Readout of the President’s Call with University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball Coach Geno

Readout of the President’s Call with University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball Coach Geno | The White House Skip to main content | Skip to footer site map The White House. President Barack Obama Get Email UpdatesContact Us Go to homepage. The White House Blog Photos & Videos Photo Galleries Video Performances Live Streams Podcasts 2012: A Year in Photos

A unique view of 2012

Briefing Room Your Weekly Address Speeches & Remarks Press Briefings Statements & Releases White House Schedule Presidential Actions Executive Orders Presidential Memoranda Proclamations Legislation Pending Legislation Signed Legislation Vetoed Legislation Nominations & Appointments Disclosures Visitor Access Records Financial Disclosures 2012 Annual Report to Congress 2011 Annual Report to Congress 2010 Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff A Commitment to Transparency

Browse White House visitor logs

Issues Civil Rights It Gets Better Defense End of Iraq War Disabilities Economy Jobs Reform and Fiscal Responsibility Strengthening the Middle Class Support for Business Education Energy & Environment Ethics Foreign Policy Health Care Homeland Security Immigration Refinancing Rural Service Seniors & Social Security Snapshots Creating Jobs Health Care Small Business PreK-12 Education Rural Taxes Tax Receipt The Buffett Rule Technology Urban Policy Veterans Joining Forces Violence Prevention Women Now Is The Time

To do something about gun violence

Immigration Reform

Creating an Immigration System for the 21st Century

The Administration We the People

Create and Sign Petitions Now

President Barack Obama Vice President Joe Biden Being Biden Audio Series First Lady Michelle Obama Dr. Jill Biden The Cabinet White House Staff Chief of Staff Denis McDonough Deputy Chief of Staff Rob Nabors Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Mastromonaco Counselor to the President Peter Rouse Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett Executive Office of the President Other Advisory Boards About the White House White House On the Go

Download our mobile apps

Take A Virtual Tour

View the Residence, East Wing and West Wing

Inside the White House Interactive Tour West Wing Tour Video Series Décor and Art Holidays Presidents First Ladies The Oval Office The Vice President's Residence & Office Eisenhower Executive Office Building Camp David Air Force One White House Fellows President’s Commission About the Fellowship Current Class Staff Bios News and Newsletters White House Internships About Program Presidential Department Descriptions Selection Process Internship Timeline & FAQs Tours & Events 2013 Easter Egg Roll Kitchen Garden Tours Take a Virtual Tour of the White House Mobile Apps Our Government The Executive Branch The Legislative Branch The Judicial Branch The Constitution Federal Agencies & Commissions Elections & Voting State & Local Government Resources /* Maximize height of menu features. */if(typeof(jQuery)!='undefined')jQuery.each($('#topnav'),function(i,v){var o=$(v),oh=o.height(),sh=o.siblings().height();if(oh Home • Briefing Room • Statements & Releases   The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release April 11, 2013 Readout of the President’s Call with University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball Coach Geno

Yesterday afternoon, the President called Head Coach Geno Auriemma to congratulate him and the UConn Huskies on their eighth National Championship in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.  He commended the Huskies on an extraordinary season and run in the tournament.  The President also asked Coach Auriemma to relay his congratulations to Breanna Stewart, who was named most outstanding player of the Final Four.  The President said he looks forward to seeing the team at the White House to honor their victory.

Blog posts on this issue April 15, 2013 6:16 PM EDTPresident Obama Speaks on the Explosions in Boston

President Obama makes a statement about the explosions at the Boston Marathon.

April 15, 2013 5:53 AM EDTWhite House Taxpayer Receipt

Understand how and where your tax dollars are being spent.

April 13, 2013 12:28 PM EDTPresident Obama: "Why I'm not giving the Weekly Address"

President Obama sends a message to the White House email list to explain why he asked Francine Wheeler to deliver the Weekly Address.

view all related blog posts ul.related-content li.views-row img {float: left; padding: 5px 10px 0 0;}ul.related-content li.view-all {padding-bottom: 3em;} Stay ConnectedFacebookTwitterFlickrGoogle+YouTubeVimeoiTunesLinkedIn   Home The White House Blog Photos & Videos Photo Galleries Video Performances Live Streams Podcasts Briefing Room Your Weekly Address Speeches & Remarks Press Briefings Statements & Releases White House Schedule Presidential Actions Legislation Nominations & Appointments Disclosures Issues Civil Rights Defense Disabilities Economy Education Energy & Environment Ethics Foreign Policy Health Care Homeland Security Immigration Refinancing Rural Service Seniors & Social Security Snapshots Rural Taxes Technology Urban Policy Veterans Violence Prevention Women The Administration President Barack Obama Vice President Joe Biden First Lady Michelle Obama Dr. Jill Biden The Cabinet White House Staff Executive Office of the President Other Advisory Boards About the White House Inside the White House Presidents First Ladies The Oval Office The Vice President's Residence & Office Eisenhower Executive Office Building Camp David Air Force One White House Fellows White House Internships Tours & Events Mobile Apps Our Government The Executive Branch The Legislative Branch The Judicial Branch The Constitution Federal Agencies & Commissions Elections & Voting State & Local Government Resources En español Accessibility Copyright Information Privacy Policy Contact USA.gov Developers Apply for a Job

View the original article here

Chick-fil-A Will Not Be Coming Back To Emory University

Emory University is in Atlanta, Georgia, just 20 miles from the Chick-fil-A corporate headquarters. Since the full extent of Chick-fi-A’s anti-gay beliefs and giving fully came to light last summer, student leaders protested the continued presence of a franchise in the campus’s food court. In December, even the Student Government Association passed a resolution opposing Chick-fil-A. Ultimately, campus administrators issued a thoughtful statement acknowledging the stigma attached to the company, but explaining it was not grounds to cancel the contract. The students vowed not to back down, and now it seems Chick-fil-A will not be coming back to campus next year.

According to a tweet from Emory Wheel, the student newspaper, Chick-fil-A has been removed from the food court as part of its new layout. The full details for this change are not yet known, but some clues can be found in the statement originally provided by the university:

Any decision to by Sodexo [the campus dining contractor] to renew or not renew the contract with Chick-fil-A, or any other vendor, must be part of a dining vision to advance the purposes for which Emory has contracted with Sodexo. Opposing views must be acknowledged, recognizing that some differences are truly irreconcilable. [...]

Typical brand selection and replacement considerations include, but are not limited to, preferential surveys, strategic planning processes, campus master planning, sales trends, contract requirements, and brand re-imaging.

Perhaps the franchise’s sales plummeted, or perhaps it simply it no longer fit in the campus’s “master planning.” At any rate, it is a victory for LGBT students, who will no longer have to encounter a glowing symbol of anti-gay prejudice as they partake in lunch on campus.

View the original article here

University of Texas law student leads the way in 3-D printable gun technology

Demands for stricter restrictions on gun sales are all the rage right now in light of the Connecticut elementary school massacre. However, a law student at the University of Texas says new technology will soon change the regulatory landscape dramatically, and possibly make such regulation futile.

The student, Cody Wilson, is among the leaders of Defense Distributed, home of the wiki weapon project. The goal of the collaborative, nonprofit project is simple: to create freely available plans that you can download from the Internet and produce a gun using a 3-D printer.

YouTube video at printablegun.com shows Wilson’s group test firing a semiautomatic AR-15 rifle, reports KVUE, Austin’s ABC affiliate. An AR-15 was among the weapons Adam Lanza used in the Sandy Hook shooting.

According to Wilson, 24, the group used a 3-D printer to print a plastic lower receiver. The piece was then attached to the rest of a real gun. In a test that was unverified by any independent observers, the plastic piece broke, but not before the gun fired six live rounds.

“What I’m doing is showing people, okay, this is something that can be done right now with this technology, and we’re changing this in the software, and we’re making modifications and customizations and testing with different rounds and different guns, but what we make won’t look like a plastic AR-15,” Wilson told WVUE. “What we make will just be the gun at its most essential, something that just is a firearm practically speaking.”

The legality of printable 3-D guns is not clear. (RELATED: Democratic congressman urges renewal of plastic gun ban)

Democratic New York Rep. Steve Israel doesn’t want to take any chances, though, according to WVUE. Israel has called for the renewal of the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988, which is set to expire in December 2013.

As Slate notes, the Act makes it illegal to “manufacture, sell, ship, deliver” or “possess” firearms that garden-variety metal detectors or x-ray machines can’t detect. A renewed act would presumably cover guns manufactured with 3-D printed gun parts, which are plastic.

Follow Eric on Twitter

View the original article here

First Lady Michelle Obama Tells North Carolina A&T University Class of 2012 "We Need You"

First Lady Michelle Obama Tells North Carolina A&T University Class of 2012 "We Need You" | The White House Skip to main content | Skip to footer site map The White House. President Barack Obama Get Email UpdatesContact Us Go to homepage. The White House Blog Photos & Videos Photo Galleries Video Performances Live Streams Podcasts State of the Union

Watch the Enhanced Video

Briefing Room Your Weekly Address Speeches & Remarks Press Briefings Statements & Releases White House Schedule Presidential Actions Executive Orders Presidential Memoranda Proclamations Legislation Pending Legislation Signed Legislation Vetoed Legislation Nominations & Appointments Disclosures Visitor Access Records Financial Disclosures 2011 Annual Report to Congress 2010 Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff 2009 Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff A Commitment to Transparency

Browse White House visitor logs

Issues Civil Rights It Gets Better Defense End of Iraq War The Way Forward in Afghanistan Disabilities Economy Jobs Reform and Fiscal Responsibility Strengthening the Middle Class Supporting Business Blueprint for an America Built to Last Education Energy & Environment Ethics Fiscal Responsibility Excess Federal Properties Interactive Map Foreign Policy Health Care Homeland Security Immigration Rural Rural Tour 2011 Seniors & Social Security Service Taxes The Buffett Rule Tax Receipt Technology Urban Policy Veterans Joining Forces Women We Can't Wait

See executive actions President Obama has taken

Your Federal Tax Receipt

See how your federal tax dollars are spent

The Administration We the People

Create and Sign Petitions Now

President Barack Obama Vice President Joe Biden First Lady Michelle Obama Dr. Jill Biden The Cabinet 2010 Video Reports White House Staff Chief of Staff Jack Lew Deputy Chief of Staff Nancy-Ann DeParle Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Mastromonaco Counselor to the President Peter Rouse Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett Executive Office of the President Other Advisory Boards About the White House Inside the White House

Take an interactive tour

Inside the White House History Décor and Art Interactive Tour Video Series Google Art Presidents First Ladies The Oval Office The Vice President's Residence & Office Eisenhower Executive Office Building Camp David Air Force One White House Fellows President’s Commission About the Fellowship Current Class Staff Bios News and Newsletters White House Internships About Program Presidential Department Descriptions Selection Process Internship Timeline & FAQs Tours & Events 2012 Easter Egg Roll 2011 Easter Egg Roll Holidays 2011 Kitchen Garden Tours Our Government The Executive Branch The Legislative Branch The Judicial Branch The Constitution Federal Agencies & Commissions Elections & Voting State & Local Government Resources /* Maximize height of menu features. */if(typeof(jQuery)!='undefined')jQuery.each($('.topnav-feature','#topnav'),function(i,v){var o=$(v),oh=o.height(),sh=o.siblings().height();if(oh Home • The White House Blog   #subhead-wrapper{background: url("/sites/default/themes/whitehouse/img/blog_breadcrum.jpg") top left no-repeat !important;height: 16px;}.blog-header{ background: url("/sites/default/themes/whitehouse/img/blog_header.jpg") no-repeat scroll left top transparent; height: 84px; width: 976px; position: relative;}.blog-header-text{ color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 3em; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 20px 0px 0px 20px; text-shadow: 2px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3);}.blog-header-text a{ color: #fff; text-decoration: none;}.blog-header-text a:hover{ text-shadow: 3px 3px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3); text-decoration: none;}#breadcrumb{ color: #fff; height: 16px}#breadcrumb a{ color: #fff !important;}.header-subscribe{ position: absolute; right: 21px; top: 54px;}The White House BlogSubscribe Our Top Stories President Obama Calls for a Simpler Refinancing Process President Obama to Barnard College: "Fight for a Seat at the Head of the Table" President Obama's To-Do List for Congress: Reward American Jobs, Not Outsourcing President Obama on Ending the War in Afghanistan First Lady Michelle Obama Tells North Carolina A&T University Class of 2012 "We Need You"
Colleen CurtisMay 14, 2012
09:00 AM EDT Share This Post

Interim Provost Winser Alexander presents First Lady Michele Obama with a hood signifying her honorary degree following her commencement address during the North Carolina Agriculture & Technology commencement ceremony in Greensboro, N.C., May 12, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

First Lady Michelle Obama invoked the example of the "Greensboro Four" in her commencement address to North Carolina A&T University's class of 2012. More than half a century ago, four A&T students started the movement that led to desegregation at lunch counters across the country, and Mrs Obama said this shows what can happen when someone decides to "wake up and change the situation." The First Lady challenged the students to follow their lead:

As graduates of this proud university, as young people like those who always stoked the fires of progress, our country is counting on all of you to step forward and help us with the work that remains.  We need you.

Mrs Obama also challeged each member of the graduating class to think about what’s important, and ask themselves three questions:

Who are you going to be?What’s going on in the world around me? andHow can I help?

The answers, she said, would help the graduated keep their bearings as they advanced in their careers and in their lives as citizens: 

You’ve got to figure out what matters to you and stay true to those values. You’ve got to keep your eyes open as you make your way in the world....

The fact is, we simply cannot move forward unless all of us are engaged. And being engaged means not simply recognizing what’s wrong, not simply complaining about and talking about our problems, but acting. It means waking up and changing the situation.  And that’s a lesson that so many of you have already begun to learn during your time here at A&T... 
 
And with that kind of action and that kind of commitment, all of you have begun to carry on that proud legacy of the Greensboro Four.

Students react as First Lady Michele Obama delivers the commencement address at the North Carolina Agriculture & Technology commencement ceremony in Greensboro, N.C., May 12, 2012 (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

This was Mrs. Obama's second commencement address of 2012. You can read her full remarks here
  Related Topics: Education, North Carolina PREVIOUS POST
First Lady Michelle Obama Addresses Virginia Tech GraduatesNEXT POST
My First Job: Omar Epps #content #featured-content-block .title { font-size: 17px !important; font-weight: normal; text-indent:0;}.blog-featured-content-queue { float: left; margin-top:15px; margin-right:49px; width: 197px;}#featured-content-block .last {margin-right: 0;}#blog #content .blog-featured-content-queue-title {font-size: 12px;line-height: 14.4px;}#featured-content-block {margin-bottom:55px;margin-top:20px;}Featured ContentWe Can't WaitJob Resources for Returning HeroesEnd of the Iraq War Education WHITEHOUSE.GOV IN YOUR INBOXSign up for education updates PHOTOS OF THE DAY VIEW PHOTO GALLERIES JUMP TO: Other White House Blogs The White House Blog Middle Class Task Force Council of Economic Advisers Council on Environmental Quality Council on Women and Girls Office of Management and Budget Office of Public Engagement Office of Science & Tech Policy Office of Urban Affairs Open Government Faith and Neighborhood Partnerships US Trade Representative Office National Drug Control Policy   Home The White House Blog Photos & Videos Photo Galleries Video Performances Live Streams Podcasts Briefing Room Your Weekly Address Speeches & Remarks Press Briefings Statements & Releases White House Schedule Presidential Actions Legislation Nominations & Appointments Disclosures Issues Civil Rights Defense Disabilities Economy Education Energy & Environment Ethics Fiscal Responsibility Foreign Policy Health Care Homeland Security Immigration Rural Seniors & Social Security Service Taxes Technology Urban Policy Veterans Women The Administration President Barack Obama Vice President Joe Biden First Lady Michelle Obama Dr. Jill Biden The Cabinet White House Staff Executive Office of the President Other Advisory Boards About the White House Inside the White House Presidents First Ladies The Oval Office The Vice President's Residence & Office Eisenhower Executive Office Building Camp David Air Force One White House Fellows White House Internships Tours & Events Our Government The Executive Branch The Legislative Branch The Judicial Branch The Constitution Federal Agencies & Commissions Elections & Voting State & Local Government Resources En español Accessibility Copyright Information Privacy Policy Contact USA.gov Subscribe to RSS Feeds Apply for a Job

View the original article here

At Emory University, Darwin’s Bullies Smear Commencement Speaker, Dr. Ben Carson of Johns Hopkins

From the diaries.

The serious problem of bullying in junior high and high school has received some overdue attention lately. Lee Hirsch’s documentary Bully is in theaters and highly recommended.

But don’t think that bullying in academic settings is exclusively a phenomenon of adolescence. Adults also bully adults. That’s what is happening now at Emory University in Atlanta.

You can be a brilliant, innovative pediatric neurosurgeon at a sky-scraping top medical school, in addition to being a generous philanthropist with an inspirational up-from-dire-poverty personal story, plus a Presidential Medal of Freedom winner, and a best-selling writer whose memoir was turned into a TV movie starring Cuba Gooding Jr.

But in the hands of academic bullies, if you once shared your critical thoughts on evolutionary science and its moral implications — well, everything else about you suddenly dwindles to very little.

Dr. Ben Carson of Johns Hopkins University is today’s target. He’s scheduled to give the Commencement address and receive an honorary degree at Emory this coming Monday. But close to 500 faculty members, students and staff protested, drawing up a gravely formulated letter to the Emory Wheel, the student newspaper, expressing their “concerns.” Over what? Carson had no intention of speaking about evolution but someone dug up an impromptu interview he once gave to a publication associated with his Christian denominationon that subject.

The protestors – lead by Professors ArriEisen, Jaap De Roode, Nicole Gerardo, and IlyaNemenman — distorted Dr. Carson’s position on the moral implications of Darwinian materialism and insinuatingly questioned his grasp of the science behind evolution. Emory hasn’t withdrawn the invitation and the letter’s signatories don’t demand that. But they try to make him sound like a fool, putting in his mouth the absurd opinion that “those who accept the underlying principle of biology and medicine are unethical.”

Carson in fact explained that he’s not impressed by the evidence for Darwinian theory. He also commented on why a materialist philosophy is at odds with free will and how that makes it tough to offer a coherent account of moral principles.

The academic bullying that Emory’s faculty has visited on Dr. Carson is not an isolated episode. Scientists who ask tough questions about evolutionary theory are routinely intimidated and silenced by advocates of Darwinian orthodoxy.

Journalists and courts of law have documented a variety of other, far more disturbing cases of bullying for Darwin, at academic institutions including Jet Propulsion Laboratory at CalTech, the University of Kentucky, Iowa State University, the Smithsonian Institution, and elsewhere.

Emory’s spokesman, meanwhile, has struggled to explain how a Darwin-critic could possibly have received such an invitation.”Our leading life scientists would define our views on evolution,” he sniffed, “and the number of signatories on that petition would probably speak to that.” This is a shameful, and shaming, way to welcome a guest.

The onus is on university officials now to defend Dr. Carson’s right to hold a dissenting view, and to promptly reaffirm that Emory is pleased and honored to have him. Discovery Institute is gathering signatures on a petition making exactly that point. Please sign.

Dr. Carson’s unwelcoming welcome sends a message to less renowned and therefore less bullet-proof scholars. If they open their mouth to question Darwin, fellow academics will not only disagree but will hurt them by misrepresenting their opinions.

Imagine the results if he were someone else: a young scientist seeking a strong start to his career, a not so young but still untenured scientist with his livelihood to protect, even a tenured academic worried about his reputation and the future careers of his own grad students.

This is how Darwinists maintain the fiction that the scientific community has reached a freely determined “consensus” in favor of Darwinian evolution and against intelligent design. The consensus is maintained by intimidation, by bullying.

It’s a farce, but for vulnerable people in academic life, a scary farce.

David Klinghoffer is Senior Fellow and Editor, Evolution News & Views, Center for Science and Culture

View the original article here