VoteKansas.org

Legendary American Indian novelist N. Scott Momaday, realist artist Andrew Wyeth, novelist and critic Cynthia Ozick, masterful musician and instrument designer Les Paul, and Yiddish literature scholar Ruth Wisse are among the 18 individuals and two organizations honored this year by the National Medal of Arts and the National Humanities Medal at a White House ceremony. President Bush points to “the great strength and diversity of American culture,” as he hails the arts honorees for having created “some of the emblematic images of our time, supported museums and theaters and helped nurture young talent.”

Improving social conditions is seen as a key for Guatemala’s new president, Álvaro Colom, to combat crime and insecurity in his Central American nation. Failure to solve current problems could pave the way for a successful presidential run in the 2011 election by his defeated rival in this year’s election, Otto Pérez Molina. USINFO interviews three area specialists on Guatemala’s political scene and the challenges facing the newly elected president.

Ferial Masry became involved in politics when her son was deployed to Iraq in the beginning of the war. In 2004, she became more involved in the Democratic Party, and one month before that year’s primary election, the party recruited her to run. Today, as Masry, who believes she is the first Saudi-born woman to run for office, prepares for her third attempt to win a California Assembly seat, she tells USINFO, "I can run and run because I feel like you teach people that you have to really fight for democracy ... we have to fight for the process."

Public opinion polling has become ubiquitous in American life. Estimates are that, for the 2008 election cycle, more than 500 state and national polls actively are surveying the American public, whether about the presidential race ("If the election were held today, who would you vote for?") or about views on issues ranging from Iraq and the environment to immigration and taxes.

Of the 3,084 sheriffs now serving in the United States, only 40 are women, according to Fred Wilson, director of operations for the National Sheriffs’ Association. USINFO talks with three women sheriffs about their backgrounds, the work they do and the keys to their success.

The 6-year-old great-granddaughter of Dalip Singh Saund, the first Indian American elected to the U.S. Congress, pulled back a blue curtain to uncover his portrait in the U.S. Capitol as more than 225 people applauded. The portrait, unveiled November 7, is part of a series dedicated to historic members of Congress. Saund, who died in 1973, is recognized not only as the first Indian American to hold a seat in Congress -- he was elected in 1956 and served three terms -- but also as someone who helped pave the way for Indian immigration to the United States.

The U.S. House of Representatives, with broad backing from both Democrats and Republicans, approves a free trade agreement between the United States and Peru. The U.S. Senate is expected to approve the agreement in several weeks, which will enable the president to sign it and put into effect. Under the agreement, more than 80 percent of U.S. exports to Peru, including staples such as beef, cotton, wheat and soybeans, would become duty-free immediately. In addition to eliminating trade barriers, the pact contains provisions designed to protect workers and the environment.

As South Asian Americans prepared for one of their biggest traditional holidays, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution recognizing the significance of Diwali, the “festival of lights.” Representative Joe Wilson, who sponsored the resolution, says it marks “the international, religious and historical importance of the festival of Diwali as well as the religious diversity in India and throughout the world” and “recognizes the importance of Indian Americans -- a strong and vibrant immigrant community.”

Front-runners in the race for U.S. president face a paradox: the advantage in leading their competitors might also be a disadvantage. As Republican consultant Craig Shirley tells USINFO, the inherent danger for presidential front-runners is that the "higher up the flagpole the candidate gets, the more people can see your backside."

The 2007 U.S. state and local elections contested November 6 will affect how citizens across the country will live and how tax dollars are spent in their communities for years to come. USINFO looks at the results of the 2007 elections. These off-year elections “offer a snapshot of where the parties stand in these states and a glimpse of relative party strength nationwide headed into the 2008 elections,” according to Tim Storey of National Conference of State Legislatures.

Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government now has a “new opportunity” to promote peace and reconciliation and bring the communities in Somalia together, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer tells a Voice of America interviewer. Frazer says the recent resignation of Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi presents “an important new dynamic in Somalia and one that we all have to take very seriously.”