The Text of Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address
Delivered on 20 January 2009.
The Who2 Blog
The New White House Website
Barack Obama has been sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.And the White House website has formally been flipped to the new administration.
The Lincoln Bible Is Not Exactly the Lincoln Bible
At least, not the family Bible. It’s a helpful impostor from 1861.Still: Good enough for Lincoln, good enough for Obama.
Bush Leaves a Note for Obama
During his last moments at the White House, former President Ronald Reagan scribbled a note for his successor on a notepad with a turkey insignia that said, “Don’t let the turkeys get you down.”Thus starting a tradition that George W. Bush apparently carried on today, leaving a note for Barack Obama. No word on whether it included a sketch of a turkey.
The Order of Business
The step-by-step schedule for Barack Obama’s inaugural ceremony.
The Improbability of Obama
“The essence of Barack Obama has been his capacity to avert life’s roadblocks and disappointments during his journey. The first could have been his unusual family biography, with the challenges it presented in terms of stability and psychology. The second could have been the sociology of race in America, with its likelihood of rejection and cynicism. And the final was the geography of elective politics, with all the variables of ideology and luck.
Roger Vadim Says He Invented the Word ‘Discotheque’
“It was I who coined the term ‘discotheque.'”So says Roger Vadim in his 1986 memoir Bardot, Deneuve, Fonda. The year was 1949 or so, and Vadim was living in post-war Paris. (He leads in by saying, “It was people like me and Christian Marquand, the avante-garde director Michel de Ré, Juliette Greco and the singer Annabel… who created a new style and launched the idea of basement clubs.”)
Bob May, “Lost In Space” Robot, Has Died
“He was a smoker. From time to time (when he was on a break), we’d see smoke coming out of the robot. That always amused us.”Actress June Lockhart remembers Bob May, The Robot from Lost In Space. May died Sunday at age 69.As with Kenny Baker and R2-D2, May didn’t voice the character. But he’s the guy who wore the suit day in and day out.
Joaquin Phoenix Is Now a Hairy Belafonte
Here’s a story we missed in October: Oscar nominee Joaquin Phoenix told reporters he was giving up acting. His new love? Music.
Andrew Wyeth, American Artist, Dead at 91
“Almost like a painting he composed his life… His painting was his life. Knowing him, I always thought from the beginning that if the day ever came he could not paint he would die.”Andrew Wyeth, painter of handsome and melancholy American scenes, has died in his sleep at age 91.
Anatomy of a Near-Disaster
A helpful map of flight 1549’s trip around Manhattan — Sully’s wild ride — complete with geese.
“He Looked Like David Niven in an Airplane Uniform”
The reviews are in for Chesley B. Sullenberger III, the improbably-named pilot who landed his 169,000-pound airplane in the Hudson River on Thursday, then strolled the aisle to check for stragglers before stepping off himself.
“Hero Pilot Searched Plane Before Leaving”
ABC News has an early story on Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III, the U.S. Airways pilot who calmly landed his plane in the Hudson River on Thursday.
Bush’s Last Days
He’s off to Camp David for the weekend. The West Wing will be a “ghost town.” And then…
Happy 80th Birthday, Martin Luther King Jr.
Born on this day in 1929.Others born in 1929: Four-minute-miler Roger Bannister, jazz man Bill Evans, and actress Audrey Hepburn.Distinguished company. But even in that crowd, MLK stands out.
“Steve Jobs May Have Pancreas Removed”
Speculation from Bloomberg News.
Ricardo Montalban Pitches the Cordoba
Nobody uttered “Cordoba” quite like Ricardo Montalban. “Great comfort at a most pleasant price,” indeed.
Jobs’s Health Problem “More Complex” Than He Thought
Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.
Patrick McGoohan, “The Prisoner,” Has Died
The actor was 80, says the BBC.McGoohan was chiefly associated with cult ITV drama The Prisoner, writing some of the episodes himself under a different name.McGoohan played the character Six in the surreal 1960s show, filmed in the north Wales village of Portmeirion.His character spent the entire time attempting to escape from The Village and finding out the identity of his captor, the elusive Number One.
A Bela Lugosi Burial Tidbit
Odd, but true: Bela Lugosi, a pioneer in American film and a legend of classic horror roles, died at the age of 73 in the summer of 1956, and was buried most fittingly in one of his “Dracula” capes.Ironic, then, that Dracula was buried in a cemetery named Holy Cross.