No man who worships education has got the best out of education . . .

Without a gentle contempt for education no man’s education is complete.

 G.K. Chersterton (1874–1936) British author

COMPELLING READING recently released, October 2011. What’s happening to education? How can we be better prepared for one of the most important financial decisions or our lives? Download this highly readable Government Accounting Office report.

Click here to see the Real Time Student Loan Debt Clock

Hickety, dickety, dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory, dickerty, dock.

THIS INTRIGUING LITTLE RHYME illustrated here by William Wallace Denslow in a 1901 Mother Goose Collection actually dates back to a 1744 song book published in London. That happy little song book is a far cry from the blues we should all be singing today. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the U.S. Department of Education as well as other private sources reported that the amount of student loans taken out last year crossed the $100 billion mark for the first time and total loans outstanding will exceed $1 trillion for the first time this year. Americans now owe more on student loans than on credit cards. Are there some common sense answers we could address or do we keep scurrying up and down the clock unconsciously?

Are 18 year olds suitable for college entry? Few have targeted educational goals as well as little knowledge of the real costs of higher education. Reading, writing and arithmetic in high schools should be updated to include, “reading, writing, speaking, analytical thinking and fiscal management.” True, there are highly motivated college seekers but they have undertaken due diligence and have secured every possible scholarship, grant or sponsorship on their own volition. This minority demographic never runs in linear fashion up and down the clock but introduces all of us to new concepts of form, space and time. Let’s not forget that higher education was never a good fit for a myriad of independent personalities who invented new products, services and experiences that changed the way we think and act. College should never be a right but an intense ongoing commitment.

Click here to see the Real Time Student Loan Debt Clock

SILENCE (over Manhattan)

A black September shadow cloaks the dawn,

The City’s once white teeth now rotting stumps,

Midst choking dusty embers ether-borne,

Its shrunken soundless heart now barely pumps.

Infernos upon retribution rise,

Fanaticism maddening the flames,

Its once imposing deities abscise,

As the faceless antagonist proclaims:

A consummation sweet but unfulfilled,

A penetrative burst without regret,

A zealous passion never to be stilled,

An earthly instinct powerful, and yet -

This bitter loathing blowing from the East,

Curtailed but could not kill the feisty beast.

©2002, Paula Bardell

WARREN BUFFETT appeared on Charlie Rose last evening shortly after contributing a common sense op-ed piece, Stop Coddling the Super Rich. Here is a brilliant soft-spoken billionaire who speaks a compelling language we can all understand. Politicians including our recent President speak to us with a biased view toward sustaining their survival. Mr. Buffett outlook for America is always positive, he believes there is no better model than a market driven economy. From his point of view Congress has been in the business of protecting he and his rich friends. Last year my federal tax bill (Mr. Buffett) — the income tax I paid, as well as payroll taxes paid by me and on my behalf — was $6,938,744. That sounds like a lot of money. But what I paid was only 17.4 percent of my taxable income — and that’s actually a lower percentage than was paid by any of the other 20 people in our office. Their tax burdens ranged from 33 percent to 41 percent and averaged 36 percent. The word tax has been transformed into revenue this year by politicians but whatever you want to call it, we will all need to make meaningful financial sacrifices.

ANTHONY WEINER found himself in a bit of Twitter trouble beginning a few weeks ago with what he called criminal hacking. His stories changed about as fast as one types 140 characters. Speaking of characters, where are the politicians who’s missions and core values serve the public good? They are certainly nowhere to be found in government. If all politics is local then perhaps reputable characters are shaped and formed in the mind’s eye over time. They grow up in families, live next door, go bowling, tend to their gardens and ponder the nature of the universe. Our media friend Anthony Weiner continues to disregard advise from political birds young and old—he’s willing to seek counseling, continue to fantasize and remain a servant for the public good.

SARAH PALIN seems to be blazing the trail for brand leveraging, last weekend she rode into Washington for a bike rally all decked out in black leather as passenger on the back of a Harley-Davidson. Encouraging to see she was not at the controls and only a passenger riding a first-class enduring American icon. The 2012 presidential campaign will easily surpass 1 billion dollars in funding to place the next politician in the driver’s seat. Our minds are absolutely tantalized when imagining all of the partnerships between government and corporate sectors. Political ephemera such as buttons, posters, banners, websites, yard signs, brochures, door-hangers, hats and balloons will take on new and innovative colors and identities. Smucker’s-Huckabee is no longer a possibility.

NOW IT’S NEWT. The political circus continues with the announcement that Mr. Gingrich the ultimate anti-tax and spend common sense politician loves to love his spouse by making use of his Tiffany’s select charge card. He’s very clear about maintaining a zero balance and he feels the same way about the rest of us. All of us in God’s green country should act morally, intelligently and prudently. This message was essentially the same mantra Mr. Gingrich touted back in the 90s. Let us not forget, this newly remodeled presidential candidate recognizes all of our short-comings and he asks for our vote in the fast approaching 2012 election. Callista Gingrich also echos the same sentiments. Read Sheryl Gay Stolberg’s article in the New York Times, May 24: All that Glitters

THE DEATH OF BOOKS in physical/tactile form is fast approaching, books are disappearing from hundreds of miles of linear shelf space. A few days ago I returned to a university special collections archive with my students, our sojourn was a total surprise, we encountered vast spaces stripped of books, journals, periodicals, magazines and large format bound publications. One surviving jewel, a collection of Harpers Weekly dating back to the middle of the 19th century. Inside, we witnessed history and current events brought to life by skilled artisans employing the medium of fine line drawing and metal-plate engraving. It was also possible to see the intersection between illustrated and photographic art, an interesting technological transformation. Notice the “RIP” catalog call letters on the 1875 volume above—most likely added for purposes of rhetoric using Photoshop by this blogger.

The chance encounters with printed matter in a library (Harpers Weekly) are critically important, one is reminded of the sciences where off-target destinations lead to breakthrough discoveries for the betterment of us all. Browsing in the 21st century takes on new meanings—physical browsing is transformed into digital investigations via hotly contested search technology. There are some challenges, when the physical stuff of culture is packed into warehouses—can we be confident that retrieval behaviors established by the best and the brightest are timely and intuitive. In twenty short years my grand daughter will most likely be a higher education student, she will not know of the sensory pleasures of the physical browse, hopefully she will have been immersed inside of new chance encounters we can’t even predict. Read and view a short video regarding the latest controversy at the Penrose Library, University of Denver.

CORE VALUES are the essential tenets we practice everyday, they form the underpinnings of our beliefs. The building of mission, vision and core values is a hot topic for corporate and organizational executives. There are hundreds of self-help or consultant driven seminars, workshops, webinars, and other educational venues for businesses that want to improve their company culture as well as the bottom line. However, building mission and core values is a fruitless exercise if the builders do not carefully examine the alignment between their personal beliefs and those values under construction in the workplace. A personal examination of cultural, political, social and religious convictions will also drive authentic business strategies and objectives. This exercise might also bring the realization that personal values and company values are misaligned and therefore lead to the planning of a successful exit strategy.

DONALD TRUMP for president is believable in this hyped-up media driven political circus. Hard to imagine how the billionaire game show host can be taken seriously—but then Sarah Palin who began life watching Russia from her home in Alaska is a household personality. Trump this week in Las Vegas spoke of facing a real dilemma if he had to give up his television career to run for president: It’s a great show. I’m gonna give a lot of stuff up. But you know what, it’s peanuts compared with the importance of this country. Here, we witness an incisive intellect in the tradition of politicians and orators like Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt offered potent words in his first inaugural, We do not distrust the future of essential democracy. The people of the United States have not failed. In their need they have registered a mandate that they want direct, vigorous action. They have asked for discipline and direction under leadership. They have made me the present instrument of their wishes. In the spirit of the gift I take it. Contemporary messages have certainly changed—we are left with linguistic vestiges such as, blood-sucking, mother f . . . g, birthers in a teapot party (order of words are rhetorical)