EXCLUSIVE: MALIA AND SASHA'S DOG ARRIVES TUESDAY 4/14/09 TO THE WHITE HOUSE!

The Obama Portuguese dog arrives this coming Tuesday 14th April 2009. It will be presented to the girls and their parents by Senator Ted Kennedy's family. The black dog a male is approximately six months old. So then, Malia and Sasha have earned that puppy coming to the White House with them.

Angry Hillary Clinton says Somali pirates' lifeboat out of gas.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday the lifeboat on which a U.S. captain was being held hostage by Somali pirates had "apparently" run out of gas.

"We are watching this very closely," Clinton told reporters, with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates at her side. "Apparently the lifeboat has run out of gas," she said before a joint meeting with Australia's defense and foreign secretaries.

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Former First Lady Laura Bush receives award.

The Texas Medal of Arts Awards were held at the Long Center Tuesday night. The bi-annual event is a chance for the Texas Cultural Trust to honor legendary artists and people who use their position to help advance the arts.

The awards were handed out to former First Lady Laura Bush, Clint Black, Robert Rauschenberg, Lake/Flato Architects, James Dick, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Robert Rodriguez, Edith O’Donnell, T.R. Fehrenbach, Austin City Limits, Betty Buckley and Keith Carter.

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Michelle Obama plants first seedlings in White House garden.

Photo: Reuters

Mrs Obama was joined by a group of 25 children who tend to a similar garden at their school for the inaugural plantings.

Among the crops brought into the 1,100-square-foot L-shaped plot on the South Lawn was spinach, assorted types of lettuce, herbs - including dill, oregano and rosemary - onions, shallots, cucumbers, peppers and peas.

Tomato vines will added to the vegetable patch in about three weeks.

An advocate of eating fresh and healthy food, Mrs Obama and her family could be enjoying salads made with lettuce from the garden in a fortnight and blueberries "by June".

Before the group got their hands dirty, Mrs Obama talked to the Bancroft Elementary School students about eating more fruit and vegetables.

"It does have nutrients, it does make you strong, it is all brain food," she said.

Mrs Obama said she was asked about the garden while in Europe last week by Prince Charles, another keen gardener.

"In many countries they really believe in the importance of planting and growing their own food," she told the children.

She said the garden was also "real inexpensive," no more than $200, and would yield "a ton of stuff."

"We can produce enough fruits and vegetables to feed us for years and years to come, for just a couple of hundred dollars," she said.

Some of the food grown in the garden will be served to the Obamas and to White House staff and guests. Some will be donated to a local soup kitchen.

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