Helicopter and Plane Crash over Hudson River

NEW YORK -- A small plane collided with a sightseeing helicopter carrying Italian tourists over the Hudson River on Saturday, scattering debris in the water and forcing people on the New Jersey waterfront to scamper for cover. Authorities believe all nine people aboard the two aircraft were killed.

Another helicopter pilot on the ground at the heliport for Liberty Tours, which operated the doomed sightseeing craft, saw the plane approaching the helicopter and tried to radio an alert to the pilots, police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. The warning wasn't heard or didn't happen in time.

The collision, which Mayor Michael Bloomberg said was "not survivable," happened just after noon and was seen by thousands of people enjoying a crystal-clear summer day from the New York and New Jersey sides of the river.

Witnesses described seeing a low-flying plane smashing into the helicopter, and then wreckage scattering. One of the plane's wings was severed by the impact.

Buzz Nahas was walking along the Hoboken, N.J., waterfront when he heard the impact, then looked up to see the plane without one of its wings "fluttering" into the water.

"There was a loud pop, almost like a car backfire," he said. "The helicopter dropped like a rock."

The plane, headed for Ocean City, N.J., left Teterboro Airport in New Jersey at 11:54 a.m., the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement. It had landed at the airport 25 minutes earlier with the pilot aboard to pick up two passengers.

The plane had started its journey in Pennsylvania, an official familiar with the plane's flight path told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly.

The plane, a Piper PA-32, was registered to LCA Partnership in Fort Washington, Pa. The company's officials couldn't immediately be identified. The helicopter was a Eurocopter AS 350 owned by Liberty Tours, a sightseeing and charter company. It was struck by the plane shortly after lifting off from a heliport on Manhattan's West side.

On the Hoboken, N.J., waterfront, people scattered as pieces of debris fell from the sky. A wheel from one of the aircraft lay on Hoboken's Sinatra Drive.

"We saw the helicopter propellers fly all over," Hoboken resident Katie Tanski said.

Afterward, much of the wreckage sank quickly into the river.

The accident happened in a busy general aviation corridor over the river that is often filled with sightseeing craft on nice days.

Pilots have some freedom to pick their own route, as long as they stay under 1,000 feet and don't stray too close to Manhattan's skyscrapers. The skies over the river are often filled with pleasure craft, buzzing by for a view of the Statue of Liberty.

Steve Riethof, a volunteer at the Aviation Hall of Fame in Teterboro, said Saturday that pilots headed for the Jersey Shore from Teterboro generally fly through Manhattan.

Accidents happen every few years. New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor died when their plane hit a skyscraper while flying a popular sightseeing route in 2006.

In January, the river was the scene of a spectacular aircraft landing that resulted in no loss of life after a US Airways flight taking off from LaGuardia Airport, in Queens, slammed into a flock of birds and lost power in both engines. The plane crash-landed in the river, and all 155 people on board were pulled to safety.

The identities of the victims of Saturday's crash were not immediately released. Italian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maurizio Massari confirmed there were Italians aboard the helicopter and said the ministry was working to find out further details through diplomats and authorities in New York.

Paolo Casali, from Rome, was scheduled to take a helicopter tour with Liberty after noon on Saturday, but her 13-year-old son, Lorenzo, was too scared to go.

"I feel very, really lucky," Casali said. "I think God was in our life. Today is the beginning of a new life, to catch every moment, every minute of this life."

A person who answered the phone at a Liberty Tours office said the company would be releasing a statement. The company runs sightseeing excursions around the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Manhattan at costs ranging from $130 to about $1,000.

Two years ago, a Liberty helicopter fell 500 feet from the sky during a sightseeing trip. The pilot was credited with safely landing the chopper in the Hudson and helping evacuate her seven passengers.

In 1997, a rotor on one of its sightseeing helicopters clipped a Manhattan building, forcing an emergency landing. No one was hurt."First I saw a piece of something flying through the air. Then I saw the helicopter going down into the water," said Kelly Owen, a Florida tourist at a Manhattan park. "I thought it was my imagination."

The two aircraft went down just south of the stretch of river where a US Airways jet landed safely seven months ago. But this time, there was no miracle.

"This is not going to have a happy ending," Bloomberg said. Hours after the collision, he said he thought it fair to say "this has changed from a rescue to a recovery mission."

The National Transportation Safety Board was investigating the cause of the collision.

Two bodies were recovered in the water, one floating free and one in the wreckage, and other bodies were spotted in the debris in the river, the mayor said. The crash victims included five Italian tourists and a pilot on the helicopter and the three people on the plane, including a child, Bloomberg said
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Eunice Kennedy Shriver in critical condition

CAPE COD, Mass. — A family spokesman says Eunice Kennedy Shriver is in critical condition at a Massachusetts hospital.

Spokesman Stephen Rivers said Friday that the 88-year-old sister of President John F. Kennedy is surrounded by her family at Cape Cod Hospital. He says her husband, children and all her grandchildren are at her side.

Shriver is renowned in her own right for founding the Special Olympics.

This Week tops Meet the Press

"This Week with George Stephanopoulos" was number one on Sunday, August 2 in both total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demographic, the first time the ABC Sunday morning show beat "Meet the Press" in both categories since 1999.
"This Week" averaged 2,800,000 total viewers and 910,000 A25-54 viewers, while "Meet the Press" averaged 2,770,000 total viewres and 910,000 A25-54 viewers. CBS' "Face the Nation" came in third with 2,310,000 total viewers and 650,000 A25-54 viewers, and "Fox News Sunday" placed fourth, averaging 920,000 total viewers and 350,000 A25-54 viewers.
Stephanopoulos hosted Tim Geithner and Alan Greenspan Sunday, while David Gregory had Larry Summers on "Meet the Press."
This marks the first time Stephanopoulos, who began hosting "This Week" in 2002, has beaten "Meet the Press" in both categories. He previous topped Gregory in January in total viewers, but not the A25-54 demo, and beat Tim Russert in the A25-54 demo in August 2007, but tied in total viewers.

Sotomayor Confirmed

BREAKING: Sonia Sotomayor has been confirmed to the Supreme Court. Vote was 68 to 31.

HUFFINGTON POST:

WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Sonia Sotomayor Thursday as the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court. The vote was 68-31 for Sotomayor, President Barack Obama's first high court nominee. She becomes the 111th justice and just the third woman to serve.

Democrats praised the 55-year-old Sotomayor as a mainstream moderate. But most Republicans voted against her, saying she'd bring personal bias and a liberal agenda to the bench.

Senators took the rare step of assembling at their desks on the Senate floor for the historic occasion, rising from their seats to cast their votes.

She replaces retiring Justice David Souter, a liberal named by a Republican president, and she is not expected to alter the court's ideological split.

Still, Republicans and Democrats were deeply at odds over confirming Sotomayor, and the battle over her nomination highlighted profound philosophical disagreements that will shape future battles over the court's makeup as Obama looks to another likely vacancy – perhaps more than one_ while he's in the White House.

The GOP decried Obama's call for "empathy" in a justice, painting Sotomayor as the embodiment of an inappropriate standard that would let a judge bring her personal whims and prejudices to the bench.

Her writings and speeches "reflect a belief not just that impartiality is not possible, but that it's not even worth the effort," said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the minority leader. "In Judge Sotomayor's court, groups that didn't make the cut of preferred groups often found that they ended up on the short end of the empathy standard."

Democrats, for their part, hailed the vote as a breakthrough achievement for the country, on par with enactment of civil rights laws. They warned Republicans they risked a backlash from Hispanic voters in the short term and an enduring black mark on their party in history books by opposing Sotomayor's confirmation.

"History awaits, and so does an anxious Hispanic community in this country," said Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the Senate's lone Hispanic Democrat and the head of his party's campaign arm, just minutes before the vote. "When she places her hand on the Bible and takes the oath of office, the new portrait of the justices of the Supreme Court will clearly reflect who we are as a nation, what we stand for as a fair, just and hopeful people."

The Senate chamber was heavy with history as senators cast their votes in turn.

Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., 91, the longest-serving senator who has been in frail health following a long hospitalization, was brought in in a wheelchair to vote. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., suffering from brain cancer, was absent.

In the final tally, nine Republicans joined majority Democrats and the Senate's two independents to support Sotomayor's confirmation.

The Republicans said that they might disagree with some of her rulings, statements or views, but that she was well-qualified to serve on the nation's highest court.

"Judge Sotomayor's decisions, while not always the decision I would render, are not outside the legal mainstream and do not indicate an obvious desire to legislate from the bench," said GOP Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio.

Like Democrats, many of them called Sotomayor's background inspirational. The daughter of Puerto Rican parents, she was raised in a South Bronx housing project, then educated in the Ivy League before rising to the highest legal echelons.

Obama to lunch with Senate Dems on his Birthday

Washington Post:

President Obama will host the entire Senate Democratic caucus for lunch at the White House on Tuesday, in an effort to review the achievements of his first six months in office and build momentum for major initiatives whose fates are now in the hands of Congress.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the president invited the caucus to discuss "what has been accomplished in the first six-and-a-half months of the administration, and to talk about our priorities," including the slowly recovering economy and proposals to revamp the health care system and encourage the use of renewable energy.

There may even be cake for dessert, seeing as Tuesday is the president's 48th birthday.

"Chuck E. Cheese was booked," Gibbs joked during the White House press briefing on Monday. But those fearing that the health-care debate will overshadow Obama's chance at celebration should not worry. The president got an early start on the festivities over the weekend at Camp David.

The meeting comes as Senate Democrats are growing increasingly weary of bipartisan health care reform negotiations being run by Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.). Sen. Charles Schumer on Monday said if the three Republicans and three Democrats on that committee who are negotiating can't reach an agreement by mid-September, Democrats are likely to end their attempts at getting broad GOP support for a bill.

And some Democrats have grumbled the president is not doing enough to back a government-run health insurance program, which some liberals view as an important step in any reform effort. Obama has said he backs such a public plan, but has not defined exactly what it should look like.

Obama administration officials are also likely to press the Senate to approve additional money for the "Cash for Clunkers" program. The House approved $2 billion to extend the program last week, but the Senate has not yet said what it will do, despite the program's popularity with auto dealers and some car buyers.

"The president will use it as an opportunity, as I am about to, to talk about the benefits of what that program has done," Gibbs said, adding: "It's good for dealers and auto manufacturers. You've seen Ford talk about their sales being up as a result of this program. It's good for our energy security and our environment."

Voices of Power: Speaker Pelosi on the healthcare industry

Really interesting interview with Speaker Pelosi, by Washington Post reporter Lois Romano.

Lincoln Penny turns 100

Time.com:

Aug. 2, 2009, marks the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln penny, the longest-running U.S. coin still in circulation. The U.S. Mint had been producing one-cent coins since its founding in 1792, but the 1909 penny (which replaced the Indian-head coin) was the first coin on which a President's likeness appeared. Teddy Roosevelt commissioned the coin to celebrate the 100th birthday of Abraham Lincoln. While most people applauded the new design, former Confederate soldiers were upset at the prospect of carrying the image of Lincoln in their pockets. Today, on the occasion of Lincoln's 200th birthday, the U.S. Mint has produced four special-edition pennies with reverse-side designs that depict different periods in the famous President's life. Three of the pennies have already been released; the final design will debut on Aug. 13.

Michelle Obama makes Chicago the 'Milan of the Midwest'

The Huffington Post:

CHICAGO — In Michelle Obama's hometown, working women hustle back and forth from home to the office in stylish shoes they can walk fast and far in. They wear chic but commonsense coats that keep them warm in the winters – and those famous sleeveless tops favored by the first lady in the summer.

It's that Midwestern pragmatism with a cosmopolitan edge, personified by Mrs. Obama, that is shining a runway spotlight on Chicago's fashion scene, say style watchers, retail experts and fashion designers.

"It shows you can fashionably be from Chicago," fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger said this month at a Chicago event where he was introduced as mentor for emerging young designers from the city. "You don't have to be from New York, Paris or Milan."

Earlier this year, The Washington Post dubbed Chicago's fashion industry, home to Obama stylist and tony boutique owner Ikram Goldman and Maria Pinto, a favorite designer of the first lady, "The Milan of the Midwest."

"Her (Obama's) fashion instincts and how she puts herself together are a direct reflection on fashion in Chicago," said Terry Lundgren, the chairman, president and chief executive of the national department store chain Macy's Inc.

Obama's style is pure Chicago: She favors comfortable but hardworking off-the-rack separates that reflect the city's down-to-earth roots and livable style.
"She dresses like an urban working woman as opposed to dressing like a first lady," InStyle fashion director Hal Rubenstein said. "Chicago isn't showing off. Chicago is going through the day. She comes out there well-dressed but accessible."

Her everywoman appeal is clear – note the spikes in sales of the Obama family's J.Crew outfits, for example – but Mrs. Obama is also drawing attention to new, under-the-radar talent. She's already been named a fashion icon by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Obama largely puts her confidence in Chicago's designers to guide her White House style, Rubenstein said. Goldman's boutique ikram in the city's Gold Coast district is a favorite of the first lady.
"Her hotline is not going through New York," Rubenstein said. "Her hotline goes through a place where she feels comfortable. She trusts this voice from her hometown. It's not about, 'I have to get a Washington D.C. coordinator to find out what to wear to a state dinner.'"

And the source of Obama's fashion inspiration is enjoying a newfound respect for its designers and boutiques. The style-conscious sets in California, New York and Europe now pay attention to Chicago, said Barbara Glass, a Chicago fashion commentator and image consultant.

The city had been viewed as having conservative taste. Its previous run as a fashion capital came and went in the early 20th century when it was home to many menswear manufacturers.
At one time, "people weren't necessarily impressed if it was a Chicago designer," Glass observed. "It didn't have a good ring to it. She's changed that."

Now, shoppers are seeking out the designers behind the first lady's signature style.
"They'll ask me, 'Is this something Michelle Obama would wear?'" said Melissa Serpico Kamhout, 32, describing the clientele at her boutique, Serpico, in the Wicker Park neighborhood. A particular pale blush-colored dress caught a lot of customer eyes, she said.
"A lot of people have mentioned they think it would be a beautiful color for her," Kamhout said. "You can tell how influential she is. It's on their minds what designers she wears."

Although a major one, Obama is just a single factor in the growth of Chicago's fashion scene, said Beth Wilson, Chicago correspondent for Women's Wear Daily.
In 2006, Mayor Richard Daley convened the Mayor's Fashion Council to put support behind the city's designers. Two years later, the city partnered with Macy's to form the Chicago Fashion Incubator to give young designers space and training for their work.
"That started creating momentum and awareness," Wilson said.

Both Chicago and Obama set fashion standards for themselves that are acceptable to most of the world, Glass added.
"The Midwest is all about no nonsense," she said. "She maintains that philosophy. We are not about glitz. We are not fluff, but we do enjoy looking glamorous and pretty."

Sotomayor confimed by Senate Judiciary Committee

Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday voted to approve Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice over nearly solid Republican opposition, paving the way for a historic confirmation vote.

The panel voted 13-6 in favor of Sotomayor, with just one Republican, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, joining Democrats to support her. The nearly party-line tally masked deeper political divisions within GOP ranks about confirming President Barack Obama's first high court nominee.

"I'm deciding to vote for a woman I would not have chosen," Graham said. Obama's choice to nominate the first-ever Latina to the highest court is "a big deal," he added, declaring that, "America has changed for the better with her selection."

The solid Republican vote against Sotomayor on the Judiciary panel reflected the choice many GOP conservatives have made to side with their core supporters and oppose a judge they charge will bring liberal bias and racial and gender prejudices to her decisions. Others in the party, however, are concerned that doing so could hurt their efforts to broaden their base, and particularly alienate Hispanic voters, a fast-growing segment of the electorate.

Democrats, for their part, are lining up solidly in favor of the 55-year-old federal appeals court judge, the daughter of Puerto Rican parents who was raised in a South Bronx housing project and educated in the Ivy League.

"There's not one example – let alone a pattern – of her ruling based on bias or prejudice or sympathy," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the Judiciary Committee chairman. "She has administered justice without favoring one group of persons over another."

The senior Republican, Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, countered that Sotomayor's speeches and a few of her rulings show she would let her opinions interfere in decisions.

"In speech after speech, year after year, Judge Sotomayor set forth a fully formed, I believe, judicial philosophy that conflicts with the great American tradition of blind justice and fidelity to the law as written," Sessions said.

Republicans pointed with particular concern to Sotomayor's record on gun and property rights, as well as a much-discussed rejection by her appeals court panel of the reverse discrimination claims of white firefighters denied promotions.

The National Rifle Association is opposing Sotomayor and took the extraordinary step last week of warning senators that it would include their votes on her confirmation in its annual candidate ratings, meaning a "yes" vote would hurt their standing.

"Some of her decisions demonstrated the kind of results-oriented decision-making, one that suggests perhaps a liberal judicial activism that has too often steered the court in the wrong direction over the last years," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

And every GOP senator alluded critically to the now-infamous remark Sotomayor made in 2001 that she hoped a "wise Latina woman" would often reach better conclusions than a white male without similar experiences.

Sotomayor dismissed the comments during her confirmation hearings as a rhetorical flourish gone awry, a defense that rang hollow with many of her critics.

"I regret that I cannot vote for her ... not she's a Latina woman (or) because she said all those things, (but) because she wouldn't defend what she said, and stand up and say, 'I really believe this, but I can still be a great judge anyway, because I will never let that interfere with my judging,' " said Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.

Michelle Obama brings movie night to the White House

July 21st: Michelle Obama staged a movie night last night at the White House.

The First Lady invited a few friends, staffers and stars, to the private screening room for Julie & Julia, the upcoming biopic of Julia Child and Julie Powell, the blogger who cooked every recipe in Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

She invited Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Stanley Tucci, plus the film’s writer-director Nora Ephron to watch with her.

Custom Longchamp

After purchasing my two Longchamp's this month I was especially excited to see this limited edition online, designed by Jeremy Scott. Perfect for summer and travelling, I just love the floral print, complete with aeroplanes!

WP: Speaker Pelosi on healthcare

The Washington Post:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she doesn't feel bound by the $235 billion in deals that the White House and the Senate Finance Committee cut with hospital and pharmaceutical companies to defray costs of a new health-care plan, stating that she thinks the industries could do more.

"When we're trying to cut costs, certainly we know that there are more costs to be cut in hospitals and pharmaceuticals. . . . So we'll be subjecting everything to some very harsh scrutiny as we see whether we can get more savings," Pelosi said in a late-afternoon interview, shortly after she left a marathon negotiating session with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and conservative "Blue Dog" Democrats, who have put the brakes on the House version of the health-care reform bill. "As we look, there may be some more ways to get money out of pharmaceutical companies."

The nation's hospitals have agreed to forgo $155 billion in government health-care reimbursements, and drug companies promised $80 billion, to help keep the cost of President Obama's health-care reform plan under $1 trillion.

Pelosi said she is eager to see the Senate's version, which is currently held up in the Finance Committee, and she indicated she is sympathetic to House Democrats' concerns about voting on a bill before the Senate shows its hand. Conservative Democrats say privately that they worry about being asked to spend political capital by voting for a measure far too liberal for their districts -- when the final bill hashed out by the House and Senate could be dramatically different.

"That's fair. That's fair," she said. "And I don't think the bills will be that dramatically different. Now, we don't know the rest of the Senate proposal, and we're eager to see that, but the House sets the pace at ground zero a good deal of the time."

Asked if she could accept a final bill that didn't have a "public option" -- or government-run health insurance plan -- she said, "I don't think so."

"But it has to be a level playing field," she added. "It has to be an option that is administratively sound -- actuarially sound, too -- and that it's sustainable in every way, has to pay back to the government any start-up funds that it has, so that it can be a true competitor and not a subsidized entity."

Pelosi declined to comment on the negotiations, which ended Thursday without a deal.

She dismissed the notion that some House members are skittish about voting for health-care reform because they are already facing a hard time in their districts over their recent votes supporting energy legislation. Republicans have framed that issue as a tax increase.

"The Chinese have an expression: 'Shoot the chickens to scare the monkeys.' They use one issue to scare you on another issue, and I don't think they're scaring our members," she said. "I think they, many of them, are just taking a good, hard look at what is in the [health-care] bill, have we squeezed the cost out that we can, and that's very fair. We all want to do that."

Laduree

Whilst in London earlier this week, I stopped by the Lauduree shop in Burlington Arcade. I was immediately transported back into the glorious atmosphere of Paris, where the sites and smells of the delicious macaroons brought back sweet memories of my summer there three years ago.

Always tempted, this time I purchased a chic Laduree bag to carry my books to and from university as I begin my final year.

What are your Laduree experiences?

Legendary Walter Cronkite dead at 92

Walter Cronkite, the legendary TV news anchor once known as the "most trusted man in America," has died at the age of 92.

Cronkite anchored the CBS Evening News from 1962 to 1981 with his trademark sign-off, "And that's the way it is..."

The White House issued the following statement from President Obama:

For decades, Walter Cronkite was the most trusted voice in America. His rich baritone reached millions of living rooms every night, and in an industry of icons, Walter set the standard by which all others have been judged.

He was there through wars and riots, marches and milestones, calmly telling us what we needed to know. And through it all, he never lost the integrity he gained growing up in the heartland.

But Walter was always more than just an anchor. He was someone we could trust to guide us through the most important issues of the day; a voice of certainty in an uncertain world. He was family. He invited us to believe in him, and he never let us down. This country has lost an icon and a dear friend, and he will be truly missed.

Katie Couric:

"When I think of Walter Cronkite, I think of his high journalism standards, integrity - but most of all his humanity. I think he was so trusted because he exhibited a sense of purpose and compassion, night after night. He was the personification of excellence."

ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer issued the following statement:

"He was the defining anchor of America's story - reminding us of what we can be at our best.

He had depth, foreign reporting experience, endless excitement about the news, and an irresistible irreverence.

A call, a note, a compliment from Walter was pretty much the Nobel Prize for a young reporter. I am so lucky to know what it was to be part of the Cronkite team."

ABC News legend Barbara Walters:

"There never was and there never will be another Walter Cronkite. We trusted him and that trust was well founded. He was also a jolly and supportive friend. He will be missed by each of us individually who knew him and by the whole country who loved him."

NBC anchor Brian Williams:

America has lost an icon, our industry has lost its living giant, and all those who learned about the world from Walter Cronkite have lost an exceptional teacher.

He loved his country and had a profound effect on it. He told us the truth in a plain-spoken manner. He never forgot that he was one of us, and yet we admired him so. That's why I can't help but fear that his loss means we've lost a tiny bit of who we are. He was a founding father of our profession. Others had done the job before him, and yet no one before or since has had just a mystical hold on the American people. He perfectly reflected his audience and our times. Watching Walter do what he did -- better than anyone -- was a formative experience. While he was deeply uncomfortable with overstatements of his own importance, those of us watching at home were so comfortable knowing he was in that chair during those years of great change and upheaval.

To use the terminology of his beloved sailboat, he was our national barometer, our compass and our rudder. With Walter at the helm of that broadcast, we knew we would sail through whatever crisis we faced as a country. He always seemed to point the wheel, with a gust of wind in his sails, toward our collective North Star.

On a personal note, Walter Cronkite was the man I grew up wanting to be. Our household, like many, came to a halt when his broadcast came on the air each night, and dinner was served only after he said good night. Knowing Walter was among the great blessings of my life.

Vieira, Huffington, Couric & Amanpour named most Influential Women in Media

Taken from WSB:

In a recent article in Forbes magazine, four of Washington Speakers Bureau’s world-renowned journalists were named to the first-ever list of the Most Influential Women in Media. WSB congratulates Meredith Vieira, Arianna Huffington, Katie Couric and Christiane Amanpour on this significant recognition.

Baseball Time

Courtesy White House Photostream (Flickr)

Ghosts at the Capitol

From Roll Call:

Ghosts Wander the Hill
July 13, 2009
By Elizabeth Jordan
Roll Call Staff

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Many people had the pleasure of hearing John Quincy Adams speak during the 17 years that he served in Congress, but Steve Livengood of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society says he’s had that privilege much more recently — more than 150 years after Adams’ death.
In fact, Livengood claims to have seen the ghost of the sixth president giving a speech in the Old House Chamber.

He’s not the only one to see ghosts. During the day, Capitol Hill is filled with hustle and bustle. But after the flocks of interns, pages and staffers make their way home, some say the spirits of the oldest and most respected politicians (and other Hill types) stick around.

In fact, some people say ghosts reign supreme over the Hill after the sun goes down. Various witnesses have reported hearing and encountering spirits late at night. They tell stories that would make any Hill staffer avoid being the last to leave the office.


Beware of the Demon Cat

One of the most frightening and infamous apparitions on Capitol Hill is the “demon cat,” affectionately referred to as “DC,” probably by those who have not encountered what is reported to be a terrifying tiger-sized black cat. Mostly seen by lone security guards on patrol in the Capitol building late at night, the demon cat tends to appear before national tragedies. It allegedly appeared before the assassinations of Presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy.

Livengood, chief guide and public programs manager for the Capitol Historical Society, has heard a lot about the demon cat in his time at the Capitol. He has worked in Congress since 1965 and says he has seen and heard various spirits throughout the building.

Even so, he’s quick to debunk the legend of the frightening feline. According to Livengood, in the early 19th century, there were still cats roaming around the Capitol, brought in to take care of a rat infestation problem. After the rats were removed, a few cats seemed to have stayed behind. Also at this time, the Capitol Police force was notorious for hiring underqualified friends of Congressmen as favors.

Livengood says that after a “liquid lunch,” one of these inept security guards ended up horizontal on the ground when he thought he was still standing. One of the lingering cats licked his face, and convinced that he was still standing, he crafted a story of a giant cat who terrorized and attacked him after dark. Livengood credits the long life span of the story to the fact that “eventually the other guards found out that they could get a day off if they saw the demon cat.”

Donnald Anderson, former Clerk of the House and chief historian of the Capitol Historical Society, says the reported footprints of the demon cat are indeed feline footprints but were left there when a stray walked across the wet cement on the floor of the Rotunda.

The “demon cat in the Dome, that’s been around for a long time, and I haven’t had an encounter with it personally,” Anderson says. “Out of all the ghosts said to inhabit the Capitol, I suspect that would be one of the most frightening.”

Many people claim to have seen the cat. There is a common story of one security guard who, while doing his rounds, walked alone in a hallway and came upon a small house cat. All of a sudden, it started to grow and growl at the guard. The guard stood frozen in shock and fear, and just as the cat ran toward him and pounced, it disappeared.


Wilbur Mills Pays a Visit

Livengood says that besides Adams, he has also seen the ghost of former Rep. Wilbur Mills (D-Ark.). Mills served from 1957 to 1975 as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee (a post that he held longer than any other Member). Livengood says he has seen Mills, who died in 1992, lingering around his former office late at night. “As far as I know,” Livengood says, “I’m the only one who’s seen him.”

Other lesser-known spirits also roam Capitol Hill.

A friendly police officer is said to inhabit the Library of Congress and aid visitors who get lost in the stacks.

According to E. Ashley Rooney, co-author of “Washington, D.C.: Ghosts, Legends and Lore,” the clinking of chains and screams can be heard on Independence Avenue between Seventh and Ninth streets, where the Robey and Williams slave pens operated throughout the 19th century. Livengood says the slave pens were the “ugliest” place in Washington.


Spirits in the White House

The White House is a favored hangout for many executive spirits, including ex- presidents. Lincoln is the most active of these spirits and is said to roam the hallways and, appropriately, the Lincoln bedroom late at night while most of the residents are sleeping.

Many former presidents, including Harry Truman and William Henry Harrison have deemed themselves “believers” after hearing unexplainable noises and footsteps in the second floor hallway of the White House.

Abigail Adams is allegedly also still an active presence in the White House. The former first lady is seen carrying a laundry basket around the hallways and standing in the East Room, where she hung her laundry. According to the White House Historical Association, Abigail Adams chose the East Room because it was the driest and warmest room in the house. To this day, the smell of soap follows her spirit through the house.

The historic Hay-Adams Hotel has been host to the ghost of Marian “Clover” Hooper Adams, wife of writer Henry Adams. After she committed suicide in her house, now home to the hotel, many say her weeping spirit still remains. Housekeepers and staff have reported feeling that they were being hugged or have heard a woman crying late at night in the hallways of the upper stories.

The White House Historical Association and organizations around the city, such as the Washington D.C. Metro Area Ghost Watchers and DC Tours, have taken advantage of the rising popularity of hauntings and spiritual activity. Around Halloween, many “ghost walks” are available to those looking for a good story and the allure of possibly having a personal paranormal experience.

There are many who believe these stories are a matter of happenstance and optical illusion. Anderson, for example, says he has never run into any spirits while working in the Capitol. “All the years I worked there, I never encountered any ghosts, even late at night,” he said.

Still others remain confident that what they’ve seen is real. “Anyone who has a sense of the Capitol building is going to have a sense of the people who worked there and the work they have done there,” Livengood says. “Their spirits are there — there’s no doubt about it.”

Panetta acknowledges that the CIA misled Congress

CIA Director Leon Panetta told lawmakers in a recent briefing that the intelligence agency he heads misled Congress on "significant actions" for a "number of years," a group of Democrats revealed on Wednesday.

In a letter written to Panetta on June 26 by seven Democratic members of the House Intelligence Committee, the CIA chief is urged to "publicly correct" an earlier statement he made in which he insisted that it was not agency policy to mislead Congress.

As the letter details, Panetta apparently acknowledged in an earlier briefing that this statement was not, in fact, true.

"Recently you testified that you have determined that top CIA officials have concealed significant actions from all Members of Congress, and misled Members for a number of years from 2001 to this week," the Democratic lawmakers write. "This is similar to other deceptions of which we are aware from other recent periods."

The letter does not explain what those "significant actions" were. But a source with knowledge of the dispute says it concerns Bush administration interrogation policies. Panetta briefed the Intelligence Committee about these and other matters two days before the letter was written, as well as other dates.

Early reports on the matter said that the letter was signed by six Democratic lawmakers: Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., John Tierney, D-Mass., Rush Holt, D-N.J., Mike Thompson, D-Calif., Alcee Hastings, D-Fla. and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill. (These are the members who signed the above document). A source with direct knowledge of the letter's content says that Rep. Adam Smith D-Wash., has also added his name to the letter.

The note was made public just hours after Congressional Quarterly reported that the chairman of the House Intelligence committee, Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, also stated that the CIA had "affirmatively lied" to his committee.

The CIA, in a statement from spokesman George Little, pushed back on these dual allegations.

"It is not the policy or practice of the CIA to mislead Congress," Little said. "This Agency and this Director believe it is vital to keep the Congress fully and currently informed. Director Panetta's actions back that up. As the letter from these six representatives notes, it was the CIA itself that took the initiative to notify the oversight committees."

Nevertheless, the late-evening stories provide a boost to earlier claims from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that she was drastically misled by the CIA when it was briefing members about the Bush administration's enhanced interrogation techniques. They also threaten to rip open the debate on whether Congress should revamp the process of how it is briefed on covert intelligence. The Obama White House on Wednesday said it would veto any legislative effort to change the current structure of the briefings, which limits the session to only the "Gang of Eight" lawmakers. Pelosi and her allies want to give the Intelligence Committee the authority to determine who is briefed on the critical intelligence.

The Huffington Post.

Michael Jackson: The Memorial

In what was perhaps a fitting tribute for the King of Pop, thousands attended a memorial service at the Staples Center in LA. Millions more watched around the world as the golden casket of Michael Jackson was wheeled center stage, surrounded by his family and the lucky 17,000 ticket holders.

Musical tributes came from Mariah Carey, John Mayer, Jennifer Hudson, Lionel Ritchie, Stevie Wonder, and Jackson's own brother Jermaine. Brooke Shields, the Rev Al Sharpton and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee spoke in a tribute which lasted over two hours.

Perhaps the most poignant of the line-up was the finale- Earth Song and Heal the World, with the Jackson family joining the performers on stage. This followed with a tribute by Jackson's daughter, Paris which was the most emotional part of the entire evening.

I only hope that the King of Pop can now rest in peace.

Breaking: Sarah Palin will NOT run for re-election

Courtesy CNN:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is expected to announce Friday that she will not seek a second term, a Republican source close to Palin tells CNN.

Palin has scheduled a 3 p.m. ET news conference at her home in Wasilla. The governor’s office offered no further details about the subject of the news conference, but the sources tells CNN that Palin will announce her decision to forgo another run.

As the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, Palin is considered one of the frontrunners for the GOP nomination in 2012. Her decision not to seek another term as governor is sure to stoke speculation that Palin is seriously eyeing a run for the White House.

Please, no more Palin!

Rare original copy of the Declaration of Independence found in the British National Archives

LONDON — British researchers have announced the discovery of a rare original copy of America's Declaration of Independence _ just in time for the Fourth of July.

Katrina McClintock, a spokeswoman at the National Archives, said Thursday that a researcher accidentally discovered the "Dunlap print," named after a printer, several months ago. The find was announced only after it could be properly catalogued.

Edward Hampshire, the National Archives' specialist in colonial materials, said the find was "incredibly exciting."

"It is likely that only around 200 of these were ever printed, so uncovering a new one nearly 250 years later is extremely rare, especially one in such good condition," he said.

He said the declaration is one of the most important documents in history because it marks the birth of the United States.

The last Dunlap print to be found was sold at an auction for $8.14 million in 2000.

National Archives officials said they weren't sure how the Declaration of Independence copy ended up there.

Archives spokeswoman Frances McDarby said it was "possible that an American coastal vessel was intercepted by the British navy and that is how the document was able to come into our possession."

The prints, known collectively as the Dunlap Broadside, were the first copies of the Declaration of Independence. They were printed by John Dunlap of Philadelphia and distributed to political and military leaders, including George Washington, and dispatched throughout the colonies to be read to the public.

Courtesy of The Huffington Post.

Capitol Hill Style

As I manage my applications for next year, I am already thinking about what I will wear if I am successful to intern on the Hill.
Step forward Belle and 'Capitol Hill Style.' This blog has been invaluable in sorting out the many outfit ideas which are rushing through my head, as well as interesting pieces of info which I may need to survive!

The Week in round-up

The world mourns the passing of The King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Like many of my generation, I heard the news on social networking sites Twitter and Facebook. At first I thought, "What has happened?" and further investigation broke the news of his death.
Both Twitter and Facebook were awash with the news, with literally everyone's status updates saying, "OMG Michael Jackson has died." It has been a complete shock, especially ahead of his 50 dates to begin in London in three weeks. A friend purchased tickets for the event and is absolutely devastated by his death.
Rest in peace Michael.


On another note, the House of Representatives has passed the historic Climate Bill, 219 to 212. A cap and trade solution will be established, with the aim to cut greenhouse gases by 17% by 2020. It also creates guidelines for making alternative energy sources and cleaner technologies. Speaker Pelosi is credited for her outstanding efforts in sheparding the bill through the House. The Senate is now scheduled to consider the Bill.

Nine dead in DC Metro crash

The subway train that plowed into another, causing a crash that killed seven and injured scores of others in the nation's capital, was part of an aging fleet that federal officials had sought to phase out due to safety concerns, an investigator said Tuesday.

But the Metrorail transit system "was not able to do what we asked them to do," and the old trains kept running despite the 2006 warnings, said Debbie Hersman of the National Transportation Safety Board.

The rush-hour crashed sent more than 70 people to area hospitals and killed at least seven people. The three-decades-old Metro system, a pride of the District of Colombia tourism industry, shuttles tourists and local commuters from Washington to Maryland and Virginia suburbs.

Mayor Adrian Fenty announced Tuesday that seven had died in the crash. Earlier, the District of Columbia Fire Department Web site announced that three bodies had been found in addition to the six fatalities reported Monday.

Fenty said two victims were hospitalized in critical condition.
Hersman said investigators expect to recover recorders from the train was struck, providing valuable information that might help determine why the crash occurred. But the train triggered the collision was part of an old "thousand-series" fleet that was not equipped with the devices, she said at a news conference.

Earlier, Hersman told The Associated Press that the NTSB had warned in 2006 that there were safety problems related to trains rolling back on their tracks.
"When the train rolled back, the operator was not able to stop it," she said. Hersman said the NTSB recommended that the thousand-series fleet be phased out or retrofitted to make them more crashworthy.

(The Huffington Post)

Offical Bo Portrait

I really want this dog!

Axelrod on Journalism

President Obama’s senior adviser David Axelrod divulged a few secrets of his college days today as he told 1,300 journalism and other DePaul University graduates to "chase their passions” and not “succumb to the pull of the pull of the practical.”

Axelrod’s remarks came as Iranians protested suspicious official election returns and doctors gathered in Chicago, where Obama will address them Monday.

After the speech, Axelrod told reporters, “Iran has to consider whether to go down a path to isolate them from the rest of the world.”

But he largely stayed away from current events in his comencement address at Allstate Arena in Rosemont to DePaul’s College of Communications and other schools. He focused on his own experiences in journalism and politics and why he thought these students should “explore and experiment, take some chances.”

“You are as noble and unfettered and as free as you will ever be to pursue your passions and chase your dreams,” Axelrod said.

He smiled and added, “You may say, ‘That’s easy for you to say — you work for the president of the United States . . . The day that I walked across the stage, that day a million years ago, the last thing I ever dreamed was that I would be walking every morning to an office 20 feet from the president.”

Axelrod said when he was the age the graduates are now, he couldn’t wait to become a journalist — so much so that he ignored his studies in favor of newspaper internships.

“You ever have one of those dreams where you’re suddenly taking a final and you panic because you never attended a class? I’m here to tell you I lived my dreams,” he said.

Last month, Obama’s stance in favor of legal abortion provoked hundreds of protesters to picket his commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame. But no protest signs greeted Axelrod, only a standing ovation and a vote of confidence from DePaul President Dennis Holtschneider, who credited Axelrod with setting a positive tone in the Obama campaign.
“He is your last lesson,” Holtschneider told the graduates. “About four hours ago, in Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized liberal democracies . . . saying [people] cannot speak their will or mind. Today’s honoree, I think, is a living answer to that charge. If there ever was an election built around a popular, bottom-up movement, this was it.”

Axelrod was a University of Chicago graduate, but he told the graduating students and their families that as soon as he graduated, he bought season tickets for DePaul’s men’s basketball team.

“To show you how old I am, DePaul was a national powerhouse then,” Axelrod said.
He also got in a dig at Rosemont, where the Blue Demons play, saying, “It’s great to be home in Illinois, in the world’s greatest city. I mean Chicago, not Rosemont.”

DePaul communications Prof. Barbara Willard praised Axelrod’s skill in “branding” and “honing Obama’s message.”
“His main focus of the campaign was on the president’s voice,” Willard said. “The message, theme and tone of the campaign remained consistent.”

Axelrod spoke of his start in journalism.
“In those days, superb reporting played a historic role in uncovering the truth, shining a bright light on events like Vietnam and Watergate,” Axelrod said. “Journalists heped save the republic, and I wanted to be a part of that. But, over time, things changed. By the mid-1980s, journalism was becoming more business than calling. The front office began to take over the newsroom. The emphasis went from veracity to velocity, from reporting to receipts.”
He said that’s when he went into politics.

Axelrod said he hoped this generation could find new ways of doing journalism on the Internet and other media.
For instance, the student speaker at the commencement, Gabriel Vargas, earned a degree in computer-game development.

“Your generation changed politics forever,” Axelrod said. “There’s no reason you can’t do the same wth journalism, radio and the Internet or any other field.”

He warned the grads not to neglect their lives in favor of their careers. After Bill Clinton becamew the Democratic nominee for president and offered Axelrod the job of communications director, Axelrod turned down the dream to spend more time with his wife and three children.
“Had I taken that job, I wouldn’t have neen introduced later that year to a splendid young guy from the South Side with the unusual name of Barack,” he said.

After his speech, Axelrod spoke about Iran.
“We have grave concerns about the nuclear program in Iran,” he said.
Axelrod said the administration’s strategy in Iran “was never predicated on a regime” and that the United States will seek dialogue with whoever emerges the winner of Iran’s election.
He also spoke about Obama’s visit to Chicago Monday, where the presidentn will speak to the American Medical Association’s annual convention. He said Obama will seek to convince doctors that changes to the health-care system to make it more affordable to patients will mean less paperwork for doctors and generally is in their best intertest.

(The Chicago Sun-Times)

You're excused!

At yesterday's town hall event, the President writes a note excusing a girl from class to see him speak. Classic!

Presidential Memorabilia

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a collector of presidential memorabilia. Ever since my first visit to the US in 2001 my suitcases have contained books and sweet reminders of the places I've visited.

I am lucky enough to own a flag flown over the US Capitol, items from the Kennedy Administration, and my most recent purchase, a set of the Obama White House Easter Egg Roll eggs. (pictured above)

The other items I found on Ebay- you can find some of the more rarer items here, and some are quite inexpensive!

Mrs. O in London

The First Lady and first daughters are still in London, last night visiting a pub for a 'fish and chip' supper, as well as stopping by the Harry Potter set. They visited the Houses of Parliament and the Big Ben clocktower earlier in the day, as well as stopping by to see Sarah Brown at No.10.

They visited Westminster Abbey today, and my friend who works there was lucky enough to see them. "Mrs. O wore yellow!" was one of her remarks.

The Obama's Brit Trip

From BBC News:

US First Lady Michelle Obama and her children have visited the Houses of Parliament, the BBC understands.

It is thought she visited Big Ben with daughters Sasha and Malia after flying to the UK on Monday morning.

Mrs Obama stayed in Paris on Sunday for sightseeing after her husband, President Barack Obama, returned to the US following an official visit.

Downing Street said that Mrs Obama had not spoken to or met Prime Minister Gordon Brown or his wife.

It would not comment when asked if Number 10 had facilitated the visit, the BBC News Channel's chief political correspondent James Landale said.

Earlier, large numbers of police and security guards had been witnessed underneath Big Ben.

Well they could have paid me a visit!! :P

Mrs O unseen

From the WH FLickr photostream, Mrs. O welcomes a new baby of one of the staff. Looking fierce in orange, and what appears to be a tulip-style skirt.

Dr.B

In celebration of Dr. B's 58th birthday, here are some pictures that I certainly haven't seen before. Enjoy! :)

Speaker Pelosi and the 20th Anniversary of Tiananmen Square

Twenty years ago today, thousands of Chinese students, workers, and citizens marched in peace in Tiananmen Square. They called for democratic reform, freedom of speech and assembly, and an end to corruption. The People's Liberation Army, the People's Army, was used against the people, crushing demonstrators in Tiananmen Square and crushing dissent throughout China -- killing thousands. Today, the spirit of Tiananmen lives on in those continuing the struggle both in China and around the world.

Last week, I led a bipartisan Congressional delegation to China. While China has made great economic progress in the last twenty years, it is a country that remains full of contradictions and complexities. While its leaders have astonishing political power, they continue to censor the internet, lock up citizens who organize peacefully, and try to prevent 1.3 billion people from learning the truth about history.

The topic of human rights was discussed in our high level meetings and in my speeches. In Shanghai, our first meeting was with Catholic Bishop Jin to discuss the status of religious freedom in China.

In Beijing, I delivered a letter calling on the Chinese government to release certain prisoners of conscience. One of those individuals is Liu Xiaobo. Liu spent five years in prison and in re-education-through-labor camps for supporting the Tiananmen students and questioning the one-party system. Late last year, Liu was again arrested for being one of the organizers of Charter '08, an online public petition for democracy and the rule of law that called for new policies to improve human rights and democracy in China. About 5,000 people signed it. Imagine the courage of those who signed such a petition. Liu continues to be held without charges, and is reportedly under residential surveillance at a location outside of his residence, in violation of China's Criminal Procedure law.

In Hong Kong, we met with democracy, human rights, and labor leaders. But what I saw in China last week is that despite continued repression, the spirit of Tiananmen continues to inspire people there and abroad. Throughout China, workers and farmers are fighting back. They might not know about June 4th, as the Chinese government continues to censor news on the news (Wired's Threat Level blog compiled sites authorities have blocked which include Twitter, Flickr, Hotmail, and the Huffington Post, among others), but they have similar concerns.
Two of the issues which have been priorities of my service in Congress -- promoting human rights and protecting the environment -- are coming together in the discussion about China. Environmental damage adversely impacts the poorest people in the world and this is especially true in China. It is estimated that there are more than 100,000 protests each year in China and the number continues to increase.

My friend Han Dongfang, one of the heroes of Tiananmen, explained to me that the Chinese people aren't fighting under a banner of democracy this time. They are defending their land from unlawful seizure. They are fighting corruption at the local levels. They are fighting against the poison that is being dumped into their air, land, rivers, and lakes. They do not have the proper channels to address their grievances. They are calling for a government that is accountable to the people. They are calling for openness and transparency. They are calling for justice. All of these things are what we mean when we talk about fighting for human rights.

As a Member of Congress in 1991, I visited China and unfurled a banner in Tiananmen Square dedicated to those who died for democracy there. That was one of the proudest moments of my career. It was my opportunity to express the concern that I had for the human rights situation in China and Tibet. On last week's trip, as Speaker of the House, I had the opportunity to speak directly to the President of China and other top leaders on the issues of freedom and human rights.

On Tuesday, the House passed a resolution recognizing the 20th anniversary of the brutal suppression of protesters and citizens in and around Tiananmen Square -- expressing sympathy to the families of those killed, tortured, and imprisoned in connection with the protests, calling for the Chinese government to allow full and fair investigations and to release those imprisoned for participating in the 1989 demonstrations.

With this, the United States Congress says to the people of China and freedom-loving people everywhere: Your cause is our cause. We will never forget, and we will continue to push for freedom in China, so that one day the world's most populous country can finally be called the world's largest democracy.
(Taken from The Huffington Post)

Two First Ladies

Mrs. O lunched with former First Lady Nancy Reagan today, following the President signing a bill creating the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission.

Mrs. O wears a striped T-shirt and floral cardigan from Gap (on sale for $24.99!), and white textured pencil skirt. A single strand of pearls and diamond bangles accessorized the look.

Speaker Pelosi in China

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, long a fierce critic of Beijing, toured China's financial capital on Monday on a visit focused on environmental issues rather than human rights, though her presence emboldened protesters.

Pelosi took a low-key approach as she prepared for meetings in Beijing just days ahead of the 20th anniversary of the 1989 crackdown on the Tiananmen Square democracy protests.
The apparent shift approach dovetails with President Barack Obama's new emphasis on engagement with Beijing, rather than confrontation over its human rights record. Visits by Pelosi and other senior U.S. figures have been aimed at highlighting cooperation between the two countries on a slew of issues.

Still, the leading Democratic lawmaker's reputation as a strong human rights defender galvanized petitioners in Beijing, where several hundreds gathered Monday morning near the capital's South Railway Station to air their grievances. Dozens of police stood guard and most protesters were kept behind police lines.

While many complaints were about individual cases, photos posted on the Chinese-language Web site Boxun.com, a U.S.-hosted Web site banned in China, showed one group of demonstrators holding up a black-and-white cloth banner that said: "Welcome Pelosi. Pay close attention to human rights. SOS."

Speaking to U.S. business figures Monday in Shanghai, Pelosi noted her commitment to human rights issues over the years.

During a 1991 visit to Beijing, the Democrat from California unfurled a banner that read "To those who died for democracy in China" in the square. Years later, she attempted to present human rights petitions to then-visiting President Hu Jintao. When Tibetans staged protests against Chinese rule last year, Pelosi visited their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
"I will continue to speak out for human rights in China and around the world," Pelosi told members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.

"Indeed, protecting the environment is a human rights issue," she said according to a copy of the speech distributed to journalists. "We hope to send a clear message that transparency, accountability, enforcement, and respect for the rule of law are essential if we are to protect our planet," she added.

Pelosi did castigate North Korea after Pyongyang announced that it had successfully carried out an underground nuclear test, weeks after threatening to restart its rogue atomic program.
"If today's announcement is true, these tests would be a clear violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718, which requires that North Korea not conduct any further nuclear tests. Such action by North Korea is unacceptable and cause for great alarm," Pelosi said in a written statement.

Pelosi said she and other members of her delegation planned to urge Chinese leaders to use their influence to get the North to return to six-nation talks aimed at ending its nuclear program.
The lawmaker arrived over the weekend accompanied by a delegation of four Democrats and one Republican, all members of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. The main focus of their visit is the shared goal of promoting clean energy and combatting climate change.

Pelosi met Monday with Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng. The two exchanged pleasantries but made no substantive remarks before reporters. The delegation will later meet in Beijing with Hu and other leaders.

U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman and Democrat Sen. John Kerry is also in China, and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will arrive next week. He is expected to reassure Beijing about the strength of the U.S. dollar and thus the value of China's vast holdings of U.S. Treasury notes.

From NPR.org

Gossip Girl Style

Going a bit popular cultury here, but I am in love with Gossip Girl right now. Without a doubt my favourite character is Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester)- her style is flawless and divine. I also love Lily Van De Woodson but I shall save that till a future post. Meanwhile, enjoy this great Blair college I found on The Fashion Spot.

Mrs O to appear on Time cover

Reports suggest that Mrs. O will appear on the cover of Time Magazine, accompanied by a feature article and exclusive photographs by Callie Shell.

Capitol Hill Photography

In partnership with Political Style, its sister blog, Capitol Hill Photography has been opened today. Featuring images of Capitol Hill as well as our representatives, plus some of my own photographs from my visits and times at the heart of our nation's capital. Be sure to take a visit.

JFK awards recipiants for warning of financial crisis

BOSTON — Two U.S. federal regulators who sounded early warnings on the financial crisis and a Liberian peace activist who helped end that nation's civil war were honored for their efforts Monday at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. chairwoman Sheila Bair, former chairwoman of the Commodity Futures Trading Comission Brooksley Born, and peace activist Leymah Gbowee (LAY'-mah BOH'-wee) were presented with Profile in Courage Awards, annual honors named for a 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning book written by John F. Kennedy.

"(It's) a special honor to present the award to three women who have inspired all those who seek to bring about change in their political systems," said Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President Kennedy and head of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation that administers the awards.
Bair was one of the first to speak out about the subprime lending crisis, and Born warned a decade ago that unregulated financial contracts, including credit default swaps, could pose dangers to the economy. Gbowee organized a group of Christian and Muslim women to challenge Liberia's warlords.

In accepting her award, Bair said she was proud to join the list of those who have received past Profile in Courage awards. "I'm particularly pleased to be joining two other female awardees who stood up when some of their male counterparts failed to act, or worse, actively fought them," she said.

Gbowee received her award on behalf of the Liberian women who were featured in the "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" documentary about Liberia's civil war.

"For us women of Liberia, this award is a call that we will keep walking until peace, justice and the rights of woman (are) not a dream," Gbowee said, "but a thing of the present."

[Adapted from The Huffington Post]

Tory Burch Tunics

I adore everything that Tory Burch creates and this tunie is no exception! :)

Pete Souza: WH Unseen

The official White House photographer, Pete Souza released a new batch of photographs taken over the past month yesterday. There are some real gems to be found, such as my three favourites shown above.

From top: The Obama's share a private moment in the Cinco celebrations, President Obama meets with Senator Olympia Snowe, and the Obama's on their way to the residence.

Backstage at the NT

Here's Dame Helen Mirren looking fabulous for rehersals for her upcoming role in the National Theatre's Phedre. Skinny jeans + flats= fab! :)

Political Style on Wordle

Obama's 100 Days: A Look Back

To celebrate President Obama's first 100 days in office, here are a few unseen photos from the official White House flickr page. http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse

They document some events, both public and private in the first four months of the Presidency. Enjoy!

Joe Biden on 60 Minutes

Watch CBS Videos Online

Everyone watch this! It's so lovely, and we get a peek inside the Naval Observatory.

Obama's 100 Days: A Time Photoessay

In celebration of President Obama's first 100 days in office, Time has released an online photoessay. Taken by photographer Callie Shell, the 77 piece album celebrates and documents the achievements of President Obama and his team. There are some exclusive photos hidden here, many of which I have not seen before. I shall post some of my favourites later today.
In the meantime, here's the link! http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1893255,00.html
Enjoy!

Nancy Pelosi: Daily Show April 2009

Senate Newspaper Hearings to begin May 6th

Sen. John Kerry is adding to fierce national debate next week by holding hearings on the future of newspapers. Writing in a letter to the Boston Globe family, Kerry says:

"America's newspapers are struggling to survive and while there will be serious consequences in terms of the lives and financial security of the employees involved, including hundreds at the Globe, there will also be serious consequences for our democracy where diversity of opinion and strong debate are paramount."

What do you think are the future for an industry in dire need of a revival? Let me know.

Mulberry Mac

I've not seen any Mac quite like this before!

Bo faces the Press

BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7999253.stm

WH Blog:

Nancy Pelosi on The Daily Show

2008

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Nancy Pelosi
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

Michelle Obama: The New Guitar Hero?

Reports suggest that Carla Bruni-Sarkozy gave Mrs. O an acoustic Gibson guitar as a gift whilst in Strasbourg. Will she too be recording an album?

More here: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20270172,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines

Michelle Obama: South Side Girl

I thought it would be pretty nice to relive Michelle's biography from the DNC... Enjoy.

Michelle Obama: Official White House Portrait

Michelle Obama, dressed here in a Michael Kors S/S09 shift. Simply amazing!

to the ranch

So I bought another bohemian piece of fashion yesterday....cowboy boots!
They are black, pointed toe in soft yet tough leather. Extremely comfortable, and I'm sure I will get many joyeous times wearing them!!

Pictures soon!

2008 Review

So much has happened and changed!

• First ever house move
• Trip to Washington DC
• Saw President-elect Obama
• Began second year of university
• Many trips to London
• Bought my first car
• Several articles published
• Many new activities and interests
• Many new appreciations!

Happy 2009!

It's my Christmas list...

I had a lovely, releaxing Christmas Day. It was however, spoiled by this damn heavy cold I have. My nose looks like Rudolph!

I received:

Julie Walters- That's Another Story
Dawn French- Dear Fatty
Carrie Fisher- Wishful Drinking
A book of 'posh' sudoku for the train journeys into uni
The Audacity of Hope Audiobook- by Barack Obama
Stephen Fry in America DVD Set
Ugly Betty Season 2 DVD
ITunes GiftCard
Sunset Boulevard DVD
All The President's Men Special Edition
Trinny and Susannah Book
Oversized Diamond Paperweight
Champney's Bathrobe and Face Set
Money and Giftcards
Marilyn Monroe Calander

:) Hope you all had a lovely lot of things too!

Mamma Mia!

I was in Leicester Square yesterday and couldn't resist taking photos of the Mamma Mia displays. I cannot wait to see this movie!

New Mulberry

After at least a year of waiting, I have finally purchased a Mulberry Mabel. The leather is soft and grainy, and the stylish black and white color scheme will go with everything I own. I am in love!