President Donald Trump gestures as he descends from Air Force One on Sunday. The president questioned in a tweet Thursday whether the November elections should be postponed — something he cannot legally do.
REUTERS/Tom Brenner
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President Donald Trump is in a tight spot, behind in national polls and barely ahead in Texas, where no Democrat has won a presidential race since 1976. When he said the other day that “nobody likes me,” nobody disagreed with him.
His situation sets the environment for Republicans and Democrats up and down the November ballot in Texas. If the Republican president does well, that’s probably to the benefit of other Republicans on the ballot, even if the state doesn’t have straight-ticket voting anymore. If he does poorly, it could spell a good day for the Democrats. And in an election where a half dozen seats in Congress and the Republican majority in the Texas House are at stake, the top candidate’s performance is critical.
On Thursday morning, the president retreated to his safe space — Twitter — where he ruminated on the impending election that could make him the first one-term president in almost three decades.
“With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???,” Trump tweeted.
That sent a shudder through the political world. Democrats predictably started hacking away — or continued hacking away — at Trump. But Republicans, who’ve been very cautious about creating any distance between themselves and a president with strong support from their party’s voters, made room for themselves this time.
You can’t delay an election with a tweet, and you can’t delay one from the White House, either. That’s not what this is about. Trump is feeding doubts about the reliability and trustworthiness of U.S. elections, leaning on urban legends about the frequency of voter fraud — yes, it exists, and no, it’s not pervasive. Those doubts support the notion that any election that doesn’t reelect the incumbent is illegitimate.
But doubts like that don’t start and stop with the presidential race. Everybody on the ballot — winners and losers — agrees to accept the results when they enter the contest.
Trump isn’t proposing to get rid of mail ballots. He casts them himself. He’s making a false distinction between absentee ballots, which are cast in the mail, and universal voting by mail, which is a version of the same process, with different rules about who is eligible.
But this is clearly a threat to the system we use to choose the people who represent us. Want to knock over a building? Destroy the foundation. Want to tear down a democracy? Destroy confidence in free elections.
It’s disquieting when the kooky stuff in politics comes straight from the top.
But the system almost always sorts seeds from stems on the way to the top. The 2016 election, starting in the Republican primary, didn’t do that. One refrain from that contest — that here, finally, was a candidate who wasn’t afraid to burn it all down — was dead on.
The voters who wanted to kick the establishment aren’t upset about the president’s tweeting.
The voters who thought any Republican at all would be better than Hillary Clinton kicked their problems down the road and now confront the consequence.
If Trump were to lose the general election while successfully planting widespread doubts about the results, he’d be leaving the country in shambles for his successor — and for anyone elected to Congress or a state legislature in what could then be framed as a shady election that put illegitimate officials in place.
If he’s not winning, nobody’s winning. He’s willing to risk the whole establishment of government to prove it.
That’s not a new story in history, but it’s new to us.
Every July, Jim Koehn used to pack his silver Jeep Liberty with three duffle bags—one each for himself and his two daughters—along with hiking gear and a cooler with drinks and snacks. Koehn ran an events business in Houston, and in midsummer things died down, making it the perfect time for a great American road trip. He’d empty out a coffee can of cash that he’d carefully socked away over the course of the year, counting it to see how many days they could afford to spend on the road. With gas, meals, hotel rooms, and national park entry fees combined, the single dad spent about $200 a day driving across the United States. “I think our longest trip was 38 days,” he remembers. “My…View Original Post
President Trump's suggestion that the November election be delayed spurs Federalist Society co-founder Steven Calabresi to call for his removal from office.
Regardless of what U.S. President Donald Trump tweets, November's election is not going to be delayed — and Trump knows it. So what's the real motivation behind his behaviour? Keith Boag considers the options.
This is part of our series, Flattened By the Curve, which features the voices of doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, and others on the front lines against COVID-19. For information on how to submit, click here.
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I can’t sleep.
I’ve seen too much in these past weeks. A whole family intubated, forced into unconsciousness with drips and potions so we could run plastic into their throats, veins, bladders, hearts. A 28-year-old woman, pregnant with twins, who died in the ambulance bay as COVID blossomed and blotted out her lungs. There were tears, but we dare not touch our faces. I’ve heard shrieks echo across the receiver when I inform families their loved one is dead or dying, but no, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, no, you cannot see them one last time. Wails bleed into my ear. I wipe the phone with bleach and move on to the next patient.
I can’t sleep.
Now, a new terror robs me of rest. Amidst fear for my loved ones, our society, and my health — I fear for my job. I am a medical resident trying desperately to keep COVID-19 patients alive. I was called to meet with hospital administration for speaking to media outlets about the unsafe shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). I was warned I risk dismissal if I speak to reporters again.
I am one of many. While fighting to save lives, healthcare workers across the United States are facing career-threatening retaliation for speaking out about insufficient protection and hazardous working conditions. Resident physicians face particular vulnerability to silencing efforts. The reality is, these hospitals can do whatever they want to us.
I am told I acted inappropriately. I am told that our professional world is small and reliant on word-of-mouth. They don’t have to make explicit threats: I know all it takes is a chat with a buddy or a couple lines of red ink. They are the gatekeepers of my career, and my tongue is a liability better lopped off.
I was not trying to fear monger or stand in the spotlight. I spoke to express my own terror, care, and concern for my patients. I watch them struggle for air and die with no one’s hand to hold. I spoke up for my colleagues, who hasten across the hospital without proper armor and or my parents, whom I would not be able to hug good-bye if they — or I — were to fall ill, a plane ride away.
Art Museum of South Texas flooding from Hurricane Hanna – via AMST
The Art Museum of South Texas (AMST) in Corpus Christi sustained flooding damage from Hurricane Hanna last week, and the extent of the damage is being assessed. The museum rests on the bay front of Corpus Christi, across the water from the Texas State Aquarium. Museum staff and city contractors have been working steadily since Saturday to remove water and evaluate the entire first floor of the museum. Fortunately, there is no structural damage to AMST, and no artworks in the permanent collection were harmed. Unfortunately, the 2020 Visionarios collection that showcases student artworks outside of the museum classrooms sustained some water damage.
Museum staff in AMST’s archives after Hurricane Hanna. Via AMST’s Facebook page
The museum staff is combing through the museum’s archives to prevent any mold issues, and as AMST Marketing Coordinator Kirby Tello states: “…we are lucky that there isn’t obvious damage to our permanent collection. One silver lining in this ‘summer cleaning’ is that we are getting a look through the archives and seeing where we’ve been, and how far we’ve come through our collection.” AMST resumed its normal hours on Tuesday, July 28, at 25% capacity and mask requirements due to Covid-19. Currently on view is From Then to Now: Selections from the Permanent Collectionwhich includes Luis Jiménez’s iconic Border Crossing lithograph.
Museum staff vacuums water off the floors at AMST – via AMST’s Facebook page
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, AMST lent its exhibition space to Rockport Center of the Arts, which was destroyed by Harvey, for the popularBirds in Art exhibition. AMST has garnered acclaim for its architecture and the scope of its curatorial efforts. In Rainey Knudson’s review of Dorothy Hood’s retrospective at AMST in 2017, she writes, “The hero of this show, apart from the artist herself, is the Art Museum of South Texas.”
Hurricane Hanna flood waters at the Art Museum of South Texas. Photo Credit: Annie Rice/Corpus Christi Caller-Times
For more about the Art Museum of South Texas, please go here.
Given the circumstances, couldn't US President Donald Trump postpone, or cancel, the biggest political event of the year? Not so fast. Let's dig into it.
People gathered for a vigil in honor of Garrett Foster in Austin this week. Foster was fatally shot at protest against police brutality. Whether the person who shot him faces criminal charges could hinge on the interpretation of a Texas self-defense law.
Marshall Tridick for the Texas Tribune
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Austin police are investigating the fatal shooting of an armed 28-year-old man who was killed during an encounter with an armed motorist while protesting against police brutality. But whether the unnamed driver faces criminal charges in Garrett Foster’s death could hinge on which man police, prosecutors or a grand jury believes first provoked the other.
Foster was visibly carrying an AK-47 rifle — which is legal in Texas — as he pushed his fiancée in her wheelchair across an intersection in downtown Austin during Saturday’s protest, according to The New York Times.
A motorist was attempting to turn his vehicle onto Congress Avenue and honked at protesters, who were in the crosswalk, according to a video of the incident filmed by independent journalist Hiram Gilberto. Michael Capochiano, a demonstrator at the scene, told The Texas Tribune that protesters including Foster surrounded the car after it hit a traffic cone and the driver stopped.
“What [the driver] did was he intentionally, aggressively accelerated into a crowd of people. ... He threw his turn into a bunch of people and almost ran a bunch of people over,” said James Sasinowski, another protester who was at the scene.
There are conflicting accounts about whether Foster raised his gun at the motorist, who was also legally armed. Police said the driver shot at Foster, fled the scene, called 911 and told police he opened fire because Foster pointed his rifle at the car first.
Texas’ so-called “stand-your-ground” law allows people to use deadly force against someone else if they feel they are in danger. Conversely, it prohibits an individual from arguing self-defense if they provoked a threat from someone else, said Sam Bassett, an attorney and the president of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
Detectives need to consider whether Foster could have perceived the motorist’s actions as a threat, Bassett told The Texas Tribune.
“I would consider them to not be doing a good investigation if they did not consider that,” he said. “I do think the self-defense claim could be negated if, for instance, if the driver was there to provoke a reaction or to argue or attempt to harm the pedestrians,” he added.
Sasinowski said he could not see if Foster pointed his gun toward the car. Capochiano, though, does not think Foster did. “My recollection was that [Foster] had the gun in his hands, with the muzzle pointing toward the ground and not pointing to the side, not even pointing toward the car,” Capochiano said.
Both witnesses interviewed by The Texas Tribune said they believed the driver’s behavior to be threatening and intentional.
“He incited the violence, it was intentional, he knew what he was doing,” Sasinowski said. “He was driving into a crowd of protesters. No way that that was just like a traffic thing. There’s 100 people in front of you, you don’t drive into them.”
Austin police said earlier this year that a police officer’s killing of an unarmed Black and Latino man was justified because his attempt at driving away from police who had just shot him with a lead pellet-filled bag constituted using the car as a deadly weapon against law enforcement.
The death of Mike Ramos, the driver in that April case, along with the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, prompted weeks of anti-police brutality protests in Austin and across the state. In early June, four City Council members said they had lost faith in Austin Police Chief Brian Manley after his handling of those protests. At least one member called on him to resign.
In a video about Foster’s death, Manley said Sunday that he was grateful to the officers who responded to the driver’s 911 call.
“Regardless of the topic of the protest — whether the protest is geared at these officers, whether they were earlier in the evening taking insults from these protesters — these officers put all of that aside, as they do every single day, and ran toward the danger and helped this individual but were unfortunately unable to save his life,” Manley said.
Natasha Harper-Madison, an Austin City Council member, wrote in a Facebook post Monday that she was in “utter disbelief” while listening to Manley’s comments, which she called “tone-deaf.”
“There's no protest that’s against the Austin Police Department, the protest is against the culture of police departments across the country,” Harper-Madison told The Texas Tribune.
She said it is “absolutely possible” that the police department is biased against Foster in its investigation because he was an anti-police brutality protester.
Austin police spokesperson Tara Long told The Texas Tribune that “the ongoing investigation into Mr. Foster’s death is being conducted with the same amount of commitment as other deaths.”
“To say otherwise is a disservice to his family,” Long said.
Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday shared a video clip Sunday of Foster explaining why he brought his gun to protests, which included explicit language about “all the people that hate us” and are too cowardly to “stop and actually do anything about it.”
“This is the guy that lost his life last night. He was looking for confrontation and he found it,” Casaday wrote in his tweet of the video, which has since been deleted.
Casaday also told FOX 7 News on Monday that Foster was already on the police department’s radar because he brought firearms to protests. "Garrett Foster was on the radar because he would commonly come to the rallies with the AK-47. Our individuals who were responsible to monitor people with firearms, he was on the radar already,” he said. Texas is an open-carry state.
That notion drew ire from Chas Moore, the founder and executive director of the Austin Justice Coalition.
“The fact that the only reason that Foster was was on their lists or whatever because he was carrying a gun doesn’t make any sense because we live in Texas and he wasn’t violating any laws or anything like that, and he wasn’t ever really physically aggressive towards any police officers or anybody, to my knowledge,” Moore said.
On Wednesday, Casaday said via Twitter that he was sorry for his initial tweet about Foster looking for a confrontation and asked the man’s family to accept his apology.
“I apologize for my offensive choice of words,” he tweeted. “I should have known better. I have responded to dozens of shootings in my law enforcement career and they are all tragic.”
Casaday could not be reached for comment this week. Long, the police spokesperson, said the department does not maintain a watchlist of protesters.
Moore said he remains concerned about the integrity of the department’s investigation, and he questioned why police released the driver. “I think we all need to keep an eye on this case or this investigation as things come forward,” he told The Texas Tribune.
Sheila Foster, Garrett Foster’s mother, and Whitney Mitchell, his fiancée, could not be reached for comment this week.
Austin police continue to investigate the incident to develop “the most complete picture” before moving forward, according to a statement from the department’s homicide unit.
Facebook and The New York Times have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
“The leaders of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s well-funded project to develop COVID-19 vaccines at record speed, have said they are running a transparent project. They have bristled at critics who say they make major decisions behind closed doors.” — Science, 7/2/20
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Q Star Trek: The Next Generation / Star Trek: Voyager
Members of the Q Continuum are basically gods. If he wanted to, Q could solve this whole thing with a snap of his fingers. Of course, that’s a big “if.” Getting Q to do anything good on the basis of human morals and logic is a hard row to hoe. In that sense, he’s really not that different from our current president. Come to think of it, Q also showed a real fascist flair and disregard for civil liberties when he put humanity on trial in his debut episode. On the plus side, if Q were on Twitter, he could just alter reality to match his batshit crazy tweets.
The Gorn Star Trek
Sure, the Gorn that Kirk fights is comically slow and makes noises like a chain-smoking octogenarian failing to clear his throat. But as a lizard-person, he’s probably not at risk of contracting the coronavirus. So we could all understand why he’d choose not to wear a face mask, even after several of his staff members tested positive and other GOP (Gorn Occupation Party) politicians finally acknowledged the importance of wearing masks to flatten the curve.
The Vidiians Voyager
These aliens have incredibly advanced medical technology and a lot of experience fighting a pandemic. They haven’t found a cure for the “Phage” that’s decimating their species, but they’ve invested a lot of time and energy into developing alternative treatments. Those treatments mainly revolve around harvesting organs from unsuspecting members of other species. They’re for sure crossing major ethical lines, but they are saving (some) people.
Khan Noonien Singh Star Trek / Star Trek II / Star Trek Into Darkness
At least Khan believes in science. Granted, he wants to use it for nefarious purposes, but he believes in it. Other than that, I’m not seeing much of a difference here. Khan thinks he’s a member of a superior race; so does Donald Trump. Khan doesn’t recognize established law; neither does Donald Trump. Khan controls people’s minds with literal, hideous alien insects; Donald Trump controls his followers with metaphorical, vitriolic earworms (and maybe bleach?). On the other hand, the role of Khan was most recently played by Benedict Cumberbatch. The role of Donald Trump continues to be played by a twice-baked potato.
The Founders Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
The Founders (a.k.a. Changelings) rule over the Dominion, a Gamma Quadrant empire. They use genetically-engineered super soldiers (Yay science!) to maintain their stranglehold on a large number of subservient planets. As the name “Changeling” suggests, the Founders can shapeshift into a variety of organic and inorganic objects. This gives them almost Trumpian powers of deception, but with the added entertainment value of a Vegas magic show. If you’re going to be oppressed by a dictator, why not a dictator who can turn into a flamingo one moment, a Harley Davidson the next, and someday maybe even something useful (like a respirator, we sure could use more of those)?
The Borg Next Generation / Voyager / Star Trek: First Contact
Say what you will about the Borg. They would never put their private interests above the good of the community.
The “Naked” Infection Star Trek / Next Generation
Is it really possible for an infection to take command of a country? Have you seen the news lately? Loss of inhibitions. Lack of self-control. This is no longer a hypothetical situation. Whether we call it “The Naked Time” or “The Naked Now,” we’re already in it. But this alien pathogen is still preferable to our current president because no one expects an extraterrestrial infection to do anything remotely decent or humane. It can’t sink any lower; it is what it is. So grab that hand sanitizer you stockpiled because this disease spreads primarily through touch.
The president reiterated his unsupported claim that mail-in voting would cause massive fraud. But he does not have the power to move the date of the election, which was set by an 1845 federal law.
(Image credit: Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)
by John MacFarlane,Jonathan Montpetit,Roberto Rocha
We asked dozens of physicians, epidemiologists and public health experts what to expect from a second wave of COVID-19 infections. Most said the severity of a second wave will depend on what infection-control measures governments put in place and whether or not people adhere to public health guidelines.
Facade of the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum with the words “Suck Democratic Party” -via National Buffalo Soldiers National Museum’s Facebook page
The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum at 3816 Caroline Street in Houston has been vandalized. A post on the museum’s website yesterday detailed the vandalism. “Today, on National Buffalo Soldier Day — a day we celebrate the contributions of African American men who fought, bled, and died for this nation, we experienced racism, hate, and vandalism,” the post states. “This has got to stop, the anti-racism movement must be more powerful than ever to ensure that mankind can survive mentally, physically, spiritually and socially. We are not discouraged, we are not broken but we are wide awake. We are ready for some GOOD TROUBLE in the words of Rep John Lewis,” writes museum CEO Desmond Bertrand-Pitts.
National Buffalo Soldiers Museum CEO Desmond Bertrand-Pitts
A visibly shaken Bertrand-Pitts shared video of neighbors and well-wishers mobilizing to remove the spray-painted vandalism that included a symbol that was a cross between a Nazi swastika and a Hindu holy symbol. However, with the symbol preceding a scrawled phrase on a building that’s dedicated to celebrating Black American soldiers, it is more closely associated with the former.
Bertrand-Pitts recounted how the museum was inundated with calls and emails from people wanting to help with the clean-up, and how they had already begun before he even arrived to survey the damage. “It’s just a testament to the Houston community, how much we value each other. The city is so diverse, so this is one of the things that you would never think would happen to you. But it did, and it just gives us more incentive and motivation to push forward.”
The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston
For more on the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, please visit its website here.
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The Center for African American Military History (CAAMH), inc., dba Buffalo Soldiers National Museum (BSNM), is dedicated to exploring and displaying the stories and contributions of African Americans in the military by way of performing and visual arts, educational programming. and exhibitions. The purpose of the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum (BSNM) is to educate, preserve, promote, and perpetuate the history, tradition, and outstanding contributions of the Buffalo Soldier towards the development and defense of America from The Revolutionary War to the present.
U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, during a House Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C. in 2019.
Jack Gruber/USA Today via REUTERS
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U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, has tested positive for the new coronavirus, he said in an interview with East Texas Now where he speculated that he may have caught the virus from wearing his mask.
Gohmert, who spends ample time on the U.S. House floor without a mask, was one of several Texas officials scheduled to fly to West Texas this afternoon with President Donald Trump. He took one test, which tested positive, then took a second test during a pre-screen at the White House which also tested positive.
“I can’t help but wonder ... if I injected the virus into my mask when I was moving,” he said in an interview.
Medical experts and doctors overwhelmingly recommend wearing masks as a way to reduce spread of COVID-19. Recent research suggests that masks could protect the wearer from severe symptoms of COVID-19 or from catching the virus entirely.
Gohmert, 66, was one of several lawmakers who participated in a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee that also took place Tuesday. He walked around the hearing room and outside without wearing a mask. News of his diagnosis was first reported by Politico and later confirmed by ABC News.
“I’m fine. I feel fine. Totally asymptomatic,” he said. “If I hadn’t been going with the president, since I don’t feel badly, I would never have known.”
ACTUALLY... here is a video of AG Barr and Gohmert.
While Barr arrived with a mask, it was off when he walked into the hearing room, so both men were not wearing masks at this time. pic.twitter.com/xm6wuq6QvW
Gohmert said he received guidance from the doctors at the White House and the attending physician at the Capitol that he only needed to self-quarantine for 10 days. He said he will drive back to his East Texas home and that his staff is all getting tested for the virus.
“Like Dorothy said, there’s no place like home,” Gohmert said.
According to CNN, U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, was seated next to Gohmert on a flight from Texas on Sunday evening. She is also self-quarantining, according to her office.
The Republican lawmaker has been known for speaking at length with Capitol colleagues while not adhering to social distancing guidelines. Last month, he told CNN that he was not wearing a mask because he was getting tested regularly for the virus.
“I don’t have the coronavirus, turns out as of yesterday I’ve never had it,” he said in June. “But if I get it, you’ll never see me without a mask.”
Gohmert also raised eyebrows in March after returning to the Capitol despite potential exposure to the virus at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Though he said at the time he was cleared by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention physician to resume Capitol business, other lawmakers who attended the conference, including U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, opted to self-quarantine.
Several other members of Congress have tested positive for the deadly respiratory virus. Kentucky Republican Rand Paul tested positive for the virus in March and later recovered. Florida Republican Reps. Neal Dunn and Mario Diaz-Balart have also contracted the virus.
Texas, however, has recently become a hotspot for the coronavirus, with the state having some of the highest case counts in the nation. The governor previously issued a statewide mask mandate.
In a tweet Wednesday morning, U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-New York, who chaired Tuesday’s hearing, wished Gohmert “a full & speedy recovery.”
“When individuals refuse to take the necessary precautions it puts everyone at risk,” he wrote. “I’ve regularly instructed all Members to wear their masks and hope this is a lesson by all my colleagues.”
Disclosure: Politico has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
1. Why do you want to go to grad school? A. It’s necessary for my professional development. B. I got an email from FAFSA by accident.
2. Do you know what you’d study in grad school? A. Yes. I’ve thoroughly thought through the decision to go to grad school. B. Today it’s rock formations. Tomorrow it’ll be sociology. The next day? Maybe an MFA in creative nonfiction. All days? I will have lunch.
3. How are you going to pay tuition? A. Student loans, bartending, freelance work, getting a TA job and selling my feet pics for tens of dollars. B. My daily affirmations are, “I do have ‘descended-from-oil-baron’ money. I do have ‘descended-from-oil-baron money.’ I totally do.” That’s why I order delivery every day, and also why I don’t look at my credit card statements.
4. How will you look after your mental health? A. The university health center, if it’s not too abysmal. B. I will immerse myself in the works of Nietzsche, and possibly the work of Ben and Jerry.
5. What do you hope to gain from attending grad school? A. God, I hope it’s a job. B. I hope to figure out how to pronounce Nietzsche.
6. What do you miss about undergrad? A. Judging my self-worth by grades and validation from authority figures. B. Using meal points at the dining hall for lunch, and then hosting a dinner party for eight friends who only eat cabbage dishes and natural wine.
7. Have you spoken to any current students in your desired program? A. Yes. B. If by “spoken to” you mean if I’ve social media stalked current students and assessed whether I could get them to fall in love with me by orchestrating a rom-com-esque meet-cute, then yes.
8. What kinds of academic resources would you like to see in your desired program? A. I want a strong academic advisor, small class sizes, and a nice library. B. I want a cute but ultimately problematic peer to feed me brie while I finish an essay by scented candlelight.
9. Have you picked a location? A. No. I’ve narrowed my search down to five schools, and I’m researching those five locations. B. No. I still have to buy a globe, spin the globe, put my finger on a random location, and then look up whether that location has a Taco Bell.
10. What’s your ideal quick meal? A. Ordering four medium two-topping pizzas from Domino’s and eating them over the course of a week. B. Ordering four medium two-topping pizzas from Domino’s and eating them over the course of a week.
11. Who’s writing your recommendation letters? A.) A professor from undergrad, my former employer, and my longtime mentor. B. I’m sorry, my what?
12. Do you have your writing samples ready? A. Yes. I’m submitting my undergrad thesis, some postgrad work I’ve done in the field, and a personal statement. B. I can print out the snarky emails to my boss from my drafts.
13. What excites you the most about academia? A. Intellectual rigor. Doing research that excites me. Exchanging ideas with my peers, except for the ones that keep complaining about diversity when they’re drunk at parties. B. Listening to pretentious music in a $400/month apartment in a college town and eating a boutique cupcake with a fork.
14. What worries you about re-entering academia? A. Spending tens of thousands of dollars to deal with frustrating, inefficient bureaucracy. Also, taking my ID photo. B. Not having enough fruit-patterned Modcloth sundresses.
15. What’s your biggest question for the admissions team of your potential school? A. How is the university handling the coronavirus pandemic for its most vulnerable staff, and how is it working to dismantle the racism embedded into every predominantly white institution? That’s still technically one question, which means I’m an academic. B. Why is it that when I order mead at a bar, it’s pretentious, but when I do it on a college campus, it’s actually really cool and people want to hang out with me?
16. Are you sure you’re not doing this because you miss college? A. No. Who even likes college? B. Just because I got I MISS STICKY FLOORS tattooed on my upper arm while flipping through photos of me drunkenly eating a sheet cake at a frat party doesn’t mean that I’m only applying to grad school because I miss college. I also miss throwing up on buildings named after rich people.
17. Do you think if you ate a snack, you would re-evaluate your desire to go to grad school? A. No. Despite the potential frustrations, this is something I really want to do. B. I’m so HUNGRY.
18. I’m serious. Is this really, truly, absolutely necessary for you to go to grad school? A. Yes. B. Yes? No? I don’t know! I miss school! I hate my job! Why are you grilling me?
19. Would you rather have one PhD in ten years, or one bag of popcorn right now? A. The PhD. B. Dammit.
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SCORING
Mostly A’s: Go to grad school. Mostly B’s: Re-evaluate after eating a snack.
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Every July, Jim Koehn used to pack his silver Jeep Liberty with three duffle bags—one each for himself and his two daughters—along with hiking gear and a cooler with drinks and snacks. Koehn ran an events business in Houston, and in midsummer things died down, making it the perfect time for a great American road trip. He’d empty out a coffee can of cash that he’d carefully socked away over the course of the year, counting it to see how many days they could afford to spend on the road. With gas, meals, hotel rooms, and national park entry fees combined, the single dad spent about $200 a day driving across the United States. “I think our longest trip was 38 days,” he remembers. “My…View Original Post
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