They say that success is demonstrated best by how you respond when you get knocked down, and election night 2008 is how America responded

STANFORD, CALIFORNIA — November 4, 2008. The student lounge began filling up at 3.00pm, as the first polls around the country began to close on the East Coast. The flyers advertising the event said that no alcohol would be provided, but nonetheless, cases of beer and bottles of wine had been procured — though hopefully they would be used to toast to victory rather than drown our sorrows.

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STANFORD, CALIFORNIA – As an international student, I keep a close eye on exchange rates. The majority of my savings and investments are denominated in Australian dollars, but the majority of my expenses flow out in U.S. dollars. Therefore, fluctuations in the AUD/USD rate affect my purchasing habits. And the fluctuations that have happened over the last three months have been nothing short of breathtaking. Breathtakingly bad.

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Brief impressions of what Bay Area California is like in the lead up to the elections

STANFORD, CALIFORNIA — I was at the annual Bridge School Benefit concert on the weekend. Organized by Neil Young and held in Mountain View, California, the concert is aimed at raising money for special needs children. Nonetheless, with the presidential elections looming, they couldn’t resist emblazoning, between the various acts, the word “VOTE” on the video screens. Candidates’ names were never spoken by any of the artists that took the stage, but it was blatantly obvious they all shared the same opinion. When Young himself took the stage at the end of the concert, the camera zoomed up on a tiny badge on his jacket. “Hippies for Obama,” it declared, the closest thing to an endorsement all day. “Vote on November 4,” Young declared, and people cheered. Clearly, the audience shared his opinion, too.

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