Posts by Bob Munro
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Yet another reason to be cheerful. Bill Kristol has written his last column
for the New York Times. -
Oh No - Shades of the opening of the Olympics at the Inauguration.
The somber, elegiac tones before President Obama’s oath of office at the inauguration on Tuesday came from the instruments of Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman and two colleagues. But what the millions on the National Mall and watching on television heard was in fact a recording, made two days earlier by the quartet and matched tone for tone by the musicians playing along.
And Garrison Keillor had his spontaneous moment as the crowds were departing.
But the great moment came later, as the mob flowed slowly across the grounds. I heard loud cheers behind me and there on the giant screen was the Former Occupant and Mrs. Bush saying goodbye to the Obamas in the parking lot behind the Capitol, the Marine helicopter behind them.
The crowd stopped and stared, a little stunned at the reality of it.
They saw it on a screen in front of the Capitol and it was actually happening on the other side. The Bushes went up the stairs, turned, waved and disappeared into the cabin, and people started to cheer in earnest. When the blades started turning, the cheering got louder, and when the chopper lifted up above the Capitol and we saw it in the sky heading for the airport, a million jubilant people waved and hollered for all they were worth. It was the most genuine, spontaneous, universal moment of the day. It was like watching the ice go out on the river. -
There's a rather touching image of Obama practising for the oath taken by Callie Shell of Time magazine.
While it borders on the obvious cliche, I still found this image pretty strikingDirck Halstead gives a good background to Callie Shell at Digital Journalist
Four years ago Time photographer Callie Shell met Barack Obama backstage when she was covering presidential candidate John Kerry. She sent her editor more photographs of Obama than Kerry. When asked why, she said, "I do not know. I just have a feeling about him. I think he will be important down the road." Her first photo essay on Obama was two and half years ago. She has stuck with him ever since.
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There's a rather touching image of Obama practising for the oath taken by Callie Shell of Time magazine.
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Hey, I just think a little performance anxiety in the elderly is quite understandable.
Roberts is only 54… but he has had two seizures. : )
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He messed up the oath. Cute.
It appears it was Roberts who got it wrong.
12:37: The Chief Justice in fact screwed up the oath. The Constitution requires:
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Roberts left out the word "faithfully." (He also said "President to the United States.") Obama saw the mistake and stopped himself to give Roberts a chance to fix it.
Roberts redid the line, remembering to throw in "faithfully," but putting it in the wrong place — after "President of the United States" — and, this time, Obama went along with the wording. Close enough, I guess he figured. I wonder what Barack Obama was thinking. Maybe: Some textualist you turned out to be!
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Coverage starts TV3 5.30am NZ time. Obama sworn in approx. 6.00am. Hope we don't miss Aretha.
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I just discovered via CRN that there is a citizen’s briefing book where people can post their own suggestions to President elect Obama.
Thank you for sharing your ideas on the issues facing the new administration. Over 125,000 users submitted over 44,000 ideas and cast over 1.4 million votes. The best rated ideas will be gathered into a Citizen's Briefing Book to be delivered to President Obama after he is sworn in.
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If you haven’t been to Christchurch for a while it might be worth checking out the cultural precinct from The Cathedral down Worcester Boulevard to the Museum and Botanic gardens. Park in the underground carpark of the Art Gallery off Gloucester street, it’s always half empty. The Art Gallery itself is under pretty dynamic leadership now and well worth a look.
The Arts Centre on the other corner has plenty of galleries, shops and cafes and is the base for the World Buskers festival starting 22nd January with shows each evening outdoors in the North quadrangle.
The Museum is full of the magnificent (the Antarctic collection from the age of exploration) to the bizarre, (Fred and Myrtle Flutey’s paua shell lounge, rebuilt shell by shell from it’s home in Bluff).
Even carry on to the rear of the museum to the old Robert McDougal art gallery where there is a craft glass exhibition on at present showing how well things can be displayed if you have a whole unused gallery to play with.
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They have sense of humour at the chocolate factory. The first thing they do is sit you down in front of a very boring film about Mr Cadbury and just when everyone is thinking 'when is this ever going to end so we can get the free samples' a man comes through the door laden with free samples.