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Straight Talk from Al Jacobs

THE ONLINE EDUCATION PROPOSAL

The fight over online education goes on. Here in California, Governor Jerry Brown proposes earmarking a comparatively modest $120 million to create a statewide community college system offering only online courses. In doing so, he envisions such a program will benefit some 2.5 million high school graduates, ages 25 to 34, most of who desire higher education, but are working and unable to take time off to attend regular classes. As you might guess, critics of the governor’s proposal find fault with every aspect of the concept.

Who do you suppose might oppose a relatively low cost plan to benefit working Californians who seek to improve themselves educationally? Why naturally those in the education business. Foremost among the opponents is Joshua Pechthalt, president of the California Federation of Teachers, which comprises more than 140 local unions and represents community college instructors. Among his objections: “What makes education really come alive for students is interaction with instructors and other students. Online is not a good approach.” As for his real concern, of course, is the fear a successful online program will pull students away from local campuses and with it the dues-paying employees he represents.

Also in opposition to successful online education are many college heads who dread the prospect of losing student revenue. However, they aren’t speaking out as yet for fear of tangling with either the governor or Community College Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley, an advocate of the program whose office would run the online entity.

Viewing online study from a learning perspective, I’ll offer a testimonial of sorts. In an earlier time, correspondence courses performed the same function – and I took my share of them. Thanks to LaSalle Institute, and many diligent mail carriers, my grasp of partnership law is sound, despite a one-time nameless and faceless course instructor located in a post office box some two thousand miles away in Chicago, Illinois. Admittedly, a smiling and enthusiastic professor in a prestigious university adds a touch of stature to the process, but a motivated student who strives to learn will do so, regardless of the accouterments. My point: Online education can be as beneficial to the serious student as presence in the classroom. Though the educational hierarchy may – for perfectly understandable reasons – despise the concept, it’s justifiably here to stay.

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Al Jacobs, a professional investor for nearly a half-

century, issues a monthly newsletter in which he

shares his financial knowledge and experience.

You may view it on http://www.roadwaytoprosperity.com

 

Straight Talk from Al Jacobs

 

U.S. LEADERSHIP IN PERSPECTIVE

Although my writings normally concentrate on financial matters, the current donnybrook over comments by President Donald Trump, concerning a pair of nations whose citizens are immigrating into the United States, is too controversial to be ignored.  Sorry, but you’ll have to wait until next week to find out whether our economy is set to implode or explode.

There can be no denying President Trump’s recent uncomplimentary characterization of the nations of Haiti and El Salvador – irrespective of whether accurate or not – was indiscreet and clearly unpresidential. The claim by some of his detractors, however, that such conduct constitutes an impeachable offense is far off the mark. The presumption that such a crass remark, obviously uttered while the President’s brain was not in gear, might be interpreted as a high crime or misdemeanor will never fly.

To put the quality our nation’s stewardship in clearer perspective, you must recognize that over the centuries the leaders of some of the world’s most prominent empires exhibited qualities less than commendable. The reigns of the Roman Emperors Caligula (37-41 A.D.) and Nero (54-68 A.D.) were characterized by cruelty and terrorism, with both dying violently at the hands of their intended victims. By contrast, the Trump administration is a model of decorum. In a more recent era, during the monarchy of England’s George III (1760-1820), the king regularly displayed bouts of insanity, with his final 9 years of tenure relegated to mental confinement.  Not even Donald Trump’s harshest opponents try to personify him in any such fashion, with perhaps the most unfavorable comment on his mental state being the rumor his Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, refers to him as a “moron.” And as to whether his age, now 71, may be a deleterious factor, we might relate this to Germany’s President Paul von Hindenburg (1847-1934), who served in that position, while severely senile, until his death at 86. By comparison, Donald Trump is youthful and vigorous.

A final word: As you see, in historical perspective President Trump is functioning more or less competently. It’s unlikely those partisan critics who claim he’s unfit for the job would have, a full century ago, suggested the same thing of then President Woodrow Wilson, who spent the final 17 months of his presidency semi-comatose. 

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Al Jacobs, a professional investor for nearly a half-

century, issues a monthly newsletter in which he

shares his financial knowledge and experience.

You may view it on http://www.roadwaytoprosperity.co

Straight Talk from Al Jacobs

 

HEALTH AND EXERCISE

 

The American Academy of Neurology (AAM), a professional society established in 1948 representing over 34,000 neurologists and neuroscientists, reports no less than 2.4 million Americans are believed to suffer from mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition in which memory and thinking skills are reduced in otherwise healthy persons of all ages. Perhaps even more unsettling is that the prevalence of this condition increases with age as it often becomes a gateway to Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

 

Although there’s not yet an established treatment for AD, there may be better news for sufferers of MCI, for recent studies by mental health researchers reveals “exercising twice a week may help preserve memory and thinking skills in people with MCI.” You should note this particular malady shares one commonality with Alzheimer’s, in that for both ailments “there are no pharmacologic or dietary agents currently shown to have symptomatic cognitive benefits” and that “no medications are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for that purpose.” One other bit of evidence to add is a single line from a 2011 report by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) division of the National Institutes of Health, stating “Physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of AD.”

 

These almost obscure observations cause me to link the two ailments together and to propose both a possible cause and logical treatment for them. As for a possible cause, it seems obvious: As we age, with a reduction in physical activity and a slowdown in metabolism, blood flows more slowly and deposits accumulate on the blood vessel walls. And as less blood flows through the two carotid arteries, the supply of oxygen to the brain is reduced. Could it be this reduced oxygen to the brain is one cause of MIC in younger persons and AD in oldsters? This could, of course, account for the improvement in both instances from exercise which, if nothing else, increases the flow of blood throughout the body and with it an increased oxygenation.

 

As for the treatment, it’s equally straightforward: Cardiovascular exercise should be participated in throughout a person’s lifetime. With this said, let me offer a testimonial: Over the decades I’ve maintained, now well into my 80’s, a daily schedule of an hour of continuous swimming. Perhaps it’s just coincidence, but everything – including the brain – seems to be working well. You may take that for what it’s worth.

 

 comments, called-out

Al Jacobs, a professional investor for nearly a half-

century, issues a monthly newsletter in which he

shares his financial knowledge and experience.

You may view it on http://www.roadwaytoprosperity.com