The Obamas' First State Dinner

FLOTUS was flawless.

Europe Never Looked So Good

All eyes are on First Lady Michelle Obama's fashion choices and she did not disappoint in Europe last week. Fabulous indeed!

Pee Like A Man

Have you heard about the female urination device
that allows you to pee while standing up?


It's a GoGirl!

Arme Kinder

Poor children.

Our First Lady's Choice

For her Inaugural gown, Michelle Obama chose a white chiffon one shoulder design,

by Jason Wu.

Applause or Boos?

The Inauguration of Barack Obama

Yesterday, over two million people traveled to Washington DC to witness the highly anticipated Inauguration of Barack Obama. I was one of them. I woke up at 4am, spent 2 hours on the Metro (normally a 20 minute ride), and stood outside on Pennsylvania Avenue for over 6 hours, with temperatures teetering just above 20 degrees. I even had to use a Porta-potty...several times. And you know what? It was worth every effort. The overwhelming energy of the people and the significance of that moment in American history literally brought me to tears. Amazing.

Here are my highlights:)

Marking History

The Presidential Inaugural Committee released an official Inauguration poster, designed by famed street artist Shepard Fairey. Fairey's initial 2008 design, the HOPE poster (see side bar), was one of the most influential presidential campaign images in history.

"Be the change that you want to see in the world."

-Gandhi

Loving Beyond Black and White

In Memoriam

Mildred Loving had no intention of being a civil-rights hero. She and her husband simply wanted to go home. And that wish turned the soft-spoken Loving into a crusader who struck down laws prohibiting interracial couples from marrying.

Mildred Jeter, who was African- and Native-American, and Richard Loving, who was white, first met as children in Central Point, Va. In 1958, they traveled to Washington, D.C., to wed, because interracial couples could not marry in Virginia. They didn't raise a ruckus over flouting the Virginia law, they simply returned home to live their lives. But a month later the police raided their home in the middle of the night and arrested them for "cohabiting as man and wife, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth." Richard spent a night in jail. Mildred, who was pregnant at the time, was jailed for five days. They pleaded guilty and the judge in the case sentenced them each to a year in prison, but suspended the sentence provided they left Virginia and did not return together for 25 years. During the sentencing, Judge Leon Bazile said that God never intended for the races to mix, so their marriage was an abomination.

The Lovings moved to Washington and had three children, but they missed the rural Virginia town where they grew up and fell in love, and where their family still lived. In 1963, as Congress was preparing to pass the Civil Rights Act, Mildred wrote a letter to Attorney General Robert Kennedy, asking if this new law would allow them to go home. The answer was no, but he referred the Lovings to the ACLU, which immediately took up the case.

On June 12, 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in their favor. In the decision, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote, "[t]he freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men." At the time, 16 states had laws against interracial marriage — Maryland's anti-miscegenation law was overturned a few months before the ruling. They were all struck down.

And the Lovings went back to their life. Richard, a bricklayer, built them a house in Central Point. Mildred raised their children. In 1975, Richard was killed in a car accident. Mildred, who never remarried, died on May 2, 2008 in the house Richard built her.

Mildred Loving was, by all accounts, a humble woman who never considered herself a hero. She rarely talked to the press, but in 2007, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision, she issued a statement that was read at the National Press Club. She and her husband didn't get married "to make a political statement or start a fight. We were in love, and we wanted to be married," she wrote. "Not a day goes by that I don't think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the 'wrong kind of person' for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. ... That's what Loving [the decision], and loving, are all about."

—Anna Ditkoff

I have no words.

This is RuPaul's 2008 Christmas card - a tribute to the Obamas.

The "O" Factor

No, not Oprah. Obama. It's pretty obvious to me that our new president's sense of style is already influencing some of our youth. I remember shortly after his election victory, there was a photograph of Barack Obama dropping off his daughters at school, wearing a North Face fleece jacket. When I saw that photograph, I said to G, "North Face just won the Lotto." Well, on Saturday, my girlfriend and I spent 6 hours Christmas shopping at the mega mall, Tyson's Corner. And we couldn't help noticing - there were so many African American teenagers wearing North Face gear...which in my opinion, is a new thing. Cool:)

What's a Girl to Wear?

Who will design Michelle Obama's Inaugural gown? Some of the world's top designers were asked to submit their exclusive sketches for the country's future first lady. Here are my favorites.

Monique Lhuillier

Oscar de la Renta

Christian Lacroix

Badgley Mischka

Betsey Johnson

OBAMA Wins 2008 Presidential Election!

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.

A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen. McCain.

Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.

I congratulate him; I congratulate Gov. Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady Michelle Obama.

Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the new White House.

And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them.

And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best -- the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.

To my chief strategist David Axelrod who's been a partner with me every step of the way.

To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.

It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.

It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.

This is your victory.

And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me.

You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime -- two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.

There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.

There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.

I promise you, we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.

But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years -- block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.

This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.

It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.

Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.

Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.

Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.

This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes, we can.

Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America."

Barack Obama

Let's change history!

The Last Presidential Debate

My thoughts exactly.

Change We Can Believe In

Obama officially became the first African American presidential nominee for a major political party, giving his acceptance speech on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s
"I Have a Dream" speech.

"I get it. I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I
don’t fit the typical pedigree, and I haven’t spent my career in the halls of
Washington.

But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring.
What the nay-sayers don’t understand is that this election has never been about
me. It’s been about you.

For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the
politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk
we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect
a different result. You have shown what history teaches us - that at defining
moments like this one, the change we need doesn’t come from Washington. Change
comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it -
because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics
for a new time.

America, this is one of those moments."
Barack Obama

Two in a Million!

BERLIN
Twin boys of radically differing skin color have been born in a one-in-a-million chance to a German father and Ghanaian mother in a Berlin hospital, doctors have announced. The twins, born by Caesarean section, came into the world on July 11. But details were kept from the public until the press were invited to the clinic to see the delighted parents - Florence, 35, and the father Stephan, 40, and photograph them with their twin boys. Hospital authorities said the non-identical, or biovular, twins were definitely full brothers, with the same father. The probability of a birth of this kind was one in a million. Ryan, who weighed 2.650 kilos, is distinctly lighter in skin color than Leo, who was born weighing 2.606 kilos.
-Berliner Kurier

*After a little research, I found two additional cases. Isn't God amazing?!

The Politics of Fear

On the cover of the July 21, 2008, issue of The New Yorker, artist Barry
Blitt satirizes the use of scare tactics and misinformation in the presidential election to derail Barack Obama’s campaign.


Is this satire or tasteless and offensive?

Germany's Biblical Theme Park

BERLIN
If you ever fancied lunch in the Tower of Babel, visiting an "original size" Noah's Ark or a multimedia depiction of the final battle between Good and Evil, you may not have long to wait. Under plans announced by a group of Swiss evangelical Christians and reported by the German press, Genesis Park, a theme park based on the Bible, will open at a yet to be chosen site in Germany by 2012.

It will group some 40 attractions over an area the size of 70 football pitches encompassing all areas of the Christian story, according to the organisers' website. The centrepiece will be what the organisers call an "original size" Noah's Ark which is 150 metres (490 feet) long and surrounded by water. Other attractions will include two roller coasters -- one giving an idea of the Great Flood and another on the theme of heaven and hell -- a miniature version of Biblical-era Israel and a Roman amphitheatre. Visitors will be served food at the City of Enoch, a Tower of Babel panorama restaurant, an Old Testament-era desert tent, and a mock-up of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus -- also the location for the main shopping mall.

"We would like to transmit the story and the message of the Bible in an active and exciting way, so that many people in our society may have the opportunity to experience up close the most wonderful and fantastic love story of all, the love story of our Creator and Jesus Christ," the website said. The project is well short of the necessary 120 million euros (185 million dollars), but organisers are talking with German investors and hope to raise enough by the end of the year, according to the Frankfurter Rundschau daily.

Yahoo! News

OBAMA holt den Sieg!

Barack Obama

will be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

Priceless

Mugger in Germany Foiled by Blind Judo Expert

BERLIN (Reuters) - A blind judo expert astounded a mugger by pinning him to the ground after he tried to steal his cigarettes, police said on Monday.

The assailant, a 17-year-old man of Asian origin, spotted the 33-year-old, who police identified only as Emil E., at a train station in the southwestern town of Gießen and thought he would be easy prey, police spokesman Rolf Wellershausen said.

But what the attacker did not know, the spokesman said, was that his victim was a world-class blind judo wrestler.

The 17-year-old threatened the blind man, then punched him in the face, at which point the martial artist flipped him and held him down until police arrived.