Categories
life meta

Update

David Anderson noted the fact that I have not been posting for a couple of weeks. In deference to the two people that read my blog I thought I should explain my current absence from the blogosphere.

I finally got my official acceptance to a PhD program at the University of Missouri to start in January so I had to quickly get into high gear to be ready to move and start the program in the next 6 weeks. I will hope to post occasionally during that time, but I appreciate the patience of those who actually care about what I have to say here.

Categories
life

Making Tracks

I finally have an official acceptance to the PhD program at Mizzou. It has been a month since they last contacted me and I have been anxious for most of that month.

Less than 30 minutes after I got the letter, I got a phone call offering an assistantship starting in January. It has been well worth the wait.

I can’t wait to get working out in Missouri.

Categories
National politics

The Election is Over

At the (earlier than expected) conclusion of this election season, I just thought I would add a thought in reaction to the ending. I hope that President Bush will be as gracious in his victory speach as Senator Kerry was in his concession speach. I hope that he talks about unifying the nation – as his opponenet did – but more importantly I hope the president follows such talk through with real action.

As for John Kerry, I think that he displayed real class in acknowledging when victory was out of reach and also in not buckling early while victory seemed remote but not impossible. I was prepared to wait for days while the provisional ballots were counted in Ohio. John Kerry made that possibility less disturbing by calmly allowing the process to proceed without crying foul or vowing to win at all cost or any other thing he could have done to make this election ugly. Before he cried for unity in his concession speach, John Kerry refrained from sowing dischord and thus displayed some of the qualities that make him a remarkable American.

My hat is off to this brave and determined competitor and citizen.

Categories
politics

How We All Win

I have been thinking about this and there has been speculation and anecdotal evidence but the first evidence I found regarding voter turnout came in USATODAY where we are shown the truth of how many people came out to vote this election cycle. I am convinced that we all win in a democratic system whenever participation goes up. Hopefully we can find ways (better than we had this year) to raise voter turnout on a consistent basis.

Categories
politics

The Beginnings of Unity

There are plenty of reactions out there that are bitter, angry, spiteful or haughty across the political spectrum. Here is a good example of a reasonable approach to creating healing and unity by focusing on now rather than dwelling on a past that we cannot change whether or not we would want to.

I hope to see more and more of the unifying, forward-thinking types of reactions across the net and across the country as the election drifts slowly out of our rearview mirror.