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In early October we learned that US President Barack Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize and today in Oslo, Norway President Obama was on hand to formally accept his award. In a speech that lasted twice as long as his inauguration speech, Obama spoke of the irony of accepting a peace prize during a time of war but expressed his belief that the collective forces of good will overcome and emerge victorious over the forces of evil in the world. Here are a few photos of President Obama at his Nobel Prize ceremony today:

President Obama, accepting the Nobel Peace Prize [in Oslo] on Thursday, acknowledged the age-old tensions between war and peace but argued that his recent decision to escalate the conflict in Afghanistan was justified to protect the world from terrorism and extremism. “We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth,” Mr. Obama said. “We will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations — acting individually or in concert — will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.” In a ceremony at Oslo City Hall, Mr. Obama was formally welcomed into the ranks of Nobel laureates who have won the prize, which was established 108 years ago. He said he accepted the award with “deep gratitude and great humility,” conceding it could be seen as premature. “I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the considerable controversy that your generous decision has generated. In part, this is because I am at the beginning, and not the end, of my labors on the world stage,” Mr. Obama said. “Compared to some of the giants of history who have received this prize — Schweitzer and King, Marshall and Mandela — my accomplishments are slight.” He added, “But perhaps the most profound issue surrounding my receipt of this prize is the fact that I am the commander in chief of a nation in the midst of two wars. One of these wars is winding down.” Trumpets sounded when Mr. Obama walked down the long aisle of the soaring ceremonial room, where an audience of 1,000 people waited. The president walked alongside his wife, Michelle Obama, who took her seat in the front row, while he assumed his position on the stage not far from the king and queen of Norway. It was a sober 36-minute speech by Mr. Obama. His remarks were only occasionally interrupted by applause, including when he said the United States “must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war.” He renewed his pledge to close the prison at the American base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. “We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend,” Mr. Obama said. “And we honor those ideals by upholding them not when it is easy, but when it is hard.” The president conceded that there was “a deep ambivalence about military action today,” which he said was rooted in “a reflexive suspicion of America, the world’s sole military superpower.” But he offered a forceful defense of the United States, saying that the lessons of history should ease those suspicions. “Whatever mistakes we have made, the plain fact is this,” Mr. Obama said. “The United States of America has helped underwrite global security for more than six decades with the blood of our citizens and the strength of our arms.” The Nobel chairman, Thorbjorn Jagland, opened the ceremony by explaining how the committee came to its decision two months ago. He said Mr. Obama’s leadership had been a “call to action for all of us.” As he invoked the story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the winner of the prize in 1964, he turned to Mr. Obama, saying, “Dr. King’s dream has come true.” Mr. Obama pursed his lips and nodded gently as the audience applauded loudly. When he was presented his gold medal, he stood for well over a minute as he was honored by a standing ovation. His speech, which he was still writing and editing during his seven-hour flight here, called for the world to embrace a bolder vision of itself. “Let us reach for the world that ought to be,” Mr. Obama said, “that spark of the divine that still stirs within each of our souls” … He added: “I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war. What I do know is that meeting these challenges will require the same vision, hard work and persistence of those men and women who acted so boldly decades ago. And it will require us to think in new ways about the notions of just war and the imperatives of a just peace” … “I have no doubt that there are others who may be more deserving,” Mr. Obama said. “My task here is to continue on the path that I believe is not only important for America, but important for lasting peace and security in the world.” … Kjell Terje Ringdal, a commentator and communications adviser to Norwegian political leaders, said Mr. Obama’s speech broadened the discourse that normally attends the ceremony and undercut criticism that he was not a worthy winner. “I think he did the Nobel prize a favor,” said Mr. Ringdal. “I think the debate will continue about whether this year’s award was premature and so on, but I also think he stopped the negative feeling that there has been a devaluation of the award.”

Whatever one may think of the merits of bestowing this honor on President Obama at this early stage of his presidency, there is no doubt that his commitment to ensuring the peace of the world is true. It is very clear that he is very aware of the hard road ahead that leads to peace but I am very heartened by his resolve to work towards making the world a better, safer place and it is my hope that this Nobel Prize medal will be a constant reminder of the hard work it represents. The naysayers will never be silenced and the sharp criticism thrown his way will never end … but Barack Obama did not become President of the United States of America by succumbing to his detractors. I believe he is very capable of achieving great things. He’s won his award and now I hope he will truly earn it.

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Last month we learned that a new brand of heroin has hit the streets of NYC which features a cartoon image of Edward Cullen on the packaging. This Twilight Heroin is believed to be branded as such in order to entice younger users. In that blogpost, I mentioned that back in the day I recall a bunch of ecstasy pills making the rounds in Detroit, MI that were shaped like Pokémon and Teletubbies characters. It turns out that these days, a new batch of ecstasy pills are making the rounds … police in Texas busted a guy with a bunch of ecstasy pills that were shaped like President Barack Obama, which is but one of the trendy forms of ecstasy pills that are all the rage these days:

President Barack Obama’s approval rating may be hovering in the 50 percent range, but that doesn’t mean America’s Commander-in-Chief isn’t catching on with new constituents. There is now a line of Ecstasy pills made in the image of the 44th president of the United States, according to Texas police who have snatched a batch off the streets. Ecstasy is known for a sense of elation, diminished feelings of fear and anxiety, and ability to induce a sense of intimacy with others. Perhaps a good Election Day strategy to get out the vote? A stash of the brightly colored tablets was found Monday during a south Texas traffic stop. Police in Palmview detained a driver after finding black tar heroin, cocaine, marijuana and several Ecstasy pills in the back of his car. The drugs look like a “vitamin for kids,” police spokesman Lenny Sanchez said. Police say that other Ecstasy pills they found were made to look like the cartoon characters Homer Simpson and the Smurfs. The 22-year-old driver is expected to face felony drug possession counts. Palmview is near the border with Mexico. No word on the driver’s political affiliation.

Dang … these pills really do look like children’s vitamins. I remember I used to LOVE eating Flintstones Chewable Vitamins … these ecstasy pills look just like them. As you can see in these photos, President Obama has been immortalized in pill form along with Homer J. Simpson, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Snoopy and more. It’s so crazy that this is the way that people prefer to take their drugs. I guess different strokes for different folks. Kids these days.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

President Barack Obama did his duty as our nation’s leader today and bestowed a presidential pardon for a very lucky turkey in order to spare him from the fate of many of his turkey cohorts this Thanksgiving season. In a ceremony at the White House earlier today (which was also attended by first daughters Malia and Natasha Obama), a turkey named Courage was chosen from all of the turkeys in the country for this special pardon and will NOT be made into Thanksgiving dinner. Instead, Courage will be flown FIRST CLASS to Disneyland here in SoCal to be marched down Main Street in a lavish parade tomorrow in his honor and will live out the rest of his days in Frontier Town at Disney. Here are a few photos from the fun event along with some deets about what went down:

After 10 months in office, President Barack Obama granted his first pardon Wednesday to “Courage,” a 45-pound turkey spared from the Thanksgiving table. Accompanied by daughters Sasha and Malia, Obama stood under the North Portico of the White House to honor a holiday tradition that dates to 1947 — receiving a bird from the National Turkey Federation. “I’m told Presidents Eisenhower and Johnson actually ate their turkeys,” Obama said. “You can’t fault them for that; that’s a good-looking bird.” President George H.W. Bush was the first to officially pardon a turkey. Obama joked about wanting to forgo the tradition and eat “Courage.” “Thanks to the interventions of Malia and Sasha — because I was planning to eat this sucker — ‘Courage’ will also be spared this terrible and delicious fate,” he said. Obama said he wished all American service members at home and abroad a happy Thanksgiving, saying it is a “tremendous honor it is to serve as commander in chief of the finest military in the world.” He also spoke about the first family’s plans for the holiday dinner. “Just like millions of other families across America, we’ll take time to give our thanks for many blessings,” Obama said. “We’ll also remember this is a time when so many members of our American family are hurting.” Obama noted that President Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a holiday in the midst of the Civil War, “when the future of our very union was most in doubt.” “This is an era of new perils and new hardships,” he added. “So on this quintessentially American holiday, as we give thanks for what we’ve got, let’s also give back to those who are less fortunate.” After his remarks, the turkey was lifted to a table and Obama raised his hand over its head to deliver a mock-serious pardon. “You are hereby pardoned,” he said. Obama said “Courage” will get to spend the rest of his life in “peace and tranquility” at Disneyland.

As much as I love this tradition and am very happy that Courage will live out the rest of his “peaceful and tranquil” days at Disneyland, I have to admit that all I kept thinking during this ceremony was how much I want to eat turkey right now (it looks like Sasha was thinkin’ the same thing). I have been invited by some very dear friends to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with them tomorrow afternoon so I am really looking forward to that. As for Courage, well, I think we can all send him our best wishes this Thanksgiving … unlike many of his compatriots, it looks like his best days lie ahead of him :)

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Chris Pine, GQ magazine’s pic for Breakout of the Year, is featured on the cover of the new issue of GQ magazine …

… as is Tom Brady (Comeback of the Year), Clint Eastwood (Badass of the Year), Bradley Cooper/Zach Galifiankis/Andy Bernard (Funnymen of the Year) and President Barack Obama (Leader of the Year). That’s right folks … GQ is ready to announce their men of the year. After the jump, check out the alternate covers of the new issue of GQ which features all of these winning men …

The White House is releasing today the first official photo of the First Family which was shot last month by famed celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz (who has been struggling with HUGE debt problems lately). Here is our first look at the official White House photo of the First Family — President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughters Malia Ann and Natasha (Sasha) Obama:

The Obamas have released a new official first family portrait this morning. As you can see at left, Barack and Michelle Obama are seated in the Green Room of the White House, along with their daughters Sasha, age 8, and Malia, age 11. The portrait was taken last month by famed photographer Annie Leibowitz, who has taken a number of Obama family portraits in the past.

Such a beautiful family, such a beautiful portrait. If you would like to have a high-res copy of this photo suitable for framing or what have you, you can download the file HERE at the official White House Flickr photostream. Great photo!!

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We are just a couple weeks away from Hallowe’en and already we’ve seen a few celeb families (HERE, HERE and HERE) steppin’ out to pick their pumpkins for seasonal carving … but a gardener named David Finkle in Chelmsford, Essex, England is already hard at work carving his very special Hallowe’en pumpkins … here are a few examples of his work:

Yes, that is US President Barack Obama and Michael Jackson on top along with a couple of traditionally themed pumpkins on the bottom. When I carve pumpkins, I tend to keep it simple … you know, triangle eyes and nose, jagged teeth … so I’m always very impressed with work like this. Hallowe’en is one of the funnest times of the year … hopefully these jack-o-lanterns will inspire all y’all to have fun with the pumpkin carving this year. I would also like to urge all y’all to send in photos of your carved pumpkins so that I may feature them here on the blog!

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Congratulations goes out to President Barack Obama who has just been named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize recipient at an announcement ceremony in Oslo, Norway by the Norwegian Nobel Committee Head Thorbjoern Jagland. Cited for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy, cooperation between peoples and vision for a world without nuclear weapons” in just the first few months of his presidency, President Obama becomes only the 3rd sitting president to win the Nobel Peace Prize (after Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson). Obama becomes the 4th president to win the Nobel Peace Prize overall (President Jimmy Carter won his award after he left office). Here are photos of Jagland making the award announcement in Oslo earlier today and President Obama making his acceptance comments at the White House just moments ago:

US President Barack Obama sensationally won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday just nine months into his term, prompting world leaders to urge him to use the accolade to step up efforts for global peace. The jury hailed Obama’s “extraordinary” efforts in international diplomacy and to hasten nuclear disarmament, but criticism surged quickly over how the award could be given so soon. The US leader, 48, said he was “humbled” by the distinction. “Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future,” the Nobel jury said in making the stunning announcement. A gasp went through the Nobel Institute in Oslo as Obama’s name was read out. The committee attached “special importance to Obama’s vision and work for a world without nuclear weapons” and said he had created “a new climate in international politics.” Obama took office on January 20 and has sought to restore US standing after widespread criticism over the war in Iraq and the world superpower’s attitude to efforts to control global warming. The first black American president has brought the Israeli and Palestinian leaders together for a meeting, approved new diplomatic engagement with Iran, Myanmar and North Korea and signalled a new willingness to attack growing environmental problems. Obama went to Cairo to make a major speech on relations with the Muslim world, badly tarnished by President George W. Bush’s order to invade Iraq. At the United Nations, he has launched an initiative to reduce the number of nuclear weapons. The US president was awoken at 6:00 am at the White House by his spokesman to be told of the award. An administration official quoted Obama as saying he felt “humbled”. Obama was honored “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” the head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Thorbjoern Jagland said, adding that it was “a unanimous decision.” The jury said: “Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations,” it said. “Thanks to Obama’s initiative, the US is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic changes the world is confronting.” The committee said it was seeking to encourage Obama’s ideals rather than recognise concrete results. Speaking to AFP, Jagland said: “It was unavoidable to give the prize to the man who has improved the international climate and emphasised negotiations and dialogue. Before he took office the situation was so dangerous. Step by step he has given the message to the world that he wants to negotiate on all conflicts, strengthen the United Nations and work for a world without any nuclear arms.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the award, calling it an “incentive to the president and to us all” to do more for peace.

This is quite an achievement and much congratulations goes out to our President today. Obama seems to instill a vision of hope that resonates beyond our US borders and was clearly recognized by the jury of the Nobel Prize. I fully expect this honor to inspire President Obama to do even more to work towards “strengthening international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples” not only for the duration of his time in office as president but for the rest of his life. Much, much congrats President Obama!!

UPDATE: President Obama has announced that he will donate the $1.4 million in prize money to charity. That’s classy, y’all!

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Pop culture artist Dan Lacey has been inspired by US President Barack Obama to create a series of paintings that show our nation’s leader engaged in various fantastical acts which include saving Wall Street, saving impaired airplanes and riding unicorns … like this painting, for example:

When I first saw this painting of President Obama astride a mythical unicorn, I was reminded of the fun graphic that was created by THIS site (which features lots of NIN/Reznor inspired artwork) of Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor riding on a unicorn of his own:

There seems to a growing trend of incorporating unicorns in fun artwork like this … a trend that I endorse and support wholeheartedly. After the jump, check out a few more pieces of Lacey‘s Obama artwork — trust me, it’s not to be missed …

Altho I haven’t made any public announcements, I think I will be following the New York Post blog Pop Wrap‘s lead in NOT covering Kanye West anymore on my blog … but this is too good to not share with all y’all. In the wake of Kanye‘s horribly selfish and outrageous decision to ruin Taylor Swift‘s moment at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards last Sunday night, President Barack Obama was asked what he thought of Kanye‘s behavior. Unknowingly, President Obama was recorded giving his honest opinion on Kanye West‘s actions and was heard calling him a jackass. As it turns out, the recording of President Obama‘s assessment of Kanye has made its way to the Internets, courtesy of TMZ:

TMZ has obtained the audiotape of President Barack Obama calling Kanye West a “jackass” for hijacking Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech during the VMAs. The audio was recorded just before Obama went on camera to do an interview with CNBC. Before the interview began, Obama — referring to Kanye’s antics on stage — said “I thought that was really inappropriate,” then adding, “He’s a jackass.” After making the remarks, Obama said “Where’s the pool?” Presumably, he was worried the joke would go wide. He noted the last time that happened, he got burned for killing a fly. Obama said, “Cut the President some slack.”

LMAOOOO. When the president calls you a jackass, you’re pretty much a jackass. While I’m sure President Obama wouldn’t have been quite so open with his opinions had he known he was being recorded, I’m glad that this little nugget of awesomeness was recorded for posterity. The president was only saying what pretty much everyone else believes. After the jump, hear the snippet in full …

President Barack Obama was on hand at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO last night to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the 2009 MLB All-Star Game (he was the first sitting president to do so in 33 years, the 5th president to do so overall) and, as it turns out, managed to chuck a left-leaning pitch towards the home plate. Some described the pitch as “shaky” but, in all honesty, most ceremonial pitches are shaky … at best. Here are a few pics from last night’s game:

As you would expect, President Obama leaned to the left while making the ceremonial first pitch at Tuesday’s All-Star game in St. Louis. While he was lacking in style points on his short southpaw lob to the plate, he certainly made a striking fashion statement — not to mention showing his South Side sentiment — to the worldwide television audience. Yes, he wore a zippered black baseball jacket emblazoned with a white script S-O-X down the left side. “My wife thinks that I look cute in this jacket,” the president said later on the Fox game telecast. The president left his favorite well-worn Sox cap at home, although Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle had a pair stashed in his American League locker that he hoped to personally hand to Obama. Buehrle missed out on catching the ceremonial first pitch. That honor went to hometown favorite Albert Pujols, who received a hug from the president. Pujols deserved the hug, saving the president from embarrassment by moving on top of the plate to save the pitch from bouncing. As they would say in the dugout, the president needs some work on his mechanics. It might not have shown, but Obama, who said during the game telecast that he did not play organized baseball as a kid, had practiced for the big pitch. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday that the president had been testing out his arm with personal aide Reggie Love, a former Duke basketball player. In the Oval Office, Obama was asked about his pitching: “Well, I think it’s fair to say that I wanted to loosen up my arm a little bit,” he said. “You know, my general strategy the last time I threw a pitch was at the American League Championship Series and I just wanted to keep it high. “Now, there was no clock on it, I don’t know how fast it went — but if it exceeded 30 miles per hour, I’d be surprised. But it did clear the plate.” Baseball legend Willie Mays flew with Obama from Michigan to St. Louis on Tuesday. Mays went to the press cabin and said he gave the president one piece of advice about throwing out the first pitch: “Follow through.”

Aww … well … I don’t think anyone expected him to throw a pepper right over the home plate. And I agree with Michelle Obama, our prez does look cute in his White Sox jacket. Tho, in regards to that first pitch Mr. President, I wouldn’t quit your day job.

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