In syntax, a transitive verb is a verb that requires both a subject and one or more objects. Some examples of sentences with transitive verbs:
* Harry sees Adam. (Adam is the direct object of “sees”)
* You lifted the bag. (bag is the direct object of “lifted”)
* I punished you. (you is the direct object of “punished”)
* I give you the book. (book is the direct object of “give” and “you” is the non-prepositional indirect object of “give”)
Those transitive verbs that are able to take both a direct object and an indirect object are called ditransitive; an example is the verb give above. Verbs that require a single object are called monotransitive. There are a few verbs that may be called “tritransitive”.
Verbs that don’t require an object are called intransitive, for example the verb to sleep. Since one cannot “sleep” something, the verb acts intransitively. Verbs that can be used in a transitive or intransitive way are called ambitransitive; an example is the verb eat, since the sentences I am eating (with an intransitive form) and I am eating an apple (with a transitive form that has an apple as the object) are both grammatically correct.
There are languages which distinguish verbs based on their transitivity, which suggests that this is a salient linguistic feature. For example, in Japanese:
授業が始まる。
Jugyō ga hajimaru.
The class starts.
先生が授業を始める。
Sensei ga jugyō o hajimeru.
However, the definition of transitive verbs as those which have one object is not universal and is not used in grammars of many languages. For example, it is generally accepted in Polish grammar that transitive verbs are those which:
* accept a direct object (in accusative in the positive form, and in genitive in the negative form), OR
* undergo passive transformation.
Both conditions are fulfilled in many instances of transitive verbs, ex. Maria widzi Jana (Mary sees John; Jana is the accusative form of Jan) – Jan jest widziany przez Marię (John is seen by Mary). However, there are exceptions, and verbs with one or even two objects may also be intransitive.
“Who won the debate polls” are notoriously subjective, of course, so take them for what they’re worth. But according to three post debate polls, respondents think Obama got the best of things tonight:
CBS News: Obama won 39%, McCain won 25%, Draw 36%
Insider Advantage: Obama won 42%, McCain won 41%, Undecided: 17%
The two vice presidential candidates debate for election on the stage of a performing arts center at the University of Mississippi for the first of three scheduled debates with less than six weeks remaining until Election Day.John McCain and Barack Obama stood behind identical wooden lecterns Friday night.
Debate Name :: msnbc debate
Tonight the candidates clarified, as well as muddled, their positions on many issues. On the introductory question about the $700 billion bailout plan, Barack Obama offered a numbered list of conditions he would require in an acceptable plan, while John McCain said “sure,” he would approve the negotiated bailout. It seemed that after suspending his campaign, McCain would have clarified his position.
As for the designated topics — foreign policy and national security — McCain and Obama emphasized their respective strengths: the surge and tough talk on Russia and Iran for McCain and foresight on the folly of an Iraq war, and strong, but smart diplomacy for Obama.
Debate Scorecard and Webcast Coverage
Two focus groups, one by GOP pollster Frank Luntz and another by Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg, both declare Obama the winner. Independents in the MediaCurves focus group “gave the debate to Obama 61-39. They also think he won every individual segment. Republicans gave the debate to McCain 90-10, Democrats to Obama 93-7.” Time’s Mark Halperin weighs in with his grades: Obama A-, McCain B-. Even Dick Morris..says Obama won.
A CBS News instant poll finds Several positive reviews for Obama as under…
40% of uncommitted voters who watched the debate tonight thought Barack Obama was the winner. 22% thought John McCain won. 38% saw it as a draw.
68% of these voters think Obama would make the right decision
about the economy. 41% think McCain would.
49% of these voters think Obama would make the right decisions about Iraq. 55% think McCain would.
How long is the debate ? View debate transcript
McCain hammered home naivete over his institutional memory and experience and it stood up against Obama’s admittedly impeccable preparation. The direct head-to-head did get tense at times, but they managed to keep it in a constructive arena. With moderator Lehrer springing a no-holds-barred, “are we facing another 9/11?” question toward the end, I think of all the elections, Lehrer may have just won “Supreme Moderator for All Time.” McCain wrapped it up cosmically saying, “I know how to heal the wounds of war… I know how to treat our adversaries.” As for a winner? Both candidates stumbled at times, did their jobs at others and both brought a serious A-game.
The Indus River {Sanskrit: सिन्धु Sindhu; Urdu: سندھ Sindh; Sindhi: سندھو Sindhu; Punjabi (Shahmukhi: سندھ, Gurmukhi: ਸਿੰਧੂ) Sindh; Avestan: Hinduحندو ; Pashto: Abasin ّآباسن “Father of Rivers”; Persian: Nilou “Indigo Waters”; Tibetan: Sengge Chu “Lion River”; Chinese: 印度河 Yìndù Hé; Greek: Ινδός Indos} is the longest river in Pakistan and the third largest river, in terms of annual flow in the region. It is often considered the life-line of Pakistan by the people of that country. The Europeans used the name “India” for the entire subcontinent based on “Indo”, the Greek the appellation of this river. Originating in the Tibetan plateau in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar, the river runs a course through Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and Northern Areas, flowing through the North in a southerly direction along the entire length of the country, to merge into the Arabian Sea near Pakistan’s port city Karachi. The total length of the river is 3,180 kilometres (1,976 miles). The river has a total drainage area exceeding 1,165,000 square kilometres (450,000 square miles). The river’s estimated annual flow stands at around 207 cubic kilometres. Beginning at the heights of the world with glaciers, the river feeds the ecosystem of temperate forests, plains and arid countryside. Together with the rivers Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, Jhelum, Beas and the extinct Sarasvati River, the Indus forms the Sapta Sindhu (“Seven Rivers”) delta in the Sindh province of Pakistan.
The Indus provides the key water resources for the economy of Pakistan – especially the breadbasket of Punjab province, which accounts for most of the nation’s agricultural production, and Sindh. The word “Punjab” is a combination of the Persian words ‘panj’ (پنج) Five, and ‘āb’ (آب) Water, giving the literal meaning of the Land of the Five Rivers. The five rivers after which Punjab is named are the Beas, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej. The river also supports many heavy industries and provides the main supply of potable water in Pakistan.
The ultimate source of the Indus is in Tibet; it begins at the confluence of the Sengge and Gar rivers that drain the Nganglong Kangri and Gangdise Shan mountain ranges. The Indus then flows northwest through Ladakh and Baltistan into Gilgit, just south of the Karakoram range. The Shyok River, Shigar and Gilgit streams carry glacial waters into the main river. It gradually bends to the south, coming out of the hills between Peshawar and Rawalpindi. The Indus passes gigantic gorges 4,500-5,200 metres (15,000-17,000 feet) high near the Nanga Parbat massif. It flows swiftly across Hazara, and is dammed at the Tarbela Reservoir. The Kabul River joins it near Attock. The remainder of its route to the sea is in plains of the Punjab and Sindh, and the river becomes slow-flowing and highly braided. It is joined by Panjnad River at Mithankot. Beyond this confluence, the river, at one time, was named Satnad River (sat = seven, nadi = river), as the river was now carrying the waters of Kabul River, Indus River and the five Punjab rivers. Passing by Jamshoro, it ends in a large delta to the east of Thatta.
The Indus is one of the few rivers in the world that exhibit a tidal bore. The Indus system is largely fed by the snows and glaciers of the Himalayas, Karakoram and the Hindu Kush ranges of Tibet, Jammu and Kashmir and the Northern Areas of Pakistan. The flow of the river is also determined by the seasons – it diminishes greatly in the winter, while flooding its banks in the monsoon months from July to September. There is also evidence of a steady shift in the course of the river since prehistoric times – it deviated westwards from flowing into the Rann of Kutch.
History
Paleolithic sites have been discovered in Pothohar near Pakistan’ s capital Islamabad, with the stone tools of the Soan Culture. In ancient Gandhara , near Islamabad, evidence of cave dwellers dated 15,000 years ago has been discovered at Mardan.
The major cities of the Indus Valley Civilization, such as Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, date back to around 3300 BC, and represent some of the largest human habitations of the ancient world. The Indus Valley Civilization extended from Balochistan to Gujarat, with an upward reach from east of Jhelum River to Ropar on the upper Sutlej. The coastal settlements extended from Sutkagan Dor at the Iranian border to Lothal in Gujarat. There is an Indus site on the Oxus river at Shortughai in northern Afghanistan (Kenoyer 1998:96), and the Indus site Alamgirpur at the Hindon River is located only 28 km from Delhi (S.P. Gupta 1995:183). To date, over 1,052 cities and settlements have been found, mainly in the general region of the Ghaggar-Hakra River and its tributaries. Among the settlements were the major urban centers of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, as well as Lothal, Dholavira, Ganeriwala, and Rakhigarhi. Only 90-96 of the over-800 known Indus Valley sites have been discovered on the Indus and its tributaries. The Sutlej, now a tributary of the Indus, in Harappan times flowed into the Ghaggar-Hakra River, in the watershed of which were more Harappan sites than along the Indus (S.P. Gupta 1995: 183).
Most scholars believe that settlements of Gandhara grave culture of the early Indo-Aryans flourished in Gandhara from 1700 BC to 600 BC, when Mohenjo-daro and Harappa had already been abandoned.
The name Indus is a Latinization of Hindu, in turn the Iranian variant of Sindhu, the name of the Indus in the Rigveda. The Sanskrit Sindhu generically means “river, stream, ocean”, probably from a root sidh “to keep off”; Sindhu is attested 176 times in the Rigveda, 95 times in the plural, more often used in the generic meaning. Already in the Rigveda, notably in the later hymns, the meaning of the word is narrowed to refer to the Indus river in particular, for example in the list of rivers of the Nadistuti sukta. This resulted in the anomaly of a river with masculine gender: all other Rigvedic rivers are female, not just grammatically, being imagined as goddesses and compared to cows and mares yielding milk and butter.
The Indus has formed a natural boundary between the Indian Subcontinent hinterland and its frontier with the Iranian Plateau, a region which includes Pakistan’s Balochistan, North West Frontier Province as well as Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Iran. It has been crossed by the armies of Alexander the Great – His Macedonian forces retreated along the southern course of the river at the end of the Asian campaign after conquering what is now Pakistan and joining it to the Hellenic Empire. The Indus plains have also been under the domination of the Persian empire and the Kushan empire. The Muslim armies of Muhammad bin Qasim, Mahmud of Ghazni, Mohammed Ghori, Tamerlane and Babur also crossed the river to strike into the inner regions of Punjab , Rajasthan and Gujarat.
The word “India” is a reference to the Indus River. In ancient times, “India” referred to the region of modern-day Pakistan along the Indus river which traded extensively with the ancient world. It was only after the arrival of the British in the 16th century that name began to be applied to the entire region. Incidentally, Pakistan’s founding father, Mohammed Ali Jinnah was quite surprised to learn that upon the departure of Britain from the region, that its new neighbour to the east was going to retain the name India as the country’s official name.[citation needed].
Geography
Tributaries
* Astor River
* Beas River
* Chenab River
* Gar River
* Ghizar River
* Gilgit River
* Gumal River
* Hunza River
* Jhelum River
* Tanubal River
* Kabul River
* Kunar River
* Ravi River
* Shigar River
* Shingo River
* Shyok River
* Suru River
* Sutlej River
* Swaan River
* Zhob River
* Balram River
Geology
The Indus River feeds the Indus submarine fan located in the Arabian Sea, which is the second largest sediment body on the Earth at around 5 million cubic kilometres of material eroded from the mountains. Studies of the sediment in the modern river indicate that the Karakoram Mountains in northern Pakistan are the single most important source of material, with the Himalayas providing the next largest contribution, mostly via the large rivers of the Punjab (i.e., the Jhelum, Ravi, Chenab, Beas and the Sutlej). Analysis of sediments from the Arabian Sea by marine geologists Peter Clift and Jerzy Blusztajn has demonstrated that prior to five million years ago the Indus was not connected to these Punjab rivers which instead flowed east into the Ganges and were captured after that time. Earlier work, also by Peter Clift, showed that sand and silt from western Tibet was reaching the Arabian Sea by 45 million years ago, implying the existence of an ancient Indus River by that time. The delta of this proto-Indus river has subsequently been found in the Katawaz Basin, on the Afghan-Pakistan border. Most recently the Indus was paralleled by the ancient Saraswati River, which the Rigveda suggests flowed from the Himalayas between the Sutlej and the Yamuna Rivers, close to modern day Chandigarh.
Wildlife
Accounts of the Indus valley from the times of Alexander’s campaign indicate a healthy forest cover in the region, which has now considerably receded. The Mughal Emperor Babar writes of encountering rhinoceroses along its bank in his memoirs (the Babarnama). Extensive deforestation and human interference in the ecology of the Shivalik Hills has led to a marked deterioration in vegetation and growing conditions. The Indus valley regions are arid with poor vegetation. Agriculture is sustained largely due to irrigation works.
The Blind Indus River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor) is a sub-species of Dolphins found only in the Indus River. It formerly also occurred in the tributaries of the Indus river. Palla fish (Hilsa) of the river is a delicacy for people living along the river. The population of fishes in the river is moderately high, with Sukkur, Thatta and Kotri being the major fishing centres – all in the lower Sindh course. But damming and irrigation has made fish farming an important economic activity. Located southeast of Karachi, the large delta has been recognised by conservationists as one of the world’s most important ecological regions. Here the river turns into many marshes, streams and creeks and meets the sea at shallow levels. Here marine fishes are found in abundance, including Pomfret and Prawns.
Economy
The Indus is the most important supplier of water resources to the Punjab and Sindh plains – it forms the backbone of agriculture and food production in Pakistan. The river is especially critical as rainfall is meagre in the lower Indus valley. Irrigation canals were first built by the people of the Indus valley civilization, and later by the engineers of the Kushan Empire and the Mughal Empire. Modern irrigation was introduced by the British East India Company in 1850 – the construction of modern canals accompanied with the restoration of old canals. The British supervised the construction of one of the most complex irrigation networks in the world. The Guddu Barrage is 1,350 metres (4,450 ft) long – irrigating Sukkur, Jacobabad, Larkana and Kalat. The Sukkur Barrage serves over 20,000 square kilometres (5,000,000 acres).
After the Partition of India, a water control treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1960 guaranteed that Pakistan would receive water from the Indus River independent of upstream control by India.[1] The project, Indus Basin Project, consisted primarily of the construction of two main dams, the Mangla Dam built on the Jhelum River and the Tarbela Dam constructed on the Indus River, together with their subsidiary dams.[2] The Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority undertook the construction of the Chashma-Jhelum link canal – linking the waters of the Indus and Jhelum rivers – extending water supplies to the regions of Bahawalpur and Multan. Pakistan constructed the Tarbela Dam near Rawalpindi – standing 2743 metres (9,000 ft) long and 143 metres (470 ft) high, with an 80 kilometre (50 mile) long reservoir. The Kotri Barrage near Hyderabad is 915 metres (3,000 ft) long and provides additional supplies for Karachi. The Taunsa Barrage near Dera Ghazi Khan produces 100,000 kilowatts of electricity. The extensive linking of tributaries with the Indus has helped spread water resources to the valley of Peshawar, the Northwest Frontier Province. The extensive irrigation and dam projects provide the basis for Pakistan’s large production of crops such as cotton, sugarcane and wheat. The dams also generate electricity for heavy industries and urban centres.
People
The inhabitants of the regions through whom the Indus river passes and forms a major natural feature and resource are diverse in ethnicity, religion, national and linguistic backgrounds. On the northern course of the river in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India live the Buddhist people of Ladakh, of Tibetan stock, with Kashmiris who practice Islam. As it descends into Northern Areas of Pakistan, the Indus river forms a distinctive boundary of ethnicity and cultures – upon the western banks the population is largely Pashtun, Baloch, and of other Iranian stock, with close cultural, economic and ethnic ties to Afghanistan and Iran. The eastern banks are largely populated by peoples of Indo-Aryan stock, such as the Punjabis, the Sindhis and the Seraikis. In northern Punjab and the North-West Frontier Province, ethnic Pashtun tribes live alongside Punjabi people. In the southern portion of the Punjab province, the Saraiki peoples speak a distinctive tongue and practise distinctive traditions. In the province of Sindh, peoples of Sindhi and Muhajir backgrounds form the local populations. Upon the western banks of the river live the Balochi and Pashtun peoples of Balochistan.
Modern issues
The Indus is a strategically vital resource for Pakistan’s economy and society. After the Partition of India in 1947, the use of the waters of the Indus and its five eastern tributaries became a major dispute between India and Pakistan. The irrigation canals of the Sutlej valley and the Bari Doab were split – with the canals lying primarily in Pakistan and the headwork dams in India – disrupting supply in some parts of Pakistan. The concern over India building large dams over various Punjab rivers that could undercut the supply flowing to Pakistan, as well as the possibility that India could divert rivers in the time of war, caused political consternation in Pakistan. Holding diplomatic talks brokered by the World Bank, India and Pakistan signed the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960. The treaty gave India control of the three easternmost rivers of the Punjab, the Sutlej, the Beas and the Ravi, while Pakistan gained control of the three western rivers, the Jhelum, the Chenab and the Indus. India retained the right to use of the western rivers for non irrigation projects. (See discussion regarding a recent dispute about a hydroelectric project on the Chenab (not Indus) known as the Baglihar Project).
Hindu pilgrimage to holy sites alongside the river has been a source of conflict between the two nations. Pakistan does generally allow Indian citizens to visit the country for religious purposes, However, owing to the volatile nature of bilateral relations, most pilgrimage and religious ceremonies are performed by Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir.
There are concerns that extensive deforestation, industrial pollution and global warming are affecting the vegetation and wildlife of the Indus delta, while affecting agricultural production as well. There are also concerns that the Indus river may be shifting its course westwards – although the progression spans centuries. On numerous occasions, sediment clogging owing to poor maintenance of canals has affected agricultural production and vegetation. In addition, extreme heat has caused water to evaporate, leaving salt deposits that render lands useless for cultivation.
Open thread. Who “won” the first debate between John McCain and Barack Obama and why?
* Overall
* On the economy
* On foreign policy
* Will the debate make a difference? How does it set up the atmospherics for what follows?
Henry Kissinger has already weighed in on a subject touched upon during the debates. The Weekly Standard reports: “Henry Kissinger believes Barack Obama misstated his views on diplomacy with US adversaries and is not happy about being mischaracterized. He says: ‘Senator McCain is right. I would not recommend the next President of the United States engage in talks with Iran at the Presidential level. My views on this issue are entirely compatible with the views of my friend Senator John McCain. We do not agree on everything, but we do agree that any negotiations with Iran must be geared to reality.’”
Richard Craig Shelby (born May 6, 1934), sometimes known as Dick Shelby, is an American politician. He currently is the senior U.S. Senator from Alabama. Originally elected to the Senate as a Democrat, Shelby switched to the Republican Party in 1994 when it gained the majority in Congress.
Biography
Background
Shelby was born in Birmingham, Alabama to Alice L. Skinner and Ozie Houston Shelby. He attended the University of Alabama, graduating in 1957 and from its law school 1963, respectively.
After graduating, Shelby practiced law in Tuscaloosa, home of the University of Alabama, from 1963 to 1978. He is a member of the American Bar Association and Alabama Bar Association, as well as the American Judicature Society, Alabama Law Institute, Delta Chi Fraternity, and Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity.
Shelby currently lives in Tuscaloosa with his wife, Annette Nevin Shelby. They have two sons — Richard Jr., and Claude Nevin. Claude and his wife Lisa have two children: a daughter, Anna Elizabeth Shelby, and a son, William Nevin Shelby.
Early political career
He entered politics while serving as city prosecutor from 1963 to 1971. From 1966 to 1970, he was a U.S. Magistrate for the Northern District of Alabama; from 1969 to 1971, Shelby was a Special Assistant State Attorney General.
Shelby began his legislative career as a member of the Alabama Senate in 1970, serving until 1978, when he was elected to the House of Representatives from the Tuscaloosa-based 7th District. He was reelected three times.
Career in the Senate
In 1986, he won the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat held by Republican Jeremiah Denton, the first Republican elected to the Senate from Alabama since Reconstruction. He won a very close race as the Democrats regained control of the Senate. He was easily re-elected in 1992 even as Bill Clinton lost Alabama’s electoral votes.
Shelby spent most of his first 15 years in Washington as one of the more conservative Democrats in Congress. In the House, he was a member of the boll weevils, a group of moderate to conservative leaning Democrats who often worked with Republican President Ronald Reagan on defense issues.
Shelby publicly feuded with Bill Clinton during the first half of his second term. At a meeting with Vice President Al Gore, he turned to 19 Alabama TV cameras and denounced the Clinton program as “high on taxes, low on spending cuts”. Consequently, it was announced that a multi-million dollar space facility was not going to be built in Alabama but rather Texas. However, as Clinton’s approval ratings began to decline, Shelby’s popularity ratings became some of the highest in the state.[citation needed] He voted with Senate Republicans against the administration on almost every partisan issue.[citation needed] On November 9, 1994, Shelby switched his party affiliation to Republican one day after the Republicans won control of both houses in the midterm elections, giving the Republicans a 53-47 majority in the Senate. He won his first full term as a Republican in 1998 by a large margin, and faced no significant opposition in 2004.
Shelby served on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence from 1995 to 2003, stepping down because of a Senate rule limiting committee terms to eight years. Shelby took an adversarial stance towards the intelligence community during both Clinton and Bush administrations. He helped sink Anthony Lake’s nomination as CIA director in 1997 and promised to investigate the use of American-made satellites by the Chinese to gather intelligence. He was also highly critical of CIA Director George Tenet in the aftermath of September 11. When Tenet resigned in July 2004, Shelby commented “This is not a surprise to me at all. What was a surprise was that he held onto the job as long as he did”.
From 2003 until 2007, he chaired the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. He is also a member of the Appropriations Committee (where he chaired its subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science) and Special Committee on Aging. He lost his chairmanships in 2007 when the Democrats regained control of the Senate.
Shelby is currently co-chair of the Congressional Privacy Caucus and Zero Capital Gains Tax Caucus. He is also the Senate co-chair of the National Security Caucus. In addition, he is a member of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Senate Centrist Coalition.
In the Metroplex of Dallas–Fort Worth, Shelby is known for the Shelby Amendment, a law he sponsored that eased some of the restrictions placed on Dallas’ secondary airport by the contentious Wright Amendment.
Shelby remains relatively popular in Alabama. An a December 2007 poll shows, he has a 54% approval rating, with 36%disapproving.Survey USA
Political views
Shelby opposes gun control and abortion, and supports the Federal Marriage Amendment. He has also been a staunch advocate of a flat tax and of the Bush Administration’s tax cuts. He cites disagreements with the Democrats on tax policy as one of the main reasons he became a Republican; he feels the Democrats are too willing to enact tax increases. Among the bills sponsored by Shelby over the years have been bills to make English the sole language of the federal government, to limit federal government spending by statute, and to provide a moratorium on certain forms of immigration.
However, he is considered to be much more independent-minded than his Senate colleague, Jeff Sessions. For instance, shortly after becoming a Republican he voted against a major tort reform bills, the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, as well as a bill that weakened consumer protection laws, the Common Sense Product Liability and Legal Reform Act. Both bills were vetoed by President Clinton, though the first bill was successfully passed over his veto. In 1999 he was the only Senate Republican to vote against the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Shelby also voted against the North American Free Trade Agreement and opposes most free trade agreements, most recently the Central America Free Trade Agreement. He also opposed the confirmation of Robert Bork to the United States Supreme Court in 1987 (when Shelby was still a Democrat). However, he supported the confirmation of Samuel Alito almost two decades later.
Environmental Record
In 2005, Richard Shelby received a 0 percent on the Republicans for Environmental Protection’s (“REP”) environmental scorecard.[2] He voted in a manner inconsistent with what the REP considers “pro-environment” on all 15 issues considered environmentally critical by the REP. Issues in which Senator Shelby voted “anti-environment” were: all amendments to the Energy Policy Act proposed in 2005, the issue of authorizing drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, and reducing fuel economy standards for vehicles.
Senator Shelby received a 5 percent from the League of Conservation Voters (“LCV”) scorecard for his “pro-environment” vote on the issue of the Central America Free Trade Agreement. [3] The “CAFTA” is criticized by the LCV for its low environmental standards involving trade with Central American countries. This “pro-environment” vote, however, was outweighed by his supposed “anti-environment” votes on the energy conference report, renewable energy, farm conservation programs,global warming, natural gas facilities, fuel economy requirements, and various other issues.
In 2006, Senator Shelby received a 0 percent from the REP and a 0 percent from the LCV. According to these organizations, he voted “anti-environment” on the issue of energy and weatherization assistance, on drilling, environmental funding, peer review, renewable resources, and The Gulf of Mexico Security Act.
Assignments
* Senate Committee on Aging
* Senate Committee on Appropriations
o Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science (Ranking Member, former Chairman)
o Subcommittee on Defense
o Subcommittee on Homeland Security
o Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education & Related Agencies
o Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations & Related Programs
o United States Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
* Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs (Ranking Member, former Chairman)
o Subcommittee on Economic Policy
o Subcommittee on Housing & Transportation
Controversies
Leaking classified information
In 2004, a federal investigation concluded that Shelby revealed classified information to the media when he was a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. [5] Specifically, Shelby revealed classified information on June 19, 2002 to Carl Cameron, the chief political correspondent on Fox News. This information had been given to Shelby only minutes before at a closed intelligence committee meeting. This information consisted of two messages intercepted by the National Security Agency on September 10, 2001, but translated only after the attacks the next day — “the match is about to begin” and “tomorrow is zero hour.”
Both the U.S. attorney’s office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case, and a grand jury empaneled. In July 2004, the Department of Justice declined to file criminal charges against Shelby and transferred the case to the Senate Ethics Committee.
On August 11, 2004 media sources confirmed that Shelby had hired Washington-based attorney Gregory Craig, to represent him in investigations by the Ethics Committee. In November 2005, the Senate Ethics Committee dismissed its probe into the alleged leak of classified information regarding National Security Agency intercepts the day before the attacks, administering no punishment to Shelby.
Conflict of interest: title insurance industry
Shelby, in his role as chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs, opposed proposed bills that would have helped reform the title insurance industry and help reduce the costs homeowners pay, particularly when they refinance their mortgage.
Shelby earns between $100,000 and $1,000,000 per year from Tuscaloosa Title Co. Inc., a title insurer he founded in 1974.[7] His staff stated that his opposition to the bills is unrelated to his relationship with Tuscaloosa Title.
Shelby Hall Research Center at University of Alabama
Named for Senator Shelby and his wife (a professor emerita at the University of Alabama), the 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2) square foot new center opened at University of Alabama in 2004 and combines engineering, science (chemistry and materials research) and transportation research in one building. Shelby Hall.
Shelby Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
The $90 million, 12-story Richard C. and Annette N. Shelby Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building at the University of Alabama at Birmingham opened in April 2006. The 323,000 square feet (30,000 m2)square foot building is located at University Blvd and 19th Street South on the UAB campus. Senator Shelby was instrumental in securing federal funds for the building, which increases UAB’s available research space by 25%.
Shelby at Auburn University
On April 18, 2008, the Auburn University Ginn College of Engineering dedicated the new Sen. Richard C. and Dr. Annette N. Shelby Center for Engineering Technology. Shelby helped secure $30 million of the $54 million cost of Phase I of the project.
Phase I of the massive building project is a 185,000 square feet (17,200 m2) complex that opened in 2008. Including modern classrooms, quality lab space, numerous administrative offices, and various student programs, the Shelby center has already begun to benefit Auburn University in recruiting students and increasing the quality of life for the students already there.
The second phase of the Shelby Center will include an Advanced Research Laboratory Building and also a new Mechanical Engineering Building.
Group Ratings (108th Congress)
* National Journal
o Economic: 42% Liberal, 57% Conservative
o Social: 16% Liberal, 81% Conservative
o Foreign: 0% Liberal, 67% Conservative
* Americans for Democratic Action: 20
* American Civil Liberties Union: 11
* Chamber of Commerce of the United States: 88
* Christian Coalition: 100
* League of Conservation Voters: 0
* American Conservative Union: 84
* National Taxpayers Union: 65
Electoral History
2004 Alabama United States Senatorial Election
Richard Shelby (R) (inc.) 68%
Wayne Sowell 38% (D)
1998 Alabama United States Senatorial Election
Richard Shelby (R) (inc.) 63.2%
Clayton Suddith 36.7% (D)
1992 Alabama United States Senatorial Election
Richard Shelby (D) (inc.) 64.8%
Richard Sellers (R) 33.1%
Jerome Shockley (Lib.) 2%
1986 Alabama United States Senatorial Election
Richard Shelby (D) 50.2%
Jeremiah Denton (R) (inc.) 49.8%
1984 Alabama 7th District United States Congressional Election
Richard Shelby (D) (inc.) 97%
Chuck Ewing (Lib.) 3%
Trista Nicole Sutter (née Rehn) (born October 28, 1972 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA) is a prominent former participant in the ABC reality television shows, The Bachelor (in which she was runner-up to Amanda Marsh) and The Bachelorette.
She has also appeared on NBC’s Fear Factor and ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.
The Bachelorette
As part of her participation in The Bachelorette, Sutter was paid $1 million by ABC for affording the network the right to televise her December 6, 2003 marriage to Ryan Sutter, the bachelor she selected to marry on the show. The televised wedding, broadcast as the finale of a three-episode special Trista & Ryan’s Wedding drew over 26 million viewers, making it one of the most-widely viewed episodes in the history of reality television. After many months of trying to get pregnant, they finally welcomed their first child, Maxwell Alston Sutter, on July 26, 2007.
Television appearances
Sutter also appears opposite actor Jason Alexander in a KFC commercial. She also has appeared in country music singer Brad Paisley’s music video “Celebrity” in 2003 with Alexander, Little Jimmy Dickens, and William Shatner.
She was the first celebrity contestant to be voted off Season 1 of US Dancing with the Stars.
Personal life
Ryan Sutter married Rehn on December 6, 2003. The Sutters now live in Eagle County, Colorado, where Sutter is a Vail, Colorado firefighter. Rumors of their divorce surfaced in 2008 but were denied by Trista.
In February 2007, the Sutters told People magazine that they were expecting their first child in summer of 2007, but they wanted the sex of the baby to be a surprise. In an interview, Ryan stated that if they had a girl, then they would like to have a boy next, but if they had a boy first, then they wanted a girl second. On July 26, 2007, Maxwell Alston Sutter was born 4 weeks early stemming from pregnancy complications via c-section after a failed induction/stalled labor. During her seventh month of pregnancy, Rehn was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Max was born at 8:50pm at Vail County Medical Center in Vail, Colorado, weighed 5lbs, 3oz.[3] Max was first revealed to the public on the cover of Us Weekly magazine and made his first on-camera appearance in a video diary series Trista recorded for Momlogic.com.