PHOTOS "I confess to you if I die right now my life would have been worth it "

[Jackeens]

Well, I'm sorry for Chicago, but damn, after seeing these photos I'm kinda happy for President Obama's best buddy, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva :-)

A tearful President Lula told reporters afterwards: "The other countries made proposals. We presented a heart and a soul. I confess to you if I die right now my life would have been worth it."


1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14


If recent history is anything to go by, I'm guessing the two Presidents will have a laugh about it next time

15

16

17

18

19


Chin up, you two

20

21

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 2, 2009, upon their arrival from Copenhagen, Denmark.

That's more like it :-)

22

A Barack Obama impersonator poses next to a cardboard cutout image of Michelle Obama as Rio residents celebrate the nomination to host the 2016 Olympic Games at the Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, Oct. 2, 2009.

[SIMPLYB1980]

1. Good try Obama.

Maybe in another 4 years!
:thumbsup:

[DrToast]

2. Kinda hard not to be happy for the underdog

[alsame]

3. Congratulations to Brazil! If we couldn't have it, I'm glad they won. It will be

a remarkable achievement for the country and the continent.

Well done, Rio!!

Great pics Jackeens, thanks.

[jbnow]

33. Happy for Brazil but wish we had been 2nd! That first round cut hurt

NBC reporter there said they'd gotten assurance of 35 votes without even having asked, just those who came up and told them but then they only got 18.
Then they said the head of it convinced a lot of the African nations that wanted USA to vote for Tokyo in just the first round because though Tokyo wouldn't win they'd made the best technical presentation and deserved some votes.
They actually said it was 'manipulated', like they were duped into it. Hope that isn't true

[alsame]

38. I heard the same thing from Jim Warren (Chicago Trib reporter) on

MSNBC. I wonder if we'll ever know the truth, if any of those IOC members will talk.

[merh]

4. If I had the money, I wouldn't go to the Chicago games

but I would go to Rio, in a heart beat.

Talk about a place to be - I'm very happy for them - they deserve their proud moments.

Nice images - thank you for posting them. :thumbsup:

[Tess49]

45. Same here. What a great trip that would be. n/t

[firedupdem]

5. Congrats Rio! n/t

[babylonsister]

6. So sweet! Thanks, Jackeens, and I love the last one...

celebratin' with the Obamas!

[Raven]

7. Jackeens, you are simply fabulous! A gift to all of us. And an Irish

gift at that. My family is from Ballinasloe. Came to the US during the famine but Ireland has never been far from us. :-)

[Jackeens]

11. Raven's a Galwegian, I should have known!

A beautiful place to have your roots :pals:

Especially for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQHxsZDkrPU

:toast:

[Raven]

14. Ahh...I am weeping. Thank you for that song and the film.

[politicasista]

8. Thanks again for the pics

The media has eggs on their faces thinking that this was a slap in the face to the Obamas.

[goclark]

15. Love the photos! Luna made my day

and President Obama I'm sure called him and Congratulated him in a nice way.

That is friendship ~ we aren't use to it after 8 years of Buuuush!

[quiet.american]

9. Okay, Chicago didn't get it, but how could I not be happy for Lula - he's salt of the earth. nt

[gateley]

10. Heartwarming - brought tears to my eyes. LOVE the Obama impersonator! nt

[WeDidIt]

12. If Chicago had to lose, I'm very glad it was Rio that won

I will be making all efforts to be there for the 2016 Olympics.

[Beacool]

13. Ahhhh, Lula looks so moved.

Good for Brazil!!! It's about time that South America gets a turn at hosting the Olympics.

:D

[Arugula Latte]

16. Gotta love the passion of the Brazilian people.

Good for them. :thumbsup:

[Joanie Baloney]

17. Love the photos!

I think that because the 2010 winter Olympics are in Vancouver, BC, the committee thought that another one in North America would not be in the global spirit of the games. Congatulations to Brazil - I'm sure it will be one big carnaval!!

(Could someone get a box of Kleenex for the President of Brazil please? It looks like he's wiping his eyes with surgical gauze or a flimsy washcloth.)

-JB

[anonymous171]

18. Lula is one of the few SA leaders that isn't a total asshole.

[Clio the Leo]

19. Darn that Pele!!!

(inside joke between Jackeens and I)

And you cant not feel good after reading Politico's take...

Lula thought Chicago would win, thought Obama would close the deal. The latest from the Brazillian president: A number of the post-vote questions to Lula focused on how he had won an election against United States President Barack Obama – who had spoken up for Chicago. But Lula said: “It was not Lula who won and Obama who lost but Rio which won because it presented the best bid.”

He revealed that when the morning’s TV news had shown President Obama flying in on Air Force One, other members of the Rio bid team had given up hope of winning.

[Jackeens]

36. ....

:rofl:

Why is no one blaming Oprah for Chicago's defeat? :shrug: :-)

[CakeGrrl]

20. Good for them! I'm sure our President is happy for his friend.

Cute last picture.

[wildflower]

21. Question about the Oval Office, Jackeens

Looking at the picture of the Oval, it looks like the Obamas haven't redecorated it yet. Am I misremebering what it looked like before?

Thanks for posting those great pictures!

[Jackeens]

31. Hi Withywindle, I'm clueless about the Oval office. Clio? Are you there? (She knows ALL this stuff!)

:toast:

[wildflower]

32. I did some searching

And finally found this in the Wikipedia entry on the Oval Office, on the changes that have occurred so far:

...Former President George W. Bush borrowed two oil paintings, A Charge to Keep by W.H.D. Koerner (owned by Bush), and Rio Grande by Tom Lea (on loan from the El Paso Museum of Art).<2>

Since newly elected President Barack Obama took office on 20th January 2009 these paintings have been removed to be replaced by the American impressionist Childe Hassam's painting Fifth Avenue in the Rain and Norman Rockwell's, Statue of Liberty. <3><4>. President Obama has not, as yet, changed the Oval Office dramatically. Two subtle changes are the addition of a hand-carved wooden sculpture obtained by him on a 2006 trip to his ancestral home of Kenya. The figurine shows an egg placed gently into a human hand, symbolizing the fragility of power. He has also replaced the Laura Bush inspired floral decorations with a bowl of wax apples. (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oval_Office)

These are the links referenced in that portion of the Wikipedia entry; I'm going to take a look at them.

http://pinkpillbox.livejournal.com/122517.html
http://www.tinmanic.com/archives/2009/01/27/obama-replaces-oval-office-photos/
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/us/politics/29whitehouse.html?_r=1&hp

[katkat]

34. oval office

I seem to remember he liked the rug Laura had designed and was going to keep it. Good thing, those rugs cost a mint.

Why replace the White House china each President, which I think they are planning to do, that costs a giant mint and I mean, how many dishes can get broken in 4-8 years? Plus they have set after set of previous china they could use. No taxpayer will recoil in horror at mixing patterns in a judicious manner. They could probably save enough to build someone a house.

[Lerkfish]

39. as an aside, the china is a boondogle for the manufacturer, basically

They vie to be the company chosen. so its an economic stimulus thing more than a chipped gravy bowl thing.

[whistler162]

22. Brazil got the Olympics all I got was a stinking

T-Shirt with scribbling on it.;)

[Cha]

23. WOW! We Are The World! We Are

ONE:bounce: These pics make it easy to be Thrilled for Rio~

[EmeraldCityGrl]

24. WOW! That last pic says it all. Kudos to you Brazil.

[Withywindle]

25. Great pics, thank you!

That really captures a moment.

This Chicagoan - of Brazilian and Irish descent - congratulates Rio heartily. I think the US takes the Olympics for granted, honestly. Looks to me like it means a lot more to Brazil, and they wanted it more. And the Brazilians have always been gold medalists in celebrating. :thumbsup:

[Jackeens]

26. Excellent, you're of Brazilian and Irish descent?

That's cool!



:hi:

[Withywindle]

29. Oooo, love the pin!

My dad's side of the family is mostly Irish - some fairly recent immigrants, one from Co. Cork all the way back in 1659. My mom's side is *entirely* Brazilian; she came here as a college student in the 1960s, met a guy, got hitched, and stuck around. :)

[Jackeens]

30. What a great history

My mother's from Cork so, Withywindle, we could be cousins.

Well, okay, it's a long shot!

But you never know....... :-)

[hootinholler]

48. Well if you think about it

The IOC had a Brazillion reasons to pick Rio.

;)

-Hoot

[Undercurrent]

27. Congratulations Rio!

Looking forward to seeing you in the competitions.

Do good things with your income from the games.

[aquart]

28. That's gonna be some party.

Rio's a party town to begin with.

[Wetzelbill]

35. wow I feel proud and happy for Rio

How happy is that guy? :)

[JNelson6563]

37. I am so happy for them!

If we had to lose out to someone, I'm really glad it's them! Those pics that are obviously happening upon the announcement, well if you can't rejoice for those people you have no heart.

Go Rio!

Julie

[Cass]

40. South America has never hosted the Olympics before so I am very happy for Rio!

Congratulations to Rio and President Lula! :party:

[zeemike]

41. I agree with you Brazil needs it more than we do.

Besides we need to get our shit together in this country....we are deeply divided with a minority that is rabid and frothing at the mounth....not the kind of thing in your house that would make you want to invite guests in.
Even you Jakeen I would not invite you to come to the states to visit because I would be afraid that some of out citizens would embarrass us.
Better that we concentrate on getting it togather....and I will be surprised if it can be done in 4 years.

[HamdenRice]

42. Lula -- the Mandela of our time for Latin America! He's got so much more to be proud of

than just the Olympics. He's going to go down in history as one of the greatest leaders in Latin American history!

[skygazer]

43. First Olympics in South America

That's terrific - it's about time. Wonderful pics.

[WonderGrunion]

44. We could learn a lot from Brazil - Like energy independence

I heard the best explanation for Rio getting the Olympics this morning. America, Spain and Japan all gave presentations HOW they could promote the 2016 Olympics. Brazil gave a presentation WHY it should host the 2016 Olympics.

[silverweb]

46. Congratulations, Brazil!

I'm usually mildly disinterested regarding the Olympics, but I'm actually very happy about this outcome.

The U.S. has had the privilege 8 times, while South America has had zero opportunities to this point. President Obama pretty much had to make a serious bid for Chicago, but fair is fair.

It's Brazil's turn and I wish them great success.

[hootinholler]

47. I cant' wait for the opening ceremonies

They should be spectacular!

-Hoot

[DesertDiamond]

49. Thanks fot these photos and I totally agree!

I just attended an SGI meeting today where we discussed this topic. We have members in Brazil so we have grassroots reports from there about the high rate of unemployment and poverty, the high crime rate, and so many other struggles they face. They very much need this burst of good fortune, and I can't help but be happy for them.

[phoenixriz]

50. I love President Lulu

I am so happy for him and his delegation. I have seen how lovable he is through pictures of the meetings that Obama attends.

I truly think that they deserve this honor.

Thank you Jackeens. You are such a dear soul to keep us updated.