President Barack Obama is kissed by 94-year-old Carolina Garcia Delfin, a Filipina nurse who fought in the resistance against Japanese forces during World War II. The President mentioned her in his remarks to American and Philippine troops at Fort Bonifacio in Manila, Philippines, April 29, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Ms. Chips, yes it is.
I am in tears……I just love the respect, the embrace, the HOPE for all of us.
It reminds me of Donnie Hathaway’s song. ” Someday We Will All Be Free.”
Love you and everyone here.
Lurking mode……but you guys here keep me sane.
Thank you one and all for all the hard work you do here.
Going through……But I will come out as good as gold!
Thank you for asking.
I hope you are not working nights anymore, please.
Take good care of yourself, you here?
How are we ever going to choose all of our favorite pictures of this President? That is such a beautiful picture. We are thankful he is home safe and sound. The family is back together.
You know Marilyn, sometimes I think about doing a ‘Favorite Photos’ post, but I would have no clue where to start, there are so, so, so many, and this is another.
I had hoped you would do one. Maybe we will just have to choose the best for the month, week, or day. It is so hard to choose. But I would love to have the time to go thru all of them. Can you imagine the high we would get seeing all those wonderful pictures. That would be a natural high.
Chips does give us treats on a regular basis, in her “random photo” series. Love those!
Audience reactions should also be considered. I’m thinking of a couple of photos with young children (in the 7-10 age range, I think) dressed in their Sunday finest with looks of awe or extreme concentration that only the most hardhearted wingnut could fail to be moved by.
P.S. Belated birthday wishes, MTM. Sorry I didn’t join the party, but it’s the thought that counts, and belated still works if it’s in the same month, right?
IMO, in order for a ‘Favorite Photos’ post to have the remotest chance to work here we’d have to restrict ourselves to different themes. Of course we’d still have overlap, but that way it would put some little itty bitty kind of ‘control’ over the offerings. It could be done once weekly, let’s say.
For example - PBO and Babies; PBO and Toddlers; FLOTUS/POTUS hugs the future; Making faces; Most Touching; Our GQ President; etc. etc.
If you ever decide to do ‘favourites’ I vote you do “Wet PBO’ first to get the major swooning kerfuffle out of the way, then vow not to re-introduce it. ;) /covers back of head while making a swift retreat down nearest side street before the ladies start throwing their handbags./
Isn’t it wonderful to have a president whom the world wants to see. We need to share him for the world’s sake. This picture of the woman kissing his hands represents millions of people all over the world who feel this way about him. How he lifts our spirits, and the spirits of the world!
As HOPE44 said on the previous thread, we no longer have to hide and cringe when our “representative”( he was never mine!) goes to visit the world!
Also, some good things happened while he was gone in voting rights decisions, and environmental decisions, and NBA decisions. And, he accomplished much good for us, the countries he visited, and the world on his trip. I am always so proud of him I could burst. Hope he has a good relaxing time tonight participating in the traditional American pastime of watching basketball…..Bravo Mr. President!
Oh Chips this is such a gorgeous and touching picture. It literally brought tears to my eyes. Sweetness personified.
Thank you for posting it Chips. For me this is a good finale to this trip.
Ms.Chips,
How can you not appreciate our President when the most important treasures of the human race: babies, children and seniors all over the world love him? If that doesn’t tell you something his character I don’t know what to say to those who refuse to open their hearts, minds and souls to embrace this welcome change. I am so glad she lived through that war to meet President Barack Obama. What hell she must have had to go through to feel a piece of heaven here on earth. I am so happy for both of them.
Okay. I am in tears….
Chuckle. It was a big concession on my part. ;) I’m far more likely (after skipping over the intro) to listen to a minute, then move on than to listen to an entire number - unless of course it’s #FORWARD. :grin:
You definitely are a tireless music educator in this village. :) TY
The all-news radio station @knx1070, was basically doing its equivalent of the CNN countdown clock before the presser. Haven’t listened to them since the Adam Silver presser, but my guess is that plenty of time is being devoted to this stunning decision — stunning as in unexpected good news.
Heh..Yardarm needs to get a new shipment of mats because Donna has used up the extras. If he’s not here tonight, he needs to get in tomorrow as early as possible.
Oh, another thing - isn’t this Saturday the WHCD? Yardarm needs to order a rush bulk supply of mats for that event. Just a gentle ‘minder.
Mr. Yardarm, take care and I hope your surgery/appt. goes well with a smooth recovery, and we will miss you. Hope to see you back soon. I guess amk or Japa will gladly do “Naught Mat” duty while you recover. :)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
————————————
For Immediate Release January 20, 2025
NATIONAL DAY OF RENEWAL AND RECONCILIATION, 2009
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
As I take the sacred oath of the highest office in the land, I am humbled by the responsibility placed upon my shoulders, renewed by the courage and decency of the American people, and fortified by my faith in an awesome God.
We are in the midst of a season of trial. Our Nation is being tested, and our people know great uncertainty. Yet the story of America is one of renewal in the face of adversity, reconciliation in a time of discord, and we know that there is a purpose for everything under heaven.
On this Inauguration Day, we are reminded that we are heirs to over two centuries of American democracy, and that this legacy is not simply a birthright — it is a glorious burden. Now it falls to us to come together as a people to carry it forward once more.
So in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, let us remember that: “The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 20, 2009, a National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation, and call upon all of our citizens to serve one another and the common purpose of remaking this Nation for our new century.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
The President and his aides really crammed a lot into every waking hour.
Hopefully PBO got quality shut-eye on the return trip — he’s obviously not gonna miss the Bulls-Wizards tonight!
Thanks Chips and NerdyW for keeping TODville up-to-date 24/7 this week. You both deserve a leisurely TOD schedule for the rest of this week.
Dudette posted some tweets from @PhilippineStar yesterday, so I checked out their timeline. (Not sure if this was posted — Twitter photos don’t display on my computer on Google Chrome, even after refreshing):
Obama photo shaking the hand of a girl in Manila makes it to White House Photo of the Day @usembassymanila #ObamaInPH pic.twitter.com/6k9TH2NMck
— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) April 29, 2025
And here’s their contribution to the NBA vs. Clippers owner controversy.
PBO yesterday:
President @BarackObama says Filipinos and Americans are bound by a common love of basketball and @MannyPacquiao
— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) April 28, 2025
@PhilippineStar’s droll tweet (their timeline did include NBA scores, so it looks like PBO was right):
Unpolished Silver to set tarnished Sterling`s fate | http://t.co/lNrWzuMnJN pic.twitter.com/kU5T43UAXx
— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) April 29, 2025
few months ago, one of those companies from a right-to-work state took over our company (which had a unionized work force) and promptly expressed its hostility to the our unionized work sites;
past few months, they have been “re-organizing” and “integrating” operations and the workforce;
last financial quarter: the new combined company declared hundreds of millions of profits of Wall Street and awarded millions in bonuses to the leadership;
a few hours ago, everyone was called into the meeting and a lay off of more than 1,800 employees across the country was announced;
of course all the employees came from the sites with a unionized work force => union-bursting;
I was not one of those terminated (for now) but so many friends and colleagues were;
very tough to see adults crying hopelessly;
only thing that helped some employees calm down was when I reminded them that their healthcare needs would be covered promptly through Obamacare;
irony is that this is healthcare-focused company that a few weeks ago sent out a memo to all its workforce asking them to call PBO at White House in opposition Obamacare.
at the time, some of these very same employees were arguing with me when I told them NOT to call PBO and instead take time to learn about it and enroll their friends and families.
today, employee-provided healthcare was turned off with the issuing of termination notices;
now these same people are very interested in Obamacare - one never knows when they would need Obamacare
What a traumatic and life-changing day for everyone affected.
1,800 employees is a huge number to layoff.
Really puts things in perspective; sorry to hear about your friends, colleagues and every affected by this cold-hearted action that will no doubt result in more bonuses for those who don’t need or appreciate it.
This is a terrible story and I am so sorry for all those thrown out of work. This country is in real trouble when profit and sick zero sum winner take all policies are widespread MOs.
Oh dear how awful Linda! It’s really despicable of those executives to give themselves bonuses and then turn around and decimate the company’s best asset — it’s employees. [ I’m looking forward to blasting them on social media when the news comes out. ]
Hopefully the local economy in your area has bounced back well enough that your colleagues can find good jobs (or start new business) soon.
It’s a shame that so many have to suffer this kind of upheaval due
to corporate greed and dirty politics.
Some of those people you mention who argued with you got a rude awakening today. Like millions of others, they’ll eventually be grateful to realize how lucky we are to have a President who looks out for all Americans, not just his die-hard supporters.
most of the employees were traumatized - after all they built the company from a very small unit to being a national leader in its line of business;
worse still, the work force has many people from same extended families working in it ( previous leadership encouraged family recommendations ) so some parents, spouses, kids, cousins etc are all loosing jobs at the same time;
a number of employees have been used to train non-unionized employees in other locations (now they are the replacements);
as for the Obamacare-opposing employees, most I talked to now already appreciate the fact that they will at the very least qualify for the Expanded Medicaid as they search for new jobs;
So glad POTUS is home, safe and sound after a very long trip! I think of how tired he must be and then remember Pete Souza who has captured all of these memories….he too must be very tired. I keep thinking of the remark by Ginger Rogers when everyone was talking of Fred Astaire and his skills. She remarked she did the same thing only backwards and wearing heels. Pete Souza must feel like that on some of his road-weary days! Keep up the great Obama Diary. Gets me through the tiring days of Obama bashing from most of the right-wing media.
White House.gov
GE!
This photo brings tears to my eyes
THAT PHOTO IS PRICELESS…I HOPE THE WH SENDS IT TO HER…SHE WILL ALWAYS CHERISH IT!
Evening Layla!
GE to you Chips, Danny!
Beautiful indeed. Thank you for this amazing place and for pictures like this.
A pleasure Betsy, thank you.
Love the image, Chips. Thank you!
It’s just a gem, Jacqueline!
So are you, Chips.
Oh, come here you and gimme a hug! :-)
Maybe after dinner - ha! :)
Would ya like me to cook dinner for you? #BeReallyCarefulHowYouAnswer
I “only have a kitchen because it came with the house,” as the saying goes, so sounds like you and I should dine OUT.
Eek.
Is that dog wearing contacts?
I’m afraid to go back and check!
:lol: :lol: I don’t blame you.
I often wonder WHERE CC, and Amk, find some of the stuff they post - and I say that without a thread of envy!
Ha. And it all makes us laugh!
Well, …. the laughter of fright is part of our human repertoire. :grin: :grin:
“Nervous laughter” - I agree! Ya gotta be quite good at it, “around here.”
Yep. We get lots of practice. :) :)
😀
Hi Layla!
Congrats on your Gorgeous Gold! :-)
TY Dudette! It is gorgeous is it not
Congrats Layla! I love it when folks show love to President Obama!
Beautiful!
Helloooooooo LDS, isn’t is just a stunning photo?
Ms. Chips, yes it is.
I am in tears……I just love the respect, the embrace, the HOPE for all of us.
It reminds me of Donnie Hathaway’s song. ” Someday We Will All Be Free.”
Love you and everyone here.
Lurking mode……but you guys here keep me sane.
Thank you one and all for all the hard work you do here.
Hugs, LDS. Hope you’re doing well, always lovely to see ya.
Same here.
Love you, Ms. Chips.
{{{{{{LDS}}}}}}
Someday We’ll All Be Free!!
Thank you.
I f you knew how much I really needed that…….
Just thank you from the bottom of my heart.
smiling!
Hey, Layla!
Congratulations! Just thinking a out you.how are you?
Hey LDS, how are you!
Going through……But I will come out as good as gold!
Thank you for asking.
I hope you are not working nights anymore, please.
Take good care of yourself, you here?
Unfortunately too sick to work anymore. TOD makes me happy though! Actually, I thank GOD for TOD!
Au Medals for Layla and LDS.
:)
Nena, I share it with every person here.
What ‘s mine is yours. What’s yours is ours.
Thank you, friend.
How are we ever going to choose all of our favorite pictures of this President? That is such a beautiful picture. We are thankful he is home safe and sound. The family is back together.
You know Marilyn, sometimes I think about doing a ‘Favorite Photos’ post, but I would have no clue where to start, there are so, so, so many, and this is another.
I had hoped you would do one. Maybe we will just have to choose the best for the month, week, or day. It is so hard to choose. But I would love to have the time to go thru all of them. Can you imagine the high we would get seeing all those wonderful pictures. That would be a natural high.
Great idea, MTMarilyn.
Chips does give us treats on a regular basis, in her “random photo” series. Love those!
Audience reactions should also be considered. I’m thinking of a couple of photos with young children (in the 7-10 age range, I think) dressed in their Sunday finest with looks of awe or extreme concentration that only the most hardhearted wingnut could fail to be moved by.
P.S. Belated birthday wishes, MTM. Sorry I didn’t join the party, but it’s the thought that counts, and belated still works if it’s in the same month, right?
IMO, in order for a ‘Favorite Photos’ post to have the remotest chance to work here we’d have to restrict ourselves to different themes. Of course we’d still have overlap, but that way it would put some little itty bitty kind of ‘control’ over the offerings. It could be done once weekly, let’s say.
For example - PBO and Babies; PBO and Toddlers; FLOTUS/POTUS hugs the future; Making faces; Most Touching; Our GQ President; etc. etc.
If you ever decide to do ‘favourites’ I vote you do “Wet PBO’ first to get the major swooning kerfuffle out of the way, then vow not to re-introduce it. ;) /covers back of head while making a swift retreat down nearest side street before the ladies start throwing their handbags./
what a lovely, wonderful and amazing woman. I love her.
wow! what a powerful picture. Love her.
Isn’t it wonderful to have a president whom the world wants to see. We need to share him for the world’s sake. This picture of the woman kissing his hands represents millions of people all over the world who feel this way about him. How he lifts our spirits, and the spirits of the world!
As HOPE44 said on the previous thread, we no longer have to hide and cringe when our “representative”( he was never mine!) goes to visit the world!
Also, some good things happened while he was gone in voting rights decisions, and environmental decisions, and NBA decisions. And, he accomplished much good for us, the countries he visited, and the world on his trip. I am always so proud of him I could burst. Hope he has a good relaxing time tonight participating in the traditional American pastime of watching basketball…..Bravo Mr. President!
Well said, Carolyn. I agree with everything you expressed.
this!
Welcome Home Mr. President!
You beat me to it! :-)
:-)
Oh Chips this is such a gorgeous and touching picture. It literally brought tears to my eyes. Sweetness personified.
Thank you for posting it Chips. For me this is a good finale to this trip.
Love is always stronger than hate…..this photo is for Ed Henry.
Ms.Chips,
How can you not appreciate our President when the most important treasures of the human race: babies, children and seniors all over the world love him? If that doesn’t tell you something his character I don’t know what to say to those who refuse to open their hearts, minds and souls to embrace this welcome change. I am so glad she lived through that war to meet President Barack Obama. What hell she must have had to go through to feel a piece of heaven here on earth. I am so happy for both of them.
Okay. I am in tears….
Greetings earthlings, I have come from Arcturus to bring you wisdom.
(Sorry, had a new age guru conduct a program at the library today, and I felt like hammering my head at her yammering.)
Totally choked up. What a gorgeous moment for all of us. THANK YOU, Pete Souza. You are an absolute TREASURE.
Dudette — you are on FIIIRRREEEE! 3 for 3. All great choices.
Thanks LDL! :-)
Never heard this one before, Dudette! TY. It got *my* top level, and very rare, musical response - I listened all the way to the end! :grin:
I’m honored! :-D
Chuckle. It was a big concession on my part. ;) I’m far more likely (after skipping over the intro) to listen to a minute, then move on than to listen to an entire number - unless of course it’s #FORWARD. :grin:
You definitely are a tireless music educator in this village. :) TY
Thank You President Obama!
I see on Twitter that the Clippers will have a live press conference between 8-9PM
This was THE story for the LA news market.
The all-news radio station @knx1070, was basically doing its equivalent of the CNN countdown clock before the presser. Haven’t listened to them since the Adam Silver presser, but my guess is that plenty of time is being devoted to this stunning decision — stunning as in unexpected good news.
My President has some FINE hands. That.Is.All.
Yardarm??? Are you there???
Heh..Yardarm needs to get a new shipment of mats because Donna has used up the extras. If he’s not here tonight, he needs to get in tomorrow as early as possible.
Oh, another thing - isn’t this Saturday the WHCD? Yardarm needs to order a rush bulk supply of mats for that event. Just a gentle ‘minder.
I wish. Eye Dr. appt in a.m. for per-cataract surgery. ’til I return you ladies are on your own.
Mr. Yardarm, take care and I hope your surgery/appt. goes well with a smooth recovery, and we will miss you. Hope to see you back soon. I guess amk or Japa will gladly do “Naught Mat” duty while you recover. :)
Thanks. I hope the deputies can handle the hordes. :D.
{{{{{ Yardarm }}}}} Get well soon, Matey!
Not really sick 9t9. I just can’t see outta one eye.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
————————————
For Immediate Release January 20, 2025
NATIONAL DAY OF RENEWAL AND RECONCILIATION, 2009
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
As I take the sacred oath of the highest office in the land, I am humbled by the responsibility placed upon my shoulders, renewed by the courage and decency of the American people, and fortified by my faith in an awesome God.
We are in the midst of a season of trial. Our Nation is being tested, and our people know great uncertainty. Yet the story of America is one of renewal in the face of adversity, reconciliation in a time of discord, and we know that there is a purpose for everything under heaven.
On this Inauguration Day, we are reminded that we are heirs to over two centuries of American democracy, and that this legacy is not simply a birthright — it is a glorious burden. Now it falls to us to come together as a people to carry it forward once more.
So in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, let us remember that: “The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 20, 2009, a National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation, and call upon all of our citizens to serve one another and the common purpose of remaking this Nation for our new century.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
Barack Obama
Continuing on the MTMarilyn theme of favorite photos, how about a gallery of PBO’s strong, gentle hands interacting with babies and children?
Just amazing how tender he is with little ones.
Whew!
What a whirlwind trip.
The President and his aides really crammed a lot into every waking hour.
Hopefully PBO got quality shut-eye on the return trip — he’s obviously not gonna miss the Bulls-Wizards tonight!
Thanks Chips and NerdyW for keeping TODville up-to-date 24/7 this week. You both deserve a leisurely TOD schedule for the rest of this week.
Dudette posted some tweets from @PhilippineStar yesterday, so I checked out their timeline. (Not sure if this was posted — Twitter photos don’t display on my computer on Google Chrome, even after refreshing):
And here’s their contribution to the NBA vs. Clippers owner controversy.
PBO yesterday:
@PhilippineStar’s droll tweet (their timeline did include NBA scores, so it looks like PBO was right):
I <3 the picture above. She doesn't look 94 yrs old.
tough day at work;
few months ago, one of those companies from a right-to-work state took over our company (which had a unionized work force) and promptly expressed its hostility to the our unionized work sites;
past few months, they have been “re-organizing” and “integrating” operations and the workforce;
last financial quarter: the new combined company declared hundreds of millions of profits of Wall Street and awarded millions in bonuses to the leadership;
a few hours ago, everyone was called into the meeting and a lay off of more than 1,800 employees across the country was announced;
of course all the employees came from the sites with a unionized work force => union-bursting;
I was not one of those terminated (for now) but so many friends and colleagues were;
very tough to see adults crying hopelessly;
only thing that helped some employees calm down was when I reminded them that their healthcare needs would be covered promptly through Obamacare;
irony is that this is healthcare-focused company that a few weeks ago sent out a memo to all its workforce asking them to call PBO at White House in opposition Obamacare.
at the time, some of these very same employees were arguing with me when I told them NOT to call PBO and instead take time to learn about it and enroll their friends and families.
today, employee-provided healthcare was turned off with the issuing of termination notices;
now these same people are very interested in Obamacare - one never knows when they would need Obamacare
What a traumatic and life-changing day for everyone affected.
1,800 employees is a huge number to layoff.
Really puts things in perspective; sorry to hear about your friends, colleagues and every affected by this cold-hearted action that will no doubt result in more bonuses for those who don’t need or appreciate it.
to make matters worse, this is the first of many rounds of lay offs and the company makes billions in revenues (and profits)
This is a terrible story and I am so sorry for all those thrown out of work. This country is in real trouble when profit and sick zero sum winner take all policies are widespread MOs.
the leadership is doing its best to burst the union;
otherwise, in terms of financial health, it is doing well ( a fact it advertises in its reports to Wall Street)
Oh dear how awful Linda! It’s really despicable of those executives to give themselves bonuses and then turn around and decimate the company’s best asset — it’s employees. [ I’m looking forward to blasting them on social media when the news comes out. ]
Hopefully the local economy in your area has bounced back well enough that your colleagues can find good jobs (or start new business) soon.
It’s a shame that so many have to suffer this kind of upheaval due
to corporate greed and dirty politics.
Some of those people you mention who argued with you got a rude awakening today. Like millions of others, they’ll eventually be grateful to realize how lucky we are to have a President who looks out for all Americans, not just his die-hard supporters.
most of the employees were traumatized - after all they built the company from a very small unit to being a national leader in its line of business;
worse still, the work force has many people from same extended families working in it ( previous leadership encouraged family recommendations ) so some parents, spouses, kids, cousins etc are all loosing jobs at the same time;
a number of employees have been used to train non-unionized employees in other locations (now they are the replacements);
as for the Obamacare-opposing employees, most I talked to now already appreciate the fact that they will at the very least qualify for the Expanded Medicaid as they search for new jobs;
I hope President Obama gives Mr Leinhauser a call …
Major fire works during this UNSC meeting that just concluded. Will post video as soon as it is available. Churkin got ripped, deservedly.
Cannot even stand to look at that ugly pig!
Speaking of those who don’t appreciate (or deserve more) money…
That’s $1.00 for everyone of his racists thoughts
the rightwingers won’t stop!
So glad POTUS is home, safe and sound after a very long trip! I think of how tired he must be and then remember Pete Souza who has captured all of these memories….he too must be very tired. I keep thinking of the remark by Ginger Rogers when everyone was talking of Fred Astaire and his skills. She remarked she did the same thing only backwards and wearing heels. Pete Souza must feel like that on some of his road-weary days! Keep up the great Obama Diary. Gets me through the tiring days of Obama bashing from most of the right-wing media.
I absolutely <3 <3 <3 this picture.
So do I Donna. You can feel the warmth.
Nerdy’s new post:
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/04/29/1is2many/