Ms. Cheyenne Hobbes in Georgia

I hope I have spelled her name correctly. She was a student in one of my classes at STC. She died in a one-car accident on a rural road in Effingham County. She was a young Mother; she was a vibrant, strong, opinionated young Southern woman; she wore cowboy boots and had a Georgia drawl as wide as a parking lot. But she was an excellent learner. And she did not deserve to die so young.

And her children certainly didn't deserve to lose their loving caretaker, their "tiger Mom," their inspiration. Cheyenne had come back to school to become a dental hygienist and make her own living.

She talked, in private and in public, of wanting to make her marriage work -- but relying on herself if she had to. She spoke with compassion and a burgeoning understanding of life and love. She always wanted the best for her children, even well beyond her own desires. She did not deserve to die so young, and so unexpectedly. And I mourn her loss, not for myself, but for her children.

And I continue to resist!

Crude, Prude, Lewd

The heading of this blog is Trump -- the consummate country club businessman. He cracks the off color jokes, he is prudish about his family (though sometimes not with his daughter during her modeling days), and always leering and sexual with anyone more beautiful than he is (which is nearly everyone). Trump is a pig -- who tries to pretend that he lives above the wallow -- when actually his brain is the wallow.

As a sexual deviant Trump is shy/sly -- especially because he can't force a "confidentiality clause" on the entire nation. We have seen this "pig" in action -- as a crass television celebrity; during radio interviews in NYC and elsewhere; and it the business community at large. Someday his payoffs and crooked behavior will surface and America will wonder why we, for god's sake, hired him to be our President. His behavior and lack of consistent normalcy is the reason we must all:

Resist!

Thankful

I am sincerely and profoundly thankful: that I am not dead; that America is still America in spite of "the Donald;" that my sister Linda is winning her war against cellulitis; that my family is still my family (foibles and all); that #metoo will not ruin ALL relationships and flirtations between men and women; that Churches in America cannot inflict their own peculiar and often hypocritical brands of morality on all of the rest of us; that God is still God wherever she/he lives; that children are still children and resist the constant temptations to slide down the path of "always dumb" as many of their parents have; that the world and life itself doesn't "care" about me -- which makes that "care" my responsibility and my hope; that love still exists.

I am always thankful -- and I continue to resist.

LaVar Ball: It Takes One to Know One

There is currently a "tabloid level" twitter war going on between two egotistical maniacs. One of them is  the Father of an NBA rookie phenom, and the other is the "idiot President" of these United States. Trump has been trading twitter remarks for the past three days, instead of doing his real job, trying to govern.

Not without President in the Trump era, these tiny twitter wars: with Rosie O'Donnell, Mr. Ball, the leader of North Korea, and anyone else who comes into Trump's "ego-hurt zone" -- are not only demeaning to the US of A, but shatter rules of morality, good taste, decorum, and even common sense.

Again and again Trump shows himself to be an egotistical autocrat -- sans sense, sans compassion, sans understand. Yes, we in America "own him;" and must do our best to survive him and his vast insipid remarks and whining. He is a bully-boy whose bully pulpit is long gone. He is a consummate moron, and possible a dangerous one. He is a fool

Resist him and his party too. 

Celebration ... in spite of ... Trump

Thank you -- that we are all still alive. Thank you -- that Trump has not yet caused a nuclear conflagration. Thank you -- that we are still love. Thank you that -- we are still free. Thank you -- that most of Trump's plans have been deflected, held up to scorn, or simply failed. Thank you -- for America's system of "checks and balances." Thank you for -- the judicial branch of government.

Thank you -- that Trump is mostly disappointed in his destructive path through the Presidency. Thank you that -- we can still stand tall as a nation and ...

Resist!

The Nub

Coming to the end in a career in  full-time teaching, I am now also coming down to the "nub" of why I do what I do. There is no clever, quick, or even simple answer -- one that can be turned into a meme, or a bumper sticker, or a viral moment.

The answer is much more complex. Someone teaches -- for themself, because it gives them fresh eyes, new viewpoints, new perspectives. One also teaches for  -- their students; because they are worth sharing with, because they "need to know" as much as the one sharing "needs to share;" because the whole process is a kind of " wholly holy genetic transfer" of information and process, but now borne by the 4th genetic dimension of time.

Why teach? To learn. Why learn? To live. Why live? Because it is right and correct to do so. Why is it right and correct? Because to do anything else is to die -- and death, though necessary ultimately is not a goal but a circumstance of life.  And so I will continue to teach, and learn, and live, and do so rightly and correctly -- to outlast death if I can.

And RESIST!!!

Donald J. Trump, our Philandering Cad

Ever the moral beacon on America -- Trump now declares that Sen. Al Franken should resign for being a nebbish comedian and forcing kisses on an actress during a USO tour rehearsal (an apparently staged-for-humor photograph further thickens the stew). About future losing Senatorial candidate Roy Moore, Donald says nothing. About his own personal philandering (concealed by hidden tax forms, confidentiality agreements, financial payoffs, etc.) he says absolutely nothing.

If we are going to "morally re-litigate" the Bill Clinton era, we need to "litigate" the Donald J. Trump era -- take away those monetary payoff's and show Trump for what he really is -- a morally repugnant former NYC playboy with no scruples, who continually and consistently lies -- and pretends to be Jesus Christ reborn.

Trump needs to be exposed for what he is: verbally challenged, stupid about most things, incapable of making a decent or honest moral decision, a loser, and a cad!

Resist Trumpism for what it is --- idiocracy!

The Money Making Machine ... Can Fail Too!

The Stock Market, Annuities, 401K's,  peer to peer lending, the Bond Market, CD's, Real Estate, Mutual Funds: they all can succeed wildly, or fail just as wildly. The making of money is a kind of
refined "crap shoot." You do your research about all the various factors in play: odds, products, competition, lawsuits, trends, the future, and a hundred other things. And then you invest.

Your "play" on AI or robot technology may make some money --- or it may go rapidly downhill before you can "break its fall." Either alternative is possible.

We, as investors, can only be vigilant, well-prepared, and as honest with ourselves as we can be. But the outcome, the ultimate outcome -- will always be a kind of "cosmic crap-shoot."

Allstate Insurance is Techno Impeded

The one insurance company that I would never, ever have an online account with is Allstate Insurance.

They have screwed up every phase on my relationship with them. They have given me bogus information about my account ("we have deducted your payment from your account" "hard to do say I -- I don't have an account you are privy to" "no, your payment has been made") -- a week later I get a cancellation notice; 6 months later (after paying my bill in person) I get a price increase because of
the bogus cancellation. Yikes -- no one takes notes, no one checks on how they are doing, no one corrects their mistakes.  And the consumer gets a price increase.  Don't work with Allstate unless you can deal with the agent personally. 

Resist.

Sex, Anxiety, Depression-------SEX is EVIL, or NOT

It's amazing to me the number of human beings affected by anxiety -- which often leads to depression (and bad choices) -- because of sex. I see it in the youngest of my students -- often no more than 14 or 16 years of age (the State of Georgia has a "dual enrollment process" for students in high school and college).

My youngest students (usually just turned 14) are certainly not socially adept, nor are they sexually sophisticated in any sense of that term. Most, if not all, are virgins. Most, if not all, talk and joke as if they are not virgins (especially the boys). Many of them, if they have had sexual "experiences" they are limited to masturbatory or fantasy sex or they have been molested or assaulted. Yes, girls are more "mature" than boys -- but both genders are inadequate to be fully sexual -- lacking knowledge, parental support, and willing and/or mature enough partners.

Older dual enrolled students (17 or 18) have usually had sex -- but learned little if anything from their experiences. Some of the girls, once sexualized, are ready for marriage or at least permanent relationships -- or so they think. The great bulk of those relationships will "tank" as the two grow in different directions -- and quickly so. Most divorces happen within the first two years of marriage -- and most partners in a divorce are under 21 years of age.  And so it goes.

As my students get older -- many of them are in the 2nd through 5th year after their divorce and they are now justified in their beliefs that: there is no hope for romance, that their children will never have a normal life due to insufficient support from them (of all types) particularly of money and emotional grounding, and...life is simply crappy. 

RESIST!

In the Early Morning...

My mind is clear -- before the sun has a chance to rise; before my very early breakfast is even half-digested, before my day has even started -- my mind is clear.

Later in the day my mind is "muddy" and my speech cannot keep up with my brain; and sometimes even my brain refuses to yield its secrets. In the teaching world -- this is the beginning of "burn out." In the world at large people would be worried about some syndrome or other: extreme fatigue, illness, even Alzheimer's. But it is "fatigue." I have felt this before, at times when sleep was not an option and rest was a rarity. 

Better times are coming.

Resist and resist again. Just like we did last summer. 

Who Is The Biggest Crook of All?

The current Attorney General of the United States, in order to hold onto his job, appears ready to do the bidding of his president and appoint a General Counsel to try and find something, anything, that might threaten the Dems and Hillary Clinton before the mid-term election(s). Why? Political positioning and political "gain" of course.

Benghazi is passe now of course, Whitewater is a land deal no one remembers -- so, what about the Clinton Foundation and its dealings on the international stage. Was the Foundation used to help countries and lobbyists get "close" to the Clinton Presidency (oops, the Obama Presidency). Such "tit for tat" use of Special Prosecutors only undercuts the whole process of transparency and fairness in the way that the government should operate. Let's just investigate everyone -- before they can investigate "us" (too late Mr. Sessions).

Playing games with our government, our system of checks and balances, and our patience as voters is beyond normal behavior. But, of course, it is very Trumpian and apocalyptic.

Resist and continue to resist; resist and continue to resist.  

Student Foibles

Directions, what direction?  A major project comes up short just because you didn't read, or didn't understand the directions? Could you have asked? Yes. Should you have asked? Yes.

Excuses may make you the student feel good but not so much for your Professor. He or She has to make a decision on your veracity -- and since more students like than tell the truth about such things -- the tide will roll against you. 

Project Forward

In my various classes we are now in the "final project stage." This usually involves students working together, collaborating on research, and presenting as a group on an interesting or unusual topic.

Lots of possibilities abound in this area. And lots of carryover into real life situations in the working world once school is done.

I like to think of life as a "project" -- constantly correcting, constantly and consistently perfecting and moving along until the process (and the life) is complete. 

Donald Trump, Dealmaker....NOT!

America's President has been bragging, mostly through the American and World Press, about his prowess as a "deal-maker." In his mind that means making American business "great again." He is now claiming that he expects to walk away from his Chinese "talks" with $250 B worth of contracts :  weapons for South Korea, weapons for the Philippines, and assurances from China.

There is the self-proclaimed "brilliant" Mr. Trump espousing more and more weapons in the world -- rather than even thinking about promoting and deal-making in more peaceful areas: food, consumer goods, technology, medical products, etc. etc. etc. 

Trump is more than just a plain fool; in the South we would say he is a "damn fool" because he certainly doesn't know just how foolish he really is. 

Resist!

Girl Friend Experience and The Deuce

It is not very often that I critique -- or even watch television these days, except for the continuing Trump saga on all the news channels.  But...

There are beginning to be a range of television shows that are attempting to give audiences what purports to be the "female experience side" about a lot of things.  Both "Girl Friend Experience" and "SMILF" are shows that dwell upon the female side of sexuality -- in GFE two stories are currently being "followed" that depict prostitutes who are in control of their incomes (earned through prostitution) while the rest of their lives are a mess: love, relationships (such as they are), human understanding (which in the show is shown as brutal rather than loving), and all other types of human experiences. Of course sex and nudity are a strong part of this show.

SMILF is a lighter though in its way more intense story about a young unmarried woman and her toddler/baby boy --- and her natural desires, human day-to-day worries, and everything else that can go wrong. Her baby's dad in in the picture, along with her Mom/babysitter, her Dad (out of it most of the time), and of course her cute young man. In each episode (the show has just started) the angst of being a single, young parent are viscerally present).

Now "The Deuce" is different -- it is more challenging in its scope: Times Square in the 1960's, the birth of the NYC porn industry, street bars/gamey prostitution, and a historical video document of a slice of recent history.

I would recommend all three shows -- de gustibus.

And continue to "resist, resist, resist!"

Winnowing

The process that creates balance is a "hard" one for many to accept. In Saudi Arabia there that process is taking place. The relatively "new' head of the Royal Family has jailed or detained a number of relatives and business men in his county -- to make them responsible for the extensive corruption that has existed for so long in that country. That corruption has derailed gains in human rights, women's rights, social injustice, and a host of other areas which were beginning to bring the "kingdom" into the modern era.

It is no longer 1800! The current "Prince" realizes this. Women and children do have rights beyond sharia law. This too is acknowledged. The land and the oil are not infinite. Leadership is aware of this and wants the "kingdom" to take a place in the first world, rather than slide backwards into the third world of nations.

America will also begin its winnowing process.  Those who have "sold their souls" to autocratic bluster will begin to feel the "pinch of righteous response." The elections will show this; the will of the American people will prove it. You can only "fool most of the people" for a small time, and then "balance" begins to take over.

Resist and continue to actively resist. 

The Liar's Creed

The political rhetorical technique known as "the big lie" has been around, probably since the onset of competitive politics itself. Lie, say it again even louder, LIE!  Say it often, say it with conviction, say it with passion. Eventually you yourself, and others will believe it.

Donald Trump's portrayal of "crooked Hillary" is at the very least ironic, at most outright lying -- as he attempts to distract from the phalanx of "good soldiers" falling around him. Indicted, accused, self-confessed, and complicit -- the whole Trump-picked squad smells of crookedness. And yet he mouths his mantra of "crooked Hillary" without proof, without sense, without any official support from anyone save his own cadre of dufus supporters. Dufus is as dufus does!

Resist anyway!

Speaking the Truth

We need to control the flow of drugs and guns in the United States of America. After every mass shooting the Republicans, under the thumb of the NRA, insist that "now is not the time" to talk about guns; or they use the old mantra "guns don't kill people, people do"; or they blame some other issue --- the Dem's, the press, mental illness, or whatever is nearby.

Drugs also need to be controlled --- even when legalized. Potencies of marijuana plants need to be kept within parameters; taxes need to be high on these medical and recreational drugs; society needs to be organized to deal with the drug usage problems we will inevitably have in the future. If we have a future.

Resist and resist again. 

Women

I have always, always been fascinated by women. Why? They are so different than what I am: they think differently, they react differently, they analyze differently. Again and again in my life I have tried to come to terms with my continued ignorance, to no avail.

Young women baffle me. Adult women befuddle me. Older women are an enigma to me. I am be the "odd factor" here, incapable of grasping the obvious about women. But I don't think so. I truly think that women are not only a different gender, but perhaps even a different species. The so called "ancient aliens" who cam to earth and built the pyramids, or created the "sky drawings on land," or carved the many geometric shapes like "crop circles" across the firmament -- well -- why may have been "alien men" -- and the women were the native species of earth. Or perhaps the reverse is true.

It doesn't really matter -- other than to say, we are not the same -- not even close.

Resist, and resist again. 

No Staff; Lots of Gaffes

Donald Trump insists that the only person his administration really needs on the payroll is himself; he is the "only one" who matters. Okay, let's take away those Cabinet positions (saves money), those advisers (who listens to them anyway), family members (?) -- mov'em back to NYC (before they get indicted), and let's trim down the entire staff.

Who needs a WH chef, when KFC is available 24 hrs. per day? Who needs a driver -- UBER is out there waiting. Security team --- bah, who needs 'em; everybody loves "the Donald" right? 

Donald J. Trump's arrogance is so complete -- he is a "god unto himself; and himself alone." The rest of us now know or finally concede that he is more than ...crazy.  It's 25th Amendment time!

Also. resist --- resist --- resist!

The Cut Cut Cut Act and Republican Stupidity

Big business, corporate executives, and fund managers all want their "share of the pie!" And what is that pie? Tax money coming to the US government from all of us.

Large entities are claiming, along with their Republican brethren, that somehow, some way, some where -- "trickle down economics" will work and help all of us. How that will happen -- since it has not happened the last two times it was used -- remains a mystery shrouded only in the typical greed expressed by big business. Hedge fund managers are licking their chops over a corporate tax cut of 40% or more. And then, of course, they will "plow back all that extra cash into new jobs, new industries, and general prosperity for all." Except, they won't.

The "laws of Wall Street" and the capitalist fervor that underpins them say that companies will serve themselves first. There will be pay raises -- for the upper echelon of executives, whom we know have been suffering mightily, during and after the various "bubbles" and the near catastrophe of 2008.

So, once again the rich are going to get richer -- and the poor and the rest of us (somewhere in the middle) are going to be "trickled down upon" once again. Don't let it pass Republican senators, Democrats, and all fair-minded government bureaucrats -- if there are any of you left!

Resist, continue to resist!

Donald J. Trump: Chauvinist, Provocateur, Autocrat, Solipsist

Belittling your enemies (and your friends) -- is not a sign of great intelligence or great leadership, or great "anything" for that matter. Putting your head in the sand about "terrorism" and blaming American lawmakers for allowing "terrorists" into the country --- is not being smart.

Changing the entire purpose and structure of America to "keep us safe" is not realistic, it is merely illusory. Calling out government officials of the same or of a different party -- because they don't agree with you -- is not thoughtful; it is ridiculous. And that is what a "tweeting Trump" is --- ridiculous. If we all laugh at him -- will he go away?

At least --- continue to resist, resist, resist!!!