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The Spill: Caucus Race

Weekly news you can use.

By:  |  February 26, 2020  |    770 Words
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(Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Sanders Wins Nevada Caucus

The Democrat Party took another step toward the 2020 election this week. It held its second caucus – an important step as the party decides who it will choose to run as the presidential nominee.

A caucus is a meeting where party members get together to discuss the candidates who are looking to become the next president, and a vote is held to decide which candidate to support. Candidates are then given delegates who will support them in becoming the party’s presidential candidate. The results of the Nevada caucus were:

1st Place – Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders: Not actually a member of the Democrat Party, Sanders is an independent. He is a socialist candidate who believes in policies such as Medicare-for-All and high taxes.

2nd Place – Joe Biden: Having served as vice president under Barack Obama, Biden is no stranger to the White House.

3rd Place – Pete Buttigieg: This former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is positioning himself as a moderate candidate. Although unlikely to win the presidential nomination this year, he has made a name as an up-and-comer in the Democratic Party.

Sanders won 24 delegates as a result of the caucus vote; Biden was awarded nine, and Buttigieg got three.

So far, three states have held their primaries or caucuses for the 2020 election: Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada. Next up is the South Carolina primary – will Sanders claim victory once again?

President Trump Visits India

On their first official state visit to India, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania were greeted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Their first stop was symbolic: the Sabarmati Ashram, where Mahatma Gandhi, the founding father of Indian independence, stayed from 1917 to 1930.

India welcomed the president with a “Namaste Trump” event. “Namaste” is a respectful greeting that comes from the ancient Indian language Sanskrit. Held at the world’s largest cricket venue, Sardar Patel Stadium, more than 110,000 people packed the seats to hear from their leader and the U.S. president. Trump praised Modi, calling him an “exceptional leader.” He touted India’s successes by saying: “India will soon be the home of the biggest middle class anywhere in the world. And within less than 10 years, extreme poverty in your country is projected to completely disappear. The potential for India is absolutely incredible.”

The Trumps visited the Taj Mahal and took advantage of photo ops in front of the grand palace with other travelers. The prime minister graced the Trumps with a few traditional gifts, including a marble statue of three monkeys making the “speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil” gestures.

Celebrating Pancake Day

Countries around the world spent February 25 celebrating Pancake Day – also known as Shrove Tuesday. This Christian feast day is marked by eating pancakes, as well as holding festivals and games. Shrove Tuesday is the day before the beginning of Lent (Ash Wednesday), a six-week period that was traditionally a time of fasting and repentance, ending with Easter.

Traditionally, Shrove Tuesday was celebrated by cooking and eating pancakes so that people could use up any rich food products they had, like eggs, milk, sugar, and butter, before the beginning of Lenten fasting. Some countries refer to the holiday as “Fat Tuesday,” as it was the last opportunity to use up fatty ingredients.

In the United Kingdom, communities have celebrated for centuries by holding pancake races. According to Historic-uk.com:

“In the UK, pancake races form an important part of the Shrove Tuesday celebrations – an opportunity for large numbers of people, often in fancy dress [costumes], to race down streets tossing pancakes. The object of the race is to get to the finishing line first, carrying a frying pan with a cooked pancake in it and flipping the pancake as you run … The most famous pancake race takes place at Olney in Buckinghamshire. According to tradition, in 1445 a woman of Olney heard the shriving bell while she was making pancakes and ran to the church in her apron, still clutching her frying pan.”

The shriving bell was rung by churches to remind people to repent – the term “shrove” in Shrove Tuesday means to confess one’s sins to gain absolution.

Other countries celebrate the day with a carnival; in fact, the word comes from the Medieval Latin carnelevamen (“the putting away of flesh”), which referred to another food often given up during Lent – meat.

While Pancake Day remains popular, Lent is not taken as seriously as it once was. Today, many people choose to give up one luxury during the period – such as chocolate, social media, shopping, and so forth. Would you ever sacrifice something for Lent?

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