Well, it's good to be back after so many years. I have tried a number of blog templates and Blogger is my favorite. My goals change and this new direction suits me as well.
This Blogger blog site was initiated to put my own artwork, specifically that of the homeless, into the larger context of art. It is intended as the linear language expression of my visual work's thesis. Eventually, the correspondence between linear and pictorial expression branched-out into other areas, over time. Given the many diverse topics discussed since the blog's beginning, even I must concede art - much less art about the homeless - constitutes a minority share. Art (for me) is second nature; linear science-including mathematics-is what I find hard. My verbal Scholastic Aptitude Test scores were quite high, even as I tested miserably on the mathematical. Nobody knew what to do with me. Usually shy, if the opportunity arose to interpret the meaning of a nonlinear expression, I shined like a performer in the spotlight. My take ended the discussion. The instructor glared at me, and moved-on to her next topic. When I say, 'nobody knew what to do with me,' what I me...
... fact check medical claims in today's news story about Teddi Mellencamp's cancer -she maintains it is melanoma but her father John Mellencamp says it is “in her brain” Teddi Mellencamp was diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, in 2022. The cancer metastasized (spread) to her lungs and brain, leading to a stage 4 diagnosis in April 2025. This is consistent with medical facts: melanoma can spread to distant organs, including the brain and lungs, and when it does, it is classified as stage 4. Her father, John Mellencamp, stated on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast on January 14, 2026, that she has cancer in her brain and is “suffering right now.” Teddi Mellencamp clarified on her January 28, 2026, Two T’s in a Pod podcast that her father’s comment referred to her mental and emotional state, not a new physical deterioration. She confirmed that there is still no trace of cancer, but she remains stage 4 and is still undergoing immunotherapy. Medical e...
... overview of Louis Althusser and ideology ... Louis Althusser, a French Marxist philosopher, introduced the concept of ideology in his essay, "Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses (Notes towards an Investigation)" -published in 1970. According to Althusser, ideology is a system of beliefs and values that interpellates individuals into subjects, shaping their identity and role within society Althusser distinguishes between the Repressive State Apparatuses (RSAs) and the Ideological State Apparatuses (ISAs). RSAs include institutions like the government, courts, police, and military, which enforce compliance through direct coercion ISAs, on the other hand, consist of private institutions such as schools, churches, families, and media, which propagate ideologies through socialization and cultural practices Althusser argues that ideology has no outside but is also nothing but outside for science and reality. This means that while we are all subjects continuously shaped a...