presidents

It hadn't really sunk in that it is going to be the first time since 1952 that there isn't a current president or vice president on the ballots in November... Funny enough it hadn't struck me that it has been a Bush or a Clinton on the ballots (in the White house) since 1980. Granted, the Bush era has been very long, and the Clintons really only had 8 years in the house.

On the other hand, this borders to what has been said in certain circles about women rising to power in (Asian) countries where they have become prime ministers, like India or Pakistan, that those women are part of a dynasty. They are not, as in some cases with men who rise to power, alone and from a newer family. Rather, they are a daughter or wife to someone vastly important.

That said, they could still be good leaders and rise due to competence. That is not my point. The point is, maybe we just have to live with that the 'nomenclatura' (nepotism? birth right?) still exists (dispite all rumours and ‘truths’ about that we are all equal and everyone can become anything yadi yada). And maybe this phenomenon is ever so present in the world of science as well?

After all, look at the new up and coming professors around you/me/us. How many of them come from a family with either one or two professors in them? And again, that doesn’t mean I think lesser of them but I do think we should stop saying “everyone can do anything it is all up to you” since I don’t believe it is that simple.

But then again, I might be a tad bit of a cynic when it comes to looking at life and seeing structures?!

meth? meh?

From a fellow post doc that day I wore my new Think geek t-shirt: "Oh, does it really say METH? hm, I guess not..."

I guess I am not surrounded by geeks as much as I thought?! After all, the Predators' tank top got recognised instantly. ;)

win! 3-2

With 29 seconds left of the game he scores!! Yey! I tell ya' that is the reason I love the captain of the Leafs.

From Globe and Mail:
"Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin made history with some late-game heroics and in the process produced a welcome-back win for the new interim general manager, Cliff Fletcher.
With the Washington Capitals applying pressure and poised to score another come-from-behind victory, Sundin and his linemates, Alex Steen and Nik Antropov, were able to turn the tide and skate in the other direction on what appeared to be a harmless 3-on-2 rush.

When veteran Capitals goalie Olaf Kolzig was unable to control a rebound, Sundin banged in the loose puck for the game-winning goal with 29.2 seconds remaining and a 3-2 victory before an Air Canada Centre crowd of 19,479 last night.

It was not only Sundin's 93rd career game-winner, third among active players behind Jaromir Jagr (111) and Brendan Shanahan (108), the goal was the 544th in the Swede's career, tying him with the legendary Rocket Richard for 24th on the NHL's regular-season career goals list."

We'll see about that play offs in the Stanley Cup. I know, it is a slim (close to impossible) but hey, at least I have hope when it comes to hockey :) and to think, Sundin played with Lafleur in Quebec back in 1990.... Lafleur's last season...

Yesterday was an anniversary...

Yesterday, the 22nd Jan, was the 35th year since Roe vs Wade. Quite ironically I would say, since that was the day when Fred Thompson (‘Defender of the unborn’) proclaimed he stepped down from the Republican candidacy race.

So, I think I said something about politics (read; South Carolina elections and Huckabee winning so many votes) the other day when I spoke to my American friends. They wondered why I was so interested in this election thing since I can’t vote anyway?! I simply replied that I am interested in politics and I am interested in the country I live in. The fact that I threw a fit regarding the tax laws last Friday is another thing.

(Don’t remind me but seriously, I am in awe that not everybody in this place is in debt and that the IRS demands in money from more. And I like taxes! I like paying to the government as a principle! But please, this stuff and this legislation/transparency is silly. It is enormously hard to try and have some kind of budget work (getting paid every 14 days and have monthly bills on different dates took a while to get use to I tell you, but now I am ok with it - almost) or to plan what you are going to get from your tax (with deductions and different things to withdraw and not) and it didn’t help that my own institute apparently “have paid wrong federal tax for international post docs last fall so you will most likely have to pay the IRS in April”. My only question, “how much?” was responded with “Well, we can’t tell you that. You will figure it out then”. Excuse a poor little legal alien for wanting to know what kind of money we are talking about. Are we talking about $400 or $4000. [I’m guessing the first but hey, I don’t know.] Then I remembered my resolution about not worrying, so I will just wait and see. Lucky me that I have a good savings account.)

Anyhow, just noticed the coincidence with Thompson resigning and the Roe vs Wade. And the fact that has been nagging in my brain for a while, an abortion is still technical legal in the federal America but since it is not covered in MedicAid or even doctors available in most counties it sometimes feel like a fluffy pillow to hind behind when the wind is picking up and you want to find cover behind a solid rock. I don’t know, maybe it would be better for everyone if it was illegal and then everyone would see that it is something that is possible for people with money who can flee the country but not for anyone else… or maybe that is just too cynical and won’t help a thing. I guess it is one of those stances that it will come to again in the Supreme Court.

If nothing else, maybe people can look at the rate of teen pregnancy in the south as well as high school drop out and then draw a few conclusions?!? Not that I would dare to make a deduction (it might not be a real connection but seriously, you don’t have to work hard to see some kind of connection between the two) but I think if the notion of “contraceptive being covered for all woman” or at least some kind of discussion rather than “abstinence and we are not talking about it, then it won’t happen” is an interesting one. Maybe we wouldn’t even need to talk about the (il)legality of abortions in case that reality happened? And I won’t even say a thing about Plan B.

note one> The fact that the price for a termination of a 10 weeks pregnancy is about $400 dollar didn’t have any impact on my suggestion of tax debt, not at all.

note two> I know, contraceptives doesn’t stop abortions but maybe they lead to fewer teen pregnancies and maybe even less ‘unwanted pregnancies’? Again, with the guessing.

note three> No, I am not pregnant and I have medical insurance that covers at least contraceptives in case I want them, which is good seeing Plan B can not be found easily where I reside and abortion wouldn't be my choice.

Sundin and trading

Well, I was the first to commend Sundin for the statement "I want to win Stanley cup with Toronto Maple Leafs" but even my heart is shifting. It is very selfish of me to say that he can't trade teams when all the others seem to do it. When he has played in the same team for 10 years and never won. When he is a very good player, always pulling in a few points each game and more often than not manages to shoot for goals as well.

Let the man win and lift the trophy! But even I, with me shifted heart, would like it to be with another team than the Senators seeing they are arch rivals in the north country we call Canada.

But really, if he is tucking his skates and wants to stop playing, he deserves to be on a winning team one time in his awesome career.

My take on it anyway. The 26th of Feb we will all know if he is traded or not.