I wonder, I wonder ......

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio House of Representatives plans to vote -- again -- on a plan to excuse schools from rescheduling up to four days of classes cancelled due to extreme winter weather. House Republicans delayed a vote last week because of concerns about the state paying for days when school wasn't in session. The bill is slated for another vote Wednesday.

When and why and who decided that politicians should dictate policy, etc., to schools. I am sure there are many, paid by the state, with impressive education degrees who are well educated and informed on how best to educate our school children, here in Ohio, and each state has similar well educated educators on their payroll. 

We hired highly qualified people to run our schools and then we have some half baked politician tell them what to do. I never really understood why we have "school boards." The district spends thousands of dollars, to find a qualified candidate, probably with a PhD, to be Superintendent of Schools, and then have a "Board Meeting" and some Walmart Cashier, who was "elected" to the Board, conceivably by voters who never graduated from high school, and they have the audacity to tell the PhD how things should be done.

Many "Boards" look good on resumes, but serve no practical function. Why hire qualified, well educated people to do their jobs, and then have totally "unqualified" people tell them how to do their jobs?

NJ teen loses first legal battle to make parents pay for education

MORRISTOWN, New Jersey (Reuters) - A New Jersey student who says her parents abandoned her when she turned 18 lost a first round on Tuesday in the lawsuit she filed against them for school costs and living expenses, a case that could set a precedent for a family's obligation to support a child who has left home.

A family court judge denied a request by Rachel Canning of Lincoln Park, New Jersey, to have her parents temporarily resume paying her tuition and living expenses. He set another hearing date for next month.

Canning, 18, wants her parents to pay the remaining $5,000 in tuition owed to the Morris Catholic High School, where she is a senior, and she wants access to a college fund that was set up for her.

The cheerleader and lacrosse player claims her parents kicked her out of the house in November 2013 after she turned 18, the age of legal adulthood. She wound up living with a friend's family, she said, and the upheaval has jeopardized her educational future.

Judge Peter Bogaard rejected her request for a temporary payout of about $600 a month in support as well as tuition for her private high school, which has waived fees while the case is settled.
View gallery
New Jersey student Rachel Canning attends a hearing in her lawsuit against her parents Sean and Eliz …

In court, the teen said her parents remain obligated to help her with food, transportation, high school tuition and her college education.

$10M Gold Coin Hoard Found in Yard May Have Been Stolen From Mint

I told my wife when I first heard of this, "They should just keep their mouths shut, they will lose it all since they went public." Too good to be true, and it was. Easier said than done, however. 

A California couple who found a stash of buried gold coins valued at $10 million may not be so lucky after all. The coins may have been stolen from the U.S. Mint in 1900 and thus be the property of the government, according to a published report.

The San Francisco Chronicle's website reported that a search of the Haithi Trust Digital Library provided by Northern California fishing guide Jack Trout, who is also a historian and collector of rare coins, turned up the news of the theft.

The California couple, who have not been identified, spotted the edge of an old can on a path they had hiked many times before several months ago. Poking at the can was the first step in uncovering a buried treasure of rare coins estimated to be worth $10 million.

"It was like finding a hot potato," the couple told coin expert Don Kagin from Kagin's, Inc. The couple hired the president of Kagin's, Inc. and Holabird-Kagin Americana, a western Americana dealer and auctioneer, to represent them.

The coins are mostly uncirculated and in mint condition, and they add up in face value to $27,000. "Those two facts are a match of the gold heist in 1900 from the San Francisco Mint," the newspaper reported.

Jack Trout told the paper that an 1866 Liberty $20 gold piece without the words "In God We Trust" was part of the buried stash, and the coin may fetch over $1 million at auction because it's so rare.

"This was someone's private coin, created by the mint manager or someone with access to the inner workings of the Old Granite Lady (San Francisco Mint)," Trout told the newspaper. "It was likely created in revenge for the assassination of Lincoln the previous year (April 14, 1865). I don't believe that coin ever left The Mint until the robbery. For it to show up as part of the treasure find links it directly to that inside job at the turn of the century at the San Francisco Mint."

'Housewives' couple plead guilty to fraud in NJ

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star and her husband face prison time after they pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal fraud charges for concealing income and lying during bankruptcy proceedings.

In contrast to their often raucous on-screen personas, Teresa and Giuseppe "Joe" Giudice stood solemnly in front of U.S. Magistrate Esther Salas in Newark, speaking in barely audible tones as they admitted engaging in financial fraud.

Both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and three types of bankruptcy fraud. Joe Giudice also pleaded guilty to failing to file a tax return for 2004, though he acknowledged he didn't file taxes on income of approximately $1 million between 2004 and 2008.

They had been scheduled for trial on more than 40 counts and had unsuccessfully sought separate trials.

Teresa Giudice said in a statement read by her lawyer, Henry Klingeman, that she takes responsibility "for a series of mistakes I made several years ago" and said she will make a statement to the court when the couple is sentenced on July 8.

"I will describe the choices I made, continue to take responsibility for my decisions and express my remorse to Judge Salas and the public," she wrote. "I am heartbroken that this is affecting my family — especially my four young daughters, who mean more to me than anything in the world."

Under federal sentencing guidelines, Joe Giudice faces a potential sentence of 37 to 46 months and Teresa Giudice could get 21 to 27 months, though Salas could deviate up or down from those ranges. Klingeman said after Tuesday's hearing that his client will seek probation.

Joe Giudice is an Italian citizen and could be deported upon completion of his prison term, said his attorney, Miles Feinstein. Giudice came to the U.S. as an infant and wasn't aware that he wasn't an American citizen, Feinstein said.

Bill Clinton’s photo with Bunny Ranch prostitutes results in different stories

"Hi Girls."

"Hi Billy, nice to see you again, when are you going to come back to the ranch?"

Former President Bill Clinton posed for a photo at an event Thursday night with two women who work as legal prostitutes at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch in Nevada.

The photo was taken at the Unite4:Humanity charity gala held in Los Angeles. The prostitutes have been identified as Ava Adora and Barbie Girl, TMZ reported.

The report said it’s unknown how the women got into the party. Sources close to the organizers say the women were not invited guests and were removed from the party after snapping the photo with Mr. Clinton. Sources close to the two women, however, say that’s not true.

Bunny Ranch owner Dennis Hof told TMZ that his entire group successfully went through security and not one of them was kicked out of the party.

Thursday’s event, hosted by “Saturday Night Live” comedian Andy Samberg, honored actor Robert De Niro and director Martin Scorsese, among others.

Mr. Clinton was the recipient of the Unity Recognition Award.

I really have no title for this .... depressed, I guess...

I am watching the evening news, from Columbus, Ohio, a town that has grown leaps and bounds. They are doing a segment on how a new interchange is needed, somewhere, because a new mall and a gigantic outlet mall is going to be erected, over some nice looking farmland.

My question. Where are all these people coming from, what are they doing to make a living, where are they working, I just don't understand it all. Unemployment is rampant, home sales are up, and shopping centers are expanding and building new ones. For some reason, this just does not compute, in my head. Unemployment does not equal prosperity. Are the unemployed being given enough government money to purchase new homes? In Hawaii, on welfare, etc., you can make 60 thousand, I assumed that amount was possible because of the high cost of living there, maybe not.

Our rent here, in our apartment will go up in a few months, to an amount that we just cannot afford. Our rent increase in our twelve years here, far outdistances the cost of living increases. It has gone up 71%. The cost of living, 30.03 during that time frame.

One neighbor is stretched to the point where he will have to give up eating. He makes enough to pay rent and utilities, nothing left. We are near that point, just too much. We have paid $20 a month for Caleb, our dog, $2,880, still paying that amount per month. We have been promised a new stove and refrigerator since we moved in, been threatened with eviction on three occasions, two when they credited our rent to another Dooley, who lived here, and once when they lost our check, they later apologized and promised to buy our dinner. We rarely call for a problem, have, in my opinion, been ideal tenants.

So, we start looking, I don't mind a new location, but that moving, in 12 years we have amassed so much stuff, just plain stuff. The one good thing, we had, I guess, figured we would be living here until we died, not gonna happen .... apparently. And on top of that, Michelle and the kids and her mom are going to China, probably a few million, and none of them even speak Chinese ... travel while you can, I guess.

Thank You American Citizens .... here's to YOU!

The First Lady is reaching into the taxpayers’ pocket yet again and embarking on another million dollar vacation – this time to China. (Who, interestingly enough, just signed a pact with Vladimer Putin’s Russia, as the relationship between the U.S. and Russia crumbles under the bony, waiflike shoulders of Barack Obama.) 

 The First Lady will be bringing her daughters and mother along, and promises to take plenty of time to check out the sites, while at the same time, leaving her husband far behind for at least a week. How wonderful!

Officials should slow military cuts, learn from Benghazi

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon said Tuesday that Congress should slow cuts to the military to ensure the country is ready for the next war.

“We've never had cuts so deep, so steep,” he said on MSNBC. 

“We always cut back after war. It seems to be in our DNA. We just don’t want to be ready for the next one.”

He added that the embassy attack in Benghazi should teach officials that the military can’t be ready to mobilize on a moment’s notice without the proper funding and resources.

“That’s what I gained out of the Benghazi report, is that we expected the military to be there 7/24, no matter how we cut back on their resources and their ability. 

So we don’t have tankers ready to refuel fighter jets. 

We don’t have Marines that have airlift to get them immediately to any spot around the globe 7/24,” he said. 

“We should learn a hard lesson from this.”

Great Lakes nearing ice cover record

Over 90% of the Great Lakes are frozen solid, the highest level in 20 years.

Got ice?

The Great Lakes certainly do, with ice coverage at its highest percentage in 20 years, according to scientists from the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich.

"Persistent cold temperatures in the Midwest this winter have almost completely frozen over many of the Great Lakes," the lab noted in a release last week. Many cities around the Great Lakes are enduring one of their top-five coldest winters on record, the National Weather Service reports.

As of Sunday, 90.5% of the Great Lakes were ice-covered, which is the third-highest level since records began, according to Anne Clites, a scientist with the laboratory. In second place is 1994, at 90.7%.

The record of almost 95% was set in February 1979. "It certainly seems like we have a chance to set the record," Clites said in an e-mail Monday, noting that it will depend on the weather over the next two weeks.

It's Time for Another Expensive Obama Family World Tour

Taking advantage of a "situation" does not come close to what THEY are doing to this country, they insult us time after time and think NOTHING of it. "Hey baby, me 'n the kids are gonna go to China .... gonna take Momma along." I honestly don't think that ANYONE has taken advantage like they have. I find it offensive.

I forgot, "No problem, baby, I'm headen out too ... we be gettin together when we all get back ..OK, hey, you guys have a great time .... China, I wonder why there?" ..... Yes, that gesture is, in my mind, the way they feel about the country and its population who are paying for all of this.

The March 19-26 trip will include a visit with her Chinese counterpart, Peng Liyuan, who is a popular folk singer and the second wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The trip will be Michelle Obama's first to China. Her itinerary includes stops in the Chinese capital, Beijing, on March 20-23, Xian on March 24 and Chengdu on March 25-26.

The first lady's focus will be on the importance of education in her own life and in the lives of young people in both countries, her office said.

The trip will feature stops at important historical and cultural sites, a university and high school in Beijing and a high school in Chengdu.

Daughter Malia Obama is 15 years old and Sasha is 12.

Michelle Obama is inviting U.S. students to follow her trip by signing up for updates throughout the trip at whitehouse.gov.

PBS LearningMedia and Discovery Education will offer "engagement opportunities" for young people surrounding the first lady's trip and make resources available to U.S. classrooms about the people and geography of China and current events there, her office said.

PBS LearningMedia offers classroom-ready, curriculum-targeted digital resources for grades pre-K through 12, according to its Web site. Discovery Education, an arm of Discovery Communications, also provides digital content to schools, according to its Web site.

In advance of her overseas trip, Michelle Obama on Tuesday plans to visit a Chinese immersion school, the Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School, where pre-K students are studying the language and sixth graders will tell her about their 2013 trip to China, her office said.

Yu Ying means "nurturing excellence" and is also the name of a groundbreaking school for girls that was founded in 1911 in Beijing, her office said. The Chinese school offered classroom education when the centuries-old tutorial system still was the norm there, and it was a "powerful force for educational change in China," her office said.

US prepares $1B aid package for troubled Ukraine

The money is actually coming from Bernie Madoff. Reportedly, after making the hasty decision by the president, the Secretary of the Treasury was contacted, he informed the president that we actually had no money on hand, and faxed the president a list of potential lenders. Mr. Madoff was contacted during his exercise period in the prison yard, and agreed to the loan on the condition that his exercise period would be extended to sixteen hours each day ..... "Hey, I have to sleep sometime" .... he quipped.

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — In a somber show of U.S. support for Ukraine's new leadership, Secretary of State John Kerry walked the streets Tuesday where nearly 100 anti-government protesters were gunned down by police last month, and promised beseeching crowds that American aid is on the way.

The Obama administration announced a $1 billion energy subsidy package in Washington as Kerry was arriving in Kiev. The fast-moving developments came as the United States readied economic sanctions amid worries that Moscow was ready to stretch its military reach further into the mainland of the former Soviet republic.

Kerry headed straight to Institutska Street at the start of an hours-long visit intended to bolster the new government that took over just a week ago when Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych fled. He lay a bouquet of red roses, and twice the Roman Catholic secretary of state made the sign of the cross at a shrine set up to memorialize protesters who were killed during mid-February riots.

"We're concerned very much. We hope for your help, we hope for your assistance," a woman shouted as Kerry walked down a misty street lined with tires, plywood, barbed wire and other remnants of the barricades that protesters had stood up to try to keep Yanukovych's forces from reaching nearby Maidain Square, the heart of the demonstrations.

Piles of flowers brought in honor of the dead provided splashes of color in an otherwise drab day that was still tinged with the smell of smoke.

"We will be helping," Kerry said. "We are helping. President Obama is planning more assistance."

Burt Lake ..............

This is "heaven" to me, Northern Michigan, Burt Lake. I can hear those little waves washing against the shore, those rounded rocks from thousands of years of water gently caressing them, I can almost smell that crisp, clear, lake air, and the faint aroma of Cedar in the air.

My first visit to the lake was in the late 30's, I remember one year, in out Trotwood Trailer, we parked it near the edge of the lake. In those days, Indian children would walk around the lake selling baskets and trinkets that they had made. We had a large basket in our home for many years, held toys for visiting children, I wonder where that is.

Some years we rented from Paulene Everhard who owned a number of properties around the lake. One year we rented a brand new one of hers. My brother had taken a few high school friends up with him. Charley Parlette and Red Wallace, maybe even Bob Wolfe. Our first night, it was cool, they built up a big fire. There was a beautiful, new mantel over the fireplace. The heat and big fire, scorched and burnt it, slightly. The entire time there, that year, was spent with sandpaper, removing the char, and getting it back to bare wood. They got it done before we left, I don't think that Paulene ever knew.

Those stones, out in the water, could be the same stones that were there in the 30's and 40's. That is the same water that the Jessidean gently glided through, in the evening, slowly, with canvas buckets in the water  on both sides, to slow the speed, trolling in the early evening quiet, looking for an elusive Walleye.

The boat was built by my Dad, from start to finish, had a Gray Sea Scout engine, a beautiful sloping front deck, and up front, that bronze dirigible bow cleat that family friend, Oscar Higgins, the patternmaker, helped Dad with its design and pouring and finishing.. I would love to have that today. I loved that boat, it instilled a love of wooden boats in me that I have today.

We would excitedly leave Dayton, going on vacation. Somewhere in Northern Ohio, I forget the town, but the same every year, we would stop, get some groceries and stop at a small wayside park, with picnic tables and a swing. Ring bologna, crackers, milk, chips, Fig Newtons, still one of my favorite meals, then back on the road. Halfway up Michigan, we would stop at a motel, made up of small cabins. Then, next morning, back on the road ...... finally, Indian River, park near the large pond make of lake rocks, teeming with fish of all sizes. Fishing Licenses purchased, some last minute tackle, a short drive and there it was, Topinabee, Michigan. The little railway station, the Topinabee Hotel, not standing today, but a plush, Summer spot for many. They a left, up that hill, the fork in the road by the little church, on down that endless road, seemed like we would never get to the crossroads, finally, turn left, another endless road, finally, at the crest of the hill, there it was, our first glimpse ...... of Burt Lake, heaven on earth, to me.

Elvis .... I think he was ..... The Greatest

I watched part of a "spectacular" of his that Bill Gaither, for some reason, is promoting, and he was, an entertainer. I was never a big Elvis fan, have seen him in many movies, never saw him in person, but he had the "entertainer" thing down to an art.

The one I was watching was a "spectacular," to say the least. Gigantic band, backup singers galore, including, J. D. Sumner, the big tall old bass singer from The Stamps Quartet. JD was one of Elvis's favorites, The picture here is old JD and the ring that Elvin gave him. As each song ended, hundreds of people stood and took pictures, it was amazing. I just never realized how "big" he really was. And, as the song says, he did it his way.

In  retrospect, I think he was the "biggest" star of my lifetime. I doubt that he had many "private" moments in his life. He could not go to a store and shop, or leave his house, without drawing a crowd. His "quiet" moments were at a premium. I wonder if he ever saw a movie in a theatre, or had a nice quiet meal in a restaurant.

Of his own doing, he went too soon. I remember hearing Rex Humbard, the evangelist who did his funeral, mention that on the way to the cemetery, there were throngs of people, and one man, near the end before they entered was standing there, next to his Harley, a big old weather beaten biker, brought his hand to his forehead, as a "salute" to Elvis.

SUNDAY ....

Wisdom from Miss Brooklyn

This is a much younger photo of Miss Brooklyn ....


I know I am a doting old great grandfather, but I love the logic expressed here by one Miss Brooklyn four years old .........

A Facebook post my Granddaughter posted ...........

"On the mind of a 4 year old.........Brooklyn just asked how much longer till she goes to the Doctor because she is almost sick. 

I asked why she thinks she's almost sick and she says it's because she keeps sneaking into the candy and too much candy makes you sick.

Pete Rose

In my opinion, and I am certainly not aware of all the circumstances involved, Pete Rose should be inducted in to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

I have seen him  play on a number of occasions at the old Crosley Field in Cincinnati. He generated excitement every time he came to the plate. He generated excitement when he got on base, he generated excitement just being in the game.

It is difficult for me to believe that other players have not also wagered on games. They have to fill many idle hours, I cannot believe that Pete is the only ball player who succombed to the emptation.

His good far outweighs anything he did, and what he did in no way reflected on the integrity of the game.

I feel there is a personal vendetta of some sort between Pete and the head of baseball. It must be of a personal nature. It would be a travesty if Pete Rose left this earth not being a member of the Hall of Fame.

And Thank You .... Matthew..

I have always been somewhat of  a fan of his .... his star is shining a bit brighter in my eyes .... nice to hear from one of his stature ..... 

LOS ANGELES – Rather than thanking an assortment of managers, agents, publicists, assistants and lawyers when he won his Best Actor Oscar for his role in "Dallas Buyers Club" on Sunday night, Matthew McConaughey thanked his fellow nominees, cast mates and ... God.

And he was the one of the first of the night to do so.

"First off I want to thank God, because that's who I look up to. He's graced my life with opportunities that I know are not of my hand or any other human hand," the 44-year-old Texas native said. "He has shown me that it's a scientific fact that gratitude reciprocates. In the words of the late (British actor) Charlie Laughton, who said, 'When you got God you got a friend and that friend is you.'"

McConaughey then went on to show his appreciation for his wife, children, mother and late father.

"To my father, I know he's up there right now with a big pot of gumbo, he's got a lemon meringue pie, he's probably up there in his underwear, he's got a cold can of Miller lite and he's dancing right now," he continued. "To my dad, you taught me what it means to be a man, to my mother, who's here tonight, you taught me and my two brothers, demanded, that we respect ourselves. What we in turn learned was, we were then better able to respect others."

McConaughey's words earned him quite the applause on social media.

"I'm willing to bet God delighted in your acknowledgment and praise. Congrats!" tweeted one viewer, while another weighed in: "U will be blessed more! Well-deserved," as scores of others wrote that they were "loving" the star right now.

US cancels delegation to Paralympics in Russia

"This is Barack, Caitlin, tell them I'm sorry, but Michelle and the Kids and her Mom want to go to China and we just can't afford both trips ........................"

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says the United States has decided not to send a presidential delegation to the Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

The move is in retaliation for Russia's military advances in Ukraine.

White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden says President Barack Obama still supports the U.S. athletes participating and wishes them success.

The U.S. and its allies are weighing sanctions and other potential consequences to persuade Russia to reverse course in Ukraine. Britain has also decided not to send ministers to the Paralympic Games, which start Friday.

Vice President Joe Biden spoke Monday to Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. The White House says Biden urged Russia to pull back its forces and made clear that Russia faces increasing political and economic isolation is the situation is not resolved.

High court to examine facial hair, teeth-whitening

"and then, there will be peace."

WASHINGTON (AP) — Facial hair and teeth-whitening will be getting unusually prominent attention from the Supreme Court.

The court agreed Monday to hear two cases during its next term that involve matters of personal hygiene in vastly different settings.

In one case, the court will decide whether an Arkansas prison inmate must be allowed to grow a short beard in accordance with his religious beliefs. The justices will hear an appeal from inmate Gregory Holt, who says his Muslim beliefs require him to grow a beard.

State corrections officials say their grooming policy prohibiting beards promotes hygiene and safety. The court previously blocked the state from forcing Holt to shave the beard while the appeal was under consideration.

The 38-year-old Holt is serving a life sentence for domestic violence and burglary. Prosecutors alleged that Holt cut his girlfriend's throat and stabbed her in the chest at her mobile home.

Holt's appeal was handwritten and filed without the benefit of an attorney, and the court rarely accepts such cases. The justices will appoint a lawyer to assist Holt in presenting his arguments.

Separately, the high court is taking up a North Carolina case in which the state's dental regulatory board argues that only dentists should be allowed to whiten teeth. The state Board of Dental Examiners is challenging a lower court ruling and an order by the Federal Trade Commission that said the board engaged in unfair competition in the market for teeth-whitening services by shutting down businesses such as day spas and tanning booths that offered the service.

The board sued the FTC in 2011, saying the agency overstepped its authority. But the federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., sided with the FTC.

One appeals court judge said the board would have had a stronger case if its members were elected or appointed by state government officials rather than by other dentists.

Both cases will be argued in the fall.

Hey, honey, I'm gonna take a trip ...................

"Hey, honey, I'm gonna take Mom and the kids and go to China."

"I didn't know your Mom was here, how long has she been here?"

"She moved in when we did."

"Oh, I thought she was just watchin the kids, I'll be damned, your Mom, huh. Yea, go ahead and take the backup plane, I'm gonna head for Europe and the desert, see you when you get back, your Mom, I didn't know, you seen my clubs?"

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michelle Obama plans a weeklong solo visit to China this month that includes meetings with China's first lady and high school and university students.

It will be her first visit to the Asian economic powerhouse.

In an announcement Monday on the White House blog, the first lady says a China visit is important because it is the most populous country in the world, with more than 1.3 billion people, and plays an important role on the world stage.

The White House says Mrs. Obama will travel from March 19-26. She will spend several days in the capital of Beijing, followed by stops in the central city of Xian and the southwestern city of Chengdu. Her schedule includes a meeting with Peng Liyuan, the wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Mrs. Obama missed meeting China's first lady last June when the newly installed Xi, accompanied by his wife, traveled to Southern California for a summit with President Barack Obama. Mrs. Obama stayed in Washington for personal reaons.

She wrote a letter to Peng Liyuan welcoming her to the U.S. and expressing hope that they would meet soon in China, the White House said.

In China this month, Mrs. Obama will focus on the power and importance of education, including in her own life, during visits to a high school and a university in Beijing, and a high school in Chengdu.

She recently began an effort at home to encourage America's young people, including some of the most economically disadvantaged, to pursue a college education. On past trips outside the U.S., she also has stressed the same points to students from the host country. Mrs. Obama grew up in a poor Chicago family, but ended up with degrees from two of America's best schools.

In China, she will be accompanied by daughters, Malia and Sasha, and her mother, Marian Robinson, who lives at the White House. President Barack Obama will not be on the trip. He departs the U.S. later that week for stops in Europe and Saudi Arabia.