Yay for a Vacation!

Tweet

I've been interning for a month now... and boy am I glad for a vacation! My family and I, on Monday, will be going to Canada for about a week for my cousin's wedding. The week should be a lot of fun - and very exhausting!

So far the internship has not turned out to be what I had expected at all, but that is life... I suppose.

I can't believe how fast the summer is flying by! :(

Tim Russert's Memorial Service

Tweet

This afternoon was the memorial service that MSNBC held in memory of Tim Russert. Tim Russert's son, Luke, also spoke. Tim Brokaw, Brian Williams, Maria Shriver, and Luke Russert were just four of the ten speakers who spoke in the service.

Here are the links to watch most of the speakers from the memorial service from this afternoon:

Tom Brokaw:


Betsy Fischer:


Sister Socciarelli:


Mike Barnacle:


Brian Williams:


Doris Goodwin:


and finally, Luke Russert:



In addition, make what you want of it .. but the service ended with the song "Over the Rainbow".. and ironically enough, as everyone was leaving the service... there was a rainbow awaiting them.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

Tweet

Here's a poem that was recited by one of the administrators in my high school graduation two years ago... and I love this poem. It may be by Dr. Seuss, but nonetheless, its an inspiring and a great poem.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
You’ll look up and down streets. Look ‘em over with care.
About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.
And you may not find any
you’ll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you’ll head straight out of town.
It’s opener there
in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen,
don’t worry. Don’t stew.
Just go right along.
You’ll start happening too.
OH!
THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you’ll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t
Because, sometimes, you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so
but, sadly, it’s true
and hang-ups
can happen to you.
You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You’ll be left in a Lurch.
You’ll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you’ll be in a Slump.
And when you’re in a Slump,
you’re not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked.
A place you could sprain both you elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And IF you go in, should you turn left or right…
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused
that you’ll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…
…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
NO!
That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You’ll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.
With banner flip-flapping,
once more you’ll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don’t.
Because, sometimes, they won’t.
I’m afraid that some times
you’ll play lonely games too.
Games you can’t win
’cause you’ll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance
you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike
and I know you’ll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life’s
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So…
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

Congratulations to all the graduates! Especially Maleeha, Hooria, and Javeria ... and Imran and Haniyyah (from middle school).

"I'm Voting Republican Because..."

Tweet

Don't worry...I'm not really voting Republican. The following ad is called "I'm Voting Republican Because...". I just saw this on MSNBC, and thought it was pretty neat:


This commercial is basically "a satirical look at the likely outcome of another four years of Republican government".

Al Gore to Endorse Obama

Tweet

I just found out that Al Gore is set to endorse Obama in a campaign rally tonight in Michigan.

I also saw the following on CNN Political Ticker:

"A few hours from now I will step on stage in Detroit, Michigan to announce my support for Senator Barack Obama," said the 2000 Democratic presidential nominee in a fundraising e-mail sent to supporters Monday. "From now through Election Day, I intend to do whatever I can to make sure he is elected President of the United States."

Happy Father's Day!

Tweet

On a similar note as the one I posted on Mother's Day, I am definitely one of those people that think everyone should celebrate their father's everyday... but I would still like to wish my dad, along with all the other dad's... a very Happy Father's Day!

I am extremely grateful for such a wonderful dad.

Tim Russert

Tweet

As I was sitting at work today in the city, I received a breaking news alert on my cell informing me that after suffering a sudden heart attack and collapsing, Tim Russert died today at the age of 58. Russert was recording voiceovers for Sunday’s “Meet the Press” program when he collapsed, the NBC News network said.

I can't even begin to explain how weird it feels because for as long as I can remember my dad and I have watched "Meet the Press" mostly every Sunday.

Tim Russert will definitely be missed. He was admired by many. His charisma and way of asking the tough questions led to such a large group of admiring fans. It's insane how sometimes you are effected by people you have never even met... but that is exactly the kind of guy Tim Russert was. Even with all of his fame, he was just a regular guy.. a "one of us".

Here's the original clip of Tom Brokaw breaking the sad news:


Random: Russert's favorite saying" "Go get 'em".

Clinton Endorses Obama

Tweet

Today, I guess we can finally say that the democratic primary season for the 2008 election is officially over because Hillary Clinton FINALLY formally "suspended" her campaign and endorsed Obama.

While the look on her face obviously showed her disappointment, her endorsement will definitely help Obama.

It's Only Been Two Days??

Tweet

So today was my second day at my internship ... and I'm drained. I don't understand for the life of me how people daily go to Manhattan for work. I've only done this for two days so far and I'm totally exhausted. To think that my dad does this day in and day out and has done so for so many years is mind boggling. Thank God I'm only doing this for two months because I know I would not be able to handle it.

I guess it didn't help that I was still jet-lag and sleep deprived from my trip to Norway by the time I starting my internship.

On a another note, it's amazing to see the amount of people entering Manhattan in the morning as you are at the train station. It's amazing - it's like a sea of people flowing in one direction.

Hopefully I'll have more positive things to say about this experience in the coming days (or weeks). But it consuming over twelve hours of my day is not helping at all.

History in the Making

Tweet

When it seemed that this day would never come, today was the day of the last two primaries (in Montana and South Dakota). Sixteen months after announcing his bid for candidacy, Obama crossed the delegate mark to clinch the nomination and become the first African American nominee for president.

On a smaller note, Clinton won South Dakota and Obama won Montana.