The commander in chief reflects on what good parenting means to him By President Barack Obama
updated 12:16 a.m. ET June 21, 2009
Two days before the inauguration, PARADE published a letter from Barack Obama to his daughters about what he hoped for them and all the children of America . The letter attracted international attention. On this Father's Day, we asked the President to reflect on what fatherhood means to him.
As the father of two young girls who have shown such poise, humor, and patience in the unconventional life into which they have been thrust, I mark this Father’s Day — our first in the White House — with a deep sense of gratitude. One of the greatest benefits of being President is that I now live right above the office. I see my girls off to school nearly every morning and have dinner with them nearly every night. It is a welcome change after so many years out on the campaign trail and commuting between Chicago and Capitol Hill.
As an adult, working as a community organizer and later as a legislator, I would often walk through the streets of Chicago’s South Side and see boys marked by that same absence — boys without supervision or direction or anyone to help them as they struggled to grow into men. I identified with their frustration and disengagement — with their sense of having been let down. In many ways, I came to understand the importance of fatherhood through its absence — both in my life and in the lives of others. I came to understand that the hole a man leaves when he abandons his responsibility to his children is one that no government can fill. We can do everything possible to provide good jobs and good schools and safe streets for our kids, but it will never be enough to fully make up the difference.
That is why we need fathers to step up, to realize that their job does not end at conception; that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise one. As fathers, we need to be involved in our children’s lives not just when it’s convenient or easy, and not just when they’re doing well — but when it’s difficult and thankless, and they’re struggling. That is when they need us most.
And it’s not enough to just be physically present. Too often, especially during tough economic times like these, we are emotionally absent: distracted, consumed by what’s happening in our own lives, worried about keeping our jobs and paying our bills, unsure if we’ll be able to give our kids the same opportunities we had.
Our children can tell. They know when we’re not fully there. And that disengagement sends a clear message — whether we mean it or not — about where among our priorities they fall. So we need to step out of our own heads and tune in. We need to turn off the television and start talking with our kids, and listening to them, and understanding what’s going on in their lives. We need to set limits and expectations. We need to replace that video game with a book and make sure that homework gets done. We need to say to our daughters, Don’t ever let images on TV tell you what you are worth, because I expect you to dream without limit and reach for your goals. We need to tell our sons, Those songs on the radio may glorify violence, but in our house, we find glory in achievement, self-respect, and hard work.
We need to realize that we are our children’s first and best teachers. When we are selfish or inconsiderate, when we mistreat our wives or girlfriends, when we cut corners or fail to control our tempers, our children learn from that — and it’s no surprise when we see those behaviors in our schools or on our streets.
But it also works the other way around. When we work hard, treat others with respect, spend within our means, and contribute to our communities, those are the lessons our children learn. And that is what so many fathers are doing every day — coaching soccer and Little League, going to those school assemblies and parent-teacher conferences, scrimping and saving and working that extra shift so their kids can go to college. They are fulfilling their most fundamental duty as fathers: to show their children, by example, the kind of people they want them to become.
It is rarely easy. There are plenty of days of struggle and heartache when, despite our best efforts, we fail to live up to our responsibilities. I know I have been an imperfect father. I know I have made mistakes. I have lost count of all the times, over the years, when the demands of work have taken me from the duties of fatherhood. There were many days out on the campaign trail when I felt like my family was a million miles away, and I knew I was missing moments of my daughters’ lives that I’d never get back. It is a loss I will never fully accept.
But on this Father’s Day, I think back to the day I drove Michelle and a newborn Malia home from the hospital nearly 11 years ago — crawling along, miles under the speed limit, feeling the weight of my daughter’s future resting in my hands. I think about the pledge I made to her that day: that I would give her what I never had — that if I could be anything in life, I would be a good father. I knew that day that my own life wouldn’t count for much unless she had every opportunity in hers. And I knew I had an obligation, as we all do, to help create those opportunities and leave a better world for her and all our children
On this Father’s Day, I am recommitting myself to that work, to those duties that all parents share: to build a foundation for our children’s dreams, to give them the love and support they need to fulfill them, and to stick with them the whole way through, no matter what doubts we may feel or difficulties we may face. That is my prayer for all of us on this Father’s Day, and that is my hope for this nation in the months and years ahead.
© 2009 Parade Magazine. All rights reserved.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
GOL B 737 aircraft accident in Brazil.
See the shots taken inside the plane before it crashed … how shocking!..
Photos taken from the GOL B 737 aircraft accident in Brazil
Last month a B737 had a mid air collision with an Embraer Legacy while cruising at 35,000 feet over South America. The Embraer Legacy, though seriously damaged, with the winglet ripped off, managed to make a landing at a nearby airstrip in the midst of the Amazon jungle. The crew and passengers of the Embraer Legacy had no idea what they had hit. The B737, however, crashed killing all crew and passengers on board.
The two photos attached above were apparently taken by one of the passengers in the B737, after the collision and before the aircraft crashed. The photos were retrieved from the camera's memory stick. You will never get to see photos like this. In the first photo there is a gaping hole in the fuselage through which you can see the tailplane and vertical fin of the aircraft. In the second photo one of the passengers is being sucked out of the gaping hole. Photos taken inside the plane.
These photos were found in a digital Casio Z750, amidst the remains in Serra do Cachimbo. Although the camera was destroyed, the Memory Stick was recovered. Investigating the serial number of the camera the owner could be identified, as Paulo G. Muller, an actor of a theatre for children known in the outskirts of Porto Alegre It can be imagined that he was standing during the impact with the Embraer Legacy, and during the turbulence he managed to take these photos, seconds after the tail loss the aircraft plunged, so the camera was found near the cockpit. The structural stress probably ripped the engines away, diminishing the falling speed, protecting the electronic equipment but not, unfortunately, the victims. Paulo Muller leaves behind two daughters, Bruna and Beatriz, from a previous relationship.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Airline Cabin - Boeing 747-400
KLM
Airbus A340
Boeing 777
Singapore Airline
Air Canada
AirAsia .........!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Whoever use Diamond water system in the house, PLEASE TAKE NOTE!!
Whoever use Diamond water system in the house, PLEASE TAKE NOTE!!
The TV kicks explodes the diamond energy water advertisement.
The diamond hydraulic engine user, please immediately examine the kidney!!! ?Please immediately forward for all diamond hydraulic engine user, the boundless beneficence!!! Diamond hydraulic engine user infection renal glomerulus nephritis - Miss Li 32 years old, every year have the custom which the routine whole body examines, in February, 2006, Miss Li has installed bench drill quarry water machine, after starts to live has drunk the lu water, in April, 2006 does the routine whole body examines when detected infects the renal glomerulus nephritis, the kidney function started to decline. According to knows Malaysia , Singapore and Hong Kong had the multi-people to infect.
Diamond hydraulic engine backwoods coli serious exceeding the allowed figure. Diamond hydraulic engine user Mr. Chen, in, 2006 has June installed bench drill quarry water machine, after starts to live has drunk the lu water, felt the body is ill, the daily stomach flows swiftly many times, the proxy explanation is the change for the better response, Mr. Chen did not feel relieved, after therefore has handed over the lu water the chemical examination to analyze voluntarily, the result is backwoods coli serious exceeding the allowed figure. Therefore Mr.Chen draws back immediately machine. The wired news kicks explodes the diamond energy water advertisement.
有線電視踢爆鑽石能量水廣告
鑽石水機用戶，請立刻驗腎!!!
請立刻轉寄給所有鑽石水機用戶，功德無量!!!
鑽石水機用戶感染腎小球腎炎- 李小姐32 歲，每年都有例行全身檢驗的習慣，2006
年2 月，李小姐安裝了一台鑽石水機，開始生飲過瀘後的水，2006 年4月作例行全身
檢驗時發覺感染了腎小球腎炎，腎功能開始衰退。
據知馬來西亞，新加坡和香港已有多人受感染。
鑽石水機大腸桿菌嚴重超標
鑽石水機用戶陳先生，2006 年6月安裝了一台鑽石水機，開始生飲過瀘後的水，感 到
身體不適，每天肚瀉多次，代理解釋為好轉反應，陳先生不放心，於是自行把過瀘 後 的
水交化驗所化驗，結果是大腸桿菌嚴重超標。陳先生於是立刻退機。
有線新聞踢爆鑽石能量水廣告
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qcQfcO_h5c
The death of Iranian Student
Neda Agha-Soltan, Iranian woman killed in Tehran protests, told friend 'it's just one bullet'
The brave Iranian woman killed during a rally in Tehran did not fear death even as the government threatened to crack down on protesters.
"Don't worry, it's just one bullet and it's over," she told a friend, the Los Angelas Times reported.
Neda Agha-Soltan, a beautiful 26-year-old philosophy student whose murder has made her a martyr to the Iranian opposition, was determined to support the protesters, friend and music teacher Hamid Panahi said.
Neda Agha-Soltan, a beautiful 26-year-old philosophy student whose murder has made her a martyr to the Iranian opposition, was determined to support the protesters, friend and music teacher Hamid Panahi said.
Panahi is the frantic man seen in the graphic 40-second YouTube video that made Soltan an international icon.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Neda dear," Panahi told her repeatedly. "Don't be afraid."
Neda's fiancé, Kaspin Makan, said she didn't support either side in Iran's recent disputed election, saying she simply "wanted freedom for all."
The election resulted in a landslide victory for incumbent hard-liner President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
According to a friend, Neda, Panahi and two others were on their way to a demonstration near Tehran's Freedom Square around 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
When they got out of their car, they heard a crack and were shocked to see Neda on the ground.
"We were stuck in traffic and we got out and stood to watch, and without her throwing a rock or anything they shot her," Panahi said. "It was just one bullet."
"We were stuck in traffic and we got out and stood to watch, and without her throwing a rock or anything they shot her," Panahi said. "It was just one bullet."
According to Panahi, witnesses at the scene described the shooter as among a group of plainclothes security or militia who were stationed in the area.
Neda studied philosophy at Tehran University and took Turkish language courses to become a tour guide. She has been described by family and friends as gentle and mischievous.
"She was a person full of joy," Panahi said. "She was a beam of light. I'm so sorry. I was so hopeful for this woman."
But the government warned her family against holding a public funeral for her, and opposition leaders have called on supporters in Iran and around the world to hold a protest in her honor on Thursday.
"When they kill an innocent child, this is not justice. This is not religion. In no way is this acceptable," Panahi said.
"And I'm certain that the one who shot her will not get a pass from God."
with News Wire Services Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/06/23/2009-06-23__neda_aghasoltan.html#ixzz0LamLEnR5
Friday, July 17, 2009
يخت الشيخة موزة بنت ناصر المسندPrincess of QATAR yachts
Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned Qatar Princess of Qatar
Chocolate Calculator
chocolate calculator
1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate (more than once but fewer than 10)
2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)
3. Add 5
4. Multiply it by 50 -- I'll wait while you get the calculator
5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1759 ...
If you haven't, add 1758.
6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born
You should have a three digit number
The first digit of this was your original number (i.e., how many times you want to have chocolate each week).
The next two numbers are
YOUR AGE! (Oh YES, it is!!!!!)
1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate (more than once but fewer than 10)
2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)
3. Add 5
4. Multiply it by 50 -- I'll wait while you get the calculator
5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1759 ...
If you haven't, add 1758.
6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born
You should have a three digit number
The first digit of this was your original number (i.e., how many times you want to have chocolate each week).
The next two numbers are
YOUR AGE! (Oh YES, it is!!!!!)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Michael Jackson Memorial Service at Staples Center, United States of America (USA)
The programme cover for the MJ memorial service at Staples Centre in LA,USA
The stage ready for MJ's memorial service.
The Jackson brothers accompanied MJ's coffin, covered with red roses, into the auditorium
MJ's glittering, gold-plated coffin was placed at the front of the stage
Michael's son Prince Michael and daughter Paris arrived with their grandparents
His brothers each wore one white sequinned glove.
From Left: Randy, Tito, Marlon, Jackie and Jermaine
Jackson's daughter Paris Michael broke down in tears as she spoke about her father
Mariah Carey with Trey Lorenz. She performed Jackson's 1970 hit "I'll Be There"
Michael's sister Janet Jackson
Jermaine gave a moving rendition of his brother's favourite song, Charlie Chaplin's "Smile"
Usher sang "Gone Too Soon", directly to MJ's coffin
Michael's family on stage with all the acts who performed at the service
The singer's children were on stage for the final song of the service "We Are The World"
Jackson's daughter Paris Michael broke down in tears as she spoke about her father
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