Obama has decided to follow tradition and use his full name, including his middle name Hussein, regardless of its past and present use by detractors as an effort to slant his image.

“I think the tradition is that they use all three names, and I will follow the tradition, not trying to make a statement one way or the other.”
—Barack Obama

Train ride 

The commencement of inauguration activities is a tribute to Abraham Lincoln, a former Illinois politician and the sixteenth president of the United States. Lincoln travelled by train from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., in 1861. Lincoln stopped in 70 places along the way to his inauguration, but his tour began in Springfield, Illinois, on February 11, 1861, before arriving in Philadelphia on February 21.

Related content Biography of  Barack Obama     Biography of Joe Biden   Past presidential inaugurations

 

Obama began by holding a town hall meeting in Philadelphia's 30th Street Station at 10 a.m. on January 17. At 11:30 a.m., Obama rode to Wilmington to pick up Vice President-elect Biden, riding in the Georgia 300, a railroad car used by past presidents. Then went to Baltimore and spoke to a crowd of around 40,000. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prevented private planes, news helicopters, balloonists and others from getting anywhere near the airspace above the train. Obama and family departed from 30th Street Station at 11 a.m. and arrived in Union Station at 7 p.m. see train ride video

Parade

The inaugural parade will travel down Pennsylvania Avenue, in front of the White House. Because of the threat that the President-elect may face on January 20, it is more than likely that Obama will be traveling down Pennsylvania Avenue by motorcade; it was tradition for the new President to walk instead of being driven. It is scheduled to extend for over two hours in the afternoon following the inauguration. It will include 15,000 people, 240 horses, dozens of marching bands, two drum and bugle corps, and one mariachi band from Espanola, New Mexico. He has invited the 9-time Drum Corps International (DCI) World Champion The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps, the eight-time finalist Colts Drum and Bugle Corps from Dubuque, Iowa, and the VMI corps of cadets, as well as the high school marching band from Punahou School, his high school in Hawaii to perform in the inaugural parade. During part of the parade, Obama will ride in a new armored limousine. see route of the parade

A number of news organizations and online video broadcasting companies will stream the Inauguration live online. It is expected that over 200 million viewers worldwide will watch Inauguration videos and live streams over the Internet. watch presidential inauguration live

Related links

Presidential inauguration

Inauguration DC.gov

Official site 

Barack Obama elected President of the United States

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sources:

"United States presidential inauguration." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 18 Jan 2009, 16:55 UTC. 18 Jan 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_presidential_inauguration&oldid=264893697>.

"Barack Obama 2009 presidential inauguration." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 19 Jan 2009, 21:08 UTC. 19 Jan 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Barack_Obama_2009_presidential_inauguration&oldid=265153773>.

 

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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day “I have a dream..”.

 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a United States holiday marking the birthdate of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., observed on the third Monday of January each year, around the time of King's birthday, January 15. It is one of four United States federal holidays to commemorate an individual person.

Full version of Martin Luther King's famous "I have a dream" speech.

King was the chief spokesman of the nonviolent civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. He was assassinated in 1968.        

Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after his assassination. Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed in 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2006.

read “ I have a dream speech”

Martin Luther King Jr. Day was founded as a holiday promoted by labor unions in contract negotiations.

After King's death, United States Representative John Conyers (D-Michigan) introduced a bill in Congress to

" I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Martin Luther King, Jr.

make King's birthday a national holiday. The bill first came to a vote in the    U.S. House of Representatives in 1979. However, it fell five votes short of the number needed for passage^. Two of the main arguments mentioned by opponents were that a paid holiday for federal employees would be too expensive, and that a holiday to honor a private citizen would be contrary to longstanding tradition (King had never held public office).

 

see more Martin Luther King,Jr. quotes

Later, The King Center turned to support from the corporate community and the general public. The success of this strategy was cemented when musician Stevie Wonder released the single "Happy Birthday" to popularize the campaign in 1980 and hosted the Rally for Peace Press Conference in 1981. Six million signatures were collected for a petition to Congress to pass the law, termed by a 2006 article in The Nation as "the largest petition in favor of an issue in U.S. history." At the White House Rose Garden on November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a federal holiday to honor King. It was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986.

The bill established the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission to oversee observance of the holiday, and Coretta Scott King was made a member of this commission for life by United States President George H. W. Bush in May, 1989.  view related  videos about Martin Luther King, Jr.

sources:

"Martin Luther King, Jr. Day." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 13 Jan 2009, 01:14 UTC. 13 Jan 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Martin_Luther_King,_Jr._Day&oldid=263711822>.

“Martin Luther King,Jr.Quotes”The holiday spot.13Jan2009   <http://www.theholidayspot.com/martin_luther_king_day/quotes.htm>.

 

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Israeli rocket targets Press TV building in Gaza

An Israeli rocket has struck the Press TV building in the Gaza Strip. According to the news agency, other television news stations called Al-Alam and Al Arabiya are also based inside the building. At least two people have been injured. The attack occurred at about 15:40 (GMT).

There was no warning prior to the attack and only journalists were inside the building when the rocket hit. Press TV states that some of their broadcasting equipment on the building's roof was damaged in the blast. According to live video being broadcast by Press TV, journalists on the roof are marked with 'TV' or 'press' on their coats and helmets. Press TV uses the roof of their building to broadcast most of their live video feeds of Gaza.

The agency claims that they were given assurance by the Israeli military that the building would not be targeted. The agency also states that coordinates of the building were given to the Israeli military everyday so they would not attack the building or mistake news crews for Hamas militants.

Despite the claim by witnesses and Press TV employees, a spokesperson for the IDF states that the building was not a target and was likely a result of "collateral damage." There are no reports of other buildings having been hit in the area around the Press TV building.

Press TV states that regardless of the attack, they are still "prepared to show the horrific attacks by the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) with graphic images of children being killed".

Press TV, an Iranian based news agency, is one of few international news agencies broadcasting live video feeds of Gaza and currently has more journalists in Gaza than any other world news agency.

 

source: “Israeli rocket targets Press TV building in Gaza” Wikinews,January 9, 2009

 

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