Educating Stone

By William David

Imagine an electronic implant the size of a watermelon seed that delivers a college education in a 45 minute surgical procedure! Neurosurgeon Arthur Anderson does just that. He locates a volunteer for this revolutionary device and does the procedure over the severe objections of the medical society and the higher education system! On top of those problems an ethics-free business man wants to take control of Doctor Andersons device. In Educating Stone, it is all there and more as this drama plays out in the lives of Arthur Anderson, Carl Stone, Clark Dowell, Betti and others.
The companion novel poetry book Bettis Blog Beyond Stone has many more blog comments and other thought provoking poetic selections for reading pleasure. It may be read apart from Educating Stone.


The author is a romantic, a writer and a novice painter living in Phoenix, Arizona. William Davids first set of Books are the novel Gunplay: Beauty Redeemed, and the companion novel poetry book Bettis Blog: Beyond Beauty Redeemed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 10, 2013
• ISBN: 9781479771257

William David

The author is a character from which the novel character Betti came. The author is a lover of the written word, a believer in the power of words to express beauty and a romantic at heart. Betti’s garden exists in Phoenix, Arizona, where the author lives.

Book preview

Copyright © 2013 by William David.

Library of Congress Control Number:           2012924063

ISBN:                    Hardcover                         978-1-4797-7124-0

                             Softcover                         978-1-4797-7123-3

                             Ebook                              978-1-4797-7125-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

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Contents

Preface

Chapter 1 A Stone-cold Decision

Chapter 2 A New Idea

Chapter 3 A Friendship Begins

Chapter 4 First Impressions

Chapter 5 An Honest Business

Chapter 6 I’m Not Smart Enough to Get Migraines

Chapter 7 How Are You Paying?

Chapter 8 Acceptance

Chapter 9 The Last Humanities Lesson

Chapter 10 I Thought a Siren Was Calling Me

Chapter 11 It Is There in My Head

Chapter 12 University Assessment

Chapter 13 My Good Friend

Chapter 14 Getting It

Chapter 15 A Couple Jokers

Chapter 16 Magnum Reponse

Chapter 17 Guns on the Table

Chapter 18 Doctor Anderson Meets Baron Smith

Chapter 19 Good Enough

Chapter 20 A Poet and a Scholar

Dedication

To the victory of humanity over convenience.

To the women and men that inspire us.

To my family and friends.

Preface

Welcome to Educating Stone. This novel is about neurologist Arthur Anderson developing an implant to educate people and the reactions he gets from the medical community and the higher education establishment. It is about Carl Stone—the man that volunteers to accept the implant, and a greedy ethics-free business man named Smith that sees much profit to be made. This book continues with many of the characters introduced in the book Gunplay: Beauty Redeemed including Arthur Anderson, Carl Stone, Allegra Kent, Oscar Smith, John Stennis, and Betti. Two new characters are Professor Wolfgang Von Ingolstadt and Kate Didmorsen. The setting is Phoenix, Arizona, sometime after the year 2012.

This novel has a companion book—Betti’s Blog Beyond Stone—which is a book of novel poetry. The companion book is not a sequel or a volume two. It is a work that includes a lot more of Betti’s blog and other poetry. Both books stand on their own novel merits.

All characters appearing in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. All references to street addresses, phone numbers and websites are fictitious. Any resemblances to any of these are purely coincidental.

Chapter 1

A Stone-cold Decision

Mr. Oscar Smith was not always Oscar Smith. Previously he was Carston Keystone. Previous to that he was Richard Pinal. Oscar Smith has had several more previous names. The point is to change names so that he is not so easily tracked. Sure, the authorities can find him easily in this digitized age of information, but the average Joe will find it difficult to effectively research Mr. Smith’s location due to name changes and other methods of disguise. For many years now he has lived in Phoenix and kept the Oscar Smith name. His enemies have either stopped chasing him or have died.

Mr. Oscar Smith is basically the same person he was as a school yard bully fighting over marbles and stealing lunch money from his peers. He has gotten smarter and richer over the years. He has accumulated a few enemies along the way, but the dollar signs in his bank accounts far outnumber those friends that he made into enemies. He has an eclectic approach to making money. That means that whatever method works best is the method he will use. He tries very hard to resemble an honest business man. He contracts out any activities that may be illegal. For instance, he contracts out requests for information. He doesn’t bother asking how the contractor gets information as that is of no real interest. He may hint at how information can be gotten, or he may let the contractor know who has information that he wants, but he does so in a legitimate way. That leaves the action—legal or illegal—up to the contractor.

Lately Mr. Smith is interested in the business that Dr. Arthur Anderson is conducting in Phoenix. Last year he tried a subtle takeover by suggesting to Anderson that Oscar Smith could more effectively manage Anderson’s company. When that did not work, he then tried a hostile takeover using the Internet as a means to bully and discredit Anderson. Oscar Smith had a near hit with that scheme, but the outcome eventually benefited Anderson.

Mr. Oscar Smith’s latest idea is to infiltrate Anderson’s research lab by turning a worker into an information stooge—a sort of intellectual termite. That stooge will be the third man that reports to a second man. That second man is Gavin Vexornettle—the contractor working for Oscar Smith.

Gavin Vexornettle is really a small town operator. His tactics are from the twentieth century. He is marginally successful in the big city of Phoenix. Oscar Smith chose Gavin for the second-man job because Gavin will not be a future threat, and he will be easy to dispose of when the time comes. Gavin is gullible himself, and he has a character flaw of being loyal to the person he works for.

Mr. Smith is meeting with Gavin Vexornettle this morning for the first time. After a cursory introduction, Mr. Smith speaks, What I need is a man on the inside: a man that works at Anderson’s research lab and that has access to Anderson’s research files. Do you think you can manage that?

Gavin Vexornettle replies, I can get you anything you want. But I need to have something to offer this research man. What are you willing to offer? What’s it worth to you?

Oscar Smith replies immediately, Money, of course. Lots of money for the research man and lots of money for you. Depending on the results, of course.

Gavin replies with a snit in his voice. How much money for the man and how much for me?

Oscar Smith replies, Find out what the man makes and double it. As for you, how about $3,000 per week?

Gavin is surprised at the large sum of money being offered but tries not to show it. He replies, You have yourself a contract, Mr. Smith. As soon as I get a deposit into my account, I will get to work.

Mr. Smith replies, Then plan on working tomorrow. I’ll deposit $6,000 into your account today. It will show up in your register in the morning—clear and ready to access.

Gavin Vexornettle smiles and leaves the office. Mr. Smith sees in Gavin similar qualities of a loyal employee named Carl Stone that worked for Mr. Smith last year. He was let go by Mr. Smith after his usefulness came to an end. Carl Stone was shot in the left arm in a random shooting on the street. Mr. Smith didn’t care about the shooting; he was just disappointed that Carl did not complete his work task that day. So Mr. Smith let go of Carl Stone. It may have been a cold heartless thing to fire an employee and thus end his medical benefits when they are most needed, but to Mr. Smith, it was just a sound business: just a stone-cold decision.

Nowadays Carl Stone works at a recycling plant where he earns a minimum wage sorting glass from cans from paper. It is a hot and dirty job, but Carl can do it. The wage is just enough to pay the bills each month and keep Carl in is modest one-room apartment in Phoenix. Carl works Monday through Friday at the recycling plant. The only variation in his daily routine is which work station he is assigned. Carl Stone lives alone. He flinches from the pain his flexing left arm sends to him as it lifts a bottle of water to his lips. He takes a sip and sets the bottle down on the table. Carl frowns as he thinks about how weak his arm is. Even with the physical therapy sessions he received, his arm has not recovered its former strength. Two pounds is the max he can now lift. He could preacher curl thirty pounds with this arm prior to the shooting. Now this injured arm constantly reminds him of the need to change his life and do better. Carl is just an average man with an average intelligence. He does not have the education to be an intellectual like a professor.

Professor Wolfgang Von Ingolstadt sits at a small table for two sipping hot chocolate and reading a property description. He is at the noble bookstore in the café section where light refreshments are sold and consumed. The small table where he sits is one of a dozen put there for the convenience of the bookstore visitors. The professor puts the paper cup of hot chocolate to his lips and carefully sips another mouthful. As he carefully sets down the cup, he looks around at the patrons of the café.

He sees four young people at one table. One is talking into a Me-phone. Another is listening to something through earpieces as he key strokes into a Me-phone. The third young person looks at electronic photos on his Me-pad, moving each image on with the swipe of a finger. The fourth young person is without any electronic me-devices at all. She peers out the bookstore’s big window to the activity outside. She looks sad. The professor wonders if the young woman is sad from being ignored by her three companions or is sad for not bringing along an electronic me-device like her me-companions have.

The professor turns his head left to right to see just how many people in the café are speaking to another human being. No one is. At the dozen tables are many couples and singles seemingly lost in transit to an electronic me-device of some sort. The professor returns to reading the ink on paper description of the property he has recently put a bid on. His realtor sent him the listing on the Internet. Rather than carry electronic equipment to the bookstore, the professor printed the listing on to a single piece of paper. The paper folds easily and fits well in the pocket of his suit coat.

With another sip of hot chocolate, the professor tastes the flavor of warm hope. The hot chocolate reminds him that many things in life must be experienced to be enjoyed. No one can enjoy the taste of hot chocolate through an electronic view screen. He hopes to soon begin teaching in this city called Phoenix. His plan is to teach humanism. His hope is to restore humanism to at least some people and displace the hold that electronic me-media now has on society. His hope is to get people talking again to each other face-to-face and to be free of electronic me-things. Certainly the professor uses the Internet and his me-phone, but unlike others, he uses it for work and not entertainment. He purposely limits his time on the Internet to one hour a day. While waiting to hear if his cash bid on the property is accepted, he visits the bookstore to get out of his solitary rented hotel room.

Allegra is busy interviewing a job candidate named Miss Spelling. Allegra would prefer to be getting ready to go out later this evening, but her brother-in-law, Arthur Anderson, has trusted her to make a final decision on hiring an assistant. Allegra works closely with Dr. Anderson and knows just what is needed to fill the job. The assistant must be patient, kind, and trustworthy. The assistant must have a sense of humor as he or she will be working with an ignorant and brilliant young man whose social skills are often awkward. So far in the interview, Allegra is impressed with Miss Spelling.

Miss Spelling laughs easily when responding to Allegra’s questions. Yes, she is patient—yes, she is trustworthy—and yes, she is kind. She is enjoying her interview time with Allegra and has forgotten that it is Friday. Miss Spelling hopes that she gets this part-time job because she likes Allegra. To her, the doctor that Allegra works for must be a good person as well. Otherwise Allegra would not be so much fun during the interview. Miss Spelling is young and still attending a community college, so this part-time job will fit her schedule. Allegra has said that the job hours will be flexible. Miss Spelling wears no ring on her spoken for finger. She notes that Allegra also lacks a taken ring. At the end of the interview, she wonders what else she may have in common with this cute young nurse named Allegra. She wonders about this ignorant and brilliant young man she may work with if she gets the job.

Clark, the ignorant and brilliant young man, is online reading a lesson for his remedial English class. He is learning at a fast pace, thanks to the Server One. Within a few days he will complete this college class and be ready to enroll in English 101. He is looking forward to the day when he will take classes on the college campus. Clark does great online, but he enjoys interacting with people. On-campus college life will bring him many opportunities to mingle with others. He knows that his social skills are weak, but he also knows the best way to improve them is through regular social contact. He also knows that he is behind in life, but he is okay with that. He is confident that he will mature quickly. He is happy living at home with his mom and pop who are George and Marsha Dowell.

Betti relaxes in her garden this evening. Her eyes take in all of the colors that her many different flourishing flowers display. She thinks about the investments of time and attending that it has taken her to amass such a great display of beauty. Along with the planning, planting, and admiring of her garden, Betti blogs about her experiences of learning about flowers and plants and bushes and what it takes to make them all grow harmoniously in a single place. She also blogs random thoughts that she feels her readers may enjoy. This season, Betti blogs a lot comparing life to a mosaic. The current flower colors in her garden will fade quickly over time, but her blog entries will last as long as she maintains her computer files. Those files are a sort of chronological history of Betti’s life in this garden. Betti blogs on PeacefulWorld.net, which is a venue for pleasant comments. She stays away from Blogosfere.net as it provides a venue for people to write mean-spirited comments on any subject.

Blogosfere.net is the sleepless host for countless commentators, bloggers, newscasters, and other individuals that conveniently log on to it whenever they wish. Blogosphere.net sits in its temperature-controlled room in a windowless building in Phoenix and soullessly sends electronic messages as far as cable and wireless networks allow.

Chapter 1.1

Betti’s Blog*PeacefulWorld.net

Life can be compared to mosaics. For some, from the time of conception all the tile pieces fit together to form an orderly appearance. The design is present and followed without deviation. Each tile piece set in place permanently. For others, the life mosaic was assembled through trial and error with tiles temporarily placed and tried out, moved if necessary or moved just on a whim.

Some grow up into a well-ordered life and keep it that way. They are happy with the mosaic and never want to disturb it. But others grow up and decide that their mosaic is a poor reflection of who they are. They rearrange the pieces to suit themselves. The pieces sometimes move easy and sometimes only with extreme effort.

A few of us start life with a finely crafted and attractive mosaic only to have it damaged by the action of a friend or a stranger or just by something as simple as falling down. We get ourselves repaired, and depending on circumstances, our mosaic appears as good as new. Maybe a scar shows as an odd seam or maybe a few mosaic tiles are missing and a gap in our beauty shows.

Our mosaics get dirty, so we clean them as best we can. If we do not, the dirt piles up, and our mosaics become unrecognizable. If we are fortunate, a friend comes along and sees us through the dirt. Our friend helps us clean up, and the world can once again see the original beauty or even the damaged beauty of our mosaics.

Chapter 1.2

Net Comments

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Welcome to Blogosfere.net@ dinkydink.txt. The free site where you can tell others what is on your mind right now. Check out the comments below:

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: The police department advises that state law grants the right to carry firearms both visible and concealed without a permit. However, discharging a firearm within the city limits is a crime. PPD.txt

MedicalNews.txt. posts accurate news reports on just about everything of concern in the medical community. We are not responsible for the casual comments posted on our sight by viewers. However, anything authored by MedicalNews.txt is valid and reliable. Professional subscriptions will get you a link certified accurate and used only by individuals with valid credentials. For professional subscriptions contact [e-mail].

Medical News.txt reports that the First Server Charity has helped over fifty patients with cognitive disabilities gain normal functioning. Dr. Arthur Anderson is the chief operating officer of the charity. He is also the only physician known to perform the surgical procedure.

The National Association Academy of Standards.txt is now accepting nominations for membership. Individuals may self-nominate by completing and submitting the proper application and fee. The NA Academy website has the application and instructions.

Gus says: Yeah, you can self-nominate and you can self-pay and you can self-screw yourself by trying to join that NA Academy. Everyone knows that the thing is a scam. It is just a fancy way to take money from us. They do nothing but mail an expensive-looking certificate that expires (self-destructs) every five years. Then you got to ask for and pay for another one.

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Stu says: Anyone who posts a comment on the net is an ass! Anyone who takes the time to read a net comment is a stupid ass. I oughta know. StupingAss*dinkydink.txt.

You says: Disgusting comments of any kind can be found on my site. No censuring by me. Plenty of law enforcement prying eyes so take your chances. Disgusting comments removed seven days after the last response is received. It’s a computer program thing to keep down the volume. Link into Yourdisgustingcomments*dinkydink.txt. If you never link in to my site—well, I find that disgusting!

Chapter 2

A New Idea

Gavin Vexornettle is a short and stocky-looking man with a bald spot on the back of his head. He sweats easily when doing physical labor outside. The sweat gets on his eyeglasses and blurs his vision. Even in the pleasant March weather in Phoenix he sweats. Today he is sweaty due to his laboring as he installs a video cam on a utility pole in the alley near Betti’s home. Of course what he is doing is illegal. That does not matter to him. What matters is getting a video/audio recording of what happens in Betti’s garden. Gavin is not a voyeur. He doesn’t care about Betti and what she wears or does not wear in her garden. If she went nude in the evenings, Gavin would not care. His freelance boss, Mr. Oscar Smith, has hired him to get information about Betti and her friend Dr. Arthur Anderson. An audio/video cam is the best way that Gavin has to collect information.

It is Tuesday afternoon, and Arthur Anderson is visiting Betti. Once in a great while, the two friends arrange to meet in the afternoon when the weather is pleasant. As usual, Arthur and Betti visit in her backyard garden.

Betti speaks, Arthur, I am so glad to see you. It is such a lovely afternoon.

Arthur responds, I am glad to see you too, Betti. It isn’t often that we get to visit. I wanted to share with you a few things about work. Clark is doing well. I am hiring for him a coworker, a young woman near his age. Miss Spelling is her name. Allegra actually interviewed her for me. Allegra tells me that Miss Spelling is excellent for the position.

Betti speaks, How is Clark doing as far as the Server One goes? Are there any issues about it?

Arthur replies, "It turns out that Clark is quite intelligent. His older sister is a genius, a tested and certified genius. I think that since the Server One corrects his intellectual disability, Clark has the same ability to learn that his sister has. Of course, he missed out on the quality education that she has, so there is no comparing the two siblings. So far there have been no issues about the Server One.

Betti responds, I am glad to hear that. I had no doubts that the device would work. But it is nice to get a good report.

After a quiet moment of admiring Betti’s garden, Arthur speaks again, "Betti, I have an idea to share with you. I am considering developing a tissue-compatible implant, like the Server One, that supplies knowledge to the brain. It would be like the microprocessor used