Straight Talk

Michelle Obama talks to Houston kids on Google — and delivers some pointed advice

It wasn’t a typical weekend morning for a group of young women from Breakthrough Houston, St. John’s School and the United Nations Foundation campaign, Girl Up.

This past Saturday at 8:30 a.m., 20 teen ambassadors gathered at St. John’s to participate in a live webchat with First Lady Michelle Obama about the importance of quality education and global citizenship.

Michelle Obama, who is accompanying the president on his tri-country African tour, spoke with the students via Google+ Hangout from Johannesburg. In addition to the Houston cadre, students from South Africa, Kansas City, Los Angeles and New York partook in the dialogue.

“The best advice she gave was that once you learn something you shouldn’t keep it to yourself."

“The best advice she gave was that once you learn something you shouldn’t keep it to yourself," recalls Breakthrough Houston student Samantha Santana of the First Lady's wisdom. "Share your knowledge so that the learning continues."

Participant JaDa Johnson urges the White House to sponsor future web-based discussions with young people. “The value of this event was huge," the ninth grade student says. "Being able to have a virtual conversation with the First Lady on the other side of the world meant so much to me and I’m sure to so many others.”

Houston students were joined by actress, singer, and Nickelodeon alum Victoria Justice, while Grammy-winner and education activist John Legend participated in the exchange from LA.

“We can talk about justice, and we can talk about equality, but if we are not making sure our kids get a great education, then that promise of equality, that promise of opportunity, cannot be completely fulfilled,” Legend noted during the event.

Michelle Obama hosted her first electronic fireside chat in July 2010 on childhood obesity, with subsequent webinars focusing largely on nutrition as part of her Let’s Move! initiative. Meanwhile, the White House continues to host its own web-based town halls on a range of issues, which have spanned gun control to immigration reform in 2013.

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red bull recap

35,000 Houstonians race downtown for free Red Bull F1 showcase

The Red Bull Show Down was full of racing, drifting, stunts, and more.

Photo by Chris Tedesco / Red Bull Content Pool

Arvid Lindblad drove his first F-1 in Houston.

Houston hosted the Red Bull Showrun on Saturday, September 7, and a crowd of 35,000 watched in awe as drivers engaged in high octane action.

“Thank you to the city of Houston for getting us all together. And the thousands of people who turned out for today’s Red Bull Showrun,” 13-time Grand Prix winner David Coulthard said in a statement. “To come to Houston, it’s such a vibrant city, not far from the baseball stadium and we’re right in the heart of where all the action’s happening from a sporting sense. The fan base in America is so passionate, and I think the energy has been amazing today.”

Against the backdrop of Discovery Green on the first fall(ish) day of 2024, drivers showed off their incredible skills in a free event sponsored by Ford. Coulthard and Junior Driver Arvid Lindblad took center stage in the RB7 and RB8 F1 care respectively. Both drivers ran the custom-built track at the same time, a first for F1s in the Red Bull Showrun in the United States. The F1 cars are known as some of the fastest cares on Earth, reaching speeds of well over 200 mph (370 kmh). Notably, this was the first F1 run for Lindblad, who previously competed in F3 in Italy and F4 in Macau.

“The Red Bull Showrun today was absolutely awesome, I loved every moment of it,” Lindblad added. “It was my first time in a F1 car, and I didn’t know what to expect. I knew it was going to be super cool, but this topped anything I’d ever imagined and I loved every moment! It was amazing to drive the RB8 and to get the opportunity to drive it here in Houston for the fans is one I never thought would come. This was an amazing crowd and is a day I’ll never forget. And to have had that moment with David Coulthard at the end with both of us on the track at the same time, I’ll never forget that.”

Coulthard’s RB7 was given an appropriate Houston touch while running in the city. The pit crew added spiked rims. The rims have become something of an H-town trademark, to the glee or dismay of the residents depending on who you talk to.

Red Bull Showrun Houston The RB7 car got adorned with some Houston touches.Photo by Chris Tedesco / Red Bull Content Pool

In addition to the F1 cars, drifting expert “Mad” Mike Whiddett showed off a dizzying display of donuts to the delight of the crowd in his custom MadMac McLaren P1 Hypercar. Rapper Paul Wall of Swishahouse fame made a surprise ride along with the Mad One.

Motorbike acrobatics by Aaron Colton, a car parade, and trophy trucks also gave the gearhead crowd something to cheer for. Musicwise, the event was enhanced greatly by dueling DJs, Houston’s own DJ Mr. Rogers tag-teaming with DJ Hed from Los Angeles. They would later compete in the sold out Red Bull Turn It Up event that took place Saturday night.

Photo by Chris Tedesco / Red Bull Content Pool

The Red Bull Showrun saw F1 cars racing around Discovery Green.

discovery green red bull showrun

Straight Talk

Michelle Obama talks to Houston kids on Google — and delivers some pointed advice

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red bull recap

35,000 Houstonians race downtown for free Red Bull F1 showcase

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