My Graduation - Stephen Sinclair BA (Hons) History, Cert Hum 2008

I don't get to blow my own trumpet very often, so here I am blowing it....
Six years of hard work...
There will be those who throw out the line it's the Open University.
Well I have two things to say... 1) "You try it and see how easy it is"
2) Unless yours is from a red brick university mine is a good as yours.
And Neil since you are at a red brick Uni! Don't get carried away!
Humilty is every thing!!
Looking forward to putting Neil's and Peter's graduation on our blog, just three years to wait.
Included in the video of my graduation, Anna Sinclair, Peter Sinclair, Ryan and Adam Sinclair and several other graduates.

I graduate, no hat here OU rules...I don my own hat later!

My certificate of conferral BA (Hons) History 2:1

Below the link to my video of graduation.

It has over 4500 views, but still over taken (only just) by either Ryan or Adam showing their megatron on you tube

WARNING THIS YOU TUBE VIDEO CONTAINS IMAGES OF PETER, ANNA, RYAN AND ADAM SINCLAIR.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8PtzGp4ELA

Stephen really IS a post graduate!

http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/chester-news/local-chester-news/chester-celebrations/2008/01/25/stephen-really-is-a-post-graduate-59067-20391360/

Stephen really IS a post graduate!

Jan 25 2008 by Allison Dickinson, Chester Chronicle

A POSTMAN added letters to his name after studying for a degree with the Open University.
Stephen Sinclair, 47, has graduated with a BA (Hons) in History.
Stephen, who is married with four children, decided to study with the OU as he wasn’t able to study full-time and work at the same time.
He said: “I wanted a degree in a strong academic subject and I have thought about going into teaching.
“Because it is six years it gives you a lot of time to think what you want to do.
“But my biggest worry is that there are now so many people doing degrees that it dilutes them and makes them worth less.
And Stephen says that there is a fear of ageism among mature graduates.
He said: “Most graduate jobs are geared towards young graduates and pay less than my current wage – so to progress I have to be willing to take a pay cut.
“But I’m glad I did it. I can be proud of my achievements and tell my children that I have a degree, instead of saying I left school with only one O-level.
“The quality of Open University teaching is fantastic and it allows people without qualifications to do a degree – I would recommend it to anyone.”
Indeed, Stephen did recommend it – his wife Anna is currently studying a creative writing course with the OU which she could use as the basis for a degree if she wished.
Anna said: “Stephen has been suggesting I do this for a while and to be honest I was never interested.
“But then I saw the creative writing course and thought, ‘why not?’

Ryan with his cyber megagton and Adam with Optimus prime

Over 4800 views for Ryan, who was a few years younger!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQwM3pzEeQ
And here is Adam...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNmTGeJ8f5w

Washington DC 2005 -Stephen Sinclair

Well it is 2005 and if my memory serves me correctly May.
As I am sure I was there for "Memorial Day"
It really is a beautiful city, so much unlike New York City., which is great in it's own way!
It is quiet and the streets at night are much darker then here in Britain.
In my few days there I noticed that there did not appear to be many shops to browse round.
Not that I went there for shopping!
There are shops, but I found them in Pentagon City, I had a lovely meal there.
http://pentagoncity.mallsite.us/
Anna was kind enough to allow me to go on my own.
I was studying for my BA (Hons) in History and was currently studying American History.
I stayed in a nice Hotel. The room was large and I didn't discover until the last couple of days that it had it's own stand alone kitchen!
I visited memorials and museums.
I highly recommend this city and hope you enjoy the photos that follow.

Dull and dismal Britain!

Soaring above the clouds.

The Lincoln Memorial

President Lincoln himself, shame about the scaffolding.

The Washington moument, the tallest building in the city

Veteran's stall outside Lincoln memorial

Remembering the female role in war

Some soldiers in Vietnam?

The Vietnam war memorial. Note the names start in the middle and spread out left and right.

The Second World War memorial, impressive at night. My first night I walked through it, it was lit up, it was some thing else.

The view from the Washington monument

Theodore Roosevelt monument.

In my view America's finest President.

The 2nd WW and Lincoln memorials

The White House

The White House

My hotel room

Huntington a suburb of Washington DC

George Washington's house "Mount Vernon"

Around Mount Vernon. I had to cross State boundaries to reach here!

The Potomac river in Mount Vernon, Virginia.

Some tobacco.

Grave for the "coloured" servants

A soldier at the Pentagon

America's National cemetery for its war dead.

Serene, respectful.

The Robert E Lee memorial

Grave of JFK

View from Arlington

Robert E Lee's house

The ceremony to remember the war dead that takes place each day

A Ukrainian soldier

Some lovely desert!

The White House

Pentagon City

Happy to not use it!

The Capitol

Inside

A throw back to the seventies

The Supreme court

Houdini's handcuffs

The library

Inside some museums

                                                      About here I dropped my camera!
I went to the mall to check my card in the camera was alright, it was, but that was the end of pictures!