Friday, December 31, 2010

Bloomberg's Street Is Free From Snow, But Booker Is Grabbing His Shovel

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NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Street Is Free From Snow, But Newark Mayor Cory Booker Is Grabbing His Shovel


As the blizzard of 2010 dumped 20 inches on New York City, paralyzing public transportation, flooding the subways, and leaving EMT workers stranded in the snow, those first responded to were the wealthiest. No surprise here.

On Facebook, posters have posted pictures of areas in Bed-Stuy, Bushwick, and other neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens, all untouched by snow plows. As of today, four days after the blizzard first hit, cars remain buried under drifts, the streets are empty of footprints, and trash trucks, ambulances, or any city services have apparently blown away in the wind.

The upper East Side is clean as a whistle as snow plows and crews ready 42nd St for New Year's festivities. It brings to mind people in the Ninth Ward waving white flags as their families drowned in attics as rescue and city workers rushed towards the French Quarter -- mostly to save the structures.


A newborn baby died in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, after it took emergency responders 10 hours to respond to the mother's 911 call on Monday. A Queens woman was forced to wait for three hours for first responders after calling 911 on behalf of her mother who was having trouble breathing on Monday morning, according to the Daily News. Her mother, Yvonne Freeman, 75, was dead by the time emergency workers were able to reach her home. A stroke victim had to be carried by emergency personnel and police officers because they could not drive through the streets. By the time they reached the hospital she was brain dead.

But Mayor Michael Bloomberg's block on E. 79th Street between Fifth and Madison Ave. was clear by Monday.

Why New Yorkers continue to think Mayor Bloomberg serves any other interests other than business and the wealthy perplexes me. Bloomberg's response to the criticism: "We did not do as good a job as we wanted to do or as the city has a right to expect," he said during a press conference in the South Bronx yesterday.

New York has seen bigger snowstorms that have not left the city crippled. The largest snowstorm New York City ever experienced was in 2006, 26.9 inches, and it did not stop public transportation systems.

City workers say Bloomberg's recent budget cuts have decreased manpower and allowed for this dysfunction.

In contrast, in equally cash-strapped Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker has been responding via Twitter to residents who have not been plowed. Pictures show him running out of his own house with a shovel -- at least giving Newark residents the idea that they have his ear. Check the video below of him shoveling snow during the snow storms earlier this year.




Meanwhile in New York, as people die, and remain stranded, including my own mother who is stuck at my sister's house in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, without her heart medication, Bloomberg offers excuses at various press conferences and goes home to a cleanly plowed street.

 

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Source: http://www.bvblackspin.com/2010/12/29/bloombergs-street-is-free-from-snow-but-booker-is-grabbing-his/

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Picasa gets new Web zoom viewer and more EXIF data

Picasa Web Albums microscope zoom
Picasa Web Albums, the online half of Google's Picasa software/service duo, has received a new zoom viewer that is powered by Adobe's Flash. Clicking on the familiar magnifying glass that sits next to a photo lets you zoom in or out on a rectangular selection. This feature is apparently being called 'microscope zoom', and you absolutely have to have the Flash plug-in installed for it to work, since it won't fall back onto any other technology if you don't.

Also new is a lot more EXIF data being made available on the 'full details page'. There's now more information about white balance, orientation, exposure, color space, brightness, metering, aperture, and whether the flash was used or not.

Picasa gets new Web zoom viewer and more EXIF data originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remarks by The First Lady to Children While Tracking Santa with NORAD

Release Time: 
For Immediate Release

Via Telephone

12:00 P.M. HST

OPERATOR:  We have Max.   

MRS. OBAMA:  Hello, this is the First Lady, Michelle Obama, with NORAD, tracking Santa.  How can I help you?

MAX:  Hi.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hi.  What’s your name?

MAX:  Max.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hi, Max.  How old are you?

MAX:  Eight.

MRS. OBAMA:  Eight?  Okay, well, this is the First Lady.  And I'm helping them track Santa tonight, so how can I help you? You want to know where Santa is?

MAX:  I live in Los Angeles.

MRS. OBAMA:  You live in Los Angeles?  Have you been a good boy this year? 

MAX:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  I'm sure you have, Max, right? 

MAX:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  I know you have.  Well, you know where Santa is right now?  Right now I'm looking at the radar and I see a big, bright light.  Santa is moving pretty fast, and right now he is in Johannesburg, South Africa.  That's what the radar says.  He sees him and he’s got a sleigh full of toys.  So pretty exciting, right?

MAX:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  Yes.  Well, it’s important, Max, that you know that Santa only comes after boys and girls have gone to sleep, no matter where he is in the world.  So Santa won't be at your house until you’re fast asleep, okay?

MAX:  Would you want to talk to Alex?

MRS. OBAMA:  Is Alex your brother?

MAX:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hello, Alex. 

MAX:  He’s right here.

MRS. OBAMA:  I'd love to talk to Alex.

ALEX:  Hi.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hi, Alex.  How old are you?

ALEX:  Seven.

MRS. OBAMA:  You're seven?  Well, this is the First Lady, and I'm helping NORAD, and they track Santa.  And I just told your brother, Max, that right now Santa’s sleigh is over South Africa -- Johannesburg, South Africa.  That's where the sleigh is.  The radar has got him.

ALEX:  (Giggle.) 

MRS. OBAMA:  Okay?  But you’ve got to go to sleep before Santa gets to your house, okay?

ALEX:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right.  You promise?  Well, merry Christmas, sweetie, all right?

ALEX:  Merry Christmas.  Bye.

MRS. OBAMA:  Okay, bye-bye.  Say merry Christmas to your family, okay?  All right.  Good night.  Sleep tight.  Don't forget to leave your cookies. 

OPERATOR:  Mrs. Obama, I'm going to be connecting you with Colin, Anna, and Evan.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hello, this is the First Lady, Michelle Obama.  I'm working with NORAD to help track Santa.  How can I help you guys?

COLIN:  We want to know where Santa is.

MRS. OBAMA:  You want to know where Santa is?  Well, let me take a look.  Hold on a second, I'm going to look at the radar screen, okay?  Ooh, I see him.  Right now Santa’s sleigh is flying over Africa.  He’s flying over Africa.  Now, more specifically, he’s in Namibia.  Now, you can ask your parents where Namibia is.  You can look on the map.  But he moves from place to place.  He’s only there for a couple of minutes.  So he’s right now over Namibia in Africa.  Okay?  So you guys, it’s important to know that Santa won't get to your house until you're fast asleep.  Okay?  No matter where he is in the world -- he goes all over the place, but he doesn’t come to your house until every child is asleep.  Okay?

COLIN:  Okay.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right.  So make sure you leave your cookies out and some vegetables for the reindeer, okay?

COLIN:  Okay.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right.  Have a merry Christmas and be good.

COLIN:  Merry Christmas. 

MRS. OBAMA:  Merry Christmas, everybody.

COLIN AND ANNA AND EVAN:  Thank you.

MRS. OBAMA:  Take care.

OPERATOR:  I'm going to connect you to Ailene.  And her father’s name is Lou. 

MRS. OBAMA:  Hi, this is the First Lady, Michelle Obama.  I'm helping out with NORAD tonight.  Is Ailene -- is she ready to find his position?  Hello?

AILENE:  Hi.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hi, Ailene.  How old are you?

AILENE:  Six.

MRS. OBAMA:  Well, this is the First Lady, Michelle Obama.  And I'm helping NORAD track Santa.  Do you want to know where he is right now?

AILENE:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  Okay.  I'm looking at the radar screen  Oh, we've got him.  Do you know where he is?  He’s over Africa -- specifically Gabon.  Now, you're going to have to ask your dad exactly where Gabon is, but it’s in Africa.  So right now we see a bright light and all the pilots here are pretty confident that it is Santa.  And his sleigh looks very full -- full of toys.  So I hope you were a good girl.  Were you a good girl this year?

AILENE:  Thank you.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right.  Well, make sure you go to bed so he'll get to your house, okay?

AILENE:  Thank you.  Bye.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right, bye-bye.  Merry Christmas.

OPERATOR:  We have the next caller on the phone.  I'm going to be connecting you with Trevin and Tegan.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hi, this is First Lady, Michelle Obama.  I'm helping NORAD track Santa tonight.  How are you?

TREVIN:  Good.

MRS. OBAMA:  How can I help you?  Do you guys want to know where Santa is?

TREVIN:  Yes. 

MRS. OBAMA:  Okay, hold on, let me check the radar.  Oh, okay, they’ve got him.  They’re spotting him.  Right now he is flying over Africa -- the Central African Republic of Bombari.  And it looks like his sleigh is pretty full of toys.  And they can see a little red light and it looks like Rudolph might be guiding the sleigh tonight.  Have you guys been good this year?

TREVIN:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right.  Well, it looks like he’s got a lot of toys, but you do know that Santa only comes to your house after every child has gone to sleep.  They have to be fast asleep before he'll come, no matter where he is in the world.  Okay?

TREVIN:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right, well, you make sure -- are you going to leave your cookies out for Santa and some vegetables for the reindeer?  All right, that sounds good.  Well, tell your whole family merry Christmas.  And I hope Santa brings you everything you want.  Okay?  Merry Christmas.  Bye.

OPERATOR:  Mrs. Obama, I have Tyson on the line.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hello, this is First Lady Michelle Obama.  I'm helping NORAD track Santa tonight.  How can I help you?

TYSON:  Well, we just wanted to know where Santa lives at -- where he’s at right now.

MRS. OBAMA:  Well, I can help you with that.  There’s a huge radar -- I'm going to look on the radar plot to see where he is. Oh, okay, we've spotted him.  He is flying over Africa right now -- Cameroon, to be specific.  He’s right over the country of Cameroon in Africa.  Where are you from?

TYSON:  We're in -- Alaska

MRS. OBAMA:  Wow, that's pretty exciting.  Well, you do know that Santa only comes to your house after all the kids are fast asleep, no matter where he is in the world.  So you have to make sure you get a good night’s sleep tonight, all right?

TYSON:  yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  Have you been good this year?

TYSON:  Yes.
    
MRS. OBAMA:  Okay.  Well, you should have a great Christmas when you wake up in the morning, okay? 

TYSON:  Okay.

MRS. OBAMA:  Tell your family merry Christmas, all right?

TYSON:  Okay.

MRS. OBAMA:  And have fun tomorrow.

TYSON:  Thanks, Mrs. Obama.

MRS. OBAMA:  Okay.  Good night, sweetie. 

OPERATOR:  Mrs. Obama, I have Sean and his mother Lisa waiting to speak to you.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hi.

LISA:  Hi.  Merry Christmas. 

MRS. OBAMA:  Merry Christmas.  How are you?

LISA:  Great.  How is Hawaii?

MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, it’s beautiful.  It’s beautiful.

LISA:  I wish I was there.

MRS. OBAMA:  Where are you? 

LISA:  We're in Colorado Springs.

MRS. OBAMA:  You guys don't have snow, right?

LISA:  Oh, no.

MRS. OBAMA:  That's okay.

LISA:  It’s going to be a sunny Christmas this year.

MRS. OBAMA:  Santa gets wherever he’s got to go, right?  (Laughter.) 

LISA:  He does, that's right.  So I'm with my son.

MRS. OBAMA:  I would love to talk to him.

LISA:  That would be great.  Hang on one moment.  I wish your family a merry Christmas.

MRS. OBAMA:  Same to you.  You guys enjoy. 

SEAN:  Hello.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hi, Sean.  It’s Mrs. Obama.  How are you?

SEAN:  Good.

MRS. OBAMA:  What can I do for you?  

SEAN:  I just wanted to know where Santa was.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right, well, I'm right by the radar screen and right now it looks like Santa is flying over Africa.  Pretty amazing.   

SEAN:  Yeah, that's cool.

MRS. OBAMA:  The radar shows that it looks like the vehicle is being pulled by all nine reindeer and it’s pretty full of toys.  And to be specific, it’s over Chad, the country of Chad.  So pretty exciting.  He’s moving at a pretty good clip.  The weather looks good, so there shouldn’t be any problems with him getting the toys around.  

SEAN:  That's really cool.  I can't wait for him to get to my house.

MRS. OBAMA:  Yes.  Have you been good this year?

SEAN:  Yes.  I got an email from Santa this year.

MRS. OBAMA:  You got an email from Santa?  Well, he’s really moving up.  He’s pretty high-tech now. 

SEAN:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  Well, the important thing to remember is that he doesn’t come to your house until you're fast asleep, no matter where he is in the country.  So you’ve got to make sure you get a good night’s sleep.  Leave out your cookies and some vegetables for the reindeer and you should be good to go.

SEAN:  Do you know about what time he’s going to be here?

MRS. OBAMA:  You know, he doesn’t -- from what I understand from the people at NORAD who’ve tracked him for centuries, they say he kind of pops all over the country, all over the world.  There’s no real clear pattern.  So it depends on when kids go to sleep.  If you go to sleep and you're out in a couple hours, he might pop over your house right now.  But you’ve got to be asleep.  You’ve got to make sure you get a good night’s sleep, okay? 

SEAN:  Okay.  Thank you so much.   

MRS. OBAMA:  All right.  Well, merry Christmas, sweetie.

SEAN:  Merry Christmas to you, too.

MRS. OBAMA:  Okay.  Have fun tomorrow.

SEAN:  Okay.  Thank you.  Bye.

MRS. OBAMA:  Bye-bye.

OPERATOR:  We have Seth on the line.  I'm going to be connecting you.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hi, Seth.  This is the First Lady, Michelle Obama.  I'm helping NORAD track Santa tonight.  How can I help you?

SETH:  I wonder where Santa is. 

MRS. OBAMA:  You want to know where he is?  Well, I'm going to look on the radar right now.  Oh, you know where he is?  He’s flying over Africa right now.  And the radar is showing that there’s a glowing object and they’ve got a lock on that object.  They can confirm that it is, in fact, Santa’s sleigh.  And it looks like all nine reindeer are pulling the sleigh, and it looks like the sleigh -- this is good news -- is completely full of toys.  Pretty exciting.  So have you been a good boy this year?

SETH:  Is Rudolph on there?

MRS. OBAMA:  Yes.  Yes, Rudolph is pulling the sleigh.  They can see -- they see a little flickering red light and they know that's Rudolph.  So Rudolph is there.  Santa is making his way.  You’ve got to make sure you get a good night’s sleep tonight, okay, because he doesn’t come to your house until you're asleep, okay?

SETH:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right.  Have you been good this year?

SETH:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right.  Well, it’s going to be a great day for you tomorrow. 

SETH:  Yes. 

MRS. OBAMA:  Okay.  Make sure you leave the cookies out for Santa, okay?

SETH:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right.  Have a very, very merry Christmas.  And tell your whole family merry Christmas, okay?

SETH:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right.  Good night, sweetie.   

SETH:  Bye.

MRS. OBAMA:  Bye-bye. 

OPERATOR:  Mrs. Obama, I have Austin on the line.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hi.  Is this Austin?

AUSTIN:  Hello.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hi, Austin.  This is the First Lady, Michelle Obama.  I'm helping NORAD track Santa tonight.  How can I help you?

AUSTIN:  Can I ask you a few questions about being the First Lady?

MRS. OBAMA:  Absolutely.  What can I tell you? 

AUSTIN:  Is it a hard job?

MRS. OBAMA:  You know, it is not as hard as being the President.  My job is fun because I get to do stuff like this.  I get to come to NORAD and look at the radar and help them track Santa.  I get to work with kids like you guys and help make sure they’re staying healthy.  So it’s a fun job.  Thanks for asking.

AUSTIN:  Is it hard to have all that security around you?

MRS. OBAMA:  No, because the security -- the Secret Service, they’re really professional and they’re really nice guys.  So they’re fun.  They’re good with the girls.  So they’re not -- they do their jobs, but they’re really nice guys.  It’s almost like they’re family after a while.  So it’s not that hard having them around.  And they’re there to keep us safe, right?  You can't be mad at that, right?

AUSTIN:  Right.

MRS. OBAMA:  What else do you want to know?

AUSTIN:  Is it hard to like be married to the President?

MRS. OBAMA:  No, he’s a pretty good guy.  I mean, it’s a tough job and sometimes you want to do everything you can to help him, but it’s pretty easy being married to him.  He’s kind of funny -- fun to hang out with.

AUSTIN:  Okay, cool.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right.  Do you want to know where Santa is?

AUSTIN:  Please.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right.  Hold on, let me look at the radar.  Okay, it looks like -- all right, they’ve got a lock on a glowing object and they can confirm that it is in fact Santa’s sleigh.  It’s over Africa right now -- Algeria, Africa.  And they can see from here that it’s pretty full of toys.  Pretty full.  So hopefully you’ve been good this year.  But Santa is not going to come to your house until you go to sleep. 

AUSTIN:  Merry Christmas.

MRS. OBAMA:  Merry Christmas, sweetie.  Take care.

AUSTIN:  All right.  Bye-bye.

MRS. OBAMA:  Bye-bye.

OPERATOR:  I'm connecting you to Jayna and her mother, Jill.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hi, this is Michelle Obama.  How are you guys doing?

JAYNA:  Good. 

MRS. OBAMA:  Great.  Well, I have the best job on Christmas Eve.  I'm helping them track Santa tonight.  How can I help you guys?  Do you want to know where Santa is?

JAYNA:  Where is Santa?

MRS. OBAMA:  Hold on, let me look at the radar.  Oh, my goodness, they spotted a glowing light -- they can confirm that it is Santa.  And he’s flying over Italy.  And it’s Sicily to be precise.  Maybe your mom can look on a map and show you where Sicily, Italy is.  And you know what else they can see?  They can confirm that they see a glowing object -- it is Rudolph’s bright red nose.  Oh, it’s so cool.  And they can see that the sleigh looks really full of toys.  Pretty exciting.   

JAYNA:  That’s good.   

MRS. OBAMA:  Have you been good this year? 

JAYNA:  Yes. 

MRS. OBAMA:  You’ve been good?  That's great!  Well, I know you're going to have a great Christmas tomorrow, sweetie.  But you know Santa won't come to your house until you're fast asleep, so you’ve got to be asleep, okay?

JAYNA:  Thank you.

MRS. OBAMA:  Merry Christmas, sweetie.  You guys have a wonderful holiday.  You all take care.   

JAYNA:  Bye.

MRS. OBAMA:  Bye-bye.

OPERATOR:  I've got Morgan, Vanessa, Valerie and Ryan on the line.

MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, a big crew.  All right.

OPERATOR:  Okay, gang, you're connected with Mrs. Obama.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hi, everybody.  This is Michelle Obama.  I get to help NORAD track Santa tonight.  How can I help you?  What do you need to know? 

MORGAN:  Could you look at Montgomery, Illinois?

MRS. OBAMA:  Wonderful!  You want to know where Santa is now?

MORGAN:  We want to know when he’s going to be to Montgomery.

MRS. OBAMA:  Well, you know, there’s no specific time that he gets to a place.  He only comes to a child’s house after every child in the house is fast asleep.  But right now the radar is showing that he is flying over Italy -- Rome, to be precise.  And it looks like his sleigh is full of toys. 

MORGAN:  Has he been to a lot of places already?

MRS. OBAMA:  Already, since I've been on the call he has flown over several parts of Africa.  He’s flown over Johannesburg, Gabon, Nigeria, and he’s just moved into Europe.  So right now he’s right over Rome.  So it looks like he’s making his way.  But what the NORAD team tells me is that he zips around the country -- it’s not clear what country he goes to first.  I think he goes to whatever houses that the kids are asleep, gets it done and then moves on.  But right now he’s in Italy.  And this is a pretty sophisticated tracking system.  They say he flies at unbelievable speeds to do this.  But it looks like the weather is clear and they don't believe that there will be any problem with Santa completing all of his tasks by Christmas morning.

But make sure everybody in the house gets a good night’s sleep, they’ve got their cookies out and veggies out for the reindeer.  Sound good?

DAD:  We have some really well-behaved kids here. 

MRS. OBAMA:  Well, then that's an easy one, right, because when kids have had a great year, Santa -- he’s more than excited to come to that house. 

DAD:  We wish the President merry Christmas also.

MRS. OBAMA:  Well, I will definitely let him know.  And we wish you guys a very, very merry Christmas.

VANESSA:  Tell Malia and Sasha, too. 

MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, thank you.  I'm going to make sure they get that message.  I'm going to see them in a few minutes.  And they wish you guys a merry Christmas.  And I'm just so proud that you have a house full of great kids, because we work hard for great kids like you guys.  All right.

VANESSA:  I even got them a present.

MRS. OBAMA:  That's excellent.  That's very generous.  That is even more special.  So you guys are going to have a great day tomorrow and you’ve earned it.

MORGAN AND VANESSA AND VALERIE AND RYAN:  Thank you!

MRS. OBAMA:  Merry Christmas.  You all take care of each other.  Bye-bye.

OPERATOR:  I have Juliana.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hi.  This is the First Lady.  I'm helping NORAD track Santa.  Is Juliana there?

JULIANA:  Yes.  Hi.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hi, sweetie.  How old are you?

JULIANA:  Eight.

MRS. OBAMA:  You're eight.  Wow!  You're one year younger than Sasha.  This is so exciting.  She’s bouncing off the walls. I know you are, too.

JULIANA:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  Do you want to know where Santa is right now?

JULIANA:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right, I'm looking at the radar.  It’s a big, huge radar -- and it looks like Santa is flying over Croatia, a part of Europe, right now.  But they can tell from this radar that -- it looks like all nine reindeer are pulling the sleigh tonight, including Rudolph.  And it looks like the sleigh is extremely full.  So that's pretty exciting.

JULIANA:  Is Rudolph leading the way?

MRS. OBAMA:  Yes, he’s leading the way, leading the way.  And they’re moving at unbelievable speed.  So they’re predicting that Santa is going to be able to make all of his deliveries by Christmas morning. 

JULIANA:  Great.

MRS. OBAMA:  Have you been good this year?

JULIANA:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  Excellent.

JULIANA:  We got to open our presents because we weren't going to be at one of our family’s houses for Christmas.

MRS. OBAMA:  We do that sometimes, too.  Sometimes we open some early, sometimes we open some later.  We do the same thing.

JULIANA:  What Mommy gave me we got to open tonight.

MRS. OBAMA:  Yes, what Santa gives you -- you get when Santa delivers them.  That's just how we do it.

JULIANA:  We're going to open presents tomorrow at my other friend’s house. 

MRS. OBAMA:  That's exciting.  What’s the thing you're most excited to get tomorrow?

JULIANA:  My MP-3 player. 

MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, you sound just like Sasha.  Same thing.

JULIANA:  I got one today.

MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, man!  Well, you're racking up.  You must have been really good this year.   

JULIANA:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  Well, that's great.  But you’ve got to go to sleep because Santa doesn’t come until you're fast asleep, okay?

JULIANA:  I'm sleeping on the couch tonight.

MRS. OBAMA:  You're sleeping on the couch?  Well, it doesn’t matter where you sleep.  You just have to be asleep, okay?

SISTER:  Hi.

MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, it’s good to talk to you.  Have you been good this year?

SISTER:  I've been awesome.  (Laughter.) 

MRS. OBAMA:  Well, then you should have no problems tomorrow morning, right?

SISTER:  Yes. 

MRS. OBAMA:  Well, that's great.  Just keep being awesome, all right?  We need a lot of awesome kids out there, okay?

SISTER:  Yes, ma’am.

MRS. OBAMA:  Okay.  You all take care and merry Christmas to your whole family and all your friends that you're going to see. Tell them the First Lady said merry Christmas.

JULIANA AND HER SISTER:  Merry Christmas.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right, you all take care.  Bye-bye.

OPERATOR:  Mrs. Obama, I've got Brandi and her son, Hunter, on the phone.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hello.  Hi.  This is the First Lady, Michelle Obama.  Who am I speaking to?

HUNTER:  Hi.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hi.  How are you?  What’s your name?

HUNTER:  I'm good.

MRS. OBAMA:  You're good?  What’s your name?

HUNTER:  Hunter.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hunter?  How old are you, Hunter?

HUNTER:  Four.

MRS. OBAMA:  Four!  All right.  Have you been good this year? 

HUNTER:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right.  Do you want to know where Santa is flying over right now?

HUNTER:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  I'm looking at the radar screen.  They spotted a glowing object -- it is flying right now over a place called Slovakia.  And they say it looks like the sleigh is being pulled by all nine reindeer including Rudolph, and that -- oh, they can see, they say the sleigh looks extremely full of toys.  Pretty exciting, right?

HUNTER:  Yes.  I want for Christmas a skateboard and --  I

MRS. OBAMA:  Yes.  What else?

HUNTER:  (inaudible.) 

MRS. OBAMA:  Okay.  Well, you know what, Santa doesn’t come to your house until after you’re fast asleep, okay?  So you’ve got to go to bed and get a good night’s sleep, close your eyes tight and dream good thoughts, okay?

HUNTER:  Thank you.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right.  Merry Christmas, sweetie.

HUNTER:  Merry Christmas.

OPERATOR:  We have Savanna and Alexis for your last call.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hi, this is the First Lady, Michelle Obama.  I'm working with NORAD to help track Santa.  How are you guys doing?

SAVANNA:  Good.

MRS. OBAMA:  How old are you all? 

SAVANNA:  Nine and five.

MRS. OBAMA:  Nine and five?  Have you been good this year? 

SAVANNA AND ALEXIS:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  Excellent.  Excellent.  Well, let me look at the radar and I'm going to check right now where they -- oh, my goodness.  They spotted a glowing object.  It looks like he’s -- he’s flying over Austria right now.  And they’re telling me that the sleigh is pretty full and it’s being pulled by all nine reindeer including Rudolph.  And they’re moving really fast.  The good news -- they say the weather is all clear all around the world and that Santa is not going to have any problems delivering toys this evening.  Pretty exciting!  What did you guys ask for, for Christmas?

SAVANNA:  I asked for a cell phone.

MRS. OBAMA:  A cell phone.  What else?  Anything else? 

SAVANNA:  (inaudible) 

MRS. OBAMA:  Yes?  Well, since you guys have been so good this year I'm sure you're going to have a great morning.  But you know what, Santa doesn’t come to your house until every child is fast asleep, okay?

ALEXIS:  Okay.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right.  So you’ve got to make sure you get a good night’s sleep.  Have you left cookies out for Santa?

ALEXIS:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  And did you leave something out for the reindeer, too?

SAVANNA:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right, well, you're set.  You can get a good night’s sleep and wake up in the morning and it’s going to be Christmas!  Isn’t that exciting?

SAVANNA:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right.  Well, you guys have a merry Christmas and get a good night’s sleep, okay?

SAVANNA:  Thank you.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right.  Bye-bye, sweetie.

END
12:38 P.M. HST

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/12/24/remarks-first-lady-children-while-tracking-santa-with-norad

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Thursday, December 30, 2010

Should I have let my kids go on reality TV?

Alice Douglas's children have spent much of the year competing in high-profile television talent shows. They say they have benefited from the experience but, she asks, was she right to expose them to the glare of celebrity at such a young age?

One day in May this year, Hero, my 11-year-old daughter ? a budding musician ? decided to do a quick internet search for music competitions she could enter. Little did I know that within a matter of months this would lead to both Hero and her younger brother Tybalt appearing in separate television series before millions of people and immersing the whole family in the dizzying world of television talent shows.

Hero went on to become a nightly fixture on Sky's Must be the Music, performing alongside Dizzee Rascal, Sharleen Spiteri and Jamie Cullum in front of 13,000 people at Wembley Arena and a TV audience of millions, while Tybalt won the BBC series My Genius Idea with a device he invented after a friend from school was killed by a car while on his bike. The device warns car drivers on rural roads if there is a bike, horse or broken-down car round the next bend.

That afternoon on the computer, Hero didn't just launch herself into living rooms all over the country ? she took us with her.

My children aren't classroom-clever or particularly motivated by schoolwork but at an early age have found what they want to do as a career. Hero writes songs and accompanies herself on the harp and piano, and has no doubt music is her future. Tybalt invents gadgets and is always fiddling with electrical circuits or dismantling my car engine or, to my horror, making mini bombs.

He has even designed a mummy thermometer for me to wear to tell him how cross I'm getting. He gave it to me as a present and it fits neatly into my iPod armband. When I press a button, it illuminates a series of red lights to show if I'm getting angry. One light is a bit cross and five means I am furious. He said to me: "At least I have some warning before your head pops off and you start screaming like a banshee." It also has a green section, which I light up if he's being exceptionally good. Five green lights means extra pocket money for perfect behaviour.

The family's foray into television started when Hero decided she wanted to find an outlet to perform her own music. She's been writing songs at a prodigious rate for a few years and had become a fixture performing in local folk clubs and festivals but wanted to find a bigger stage. She had always competed in eisteddfods and had just won the under-14 and under-11 girls solos at the Chester music festival, but wanted to go further.

The first email Hero sent off when she embarked on this search was to Sky 1's Must be the Music and, to be honest, I knew that if she was seen she stood a good chance of getting on the show.

Obviously it's hard not to be amazed by your child's talent, but it seems hers is obvious to other people. A top casting director once rushed up to me after Hero had sung in a cathedral in the south of France insisting that she hadn't seen that quality since casting a young Kate Winslet. More recently, when Hero was recording some solos for a CD of hymns, a music producer who won an Ivor Novello award and has worked with many children, including Charlotte Church, told me that Hero was the most talented and professional child he had ever worked with.

So I was hopeful when it came to the first round of auditions for Must be the Music. And I was proved right: the judges' jaws dropped when they heard her perform. Although her place on the show wasn't confirmed for a month, I felt pretty certain it would happen.

What took things to another level for the family was that, in the meantime, she had kept up her online searches, and discovered that CBBC were doing a series about young inventors, and excitedly told her brother there was an opening for him on telly. She printed off an application form, but Tybalt wasn't much interested. He said he wanted to invent, not be on telly ? but his sister persuaded him that if he wanted to succeed as an inventor he had to get his ideas out there. Tybalt eventually decided the day before the deadline to fill in the application form, with help from his sister, as his writing is so messy. I had mixed feelings. I knew he stood a good chance of an interview because I thought there couldn't be that many 10-year-old inventors. He had already won the design and technology section of the eisteddfod with a universal seatbelt that you can keep in your bag and use to clip on in vehicles without belts, such as the school bus. However, I wasn't sure he would make it through the audition because he isn't very tolerant of processes. When a producer rang to speak to him he had to be cajoled into chatting. He was nonplussed and said: "Why should I talk to her? She can see my inventions, look at the prototypes and see that they work and then she should make a decision." He thought his work should be judged, not him.

After his initial resistance Tybalt quite enjoyed the talking, once he had got used to it, and so he was selected for the show.

I know I might be criticised for allowing my children so much public exposure so young but it wasn't pre-planned. They both sort of stumbled into television projects that offered fantastic platforms for their interests. Its not as if I allowed them to go on some freak kids' version of Big Brother, where talent is irrelevant and a desire for celebrity pushes them to desperate acts. Both have talents that they are keen to pursue as proper careers in their individual areas of music and inventing.

Tybalt certainly doesn't want to be famous. The idea horrifies him. He wants to be a rich inventor and businessman and already earns a few thousand pounds a year running a jam-making business from my B&B. The only use Tybalt has for the media is in the hope that he might find investors for his ideas and also because he wants to get his inventions out to a wider market.

However, as a musician, Hero is aware that she needs an audience but she wants people to watch her because she is talented. Now she has tentatively dipped her toe in the fame market, I worry enormously as a mother about the horrendous nature of celebrity and the bad experiences so many people have when they become famous.

It is incredibly scary when there are YouTube clips of your 11-year-old daughter with horribly sexually explicit comments on them. I tried to get YouTube to remove one particular comment but that was a brick wall. I rang the police but it's not illegal and so I contacted the government's online protection agency but it was outside their remit. I felt really scared about the path my children were embarking on. Should I have allowed them to make decisions at such a young age? Was it my responsibility to protect them? I discussed with Hero the implications of being on television and suggested she quit the show. She decided she wanted to remove some of the stuff we have put online about her, but said she didn't want to lose this opportunity.

I wouldn't have let the kids appear on a programme such as the House of Tiny Tearaways where flaws are what make the programme compelling. I didn't have any reason for them to be on television other than to showcase their talents.

I have a professional background in television, and so has my mother, as have many members of my family and so the children weren't particularly anxious about being on TV. And filming seemed pretty normal to them as they have often been on film sets or hung around backstage. Hero's earliest memory is of falling asleep in a dressing room at the Assembly Rooms during the Edinburgh festival when I was directing her father in a show. We'd have to rock Hero to sleep before the curtain went up so I could operate the lights. I'd nip back stage between cues to check she was still snoozing.

All the filming might have been hard work for both children, but it was also pretty idyllic. Tybalt got to hang out with the champion racing cyclist Chris Boardman at a velodrome while discussing aerodynamics. No one could have planned a more thrilling way to entertain him; the only drawback was holding fire on the questions until the cameras were rolling. Hero got to chill backstage with Fearne Cotton and go to costume fittings with a vast array of dresses that were better than any dressing-up box.

I mistakenly imagined I would be fantastically well equipped to help them negotiate the shark-infested waters of television having been there and done it myself, but I was out of touch and more of a hindrance than a help, and when it came to crunch time I was a liability. Tybalt had to give a presentation to Tom Lawton, the inventor and judge on his show, in front of an invited audience. I felt he should prepare a speech and typed one up for him. He refused to look at it, let alone learn it, and we reached loggerheads. I left it up to him, huffily expecting him to fall at the last hurdle. He felt he could only cope by saying what was in his head and that I was making it too complicated. He was right and simply and confidently sold his idea through his presentation. The other competitor had created a speech that was too complex to give off the cuff and stumbled through it. I realised that Tybalt knew what he was capable of and that's what enabled him to win the competition.

Hero was much more susceptible to my guidance and once again I proved a dud steer. She had decided on Swept Away, a song she wrote for the semi-final of the show. The five acts all played live and were critiqued by the judges, then it was opened to a public phone vote. Hero was voted through to the final. We had five minutes, post-show, of euphoria and watching her song climb into the iTunes chart before being closeted away backstage to discuss with the production company what she would record the next day. It had to be decided, as the final at Wembley was in a week's time and the song needed to be recorded in the morning for immediate delivery to iTunes.

The producers wanted her to do a cover of either Fields of Gold or Angel, which they had asked her to learn a month before. They said a cover was the best way of securing votes. Hero was adamant that she wanted to perform one of her own songs but was strongly advised not to. She looked at me pleadingly and asked what to do. I said I thought the producers knew best, and as she was a little unsure of reaching the low notes on Fields of Gold it was agreed she'd do Angel; a song about an addict giving into death. This was hard for a child whose dad is an addict and who had recently lost someone in the family to suicide. "The words mean too much," she said.

The following Sunday she was on stage in front of a few million people and performed Angel beautifully but two of the judges then told her they didn't like the song and she lost out on the chance of winning the �100,000 top prize. It was an epic moment for an 11-year-old standing in front of 13,000 people. She kept it together, but came off stage pleading with me to find a corridor where she could cry without anyone watching. I found a space that was out of the way and listened while tears rolled down her cheeks as she tried to grasp why they had chosen a song that the judges didn't like.

We sat on a speaker huddled together and her formidable spirit came through as she decided to focus on the achievement of making the final. She gave a tearful smile and reminded me that I had told her she would have to be thick-skinned if she wanted a career in music. She flashed a grin and skipped off to give her final interview.

I had been worried that letting the kids compete in front of such a large audience might be emotionally detrimental, but it has reassured me that they are strong enough to survive the ups and downs in life.

We've come a long way since May.


guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/dec/18/television-talent-children-alice-douglas

Alicia Witt Radha Mitchell Melissa Rycroft

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Krugman's Waterloo

Paul Krugman on NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's hapless response to the city's recent blizzard:

He just faced a major test of crisis management — and it’s been a Brownie-you’re-doing-a-heck-of-a-job moment.

Krugman, again, a few minutes later:

Update: Commenters are right: I shouldn’t have been so casual about the comparison to New Orleans, where so many people actually died. I was thinking too narrowly of the political aspect, of the collapse of an undeserved reputation for competence; but the dead deserve more respect.

Can I vent? Krugman's crack wasn't in any way disrespectful to New Orleans, it was just a comparison that used a cultural touchstone that everyone would instantly recognize. Likewise, if you tweet that the world would be better off if someone were dead, it's not "eliminationist" rhetoric, it's just water cooler conversation from someone whose temper is frayed. No one thinks you really want to take out a contract on someone. And analogies to World War II aren't meant to trivialize Nazis, they're just handy comparisons that most people will understand because World War II is really famous.

This kind of "How dare you!" reaction is way too common in response to casual comments. Sure, we should all be careful with our smart remarks, but the outrage brigade needs to ease up. Either that or they need to start getting equally upset over "_____'s Waterloo" formulations. A lot of people died there too.

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Source: http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/12/krugmans-waterloo

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Statement by the Press Secretary on the Visit of President Hu Jintao of the People's Republic of China

Release Time: 
For Immediate Release

The President will host Hu Jintao, President of the People’s Republic of China, at the White House on January 19 for an official State visit.  This will be the third State visit of the administration and reciprocates President Obama’s State visit to China in November 2009.
 
President Hu’s visit will highlight the importance of expanding cooperation between the United States and China on bilateral, regional, and global issues, as well as the friendship between the peoples of our two countries.  The President looks forward to welcoming President Hu to Washington to continue building a partnership that advances our common interests and addresses our shared concerns.
 
The President and Mrs. Obama will host President Hu for an official state dinner on the night of January 19.

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/12/22/statement-press-secretary-visit-president-hu-jintao-peoples-republic-chi

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10 Great MoJo Long Reads

Conventional wisdom is that people don't read long magazine stories online, but Mother Jones readers regularly prove otherwise. Every time we run a compelling, multipage article on our website, we find that many of you read all the way to the end...and comment, tweet, Facebook, and Tumble enthusiastically about details deep into the story. And what better time to curl up with a great read than over a long weekend (including you lucky ones with new iPads)? Below, a selection of our (and our readers') best-loved MoJo long reads from 2010.

What Killed Aiyana Stanley-Jones?
A nighttime raid. A reality TV crew. A sleeping seven-year-old. What one tragedy can teach us about the unraveling of America's middle class.
By Charlie LeDuff

Oath Keepers and the Age of Treason
Glenn Beck loves them. Tea Partiers court them. Congressmen listen to them. Meet the fast-growing "patriot" group that's recruiting soldiers to resist the Obama administration.
By Justine Sharrock

The Ongoing Mysteries of the Elizabeth Smart Case
The verdict is in. But questions—about polygamy, prophecy, and insanity—remain.
By Scott Carrier

The Deadly Corruption of Clinical Trials
When you risk life and limb to help test a drug, are you helping science—or Big Pharma? One patient's tragic, and telling, story.
By Carl Elliott

Glenn Beck's Golden Fleece
How Beck and other right-wing talkers turned paranoia into a pitch for Goldline, the gold dealer one congressman says is conspiring to "cheat consumers."
By Stephanie Mencimer

What's Killing the Babies of Kettleman City?
Maybe it's the toxic waste dump. Maybe the pesticides, or the diesel fumes, or the arsenic. How a small-town mystery could change the way we look at pollution.
By Jacques Leslie

The Juan Doe Problem: One Woman's Search for Dead Migrants' Roots
How do you identify a dead border crosser when all that remains is a pile of teeth and bones?
By Andi McDaniel 

For Us Surrender Is Out of the Question
Living with the crazy, fearless young men who risk life and limb to document Burma's genocide.
By Mac McClelland

Fannie and Freddie's Foreclosure Barons
How fishy foreclosures earned millions for lawyers like David J. Stern—and made the housing crisis even worse.
By Andy Kroll 

The BP Cover-Up
BP and the government say the spill is fast disappearing—but dramatic new science reveals that its worst effects may be yet to come.
By Julia Whitty

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Source: http://motherjones.com/riff/2010/12/10-great-mojo-long-read-articles-2010

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