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Author Archives: ivanbenson
About ivanbenson
I am a former singer, guitar player, writer, story teller, voice over talent, and a current heart attack survivor in the Atlanta, Georgia area.“May I Please Use the Rest Room?”
“May I please use the rest room?” Oh, the countless times I heard this request as a school teacher in decades gone by. I’m certain I uttered it myself as a student on many occasions, too, my bladder yearning for … Continue reading →
Posted in Family History, Stories, Uncategorized
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Tagged bestiality, boys, branding, Brock Turner, Constitution, core values, counterfeit, female, gender identity, girls, Gordian Knot, imaginary, male, moral resolve, mystery, natural, North Carolina, NPR, privacy, private parts, rape, restroom, sex, sexual assault, sexual identity, sexual intercourse, sexuality, sociopolitical, South Carolina, surprise, transgender, unnatural
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5 Comments
Flounder, anyone?
As a young boy growing up in Chattanooga, I was not particularly fond of fish. My father seemed to be enthralled with eating trout, flounder, and other fish wherein navigating fish bones was an accepted part of the process. I … Continue reading →
Posted in Family History, Fathers, Stories, Uncategorized
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Tagged $15 minimum wage, 1215 A.D., 1950s, 1989, academic, chattanooga, Constitution, discrimination, diversity, divine revelation, economic, flounder, founder, gender, Honey I Shrunk the kids, immoral, King John, LGBTQ, Magna Carta, melting point, melting pot, minimum wage, Panama Papers, Presidential candidates, public governance, race, religious, sex, sexual orientation, social service, South Carolina, Wall Street
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12 Comments
What’s Trump?
When I was a boy we played games in my family; it was one of our main sources of entertainment. My father was eager to teach my brother and I how to play chess, and we actually became pretty good, … Continue reading →
Posted in Family History, Fathers, Stories, Uncategorized
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Tagged Donald Trump, election, November 2016, Parker Brothers, presidential, Rook, Rook card, Shakespeare, trump card
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2 Comments
Leap Year 2016
Well, it sneaked up on me several weeks ago. How about you? The desk calendar I use for work had a Monday, February 29 on it. And of course, my initial reaction to that is always . . . disbelief. … Continue reading →
Posted in Family History, Fathers, Stories, Uncategorized
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Tagged 1970, 1976, 2016, Arizona, calendar, change, cigarettes, February 29, Frodo, Gandalf, Gregorian, Julian, Leap Year, Love Story, Mark Twain, pharengo laryngotracheitis, rhinosinusitis, risk, social security, solar calendar, Surgeon General, The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien, Tucson, www.heartdepot.org
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10 Comments
Statistics: the Truth about US
A number of years ago I was driving down the road listening to the radio when I heard an astounding statement come over the air waves. After thorough research, scientists had concluded that children learn more effectively in smaller classrooms, … Continue reading →
Posted in Stories, Uncategorized
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Tagged 1987, AA, Alcoholics Anonymous, Allan Bloom, Consumer Reports, evaluation, ISIS, Kool-Aid, Muslims, New York Times Best Seller, numbers, Obi-Wan Kenobi, percentages, probabilities, statistics, Statue of Liberty, Syrian refugees, terrorists, The Closing of the American Mind, truth
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4 Comments
The Lyin’ in Winter
To write or not to write; that is the question. “Whether it is nobler in the mind . . . .” Okay! I know I am not very original, but there are worse things I could be, right? Besides, Shakespeare … Continue reading →
Posted in Stories, Uncategorized
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Tagged 12th century, 1966, 1968, 2016, Donald Trump, England, Hamlet, Henry II, Hillary Clinton, James Goldman, Katherine Hepburn, Lying, New Year, Peter O'Toole, presidential election, Shakespeare, The Lion in Winter, trustworthiness, truth, winter in Georgia
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2 Comments
Merry Xmas from Georgia, 2015
We have been bemoaning our fate these past few days, grumbling over the fact that on Christmas Day the temperature might be 77ºF (a possible new record will be set), and there will likely be thunderstorms. And we’ve been asking … Continue reading →
Posted in Family History, Stories, Uncategorized
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Tagged 1887-1888, 1935-1936, 2015, Chattanooga Tennessee, Christmas story, Dancing at the Rascal Fair, El Nino, flood of 1937, Ivan Doig, Little Ice Age, Portsmouth Ohio, predictable, premature birth, rose in winter, topsy turvy, Tucson Arizona, winter of 2015, Xmas in Georgia
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2 Comments
It Seems to Me . . .
Okay, okay! Bring on the hate mail. I try very hard not to be offensive to those who are kind enough to read one or more of my blogs, but as comedian Brian Regan says (after making a similar disclaimer): … Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged African-American, Brian Regan, bullies, criminals, critique, discrimination, equality, ethnic, gender, ignorance, injustice, Ivy League, laugh, legislate, litigation, Michael Scott, millennials, misguided, NPR, racial, sensitivity, sexist, sexuality, social therapy, Steve Carell, tail wag the dog, terrorist, The Office, thin-skinned, unisex
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16 Comments
Helicopter vs. Free-Range Parenting
I recently listened to a National Public Radio interview where the miseries caused by “helicopter parenting” were enumerated. The discussion featured a prominent scholar/author on the subject, as well as a Kennesaw State University counselor. It was quite interesting. Evidently, … Continue reading →
Posted in Stories, Uncategorized
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Tagged 1858, 1954, 1960s, 1969, 2009, crucible, Dr. Spock, drone, education, emotional immaturity, extremes, free-range parenting, H. Stephen Glenn, Haim Ginott, helicopter parenting, home school, ideologies, Jane Nelsen, Kafkaesque, Kennesaw State University, Lenore Skenazy, Lord of the Flies, metamorphosis, National Public Radio, paranoia, parenting, perfect storm, R.M. Ballantyne, racial injustice, Raising Children for Success, society, teenagers, terrorists, The Coral Island, tolerance, William Golding
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4 Comments
Ganesh in Georgia
Ganesh is the Hindu god responsible for controlling life obstacles and providing wisdom. His image, popular and unmistakable, is characterized by the head of an elephant. The annual celebration, featuring brightly colored figurines of this god (ranging in size from … Continue reading →
Posted in Family History, Stories, Uncategorized
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Tagged 2013, 2015, Chik-fil-a, Coast Guard, elephant god, fragile, Ganesh, Ganesh Mahotsav, Ganesha, Hindu, India, intersection, iPhone, lifeguard, Little Tybee, New Delhi, resilient, rip current, rip tide, Sept. 27, South Tybee Beach, Yamuna River
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2 Comments
The Lost Story 