A hopeful timeline...

An age old struggle...

This is a very moving interview. I never followed Christopher Hitchens' career that closely but was aware of his controversial views. His interview here with The Atlantic regarding his struggle with cancer is stark and moving. It is certainly thought-provoking.

Two takes on Wikileaks' latest endeavor...

I tend to take the view that "the need to know" outweighs other factors introduced by Foust in the PBS video. I guess a bright side of the story is that the government isn't necessarily acting Bush-like by "publicly" going after Assange (If he was a US citizen, of course, he would already be at some new Gitmo. Sad.). Of course, that doesn't mean that they are not going after him privately. Ultimately, we really need to know what our government is doing in these countries, regardless of how painful it is. Perhaps if it becomes so unbearably painful, we will think twice before jumping into manufactured situations like Iraq.

Shirley Sherrod: the FULL video

Isn't the simple lesson of all of this is that you should always check your sources carefully?

Almost to the beginning....

So the time is coming around quite quickly now---just over a month from now that I start (or, in some ways, continue) my PhD journey. I've mapped out the schedule I hope to follow for the next few years (just like I did in my undergraduate and masters studies) but, of course, things probably won't work out that way as the timetable is quite ambitious and I don't know if my soon-to-be assigned adviser will go for it.

When I first started graduate school back in 2006, my adviser told me that graduate school was a lot different than undergraduate school, mainly more rigorous and independent and I subsequently found this to be true but it was not an insurmountable barrier. I've been reading the same thing about doctoral study as well. What I've learned is hardly surprising---that each person is unique and that each has to find what works right for him or her. It has not been easy for sure---especially for an older student like me---but I feel that, in my case, just taking it a little bit at a time rather than in totality has helped quite a bit. I hope this approach continues to work. I really do.

Why...why...why does this still happen?

I've been trying to figure it out. I wish someone would enlighten me.

Always flying...

I'm working on my fall schedule today and thinking about the Chronicle posting (listed below) that I read a couple of weeks ago about how some doctoral students become so comfortable at their institutions that they don't want to leave---even when it's apparent that it's time to leave. I guess there are undergraduates who are like that too. I certainly can remember a few during my undergraduate years who had been in school for eons (six, seven, eight years with no sign of finishing---come to think of it, the team mascot was 30 before officials is finally made him leave...hahahaha!). Personally, I was always in a hurry for whatever reason. Just always hurrying to the next step like time is running out---not stopping to enjoy the journey, I suppose. I still do it now...it's just part of my nature, I suppose. I rationalize now by thinking that it's because I'm in my 40s and don't have the time like I did in my 20s. I guess part of that could be right but then I felt the same during my late teens and early 20s too. Come to think of it, I was in a hurry to finish grade school, high school, college, my first job....

When new Phds Won't Leave

I direct our grad program-- humanities, decent enough school and (here's the kicker) one of those places people really like to live. The problem? Increasingly, our PhDs are refusing to leave. This year, we had two who were...more