Soul Destruction By Ms. Ruth Jacobs

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Jueseppi B.

 

Written By Ruth Jacobs…..C&P By Jueseppi B. ( ° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 

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Soul Destruction

 

I am writing a series of novels entitled Soul Destruction, which expose the dark world and the harsh reality of life as a call girl. The first novel in the series, Soul Destruction: Unforgivable, will be released on 29 April 2013 by Caffeine Nights. I studied prostitution in the late 1990′s, which sparked my interest in the subject. As well as drawing on my research and the women I interviewed for inspiration, I also have firsthand experience of many of the topics I write about such as post traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, abuse in childhood, rape, and drug and alcohol addiction. In addition to my fiction writing, I am also involved in non-fiction for charity and human rights campaigning in the areas of anti-sexual exploitation and anti-human trafficking.

 

In 1998, I was researching prostitution for a dissertation examining psychological and social issues and theories of crime. Spending time in London’s underworld, some of my friends were call girls, and three of them kindly agreed to participate in video interviews with me.

 

I had much in common with my friends and many other women in prostitution. 75% of women in prostitution have been sexually and physically abused as children, 70% have experienced multiple rapes, 67% meet the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder, and 95% have issues with problematic drug use.

 

I suffered sexual assaults as a child, I had been raped twice in my twenties, though only once at the time of this project, and I had post traumatic stress disorder, which I still suffer from today. And in those days, I was a drug addict, an intravenous user of heroin and crack.

 

As well as interviewing my friends, I also used accounts from other women in prostitution between the 1970′s to the 1990′s. This was because there was a lack of firsthand information at the time. The few books available on the subject were mostly written by people who neither had firsthand experience of prostitution nor used interviews or accounts from women in prostitution.

 

One of the video interviews I had conducted and fully transcribed back in 1998 was published on Amazon in 2012. The woman interviewed was a very dear friend of mine. She is referred to as Q. Because Q and I were so close, I am sure that is what enabled her to be so open in her interview with me. Her words show how prostitution affected her psychologically, emotionally and socially. As she is no longer alive, all the royalties from that short publication,In Her Own Words… Interview with a London Call Girl, are donated to Beyond the Streets, a charity working to end sexual exploitation.

 

The other women I interviewed, referred to as R and S, though also friends of mine, were guarded. There was much more I knew about their lives and their feelings about their work, shared when we were out at nightclubs and indoors smoking crack, than they disclosed in front of the camera.

 

I had and still have an understanding and compassion for the need to hold back. I was in my own denial back then. I presented as a happy junky to the outside world, and they too presented happy – ‘happy hooker’ being a popular term. But I have never known a happy hooker as I have never known a happy intravenous user of heroin and crack.

 

Having since been in contact with a number of exited women, I have become aware that the trauma from prostitution is usually not felt until after exiting. Before then, like XLondonCallGirl says, you live in denial, and like Q said in her interview, you live in a fantasy-land. I was with them in my own fantasy-land and in my own denial.

 

Denial and dissociation are part of a protection/coping mechanism that enables the women to carry on with a veneer of toughness, the appearance of being a ‘happy hooker’, and without falling apart. On the outside being a call girl may well appear to be glamorous, but on the inside, it is not. It can take years to recover from, and I am sure many never fully recover, certainly from the women I know.

 

As well as dispelling the ‘happy hooker’ myth, I hope with my novels and my non-fiction work to change the stigma much of society has against women who work in prostitution. They are often judged and looked down upon. These women have mainly had painful and tormented childhoods and traumatic present lives. For most, they do not choose prostitution, but prostitution chooses them. These women and equally women who say they choose prostitution deserve to be seen and respected as any other women.

 

Soul Destruction: Unforgivable is dedicated to Q.

 

Enter the bleak existence of a call girl haunted by the atrocities of her childhood. In the spring of 1997, Shelley Hansard is a drug addict with a heroin habit and crack psychosis. Her desirability as a top London call girl is waning.

 

When her client dies in a suite at The Lanesborough Hotel, Shelley’s complex double-life is blasted deeper into chaos. In her psychotic state, the skills required to keep up her multiple personas are weakening. Amidst her few friends, and what remains of her broken family, she struggles to maintain her wall of lies.

 

During this tumultuous time, she is presented with an opportunity to take revenge on a client who raped her and her friends. But in her unbalanced state of mind, can she stop a serial rapist?

 

Soul Destruction: Unforgivable is released 29 April 2013. Available worldwide from all major online retailers in paperback and e-book. Pre-orders are available direct from Caffeine Nights.

 

 

Soul Destruction – Call Girl Book & Diary Series

 

Published on Jul 3, 2012

Soul Destruction website: http://www.soul-destruction.com

Soul Destruction: Unforgivable

Enter the bleak existence of a call girl haunted by the atrocities of her childhood. In the spring of 1997, Shelley Hansard is a drug addict with a heroin habit and crack psychosis. Her desirability as a top London call girl is waning.

When her client dies in a suite at The Lanesborough Hotel, Shelley’s complex double-life is blasted deeper into chaos. In her psychotic state, the skills required to keep up her multiple personas are weakening. Amidst her few friends, and what remains of her broken family, she struggles to maintain her wall of lies.

During this tumultuous time, she is presented with an opportunity to take revenge on a client who raped her and her friends. But in her unbalanced state of mind, can she stop a serial rapist?

 

 

 

 

Further information and contact details:

Ruth Jacobs’s Amazon author pages – USA and UK.

 

Soul Destruction website.

 

Author website.

 

 

About The Author: Ms. Ruth Jacobs…..

 

 
 
 
Ruth Jacobs studied prostitution in the late 1990′s, which sparked her interest in the subject. Her Soul Destruction series of novels expose the dark world and the harsh reality of life as a call girl. She draws on her research and the women she interviewed for inspiration. She also has firsthand experience of some of the topics she writes about such as post traumatic stress disorder, and drug and alcohol addiction.
 
 
Soul Destruction: Unforgivable, Ruth’s debut novel, follows Shelley Hansard, a heroin addicted, crack psychotic, London call girl who gets the opportunity to take revenge on a client who raped her. Soul Destruction: Unforgivable will be published in April 2013 by Caffeine Nights. Ruth’s second novel, Soul Destruction Diary: Inescapable, can be read on her website http://www.soul-destruction.com. The story follows Nicole O’Connell, Shelley Hansard’s closest friend in the first book, as she travels to Sydney, Australia, in the hope of breaking her heroin habit. The diary charts Nicole’s time there – the numerous people she meets and the situations, some dangerous and life threatening, in which she finds herself.
 
 
In 2012, Ruth published In Her Own Words… Interview with a London Call Girl, which is available to download from Amazon. All the royalties received from this publication are donated to Beyond the Streets, a charity working to end sexual exploitation.
 
 
To download from Amazon.co.uk for 77p follow this link http://amzn.to/P992RY and for 99c from Amazon.com follow http://amzn.to/Qo3SZD. It is also available worldwide. Contact: ruth@soul-destruction.com. More information on the Soul Destruction series can be found at http://www.soul-destruction.com. Ruth’s author website is at http://www.ruthjacobs.co.uk.

 
 
 
 
 
 
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Updates From Barack’s Blog

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Jueseppi B.

By Jueseppi B.

 

Barack'sblog

 

 

 

Statements and Releases

 

April 08, 2013

Statement by NSC Spokesperson Caitlin Hayden on Ukraine

 

Statement by NSC Spokesperson Caitlin Hayden on Ukraine

 

The United States is encouraged by President Yanukovych’s decision to pardon former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko and former Environment Minister Heorhiy Filipchuk.  This is an important step toward addressing concerns about democracy and the rule of law in Ukraine, however much more remains to be done.  We urge Ukrainian authorities to end all politically motivated prosecutions, undertake comprehensive judicial reform to ensure such selective justice does not recur, and fully implement the OSCE recommendations made after the 2012 parliamentary elections.  The United States strongly supports the aspirations of the Ukrainian people for a democratic, prosperous, and European future, which can only be realized through continued democratic reform and adherence to the rule of law.  We remain dedicated to strengthening our bilateral relationship on the basis of our shared transatlantic values.

 

 

 

April 08, 2013

Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate

 

Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate

 

NOMINATION SENT TO THE SENATE:

Brian C. Deese, of Massachusetts, to be Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget, vice Heather A. Higginbottom, resigned.

 

 

 

April 08, 2013

White House Announces 2013 Spring Garden Event

 

WASHINGTON, DC – This spring, the White House will be opening its gardens and grounds to visitors on Saturday, April 13th from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and Sunday, April 14th from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.  During this event, visitors can see the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, Rose Garden and South Lawn of the White House.  Additionally, the White House Kitchen Garden – the first vegetable garden at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt’s Victory Garden – will be accessible to guests.

 

This event is free and open to the public; however, a ticket is required for all attendees (including small children).  The National Park Service will distribute free, timed tickets at the Ellipse Visitor Pavilion located at 15th and E Streets on Saturday and Sunday beginning at 8:00 AM.  Tickets will be distributed — one ticket per person — on a first-come, first-served basis.

 

Please note the following items are not allowed on the White House grounds:

  • Aerosols of any kind
  • Animals (except guide dogs)
  • Backpacks (oversized)
  • Balloons
  • Food or beverages of any kind
  • Duffle bags/suitcases
  • Any pointed object
  • Electric stun guns
  • Fireworks/firecrackers
  • Insulated metal containers
  • Guns/ammunition
  • Knives of any kind
  • Mace
  • Tobacco

 

The U.S. Secret Service reserves the right to prohibit any other personal items.  However, strollers, wheelchairs, umbrellas, and cameras are permitted.

 

All items needed for medical purposes will be permitted on the tour (e.g. wheelchairs, electric scooters, glucose tablets, EpiPens, etc.).  Please identify and explain all items needed for medical purposes to U.S. Secret Service upon arrival.

 

In the event of inclement weather, the event may be cancelled.  Please call the 24-hour information line at (202) 456-7041 to check on the status of the event.

 

 

 

April 08, 2013

Statement from the President on the Passing of Baroness Margaret Thatcher

 

Statement from the President on the Passing of Baroness Margaret Thatcher

 

With the passing of Baroness Margaret Thatcher, the world has lost one of the great champions of freedom and liberty, and America has lost a true friend.  As a grocer’s daughter who rose to become Britain’s first female prime minister, she stands as an example to our daughters that there is no glass ceiling that can’t be shattered.  As prime minister, she helped restore the confidence and pride that has always been the hallmark of Britain at its best.  And as an unapologetic supporter of our transatlantic alliance, she knew that with strength and resolve we could win the Cold War and extend freedom’s promise.

 

Here in America, many of us will never forget her standing shoulder to shoulder with President Reagan, reminding the world that we are not simply carried along by the currents of history—we can shape them with moral conviction, unyielding courage and iron will.   Michelle and I send our thoughts to the Thatcher family and all the British people as we carry on the work to which she dedicated her life—free peoples standing together, determined to write our own destiny.

 

 

 

Recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness Month

 

Lynn Rosenthal
Lynn Rosenthal

April 08, 2013 
11:26 AM EDT

 

Every April, we recognize Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This year, with rape in the headlines nearly every day, we speak out with even greater urgency to honor survivors and prevent sexual violence.

 

We know the devastating the statistics: 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men have been raped in their lifetimes. That’s 18 million women in this country who have been raped, and more than 1 million rapes that occur every year. The vast majority of these assaults occur when the victims are under the age of 25, and those under the age of 18 are at the greatest risk. These numbers are real, but they don’t tell the whole story. They don’t tell of the broken trust when the attacker is a friend, a trusted colleague, or a family member.  They don’t tell of the suicidal feelings, the depression, or of the PTSD. And, they don’t tell of the courage survivors demonstrate when they work every day to put their lives back together.

 

Across the federal government, we are working to support survivors and to prevent sexual violence. Last year, the Department of Justice modernized the definition of rape used to collect our nation’s crime statistics. This year, the Department of Justice is working with law enforcement agencies to implement this change and develop new guidelines for investigating sexual assault cases. The Office on Violence Against Women is funding training that will help communities address their backlogs of rape kits and improve prosecution of sexual assault crimes. The Office of Victims of Crime is supporting the development of a telemedicine center that will help bring sexual assault forensic exams to victims in rural and isolated communities.

 

Two years ago, the Vice President announced the winners of the Apps Against Abuse, a challenge to app developers to use this technology to help prevent dating violence and sexual assault. Today, one of those winners -Circle of 6 - had reached 55,000 downloads in 26 countries and justannounced a customized version of their app for use in India.

 

On March 7, President Obama signed the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act into law. This legislation is ground-breaking in its approach to sexual assault. States must set aside funds to develop programs that meaningfully address rape and sexual assault including those committed by strangers, acquaintances, and intimate partners as well as alcohol and drug facilitated rapes. This means more training for law enforcement and prosecutors and more resources for victim services. College campuses must provide orientation programs to new students about dating violence and sexual assault and must develop clear, written policies about how these cases will be handled.  Federally subsidized housing programs must protect sexual assault victims from being evicted or denied housing due to the assault committed against them, and must help a victim transfer to another housing unit if necessary.

 

Government can’t do it all, and nowhere is private sector support more important than on issues like sexual violence. We applaud the work of Mariska Hargitay and the Joyful Heart Foundation to address the rape kit backlog, and of the No More Campaign working to raise awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault.  Finally this April, we honor the advocates who devote their lives to serving victims and survivors.

 

Together, we are working to change the culture so that one day, we will end sexual violence. 

 

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Thursday’s 411 From Barack’s Blog

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Jueseppi B.

 
By Jueseppi B.

 

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President Obama Meets with Leaders of Sierra Leone, Senegal, Malawi, and Cape Verde

 

Grant T. Harris
Grant T. Harris

March 28, 2013

 

Today President Obama welcomed President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Joyce Banda of Malawi, and Prime Minister José Maria Pereira Neves of Cape Verde to the White House.  The United States has strong partnerships with these countries based on shared democratic values and shared interests.  Each of these leaders has undertaken significant efforts to strengthen democratic institutions, protect and expand human rights and civil liberties, and increase economic opportunities for their people. 

 

President Obama and the visiting leaders discussed how the United States can expand our partnership to support their efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and promote economic opportunity, both in their countries and across sub-Saharan Africa.  A particular focus of the conversation was on the importance of transparency and respect for human rights, and President Obama commended each leader for their work in these areas and their commitment to join the Open Government Partnership.  President Obama also commended these leaders for their leadership on food security and engaged the leaders in a fruitful conversation about how the United States can help Africa harness the potential of its young people and empower the next generation of African leaders.

 

While in Washington, each leader is participating in numerous meetings and events to strengthen bilateral cooperation on a range of shared priorities.  Joint events include a dinner hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa to discuss trade and investment opportunities with representatives from U.S. businesses; a public discussion on democratization in Africa at the United States Institute for Peace; an economic and development roundtable with U.S. government officials; and a meeting with Secretary of Defense Hagel to discuss cooperation on shared regional security and peacekeeping objectives in Africa.

 

The visit of these four leaders underscores the President’s commitment to substantive engagement and strengthenedpartnerships with African nations.  A link to the President’s remarks following the meeting can be found here.

 

Grant T. Harris is the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs
 
 
 
 
 

College for All: Affordable, Accessible, Attainable

 

Valerie Jarrett
Valerie Jarrett

March 28, 2013

 

 

Last month, President Obama said in a speech in Chicago, “There is no surer path to success in the middle class than a good education.”

 

Today, I had the opportunity to speak at the Department of Education’s Higher Education Program Project Directors’ Meeting, which gathered thousands of people who work every day to ensure that more students receive a good education.

 

Project directors from across the country came together in Washington, DC to discuss how to better serve students in their three program and grant administration areas: Institutional Service (IS), which strengthens institutions that serve largely minority or low-income populations and first-generation college students; Student Service (SS), which works to provide academic preparation,  support and career development; and Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), which seeks to help implement, evaluate, and share innovative reforms to improve productivity, efficiency, and completion in higher education.

 

Their work supports President Obama’s goal for the United States to again lead the world with the highest proportion of college graduates by the year 2020.

 

To reach this target, we project that the proportion of college graduates in the U.S. will need to increase by 50 percent nationwide by the end of the decade. That means that eight million more young adults will need to earn associate’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and postsecondary certificates by 2020.

 

President Obama is committed to increasing access, attainment, and affordability of higher education programs. His commitment to expanding educational opportunity is reflected in the largest investment in student aid since the G.I Bill, so that more students can afford college—he expanded tax credits to help families pay for college, doubled the number of Pell Grants, and led the call to keep student loan interests down.

 

These are lofty goals. But when I think about my own educational career, and what a difference it made in my own life, I want that for every single student in this country. The President wants it for his daughters.  All parents want it for their children. Every child deserves a chance to thrive, contribute to society, and realize their dreams—no matter what their circumstances. 

 

To illustrate this, I told the story of an amazing individual who benefited from one of these federally funded programs.

 

LaTisha, a young woman from Michigan, took part in the Upward Bound program. She initially had thought only to apply to local colleges. But with the encouragement, mentoring, and responsibilities given to her by the Upward Bound staff, LaTisha applied to most Ivy League schools and got into every single one. She went to Yale, where she gave back to the community by reaching out to local public school students and helping to coordinate a prison education program.  Today, she is an elementary school teacher in Indianapolis.

 

For LaTisha and countless other students, the programs represented at the meeting gave them the tools and confidence to follow their dreams.

 

I was so inspired by her story, and by the work of all the attendees of the conference who make stories like LaTisha’s possible. Their steadfast commitment to our nation’s students reminds me that together, we can create a better future for everyone in our country.

 

Valerie Jarrett is Senior Advisor to the President
 
 
 
 
 

Students Speak: The Power of STEM

 

 

Earlier this month, President Obama met with 40 of the nation’s top scientists and engineers—discoverers of new drug candidates to treat common cancers; inventors of tools to help surgeons in the operating room; developers of complex algorithms that can help robots navigate; and more. All of these innovators were finalists in the 2013 Intel Science Talent Search competition, and all of them are still in high school.

 

These students are living proof that with the right skills, tools, and opportunities, innovation and discovery can happen at any age. That’s why the Obama Administration is placing a stronger emphasis than ever on equipping the next generation of American innovators in science, technology, engineering, and math—the “STEM” fields.

 

 

Students Speak: The Power of STEM

 

Published on Mar 28, 2013

Earlier this month, President Obama met with 40 of the Nation’s top scientists and engineers—discoverers of new drug candidates to treat common cancers; inventors of tools to help surgeons in the operating room; developers of complex algorithms that can help robots navigate; and more. All of these innovators were finalists in the 2013 Intel Science Talent Search competition, and all of them are in still in high school.

 

 

 

 

 

Luckily, there is no shortage of passion among students about the power and “coolness” of STEM. Here’s what some of the Intel competition finalists had to say about the power and potential of science, technology, engineering and math:

 

“STEM holds the key to changing the world for the better” – Kensen Shi, 17, A&M Consolidated High School, TX

 

“STEM provides a link between learning and doing, tying knowledge to experimentation and real-world problems” – Adam Bowman, 17, Montgomery Bell Academy, TN

 

“Pursuing STEM at any age allows you to discover and answer fundamental questions about the universe, from creating frisbee shooting robots to studying the causes behind cancer” – Lillian Chin, 18, The Westminster Schools, GA

 

“STEM is cool because it provides opportunities to develop new technologies to improve the quality of life” – Kelly Zhang, 17, College Preparatory School, CA

 

We couldn’t agree more. That’s why, with the help of critical partners at foundations, non-profits, universities, and private-sector companies, the Obama Administration is acting to achieve two ambitious goals:  adding one million more STEM graduatesin the next decade, and preparing 100 thousand excellent STEM teachers to give students the skills they need to thrive.

 

But success isn’t just about increasing numbers. We also know that diversity is one of America’s greatest assets. To build a truly innovative STEM workforce of the future, we must do everything we can to incorporate the full range of the Nation’s talents, skills, and perspectives—including those of communities typically underrepresented in STEM, such as women, girls, and minorities.

 

Soon after his State of the Union Address last month, President Obama participated in a Google+ Hangout, saying:

One of the things that I really strongly believe in is that we need to have more girls interested in math, science, and engineering. We’ve got half the population that is way underrepresented in those fields and that means that we’ve got a whole bunch of talent … not being encouraged the way they need to.

 

To that end, as part of our response to President Obama’s call to countries around the world to politically and economically empower women and girls, the White House launched the Equal Futures App Challenge to promote civic education and inspire girls to serve as leaders in our democracy. And, through our broad Tech Inclusion initiatives—including a Tech Inclusion Summit last held at the White House last month—we’re working to expand participation of all youth in tech fields, including underrepresented minorities and girls, by collaborating with community groups, businesses, and organizations committed to the same goal.

 

There are steps you can take right now to help expand the participation of the Nation’s young people in STEM studies and careers:

 

Together, we can empower American STEM students to—in the words of Intel finalist Paulomi Bhattacharya, 18 (Harker School, CA) — “look around and imagine something even greater in the hope of bettering society and the world.”

 

Becky Fried is a Communications and Policy Analyst at the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy
 
 
 
 
 
Valerie Jarrett
Valerie Jarrett

March 28, 2013
10:06 AM EDT

 

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak at the screening of excerpts from an extraordinary new documentary, “Makers: Women Who Make America.” College and high school students from all over the Washington, DC area came together to watch the documentary, and hear a panel discussion with two incredible women – former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder, and former President of Brown University, Ruth Simmons – both of whom were also featured in Makers.

Linda Douglass, Senior Vice President for Global Communications for Atlantic Media Company, moderated the panel. Linda is a former broadcast journalist who has covered six presidential campaigns.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

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Daily Snapshot From Barack’s House

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Jueseppi B.

 
By Jueseppi B.

 

barackshouse3

 

 

 

 

Photo of the Day: A St. Patrick’s Day Lunch

 

Yesterday, President Obama held a bilateral meeting with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny at the White House before the two leaders traveled to the Capitol for a St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon. In their Oval Office meeting — the fifth since President Obama took office — the President and Taoiseach reaffirmed the incredible bond between the United States and Ireland.

 

See more from the President’s meeting with Enda Kenny.

 

 

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President Barack Obama, Taoiseach Enda Kenny of Ireland, and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, talk together during a St. Patrick’s Day lunch at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., March 19, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

 

 

In Case You Missed It

 

Here are some of the top stories from the White House blog:

 

President Obama’s Bracket for the 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament 
President Obama makes his picks for the 2013 NCAA men’s basketball tournament. He has Louisville, Ohio State, Florida, and Indiana headed to the Final Four.

 

 

Affordable Care Act at 3: Holding Insurance Companies Accountable 
The Department of Health and Human Services is celebrating the 3rd anniversary of the Affordable Care Act.

 

 

Encouraging Young Women to Become the Leaders and Advocates of Tomorrow 
In honor of Women’s History Month, the White House welcomes a group of high school students to participate in a conversation with a mentoring panel featuring women from a diverse range of fields and backgrounds.

 

 

Today’s Schedule:

 

All times are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

 

6:25 AM: The President arrives Tel Aviv, Israel.

 

 

6:30 AM: The President takes part in an official arrival ceremony.

 

 

7:30 AM: The President views an Iron Dome Battery.

 

 

8:00 AM: The Vice President hosts a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast in honor of Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny.

 

 

10:00 AM: The President arrives at the residence of President Peres and signs the guest book.

 

 

10:10 AM: The President participates in a tree planting ceremony.

 

 

10:15 AM: The President and his delegation participate in a photo with President Peres and his delegation.

 

 

10:25 AM: The President and President Peres of Israel hold a restricted bilateral meeting.

 

 

11:05 AM: The President and President Peres of Israel deliver statements to the press.

 

 

11:30 AM: The President arrives at the residence of Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and signs the guest book.

 

 

11:45 AM: The President and Prime Minister Netanyahu hold a restricted bilateral meeting.

 

 

2:05 PM: The President and Prime Minister Netanyahu hold a press conference.

 

 

2:50 PM: The President and Prime Minister Netanyahu meet for a working dinner.

 

 

 

Dr. Jill Biden
Dr. Jill Biden

March 19, 2013
04:40 PM EDT

 

As a community college teacher, I know that excellence happens every day in community college classrooms and campuses across this country. Both in my classroom and when I’m on the road visiting community colleges, I am fortunate to see firsthand the tremendous impact these schools have on so many students.  I see students striving, teachers inspiring, and administrators innovating – each doing their best to make the community college experience richer and more meaningful. President Obama has made community colleges a centerpiece of his goal to have the best-educated, most competitive workforce in the world.

 

Earlier today at the Newseum in Washington, DC, leaders in education and business congratulated Santa Barbara City College from California and Walla Walla Community College from Washington for being selected as co-winners of the 2013 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Kingsborough Community College – CUNY from New York and Lake Area Technical Institute from South Dakota were honored as finalists-with-distinction.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Megan Slack
Megan Slack

March 19, 2013
05:20 PM EDT

 

 

President Barack Obama welcomes Taoiseach Enda Kenny of Ireland and the Irish delegation to the Oval OfficePresident Barack Obama welcomes Taoiseach Enda Kenny of Ireland and the Irish delegation to the Oval Office, March 19, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

 

 

Today, President Obama held a bilateral meeting with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny at the White House before the two leaders traveled to the Capitol for a St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon.

In their Oval Office meeting — the fifth since President Obama took office — the President and Taoiseach reaffirmed the incredible bond between the United States and Ireland. 

“We have an incredibly strong partnership on economic issues, on security issues,” President Obama said. “The Taoiseach has shown great leadership during difficult times in Ireland. And we’re seeing progress in the Irish economy.”

Noting one example of this progress, President Obama mentioned a deal to sell American-made planes to Ireland that will help businesses here in the U.S create jobs. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Matt Compton
Matt Compton

March 20, 2013
10:00 AM EDT

 

Yesterday President Obama continued what’s become a March tradition: For the fifth time, he sat down to fill out his brackets for the NCAA men and women’s basketball tournaments — and shared his picks with ESPN.

 

The President has Louisville, Ohio State, Florida, and Indiana headed to Atlanta for the Final Four.

 

He picked the Hoosiers to top the Cardinals in the National Championship game on April 8.

 

 

President Obama's 2013 NCAA Tournament Bracket 

 

Download the full predictions here.

We’ll share the President’s pick for the women’s tournament on Friday. Be sure to check back!

 

 

 

Colleen Curtis
Colleen Curtis

March 20, 2013
10:29 AM EDT

 

This week, President Obama is making the first trip of his second term, visiting Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan. We will be posting regular updates from the road and livestreaming several of the President’s events on whitehouse.gov/live.

 

  • Wednesday, March 20 (2:05 PM ET) — President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu hold a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem
  • Thursday March 21 (11:00 AM ET) — President Obama delivers a speech at the Jerusalem Convention Center
  • Friday March 22 (11:45 AM ET) — President Obama and King Abdullah II of Jordan hold a press conference in Amman, Jordan

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

March 20, 2013
11:30 AM EDT

 

 

Ed. note: This post was first published on the official blog of healthcare.gov. You can see the original post here.

 

For decades before the passage of the Affordable Care Act, health care costs outstripped inflation, without corresponding improvements in health care quality. Our system didn’t incentivize quality or efficiency. We paid providers for the quantity of care, not the quality of care delivered. And we were not using technology to deliver smarter care.

 

The Affordable Care Act includes steps to improve the quality of health care and lower costs for you and for our nation as a whole. This means avoiding costly mistakes and readmissions, keeping patients healthy, rewarding quality instead of quantity, and creating the health information technology infrastructure that enables new payment and delivery models to work.

 

Here are just a few ways that the health care law builds a smarter health care system and incentivizes quality – not quantity of care – to drive down costs and save you money.

 

 

We’re Shifting the Focus to Quality, Not Quantity

The health care law creates new Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) that incentivize doctors and other providers to work together to provide more coordinated care to their patients. ACOs agree to take responsibility for the cost and quality of their patients and to improve care coordination, safety, and to promote appropriate use of preventive health services. And when this new care model saves the Medicare program money, that savings is shared with the ACO. Over 250 organizations are participating in Medicare ACOs, giving more than 4 million Medicare beneficiaries access to high-quality coordinated care throughout the nation. ACOs are estimated to save the Medicare program up to $940 million in the first four years.

 

The Affordable Care Act also ties Medicare Advantage bonus payments to the quality of coverage these private plans offer. This gives seniors a broader range of higher quality Medicare Advantage plans from which to choose. As a result, in 2013, the 14 million Medicare beneficiaries currently enrolled in Medicare Advantage have access to 127 four and five star plans, which is 21 more high-quality plans than were available in the previous year.

 

 

Keeping You Out of The Hospital

Every year, about 2.6 million seniors – or nearly one in five hospitalized Medicare enrollees – are readmitted within 30 days of discharge, at a cost of more than $26 billion to the Medicare program. Many of these readmissions stem from preventable problems. These rates can be drastically reduced if we do a better job coordinating care and support. The health care law’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program reduces Medicare payments to hospitals with relatively high rates of potentially preventable readmissions to encourage them to focus on this key indicator of patient safety and care quality.

 

We’re starting to see results. Medicare readmissions rates have remained stuck near 19 percent over the five years that the data has been collected (and likely for decades prior to that), but in 2012 the nationwide rate of hospital readmissions of Medicare patients declined to about 17.8 per cent. This translates to over 70,000 fewer preventable hospital readmissions.

 

 

Lowering Costs

Taken together these improvements are providing more value for your health care dollar and helping to fuel historically low cost growth rates in Medicare and Medicaid. Last year, Medicare cost growth increased by only 0.4 percent, continuing the historically low Medicare growth we saw in 2011 and 2010. Spending in Medicaid actually decreased 1.9 percent from 2011 to 2012.

 

And a recent report found that health care price inflation in January dropped to 1.5 percent, one of the smallest increases on record.

 

As the nation’s largest insurer, Medicare can lead the way in effective practices like this that deliver better care and drive down costs. Our goal is that these reforms and investments build a health care system that will ensure quality care for generations to come.

 

Learn more about key features of the Affordable Care Act:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Filed under: Affordable Health Care Act, Basketball, Black History, Business, Causes, Celebrity, Daily White House Schedule, Democrats/Democratic, Economy, Education, Event, Finance, Foreign Polocy, Good News, GOPukes/RepubliCANTS, Joy & Happiness, Medicare/Medicaid/Social Security, News, Obama Week In Review, Photographs, Politics, POTUS Obama, Religion, Speech, Stories, The White House, The White House Daily Snapshot, War & the Military, White House Blog, World News | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

President Obama to Award Medal of Honor

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Jueseppi B.

By Jueseppi B.

 

 

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The White House  Office of the Press Secretary

 

For Immediate Release
March 11, 2013

 

 

President Obama to Award Medal of Honor

 

 

On April 11, President Barack Obama will award Chaplain (Captain) Emil J. Kapaun, U.S. Army, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry.

 

Chaplain Kapaun will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his extraordinary heroism while serving with the 3d Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division during combat operations against an armed enemy at Unsan, Korea and as a prisoner of war from November 1-2, 1950.

 

When Chinese Communist Forces viciously attacked friendly elements, Chaplain Kapaun calmly walked through withering enemy fire in order to provide comfort and medical aid to his comrades.  When they found themselves surrounded by the enemy, the able-bodied men were ordered to evacuate.  Chaplain Kapaun, fully aware of his certain capture, elected to stay behind with the wounded.  As hand-to-hand combat ensued, he continued to make rounds.  As enemy forces approached the American position, Chaplain Kapaun noticed an injured Chinese officer amongst the wounded and convinced him to negotiate the safe surrender of the American forces.  Shortly after his capture, Chaplain Kapaun bravely pushed aside an enemy soldier preparing to execute a comrade, thus saving a life and inspiring all those present to remain and fight the enemy until captured. 

 

 

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Chaplain Kapaun’s nephew, Ray Kapaun, and family will join the President at the White House to commemorate his example of selfless service and sacrifice.

 

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

THE MEDAL OF HONOR:

 

 

MedalOfHonor

 

 

 

The Medal of Honor is awarded to a member of the Armed Forces who distinguishes themselves conspicuously by gallantry above and beyond the call of duty while:

 

  • engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or

 

  • serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.

 

 

The meritorious conduct must involve great personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her comrades and must have involved risk of life. There must be incontestable proof of the performance of the meritorious conduct, and each recommendation for the award must be considered on the standard of extraordinary merit.

 
 
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Filed under: Awards, Causes, Celebrity, Congress, Democrats/Democratic, Education, Event, Good News, History, Joy & Happiness, News, Obituary, Politics, POTUS Obama, Stories, The White House, War & the Military, World News | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

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