EMU alum receives top peace award

AFP

A 2009 Eastern Mennonite University graduate has received top honors in the bi-national C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest. Laura C. Cattell, an environmental science and justice, peace and conflict studies major from Honey Brook, Pa., won first place with her speech, “Structural Violence in the U.S. Education System.” She competed against winners from other…

President Obama, NATO Sec. Gen. Anders Rasmussen, talk with reporters after meeting

AFP

Hello, everybody. I just want to welcome Secretary General Rasmussen to the Oval Office. He and I had the opportunity to get to know each other at the NATO summit in Strasbourg, at which he was nominated and then selected as the new Secretary General of NATO. I can say that, given his experience as…

JMU calendar of events

AFP

An updated calendar of events at James Madison University in Harrisonburg. Sept. 25: International Week at JMU: For a full schedule of IWeek events, visit www.jmu.edu/international/iweek/schedule.shtml. Sept. 25-30: Art in the Arboretum, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, Frances Plecker Education Center at the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum: The tapestries of Joan Griffin use wool, silk and…

Remarks from President Obama to the UN General Assembly

Chris Graham

United Nations Headquarters New York, N.Y. THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, fellow delegates, ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to address you for the first time as the 44th President of the United States. (Applause.) I come before you humbled by the responsibility that the American people have placed upon me,…

More than ‘win the war’

Chris Graham

I think we’re at a make-or-break point in Afghanistan, maybe past the make-or-break point. The Taliban and Al-Qaeda seemed to be gaining more and more of a foothold in the country the past couple of years, and we haven’t seen a reversal of momentum in the U.S. direction since the Obama administration took charge of…

State, Dominion partnering on electric-vehicle charging stations

Chris Graham

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine today announced as part of his Renew Virginia initiative a partnership with Dominion Virginia Power to install electric vehicle charging stations at certain state rest areas. These charging stations, installed at no cost to the state, are designed to accommodate most of today’s hybrid electric vehicles and use of the stations…

Erik Curren | Offshore Drilling: Risky Job Killer

AFP

Recently, gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell and other Republicans in Virginia (including my opponent) have been saying that we should ask the federal government for permission to let oil companies explore for oil and natural gas off of our coast, an area that has been off-limits to drilling for decades. Supporters say that oil off the…

Press briefing by Middle East envoy George Mitchell on U.S.-Israel-Palestinian Authority trilateral meeting

AFP

New York, N.Y. MR. GIBBS: Good afternoon. Sorry we’re running a little bit late today. We will do a statement from, and take some questions – our Special Envoy for Middle East Peace, former Senator George Mitchell. SENATOR MITCHELL: Thank you, Robert. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I’ll make a brief statement, and then I’ll…