Twenty Five Percent?

This article reports 25 percent of college students have an emotional, or mental disorder. That's a substantial percentage, but is the report accurate?

Personally, I feel there's a strong effort to determine mental problems because of the amount of money to be made on these problems. Prescribing medications, scheduling more office visits, and continuing treatment pays many salaries. Future income is guaranteed for those that can keep the patient involved with treatments that may not be necessary.

Everyone has to deal with stress, problems, unexpected events and the knowledge things might not work out as anticipated. Dealing with these things doesn't always demand professional help, and many times the correct response is accepting events as they come. Maturity demands making the transition to being a productive member of society by quiet determination, and adapting to circumstances.

The report might be accurate. If so, there's a decay in society that needs addressing. The strength of a nation is the strength of the individual. With 25 percent of future citizens that are supposed to be the leaders of society showing signs of a possible debilitating disorder, there needs to be a strong effort to correct the problem; and prescribing another medication isn't the start of the solution.

Once Bitten

The first hurricane I remember was Carla. The Southeast Texas Coast evacuated, and even without a direct hit, many low areas flooded, and there was wind damage. We evacuated, and as a child, the experience was a strange adventure. I could see the expression on my parents faces as we returned. They didn't know what to expect, and their relief was apparent, when no damage was found.

Over the years, we had more close calls. One was Alicia, which hit Houston. I was an adult, so my brother, and I, went toward the coast to see the effects.

The tide was about four feet higher than normal. Where there were once bluffs on the ship channel, the waves lapped over the banks, and some of the roads were  closed to the coastal areas. Since I didn't own a home, the desperation felt from an approaching hurricane wasn't felt.

Hurricane Bonnie was my first experience as a homeowner. Bonnie was a category 1, the storm quickly formed in the Gulf, and there wasn't a call for an evacuation. We stayed, watched large sections of roof shingles blow away, and felt the fury of the storm. Repairs took weeks, and the week without electricity wasn't pleasant.

Over the next few years, we had a few smaller hurricanes that were close. Some killed the power for days, and one was nearly dry. The winds blew millions of salt water mosquitoes from the coastal marshes, and they stayed for weeks. A journey outside at dusk was terrible. I literally would rake mosquitoes from my arms.

Rita was next. We evacuated, which was a horrible experience. The nearly stopped traffic led to hours of waiting, hoping to not run out of gas, and the apprehension of not knowing where we would go. Adding the knowledge of predatory, and panicked people, only made it worse. The return trip took three hours, and being turned away from certain roads due to damage.

Rita caused some roof damage. That, and some tree limbs to be cut, but three weeks without power was the real problem. With working all daylight hours on cleanup, the trip to work was a dark journey filled with thoughts of things to be done.

We stayed for Ike. That was an experience. With a landfall only about fifty miles away, the 80 mph sustained winds were something to behold. I kept thinking we could leave, if things were to become too bad. That was a thought without experience for reference. The horizontal winds would have been impossible to endure, and any one of the tornadoes that rumbled through the night could have led to certain death. Our damage was minimal, but many lost everything to the storm surge that exceeded 19 feet in some areas.

So, I've had my experience with hurricanes, and Harvey last year yielded a terrible flood, even though landfall was hundreds of mile away. That's why I know how many on the East Coast are feeling. I wish them the best, and hope Florence doesn't make a U.S. landfall. Nobody deserves such an event, and the results interrupt the lives of people for a long, long time.

Playing Hardball

Obama ignored accepted procedures, thumbed his nose at Congress, and did damage with executive orders that are still tying up the courts. He wanted to keep to his agenda, regardless of the method, and did so with impunity.

I think the Democrats know Trump has the same avenue for keeping  his promises, and this knowledge is making them desperate. They know they can do little to stop Trump, and without a majority in Congress, they can't even use impeachment to keep Trump from finally unraveling the mess created by Obama.

I expect the Democrats will become more unruly, and the likes of Soros will cause more problems. They can't win with rhetoric, the ballot box, or with fake news, so violence is the next step. People need to be aware of this and be wise in their travels.

Waiting to See What Happens

Andrew McCabe may find a criminal indictment in his near future. It might be deserved, since information of his actions point toward crimes, and possible criminal conspiracy with others.

If he's indicted, the complaint will have the information many of those opposing Trump don't want in the headlines. This may derail the aspirations of the Democrats seeking office, and I'm betting they'll change their campaign strategies if McCabe is indicted.

What If It's Part of the Plan?

Nike seems to have shot itself in the foot. People are mad, and some even burning their shoes. It appears as if the company lost its mind; or did it?

What if Nike is either part of a plan to bankrupt the company, or an insider is involved? With Nike manufacturing facilities overseas, the scrutiny of the operations is minimal at best. An unusual drop in production could be overlooked. That cuts costs to prepare for bankruptcy, and insiders could sell stock at the higher price.

With the failing Kaepernick ads in motion, the drastic drop in sales, and investors fleeing in numbers, the company could file for bankruptcy, have debts reduced to pennies on the dollars, and buying into the lower stock yield a profit.

Meanwhile, a new company, or revised company could be born. The manufacturing facilities exist, the yearning for an overpriced sneaker is still prevalent, and the public would be ignorant of most everything, since nobody really pays that much attention to stock prices, or major investors.

Time will tell how this turns out, but I wouldn't automatically think Nike is stupid, or honest.