The Wisconsin Memorial Park in Brookfield has several displays of patriotic art.  The Hall of Presidents is lined with portraits of the presidents of the United States.  This leads into The Freedom Rotunda, where a grand mosaic portrays scenes from American history.

Below is the newest entry to the Hall of Presidents, a plaque of President Barack Obama:

A lichen found in the Channel Island National Park in California is the first species to be named after President Barack Obama.  It looks like orange moss and grows very slowly.  Lichen are the result of fungi and algae living together, and there are about 17,000 species of lichen in the world.

Kerry Knudsen, lichen curator of the University of California, Riverside Herbarium, discovered the species in 2007 while doing a lichen survey on Santa Rosa Island in California.  “I named it Caloplaca obamae to show my appreciation for the president’s support of science and science education,” he said.  “I made the final collections of C. obamae during the suspenseful final weeks of President Obama’s campaign for the United States presidency.”

Caloplaca obamae is the first organism to be named in honor of President Obama.  Note that former president George W. Bush and vice-president Dick Cheney were also honored with species named after them.  Appropriately, both had slime-mold beetles named in their honor.

Story at LiveScience
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Antigua Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer and his government is seeking to name its highest peak after President Barack Obama.  They wish to create Mount Obama Monument and National Park with hiking trails and a museum with entertainment and educational facilities.  Spencer says Mount Obama will be a “beacon of hope for all people.”

Spencer outlined his plan Monday but did not say how much it would cost or how the government of the dual-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda would pay for it.  The 1,319-foot mountain is currently known as Boggy Peak.  It will be renamed on Obama’s birthday August 4.  Spencer says the U.S. president will be invited to the ceremony.

Story at Google
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