Monthly Archives: February 2016

Donald Trump and the Future of Higher Education

Colleges and universities are always in various states of growth, transition, and uncertainty. Support from political leaders (and the people they theoretically represent) in the form of either tangible monetary support or positive rhetoric always ebbs and flows. Post-secondary institutions of learning enshrine creativity and thinking and are led by very highly-educated people – peopleContinue reading “Donald Trump and the Future of Higher Education”

The Difficulty of 2016 Politics That No One Talks About

Due to the extremely unusual (and important) nature of the upcoming presidential election, its candidates, the people, and the media, I keep having a strong desire to write blogs over all kinds of possible topics. (Yes, I know I should be dissertating!) I’ve started blogs addressing problems with various candidates running for the Democratic andContinue reading “The Difficulty of 2016 Politics That No One Talks About”

The Will to Live

Many things capture my awe as an academic…one of the top things is the seemingly very deep will to life. While not at all to discount those who suffer from depression and those who have (or have attempted to) kill themselves because of depression or those who are ultimately not able to survive due to pressures placedContinue reading “The Will to Live”

Was Texas Ever Actually Its Own Nation?

As a thought exercise, I have been thinking about this question for some time but especially the last day or two. I’d like to share a few working thoughts. (I’m saving a few for later.) Let me know what you think! Thanks! To begin this exercise, we must first recognize that Indians were here first.Continue reading “Was Texas Ever Actually Its Own Nation?”

Digital Content and the New Reality of Long-Term Rentals

Has it soaked in that you can never simply give a digital book, movie, CD, or any other kind of electronic item to someone else once you buy it? Amazon, Apple, Google (sorry, Alphabet with Google’s recent name change), and other such companies have no mechanism for you to give that digital property–property bought with hard-earnedContinue reading “Digital Content and the New Reality of Long-Term Rentals”

“Just making fun of the political system” (and other waiting room observations)

While waiting forever in a doctor’s office waiting room this morning (we’re talking four hours of waiting!), I got to hear some very interesting conversations while I was finishing Becoming Mexican American and preparing this study guide for my students. One of the first comments I heard was from a person in their 50s whoContinue reading ““Just making fun of the political system” (and other waiting room observations)”