Here we go again: this is the beginning of my 33rd year of teaching. We had a boffo Registration (there are no jobs so enrollment goes up) and all my classes are full. Plenty of changes have occurred over those 30+ years. When I first started teaching, most of my students were males. Sure, I had an occasional female student taking my Marketing or Management classes, but they were rare. Then, about 20 years ago things changed. More and more women signed up for business classes. Our numbers swelled and the Business Department became the curriculum with the highest enrollment (today, it’s Criminal Justice). Today, I expect to see more women than men in most of my classes. I also expect many students will not be prepared to do College work. We’re an “open Admissions” campus which means if you have a pulse and a check for tuition, you’re in. But, as I’ll tell my students today in my first lecture, we may have open admissions, but we don’t have open Graduation. They’ll have to earn it. And it all begins today.

Bill Crider observed that Woody Allen creates great roles for women characters. Woody creates another one with Jasmine (Cate Blanchett), wife of a Bernie Madoff-tyoe investor (Alec Baldwin). After her husband’s real estate empire unravels, Jasmine finds herself financially destitute. She flies from New York City to San Francisco to live with her sister, Ginger (Sally Hawkins), a cashier at a local supermarket. Woody Allen shows the transformation from Jasmine’s life of wealth and luxury reduced to relying on the kindness of others in a series of flashbacks. The audience watches as Jasmine’s world comes crashing down. I’m ready to give Cate Blanchett the BEST ACTRESS Oscar today. My only quibble is with Woddy’s ending, but you’ll have to be the judge of that. GRADE: B+

As the lazy hazy crazy days of Summer come to an end, what better way to indulge in a reading binge than enjoying a trilogy of spy novels. After reading several good reviews of Matthew Dunn’s Spycatcher series, I spent this week chasing terrorists and foiling dastardly plots. Matthew Dunn was an MI6 agent so you’ll find some surprising spycraft in these novels. But, you’ll find some excesses, too. For example, in the first book in the series, Spycatcher, Dunn’s master spy Will Cochrane (code name: Spartan) gets shot FIVE TIMES! Fortunately, he recovers to chase a Russian agent bent on starting a war with the United States in Sentinel. Will Cochrane battles a secret cabal who plans to unleash massive devastation of millions of people in Slingshot. There’s plenty of action in these books. The pages turn quickly. I can’t think of a better way to end this Summer! GRADE: B (for all three Spycatcher books)

Seeds of Life is the last of those Galaxy Science Fiction Novels I found in my basement this summer. “John Taine” is the pseudonym of Eric Temple Bell, a mathematician and scientist. Seeds of Life is a variation on the Jekyll and Hyde theme. A technical assistant is zapped by radiation in a laboratory and is transformed into genius. Initially, the genius builds incredible devices that make millions of dollars. But the genius goes to the Dark Side and his evil threatens to unleash new horrors on the United States. Written in 1931, Seeds of Life has some of the stilted prose of that era. But even 80 years ago, John Taine was suggesting that radiation could have devastating mutating effects. Science shows up in Erie Temple Bell’s other “John Taine” science fiction novels. The best known were published in an omnibus edition by Dover Press: The Time Stream; The Greatest Adventure; and The Purple Sapphire. If you’re in the mood for some Old School SF adventures, these John Taine novels fit the bill.

Regina Belle is best remembered for her duet with Peabo Bryson, “A Whole New World,” that became the theme for the Disney movie, Aladdin. But Regina Belle’s talent can be heard on a dozen albums. Baby Come to Me: The Best of Regina Belle collects many of her best songs. My favorites are “Show Me the Way” (a perfect make-out song!) and “So Many Tears.” Regina Belle sounds a little like Brenda Russell and Yolanda Adams. Very soulful, very smooth! If you’re in the mood for some beautiful music, check out Baby Come to Me or any of Regina Belle’s other fine CDs.
TRACK LIST:
1 Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time) (4:23)
2 Baby Come to Me (5:41)
3 Quiet Time (5:06)
4 So Many Tears (7:32)
5 What Goes Around (5:35)
6 How Could You Do It to Me (4:55)
7 Love T.K.O. (5:00)
8 Show Me the Way (5:29)
9 Someday We’ll All Be Free/Save the Children (7:05)
10 All I Want Is Forever (4:27)
11 This Is Love (4:44)
12 If I Could (4:00)
13 Make It Like It Was (5:08)
14 A Whole New World (4:03)

Philip Bobbitt wrote two masterworks of political science: The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace, and the Course of History and Terror and Consent: The Wars for the Twenty-First Century. Both of these books present detailed analysis of major topics. However, The Garments of Court and Palace weighs in at a svelte 270 pages (Bobbitt’s other two tomes have close to a thousand pages each). Machiavelli holds a paradoxical place in political science. Many critics claim Machiavelli marks the beginning of modernity in government. Others, like Leo Strauss in Thoughts on Machiabelli, say Machiavelli presents an amoral approach to governing. Bobbitt’s view of Machiavelli recognizes the amoral aspects of Machiavelli’s philosophy. But Bobbitt acknowledges that sometimes political leaders and governments need to resort to amoral techniques to survive. The current NSA controversy illustrates this dilemma. How much of our privacy are we willing to give up for security? As the debate rages on, Bobbitt’s brilliant book suggests we’ll do what we have to do–just as Machiavelli suggested over 500 years ago. GRADE: A

BEST BUY is offering Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz Blu-ray for $12.98. But it gets better! BEST BUY will also give you $8 of FANDANGO cash if you buy this combo Blu-ray this week. However, you can only use the FANDANGO cash towards a ticket for The World’s End or Kick-Ass 2. Much as I want to see Hit Girl, the terrible reviews for Kick-Ass 2 discourage me from that option. But I can cheerfully recommend The World’s End made by the same team that made Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. If you haven’t seen Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz this is an attractive package at a bargain price.

Longmire Season Two lacked the intensity of Season One, but I still enjoyed it. The producers and writers took a couple of misguided tangents (the Election for Sheriff and the near-fatal hit-and-run of Longmire’s daughter come to mind). But Robert Taylor embodies the character of Longmire and his supporting cast is strong. The gruesome Indian ritual Longmire undergoes to “save” his daughter’s life creeped me out but it’s consistent with the storyline and culture Longmire developed over two seasons. I hope this series gets renewed. Past episodes should be available at A&E ON DEMAND or the A&E website.

Warren Buffett is the world’s best investor. Depending on the performance of the Stock Market today, he’s the richest person in the United States and one of the richest people in the world with a net worth of $55 billion. Buffett’s wealth was earned investing in the Stock Market. He has a simple investment strategy that he shares with everyone: buy good stocks and hold them forever. Sure, Buffett has made some investing mistakes, but he always learns from his errors. Buffett is donating his billions to charity. In an era where narcissistic clowns like Anthony Weiner garner undeserved attention, Warren Buffett goes about his business with joy and humor. He loves what’s he’s doing. And that makes all the difference. You can check out Warren Buffett’s current six best stocks to own here. GRADE: A