Nikka Costa – Bullets in the Sky

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Without further ado, ‘Bullets in the Sky’ by Nikka Costa .

You can hear the song in the link above.

Warning: the song will hypnotize you to keep listening to it again and again and again …

“The Superiority Of Rabbits Over Foxes And Wolves”

This is a very old story, I read it first time when I was doing my masters in the late 90s. I am not sure who came up with this idea or wrote it but it is a good read and a MUST read for graduate students.

One sunny day a rabbit came out of her hole in the ground to enjoy the fine weather. The day was so nice that she became careless and a fox snuck up behind her and caught her.

“I am going to eat you for lunch!” said the fox.

“Wait!” replied the rabbit. “You should at least wait a few days.”

“Oh yeah? Why should I wait?”

“Well, I am just finishing my thesis on The Superiority of Rabbits over Foxes and Wolves.”

“Are you crazy? I should eat you right now! Everybody knows that a fox will always win over a rabbit.”

“Not really, not according to my research. If you like, you can come into my hole and read it for yourself. If you are not convinced, you can go ahead and have me for lunch.”

“You really are crazy!” But since the fox was curious and had nothing to lose, it went with the rabbit. The fox never came out.

A few days later the rabbit was again taking a break from writing and sure enough, a wolf came out of the bushes and was ready to set upon her.

“Wait!” yelled the rabbit, “you can’t eat me right now.”

“And why might that be, my furry appetizer?”

“I am almost finished writing my thesis on The Superiority of Rabbits over Foxes and Wolves.”

The wolf laughed so hard that it almost lost its grip on the rabbit.

“Maybe I shouldn’t eat you; you really are sick … in the head. You might have something contagious.”

“Come and read it for yourself; you can eat me afterward if you disagree Awith my conclusions.” So the wolf went down into the rabbit’s hole … and never came out.

The rabbit finished her thesis and was out celebrating in the local lettuce patch. Another rabbit came along and asked, “What’s up? You seem very happy.”

“Yup, I just finished my thesis.”

“Congratulations. What’s it about?”

“The Superiority of Rabbits over Foxes and Wolves.”

“Are you sure? That doesn’t sound right.”

“Oh yes. Come and read it for yourself.”

So together they went down into the rabbit’s hole. As they entered, the friend saw the typical graduate abode, albeit a rather messy one after writing a thesis. The computer with the controversial work was in one corner. And to the right there was a pile of fox bones, on the left a pile of wolf bones. And in the middle was a large, well-fed lion.

The morals of the tale?

The title of your thesis doesn’t matter.
The subject doesn’t matter.
The research doesn’t matter.

All that matters is who your advisor is.

source: gettingintogradschool.com

“tonight is your answer”, Obama said.

It was a great speech by the new elected American president, Barack Obama. Obama was the choice of the Americans who wanted change and minorities as well; African Americans, Hispanics, the youth, and many others. I am not an Obama supporter (nor of course McCain’s supporter) but I am proud of the Americans decision to choose an African American and the son of an immigrant to lead them. It reveals a lot about this nation who believe in change. They hoped and they got what they hoped for.

I leave you now with one of the best opening speeches:

“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.” Obama said.