[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12453]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO BONNY JAIN

  Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, I rise today to note with pride an 
accomplishment of one of my constituents. Bonny Jain, of Moline, IL, 
won the National Geographic Bee here in Washington, DC, on May 24 by 
correctly identifying the Cambrian Mountains on a map. I don't know if 
they have ``phone a friend'' in the bee, but it is good that he didn't 
call me because I thought a Cambri was a small Toyota.
  His victory in this competition demonstrates a laudable dedication to 
scholarship. As technology makes the world smaller, knowledge of other 
peoples and cultures becomes more important. And cultures are shaped by 
geography. Geography is often the main factor in the path of national 
borders. Under the influence of geography, wars are won and lost, and 
civilizations rise and fall.
  Bonny's path to victory in the 2006 bee was a long one. I am 
impressed not only by his comprehensive knowledge of geography but by 
his steady ascent through 4 years of competition. From second place at 
his individual school's geography bee, he rose to the national 
competition last year and to victory last month.
  I am proud to have this young man and his family as constituents. I 
give them my heartiest congratulations and wish Bonny well in high 
school and beyond.

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