Posts Tagged ‘Julie Jacobson’

April 26, 2012: Ottawa

Thursday, May 3rd, 2012

Last night Ambassador Doer and I were the co-hosts of the Politics and the Pen dinner in Ottawa, a fundraising event in support of the Writers’ Trust of Canada, that celebrates Canadian political and literary cultures. It was great fun.

For those of you who might not be familiar with it, the centerpiece of the evening is the award of the  Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for the best political writing in Canada, awarded this year to Richard Gwyn for his biography Nation Maker: Sir John A. Macdonald: His Life, Our Times; Volume Two: 1867-1891.

The Writers’ Trust celebrates and rewards the talents and achievements of Canada’s novelists, short story writers, poets, biographers, and other fiction and nonfiction writers. Recent award winners include: Patrick DeWitt, Wayne Johnston, and David Adams Richards.

Besides authors, some of others in attendance were: Laureen Harper, Finance Minister Flaherty, Foreign Affairs Minister Baird, Liberal Leader Rae and NDP Leader Tom Mulcair. Really, about the only way you can get in the door is to be an author or get elected to Parliament.

I agreed to co-host the event because I support the writers of Canada.  Oh yea, and my wife Julie was the co-chair of the event.

Julie and David Jacobson with author Ron Graham at a reception for the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize finalists. (Credit: Steve Gerecke)

The hosts are supposed to be funny.  And I have got to tell you that adds A LOT of pressure.  As Amb. Doer said, they don’t pay us to be funny.  But we seemed to do ok.  The theme of our effort was Thrilla on the Hilla – Part II.  We both came out in boxing robes and gloves.  Got a few laughs.  Still, I think I’ll keep my day job and leave comedy to the professionals.  As we stepped off the stage, I thought of one of my favorite lines from Winston Churchill:  “Nothing is quite so exhilarating as to be shot at and missed.”

Co-hosts David Jacobson and Gary Doer, Ambassador of Canada to the U.S. have some fun on stage (Photo Credit: Jake Wright)

DJ

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Posted in April 2012 |

March 22, 2011 – World Water Day

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011

By Guest Blogger Julie Jacobson

Happy World Water Day!  Today I joined the U.S. Embassy’s staff and friends on a six kilometer walk through Gatineau and Ottawa.

This distance represents the average journey that millions of women and children in the developing world travel every day to secure their basic water needs. 

Embassy Walkers for World Water Day 2011

Living in Ottawa, it’s easy to overlook the disparity in the distribution of world resources and to forget that billions of people don’t have access to basic sanitary facilities. So along with thousands of concerned people around the globe, we decided to remind ourselves, and to hopefully bring to the attention of others, that an unacceptable number of people in this world struggle just to find water for their daily use.

Here are a few disturbing facts I recently read:

  • More than half the poor of the developing world are sick at any given time from causes related to hygiene, sanitation and water supply.
  • Water-related diseases are the leading cause of death for children less than five years old.
  • Two and a half billion people lack access to improved sanitation, and over a billion have no facilities at all.

    • In recognition of World Water Day, I hope that everyone takes a minute to consider this problem and to come up with some way to help – whether it’s volunteering time, donating money, or even just writing to the decision makers to remind them of the issue and let them know you care about it. I believe that in this, even a little help goes a long way to improving the lives of billions around the world.

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    Posted in March 2011 |

    July 29, 2010 – Ottawa

    Friday, July 30th, 2010

    This morning we hosted Seamus O’Regan and the crew of CTV’s Canada AM for their broadcast. As I said to my daughter when they were putting on her makeup before the show… not like the life we used to lead!

    Ambassador Jacobson and Seamus O'Regan

    Ambassador Jacobson and Seamus O'Regan

    The fun started – and it was fun – yesterday when the crew arrived to set up and to film Julie giving them a tour of the house. We both feel strongly about the importance of openness and transparency in government. This is a cornerstone of the Obama Administration. That’s why we opened the Embassy during Doors Open Ottawa, why I write this blog, and why we invited Canada AM to broadcast from the Ambassador’s Residence, a.k.a., our home. While these events are, obviously, not the be-all-and-end-all of open government, they are representative of what we believe.

    CTV's Seamus O'Regan and crew arrive early in the morning

    CTV's Seamus O'Regan and crew arrive early in the morning

    In any event, Julie showed Seamus the art and several of the official rooms on the first floor. She then went up to the “President’s Room” on the second floor where Presidents stay when they are in town – the most recent being George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Next, they went up to our favorite place (at least in the summer) – the deck on the roof with the spectacular views of the Ottawa and Gatineau Rivers and the Gatineau Hills. For the record, it’s one of the greatest places in the world for an evening glass of wine.

    Julie Jacobson and Seamus O'Regan

    Julie Jacobson and Seamus O'Regan

    This morning the crew arrived at 4:30 a.m. Not sure I would do well as a regular on the show. At 6:00, they began the broadcast from our front yard. Among the highlights was a tour of our vegetable garden with our head gardener Laura Dill. She gave all of us a great tip. There were a lot of gnats flying around. It turns out they go to the highest point, so if you hold your hand over your head they stay away from your face and body. It worked so well that we all spent the rest of the day walking around the grounds looking like we wanted to be called on by the teacher.

    Head gardener Laura shows Seamus the Residence's Garden

    Head gardener Laura shows Seamus the Residence's Garden

    During the interview, Seamus, Julie and I talked about the fact that President Obama was appearing on The View this afternoon. As I explained, the Administration was obviously trying to blanket the airwaves of North American daytime TV!

    Residence Chef Dino and Seamus

    Residence Chef Dino and Seamus

    Then they had my favorite segment of the show. Our daughter Wynne and our Chef Dino Ovcaric showed the audience how to make one of our all-time favorites, Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza. After the show ended we had a great breakfast. Pizza! Quite a morning.

    DJ

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    Posted in September 09 |

    June 25, 2010 – Toronto G8/20

    Monday, June 28th, 2010

    Very exciting day. The President arrived in Toronto for the G8 in Muskoka and then the G20 in Toronto. Julie and I went out to Pearson Airport to greet him when he arrived.

    We were joined by Robert Peck the Canadian Chief of Protocol, Canadian Minister of Transportation John Baird, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, Toronto Mayor David Miller, and U.S. Consul General in Toronto Kevin Johnson.

    As Air Force One pulled up all I could think of was how much things had changed since I first met the President several years ago when he was an up-and-coming State Senator in Chicago.

    The President was his usual gracious self. But the highlight was his greeting of Julie:

    Julie Jacobson greets President Obama at his arrival for the G8/G20 Summits (AP Photo)

    Julie Jacobson greets President Obama at his arrival for the G8/G20 Summits (AP Photo)

    DJ

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    Posted in June 2010 |