THE FINAL DEBATE: McCain starts fast, fades quickly

The last chance for McCain to gain some ground on Obama in the closing weeks started off well, but slowly disintegrated as time elapsed over the 90 minute debate at Hofstra University. I was shocked, but not totally surprised, that McCain was able to be the aggressor on the economic issue for the first 20-30 minutes, and that he had Obama on the ropes on many facets of the issue, including the metaphoric "Joe the plumber". After this, though, things went downhill for the maverick from Arizona. It seemed on almost every issue Mccain spent more time refuting the policies of Obama than he did promoting his own. He consistently interrupted Obama during his responses to moderator questions or rebuttles to Mccain's responses. It seemed almost as if McCain just prepared for the debate on the economy and decided to wing the rest of it. Makes sense, since his biggest trip-up is the economy, and the economy is the biggest issue for Americans right now, so why not focus on this? On other main issues, however, Obama clearly had the upper hand, such as healthcare and education. Surprisingly, the exit polls heavily favored Obama, many by 20 percentage points or more. And with the projection of the electoral map, courteousy of John King of CNN, Obama needs to win only 1 or 2 of the remaining swing states to win enough electoral votes to win the presidency. It seems then that this election is almost over, even before it begins 3 weeks from now on Nov. 4. The bottom line: McCain spent too much time this campaign, and particularly in the debates-criticizing Obama's policies rather than promoting his own. Also, McCain stated many months ago how he has limited knowledge and political experience with the national economy. After this statement, almost coincidentally, the economy took a turn for the worst, and quickly became the most important issue among Americans according to the pollsters. It makes one wonder if things would be any different if the global meltdown had not occured at such a critical time in American politics. People vote for the candidate who promotes the most important issue to Americans the best. In this case, the national economy is the most important issue currently in this election, and with McCain saying he has no experience with it, and Obama being an aggressor on outlining a plan for helping out the economy, it seems a no-brainer who will come out on top November 4th.

EARLY RACING FOR LANCE HURTS EVERYONE.

Recently, the UCI(International Cycling Union), confirmed that Lance would be able to ride in Australia's Tour Down Under from January 20-25. The problem is though, he technically is not allowed to start racing at all until February 1. The reason is that when a cyclist decides to return to the sport, he must now subject himself to a new system of drug testing. This new system, implemented by the UCI, states that a rider must belong to the new testing system 6 months prior to the first day of his/her racing. Lance officially joined this drug testing program on August 1. Officially, then, he should not be allowed to ride in a sanctioned race until February 1. His confirmation by the UCI of his participation in a race a week prior supercedes this rule, making Lance an "exception" to the new testing system. Although I am happpy to see Lance race again, letting him race a week early is a huge mistake. The UCI understands that Lance would like preparation for the Tour in July, so they are allowing him to make the most of his training. But making an exception to the program--a program that everyone else must follow--is the wrong decision. There are plenty of media, riders, and critics who already distrust Lance and don't believe he is clean and also don't believe he will be clean this time around either. Allowing him to illegally race is showing the rest of the world he is treated independently of all the other riders. Does this mean then that if Lance provides a positive drug test that they will look the other way and hide the results?? I obviously do not believe he would ever test positive, but haters of Lance think otherwise. This early racing by Lance only fuels the fire of suspicion in the cycling community for those who do not like or trust Lance, including fellow American and 3 time Tour winner Greg Lemond, and former WADA(World Anti Doping Agency) chairman Dick Pound. Lance is already going to have a struggle integrating himself back into the peloton, so why make it any more difficult for him? Treating him like he is above everyone else is not the right move, and will only complicate matters as we approach the Tour De France in July. Does either the UCI or Lance or Johan Bruyneel or anyone on Astana realize these implications? I'm sure they have, but don't believe they will have an effect. I hope they are right, but judging from the early opinions of this move, I feel, unfortunately, they are in for a long battle ahead of them. A word to the wise: Lance is clearly not the same as all the other riders in the peloton, physically or mentally, but treat him like he is. That way, there is less suspicion of him and the UCI, and whether they are in it together.

1 is the loneliest number.....

You know, they always say nice guys finish last; that no matter how good u treat someone, the jerks are the ones who end up on top. I don't buy that theory, or at least i dilute myself into thinking I don't belive it. But the truth is that it IS the truth. Why though? Why is it the guys who are respectful, nice, complementary, caring, and all that other blah blah blah that I've said so many times, get ignored, but the jerks who don't have an ounce of compassion in their bodies get whatever girl happens to sit next to them in class? I don't understand it, yet at the same time I do. I can see how jerks can be attractive; the whole "im too good for you" attitude combined with "im impossible to get" mentality gets those guys to the top. But that doesn't sit well with me. Unfortunately, though, there isn't much I can do to change that personna that people have of each other, so I can only look towards what I CAN affect, and that's me. Am I not outgoing enough? Do I give off a bad vibe? I dunno for sure, but what I do know is that it's starting to affect me really deeply now. I am 20 years old, and yet other than a few flings here and there, haven't had a serious relationship basically ever. People always tell me, especially girls, that "ohh Brad you're a really great guy, you'll find someone soon". Well here I am, almost legally allowed to drink, a year away from graduating college, and still nothin. Is this a plea for help? Not so much as it is a cry for understanding. I've lost faith really; you start believing that the right match just isn't there. Let's face it, nobody wants to be that guy on match.com looking for love. I've always told myself it will come. My patience has worn thin however and it's starting to affect other parts of my life. I've become distant from family, friends, and even myself. I have little to zero motivation to do any schoolwork. For example, I have two midterms tomorrow. Haven't started studying for either of them yet. Instead, right now, I'm waiting for a movie to finish buffering online so I can waste away another few hours without thinking about it. I'm afraid I will start to spiral out of control soon if I don't at least get some response. I have tried, believe me. But maybe I'm just not open enough. I dunno. We've all been in the situation where we find a really nice girl who reciprocates those nice feelings back, only to find out later she is in a relationship. We've all been there. It just seems like every one for me though is like that. Am I too picky? Maybe. But at this point I've lowered myself within a range of decency to accommadate a broad spectrum of girls. Still, nothin. So, once again, is this a plea for help? No, but it is a cry for guidance, a direction, something positive I can build off of to improve not only my personal relationship life, but all other areas as well. I will try to be more open and outgoing, even though I feel I already am. Hopefully soon, my luck will change. Then again, I've been saying that for a long time now.....

A Big Change

They say that you know a change is coming in a single moment. One split second you know that it will all be different. Its a sixth sense in a way that allows us to know something that normal intuition just cannot justify. Therefore, I knew on Friday morning, sometime between 905 and 955 am, that I could no longer pursue a major in Astronomy, a field I had dreamed about studying in for many, many years. As much as I love the subject, and enjoy reading up on it and learning it, I have found that it has become much more technical than I would have liked. Plus all the physics and math, it has become too much for me and unenjoyable. I enjoy the physics and the science of it, but it is too technical for me still. No matter how hard something becomes, you still must enjoy what you are doing to an extent. Granted, my subject matter was extremely difficult, but I just could not get interested in the subject like I thought I would be. Over the years, there has been one piece of advice that has been repeated over many times by many different people to me in many different fields of work. That advice is to do what you love, and you will succeed. Today I found out that although I enjoy astronomy, its maybe not what I want to do for a career. Instead, it is something I will just maybe follow on an amateur level as a non-professional. I have found out instead, in fact, that my true passion, what I get excited to learn about, is something completely different. They say that today is the start of the rest of your life. And for me, that has rung true no more clearly than it has today. So, after many years of hopefulness and excitement, I will now discontinue my pursuit of a field of study that I thought was right for me, but in the end, it just wasn't. So, I officially state that I have dissolved my pursuit of a degree in Astronomy/Astrophysics. I will now pursue a major in the field of Economics. My fondness of the subject will never fade, and I will continue to educate myself and learn about the fascinating science. Professionally and educationally, however, I will now refocus myself in a different direction. Am I disappointed? Yes. I am more excited, however, to conquer the opportunity that lays in front of me. My true passion. Let the new journey begin.

The Olympics: A truly unique event in modern history

There's just something about the Olympics that captivates. Is it the history of the Games? The infrequency of them? I don't know. I don't think anyone does really. What captivates us is some intanigible aura that entwines the Olympiad every four years. Even the winter Olympics pale in comparison. The best part of the games is the opening ceremony. All nations gather together in one arena to celebrate the commencement of competition, but more importantly, worldwide unity, even if only for a brief, limited period of time. What really enthralls me is the fact that every nation, whether they bring 500 competitors or 5, gets an equally appreciative applause from the audience. Especially in these Olympics, the Chinese have been immensely supportive of all nations in all events, particularly the Japanese, who they have not seen eye to eye with in modern times. I got that warm, fuzzy feeling watching all the nations walk out into the massive Beijing stadium. Even the countries with less than 10 athletes, like Togo, Namibia, and the likes, were smiling wide and just glad to be there. It truly is an emotional moment. The Chinese did an amazing performance with the opener, and truly represented what the Games are all about. According to many Chinese news outlets, this is the biggest moment for China in its modern history. They certainly lived up to it. Good luck to all the athletes and may we all enjoy this great competition and worldwide unity in all its glory, even if it only lasts for a mere 3 weeks.