UK Telegraph, June 17, 2013

US President Barack Obama has arrived in Northern Ireland accompanied by his wife Michelle and their daughters Malia, 14, and Sasha, 11.

His first stop will be at the Waterfront Hall conference centre in Belfast, where the president will speak to an invited audience of 2,000 mostly young people at around 9.45am and urge political leaders to develop the peace process.

link including live video:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/northernireland/10124477/Watch-live-Barack-Obama-delivers-speech-ahead-of-G8-summit.html
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. . . and if you missed it, here's the rest of the itinerary courtesy of Cha:

Ireland-bound~ The Obamas

http://www.democraticunderground.com/110210956

Looks like it's chilly up there in Belfast.. googled and said "55 degrees". Just 20 cooler than here in Hawai'i.

I know why you say "scary place, Belfast" but, this is what I know about Belfast latley..

Prepare to laugh..

Background..

snip***

Filmed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the hapless driver is seen maneuvering in and out of the space — big enough for an SUV — several times.

Ciaran Doherty and Ciaran Shannon said they started to record her antics after already enduring them for 15 minutes.

"One of the boys in the house was looking out the window having a wee bit of fresh air and saw it. The next thing we were all at the window and looking out," said Doherty.
"I can't believe she couldn't get it in. It could easily have fitted a big people carrier," the 22-year-old University of Ulster marketing student added to added to the Belfast Telegraph.

***snip

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/video-female-driver-fails-park-30-min-article-1.1331886#ixzz2TEderbDE

What's hilarious to me.. is not the woman's inability to parallel park her car but the boys' reaction to it! rofl

Yeah, uber interesting trip..

Great much needed laugh here!



Good damn luck parking like that!!!

& recommend.

ERIN GO BRAUGH!!!

I sent it to my son awhile back and he put it on his FB page. I found it one night in our Video Forum.

"I love her!"

ERIN GO BRAUGH!!! Indeed! Only this happened in the UK!

Love that video, Cha!

adorable, sheshe.. I couldn't get enough of their incredulity with those intriguing Irish Accents.

I mean I saw the bombed out buildings, and boarded-over windows, and everything. I wasn't blind to the potential dangers. But the people were nice; very friendly, helpful, and curious about Americans. I liked it there.

When I was there it was a little tense and the place was in serious military lockdown and looked pretty bad. Very sad and I didn't stay long and that was awhile ago. Your post and butterbean's make me want to go back and spend some time there.

They're sleeping in Ireland:
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G8: Delegates not staying in Britain

Delegates for the G8 are staying in the Republic of Ireland, raising questions about whether Britain is maximising the economic benefit from the summit.

11:57AM BST 17 Jun 2013

Prime Minister David Cameron decided to bring the G8 meeting to Northern Ireland, after rejecting other options in England such as Oxford. The remote location of the meeting in Loch Erne, County Fermanagh was seen as a commitment to how far the peace process has progressed. However it has thrown up its own logistical problems, with some guests staying as much as 90 minutes away by road.

The delegations from America and Russia – which are the biggest – are staying in four hotels in south of the border in Ireland, potentially taking away some of the economic benefits to Northern Ireland.

(snip)

Foreign Office sources said that guests had had to housed south of the border because the only hotels big enough were there.

(snip)

Announcing that the G8 was coming to Loch Erne last November, Mr Cameron said: it would be “a brilliant advertisement for Northern Ireland”. He said: “I want the world to see just what a fantastic place Northern Ireland is: a great place for business; a great place for investment; a place with an incredibly educated and trained workforce, ready to work for international businesses. . . ."


The Lough Erne golf resort will host this June's G8 summit

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/g8/10124880/G8-Delegates-not-staying-in-Britain.html
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. . . but you wouldn't want to sleep there.

From the Video~



http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/06/17/president-obama-speaks-people-northern-ireland

Great post!

A sweet relief I might add. If you get my drift!

I do, and that was my feeling exactly.

Shortly after their arrival in Dublin from Belfast they will visit Trinity College at lunchtime where they will view the Book of Kells.



The splendor~
It takes my breath away!

http://theobamadiary.com/

Thanks sheshe ! Wish I was there!

Russian President Vladimir Putin says the U.S. and Russia differ on Syria, but they agree that the violence must stop and all parties must negotiate a settlement. Mr. Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama discussed Syria Monday on the sidelines of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Obama thanked the Russian president for what he called a useful conversation. He agreed that their opinions on Syria do not coincide. But he said both sides share an interest in stopping the violence and the use and spread of chemical weapons. Neither mentioned whether they discussed U.S. plans to send arms to the Syrian rebels in their fight against President Bashar al-Assad. Russia has been sending weapons to the Syrian government, saying it is only fulfilling contracts.

President Obama announced Monday that the United States will provide another $300 million to feed, shelter and provide medical care for the nearly 5 million war refugees inside and outside Syria. Much of the money will go to helping Syrians living in camps in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and Egypt.

The White House says it recognizes the strain that the refugee crisis is imposing on these nations, but urges them to keep their borders open to those fleeing the war. The United States is the world's largest contributor of humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees. It has given almost $815 million over the last two years.

http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-putin-agree-to-disagree-on-syria/1683719.html

Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin grim-faced on Syria disagreements

Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin on Monday openly admitted having clashing views on Syria, but pledged to at least try to keep alive a frail bid to hold a peace conference in Geneva.





The US and Russian presidents looked grim-faced on the sidelines of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland, days after the White House signalled it would begin arming rebels battling President Bashar al-Assad, Moscow's top Arab ally.

Putin and Obama could not get around the fact they are backing opposite sides in the war and cannot agree on Assad's fate - but they appeared to try to keep flagrant differences on Syria from undermining wider US-Russia relations.

The Russian leader announced that Obama would go to Moscow on September 3-4 for a full-scale summit, expanding a previously announced trip that will see the US president attend the G20 summit in St Petersburg.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/g8/10126491/G8-Barack-Obama-and-Vladimir-Putin-grim-faced-on-Syria-disagreements.html

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I knew this was gonna be a tough one. And the Guardian leprechauns aren't exactly sprinkling lucky charms. Nevertheless these are two pros and I have confidence that get out of Macbeth's castle they'll eventually find a peaceable solution.

http://theobamadiary.com/2013/06/17/body-language/

thanks for the news on the Summit when PBO goes to Russia, ucr

I don't think he got much sleep last night:

Russia and Turkey react with fury to spying revelations
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/17/turkey-russia-g20-spying-gchq

I'll bet he was glad to get back to his hotel in Ireland for some

Narcolepsy.. Pres Obama looks like he's trying to figure it out.

Britian's in trouble for "spying on Turkey and Russia".. I can't keep up. I don't try.

thanks for the link, ucr

place I've ever seen. I wanted to just pitch a tent and stay there. Giant's Causeway was amazing. We never did go into Belfast, though. I didn't care, I just wanted to see the little towns and villages. Dublin was awesome as well. I loved Ireland! What a beautiful place.

Me too. I just got around to thanking Aristus upthread but you both make a good sales pitches and now I want to go back and spend some time there!



and welcome!