NPR 2008-08-26

The Democratic National Convention in Denver has begun. Party Chief Howard Dean officially gaveled the four-day gathering¹ to order, where the faithful are expected to rally around and nominate Barack Obama to be the party candidate for the White House. "The 45th quadrennial National Convention of the Democratic Party will now come to order. " On tap for later tonight: a tribute to Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy who is currently battling brain cancer, and a speech from Michelle Obama in which she's expected to present what the campaign referred to as a personal view of her husband.

Senator Obama meanwhile campaigned today in Davenport, Iowa, the state where he won the caucuses² back in early January, starting a string of victories that led to his capturing the nomination³. NPR's Don Gonyea is traveling with the Democratic hopeful.

In an appearance before an invited audience of about 250 at a fairground not far from the Mississippi River, Senator Obama continued his attacks on John McCain, saying McCain is running a campaign not based on ideas but rather one that focuses more on tearing down the Democratic candidate. "And the truth, and most people don't really think John McCain is gonna shake things up. The real argument the Republicans are making is Obama's risky⁴. They're not talking about their plans, they are talking about me. " Obama says the real risk is in electing someone who will continue the policies of George W. Bush. Senator Obama campaigns over the next two days in Missouri and Montana before arriving at the Democratic Convention in Denver on Wednesday. His acceptance speech is Thursday. Don Gonyea, NPR News, traveling with the Obama campaign in Davenport.

GOP presidential candidate John McCain called Obama an honorable man this morning at an event in Phoenix⁵, but said there are stark⁶ differences between them. McCain then spent much of the rest of his day raising money in California. From Member Station KXJZ in Sacramento, Ben Adler reports.

The Arizona senator stopped on his way into a downtown Sacramento hotel to greet a modest crowd of supporters and protesters. Sacramento resident Diana Brate held a McCain Romney '08 sign’, "I really believe this would be the ticket that would take him over the top. " and said she is(was) worried about Barack Obama's tax policies. "I think that'll just tatter the whole economy whatever we have left. " After McCain's lunchtime fund-raiser-1, 000 dollars a plate or 2, 300 dollars for entrance and a McCain '08 lapel pin', the senator headed for Southern California for an evening fund-raiser in Beverly Hills. He also taped an appearance on NBC's "Tonight Show". For NPR News, I'm Ben Adler in Sacramento.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 241 points today, ending the session at 11, 386. The NASDAQ was down 49 points to close at 2, 365. The Standard & Poor's 500 fell 25 points today.

This is NPR News.

The European Union and the US are calling for the two breakaway provinces in Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, to remain part of Georgia, despite unanimous vote by Russia's Parliament that would grant the restive⁷ Republics their independence. German Chancellor⁸ Angela Merkel today said recognizing the two provinces as independent would create a very difficult and critical situation for the territorial⁹ integrity of Georgia. The White House voiced a similar view, while also announcing that Vice¹⁰ President Dick Cheney will make a trip to the former Soviet¹¹ republic next month.

Up to 10 inches of rain is expected to cross parts of Georgia this week, the effects of Tropical Depression Fay. NPR's Kathy Lohr has more.

Fay's strongest effects have been felt in the southern part of the state where heavy rain pounded Grady County. Some 6, 000 homes and businesses were without power over the weekend and a ten-year-old boy drowned while playing in a drainage ditch, apparently¹² swept up in the rushing water. Fay is blamed for a total of 13 deaths, 11 in Florida, one in Georgia and one in Alabama. In North Georgia forecasters say as much as 10 inches of rain could fall in the next couple of days. In this region, which has experienced three years of drought, the rain is a welcome relief. More than three million people get their drinking water from Lake Lanier, and that reservoir is more than 17 feet below what's considered full. As the storm moves across the southeast, forecasters say parts of Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and eastern Louisiana are likely to get several inches of rain. Kathy Lohr, NPR News, Atlanta.

Crude Oil Futures¹³ ended the session slightly lower today. The near-month contract for benchmark grade crude fell 14 cents a barrel, to end the session at $114.45 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 caucuses   

n.（政党决定政策或推举竞选人的）核心成员( caucus的名词复数 )；决策干部；决策委员会；秘密会议

参考例句：

• Republican caucuses will happen in about 410 towns across Maine. 共和党团会议选举将在缅因州的约410个城镇进行。 来自互联网

3 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

4 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

5 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

6 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

7 restive   

adj.不安宁的，不安静的

参考例句：

• The government has done nothing to ease restrictions and manufacturers are growing restive.政府未采取任何措施放松出口限制,因此国内制造商变得焦虑不安。
• The audience grew restive.观众变得不耐烦了。

8 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

9 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

10 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

11 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

12 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

13 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。