Step-by-Step guide to Facebook Conversion Tracking

Step 1: Once you log in to your ‘Ads Manager’ tab, click on the Conversion Tracking button on the left side bar.

Step 2: Then click on the ‘Create Conversion Pixel’ tab to begin the process.

Step 3: You will be directed to this pop-up, which will ask you for a:

1. Name: An appropriate name will help you remember what you are tracking. (Example: Lead Generation – GATE Ad)

2. Category: This will help you decide the type of action that you want to track on your site. You can choose from the following:

1. Checkouts

2. Registrations

3. Leads

4. Key Page Views

5. Adds to Cart

6. Other Website Conversions

(For the purpose of this example, we have selected ‘Leads’).

Step 4: You will be able to see a pop-up window with a JavaScript code. This is the code that you will have to add to the page where the conversion will happen. This will let you track the conversions back to ads which you are running on Facebook.

The code should be placed on the page that a user will finally see when the transaction is complete.

Here is the tricky part. The code should not go on all pages. For that matter, it should not even go to the landing page of your product. The code should be placed on the page that a user will finally see when the transaction is complete.

For Example: If you want to track when students register for your GATE coaching, paste the code on the registration confirmation page/thank you page and not on the form that they need to submit.

How do you confirm that your conversion is working properly?

1. Check that the javascript snippet has been placed on the correct conversion page. Visit the page where the pixel has been embedded, right click and go to ‘View Page Source’ to find the pixel. The code should have the tag of the HTML. See image below.

2. Check that Facebook is receiving the conversion events from your website. Go to the conversion tracking tab in your Ads Manager account. There you will see a list of the conversion tracking pixels that you have created. If the conversion tracking pixel has been successfully implemented and a conversion event has been recorded, it will be reflected in the Pixel Status column. If the status shows active, it means that the page which contains the pixel has been viewed by users. If it shows inactive, it means that over the last 24 hours, the page with the pixel has not been viewed.

3.Later, when you  create your Facebook ad , you need to check the track conversions box under the campaign, pricing and schedule tab to enable tracking.

Google Internet Bus Comes to India –

The Internet towns and cities is an attempt educate people about what the Internet is, and how it may be beneficial to their lives, by taking the Internet experience to them through a customised Internet-enabled bus, which will travel to several towns and cities across India.

Lionsgate nabs Sundance standout “Push”

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Lionsgate has acquired North American rights to “Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire,” the inner-city drama that took the grand jury and audience prizes at the Sundance Film Festival last month. Directed by Lee Daniels from a screenplay by Damien Paul, the film earned raves for the performances of Mo’Nique and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe. It centers on an illiterate teen who is abused by her parents but gets a second chance when she enrolls in an alternative school. The movie marks the sophomore directing effort of Daniels, best known for producing 2001’s “Monster’s Ball,” which Lionsgate also released. Filmmaker Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey will serve as presenting entities for “Push” via their production companies — respectively, 34th Street Films and Harpo. Both parties will support the release, Lionsgate said.

Sri Lanka: Rebel command center seized

The Sri Lankan government said Thursday it has made more inroads into the remaining territory held by ethnic Tamil Tiger rebels after troops seized their command center in the north of the country.

Sri Lankan workers bury the bodies of some 38 suspected Tamil Tiger rebels killed in recent fighting.

The defense ministry’s announcement, also reported by the country’s Lankapuvath national news agency, could not be independently verified.

Military jets pounded the rebel’s “transit camp” in the district of Mullaittivu Wednesday evening, the agency said.

The defense ministry said rebels were firing at and killing civilians who were trying to flee the fighting.

“In the face of humiliating defeat, LTTE terrorists are tailoring a civilian tragedy,” it said on its Web site.

The LTTE, or the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, are commonly known as the Tamil Tigers. They have fought for an independent homeland for the country’s Tamil minority since 1983 in a civil war has left more than 65,000 people dead.

In recent days, the military has made significant progress in its campaign to recapture rebel strongholds.

Earlier this month, troops regained control of the northern town of Elephant Pass, the point at which mainland Sri Lanka links to the northern Jaffna peninsula. It had been in rebel hands for more than nine years.

The re-capture enabled the government to use a highway linking the mainland to the peninsula to move troops and supplies. Previously, it was done by air and sea.

Gates Foundation pledges $255m for polio fight

The Gates Foundation is pledging $255 million to help eradicate polio around the world.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is donating $255 million to help eradicate polio.

The money will go to Rotary International as a “challenge grant” that it hopes to match with a further $100 million raised by its members over the next three years, the foundation announced late Wednesday.

Rotary’s Global Polio Eradication Initiative says it has reduced the number of global polio cases by 99 percent in the past two decades, bringing the number from 350,000 to just 1,600 last year.

In addition to the money from the Gates Foundation, the United Kingdom is giving $150 million to the initiative and Germany is donating $130 million, the foundation announced.

“With the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, we are on the brink of eradicating one of the most feared diseases in the world,” said Jonathan Majiyagbe, chair of the Rotary Foundation. “This shared commitment of Rotary and the Gates Foundation should encourage governments and non-governmental organizations to ensure that resources and the will of the world are available to end polio once and for all.”

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• iReport: ‘Billy’s Disease’ baffles doctors
• Fighting the growing menace of fake drugs

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was started by the Microsoft founder and his wife to battle hunger and poverty.

Polio is an infectious disease carried by the poliovirus. It causes motor paralysis and atrophy of skeletal muscles, often causing permanent disability and deformity.

The disease has been completely eliminated in the Americas, the Western Pacific and Europe, but the polio virus persists in Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. Imported cases from these countries threaten other developing nations.

Access to vaccines and vaccine effectiveness are the biggest problems in fighting the disease.

The money donated to the polio initiative will be used to sponsor immunization days for children, extra vaccinations in high-risk areas, research into new vaccines and more surveillance to detect outbreaks before they spread, Rotary said.

Huawei bringing Android smartphone to next month’s MWC

We already knew Huawei’s gearing up to enter the Android smartphone market — at least in Australia — and now the company has confirmed plans to show its first device at February’s Mobile World Congress. Unfortunately we don’t know much else at the moment, but we expect to shed some more light on this next month. Additionally, the company says it’ll be showing the world’s smallest modem, the world’s first commercial HSPA+ Stick, and a new digital photo display, among other surprises. We’re hoping those known unknowns turn out to be more Android phones, but something tells us they wouldn’t be so coy with that.

Symonds entering ‘final chapter’ of career

Andrew Symonds has said retirement is not on his immediate radar but he does believe he is entering the “final chapter” of his cricket career. Symonds, 33, is likely to line up for Queensland next week as he returns following knee surgery, if his comeback for his club side on the weekend goes to plan.

He will be preparing for February’s tour of South Africa, where he will be without his great mate Matthew Hayden, who retired following the home Test series. Symonds took a trip to Hayden’s holiday house on Stradbroke Island to see how his friend was handling retirement.

“I went over to Straddie and saw him a couple of days ago, he’s very relaxed,” Symonds told AAP. However, Symonds said Hayden’s situation had not yet sparked retirement thoughts of his own.

“The day that I am worn out either physically or mentally I will just say ‘that will do me’,” he said. “I haven’t put a time limit as to when I finish playing. Hopefully I can go on my terms rather than injury or lack of form. There’s only so many tokens left. Hopefully I can use them effectively and have a good end to my career.”

The finish looked like it might have been forced upon him after his fishing trip in Darwin in August, when he was stood down from the national squad. He missed the tour of India but returned for the home summer and he is aiming to now look forward rather than back.

“Hopefully I can leave the past behind me, we can make this a new chapter,” Symonds said. “I feel like this is the final chapter of my cricketing career coming up so hopefully I can play some good cricket, finish well and look back on my career which has been interesting but also very enjoyable.”

Symonds will not bowl in his comeback state match as he keeps an eye on his knee. However he has ruled out giving up bowling in an effort to prolong his career as a batsman only.

“I don’t play cricket like that,” he said. “I think I need to be able to bowl to be at my most effective, and I need to be mobile in the field. This has been a good time to freshen up again, clear the mind and give the body a rest, I feel good.”

Barack Obama inauguration day – News In pictures

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Inauguration speech in Barack Obama.

Barack Obama has been sworn in as the 44th US president.

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and co-operation he has shown throughout this transition.

Key words used by President Barack Obama in his inaugural address.

Enlarge Image

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.

At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we, the people, have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

Serious challenges

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

We have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land – a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America – they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

Nation of ‘risk-takers’

We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted – for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things – some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labour, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and travelled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and ploughed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

‘Remaking America’

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions – that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act – not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.

Restoring trust

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions – who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them – that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.

The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works – whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account – to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day – because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control – that a nation cannot prosper long when it favours only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart – not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

‘Ready to lead’

As for our common defence, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.

We will not apologise for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defence

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort – even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the spectre of a warming planet. We will not apologise for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defence, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

‘Era of peace’

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus – and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West – know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

‘Duties’

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honour them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment – a moment that will define a generation – it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends – honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism – these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths.

What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility – a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

‘Gift of freedom’

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence – the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed – why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have travelled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

“Let it be told to the future world… that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive… that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].”

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

How Obama will shape US history

Barack Obama gives his inaugural address, 20 Jan 2009
Mr Obama carries a heavy burden from the past on his shoulders

With every step he took along the journey that has now led him at last to the White House, you sensed that history was shadowing Barack Obama, never more than a half a pace behind him.

From the moment at the Democratic Convention in Boston in 2004 when he first displayed his extraordinary ability to conjure a mood and capture an audience, it began to seem possible that he would prove himself the first black man with a realistic chance of winning the White House.

From that moment on, he was written about and judged in a way that set him apart from the other candidates who crowded America’s political stage in the early months of Campaign 2008.

Because of the colour of his skin, Mr Obama was not merely another primary candidate – he was a character in the long and painful story of America’s evolution away from a past of racial division and violence.

Not since Robert Kennedy’s doomed run for office in 1968, perhaps, had a candidate with a realistic chance of victory entered a presidential race carrying such a burden from the past – although Kennedy’s burden was, of course, very different.

Message from Lincoln?

Mr Obama seemed to sense it too – his speeches were littered with allusions to history, because he understood that you cannot shape the future unless you understand the past.

Barack Obama swears the oath of office on Abraham Lincoln’s Bible
Mr Obama swore the oath of office on former President Lincoln’s Bible

We hear a lot about Mr Obama’s fascination with America’s 16th President Abraham Lincoln, that other man of Illinois who appeared at a moment of national crisis to win a civil war to abolish slavery.

Is there in that fascination perhaps a message? Lincoln may have been on the side of the angels, but he was a tough pragmatist rather than a dreamer and he was prepared to do whatever it took to save the Union, win the war and free the slaves.

Will Mr Obama turn out to be a similar kind of figure – tough in pursuit of a few key policy goals and ready to do whatever it takes to deliver them?

We will see – for the moment the historical resonances of the Lincoln years have been a little more subtle than that.

The inaugural lunch was composed of dishes like seafood stew, that Lincoln is known to have liked, and it was served on crockery in a shade called Solferino – a peculiar mauvish shade which was the last word in interior design around the 1860s.

Common challenge

Intriguingly, it was a quote from Thomas Paine that was borrowed by America’s founder and first president, George Washington, which caught the eye in the inaugural address, rather than anything which echoed Lincoln.

The problem is that there’s no guarantee that having a sense of history guarantees that you will be judged kindly by it

It came from the depths of a winter when Washington’s revolutionary army seemed to be on the point of defeat at the hands of the British: the great general summoned his nation to arms, calling on his people to prove to history that at a desperate moment they rose to meet a common challenge.

Mr Obama built on the quote, inviting future generations to judge his leadership, saying: “Let it be said by our children’s children that we refused to let this journey end.”

The problem is that there’s no guarantee that having a sense of history guarantees that you will be judged kindly by it.

George W Bush is said to be an avid reader of historical works too – and to share Mr Obama’s fascination with Lincoln – and yet he is leaving office with a curious atmosphere of melancholy clinging to him because his period in office cannot possibly have turned out as he hoped.

Painful evolution

Mr Obama is unusual because he will be written about by future historians in two different ways.

First, there will be the question of how he uses his power to shape history.

People on the National Mall cheer at Barack Obama’s inauguration, 20 Jan
Many will look to see how prospects for African-Americans change

His inaugural address while it perhaps lacked one single line that will resonate down the ages, was a masterpiece in the sense that it sought to lift America’s hearts in the moment, whilst also lifting its eyes to the scale of the challenge ahead.

The challenges won’t be met quickly, or easily, but: “America, they will be met.” There you have the yardstick against which Mr Obama invites judgement – realistic in his assessment of the difficulties ahead and yet prepared to dream when he imagines America’s future.

The second way in which he will be judged, of course, is for the manner in which he fulfils that role as a character in the story of America’s painful evolution into a society where hope and opportunity are shared equally between black and white.

There are any number of statistics which illustrate how unequal things are now, more than 40 years after Martin Luther King spoke of a dream which embraced not just racial equality but an end to poverty too.

A civil rights activist in the South told me, for example, that young black men in America are more likely to go to prison than to college.

Shaping history

Mr Obama enjoys overwhelming and deeply emotional support from nearly all African-Americans, who see his triumph as a triumph for all of them.

The Obamas, Bushes and Bidens on the steps of the Capitol, 20 Jan
The inaugural ceremony took place at a building built by slave labour

Nothing will dim their support for him – love is not too strong a word – but historians of the African-American experience will judge his time in office by how the lot of black Americans changes on his watch.

It is a tall order, but he has plenty of change to build on. As he said himself, he is taking office in a city where his father wouldn’t have been allowed to book a restaurant table, and that is extraordinary enough.

And he swore his oath at a Capitol building which was the work of black slave labour – those nameless figures from the bigoted past must have watched the day with silent acclamation too.

We will see what Mr Obama does with the history which is now his to shape – but the history he embodies is already written and his place in America’s remarkable journey, in that sense at least, is already assured.

Barack Obama: Videos of His Most Memorable Speeches

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has long enjoyed a reputation as a powerful public speaker. From first gaining national attention at the as the keynote speaker at the 2004 Democratic National Convention

to his 2008 Democratic National Convention acceptance speech, Obama’s words never fail to deliver a powerful message.

Here are links to some of his most powerful speeches:

Barack Obama’s Election Night Acceptance Speech
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Late at night on November 4th, 2008, Barack Obama spoke to more than 100,000 supporters after winning that days Presidential election.
Barack Obama in Berlin – July 24, 2008
Speaking to a crowd of approximately 200,000, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama emphasizes the theme of freedom, and encourages Europeans and Americans to work together to “defeat terror and dry up the well of extremism that supports it.”

Barack Obama 2004 DNC Keynote Address – Boston, MA – July 27, 2004
Part 1
Part 2
Then-Illinois Senate candidate Barack Obama introduces himself to Democrats, giving the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. He told the story of his working class upbringing and urged the nation to vote for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.

Barack Obama Race in America Speech – Philadelphia, PA – March 18, 2008
Barack Obama speaks in Philadelphia, PA, on issues of race and recent remarks by his pastor, and of the path by which Americans can work together to achieve a better future.

Barack Obama DNC Acceptance Speech – Denver, CO – August 28, 2008
Barack Obama speaks to an audience of 84,000 at Mile High Stadium, on August 28, 2008 in Denver, CO, as he accepted the Democratic nomination for the 2008 presidential election.

Speech on Patriotism – Independence, MO – June 30, 2008
Barack Obama asks Americans to reflect on what patriotism really means, pays tribute to troops, and states that while he will never question the patriotism of others in the presidential campaign, he will not stand idly by while others attack his patriotism.

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, by Barack Obama

In his 2006 book The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama explores themes he initially raised in his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He also shares his personal views on family, faith and values, and his vision for a future that “repairs a political process that is broken.” He also writes, with surprising candor, about adjusting to life as a senator, trying to balance the demands of public service with family life, and his own deepening commitment to religion.

The book’s title, taken from the keynote address he delivered at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004, was inspired by the phrase, “audacity of hope,” which Obama first heard in a sermon by his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ.

Excerpts from The Audacity of Hope:

On his vision of government:

A government that truly represents these Americans – that truly serves these Americans – will require a different kind of politics. That politics will need to reflect our lives as they are actually lived. It won’t be pre-packaged, ready to pull off the shelf. It will have to be constructed from the best of our traditions and will have to account for the darker aspects of our past. We will need to understand just how we got to this place, this land of warring factions and tribal hatreds. And we’ll need to remind ourselves, despite all our differences, just how much we share: common hopes, common dreams, a bond that will not break.

On his guiding principle:

I find myself returning again and again to my mother’s simple principle – ‘How would that make you feel?’ — as a guidepost for my politics. It’s not a question we ask ourselves enough, I think; as a country, we seem to be suffering from an empathy deficit.

Reviews on The Audacity of Hope:

“The self-portrait is appealing. It presents a man of relative youth yet maturity, a wise observer of the human condition, a figure who possesses perseverance and writing skills that have flashes of grandeur.”
– New York Times Book Review
“Obama writes convincingly about race as well as the lofty place the Constitution holds in American life, not always an easy pairing for African Americans.”
– Los Angeles Times

“Drawing on his experiences as a senator and lawyer, a professor and father, a Christian and a skeptic, Obama…highlights the boldness of America’s original ideas and reminds readers of the importance of keeping them at the forefront of their daily lives.”
– Ebony magazine

Dreams from My Father

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama

Barack Obama’s 1995 book, Dreams from My Father, is a memoir about growing up the son of a black African father and caucasian mother, and explores issues of identity, class and race. It also chronicles his early career, and his journey as a young African-American searching to find his place in the world. The book was reprinted in 2004 with a new preface and an annex containing the text of his 2004 Democratic Convention keynote speech. The audio book edition earned Barack the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.

Excerpt from Dreams from My Father:

(From the 2004 Preface)

I know, I have seen, the desperation and disorder of the powerless: how it twists the lives of children on the streets of Jakarta or Nairobi in much the same way as it does the lives of children on Chicago’s South Side, how narrow the path is for them between humiliation and untrammeled fury, how easily they slip into violence and despair. I know that the response of the powerful to this disorder — alternating as it does between a dull complacency and, when the disorder spills out of its proscribed confines, a steady, unthinking application of force, of longer prison sentences and more sophisticated military hardware — is inadequate to the task. I know that the hardening of lines, the embrace of fundamentalism and tribe, dooms us all.

And so what was a more interior, intimate effort on my part, to understand this struggle and to find my place in it, has converged with a broader public debate, a debate in which I am professionally engaged, one that will shape our lives and the lives of our children for many years to come.

Reviews on Dreams from My Father:

“Provocative . . . Persuasively describes the phenomenon of belonging to two different worlds, and thus belonging to neither.”
– New York Times Book Review

“Fluidly, calmly, insightfully, Obama guides us straight to the intersection of the most serious questions of identity, class, and race.”
– Washington Post Book World

“Beautifully crafted . . . moving and candid . . . this book belongs on the shelf beside works like James McBride’s The Color of Water and Gregory Howard Williams’s Life on the Color Line as a tale of living astride America’s racial categories.”
– Scott Turrow

The Audacity of Hope: Obama’s 2004 Democratic National Convention Keynote Address

In 2004, Illinois State Senator Barack Obama was running for an open seat on the U.S. Senate. Midway through his campaign, he gave the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in Boston in support of John Kerry. The 20-minute speech quickly elevated him to a nationally known political figure, leaving political analysts to speculate on a future presidential bid. Later that year, he was elected to the U.S. Senate with a landslide 70% of the vote. The text of his address, titled “The Audacity of Hope,” follows here.

On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, land of Lincoln, let me express my deep gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention. Tonight is a particular honor for me because, let’s face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant.

But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place: America, which stood as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before. While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor he signed up for duty, joined Patton’s army and marched across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised their baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the GI Bill, bought a house through FHA, and moved west in search of opportunity.

And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter, a common dream, born of two continents. My parents shared not only an improbable love; they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or “blessed,” believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren’t rich, because in a generous America you don’t have to be rich to achieve your potential. They are both passed away now. Yet, I know that, on this night, they look down on me with pride.

I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents’ dreams live on in my precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible. Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation, not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago, “We hold these truths to he self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

That is the true genius of America, a faith in the simple dreams of its people, the insistence on small miracles. That we can tuck in our children at night and know they are fed and clothed and safe from harm. That we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door. That we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe or hiring somebody’s son. That we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will he counted — or at least, most of the time.

This year, in this election, we are called to reaffirm our values and commitments, to hold them against a hard reality and see how we are measuring up, to the legacy of our forbearers, and the promise of future generations. And fellow Americans — Democrats, Republicans, Independents — I say to you tonight: we have more work to do. More to do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Illinois, who are losing their union jobs at the Maytag plant that’s moving to Mexico, and now are having to compete with their own children for jobs that pay seven bucks an hour. More to do for the father I met who was losing his job and choking back tears, wondering how he would pay $4,500 a month for the drugs his son needs without the health benefits he counted on. More to do for the young woman in East St. Louis, and thousands more like her, who has the grades, has the drive, has the will, but doesn’t have the money to go to college.

Don’t get me wrong. The people I meet in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks, they don’t expect government to solve all their problems. They know they have to work hard to get ahead and they want to. Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they don’t want their tax money wasted by a welfare agency or the Pentagon. Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can’t teach kids to learn. They know that parents have to parent, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. No, people don’t expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice.

In this election, we offer that choice. Our party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies the best this country has to offer. That man is John Kerry. John Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and sacrifice, because they’ve defined his life. From his heroic service in Vietnam to his years as prosecutor and lieutenant governor, through two decades in the United States Senate, he has devoted himself to this country. Again and again, we’ve seen him make tough choices when easier ones were available. His values and his record affirm what is best in us.

John Kerry believes in an America where hard work is rewarded. So instead of offering tax breaks to companies shipping jobs overseas, he’ll offer them to companies creating jobs here at home. John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can afford the same health coverage our politicians in Washington have for themselves. John Kerry believes in energy independence, so we aren’t held hostage to the profits of oil companies or the sabotage of foreign oil fields. John Kerry believes in the constitutional freedoms that have made our country the envy of the world, and he will never sacrifice our basic liberties nor use faith as a wedge to divide us. And John Kerry believes that in a dangerous world, war must be an option, but it should never he the first option.

A while back, I met a young man named Shamus at the VFW Hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was a good-looking kid, six-two or six-three, clear-eyed, with an easy smile. He told me he’d joined the Marines and was heading to Iraq the following week. As I listened to him explain why he’d enlisted, his absolute faith in our country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service, I thought this young man was all any of us might hope for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we serving Shamus as well as he was serving us? I thought of more than 900 service men and women, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, who will not be returning to their hometowns. I thought of families I had met who were struggling to get by without a loved one’s full income, or whose loved ones had returned with a limb missing or with nerves shattered, but who still lacked long-term health benefits because they were reservists. When we send our young men and women into harm’s way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they’re going, to care for their families while they’re gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world.

Now let me be clear. We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued and they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this. And just as Lieutenant Kerry did not hesitate to risk his life to protect the men who served with him in Vietnam, President Kerry will not hesitate one moment to use our military might to keep America safe and secure. John Kerry believes in America. And he knows it’s not enough for just some of us to prosper. For alongside our famous individualism, there’s another ingredient in the American saga.

A belief that we are connected as one people. If there’s a child on the south side of Chicago who can’t read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child. If there’s a senior citizen somewhere who can’t pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my grandmother. If there’s an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It’s that fundamental belief — I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper — that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. “E pluribus unum.” Out of many, one.

Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there’s not a liberal America and a conservative America — there’s the United States of America. There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

In the end, that’s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope? John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope. I’m not talking about blind optimism here — the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don’t talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, I’m talking about something more substantial. It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a mill worker’s son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. The audacity of hope!

In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation; the belief in things not seen; the belief that there are better days ahead. I believe we can give our middle class relief and provide working families with a road to opportunity. I believe we can provide jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, and reclaim young people in cities across America from violence and despair. I believe that as we stand on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and meet the challenges that face us. America!

Tonight, if you feel the same energy I do, the same urgency I do, the same passion I do, the same hopefulness I do — if we do what we must do, then I have no doubt that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as president, and John Edwards will be sworn in as vice president, and this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come. Thank you and God bless you.

Barack Obama: The Truth About His Religion

Barack Obama is a Christian.

Since declaring his candidacy for president, misconceptions about his religion are one point he and his campaign have continually fought to correct. From assertions that he’s a Muslim to rumors that he received training in Islam while he lived in Indonesia as a child, these rumors have been used to spark fear about him. And despite Obama’s denials, rumors and e-mails about his Muslim and Islamic ties continue to circulate on the Internet. Here are the facts:

Obama’s grandfather was a Muslim, but his father was an atheist who did occasionally attend services at a mosque in Indonesia and his mother was agnostic, not practicing any particular religion. Where does that leave Obama? He is a Christian, having attended the same Christian church (Trinity United Church of Christ) for nearly 20 years. And about that rumor that he attended a madrassa as a child in Indonesia? He attended only Catholic and public schools.

While campaigning in the Bible Belt states, Obama stressed that when he was sworn into office, he placed his hand on the family bible, and when he’s in the United States Senate, he pledges allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

But Obama does not turn his back on the places he lived in his youth. In campaign appearances, he regularly mentions his time living and attending school in Indonesia and the fact that his paternal grandfather, a Kenyan farmer, was a Muslim. He uses these facts as part of his position that he is prepared to handle foreign policy and that he would bring a new face to parts of the world where the United States is not popular. In fact, in Clarion, Iowa, Obama stated, “A lot of my knowledge about foreign affairs is not what I just studied in school. It’s actually having the knowledge of how ordinary people in these countries live.”

Obama has said that he will fight harder against other mischaracterizations about his positions that are being perpetrated by other candidates. But how are the rumors about his religion affecting him? According to David Axelrod, a top Obama strategist, “He genuinely believes…that people want to have a president that the world looks at and says, ‘I believe this guy has an understanding of us and how we fit together on the planet.'”

Obama On the Issues

Abortion – Obama supports abortion rights. In the Illinois State Senate, he voted against a bill to ban late-term abortions because it did not contain a clause to protect the life of the mother.

Church and State – Obama says he believes in the separation of church and state, but believes it should be guided by a “sense of proportion,” saying the Pledge of Allegiance and student prayer groups should enjoy some leeway.

Death Penalty – Obama does not believe the death penalty deters crime, but he supports it for cases in which “the community is justified in expressing the full measure of its outrage.”

Education – Obama opposes government vouchers and tax credits for private schooling, believing it would undermine efforts to improve public schools.

Environment – In the U.S. Senate, Obama co-sponsored the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act, which was designed to cap emissions from industrial plants and oil refineries.

Faith-Based Initiatives – Obama says there is room for faith-based approaches to social problems, believing they may offer unique ways of solving problems.

Gay Marriage – Obama believes that marriage is between a man and a woman. He supports granting civil unions for gay couples and opposed a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. After dodging questions about the morality of homosexuality, he later went on national television to say that he does not believe homosexuals are immoral.

Health Care – When he announced his candidacy, Obama said his goal is to implement universal health care by 2012. He calls universal health care one of the “core values” of the Democratic party.

Immigration – Obama supports immigration reform that strengthens border security while creating a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country.

Iraq War – Since Obama was not a member of the U.S. Senate in 2002, he did not vote on the authorization of the use of force in Iraq. He has since called the Iraq war a “tragic mistake” and has outlined a plan to bring combat troops home by March of 2008.

Poverty – In the Illinois Senate, Obama helped author the state earned income tax credit, and has supported bills to increase the minimum wage.

Stem Cell Research – Obama supports easing restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. He voted for the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005, which was vetoed by President Bush.
Barack Announces His Candidacy

“It was here, in Springfield, where North, South, East and West come together that I was reminded of the essential decency of the American people – where I came to believe that through this decency, we can build a more hopeful America. And that is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of the United States of America.”

Democratic Senator Barack Obama made this announcement before a cheering crowd in Springfield, Illinois, on February 10, 2007. He told the crowd he would tackle problems like poor schools, economic hardships and oil dependence, and urged the crowd to demand universal health care in America by the end of the president’s first term.

Although he hasn’t been in Washington long, Obama assured the crowd that he is familiar enough with the city’s political machine to understand that change is in order.

If elected, he will become the first African-American president in U.S. history.

Barack Obama Biograph

Barack Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961, to Barack Obama, Sr. and Ann Dunham. His parents met while attending the University of Hawaii, where his father was enrolled as a foreign student. His mother was from heartland-of-the-U.S. Kansas, and his father from Kenya. Barack’s parents eventually divorced, and after his mother remarried, he lived in Indonesia for a time before returning to Hawaii to live with his grandparents. He later moved to New York, where he graduated from Columbia University in 1983.

True to the values of empathy and service that his mother instilled in him, Barack put law school on hold after college and moved to Chicago, where he became a community organizer with a church-based group that was dedicated to improving living conditions in poor neighborhoods. For example, helping poor people work with service agencies to get their plumbing and heating fixed and to find jobs for unemployed. It was here that he realized it would take changes in our laws and politics to truly improve the lives of the people in these impoverished neighborhoods. A little known but impressive fact is that when Barack applied to Harvard Law School, he did not even indicate his race on his Harvard application.

Barack earned his law degree from Harvard in 1991, where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. He then returned to Chicago to practice as a civil rights lawyer and teach constitutional law. His advocacy work led him to run for the Illinois State Senate, where he served for eight years beginning in 1996. While in the Illinois State Senate, Barack served as chairman of the Public Health and Welfare Committee. In 2004, well into his U.S. Senate campaign, Barack wrote and delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, and became a rising star in U.S. politics. A few months later, he was elected to the U.S. Senate with a landslide 70% of the vote. Four months into his senate career, Time magazine named him “one of the world’s most influential people,” calling him “one of the most admired politicians in America.” Barack formally announced his candidacy for the 2008 presidential election in Springfield, Illinois on February 10, 2007.

Barack is also an accomplished author. His 1995 book, Dreams from My Father, is a memoir of his youth and early career. The book was reprinted in 2004 with a new preface and an annex containing the text of his 2004 Democratic Convention keynote speech. The audio book edition earned Barack the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.

In December 2004, Barack signed a contract to write three more books. The first, The Audacity of Hope, was published in October 2006. The book has remained at or near the top of the New York Times Best Seller list since its publication. It was also the theme of his 2004 keynote address. The second book will be a children’s book to be co-written with his wife Michelle and their two daughters, with profits going to charity. The content of the third book has yet to be announced.

In August 2008, Barack was nominated by the Democratic party as their candidate to be President of the United States. Barack selected long-time and well-respected U.S. Senator Joe Biden as his running mate.

The Essentials

Barack is married to Michelle Robinson, whom he met in 1988 while working at a law firm. They were married in 1992 and have two daughters: Malia, born in 1999, and Sasha, born in 2001.

Born: August 4, 1961

Died: —

Famous For: Candidate for Democratic Party’s 2008 presidential nomination.

Key Accomplishments: Graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard Law. Fifth African-American senator in U.S. history. His book, The Audacity of Hope, has been at or near the top of the New York Times Best Seller List since its publication in October, 2006.

Significant Quote: “If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.”

Fun Quote: “That’s silly talk… Talk to my wife. She’ll tell me I need to learn to just put my socks on the hamper.”

1) Barack Obama is “palling around” with terrorists.

ALLEGATION: Obama is sympathetic to domestic
terrorists, since his home in Chicago is in the same neighborhood as
60’s radical William Ayers and his wife Bernadine Dohrn, and the two
have also worked together. Ayers and Dohrn, former members of the
radical Weather Underground, a group that carried out a string of
bombings of federal buildings, spent 10 years as fugitives before all
charges were eventually dropped. Ayers and Dohrn both eventually became
professors in Chicago.

FACTS: Starting in 1995, Ayers and Obama worked
with the non-profit Chicago Annenberg Challenge on a vast school
improvement project, which invited cities to compete for $50 million
grants to improve public education. Whle Ayers was working
to bring the grant to Chicago, and Obama was recruited onto the board.
Additionally, from 1999 through 2001, both Ayers and Obama were board
members on the Woods Fund, a charitable foundation that gave money to
various causes, including the Trinity United Church that Obama attended
and Northwestern University Law Schools’ Children and Family Justice
Center, where Dohrn worked.

2) Barack Obama takes campaign advice from Fannie Mae executives.

ALLEGATION: John McCain started smearing Barack
Obama about ties to Fannie Mae in some of his attack ads. Anonymous
smear emails have found a life of their own, following McCain’s lead by
fabricating even more connections.

FACTS: The non-partisan fact-check website Snopes.com
looked into these allegations and concluded about Fannie Mae executives
that “none of them has (or apparently ever had) ongoing roles with the
campaign as chief economic advisors.”

3) Barack Obama is really a Muslim.

ALLEGATION:
This rumor became widespread around the time Obama announced his run
for president. The argument was that he attended a Muslim school in his
youth and that his father was a radical Muslim. Various photos featuing
Obama wearing Muslim-influenced clothing helped fuel this rumor.

FACTS:
For more than 20 years Barack Obama has been a Christian, regularly
attending Sunday service at the Trinity United Church of Christ in
Chicago. His father was a Muslim at one time, but he eventually became
an Atheist. The photos that added fuel to this rumor were of a trip
Obama took to Africa in which he posed for a photo wearing the
traditional Muslim garb as a sign of respect, not because he is a
Muslim.

4) Barack Obama was sworn into office with a Qu’ran, and will do the same if elected president.

ALLEGATION: Barack Obama was sworn into the Senate with his hand on a Qu’ran instead of the Bible.

FACTS:
Barack Obama was sworn into office with his hand on his own family
Bible. The first Muslim member of congress, Keith Ellison, was elected
in November, 2006, and sworn in with his hand on a Qu’ran. Apparently
when the media got wind of this story, they began associating it with
Barack Obama.

5) Obama attended a Madrassa for four years.

ALLEGATION: While living in Indonesia as a child, Barack Obama attended a Madrassa (Muslim school) for 4 years.

FACTS:
Barack Obama has stated that heattended 2 years of Catholic school and
two years at a public school in Indonesia. In addition, the school he
attended in Jakarta is a public school that has never been a Madrassa.

6) Obama tried to hide his smoking habit.

ALLEGATION: Obama is trying to hide his smoking habit.

FACTS:
In December 2005, Obama told the Chicago Tribune that his smoking habit
“is an uphill battle”. He has never denied that he smokes, but he also
doesn’t bring it up unless directly asked about it.

7) Barack Obama was involved in a shady land deal.

ALLEGATION: Obama was involved in a questionable real estate transaction with Tony Rezko.

FACTS: Many articles were written about this real estate
transaction. One indicated Obama had “ethics” issues while another ran
the caption “BarackWater”. These articles never really provided any
evidence of wrongdoing on Obama’s part. There has yet to be any
evidence brought forward to suggest that anything illegal was done.

8) Obama has never introduced a Bill in Congress

ALLEGATION:
Former Clinton Advisor and current Fox political Advisor Dick Morris
claimed on FOX that Obama has never introduced a Bill in Congress.

FACTS:
Prior toDick Morris’ statement on December 18, 2006, Obama had been the
primary sponsor on 152 Bills. Additionally, more than 14 bills that
Obama has sponsored or co-sponsored have become law.

Michelle Obama: The Woman Beside the Man

Michelle Obama is playing a vital role in her husband Barack’s
campaign for president – but she wasn’t always so convinced he should
run for president. She had questions and wanted them answered. She
wanted to know how the campaign would raise money and what the campaign
strategy would be. Once those plans were more concrete, she began to
see the possibilities, and set about using her talents to aid her
husband’s campaign – but not before she negotiated an agreement with
him that he would quit smoking in exchange for her support in his
presidential bid.

Michelle Obama was born Michelle LaVaughn Robinson on January 17,
1964, to Frasier and Marian Robinson. She was born and raised in
Chicago’s South Side and went on to attend Princeton University and
Harvard Law School. She met Barack Obama when they were the only two
African Americans at their law firm (Sidley Austin), where she was
assigned to mentor him while he was a summer associate. The couple
married in 1992.

Michelle’s professional resume includes her time at Sidley Austin,
where she worked on marketing and intellectual property, as well as a
career in the public sector. In the Chicago city government, she served
as an Assistant to the Mayor and Assistant Commissioner of Planning and
Development. In 1993, she became Executive Director for the Chicago
office of Public Allies, a non-profit organization that encourages
young people to work on social issues in nonprofit groups and
government agencies. In 1996, Michelle served as the Associate Dean of
Student Services at the University of Chicago, where she developed the
University’s Community Service Center. In 2002, she began working for
the University of Chicago Hospitals, first as Executive Director for
Community Affairs, and beginning in May 2005, as Vice President for
Community and External Affairs. Until recently, Michelle served on the
board of TreeHouse Foods, Inc., which is a major Wal-Mart supplier.
Following her husband’s critical remarks of Wal-Mart, she immediately
cut ties with TreeHouse Foods. She also serves on the board of
directors of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She currently does
not have a full time job, focusing instead on her husband’s
presidential bid.

A formidable opponent in her own right, Michelle’s determination,
wit and strong will make her a force to be reckoned with. Completely at
ease talking with crowds, she tirelessly campaigns for her husband and
speaks of him and the election issues with passion and courage – and
she’s not afraid to tell it like she sees it. Asked in February 2008
whether she would support Hillary Clinton if she got the nomination,
Michelle responded, “I’d have to think about that. I’d have to think
about policies, her approach, her tone.” She also added, “You know,
everyone in this party is going to work hard for whoever the nominee
is.” And in a statement she made on February 18, 2008, Michelle
remarked, “People in this country are ready for a change, and hungry
for a different kind of politics and let me tell you something, for the
first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country because it
feels like hope is finally making a comeback.” Several political
commentators criticized this statement, and the campaign soon issued a
statement that “anyone who heard her remarks…would understand that
she was commenting on our politics,” not on America itself.

Michelle’s determination, wit and strong will have also made her a
part of pop culture. In May, 2006, Essence magazine named her among “25
of the World’s Most Inspiring Women,” and in July 2007, Vanity Fair
magazine listed her among “10 of the World’s Best Dressed People.” In
September 2007, 02138 magazine listed her 58th of “The Harvard 100,” a
list of the prior year’s most influential Harvard alumni. Not
surprisingly, her husband was ranked 4th.

But Michelle’s life is not completely consumed by the presidential
campaign – she and Barack also try to make sure her children have some
stability during this chaotic time. No matter where Michelle is, she
tries to fly home each night in order to see her and Barack’s two
daughters, Malia and Natasha (who are currently being cared for by
Michelle’s mother) before they go to bed.

Obama calls for commitment to public service

Obama calls for commitment to public service

Agence France-Presse

Wednesday, January 21, 2009 8:30 AM (Washington)

US President Barack Obama took his first steps in the White House since taking office and was likely to spend some time in the Oval Office he inherited from George W Bush.

In his first official act since taking the oath of office on Tuesday, Obama issued a proclamation decreeing his inauguration day to be a “National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation” and calling for a national commitment to public service.

The first black US president walked into the White House hours after being sworn in at the US Capitol and walking part of the way to the presidential mansion, borne by adoring cheers from thousands of well-wishers.

Obama, the 44th US president, was expected to take his first steps in the Oval Office, the heart of power in the White House, but not take any major actions on his first day, according to press secretary Robert Gibbs.

“We anticipate that he will, after he watches some of the parade, probably go in there for a few minutes,” Gibbs said during his first informal question-and-answer session with reporters in the White House.

Former president George W Bush said at his final press conference last week that, “the minute he walks in the Oval Office” Obama will feel “the responsibilities of the president land squarely on his shoulders.”

Gibbs signalled that the moving-in process was making progress, with some officials able to get settled even as painters still worked in the West Wing, but said he was having some computer trouble.

“Now we just have to figure out how to log on our computers,” he said, before joking about the small number of “W” keys that went missing in a January 2001 prank when Bush took office.

Bindra won India’s first-ever individual Olympic gold

Abhinav Bindra, the ace shooter won India’s first-ever individual Olympic gold medal in the men’s 10m Air Rifle shooting in Beijing on Monday.

The silver in the event went to Chinese Zhu Qinan (699.7) while Finland’s Henri Hakkinen (699.4) won the bronze at the Beijing Shooting Hall.

The 25-year-old Bindra created history for India in the 108-year Olympics history by earning a total of 700.

5 points.

He finished the qualifying event joint fourth with Romania’s George Alin Moldoveanu after the duo shot a score of 596/600.

“He is the best shooter in the world and I think his is a morale boosting feat for everyone in the contingent,” a jubilant Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi said after Bindra’s win.

Earlier, India’s Gagan Narang had failed to make it to the final in the same event finishing ninth with a total of 595/600.

The previous best individual performance was by trap shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore’s silver at Athens (2004), while there were bronze medals for woman weightlifter Karnam Malleswari (2000), Leander Paes in tennis (1996) and wrestler Khasaba Jadhav (1952).

Abhinav Bindra had already won gold in 2002 Commonwealth Games in the pairs event and silver in the individual event.