Sleepless Edition

Well it has been a mighty exhausting week and it's not quite over just yet. Monday and Tuesday I spent some time meeting with academic advisors and planning my school year. At the U of T, unlike Utah, you must register for both semesters at once, and most classes cover both periods. So, deciding on what classes is crucial since after the early drop period has ended, you're stuck. I'll be taking 5 classes, which is full time, and after meeting with my advisors I found that I'm a great deal closer to completing my chosen majors than I at first thought. I need only 1 and a half classes to finish my American Studies BA and only 4 classes for my History BA. Then of course I have to finish up a total of 10 classes to fulfill the residency requirement so I'm basically 2 years away unless I take some in the summer and finish after next fall. We shall see. Everyone I've dealt with at Toronto has been splendid. I first ventured to see my college- Trinity. As I explained before, the U of T is based on the British model of university so you are in a college within the university. They answered most of my questions and gave me the dreaded Course Calendar and Handbook which are 2 volumes of charts and tables that supposedly when combined together will either allow you to determine your schedule...or provide a map to Atlantis...it's a complicated book I tell ya. I've pretty much got a handle on most of what I'll be taking with a few exceptions. My American Studies program (oops I've got to get used to spelling it Canadian- programme) is an interdisciplinary one, so one takes classes in a wide ranging field of study. Luckily for me, I've fulfilled all the breadth requirements so I'm fairly free to choose what I want as long as it has a majority of 'American content' in the curriculum. I do have one required class- Thinking About the US- which should be interesting, as I think about the US all the time :) I'm also going to be taking an Independent Study course, in which I'll receive a sizable reading assignment, write papers, but no lecture session. For History, I've got some geographic diversity requirements left- most History degrees requirements so I'm still struggling to find something related to Asia/Africa/Middle East since that's the only region left for me that I haven't already completed. Other than that sticky wicket, as I said before, I'm pretty free to choose what I want. Pending class space availability, I'll be taking a class on Modern Espionage, one on US Foreign Relations, and hopefully a Constitutional Law class (though since I'm not technically a PoliSci major I have to wait to see if there is space). What I know for certain is that on Sept 9, I'm back in the grind and I couldn't be more pleased. Here are a few photos I took around campus: This is Trinity College where I'll spend a great deal of time: http://stamant.org/Albums/UniversityofToronto/images/trinity(1).jpg Trinity was actually a college of the Anglican Church that was eventually given to the University. The old Church, which was built in the 1850s, no longer exists but the stone gates are still standing at the site. The building that now houses Trinity was built in 1925. The Munk Centre: http://stamant.org/Albums/UniversityofToronto/images/munk2.jpg The Munk Centre for International Studies is actually located within Trinity College (one of the big reasons I made Trinity my first choice). The Centre for the Study of the United States, is the centre where my main programme is located. There is a beautiful and tranquil gardens area with a fountain: http://stamant.org/Albums/UniversityofToronto/images/munk3.jpg So those two places, and the Sid Smith (which is the History Department building that isn't very pretty to look at) are where I'll be the majority of my time. Across from Trinity is the Soldiers' Tower: http://stamant.org/Albums/UniversityofToronto/images/utoronto1.jpg The Soldiers' Tower was built originally to honour University of Toronto students and faculty who lost their lives in World War I. The cornerstone was laid on the Armistice Day 1919. Inside the walkway, the names of the 1200 plus students and faculty who died in World War I and World War II are engraved on the stone walls. It is a very beautiful building. In non university news, Shell has almost completed the major portion of the kitchen project. All counter tile has been laid and grouted and all that is left to do is to put in the new sink and taps, install the dishwasher, finish some trim work and paint and, as they say in Canada, Bob's your Uncle (no I don't know why they say that but they do). Christina is doing much better as well, getting stronger everyday. She should be home or shortly going home. Here's a new picture of her, she's so unbelievably cute I can't stand it: http://stamant.org/Albums/Variety/images/Christina%20055.jpg After this very hectic week I'm treating myself to a golf outing today, since I'll soon be a poor college student again with no free time, in danger of being crushed by the piles of books and essay assignments which shall be coming my way, so while I'm temporarily free...FORE!!! This week's deeper thought: Two Americas Redux As many of you know, the man I supported in his run for the nomination of the Democratic Party for President was Senator John Edwards of North Carolina. This week, the man who won that contest, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, chose Senator Edwards as his running mate. Edwards has spoken forcefully of his belief that there now exits two separate Americas within the US. One that benefits those at the elite levels of income and power, and another that the vast majority of Americans must fall within. The New Democrats wing of the party, with which I affiliate myself (go to http://ndol.org ) has long spoken to this issue. President Clinton's initial White House campaign theme was geared toward people he described as 'working hard and playing by the rules'. The middle class that is perpetually squeezed by the elite tax reductions of the conservatives, and the out of control spending of the liberals. Clinton and the DLC (Democratic Leadership Council which is the organizational name of the New Democrats) looked to remake this old paradigm, by challenging the entrenched positions of the far right and the far left that seemingly hold hostage the vast middle of moderate Democrats (and Republicans). This new paradigm would be dubbed "The Third Way". The Third Way sought to bring about new ideas, and a new progressive movement for the modern age. In short, the message is "opportunity for all, responsibility from all" and using government to empower people to act for themselves. The New Democrats believe that while government is not the answer for all the problems of society, it isn't without the ability to help solve some of those problems, if it is flexible enough to find new solutions. As a pragmatist, I was obviously drawn to this concept. Clearly, the welfare state did not solve the problems of poverty as was hoped, so welfare reform was born, not to punish the poor, but to end generational poverty that the old system had created. Rather than continue in a failed system (as liberals would have), or abandon assistance altogether (as conservatives would have), the Third Way 'invested' in job training, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and other programs aimed at extending a helping hand, rather than granting a hand out. Under this new system, the welfare rolls reduced to record levels, job creation rose and unemployment fell, and the number of people in poverty declined- all historic achievements. Expanding the middle class, and investing in that expansion, was the cornerstone of the record economic boon of the Clinton years. While differing slightly on trade policy, Edwards seeks a return to that model of strong but not bureaucratic government. Edwards speaks of hope and opportunity, he brings a positive message and a fresh voice. Hopefully he can energize the ticket and bring Senator Kerry to a more moderate approach on some issues. I'm looking forward to hearing both acceptance speeches at the Democratic Convention is two weeks! Until next week Cheers, Ron