Volcanoes in the News: From Bardarbunga to Ontakesan

Ontakesan Volcano

There are so many active volcanoes around the world right now it is hard to keep track of them.

Yesterday, Mt. Ontakesan in Japan blew up without warning, and it has been a tragedy for hikers and climbers who were on the mountain. Searchers have rushed to the area to try and rescue people in the area, now covered in volcanic ash. But the volcano remains dangerous and is still erupting. I hope they find some survivors, but it's a grim situation.

Ontakesan Live Webcam

Webcam footage of pyroclastic flows from Mt #Ontake eruption. (In Japanese). http://t.co/I2BwwpiW2V pic.twitter.com/csCVrrqUhY
— Epic Cosmos (@EpicCosmos) September 27, 2014

Grim news from Reuters about Mt #Ontake. "Over 30 feared dead after Japan volcano spews ash and rock". http://t.co/g5y2bE1lQM
— Dave McGarvie (@subglacial) September 28, 2014

Rescue efforts resume on Japan's Mount #Ontake http://t.co/Q93fujq7jh pic.twitter.com/AqMkXMCGh5
— BBC News Asia (@BBCNewsAsia) September 28, 2014

Nagano Pref: 10 with serious injuries, 17 with lighter injuries, and 32 missing after the eruption of Mt. #Ontake. http://t.co/BApRfXJFm6
— Yuri Hiranuma (@YuriHiranuma) September 27, 2014

#Eruption Mt #Ontakesan #volcano (Japan) claims at least 31 lives! - http://t.co/fNgMXvww2Z pic.twitter.com/azVYAYzTcF
— Earthquake Report (@Quake_Tracker) September 28, 2014

The past few months, I've become addicted to the Iceland livecam for Bardarbunga, a significant volcano that is close enough to Europe to really cause trouble if it were to blow up suddenly. Bardarbunga is still significant for it's immense cloud of deadly sulfur dioxide that is already causing health concerns there in Iceland. And the Holuhraun lava field is growing by leaps and bounds. At night you can see the hot lava glowing as it streams away towards the sea. The main caldera of Bardarbunga seems to be sinking with every earthquake, and at night glows like the Eye of Sauron from Tolkien's tales - inspired by the old Icelandic sagas.

Bardarbunga Cam 1
Bardarbunga Cam 2





This video shows a volcano called Mt. Tavurvur that recently exploded in Papua New Guinea. Brace yourself for the boom! You can almost see the sound wave, and certainly can see the large boulders hitting the water. The people who caught this on camera were lucky not to be closer.



A report came out this weekend that Mt. Saint Helens in Washington State is possibly coming back to life. In fact, scientists don't really know why it ever stopped erupting.

From King5 News

Geologists were surprised that the mountain stopped erupting in 1986. "Many of us were expecting it to continue a while," said USGS seismologist Seth Moran.

The second lava dome, which started appearing in 2004, appeared at a different spot in the crater. Lava that appeared from 2004-08 was much more solid than during the earlier phase.

Even though the lava dome hasn't erupted since 2008, its shape still is changing.

"As it cools, it fractures and settles and falls apart," said Dan Dzurisin, a USGS geologist. Rockfall has also been changing the shape of the crater rim.

And 5 miles below the volcano, there are signs that the magma chamber that fueled both eruptions is recharging. Dzurisin said the USGS is focusing on the rate of recharging and whether the magma can compress in the chamber, rather than flowing toward an outlet to the earth's surface.

Mt. Saint Helens in Washington

Then there was an earthquake swarm this weekend under Mammoth Lakes, an ancient dormant volcano near the California/Nevada border. The USGS put out a warning that the movement had volcanic traits, while other experts believe it is merely shaking due to pressure from hot springs. (Of course hot springs go along with volcanoes, so....)

From UPI

The quakes struck the region between 9 a.m. Thursday and 1:49 a.m. Friday.
The USGS said it's because Mammoth Mountain, a lava-dome complex, lies along the rim of the Long Valley Caldera.
"Recent volcanic unrest, including seismicity, gas emission, and tree kill, is thought to be related to a dike intrusion beneath Mammoth Mountain in 1989," the USGS website said. "Both Long Valley Caldera and Mammoth Mountain have experienced episodes of heightened unrest over the last few decades (earthquakes, ground uplift, and/or volcanic gas emissions). As a result, the USGS manages a dense array of field sensors providing the real-time data needed to track unrest and assess hazards."

LA Times

The earthquakes may have been triggered by water pressure from area hot springs shifting through the ground surface, stressing tectonic plates. Scientists, Shelly said, are closely watching the earthquake swarm, but don’t believe it's connected to any magmatic activity.
Shelly said seismic analysts plan to review the swarm and update locations and magnitudes of the quakes, but the activity is not nearly on the size and scale of what was measured in the 1980s and 1990s.
. . . The Long Valley caldera is one of the most seismically active regions in the state, and is part of a quiet network of 17 volcanoes throughout California. Many of the older volcanoes haven't been active for thousands of years.
The last time the Long Valley caldera erupted was 50,000 years ago.

The People's Climate March Makes History

The People's Climate March on September 21, 2014, was one of the best days for the environmental movement in history. Thousands turned out to march all over the world, including over 400,000 marchers in New York City.

Listen to the roar of the crowd after the moment of silence! We are the future, hear us roar! :)

Jane Goodall, Al Gore and Bill de Blasio marched together during the “People’s Climate March.” Getty Images pic.twitter.com/zgwHDMNEF5

— Rebecca Leahy (@rlbrasket) September 22, 2014

#PeopleClimateMarch http://t.co/rFOD9nIV9Z display their beautiful hand-painted banner at #ClimateMarch pic.twitter.com/IARKJS0ryk

— john zangas (@johnzangas) September 21, 2014

#Indigenous resistance #FloodWallStreet pic.twitter.com/tVhnTSsY35 via @democracynow #firstnations #climatemarch #ClimateJustice #Climate2014

— #Munduruku (@PersonalEscrito) September 22, 2014

Give up, GOP ~ Obamacare is Here to Stay

Just a few days ago Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell R-Kentucky said that the Fall 2014 elections would circle around the failure of Obama's signature health plan known as Obamacare. Paul Ryan in his most recent scary budget plan calls for a repeal, but strangely also includes ways to amend Obamacare, so citizens can keep what they like but get rid of the rest. Somewhere Ted Cruz and Michele Bachmann and others are mumbling to themselves that the purest of pure Tea Party members still deserve a full repeal, as well as the impeachment of Barack Obama, who was never fit to be President in the first place.

Yep, they can plan, they can chew and re-chew their grumblecake, they can churn out nonsensical budgets with thousands of pages, they can vote to repeal Obamacare for the fifty-fifth time or whatever - but as President Obama said recently, Obamacare is here to stay. End of story. Get off it. Move along. Move Forward in spite of yourselves.

And the best thing ever is this New Yorker Cover, showing Ted Cruz, Bachmann, House Speaker John Boehner, and especially Mitch McConnell lining up as whiny toddlers as grown-up President Obama makes them take their medicine. As a piece of political art, it's sublime. And like Obamacare, it's forever.

From New Yorker artist, Barry Blitt:

“This whole enterprise was just an elaborate excuse,” says Barry Blitt about his cover for this week’s issue. “I enjoyed drawing Ted Cruz, John Boehner, and Michele Bachmann as petulant children—and I especially wanted to draw an open-mouthed Mitch McConnell being spoon-fed his meds.”

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, a floating holiday celebrating the great man's birthday on January 15th. Truly one of the most inspiring human beings ever to walk the earth, and a true humanitarian.

Democratic Mayor Bill De Blasio Takes Office in New York City

New York has an historic new mayor sworn in by President Bill Clinton.

Bill de Blasio formally becomes the 109th mayor of NYC http://t.co/eWjUtwnVLv

— Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) January 1, 2014

Bill De Blasio Sworn In As New York Mayor, Promises To Take 'Dead Aim' At Inequality http://t.co/LGc2IU8Uki via @HuffPostNY #uniteblue

— Doc Hamrick (@mch7576) January 2, 2014

Mt @NewsBreaker: Former Pres. Bill Clinton swears in Bill de Blasio as NYC mayor pic.twitter.com/vtnhqf50Av” Out w the OLD; in w the NEW

— Rainie Cole (@rainiecole) January 1, 2014

First Family of NYC after swearing in. Bill Clinton called them the real modern family #InaugNYC @NYDNBenChapman pic.twitter.com/3IYaw5XMTi

— zakiyah ansari (@zansari8) January 1, 2014

Democrat Mayor Bill De Blasio challenges New York's millionaires to help the NYC's grindingly poor #p2 #tpot http://t.co/mp1OsgdZKf

— The Baxter Bean (@TheBaxterBean) January 5, 2014

Mandela Memorial: Obama Speaks and Soweto Cheers

Previous Related Posts:
R.I.P. Nelson Mandela - "He Belongs to the Ages
Obama in Africa: Capetown to Tanzania

~~~~~~~~~~~~

President Obama and every other living President except George H.W. Bush attended the Memorial Service for Nelson Mandela in Soweto, South Africa. Speaking in the rain to a packed stadium, President Obama had the crowd fired up and cheering, as he often does in our own country. His was by far the most dynamic speech. Most of the tributes could have been edited intensely and no one would have noticed. However, Mandela's grandchildren were wonderfully poetic!

Click Here for Complete Text of President Obama's Eulogy

Excerpts:

. . . Mandela understood the ties that bind the human spirit. There is a word in South Africa -- Ubuntu -- a word that captures Mandela’s greatest gift: his recognition that we are all bound together in ways that are invisible to the eye; that there is a oneness to humanity; that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others, and caring for those around us.

We can never know how much of this sense was innate in him, or how much was shaped in a dark and solitary cell. But we remember the gestures, large and small -- introducing his jailers as honored guests at his inauguration; taking a pitch in a Springbok uniform; turning his family’s heartbreak into a call to confront HIV/AIDS -- that revealed the depth of his empathy and his understanding. He not only embodied Ubuntu, he taught millions to find that truth within themselves.

. . . Over 30 years ago, while still a student, I learned of Nelson Mandela and the struggles taking place in this beautiful land, and it stirred something in me. It woke me up to my responsibilities to others and to myself, and it set me on an improbable journey that finds me here today. And while I will always fall short of Madiba’s example, he makes me want to be a better man. He speaks to what’s best inside us.

After this great liberator is laid to rest, and when we have returned to our cities and villages and rejoined our daily routines, let us search for his strength. Let us search for his largeness of spirit somewhere inside of ourselves. And when the night grows dark, when injustice weighs heavy on our hearts, when our best-laid plans seem beyond our reach, let us think of Madiba and the words that brought him comfort within the four walls of his cell: “It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.”

What a magnificent soul it was. We will miss him deeply. May God bless the memory of Nelson Mandela. May God bless the people of South Africa.

President Obama's swagger is on 100! pic.twitter.com/9qIfrL7XWN
— 3ChicsPolitico (@3ChicsPolitico) December 10, 2013

World leaders, celebrities, rain - #MandelaMemorial in pictures http://t.co/h7gSuXBhOl pic.twitter.com/YGQqRChVa3
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 10, 2013

Chelsea Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Laura Bush, George W. Bush listen to President Barack Obama pic.twitter.com/GY69emFyh0
— 3030 (@jose3030) December 10, 2013

#Obama & #Bush have arrived at the #MandelaMemorial, but it's far from the 1st time #Mandela interacted w/ a #POTUS: pic.twitter.com/j27h246qtC
— Eric Wolfson (@ericwolfson) December 10, 2013

Mandiba's Grandchildren - He Would Be Proud!

Little boy w fist in air---We love you, Madiba! pic.twitter.com/yBqHM34Eq1
— 3ChicsPolitico (@3ChicsPolitico) December 10, 2013

MT @NBCLA: Graca Machel, Mandela’s widow, at #MandelaMemorial. Watch live: http://t.co/v9v2z0g7yG #RememberingMandela pic.twitter.com/qeBBOfAJKc
— PoliticalJones (@PoliticalJones) December 10, 2013

Desmond Tutu at the #MandelaMemorial (with Kofi Annan): pic.twitter.com/YBLE5AJXKc
— Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) December 10, 2013

In case you haven't seen it yet - the programme or the #MandelaMemorial pic.twitter.com/RJP8CNxG9X
— Nadia Neophytou (@NadiaNeophytou) December 10, 2013

RIP Nelson Mandela - "He Belongs to the Ages"

Previous Related Post:
Obama in Africa: Cape Town to Tanzania

RT @louisef100: Front pages of today's South African newspapers on #Madiba #Mandela pic.twitter.com/z7fFx8qlYq #NelsonMandela #Mandela

— Nora Wahlquist (@DahmPublishing) December 6, 2013

Nelson Mandela and his wife salute crowds upon his release from prison on February 11, 1990. Photo by Alexander Joe pic.twitter.com/NAOTMtOnJb

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) December 5, 2013

Every time Melinda and I met Nelson Mandela, we left more inspired than ever. His grace and courage changed the world. This is a sad day.

— Bill Gates (@BillGates) December 5, 2013

It always seems impossible until it is done #RIPNelsonMandela pic.twitter.com/5Oe103KCAV

— Anmol (@Anm0l) December 6, 2013

He changed history for the better!Such an incredible man and a huge inspiration.. Thank you #RIPNelsonMandela pic.twitter.com/vYgmyNkayS

— Linda (@Lindajaber9) December 6, 2013

Must-See Video of Mandela Dancing:

The #Obama Ladies with #Mandela, 2011: pic.twitter.com/A0A00BIpaq

— Eric Wolfson (@ericwolfson) December 6, 2013

President Obama's Full Statement on the Death of Nelson Mandela:

5:25 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: At his trial in 1964, Nelson Mandela closed his statement from the dock saying, “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

And Nelson Mandela lived for that ideal, and he made it real. He achieved more than could be expected of any man. Today, he has gone home. And we have lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth. He no longer belongs to us -- he belongs to the ages.

Through his fierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others, Madiba transformed South Africa -- and moved all of us. His journey from a prisoner to a President embodied the promise that human beings -- and countries -- can change for the better. His commitment to transfer power and reconcile with those who jailed him set an example that all humanity should aspire to, whether in the lives of nations or our own personal lives. And the fact that he did it all with grace and good humor, and an ability to acknowledge his own imperfections, only makes the man that much more remarkable. As he once said, “I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”

I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela's life. My very first political action, the first thing I ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics, was a protest against apartheid. I studied his words and his writings. The day that he was released from prison gave me a sense of what human beings can do when they’re guided by their hopes and not by their fears. And like so many around the globe, I cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that Nelson Mandela set, and so long as I live I will do what I can to learn from him.

To Graça Machel and his family, Michelle and I extend our deepest sympathy and gratitude for sharing this extraordinary man with us. His life’s work meant long days away from those who loved him the most. And I only hope that the time spent with him these last few weeks brought peace and comfort to his family.

To the people of South Africa, we draw strength from the example of renewal, and reconciliation, and resilience that you made real. A free South Africa at peace with itself -- that’s an example to the world, and that’s Madiba’s legacy to the nation he loved.

We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. So it falls to us as best we can to forward the example that he set: to make decisions guided not by hate, but by love; to never discount the difference that one person can make; to strive for a future that is worthy of his sacrifice.

For now, let us pause and give thanks for the fact that Nelson Mandela lived -- a man who took history in his hands, and bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice. May God Bless his memory and keep him in peace.

END

50 Years Ago ~ the Kennedy Assassination

I was just over 3 years old when President John F. Kennedy was shot, so I barely remember the day. What I do remember is the overwhelming grief that adults expressed even years after it happened when we would see the anniversary in the newspaper or on TV.

So handsome, so gifted, so well-meaning - and much too young to die. At my house we didn't talk about all the conspiracy theories when I was a child - my parents were too grief-stricken - but as I got older, especially at school, we wondered why so many others were shot soon after: Robert Kennedy, Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King. Here in the south there was an feeling of fear that anything could happen at any time, that things had gone too far towards chaos. I was in second grade when M.L. King died, and while I was still too young to fathom the politics, I was ashamed and shocked that the shooting happened in Tennessee. So I have an inkling about how those in Dallas, Texas must have felt then and feel today over the assassination of John Kennedy. Things like this should never happen in our backyards, in the United States.

And yet there are those today who sit around on the internet, on Twitter and Facebook and every forum, seething and screeching and threatening Barack Obama, calling for someone to "stop his tyranny" through any means possible. That horrible type of madness just never goes away it would seem. The John Birch Society of that time has become the Tea Party of today.

What the Tea Party needs to understand is that the death of John F. Kennedy didn't stop progress or change from happening to our country. President Johnson and millions of others carried out the reforms of the Great Society. The Koch Brothers, whose father founded the John Birch Society, may still try to suppress the vote, but minorities and women are voting in ever higher numbers and showed last year that they will stand together for hours at the polling places in the name of Evers and King. We just re-elected Barack Obama, an African-American President. Many old enough to remember the death of John F. Kennedy never thought that day would come, and yet it did.

Peaceful change is the best revenge for all those deaths.

This week Caroline Kennedy became Ambassador to Japan. Standing with her was her son, who looks very much like her father and her late brother, John Kennedy Jr. History changes, and Teddy Kennedy may be gone forever now, but the legacy continues, both of blood and values.

The deaths of great people are not in vain. They inspire us and lead us beyond death.

Modern conservatives would rather drown the middle class & govt than promote widespread opportunity & greatness pic.twitter.com/4NxGFibcQ4

— ProgressiveHelp PhD (@CallOut4) November 23, 2013

Caroline Kennedy sworn in by Secretary Kerry as Ambassador to Japan with her husband and son by her side pic.twitter.com/rN4h1VETjX

— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) November 12, 2013

President John F. Kennedy and his son, John F. Kennedy Jr., White House, October 1963. #JFK #JFK50 pic.twitter.com/xcu42G1KZb

— Tegan Mathis (@TeganMathis) November 22, 2013

"A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on." -John F. Kennedy, 1963 #JFK https://t.co/2lbA6SRGI3

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) November 22, 2013

See how TIME has covered JFK throughout the last 50 years http://t.co/F47YLapd6o pic.twitter.com/Rxx9AmqRkE

— TIME.com (@TIME) November 22, 2013

Myrlie Evers' Condolence Letter To Jacqueline Kennedy: "I Lost My Husband On June 12th In The Same Way" #JFK #JFK50 pic.twitter.com/znwTHMQ4SS

— Eric Wolfson (@ericwolfson) November 22, 2013

Jacqueline Kennedy at John F. Kennedy’s funeral, Arlington Cemetery, November 25, 1963 #RIPJFK pic.twitter.com/uiOPDefNlF

— Emily Maxwell (@eskizzle) November 22, 2013

50 years ago today, Midland Reporter-Telegram published an "extra" edition: GUNMAN SLAYS JFK: http://t.co/bVyWKuhKIQ pic.twitter.com/qKnDXpzb4C

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) November 22, 2013

Funeral of John F. Kennedy, 1963 pic.twitter.com/U3KYMh2i7E

— ClassicPics (@History_Pics) October 13, 2013

Some Things Never Change. (BTW, The John Birch Society was cofounded by the #Koch Brothers' dad) #JFK #JFK50 #p2 pic.twitter.com/v6ITZyIf9A

— Eric Wolfson (@ericwolfson) November 22, 2013

Remembering Obama's First Presidential Win

It's good to go back to golden moments like the night in 2008 when the country elected our first African American President. We need to remind ourselves that change may be slow but impossible things sometimes happen in the United States of America.

In 2008, I wasn't blogging about politics and had never heard of Twitter. But I loved Obama the candidate with his glowing speeches that raised our spirits so beautifully. I knew if we as a nation could turn out the vote, Obama could beat John McCain and become the best President we had ever had in this country. And pleasantly, I still believe he is the best and brightest, and certainly one of the nicest Presidents in history. I still think we probably don't deserve him, even some of us Democrats who like to play the blame game as much as the Republicans.

But back in 2008 Sarah Palin and her rabid "Muslin-hating" Tea Party followers scared the living daylights out of the Democratic Party, and spurred some of us to send every spare dollar we had to the Obama campaign. And that made a huge difference. We should probably thank Palin for being herself, for encouraging the racists and libertarians to show up at her rallies, and for speaking so candidly in her nearly unintelligible way. She clinched the election for Obama, because the thought of Palin being a heartbeat away from the Presidency as John McCain's Vice President was too much to bear. Instead we got the amazing Joe "Malarky" Biden, and it was a "Big F***in' Deal." :)

Remembering 9-11

Taps is played as President Obama places wreath at Pentagon 9/11 Memorial. (Photo: @Stacey_Klein) pic.twitter.com/71pX4qWkqV - @markknoller

— NewsBreaker (@NewsBreaker) September 11, 2013

I took this photo 12 years ago today, just as the South Tower collapsed. Help me identify the subjects. pic.twitter.com/pddkHtmKP3

— Patrick Witty (@patrickwitty) September 11, 2013

This rare 9/11 photo wasn’t released until ten years after September 11, 2001 #NeverForget via @Sept11Memorials pic.twitter.com/h6KzvZMxHe

— 9-1-1 Veterans Inc (@911_Veterans) September 9, 2013

The #Newseum's 9/11 front-page collection: http://t.co/xcIctd5NsQ Still find headline, photo combos intriguing. pic.twitter.com/dhWq2Z4SGI

— Arti Patel (@artipatel13) September 11, 2013

.@NASA remembers 9/11 with this photo from space of a smoke plume rising from NYC http://t.co/kP5EsHvUMe pic.twitter.com/wsuYITvyUh

— New York Post (@nypost) September 11, 2013

Inspirational ~ The March on Washington 50 Years Ago and Today: Martin Luther King and Barack Obama

Pic via National Archives Tumblr



The Original Speech by Martin Luther King in Washington, August 28, 1963



Scenes from the Original March, via National Archives:



President Obama, August 28, 2013

Let's keep marching until every American has the opportunity to realize their dreams. #MLKDream50, pic.twitter.com/TolR18Z7qG

— The White House (@whitehouse) August 29, 2013

President Obama in Chattanooga

MY President came to MY hometown of Chattanooga! It was a great day with people lining Lee Highway and Bonny Oaks Drive with welcome signs hoping to catch a glimpse of the great man.

The Tea Party staged their own rally with "Impeach Obama" signs, but were restricted to the old Target Parking Lot for "security reasons" far away from Bonny Oaks and Amazon where the President made his speech. Ha - was it something they said, perhaps?

The Tennessee GOP made a silly video talking about how the President should "learn something" from the "Real Muricans" in our state - a state that gets plenty of government money, farm subsidies, etc. Luckily, Obama for America (OFA) had their own video welcoming video. The good definitely cancelled out the bad on this day.

#POTUSInCha #Obamanooga OFA-TN President Obama visits Chattanooga, TN Today!: http://t.co/OXBkNdEiTm via @youtube
— Jeanne K. (@SnarkAmendment) July 30, 2013

POTUS Tomorrow will tour the Amazon distribution center in Chattanooga and address workers on the warehouse floor at 2pm
— obamadailywire™ (@obamadailywire) July 30, 2013

Getting ready for Obama .. MT @OFA_TN: Chattanooga folks hard at work for #ABetterBargain! Join us at Kingdom Center! pic.twitter.com/s3DnGBle1J
— Carly Harrington (@knoxgirl75) July 29, 2013

RT @ofa_tn: Chattanooga welcomes President @BarackObama! pic.twitter.com/4ppfqamQwN
— Tennessee Democrats (@tndp) July 29, 2013

These Chattanooga folks are standing up for President Obama and #ABetterBargain. Stand up with us today! #ObamaTN pic.twitter.com/g70UJXpDxY
— OFA TN (@OFA_TN) July 29, 2013

Supporters gather outside Enterprise South entrance on Bonny Oaks Drive #POTUSinCHA pic.twitter.com/cybtNlbvXI
— Dan Kennedy (@DanOKennedy) July 30, 2013

Some Chattanooga kids are already chilling with POTUS #ObamaNooga #SeeBarackCity pic.twitter.com/cPTMaD6lAr
— Kate Belz (@katebelz) July 30, 2013

Best hashtag of the Day: #BarackCity #SeeRockCity #SeeBarackCity #PotusInCha
— Jeanne K. (@SnarkAmendment) July 30, 2013

Photo: People of #ChattanoogaTN we are trending WORLDWIDE #POTUSinCHA http://t.co/Xsce1v5d2A
— Tee (@MrFabulousTee) July 30, 2013

RT @internalex #Chattanooga is trending nationally on twitter. #Obamanooga
— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) July 30, 2013

#ObamaNooga #POTUSinCHA << so amused by these. so very much.
— Nikki (@shka_marie) July 30, 2013

Closing 153 from dam to I-75 both ways. I-75 from Brained Rd to Ootlewah. Includes all overpasses and ramps. Until about 1500. #ObamaNooga
— Leslie Gladney (@DeLore) July 30, 2013

Police escorts for #ObamaNooga motorcade waiting at Wilson Air Center: pic.twitter.com/SbzBqXGmT3
— James Harrison (@JamesNooga) July 30, 2013

#POTUS in my town today. Wish I could be their in the line to possibly get a glance. Happy he is in town. #POTUSinCha #Obama #Obamanooga
— CTucker (@mzcraydesigner) July 30, 2013

Hope the scenic city shows @BarackObama some southern hospitality today. Great publicity for a great city. #PotusInCHA
— Jacques McClendon (@jmcc65) July 30, 2013

Hahahaha!!! #FAIL RT @CliotheLeo Lol local tea party out in FORCE! http://t.co/wx802Sdn7Y #No #POTUSinCHA #Obama #p2
— Jeanne K. (@SnarkAmendment) July 30, 2013

Dude! Air force one just flew over my house! Then I ran inside and saw it land on TV! Haha.… #POTUS #POTUSinCHA http://t.co/THw3Ad6rAn
— Josiah King (@mrjosiahking) July 30, 2013

“@MattBarbourWRCB: Got a cool pic of Air Force One landing. #POTUSinCHA http://t.co/z2UJykhln9” Atta boy!
— Callie Starnes (@calliestarnes) July 30, 2013

The eagle has landed! #POTUSinCHA pic.twitter.com/2C4CZ7kAil
— lindsey garland (@sparkey_) July 30, 2013

Air Force One touching down in Chattanooga #POTUSinCHA @BarackObama pic.twitter.com/6flEZVFBMp
— Brian Jones (@brianj1084) July 30, 2013

Awesome!! RT @JamesMahonWDEF: #POTUSinCHA #ObamaNooga @wdefnews12 pic.twitter.com/7Cin6IDdpb
— Clio the Leo (@CliotheLeo) July 30, 2013

#POTUSinCHA pic.twitter.com/fqsmOtbC2Q
— LeeAnne (@leelercat) July 30, 2013

I don't care who you are, THIS is amazing! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 #POTUSinCHA pic.twitter.com/QCCNPwaQ72
— becca moser (@beccalynn178) July 30, 2013

Motorcade leaving the Chattanooga airport. #PotusInCha #Obamanooga pic.twitter.com/9DYEof0ggr
— Gondolfo Morgobard (@WBMcNally) July 30, 2013

#Obamanooga #CHAtraffic Presidential limo taking Lee Highway route!
— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) July 30, 2013

.@AndyBerke How completely pumped are you right now? #ObamaNooga #HanginWithThePOTUS
— Steve Hamaker (@Stevaker) July 30, 2013

I snapped a good picture of 'the beast' motorcade going by. #POTUSinCHA pic.twitter.com/N6OXKogBIO
— Brandon McGee (@mahabrando) July 30, 2013

TRAFFIC ADVISORY: Avoid Highway 153 & I-75 between I-24 interchange & Volkswagen exit! PLEASE RETWEET TO GET THE WORD OUT! #Obamanooga
— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) July 30, 2013

President Barack Obama chats with Chattanooga Mayor @andyberke #POTUSinCHA Watch LIVE http://t.co/cXcaPXOlcD
— WRCB-HD (@WRCB) July 30, 2013

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Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke Describes Limo Ride with Obama

After being one of the first people to welcome President Barack Obama to Chattanooga, Mayor Andy Berke described his ride from the airport to the Amazon fulfillment center in the presidential limousine, known as "the beast."

"No big deal," Berke joked.
But although the ride may have been brief, Berke said the face time with the president was invaluable for the city. Berke said that during their transit from the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport to Amazon, he shared stories of the city's success with Obama.

"The opportunity to spend a few minutes with the president of the United States comes only once in a lifetime," Berke said. "I certainly wanted to make sure that I portrayed Chattanooga in the best possible light because I think the president was genuinely curious about what we're doing here. It was a fantastic opportunity."

Berke said he and the president discussed items such as the city's record Internet speeds, efforts to reform education in the state and Chattanooga in general.

~~~~~~~~~~

The most powerful man in the world is in my city . . Only thing that would be better than this is if he had a UT Vols tie on #POTUSINCHA
— BrentW (@Whitesiderz12) July 30, 2013

Local TN station @WDEFnews12 is playing *soap operas* instead of covering #POTUSINCHA President @Obama visit...shame on them!
— Bradley Democrats (@BradleyDemocrat) July 30, 2013

Entire CHA City Council, 6 of 9 county commissioners present at Amazon for Obama's speech, via @chrismanderson. #POTUSinCHA #ObamaNooga
— Nooga.com (@NoogaNews) July 30, 2013

The President is here at Amazon. We're told he's touring the facility while we wait near podium. #POTUSinCHA
— Cindy Sexton (@CindySexton3) July 30, 2013

Faces in the crowd: Amazon employees enjoying a paid day off #POTUSinCHA pic.twitter.com/jsd63OlDMK
— David Carroll (@DAVIDCARROLL3) July 30, 2013

.@LamarAlexander paying to promote his tweets critical of Obama during #POTUSinCHA trip pic.twitter.com/8tokMGbMvG
— Lester Black (@leaf_lester) July 30, 2013

Secret Service and #Cha Police everywhere. They see everything you don't. #POTUSinCHA pic.twitter.com/S8m81jBr0s
— Antwan Harris (@antwanharris) July 30, 2013

that's one: NPR reported on President's speech from Chatt-nooga. THERE'S AN A IN THERE. #obamanooga #POTUSinCHA
— Bo Wheeler (@EBWheeler3) July 30, 2013

@WRCB reports thousands of #POTUSINCHA supporters! Way to go TN Dems!
— Bradley Democrats (@BradleyDemocrat) July 30, 2013

Shame all the new jobs here and this red state still can't give PBO credit for creating jobs. #POTUSinCHA @newschannelnine
— Curtis (@cfreelakers24) July 30, 2013

Obama should stop by McKay on his way back from Amazon! #POTUSinCHA
— Phil Haymaker (@PhilHaymaker) July 30, 2013

Has anyone seen @RepChuck Fleischmann? Someone should tell him POTUS is here. #whereschuck #disgrace #ObamaNooga
— Chris Anderson (@chrismanderson) July 30, 2013

Pretty sure the President is going to either crowd surf in, or fly across the crowd like Beyonce. #POTUSinCHA
— Ian Harper (@Harper_Ian) July 30, 2013

Loving the TN crowd. Every time they spot movement, they scream in delight then groan when they realize it's not POTUS. #POTUSInCHA
— Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) July 30, 2013

Chattanooga is awesome sauce! Welcome President Obama! #POTUSinCHA
— Tony Burgess (@tonyburgess1969) July 30, 2013

#PotusinCHA @WRCB. Warm welcome for the President today reflects well on Chattanooga. pic.twitter.com/b7djyGHSFD
— Eleanor Cooper (@elecooper) July 30, 2013

Speaking at Amazon RT @chloenooga: Picture of #POTUS #ObamaNooga pic.twitter.com/bTd5K3DhCx
— Philip Wade (@Brandywinebooks) July 30, 2013

LOL! Someone in the audience just told PBO to "PREACH!" #Obamanooga
— Curtis (@cfreelakers24) July 30, 2013

#ObamaNooga #POTUSinCHA Obama shaking lots of hands as John Phillip Souza's "Stars and Stripes" plays.
— Pamela Harris, Ph.D. (@PamMHarris) July 30, 2013

I'm about to stand on my desk, open my office door and sing, "my Country tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty" #ObamaNooga
— AB (@AB_dotcom) July 30, 2013

I liked when PBO said needlessly voting to repeal Obamacare 40 times is NOT a jobs plan. #Obamanooga
— Curtis (@cfreelakers24) July 30, 2013

“@PATRICKHENRYUSA: Tea Party came to protest Obama in Chattanooga. This is a Red state, go home communist. pic.twitter.com/SxqB3tafPo” well done
— Michael Berry (@MichaelBerrySho) July 31, 2013

New Image of Chattanooga - Dem Mayor Berke and Pres. Obama speed by in Limo while #TeaParty yells at sky @NatureWoman63
— Jeanne K. (@SnarkAmendment) August 1, 2013

The Obamas in Africa ~ First Stop Senegal

From LA Times

The president and his family visited a small slave house on Goree Island off the coast of Dakar, the nation's capital, where it is said men, women and children were traded, sorted, shackled and weighed before being sent across the Atlantic to the Americas.

The president stared pensively out the "door of no return," described as the exit for those boarding slave ships, while spending about half an hour in the two-story salmon-colored house filled with dark holding cells.

"Obviously, for an African American — and an African American president — to be able to visit this site, I think, gives me even greater motivation in terms of the defense of human rights around the world," Obama said afterward.

"I think more than anything, what it reminds us of is that we have to remain vigilant when it comes to the defense of people's human rights — because I'm a firm believer that humanity is fundamentally good, but it's only good when good people stand up for what's right," he said.

President Obama and the First Family arrive in Dakar, Senegal pic.twitter.com/XuuSdOHTmr
— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) June 26, 2013

Pres. Obama gives Pres. Sall of Senegal a pretty sweeeet handshake after their press conference. pic.twitter.com/HSm6Jf31nc
— Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) June 27, 2013

President Obama makes "powerful" visit to Goree Island slave-trade house http://t.co/jhDg3v07Ck (Photo: AP) pic.twitter.com/FgJYucqqKp
— msnbc (@msnbc) June 28, 2013

Pres. Obama at a prison cell window at the House of Slaves on Goree Island. FLOTUS is in the background. #Senegal pic.twitter.com/cGyzsLA6jh
— Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) June 27, 2013

President Obama greets kids on Gorée Island in Senegal: pic.twitter.com/Vx7NevnMnA
— The White House (@whitehouse) June 27, 2013

Can't get enough of @FLOTUS Michelle Obama? She's now on @Instagram: http://t.co/3NUHnOH2y4 pic.twitter.com/kpKRKghgrh
— The White House (@whitehouse) June 27, 2013

Next they head to South Africa, for a visit with ailing leader Nelson Mandela.

From Reuters

Obama is in the middle of a three-country tour of Africa that the White House hopes will compensate for what some view as years of neglect by the administration of America's first black president.

Before departing Dakar, Obama was scheduled to meet with farmers and local entrepreneurs to discuss new technologies that are helping farmers and their families in West Africa, one of the world's poorest and most drought-prone regions.

But it was Mandela, the 94-year-old former South African president who is clinging to life in a Pretoria hospital, who will dominate the president's day even before he arrives in Johannesburg.

Asked on Thursday whether Obama would be able to pay Mandela a visit, the White House said that was up to the family.

"We are going to completely defer to the wishes of the Mandela family and work with the South African government as relates to our visit," deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters in Senegal.

"Whatever the Mandela family deems appropriate, that's what we're focused on doing in terms of our interaction with them."

Pope Francis Meets the World

The first Latin American Pope was chosen in the Vatican City in Rome yesterday, Pope Francis I from Venezuela.

From NBC News

Pope Francis is unique not just for being the first Latin American pope. He's also the first Jesuit pope, possibly signaling a renewed emphasis on traditional Catholic theology by the church.

The Society of Jesus, as the Jesuits are formally known, observes a vow of poverty, and as archbishop of Buenos Aires, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was known for his accessibility and simplicity, said Michael Sheeran, president-elect of the American Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.
"Pope Francis took the bus to work every day," Sheeran said in a live online discussion of Bergoglio's election. "He sold the cardinal's residence and lived in a small apartment where he cooked for himself."

. . . "I'm amazed (Francis) was selected," Sheeran said, because "the Jesuits steer clear of getting high-ranking jobs like this."
The society was founded in Rome in 1540 by St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Francis Xavier as a movement devoted to living in the imitation of Jesus.

An Unexpected Moment ~ Obama Pauses to Reflect on the Crowd

From Talking Points Memo

Departing the West Front of the U.S. Capitol after delivering his second inaugural address on Monday, President Obama wanted to take one last glance of the hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered to celebrate his second term. After all, it would be his last.
"I want to take a look one more time," Obama said, lingering for a few short moments to savor the view as the crowd shuffled past him. "I'll never see this again."

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Inaugural Poem by Richard Blanco

Poet Richard Blanco, son of a Cuban Exile from Miami, FL, made history today by becoming both the first Hispanic and openly gay man to read at a Presidential Inauguration.

"One Today"

One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores,
peeking over the Smokies, greeting the faces
of the Great Lakes, spreading a simple truth
across the Great Plains, then charging across the Rockies.
One light, waking up rooftops, under each one, a story
told by our silent gestures moving behind windows.

My face, your face, millions of faces in morning's mirrors,
each one yawning to life, crescendoing into our day:
pencil-yellow school buses, the rhythm of traffic lights,
fruit stands: apples, limes, and oranges arrayed like rainbows
begging our praise. Silver trucks heavy with oil or paper—
bricks or milk, teeming over highways alongside us,
on our way to clean tables, read ledgers, or save lives—
to teach geometry, or ring-up groceries as my mother did
for twenty years, so I could write this poem.

All of us as vital as the one light we move through,
the same light on blackboards with lessons for the day:
equations to solve, history to question, or atoms imagined,
the "I have a dream" we keep dreaming,
or the impossible vocabulary of sorrow that won't explain
the empty desks of twenty children marked absent
today, and forever. Many prayers, but one light
breathing color into stained glass windows,
life into the faces of bronze statues, warmth
onto the steps of our museums and park benches
as mothers watch children slide into the day.

One ground. Our ground, rooting us to every stalk
of corn, every head of wheat sown by sweat
and hands, hands gleaning coal or planting windmills
in deserts and hilltops that keep us warm, hands
digging trenches, routing pipes and cables, hands
as worn as my father's cutting sugarcane
so my brother and I could have books and shoes.

The dust of farms and deserts, cities and plains
mingled by one wind—our breath. Breathe. Hear it
through the day's gorgeous din of honking cabs,
buses launching down avenues, the symphony
of footsteps, guitars, and screeching subways,
the unexpected song bird on your clothes line.

Hear: squeaky playground swings, trains whistling,
or whispers across café tables, Hear: the doors we open
for each other all day, saying: hello, shalom,
buon giorno, howdy, namaste, or buenos días
in the language my mother taught me—in every language
spoken into one wind carrying our lives
without prejudice, as these words break from my lips.

One sky: since the Appalachians and Sierras claimed
their majesty, and the Mississippi and Colorado worked
their way to the sea. Thank the work of our hands:
weaving steel into bridges, finishing one more report
for the boss on time, stitching another wound
or uniform, the first brush stroke on a portrait,
or the last floor on the Freedom Tower
jutting into a sky that yields to our resilience.

One sky, toward which we sometimes lift our eyes
tired from work: some days guessing at the weather
of our lives, some days giving thanks for a love
that loves you back, sometimes praising a mother
who knew how to give, or forgiving a father
who couldn't give what you wanted.

We head home: through the gloss of rain or weight
of snow, or the plum blush of dusk, but always—home,
always under one sky, our sky. And always one moon
like a silent drum tapping on every rooftop
and every window, of one country—all of us—
facing the stars
hope—a new constellation
waiting for us to map it,
waiting for us to name it—together.