“Imprisonment of the body is bitter; imprisonment of the mind is worse.” (Thornton Wilder – The Ides of March) I once had a tour of Jackson State Prison. After that experience I realized what a severe penalty it is to be sentenced to “life in prison.” But worse than “life”, is the locking-up of one’s mind. “The mind is a terrible thing to waste.” Society needs to address the problem of mind-robbing sub-par schools and the problem of mind-robbing diseases. ;-) Jack
FROM MY LAWYER: There's an amazing analogy of sub-par schools to sub-par homes. The work starts there.====JACK: Shakespeare put it this way..."Aye, there's the rub." The home environment has much to do with the success or failure of a child in school. Do you have the answer as to how to improve the home environment? We have mentoring programs for children. How about mentoring programs for the parent(s)? ====ML: That's where you come in. It's cheaper and more effective than jail!!!====JACK: Poverty and neighborhood environment also need to be addressed. You and I and society and legislators need to say (more loudly than we're doing now), "Enough is enough!" We seem to be able to solve other problems. Maybe we'd be more motivated if it were a NIMBY situation. Maybe we'd be more motivated if we realized that our neighborhood is bigger than we think it is.
FROM TARMART REV: "TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS Look full in His Wonderful Face And the things of earth Will grow strangely dim In the light of His Glory and Grace" . . . I visited a young man all through who was sentenced for 18 1/2 years for stabbing his former fiancée before falling on the knife himself . . . she died and he lived . . . still friends today as he's out and lives here in Willmar once again . . . have never gotten anywhere yet in regards to him accepting a Christian faith, as he believes we Christians make our faith happen and that is the only depth to it . . . interesting to me, I feel liberated and he feels I'm in bondage and he feels liberated and I feel he is in bondage!?!?====JACK: "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows." Those were the opening words of The Shadow, the old radio program. Let's change them to apply to your situation. "Who know what good lurks in the heart of a man? God knows." You are doing your part by continuing to be a friend. The rest is up to God. He knows his business!
FROM DARK CHOCOLATE JUDY: Two words --- Still Alice. Did you see this movie? I highly recommend it. Losing one's mind through early onset Alzheizmer's. Have a great day! Thank you! ====JACK: I've read the reviews. Who knows what goes on in the "head" of the one who has the disease? We do know that the many of the family and friends are distressed and hoping for a cure, or an answer as to WHY?====JUDY: Alice was a Ph.D. Professor at Columbia and she was brilliant! At 50 she was stricken with this disease and you are right .. Her family was torn. Her husband took a job at the Mayo Clinic and essentially left her, and her youngest daughter cared for her. Her older daughter was tested for it and learned, after she had twins, that she has the gene for it.
I have a friend, that has 4-school/age children, that has the gene for it. Her mom died from it.
Prayers for A cure... Please.====JACK: As with most problem situations, we become really concerned when they strike close to home. It is a terrible disease, and there certainly many who are standing in the need of prayer.
FROM ST. PAUL IN MESA: our very conservative governor here in AZ just pushed thru a new budget cutting out something like a 100 million dollars for education. pathetic...====JACK: The people get the one with the most votes.
FROM EDUCATOR PAUL: I forgot who said thiis about solving the problem of “failing schools.”
“It’s not that we don’t know what to do, but a lack of will to do it.” It’s not…
“Work Harder”
“Better Testing”
“Accountability”
“Holding kids back at 3rd grade if they read below grade level”
“Better teachers”
“Better Principals”
“Better School People”
“Zero Tolerance”
“Longer school days”
On and on and on…
====JACK: One of the "On and ons," is how to improve the "home factor" in a child's education. Do you have a solution? If so, many people are anxious to hear it.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: I keep in touch and send pocket money to the adopted son of an African American pastor friend (both he and wife now deceased) who is in prison for life with no parole. And he had as far as I can tell a good stable home, and two caring parents...shot his pregnant (from another man) wife, and sat on the church steps waiting to be arrested. So sad, and what a terrible life. His four sons were raised by sister and mother's mom, and all had problems. His letters are upbeat and quote scriptures....! I read the book Still Alice, and plan to see the movie tomorrow...It is well told; Such a terrible fate, for a bright, capable, attractive woman! Hal's mother died of Alzheimers, as did his sister, but not til she was 90 (!) and Hal had some dementia when he died. Now his younger brother Russ is coping with dementia as well. Seems to often run in families. Yes, imprisonment of the mind is terrible to deal with! Count your blessings, name them one by one!!!====JACK: I looked it up. Among the list of saints, there isn't one named, Marilyn. There should be.
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