Galand Nuchols: July 2017

Saturday, July 8, 2017

George Will's Article in the Longview News- Journal - Thursday July 6, 2017 titled The sequence to success should be a wake-up call to all our high school and college students. The article is long and has a number of references to prestigious research institutions that indicate there is a pattern connected to reaching that goal of "Success".
How do today's adults define success? According to Will's article today's young adults define success as - insurance against poverty. And the recipe or sequence to the success pattern according to information from the Brookings Institution is:

First get at least a high school diploma

Then get a job.

Then get married

Only then have children

The above steps should be taken in that order. The formula is not a sure thing, however. Yet Wills quotes Wang and Wilcox research of couples ages 28 to 34 and found that "only 3 per cent of those who followed this sequence are poor." That means 97 percent were experiencing 'success.' I'll take those odds any day of the week.
I keep remembering what someone told me years ago. "The choices you make today affect the rest of your life." George Will's article, "The Sequence to success," is well worth your time to dig out and read top to bottom.

Lovely Lies

Published in 2018: Beth, a young high school student, desperately wants to look and dress like her slender friends. Tavena, a special friend, accepts Beth as she is and encourages her to live up to her own expectations. Samael, a pimp, showers Beth with flattery and flowers. After gaining Beth’s trust, he and his head prostitute, Jaklyn, lure Beth into a coffee bar, then drug and kidnapped her. For days, lies and doctored brownies keep Beth in a confused state. Can Beth shake off the effects of the drugs and escape? Will the skeptical police move fast enough to rescue her? Will her friends dare challenge Samael’s possession of their friend?

The Depth of Snow

Published in 2020: In a small West Texas town, five Callie High School students face tests of love and loyalty as jealousy and heroin shake their world. Ross, known as Bulldog to the football crowd, feels entitled to passing grades. His history teacher has other ideas. Tish, a lovely young girl, is sure her boyfriend can overcome his addiction to heroin and meth. She remains loyal to him and his mother in spite of her own mother's threats and abuse. When her boyfriend's addiction roars out of control, the entire school feels the consequences. The survivors must deal with the results of the unknown depth of snow.

The Noose

Published 2017: Eddy and Scott, both with paranormal talants, discuss Scott's visions of a hangman's noose. Is the noose for one of them or someone else? Eddy and Scott plan a vacation with fishing and a family reunion, but fate has other plans for them. Daran's guilt is forcing him to extreme measures of restitution for poor choices made in the past. Alcohol cannot drive away the accusing faces. Can Azrael, the death angel, help him change? What is the secret that Daran hides and who is he afraid of?