A Few Quick Notes 157

-For the past few days, or at least the past day and a half, we have had a bit of snow. This hasn’t really been problematic as the amount we received has not been significant. Hopefully the temperature will stay below zero for the next couple of days so that we don’t just have puddles of slush at every corner.

-So far I a 0/4 on my Roll Up the Rim cups. This is not all that surprising. Actually, I have decided to see if I can beat my record of last year, which was something like 0/17 before I got a free coffee. I should also note that this year I have been able to use my newly acquired ‘rim roller,’ a small device that automatically unrolls a coffee cup rim to save one the hassle of having to do it with either one’s mouth or fingers. The only downside to this device is that the swath it unrolls isn’t quite as wide as I would like it to be.

-On Monday night I finally ditched my beard. This took a while as I had to do it with a pair of scissors and then a razor. For those of you that are curious, yes, I left the ‘stache, at least for the time being. So far I haven’t really noticed much of a difference in terms of quality of life or a diminishing number of people who look at me as though I am nuts (but this latter part is likely because of the shorts).

-Last night, for the first time, I went to Concordia to borrow some books from their library, a privilege afforded me because of reciporical borrowing agreements. I ended up selecting three books, at least two of which are not available at McGill. The only problem is that I now have to try not to mix these three up with the pile of books that I have that are from McGill. Fortunately, I have been able to read the necessary sections already, meaning that I should be able to return them shortly.

-As I mentioned a few days ago, I have decided to apply to do an M.A. in Political Science at Dalhousie. On Monday I submitted my application package and paid the necessary fee. I guess I will hear back from them at some point in the future, hope it all works out.

-More than in previous presidential elections, but this may just be my own persona perception, it seems that instead of the positions of the various candidates news sources are covering events as a battle for polling support. This means that what a candidate says is significantly less important than the fact that they said it to a group of union workers in Ohio on a Sunday.

Another problem with this year’s coverage is that candidates are able to say something outrageous, which is then reported almost verbatim, the veracity of the statement is never seen to be an issue worth examining. Particularly troubling are the claims by Hilary that she has more international relations experience than Obama.

This is troubling as it simply isn’t true. What is more troubling is that the two credentials that Hilary is tossing around are her experience as a senator, as well as her experience as first lady. As far as I can tell, neither of these two positions, the second of which isn’t even a formal position, involves any diplomatic responsibilities. Being one of a hundred people to approve a treaty is not even close to the same thing as negotiating a treaty.

I feel that the claim that living in the White House should count for experience is kind of like the idea of going to the spouse of your doctor for surgery, I mean they have lived with a surgeon for 20 years. Some of that knowledge and experience must have rubbed off, right?

(This should not be taken as a statement in support of or against any particular candidate, but rather as a call for better reporting of the campaigns of those running for President.)