I’ve written my last lecture for the first-year E&M class, and will be giving it at 10:30 this morning. (Friday’s class will be given over to exam review). The spring term, which had felt like it would stretch into July, is basically over.
Oh, and some guy won an election.
Well, it is great that the Democratic Party has selected its nominee. But if you think that, even if Obama gets elected President, “our long national nightmare is over”, I’m afraid you are setting yourself up for disappointment. There are a large number of political, social, economic, and military reasons why it is far from certain that anything is “over”. Election of a particular president or political party into power may end up having only a modest effect on the next few decades of American history.
(Ot maybe you know all this, and your post title was sarcastic.)
I think the nightmare will be over, but we will be recovering from it for a long, long time. And our grandchildren will be paying for it.
And I think the current occupant is convincing evidence that a single individual can have a huge effect on the course of American history.
We’re nearly in phase, schoolwise. I have my last final exam of the quarter this afternoon. When I turned in my 66 pages of essay answers to a take-home final, the senior faculty member suggested that I enter the pro-doctorate program this college of education has with UCLA and UC Irvine, for a doctorate in “Educational Leadership” or “Educational Administration.” That I’ve already completed coursework and doctoral candidacy exams in my first grad school, 1/3 centurt ago, and been an adjunct professor in 2 subjects, made them practically guarantee that I’d have the doctorate within 2 years. Is that a good idea? What questions should I ask them?
By the way, did you hear Presumptive Nominee Obama mention SCIENCE in his victory speech last night? Do you agree with what he has said about Science policy in the campaign?