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Sunday, January 21, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/21 - Dropouts

Yesterday a leftist friend posted a piece praising the academic accomplishments of Rachel Maddow and Barrack Obama and ridiculing Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity as college dropouts. The elitist nonsense inspired me to google lists of successful dropouts. The first, which deals with college, has been pared from 26 to ten. The second is of high school dropouts. The irony is that many of these people are probably liberals. Like Rush and Sean, they have no reason be self conscious about their schooling or lack thereof:
Henry Ford: Net Worth $199 Billion, Dropped out at 16.
Bill Gates: Net Worth $78.8 Billion, Dropped out at 19.
Larry Ellison, Net Worth $56.6 Billion, Dropped out at 20.
Amancio Ortega, Net Worth $66.2 Billion, Dropped out at 14.
Mark Zuckerberg, Net Worth $33.7 Billion, Dropped out at 19.
Li Ka Shing, Net Worth $33.5 Billion, Dropped out at 15.
Sheldon Adelson, Net Worth $30.2 Billion, Dropped out at 19.
Larry Page, Net Worth $29.1 Billion, Dropped out at 21.
Michael Dell, Net Worth $21.8 Billion, Dropped out at 19.
Paul Allen, Net Worth $17 Billion, Dropped out at 20.

Johnny Depp, Katy Perry, Nicolas Cage, Gisele Bündchen,  Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cameron Diaz, Tom Cruise, Charlize Theron, Quentin Tarantino, Charlie Sheen, Nicole Kidman, Robert Downey Jr., Kate Winslet, George Carlin, Marilyn Monroe, Simon Cowell, Demi Moore, Jay-Z, Michelle Williams, Marlon Brando, Christina Applegate, Jude Law, Christina Aguilera, John Travolta, Courtney Love, Chris Rock, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Kristen Stewart, Eminem, Orlando Bloom, Ewan McGregor,  Avril Lavigne, Richard Pryor, David Bowie, Keanu Reeves, Jim Carrey, Heath Ledger, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael J. Fox, Naomi Watts, Jessica Simpson, Pierce Brosnan, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Prince, Kurt Cobain, Mark Wahlberg, Roseanne Barr, Uma Thurman, Walt Disney, Colin Farrell, Seth Rogen, Clark Gable, Ryan Gosling, Kid Rock, Billy Joel. The list includes many more. Here's a dropout who can drop in on me anytime: 


An article in today's NY Post reveals that 3000+ retired educators are drawing pensions of more than $100,000. 46 draw more than $200,000, nine $300,000, five $400,000, and one $500,000. Is this fair to tax-payers? Shouldn't there be a cap? Would these people be unable to live on $100,000, which seems very generous? Leave it to politicians to be cavalier with other people's money. It's a disgrace.

From Yahoo Sports, edited by yours truly: In a sad reflection of the times, Philadelphia authorities are preparing for possible rioting after the Eagles-Vikings game. To prevent the climbing of lampposts, they have been smeared with Crisco. Businesses have been advised to lower their gates and bring trash cans and flower pots inside. Bars have been asked to sell alcohol in plastic cups rather than bottles.

I've been running the floating book shop long enough to know that immediately finding the most favorable parking isn't an omen for good business. Such was the case on this beautiful day in Park Slope. My thanks to the middle age gentleman who parked his bike beside the display and purchased a primer on Buddhism, the only sale of the session. The effort was worth, however, as I crossed paths with one of my all-time favorite human beings. Enrique, fresh from mass up the street, also pulled up on a bike. We caught up on each other's activities, lamented the recent passing of a former co-worker, and took pictures. These days he's driving for Access-a-Ride. I bet his picture came out better than mine. I'll check when I get to Facebook.


Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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