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Post by Georgina on Jan 20, 2009 9:54:15 GMT -5
How much, if any, of the news coverage for this event do you intend to watch or follow today? And, if so, where will you get most of your news from? And, are you excited about today, indifferent, annoyed, none of the above? Does this day mean anything to you?
I don't know how much of this I'll see live as it happens, but I'm sure I'll catch the highlights online. I think it's a pretty exciting day. It's refreshing to see so many people feeling hopeful.
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Post by keyman on Jan 20, 2009 11:00:14 GMT -5
I will probably watch it online. I have a class in communications, so we will be discussing it on Thursday morning. Although some are upset today, so many more are excited about the new possibilites. I am in the latter category.
Change is hard sometimes, but we need it right now. Obama has his work cut out for him. Bush trashed this country and people like Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh ate it up. They cried about the "liberal bias" in the media, yet they are the ones we hear the most from. Their Mecca, Fox News, has become a symbol of their views, so they can speak almost without interruption. If they want to have a great country, why don't they stop being so destructive? How about being quick to listen, slow to speak and even slower to anger (James 1:19-21)? Sounds like a good idea to me. Ann and Rush should heed these words.
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Post by MacBeth on Jan 20, 2009 12:32:27 GMT -5
I set up the emergency portable TV in my office (it will be rendered useless in a couple of weeks, so we might as well get some use out of it). I put it on about 11am and still have it running. While I am busy, I can listen when I am at my desk and see part of the ceremony.
I am not much for pomp and circumstance. I prefer a "you got the job, meet the staff and get to work" approach to things, but people love their ceremonies. And I did want to have the pleasure of having a President speaking and not be cringing at both the content and delivery.
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Post by Georgina on Jan 20, 2009 12:45:25 GMT -5
I just watched Obama's address to the massive (understatement) crowd in Washington, live, while in my office, thanks to the amazing technology of the Internet. (I'm still blown away by the capabilities.)
And his speech was, as usual, terrific. The man is a remarkable orator.
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Post by firefly on Jan 20, 2009 13:44:47 GMT -5
I was so blown away by his other speeches that I was expecting at least to need the ER in response to this one. However, he handled it in a businesslike, understated, emotionally diminished manner, and I went through it with actual comprehension. It was a good speech.
I would not have missed the GWB departure and enjoying a brief moment or two of relief, before the next couple of weeks brings back the awesome and awful reality of our nation's difficulties. We can only hope.
jd
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oskar
Are We There Yet? Member
Posts: 5,534
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Post by oskar on Jan 20, 2009 14:26:55 GMT -5
How much, if any, of the news coverage for this event do you intend to watch or follow today?
None. These ostentatious displays leave me cold.
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Calluna
Super Duper Member
I think there's someone on the other side...
Posts: 1,005
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Post by Calluna on Jan 20, 2009 17:40:41 GMT -5
I didn't expect to get to see any of it while at work, but it turns out that the students figured out how to get the CNN news feed on the lab computer. We got done with the lab just about in time to see the swearing in of Biden as VP, and then all the rest of the inauguration after that. We cracked up when Obama couldn't remember the lines of the oath as they were being told to him, and the LOOK that Michelle gave him (we joked that she was probably remembering their wedding day...one of the other faculty commented, "Just say 'I will' and get it over with." ) I've never seen Obama appear noticeably nervous before, but after that complete stumble during the oath of office, we also noticed a distinct crack in his voice as he started to give his speech afterward. The camera pans to Bush were hilarious too. We really couldn't tell if he was just looking down/bored, or if he had fallen asleep. I was having more fun watching the audience shots than listening to the speech...it was a typical type of speech for such an occassion...long on hopes and dreams, short on information. But, that's what these sorts of speeches are supposed to be. We also thought it was hilarious that every photo of his daughter in the news coverage showed her taking pictures. We were thinking, what a typical teenager, attending such a momentous event for her father, and she's watching the whole thing through the viewfinder of a camera! I guess at least she wasn't on a cell phone text messaging. ;D Though, who the heck was that poet that followed the swearing in? That didn't sound anything like poetry to me (nor to anyone else listening with me). It just sounded like another speech, and a weird one at that. If you're not going to rhyme, at least use meter! The hilarious thing is that the benediction after that sounded more like poetry. So, yep, some day when someone asks me where I was and what I was doing when the first black president was sworn into office, I'll be among a small group of people who will be answering, "standing next to a cadaver in an anatomy lab."
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Post by MacBeth on Jan 20, 2009 18:08:24 GMT -5
That was a pretty horrible poem......
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Post by lazarus on Jan 20, 2009 19:46:49 GMT -5
Yeah, I could do better "Poetry" than that broad. Laughable in the extreme. Barry couldn't even get the acceptance verbage right. What a tool............
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Post by Georgina on Jan 20, 2009 20:31:44 GMT -5
Yeah, too bad it was a joint mess up on the part of the chief justice and Obama. And also a case of two people trying to be very polite.John Roberts, FallibleThe chief justice and the new president fox-trot all over the oath of office. By Dahlia LithwickPosted Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009, at 2:42 PM ET It's not just that the unflappable chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court mangled the oath of office this morning. Even before that happened, President Barack Obama was stepping all over the chief's lines. Between both of them trying to lead, and both graciously attempting to follow, it was a performance worthy of the very first round of Dancing With the Stars. Let's go to the tape: The oath is supposed to go as follows: I (name) do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.Most presidents traditionally add the words So help me God at the end, as did Obama. Here's how it went down today. ROBERTS: (working without a text, and also without an overcoat): Are you prepared to take the oath, Senator? OBAMA: I am. ROBERTS: I Barack Hussein Obama ... OBAMA: (interrupting) I Barack ... ROBERTS: Do solemnly swear ... OBAMA: I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear ... ROBERTS: That I will execute the office of president to the United States faithfully... OBAMA: That I will execute ... (pauses, smiles, waits for Roberts to put "faithfully" in correct spot) ROBERTS: ... The off ... faithfully the pres ... the office of president of the United States... OBAMA: The office of president of the United States, faithfully ... (if you can't beat 'em, join 'em) ROBERTS: And will to the best of my ability ... OBAMA: And will to [the] best of my ability ... ROBERTS: Preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. OBAMA: Preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. ROBERTS: So help you God? OBAMA: So help me God. ROBERTS: Congratulations, Mr. President. www.slate.com/id/2209298/?GT1=38001
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wheelspinner
Are We There Yet? Member
Nobody's perfect, I'm a nobody, so ...
Posts: 4,103
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Post by wheelspinner on Jan 20, 2009 20:51:39 GMT -5
Yeah, I could do better "Poetry" than that broad. Laughable in the extreme. Barry couldn't even get the acceptance verbage right. What a tool............ I'm sure that you would have no difficulty getting up in front of a global audience of millions and not feeling the slightest amount of nerves. However some people are human and do make the odd mistake. Some are even capable of admitting they make mistakes. If Barack's mistakes are limited to some fluffed lines rather than the slaughter of tens of thousands of people and a global economic meltdown, I think we can forgive him. Between Bush and Obama, I think there is little doubt who has really earned the soubriquet "tool".
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oskar
Are We There Yet? Member
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Post by oskar on Jan 21, 2009 4:36:30 GMT -5
Yeah, I could do better "Poetry" than that broad. Laughable in the extreme. Barry couldn't even get the acceptance verbage right. What a tool............
I believe the word is "verbiage". What a tool.........
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Post by Peltigera on Jan 21, 2009 4:50:38 GMT -5
We also thought it was hilarious that every photo of his daughter in the news coverage showed her taking pictures. We were thinking, what a typical teenager, attending such a momentous event for her father, and she's watching the whole thing through the viewfinder of a camera! I guess at least she wasn't on a cell phone text messaging. ;D In my experience, teenagers are quite capable of texting someone while doing anything else - even while taking photos on the same phone.
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