U.S. Mid-Term Elections, Part II: Choosing the Candidates

Sample ballots posted on Primary
Day, June 4, 2014, Harpswell ME

        If someone wants to run for office in Maine as a party candidate, they have to win the party's support. This doesn't mean convincing party officials they're the best man or woman for the job. It means the regular members of the party, the voters, have to choose them in a primary election to be the candidate.
         Imagine that John Jones and Mary Smith both want to run as the Democrat candidate for U.S. Congress. Both of them have to get on the primary election ballot. To do this, they have to find at least 1000 Democrat Party members who will sign a document called a "nominating petition." John and Mary, and their supporters, will go to  supermarkets, shopping centers and public events to ask for the signatures. They need to make sure the signatures are from registered Democrat voters who are legal residents of the voting district John and Mary want to represent.
          One thousand signatures isn't too hard. Let's say John and Mary both meet this goal. The office of the Secretary of the State of Maine verifies the signatures on the petition. Then both John's and Mary's names go on the Democrat primary ballot.
In Maine, only voters who are registered party members can vote in a party primary. Sometimes as many as six or eight people will try to win their party's nomination. Sometimes only one person seeks the nomination. For example, Governor LePage had no challenger for the Republican nomination for governor this year. It made no difference. He still had to get at least 2000 signatures--more than someone running for the U.S. House--to put his name on the primary ballot. Without going through the primary process, he could not compete in the general election as a Republican.
          On the first Tuesday in June, the primary election is held. By Wednesday, the political parties have their candidates. Usually, the losing primary candidates will "concede" and congratulate the winner. Then they offer their support to the winner in the general election.
          Independent candidates don't need to worry about a primary election. They just need to collect enough voter signatures to get their names on the ballot for the general election. An independent needs double the number of signatures that a party candidate needs.  Once an independent gets the signatures needed to be on the ballot,  the next thing challenge is to find money for the general campaign. There can be several independents running for the same office against the party candidates.
           Winners in a party primary have a financial advantage because once they are selected by the voters as the party candidate, the state party will use its money to support their campaign. Money may also come from interest groups and the national party. A LOT of money is being spent in 2014.
          The selection process varies from state to state but in all cases, the voters choose the person they want to run from their party. Voters decide based on the story the candidates tell about their background and the reasons why they say they want to be elected.
           These messages are equally important in the general election.
       

US Mid-Term Elections, Part I: The Politics of August

August in Maine is always a busy time. It's the last month of summer vacation. It's the start of the harvest season. And every even-numbered year, it's campaign season. Congress is in recess. General elections will happen in November. In Maine, as in other parts of the U.S., August is prime time for raising money and looking for votes. The money is very important. Political campaigns cost a lot.
This August, the writer Stephen King  is out helping Mike Michaud raise money. Mr. Michaud is the Democrat candidate for governor.  King doesn't often speak at political events, but he is fiercely opposed to the policies of the present Republican governor, Paul LePage. After he spoke at an event in Portland ME, he signed books and let people be photographed with him. Both he and Mr. Michaud listened to ideas and concerns from the people who gave money to go to this event.

Novelist Stephen King talks about
why people should vote for Mike Michaud
to be governor of the State of Maine

Like most states, Maine has two major political parties: Democrat and Republican. The Green Party is also officially recognized in Maine. It is not unusual for Maine voters to elect an independent. An independent is someone who is not enrolled in one of the political parties. One of Maine's U.S. Senators is an independent: Senator Angus King (no relation to the writer).
This is an "off-year" or "mid-term" election. The US president is in the middle of his term ("mid-term"), so there is no presidential campaign (a year when the presidency is "off" the ballot). In some states, like Maine, the state governor is chosen in the off-year.
In general terms, Maine's governor holds his office for four years and can be re-elected one time for another four-year term.  In all U.S. states, the representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives must be chosen every two years. U.S. Senators hold office for six years, but only 1/3 of the Senate stands for election in any election year.
         You might think the political parties decide who will represent them in the elections. You'd only be partly right.
       

A National Birthday Party: United States of America

All nations have some kind of holiday to celebrate their birth.
The United States celebrates its birth by honoring the proclamation of independence made by the People through their representatives in 1776.
July 4 is the day set aside for the nation's birthday celebration. On that date in 1776, the Continental Congress unanimously adopted a Declaration of Independence from England. The members of the Congress were from all thirteen of the American colonies, elected as their representatives by the colonial legislatures.

The Declaration followed attempts to negotiate a solution to colonial complaints about taxes and trade issues with King George of England. As the Declaration was debated, British troops were sailing into New York City Harbor to quash the "rebellion." There had already been fighting in New England, especially around Boston.
The Declaration of Independence is a legal argument. It presents the reasons why the American colonists believed they were lawfully entitled to reject the rule of England. Its main author was Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, who later became the third president of the United States.
The Declaration begins with a statement of general principles. These can be summarized as asserting that government exists to protect and support the People's rights. If the government fails to perform this duty, the People are entitled to reject it and form a new government.

Don McLean sings "American Pie"
4th of July, 2013,  Portland, Maine

The Declaration then sets forth a list of the complaints judged by the colonists to demonstrate that England had failed its duty. After this list of charges, the document asserts that the colonies attempted to find a peaceful settlement but their claims were dismissed by both the British Parliament and the King.
On the basis of the British government's failure to perform its duty to its People in the colonies, the Continental Congress declared independence from the British Crown.
The United States' birthday is a summer holiday, so the celebrations are often held outdoors. John Adams, another signer of the Declaration (and who would become the second president of  the United States) described how the event should be celebrated in a letter to his wife the day the Congress agreed to declare independence.
He said it should be remembered "with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations [fireworks] from one end of this continent to the other...." And so it is: parades of marching bands and uniforms march through the streets of cities and towns. Usually someone reads the text of the Declaration in a solemn ceremony with the national flag displayed. Quite often there is a Fourth of July baseball game or a Fourth of July run/walk for charity. Guns and cannons are shot and fireworks are exploded.

            The Fourth of July is a noisy holiday. In fact, it's a truly joyful, noisy, happy birthday party.

TOM SAWYER: FINAL PROJECTS (2 ESO A)

Here you can see the projects my 2 ESO students made when they finished reading Tom Sawyer. We hope you enjoy them!

Created with Padlet

Created with Padlet

Created with Padlet

Created with Padlet

Created with Padlet

Created with Padlet

The Triple Crown: U.S. Horse Racing's Most Elusive Prize

In the United States, we have several kinds of horse racing.  The most popular is Thoroughbred racing, often called the Sport of Kings. These races are run on turf (grass) and dirt, as well as on synthetic surfaces, over distances from 6 furlongs (1207 m) to  1-1/2 miles (roughly 2400 m).

Although Thoroughbred racing is a big money game, there are still small breeders out there who hope to beat the odds. Racing is full of "rags to riches" tales. Steve Coburn and Perry Martin are living one of those tales . They call their racing business "Dumb Ass Partners." They are two Californians: one works as a press operator in a plant; the other owns a small lab that tests technology and materials. New to racing, they started as share owners in a syndicate that owned a mare named Love the Chase.

Califronia Chrome: 2014 Derby and Preakness Winner

The mare was undersized and she didn't do well on the track. The syndicate put her up for sale, and Coburn and Martin decided to buy her. She cost them $8000 U.S. After a few more bad races, they retired her from racing and bred her to an apparently unremarkable stallion. The foal that resulted was named California Chrome.

This year, California Chrome has American racing all atwitter: he just might win the Triple Crown of American horse racing this year: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes.

No horse has managed to do this since Affirmed in 1978, though 13 got to the last race, the Belmont, with a chance. Since 1875, when the grueling three-race series began, only 11 horses have claimed the title. What makes it so hard is that the second race is only 2 weeks after the first, and then there's just 3 weeks before the last, and longest, race.

The races are open to any 3-year-old Thoroughbred who qualifies. It doesn't matter if they're colts, fillies or geldings, though the majority to run have been colts.

The first race is the fabled Kentucky Derby, held on the first Saturday in May. It's 1-1/4 miles (2000 m), the farthest most of the young horses have ever been asked to run. The Derby culminates a week of parties and celebrity events; fashion is front and center at Churchill Downs Racetrack in Louisville KY on Derby Day, with trendy hats (and also some that are bizarre). Mint Juleps (a sugared bourbon drink) are the traditional cocktail.

The field is always crowded, making it a difficult race to run. California Chrome won it by 1 and 3/4 lengths.

The second leg of the series is the Preakness Stakes, run at Pimlico Racetrack in Baltimore, MD. The Preakness is the shortest of the races at 1-1/8 miles (1911 m), and its crowd is the most diverse in the series: baseball caps are more likely than fancy hats, and instead of mint juleps, folks are downing beer. The Preakness is run on the third Saturday in May--a tight turnaround for today's racehorses, who tend to be quite lightly raced. Twenty-two horses in all have captured both the Derby and the Preakness (excluding the eleven Triple Crown winners), only to be beaten in the Belmont.

California Chrome won the Preakness by 1-1/2 lengths, holding on against a strong challenge by another top colt, Ride on Curlin.

The Belmont is 1-1/2 miles (2400 m), a distance more common in Europe than in the U.S. For many starters, this will be the only time in their careers they'll be asked to run so far. The race is run at Belmont Park in New York State on a huge race track, on the third Saturday after the Preakness. This gives the horses three weeks to recover from the first two races. For some, it isn't enough time.

To add to the challenge, new starters may be added to the mix, "fresh" racers who didn't go to the Preakness and perhaps skipped the Derby as well. This year's field looks like it will be 11, so to win it, California Chrome will have to beat 10 other horses.

Secretariat, 1973 Triple Crown Winner

He's got some great cheerleaders to cheer him on: Penny Chenery, who owned Secretariat, and the owners of Seattle Slew and Affirmed, the other two Triple Crown winners from the 1970s (1977 and 1978, respectively), will be rooting for the colt. So will a lot of people who enjoy a happy ending to a rags to riches story.

Postscript:  On June 7, a horse named Tonalist ran the fastest at Belmont Park and ended California Chrome's bid for the Triple Crown. (Ironically, Tonalist's dam was a daughter of Pleasant Colony, one of the 13 previous contenders who have sought the crown since 1978, only to lose it on the 1 1/2 mile track.) Chrome finished fourth after suffering a minor injury when he stumbled slightly at the start of the race. Once again, the challenge was too much. But it was a glorious campaign and a good effort from a very good horse.

March Madness in the USA

        March Madness has started!
The second week in March, the championship basketball games among teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) began. A frenzy unlike anything among U.S. sports fans except perhaps football's Super Bowl takes over.  Sports bars are filled with fans; house parties are held all over the country.
This is college (university) basketball. The NCAA presently has 1066 schools actively participating in competition. The schools have both men's and women's teams. Depending on the size of the school, they fall into one of three divisions.
To get to play in the national championship tournament, a team can qualify by winning its regional tournament. Other teams may be selected to compete by a Selection Committee.
The true tournament for Division I, the best-known, began this year on March 20. Between March 20 and March 22, half of the 64 teams (both men's and women's) were eliminated. In Round 2, the remaining 32 teams are cut in half again, leaving the "Sweet 16" to move on in the competition.         After a 4-day break, the battle resumes until the Sweet 16 are cut down to the "Final Four."
The mayhem of March will have ended. Many college teams will hang up their uniforms and lick their wounds. But four men's and four women's teams will survive and the high drama of the final games of the championship will unfold in April.
Now I admit I don't follow basketball at any level. But college ball is a passion for many of my countrymen (and women). I have a cousin who supports every University of Louisville (Kentucky) team. Louisville's teams are called the Cardinals, and in her life, the Cardinals Rule--but when it comes to basketball, loyalty and interest transform into passion. Louisville pretty much always sends its teams to March Madness; last year, the men took their tournament by storm, and the women made it to the final game, though they lost to University of Connecticut.  My cousin's life is on hold for as long as a Cardinal flies across the basketball courts of the NCAA.

Louisville Cardinals guard Russ Smith (L) drives to the hoop past Wichita State Shockers guard Ron Baker during the second half of their NCAA men's Final Four basketball game in Atlanta, Georgia April 6, 2013.
 (Reuters Photo/Chris Keane)

         So if you should travel to the U.S. between March 20 and April 8--even if only by satellite dish or cable--look in on a sports channel. You'll likely find an authentic cultural celebration: team supporters of college basketball teams, rooting on their favorites. The final games generate huge public parties. The Final Four games for the women will be in Nashville, Tennessee, a center for country music; Nashville will have races and kids' events--and of course, country music performances. The Final Four games for the men will be near Dallas, Texas, complete with a 3 day music festival featuring both country stars like Tim McGraw and rock favorites like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
         Until then, as the March Madness frenzy plays out, college players will defy gravity to sink baskets. Just watch them fly!
          (More technical information about how the tournament works is at the web site  http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/march-madness.htm  if you want to additional information!)

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