Here are highlights from our first day on the road, which took us to Nashville, TN:

]]> http://rparikh.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/dctodenver-day-1/feed/ 0 rparikh http://rparikh.wordpress.com/2008/09/15/wall-street-in-turmoil/ http://rparikh.wordpress.com/2008/09/15/wall-street-in-turmoil/#comments Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:00:31 +0000 rparikh http://rparikh.wordpress.com/?p=115 ]]> There’s lots going on in the financial markets today — the stock market has plummetted on news that our country’s major financial firms are suffering from the ongoing housing and credit crisis.  

Governor Warner spent this Labor Day the same way he spends every Labor Day – running up and down the streets of Buena Vista and Covington in their annual parades.

Here is a video of the Buena Vista Parade:

On the unofficial start of the fall campaign season, Governor Warner led the pack of politicians at the Buena Vista Labor Day Parade by shaking almost every hand along the parade route.  In the hills of Rockbridge and Allegheny Counties, our team showed once again how organized we are; nearly everyone in both towns had a Mark Warner sticker on their shirts and a rally sign in their hands.

“I’m working hard for it,” Governor Warner shouted to one parade-goer who remarked how much he was sweating. “I really want this job.”

Here’s what the Daily Press of Newport News wrote:

Democrat Mark R. Warner certainly looked like a front-runner in the U.S. Senate race Monday, trotting ahead of his opponent in the Buena Vista Labor Day parade.

He high-fived parade watchers and worked up a sweat, buoyed by supporters like Bonnie Massie, who insisted Warner autograph her campaign placard.

“He was so good when he was governor of Virginia,” Massie said.

…

Warner signs and buttons were more evident Monday — both along the street and pinned to T-shirts. Walking along the parade route, he took a quick detour to greet Marjorie Austin, who watched the proceedings from her front porch.

She represents the kind of Republican swing voter that Warner wants to attract in conservative Virginia. “He’s the only Democrat I ever supported,” she said. “He seems to have come through on his promises.”

In Covington, the Governor was welcomed back like a hero.  He’s very popular among teenagers there for making good on his 2004 pledge as Governor to return to Covington’s elementary school after student test scores resulted in the school’s full accreditation under Virginia’s tough academic standards.

“Hey Mark! Welcome back,” several of them shouted to the Governor as he sprinted past.

So, this is somewhat of a surprise.  As early as this morning, when I woke
up, everyone thought John McCain’s vice presidential nominee was going to be
Tim Pawlenty or Mitt Romney.  But it turns out that he’s asked Sarah Palin,
the 44 year old governor of Alaska, to be his running mate.

She is young and a woman — the youngest and first female governor of that
state.  She is known as a reformer in her party in a state that has an older
Republican party, including Ted Stevens, who was just indicted.  She is very
conservative, was the mayor two years ago of a town that has 8000 people,
and was a former runner up for Miss Alaska.

Very surprise pick, but out of the box that could play well with
conservatives and disaffected women.  They have their first appearance in
Dayton at noon today.

Just wanted to share some more about Palin — the selection was kind of a
surprise so information on her is just now coming out.

She’s a self-described feminist too, and calls herself a “hockey mom.”
She’s the mother of five kids, the most recent of which was born last year
with down syndrome.  And she’s a Christian conservative, which will help
McCain with the right wing of his party.  She was mayor for two terms before
becoming Governor in 2007.

From NYTimes:

She opposes abortion rights, which could help pacify social conservatives
who were wary as rumors swirled that Mr. McCain might pick a running mate
who supports them. But she differs with Mr. McCain on a controversial
environment issue that centers on her home state: she supports drilling for
oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve. Mr. McCain’s opposition to
drilling — even after he changed positions and began advocating for
off-shore oil drilling — has upset many Republicans.

Read more about her here:
http://www.nationaljournal.com/almanac/2008/people/ak/akgv.php

This is a fascinating pick.  She’s got a really interesting story that will
appeal to conservative Republicans.  Smart move on McCain’s part — out of
the box pick gets more coverage and has more shock value and gets the base
excited again with the hope that he can get Hillary Clinton Dems that don’t
like Obama.  Choosing a woman also gives them some historic value to the
ticket to counter balance the Obama-Biden ticket.  But does this take the
experience argument off the table? Palin has arguably less experience in
public office than Obama.  And, as second in command for the presidency,
will her youth and inexperience be a problem for her as much as it is fo

The text message hasn’t been sent yet, but there are several indications and independent reports/confirmations that Joe Biden will be Barack Obama’s vice presidential running mate.

The major networks haven’t reported it yet, but since I have no reason not to send this email out.  Other than being wrong, but I’m pretty sure this is it.

Biden, who was one of the Democratic candidates that ran for president
against Obama, is one of the longest-serving member of the Senate.  He is particularly adept in foreign affairs and national security; he is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and recently returned from Georgia during last week’s conflict.

Biden also has strong “working class” credentials — he is the least wealthiest member of the U.S. Senate and appeals to blue collar voters — a demographic that Obama has trouble connecting with.

The campaign hasn’t confirmed it, but there are several independent reports that indicate he is the VP, including reports that Secret Service have gone to his house and charter planes from Delaware, his home state, to Chicago.

Obama and Biden — or whoever Obama’s running mate will be — will appear together in Springfield, IL today at 1pm EST. It’s the same place where Obama launched his campaign in February 2007.

Around the same time that the world focused their attention on Beijing for the Summer Olympics, Russia sent troops into a region of neighboring Georgia this morning, escalating a longstanding conflict that has dated back to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.  It’s an ethnic conflict, but also a territorial conflict, and one that involves (surprise, surprise) oil.

The control over the region in question is a very complicated matter — which is why it’s taken me a bit to send this email out and why this email is so long (and includes a map!)

Here is some (lengthy) background on the region and the conflict:

Russian troops entered South Ossetia, which gained de facto autonomy from Georgia since the early ’90s, when it engaged in armed conflict with Georgia after the fall of the Soviet Union.  Legally, it is part of Georgia; it is not recognized as an independent nation, even though South Ossentians voted in favor of a 2006 referendum for indpendence.  Yet its people and their separatist leaders do not want to be part of the Georgian state, in any shape or form. 

They want either to attain international recognition as an independent state, or to be united with their ethnic kin living across the border in the Russian region of North Ossetia.  Russia asserts that its role since the end of the South Ossetian war in 1992 has been that of a peace-keeper. But it has supported the separatist regime financially and militarily, and reportedly has a considerable number of security and intelligence operatives there.

And here’s the oil angle: The region is located within the Caucasus mountain region, a key conduit for the flow of oil from the Caspian Sea to world markets and an area where violent conflict has flared for years along Russia’s borders, most recently in Chechnya.

Which leads to today’s conflict. Russian troops were sent across the border this morning after Georgia moved against the Russian-backed separatists. Russia says 12 of its soldiers are dead, and separatists estimate that 1,400 civilians have died. Georgia accused Russia of unleashing an air bombing campaign and claimed that hundreds of civilians had been killed; Russia denied those accusations.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said Russia was making war on his country. Despite denials from Moscow, the Russian air force has been carrying out air raids in South Ossetia and Georgia itself, according to the BBC.  Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he had to act to defend South Ossetia’s civilians, most of whom have been given Russian citizenship.

And something of interest to the U.S. Georgia’s president said his country was calling home 1,000 troops from Iraq to help deal with the crisis.  Georgia is a close American ally whose shift toward the West and pursuit of NATO membership has angered Russia. The United States said Friday that it would send an envoy to the region to try to broker an end to the fighting in South Ossetia, and the European Union, NATO and Germany all called on both sides to stand down.

Why now? Georgia could be trying to take advantage of the Olympics this week to reclaim the territory. Russia also may be seeking to draw attention away from Abkhazia, another region that is in dispute between the two countries, where it has been under pressure to allow a settlement between pro-Russian and pro-Georgian factions.

So stayed tuned to this conflict over the next couple of weeks… it has the potential to blow up into a bigger crisis that could involve the whole region, and, if nothing else, cause further turmoil in the oil markets.

President Bush announced this morning that, starting on Friday, new tours of duty to Iraq will last 12 months instead of 15 months.  However, there is no resolution on a long-term security agreement between the American government and the Iraqi government over how long U.S. troops would remain in Iraq.

The Bush administration hoped an agreement would come by the end of July, but the negotiations are under intense scrutiny from both governments because it will provide the legal basis for American troops to remain in Iraq.

The hold-up comes because the Bush administration doesn’t want to specify an intention to withdraw troops.  They believe that the progress that has been made in recent months — thanks to the U.S. troop surge and the improvement of the Iraqi military — can quickly erode and get worse.  Case in point: earlier this week in Kirkuk, a suicide bomber killed 24 people and set off accusations from different ethnic groups that quickly spiraled into a riot.

Here’s what the New York Times said about the “emerging agreement.”

As of now, a United Nations mandate legally allows American troops to operate in Iraq.  That mandate expires at the end of the year.  But politicians in both countries have been concerned that with elections approaching in the United States and Iraq, it might not be possible to reach an agreement once the fall campaign is in full swing and it would be better to finish negotiations during the summer.

That seems so weird to me — that kids can use their cell phones during school. Who are they talking to during school hours? Aren’t all of their friends in school?

I guess we’re able to use our cell phones in college in between classes, but for the most part we use it to complete errands or call parents, who we don’t see on a daily basis. It just seems weird to me that high school kids would need to use their cell phones during the day. Who do they need to talk to that they won’t see on the bus ride home or in some club after school or in their next class?

The new policy, after the jump.

New Cell Phone/Listening Device Policy

For the past year, Hunterdon Central has been examining the use of two-way communication (cell phones) and listening devices at the high school. We have spent a great deal of time talking and listening to our students and staff; we conducted a survey on our current procedure; we had a special task force gathering data and examining this issue.

We recognize the need for our students to have and use their cell phones during the day. We also believe that the use of a cell phone for calls and text messaging is a serious interruption within the classroom setting. As we examined the issue, it became apparent that we needed to balance our students� needs with the need to protect the learning environment at Hunterdon Central.

We recognize that the procedure currently in place is ineffective, for many reasons. Therefore, on April 21, 2008, we are going to implement new procedures, on a trial basis, for the 4th quarter.

The new procedures will increase the amount of time your child may use his/her cell phone during passing time between classes and during lunch; they will, however, not be permitted cell phone use during class time. Students who violate this rule will have their cell phones confiscated, as outlined on the reverse side of this letter. We will be making your child aware of the rules and consequences that go into effect on April 21st. We hope that you will take the time to familiarize yourself with the new procedures and speak with your child about using his/her cell phone and listening device responsibly.

To view the new regulations for cell phones/listening devices, click here.

To view of video of Principal Christina Steffner discussion the new policy, click here.

Poll: Dean Pulls Away In Dem Race

Ex-Vermont Gov. Leads Clark And Lieberman By 13 Points

NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2003

CHOICE FOR DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE
(Democratic primary voters)
Now
Howard Dean
23%
Wesley Clark
10%
Joe Lieberman
10%
Richard Gephardt
6%
Al Sharpton
5%
John Kerry
4%
John Edwards
2%
Carol Moseley-Braun
1%

CBS) Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean has pulled away from the field in the Democratic Presidential nomination race: his support among Democratic primary voters nationwide has risen in the past month, and held steady after the news of Saddam Hussein’s capture. But the race remains open: more than half of Democratic voters still have no opinion of Dean, most have not made up their minds for sure, and large numbers remain undecided.

Dean has been a vociferous critic of the Iraq war. Most voters believe, as Dean does, that the U.S. is no safer from terror in the wake of the arrest of Saddam Hussein. And while Dean’s rise may have been helped along by former Vice-President Al Gore’s recent endorsement, most primary voters say Gore’s nod makes no difference to them.

Dean has the backing of 23 percent of likely primary voters, the same as he did in the days just prior to Saddam’s capture, and up from 14 percent in November. His nearest rivals today are Wesley Clark and Joe Lieberman, both at 10 percent.

More than 100 fliers posted around GW Monday mocked a conservative student group’s upcoming events and drew outrage for their offensive language.

The posters, which were headlined, “Hate Muslims? So Do We!!!,” claimed to promote Islamo-Fascism Awareness week, an actual week-long series of events sponsored by the Young America’s Foundation (YAF) that intends to denounce radical Islam.

However, the fliers are credited to the “Students for Conservativo-Fascism Awareness,” a fictitious and unregistered student organization. The fliers also include this post-script: “PS Seriously, do a google video search for ‘The Power of Nightmares.’”

“The Power of Nightmares” is a 2005 BBC documentary that compares the American neo-conservative movement to the radical Islamist movement.

The parody has sparked a discussion about tolerance at GW, prompting University President Steven Knapp to issue a statement reaffirming the GW’s commitment to racial and religious tolerance.

“This flier does not represent, in any way, shape or form, the views of the administration of GW. For that matter, I believe I am safe in saying it also does not represent the views of our faculty or student body,” said Knapp in a statement sent out earlier in the day.

Fifteen student organizations led by the GW Muslim Student Association, and including YAF, the Islamic Alliance for Justice and the Jewish Student Association, signed a statement expressing that they were “appalled at this incidence of hate and Islamophobia.”

The Student Association announced late Monday that the issue will be discussed at Wednesday’s Town Hall meeting.

“The deep frustration expressed by the community…is testament to the strength of our community and our passion in preventing future acts of hateful natures,” said SA Chief of Staff Steve Glatter ’08, in the press release.

Wednesday is also the sixth annual GW Iftar, an interfaith celebration that invites all members of the community to a meal breaking the Muslim Ramadan fast.

The University Police Department confirmed that the posters were not approved by the University, according to GW spokesperson Tracy Schario. She said that UPD has launched an investigation, but would not go into details.

It is unclear what individual or organization is responsible for the posters. Though the flier promotes YAF’s upcoming event, that organization denied making or posting the fliers. The student group has also denounced the anti-Muslim message of the fliers.

“We don’t condone hate crimes. We do not stand for that,” said Jordan Neidig ’10, YAF’s correspondence director. “It was very upsetting, and if someone had concerns with our plans [for awareness week], they should have brought them up with us. Instead they acted cowardly.”

Local news affiliates reported live from campus Monday night in response to media reports and University statements condemning the poster’s racist message. However, several failed to note the group who signed the posters and the Web video they promoted.

Emma Zayer and Lainie Frost contributed to this report.