President-elect Obama and Vice-President elect Biden, will take a train to Washington, D. C., much like former President Abraham Lincoln did in 1861, from Springfield, Illinois. The train will start from 30th Street Station in Philadlephia, Pennsylvania, with a live event and speech hosted by President-elect Barack Obama, his family will be there along with Senator Bob Casey of Pittsburgh. Two Hundred and fifty, by invitation only volunteers who helped the Obama campaign, are traveling on the train with the Obama family. The train will move slowly on a 135 mile journey to Washington. They will stop in Wilmington, Delaware to pick up the Biden family, then travel on to Baltimore, Maryland, where another live event with speeches will be held, in the evening. Finally the train will move on the Washington, D. C. for its final stop.
On Sunday there will be a special event at the Lincoln Memorial, with the Obamas. Monday is being promoted as a Community Service Day, it is the Holiday honoring Martin Luther King junior's birthday. Some 10,000 volunteers have signed up all over the country to participate in the day for service. The organizers hope to make it a year round event, not just a one day affair. The Corporation for National and Community Service is a big part of the organizing.
On Monday, President-elect Obama will be hosting a special dinner in honor of Senator John McCain, along with General Colin Powell and Vice-President elect Joe Biden.
The Obama family is now living at Blair House until they move into the White House next week.
The Secret Service will be in charge of the security for the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States on Tuesday, January 20. There are reportedly over forty thousand
security people involved, with fifty-four field offices of the FBI being put on high alert for the event. Sixty law enforcement agencies will be involved. The Security Command center will open on Saturday. Ten thousand National Guard members will be on duty. There may be 2-4 million people at the service on Tuesday. Those far away will be able to watch giant televisions, showing the event, from where they are.
The White House will be open to the public, all day on Wednesday January 21, by the new President, the same as former President Bill Clinton did when he was elected.
Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs, who recently announced that he would be taking a leave of absence to take care of health issues, is
reportedly considering a liver transplant. It had been thought that his recent weight loss was due to a hormonal imbalance, but it might be much more than that, Mr. Jobs is a cancer survivor.
Actor Patrick Swayze has been released from the hospital, according to reports, after being treated for pneumonia.
American artist Andrew Wyeth has died at 81 years of age.
The airplane that safely crash landed in the Hudson River will be lifted out by giant cranes and put on a huge barge. The black boxes will be retrieved and examined along with the investigation into the crash. Reportedly the two engines are missing from the plane. Captain Sullenberger is being hailed as a true hero after putting the plane down in the Hudson and not losing one of the over 155 people on board the plane, the plane was decending at a speed of 140 mph. He is a former Air Force pilot, who also teaches air plane safety and is a consultant to NASA. His wife and two daughters were extremely proud of him and very glad that everyone was safe after the landing. Before Mr. Sullenberger left the aircraft he reportedly went through the plane twice to make sure that everyone was off of the plane. The Mayor of new York will give the Captain and the crew members, the keys to New York City as a token of great appreciation for a job very well done.
The captain of one of the rescue boats said that he decided to put the bow of his boat, up on the wing of the airplane to steady it, when the waves were rocking too much to allow the people to board his boat from the plane, it worked.
The Israeli Cabinet will meet today to vote on an Egyptian
cease-fire agreement. Hamas has agreed reportedly, if Israel agrees. If reports are correct, the ageement will be a temporary one, in order to work out a more permanment agreement between the two warring factions.
President George Bush and the First Lady Laura Bush left for the final time to go to Camp David for the weekend, they will travel back to Washington, and then leave for Texas, reportedly Tuesday afternoon. Good-bye Mr. President and Mrs. Bush, enjoy your new home in Texas, be well.
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Perpetual motion without direction, remains just that.
