Over-50

My Maroon Sweater

Every time this fall-winter I have worn my maroon sweater for a Zoom or Google Meet assignment interview, I landed the work. 

When I wore another sweater or a sweater in that same style but in another color I didn't develop any new business.

A bit before Thanksgiving I had prepared a proposal for communications which I submitted to Paul Weiss. I was wearing a green turtleneck.

I had prepared a similar proposal which I submitted to another law firm. I was wearing the maroon sweater. Very quickly I was invited by the latter to sign a contract - non-compete - for that specific work. I informed Paul Weiss that I was withdrawing the proposal. 

It makes total voodoo sense: Stick totally with the maroon sweater.

But there is a mystical challenge: Is it that color which is lucky or is it that particular sweater? 

Although trained in the scientific method, I don't dare experiment with this. Tomorrow for a Google Meet, it will wear that maroon sweater.

Of course, I have concerns about that sweater wearing out.

Marketing communications for blockchain, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and much much more (including waterproofing, roofing, and shipping containers). You want results. And that’s exactly what you get partnering with Genova Communications. Fees customized for your unique budget. Complimentary consultation - janegenova374@gmail.com.

Re-Learning How to Make Friends (in my 70s)

The average work schedule for junior lawyers at Kirkland & Ellis is from 9:14 A.M. to 11.28 P.M. That's about 14 hours daily. At Ropes & Gray, the average day runs 13.5 hours. And, at Weil Gotshal, it's 12.5 hours. 

HUNGER FOR FRIENDSHIP

Those of us hungering for old-fashioned friendship - remember friends' night out - might consider those lawyers blessed.

They don't have to focus on finding, holding, and deepening friendships. They would be lucky if they can maintain their marriages and any other kinds of romantic relationships. For them, work/life balance is a meme media outlets have conjured up for clickbait.

Meanwhile, those of us who do have enough work/life balance are cursed with the craving to develop the kinds of friendships we had in college and perhaps a few years afterward. 

In The Atlantic, Katharine Smyth details why it's so difficult, perhaps impossible, to make friends as fully-formed adults. "The Friendship Report" by Snapchat documents that at age 21 we are finally capable of developing a real friendship. That's a peaking experience.

After that, the unsuccessful search for new friends can be the source of unique pain.

After all, what friendship provides is so important to human beings that in TechCrunch Amand Silberling attributes part of the downfall of Elizabeth Holmes to the one-dimensional reality that she had no friends.

HARDENED APPROACHES, PREDICTABLE FAILURE 

However, like most hardened types of problems, this one can persist because the same old approaches are used and, although ineffective, continued to be applied. 

Among the standard MOs for making friends is to look for and reinforce common ground. As Smyth highlights, that's often a total dead end.

Contrary to accepted belief, likes rarely click. 

That could be that there is the none of the force field generated mystically by those from different tribes.

I know.

OFF THE RESERVATION

A series of disasters forced me off the reservation. That's a raw metaphor for one's comfort zone.

For example, my dog and I had just relocated from the midwest (where neither of us had friends) to a town in Arizona, about a 90-minute drive from the Mexican border.

After only two weeks, his serious heart condition deteriorated. It was the slo-mo surreal trudge to the vet one very early Sunday morning. There, there was no choice but to assist him in passing over.

Then it was just me. 

That was just the beginning of troubles. 

In a very human way, people then drifted into my life. We had nothing in common. Even the generational silos came down. We still have nothing or very little in common but we are friends.

THE OLD NEIGHBORHOOD

All this is just like the friendship that had existed or how we want to remember it existed in The Old Neighborhood. My experience of that had been pre-gentrified Jersey City, New Jersey. The oppressiveness of the Hague political machine increased social cohesion. 

Could the takeaway be: Just be in there living life and open (we break open in adversity, don't we) and friendship will happen? It has no predetermined set contours. It simply is. Back in those days, Jersey City didn't consist of "planned neighborhoods" of likeminded people. 

WONDERMENT

Off the reservation in the past 13 months I have experienced wonderment. That emerges from my friendships with members of different tribes.

They range from a short-order chef who knows butterscotch-flavored cookies will lift my mood and will whip up a batch (he wants to remain anonymous) to the head of an elite law firm (Brad Karp at Paul Weiss) who guided me out of stuckness into fresh professional territory. 

Marketing communications for blockchain, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and much much more (including waterproofing, roofing, and shipping containers). You want results. And that’s exactly what you get partnering with Genova Communications. Fees customized for your unique budget. Complimentary consultation - janegenova374@gmail.com.

Reality - Not Only Is It Overrated, It Tends to Be Unbearable

"It’s possible to start to prefer engaging in virtual spaces because of the accommodations that they provide. As an avatar, I can be tall and skinny, I can be whatever I want. And if we start to shift into preferring a virtual life, that may then negatively impact our ability to engage in a non-virtual life, whether it’s self-confidence or belonging or social anxiety." - Rachel Kowert, researcher at Take That, quoted in The Wall Street Journal's article "The Metaverse's Effects on Mental Helath: Trivial or Troubling?" January 9, 2022.

The experiences in the metaverse happen through technology.

But, the virtual reality created is in essence not much different from the art the cavemen put up on the walls of their dwellings.

Or how Don Draper of "Mad Men" positioned and packaged the Kodak Carousal.

And the strategy of brilliant defense lawyers.

It's all altered reality.

There have always been humans who have been effective in redirecting minds to myriad other dimensions. That is from the same-olds of daily life on planet earth.

In general, we consumers of the altered reality have been grateful to be catapulted out of the numbing routines of everyday.

That's what drove us to follow "US v Elizabeth Holmes." What the defense team from Willliams & Connolly conjured up transported us into an analogy of the experience provided by that popular television series "The Twilight Zone." The lens was unique for floating into what-ifs. 

In an interview with Super Lawyers, Paul Weiss Chairperson Brad Karp captures that process in this way:

“In difficult matters, I will think about my clients’ problems night and day until a solution emerges. I’m a big believer in late-night epiphanies.” 

"Solutions," whether they are in the legal sector or my field of blockchain marketing communications, represent reality that has been massaged. When contoured in a way that fits with what humans will accept at the time the creators are rewarded well. Those goodies range from brandnames to wealth to simply more work assignments. 

Rather than isolating us humans altered reality often creates social cohesion.

We came together during "US v Holmes."

We come together playing video games.

And most of all we come together, including in our relationship with ourselves, in creating those realities. There are few experiences more heady and more uniting than being part of a team configuring a successul influence campaign. Those can be moments of collective ecstasy.

It was poet T.S. Eliot who noted in "Four Quarters" -

"Humankind cannot bear too much reality."

Unfortunately, those who are in the current front lines of tsk-tsk  in general and about the metaverse specifically don't get it that reality tends to be way overrated.

The less I seek reality out the more professionally successful I become and the more joyful.

It could be in the public interest to file a lawsuit against those tsk-tsks for creating a public nuisance and seeking injunctive relief.

Leave us alone to imagine. 

Marketing communications for blockchain, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and much much more (including waterproofing, roofing, and shipping containers). You want results. And that’s exactly what you get partnering with Genova Communications. Fees customized for your unique budget. Complimentary consultation - janegenova374@gmail.com.

Why We Love Those Defense Lawyers (going all the way back to OJ Simpson Dream Team)

"Though the jurors generally believed Ms. Holmes that she was abused by her former deputy and boyfriend ... they quickly concluded that prosecutors were correct in closing arguments that those allegations had no bearing on whether Ms. Holmes committed fraud against patients and investors during her time running Theranos." - The Wall Street Journal, January 6, 2022

The WSJ also noted that some jurors experienced what we might think of as the "abuse defense" as a raw play for sympathy.

So, we have to wonder why the skilled defense team from Williams & Connolly included that in their tactics. In addition, the WSJ reported that the jurors gave poor grades to the authenticity of defendant Elizabeth Holmes as she took the stand - a rare move in criminal cases. And a quite risky one.

Surely, Williams & Connolly had to recall how the abuse defense fell flat among jurors in the trial of Clara Harris. That Texas dentist murdered her dentist husband with a car. Harris alleged her husband had treated her shabbily. What the jurors essentially concluded was that she had the resources to have extricated herself from that situation. Before release from prison, Harris had served 15 years in prison. 

If lessons are learned, going forward defense lawyers might veer away from putting out there an abuse narrative in trials of upscale females and from putting them on the stand.

Also, coach the client to hold the tears. It places an emotional burden on jurors. I had predicted Holmes would try it. And that she did. 

"US v Elizabeth Holmes" presents myriad negative lessons - that is, what shouldn't be included in the strategies and tactics of defense lawyers. However, the Williams & Connolly team earned their fee. They had little to work with. But work it they did, especially through aggressive cross-examination. 

So, here we are. We have been through those high-profile courtroom moments - Holmes and also Maxwell. And we are back to being utterly fascinated with the defense bar. As always. In our collective memory bank will always be the O.J. Simpson Dream Team. 

Sure, earnest plaintiff lawyers such as David Sanford (employment law) and Charles Harder (reputation protection) advocate for victims of alleged crime, civil and criminal. They are the heroes of society. 

But, defense lawyers are the ones whose duty is to protect the rights of those accused of wrongdoing. Obviously, they enter complex territory in terms of the law, ethics, social mores, human touchpoints, public relations, and spiritual traditions.

That's way more more interesting than the chase after righting wrongs. It had been Renassiance author John Milton who hammered in "Paradise Lost" that Satan is the show. Not God. 

The mind share will always go to the defense lawyers. Even if they miss one. Especially if they miss one, like fictional Atticus Finch and Williams & Connolly's real Kevin Downey and Lance Wade. We wonder how the fumble could happen, given their brilliance and passion. But, we forgive. And we feel for them. 

The legacy of the oddball justice of the defense bar belongs to Johnnie Cochran, Alan Dershowitz, Brad Karp, Mark Geragos, Leslie Abramson, and there will be more added on.

The ethos of what they do had been captured by Wall Street defense lawyer Karp (whose day job is chairing Paul Weiss) in an interview with Super Lawyers:

 “In difficult matters, I will think about my clients’ problems night and day until a solution emerges. I’m a big believer in late-night epiphanies.”

The unique contours of the solution is what dazzles us. 

Marketing communications for blockchain, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and much much more (including waterproofing, roofing, and shipping containers). You want results. And that’s exactly what you get partnering with Genova Communications. Fees customized for your unique budget. Complimentary consultation - janegenova374@gmail.com.

Those Grandiose Narcissists - We Probably Have Been Managing That Difficult Personality at Work for Decades

"Using a sample of fully-employed adults (n = 270), we show that narcissism is correlated with a greater willingness to use tougher, more aggressive political tactics, an effect that is stronger to the extent that people are less guilt prone. Because research shows the importance of political skill for career success, our findings help account for why narcissism may produce more favorable career outcomes." - Charles A. O'Reilly and Jeffrey Pfeffer, "Organizational Power and Politics: The Narcissist's Advantage," in Personality & Individual Differences, November 2021.

The "in" term for the kind of narcissism which is quite effective in accomplishing career goals is "grandiose narcissism." 

Essentially, the defining traits of the grandiose narcissist are summed up by Charles O'Reilly and Nicholas Hall as:

"A substantial body of research has documented that grandiose narcissists are characterized by high self-esteem, a sense of personal superiority and entitlement, overconfidence, a willingness to exploit others for self-gain, and hostility and aggression when challenged."

A book published in 2020 goes into comprehensive detail about this kind of personality, one who usually makes it to the top of organizations, community affairs, and families. That's "The New Science Of Narcissism" by W. Keith Campbell, Ph.D. However, in this era of ESG, they are being unmasked and penalized more and more often. The business media outlets chronicle those falls from grace. This has become a matter of The Public Interest. A growing niche in law firms is conducting internal investigations.

In all lines of professional life we have encountered the grandiose narcissists. Usually, because they are so skilled in the art and science of human interaction, it might be years before we get that Ah-Ha Moment: That is, that we are being used and abused and without enough return on the relationship to have made what we have invested in energy, hard work, and loyalty worthwhile.

If we have options we, of course, can "get away." That's not easy, however, since they usually have goodies to dispense.

I stuck with one grandiose narcissist client for too long because, at the time, no other client I could land had such access to interesting high-profile work and ponied up way-above-average compensation. That was in my field of communications. 

In the field of law I was equally slow in reacting but for different reasons. Their branding as brilliant litigators and/or chairpersons who grew the firm dazzled me.

Actually, it took reading and thinking deeply about "The New Science Of Narcissism" for me to identify those kinds of lawyers whom I am dealing with in my syndicated blogging and marketing communications tasks. That awful moment of clarity came: I am being played.

Is the process of being "seduced" a form of gaslighting? That could be an apt way of describing what happens when grandiose narcissists cast their spells.

In VeryWellMinds, Sherri Gordon describes that process as:

" ... a technique that undermines a person's perception of reality. When someone is gaslighting you, you may second-guess yourself, your memories, and your perceptions. After communicating with the person gaslighting you, you may be left feeling dazed and wondering if there is something wrong with you."

For those who sense they have gotten a raw deal serving grandiose narcissists, there is abundance of evidence that the same traits such as risk-taking and overconfidence which got them to positions of wealth, influence, and power can also generate catastrophic consequences.

The legal media outlets report weekly on alleged grandiose narcissism gone very wrong. The partner is sued for inappropriate conduct and leaves the firm. The chairperson gets caught up in criminal activity and goes to prison. Investigative journalists document a conflict of interest that throws shade on the law firm.

The reality usually plays out as this: They go too far. That too-far gets the attention of those who have the authority and/sense of accountability to investigate. That happens throughout all professions.

The reversals of fortune or near-death-career experiences are especially common in the heady world of Wall Street. Some of that ugly underbelly had been exposed in the expose "The Caesars Palace Coup." That is by Max Frumes and Sujeet Indap. Published in March of this year, it continues to rank high on Amazon: 12,161. In addition, there had been spin-off articles in Vanity Fair and Insider.

Before the time of reckoning, though, grandiose narcissists can do extensive harm to the organization as well as people who are drawn into the force field. 

Recognizing the narcissist pull force is the first and most important step in managing this type of player. The spell cast immediately is broken. Poof. (And, we feel mighty foolish, but so ...) The pragmatic reality is, though, that we usually can work with them. For those experienced dealing with challenging personalities when earning a living, the rest seems obvious. We figure out the overall strategies and, on a daily basis, the tactics. 

In addition, executive coaches can train in effective tools for coping without alienating that power figure. Or the recommendation from the coach could be to plan an exit. 

Another source of help is Chapter 12 of Campbell's book. That's "Reducing Another's Narcissism."

Interestingly, Chapter 13 is titled "Reducing Your Own Narcissism." Perhaps the most efficient path for managing one's own grandiosity is observing what has happened to other narcissists. Even if they are not forced out the organization or wind up in prison or financial ruin when their career time is up they are usually without the comfort of relationships. Not personal ones. Not professional ones. 

Marketing communications for blockchain, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and much much more (including waterproofing, roofing, and shipping containers). You want results. And that’s exactly what you get partnering with Genova Communications. Fees customized for your unique budget. Complimentary consultation - janegenova374@gmail.com.

Maybe Our Idealistic Grandchildren Should Study Public Relation, Not Law

The film "Antlers" plays out how a dark force - the wendigo - can turn people in a society feral. And once it has its hold, it's embedded forever. 

Yes, that's much like the blind aliens in "A Quiet Place." Both I and II. Many of those few who survive their malevolent presence transform into animal-like beings. 

And a form of the Antlers had or has been taking possession of both prominent people and institutions. That got conjured up through an association with late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

A new one has been added to the list, reports Reuters:

"The U.S. Virgin Islands has asked British bank Barclays (BARC.L) to hand over information related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the bank said on Friday." 

Prior to that, the U.S. Virgin Island had sued Epstein's estate. It contended that he had conducted sexual assaults and sex trafficking in that territory. 

Of course, this development is a negative for Barclays. Already it had been featured in the media for its head - Jes Staley - stepping down. That was in response to how British financial regulators described his relationship with Epstein. Staley refutes that interpretation. However, he contends it was best to leave the leadership for the sake of the Bank.

That replicates much of Leon Black's jarring experiences with how constituencies, ranging from law enforcement to investors in Apollo the firm he founded, viewed his Epstein connection. In the former, law firm Paul Weiss, which handles Apollo's transactions, successfully defended him. But, so?

Obviously, that didn't move the dial in reputation restoration. Lawyers might be humbled by how public opinion can matter more than the legalities which are their business. Actually going the legal path can be counterproductive for branding. 

As many know, Black resigned from the Apollo leadership. He also didn't run for re-election as board head of the Museum of Modern Art. However, the Antlers still prey on his everything. An amendment to a lawsuit filed by his former mistress Guzel Ganieva alleges sex trafficking on behalf of Epstein. In response he has filed a lawsuit claiming defamation and more. Ironically, though, that could deliver more negative headlines. The move put him back in the news and not in a cleansing way.

Others caught up in that almost supernatural force field include Ghislaine Maxwell, Prince Andrew, and Alan Dershowitz.  

Here's the question for experts in the reputation restoration box: Are there kinds of human darkness which even the most wealthy, influential, and powerful can't navigate - and exit?

Bill Gates, Mike Milken, and Martha Stewart boomeranged back beautifully. 

Apollo did return to positive branding - actually, stronger than before.

As for the rest, things don't look good. The meme from "Antlers" is that the broken can't be put back together again. Even the "heroes" in the film - the sheriff and school teacher - seem to remain doomed. 

Reflection: Should youth wanting to make a difference study public relations instead of going  to law school?

Marketing communications. It’s about results. And that’s exactly what you get partnering with Genova Communications and Coaching. Clients range from crypto to industrial trades. Fees customized for your unique budget. Complimentary consultation - janegenova374@gmail.com.

Sunday Afternoon Washing/Waxing My Car - Like Immigrant Men in the Old Neighborhood

Their only piece of America was the cars they had bought. Usually boxy Pontiacs. Black.

And every Sunday, in the 1950s,  those immigrant men on Bay Street in downtown Jersey City, New Jersey, would be out there on the street washing and waxing those cars.

Then they stepped into the cars and hand-cleaned every bit. Since the cars were all big back then that was a lot of space to cover. 

We kids would sit on the stoop, watching. 

This Sunday, a very hot one here near the border of Mexico, I followed in their footsteps.

My oddball-configured SmartCar can't get through the standard automatic washer. Hand-washing by an outlet on the main highway costs a king's ransom.

I finally paid attention to the math. I can do this,  I decided, just like the men in the old neighborhood.

I brought a chair to get to the top of the car. (Am tiny like all my Italian relatives. My grandmother was 4'9''.)

In a canvas bag I put all the supplies. Already I was having doubts I could pull this off. 

Then I got up on the chair. It was on the passenger sde. I put the sponge in the water. I had to rub.

Yes, you sweat when you do this kind of work. And, it is work. No wonder the hand-washers charge so much. 

The car sparkled. I did this! 

Then I stepped inside the car. Not quite a full-detailing job but pretty close. 

By time this old-neighborhood ritual was over I felt so connected to my roots. 

What probably also helped that along was this: Recently I landed two industrial trade accounts for marketing communications assignments. The old neighborhood was full of craftsmen. Nothing needed to be thrown away. They could fix anything and everything. 

But it was someone from a very different orbit than the old neighborhood who, over the past 18 months, had unleashed that old street-kid brash confidence in me.

Somehow, I was able to exit the glutted niche of professional services (where clients were so arrogant and downright mean) to the less crowded one of waterproofing and roofing (where clients are just like the folks in the old neighborhood).

Magically, it was Brad Karp, head of elite law firm Paul Weiss, who somehow steered me back to a time when we all felt in more control. So, we are in control, right.

Whom we connect with and how we connect - as oddball as what the SmartCar is all about. The force field seemed conjured up through voodoo.

Let’s talk about success. How can you boost that in your own career and the trajectory of your business? ON YOUR OWN TERMS. You owe yourself a complimentary consultation janegenova374@gmail (no selling).

 

The Old Guilt By Association - Looping in with Leon Black

In my field of communications, there is the old joke: Don't feature X or Y employee in your promotional material. He or she might turn out to be an ax murderer. The takeaway: You just never know when it comes to people. 

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City might be learning that reality: You just never know when it comes to people.

Its former chairman Leon Black is being vilified in the media because he had been in the Jeffrey Epstein loop. Also, he is embroiled in a nasty lawsuit with a former mistress - Guzel Ganieva.

The latest development in that litigation is the amendment she filed yesterday. That amendment brings the Epstein issue and the romance together in one of those BigBang brand unravelings. The amendment alleges Black attempted a version of sex trafficking with her. 

Last March, under pressure from artists because of his association with Epstein, Black announced he would not seek re-election to his position of power on MoMA. His term expired on July 1.

Now, as happens all the time when institutions frontload themselves with people, the leadership at MoMA could be busy bees right now. They could be figuring out how to position and package the Black Connection which is connected to Epstein and some other serious allegations. Ganieva alleges rape.

MoMA, of course, could have plenty of company in this public relations urgency.

Already, in a book - "The Caesars Palace Coup" - and in articles such as this one by Insider - Wall Street law firm Paul Weiss has been looped in.

In an earlier Epstein matter, reports FT, Black had been legally represented by the Paul Weiss chairperson Brad Karp. In addition, the business of the private equity fund which Black founded - Apollo - had and is continuing to be represented by Paul Weiss. Last March, the law firm's transactional practice handled the $11-billion merger of Apollo and Athene.

The strength of the U.S. legal system is that every entity is entitled to a defense. However, those law firms and lawyers who do that defending open themselves to a hit job in the court of public opinion. The representation of Harvey Weinstein and startup Theranos by litigation icon David Boies of Boies Schiller could have been the tipping point for his downward trajectory. For 2020, when many elite law firms had amazing financial performance, Boies Schiller didn't.

However, Paul Weiss gets wins for clients. A major one had been the June 2021 victory at the U.S. Supreme Court in an appeal in a class actions securities case.

In addition, Karp has almost surreal gifts in the presentation of self. In my business encounters with him I frequently analyzed his approach to communications for lessons to bring to my clients, both in copywriting and coaching. If Karp leverages those skills in this crisis he can transform what is into public relations gold. Like, tell the story of the integrity of the American legal system to The Wall Street Journal or the National Law Journal. 

Then, there's also the Apollo brand. Last month, Black had stepped down from heading that private equity empire. That seemed inevitable. Way back in October 2020, Reuters ran the headline:

"Apollo seeks to tame investor concerns over CEO's ties to Epstein"

The taming process has included a new head for Apollo Marc Rowan. There is also a new strategic direction. That's launching insurance (Athene) as the platform for being a credit powerhouse. There is also strong financial performance for Q2 2021.

On Wall Street, money is the loudest voice in the room. It can outshout all the schoolboyish/schoolgirlish concerns about the legacy of Black at Apollo. Like, money is made in the now and Rowan is making it for investors.

That leaves MoMA. For a while, it might not be able to navigate smoothly out of this pickle. Artists are a judgmental group. After all, their mission is to see the world in a fresh way and transmit that vision.

Meanwhile, Black is an interesting human being for us to struggle to understand his choices. In a psychobabble indulgence, I will speculate: His father's suicide when he was 24 years old might have rewired his brain for his own self-destruction. There is also the theory of ethnic self-hate which novelist Philip Roth brought mainstream. Being Jewish, even in New York City, is not pretty. 

As for Ganieva, she could be having a lot of fun. She set so many entities reeling. 

Let’s talk about success. How can you boost that in your own career and the trajectory of your business? You owe yourself a complimentary consultation janegenova374@gmail (no selling).

Of Course, They Don't Know - You Have to Learn to Be Your Own Psychic

Can't you envision all the medical leaders and government officials and your employers rounding up the heads of committees X and Y to discuss scenarios. Yeah, if the emerging variants go into the winter. Should masks be mandated, even with vaccinations. What about an outbreak of COVID in the office. 

Of course, you can't look to them for information or insight. They pretend to be in charge of that. But probably aren't.  believing that one is right. All the time. 

So, to feel a sense of being in-touch with what is and what could unfold, you can try out being your own source of information and insight. That is, your own psychic. 

You had the ability as a child. All children are psychic , that is, have the extrasensory ability to reach beyond the concrete. Then it's socialized out of them. Soon they're relying on the experts for how to experience the world. The phrase for that is this: becoming a closed system.

Here are 5 steps on how to circle back to those powers. And, you bet, be your guide for navigating these confusing times. 

First of all, lift the fear out of you about sensing what you already sense but can't explain why you feel it. Loop in, instead. It might require the prerequisite of telling the force field beyond the normal boundaries of time and space: I'm ready. That's called: surrender.

Secondly, snatch a bit of another dimension into your usual existence. Simply lighting several candles can do it. Stare at the flames until your mind stills. With a deep breath, suck in a problem such as "will you contract the virus." Then let out that breath slowly with the mantra "Clear thinking, don't know."

Soon you can strengthen your intuitive muscle to the point that you won't need the flame. That will be internalized. 

Three, instead of experiencing your world the usual way, tune totally into the energy. Open up to what vibrations are being given off. They could be coming from people or a plant or your cat. Trust what you are taking in as what you're "reading" right. That will provide plenty of answers about decisions you need to make 0r for you to pause on making them right now.

Four, project. What do you "see" in your being? Picture yourself sitting or not sitting in a formal office in October. How does it look, feel, smell, and sound. Some master psychics recommend putting that on paper. As you gain more confidence in your reach beyond normal cognition your visualizations will be more in sync with what is or will be. 

And, five, develop what some call "spirit guides." They could be a cherished pet who has passed over or a presence you feel around you. Ask them to help you help yourself in finding what you need to know. 

Me? My psychic ability comes from my family from Eastern Europe. I strengthened that through workshops in Salem, MA and Tucson, AZ. I have worked as a professional intuitive reader. Two hours a day I meditate. That facilitates slipping into a trance on-demand. 

Intuitive readings. Please contact for appointment janegenova374@gmail.com.

Those Professors - We Didn't Leave Them Behind When We Got Our (Multiple) Academic Degrees

"Including its first two hearings, 57 of 82 committee members and witnesses [of the Presidential Commission on the U.S. Supreme Court] are professors, of whom 36 teach at one of six schools: Harvard, Yale, Duke, the University of Chicago, Columbia, and NYU." - Bloomberg Law, July 20, 2021.

We baby boomers were not only the first educated generation. We were the first over-educated one. The mantra back then had been: The more education the better.

Along the way we should have come to at least be skeptical of the credibility and authority of professors.

More likely we probably came to feel strong antipathy against their claims of certitude. The worst I have found during my own journey in over-education were the professors teaching the 1Ls at Harvard Law School.

So, we baby boomers should be in the front lines of concern about both the high number of professors on the SCOTUS Presidential Commission and the predictable reality that they are primarily from the Ivy League.

Will that sort of configuration generate a multi-dimensional review of what goes down in SCOTUS, everything from who tends to get admitted to the club to if a mandatory retirement age is a good idea? Don't bet on it.

The best tutorials I have had on what counts in everything and anything have been from my supervisors and clients in business. They range from an assistant manager with a community college education working in an inner city big box to the mom-and-pop blue-collar owners of a waterproofing firm. 

Over-reverence for higher education, especially the kind served up in elite institutions, didn't end with us baby boomers. As former Yale Professor William Deresiewicz showcases in his book "Excellent Sheep," current college students still are in that box. 

Both the undeserved power of professors and the aura of the Ivy League can end with an aggressive push back against the dominance of professors on the SCOTUS Presidential Commission. Let's demand a recall.

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