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Bird’s Eye View (July 15, 2015)

Greetings one and all. Are you are sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin. Let’s start of with a few observations from the Old Buzzard in his insightful series. “Signs that the Apocalypse is Approaching.” Buzzard reports, “As I sit here contemplating the state of the film industry, not only do I think that HBO provides better entertainment than going to a cinema (due mainly to all the top screenwriters now working for the premium cable networks having left the shoot-outs, explosions, special effects, and blatantly obvious plot lines to the movie business), but also that censorship in films has become ludicrous, while once again premium cable has got it right when it comes to sex and violence.

“For the sake of credibility, you can’t show love/sex scenes for too long without showing a pair of breasts, and yet according to the movie censors in the UK and the US, a pair of breasts is often a problem and leads to prohibitive ratings. Chopping someone’s head off or riddling someone with bullets: not a problem. Showing parts of the anatomy that you can see on every beach in the south of France, and many other places for that matter: apparently that’s a problem and leads to unreasonable levels of censorship. It’s not a vitally important issue, and as I said, I was just “contemplating” this odd state of affairs, but perhaps it is yet another example that the Apocalypse is rapidly approaching.”

Thank you for those wise words, Buzzard, and for providing the perfect segue into this week’s topic for the Quotes of the Week. Claude-Adrien Helveticus, the French philosopher, freemason, and littérateur: “To limit the press is to insult a nation; to prohibit reading of certain books is to declare the inhabitants to be either fools or slaves.” Max Lerner, the American journalist and educator: “The problem of freedom in America is that of maintaining a competition of ideas, and you do not achieve that by silencing one brand of idea.” George Bernard Shaw: “Assassination is the extreme form of censorship.” Oscar Wilde: “The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.” And Mae West: “I believe in censorship. After all I made a fortune out of it.”

Public Service Announcements. #322. They’re back. yes, The Subdudes return to the Valley this Saturday, July 18 at 6pm at The Navarro Store Amphitheater. The support act features Mendocino coast residents David Hayes (bass player with Van Morrison) and Gene Parsons (former Byrds drummer), who will go on stage at 3pm, while Grill Master Guy Kephart will be “putting the meat to the heat” for the always delicious bbq from 11am. 4pm. Tickets are $45 and for more information call 895-9445. #323. Also on Saturday evening, July 18, it’s live music from The Ukeholics with support from the Boonville Little Orchestra at Lauren’s Restaurant in Boonville. Show begins at 9pm. #324. The Barn Sale takes place at The St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church Refectory on AV Way just north of Boonville from 9am.-3pm on both Saturday and Sunday, July 18/19. #325. The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will not be visiting the Valley again until Thursday, August 13. #326. The Boonville Farmers Market continues every Saturday at the Boonville Hotel, 10am-12:30 pm, featuring locally grown and produced vegetables, herbs, fruit and meat, as well as arts and crafts, and live music every week, plus other featured events throughout the summer and fall. For more info, call Cindy at 895-2949. #327. The AV Lending Library run by The Unity Club is open Tuesday and Saturday at The Fairgrounds: Tuesday 1.30-4.30pm and Saturday 2-4pm. #328. The County Dump is open from 9am-4pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Remember, no dead animals! #329. The AV Food Bank is July 21. Gardeners, Farmers and Produce Growers of all kinds, please remember Food Bank days (3rd Tuesday of every month) as a place to donate your extra produce. It will be greatly appreciated. Please drop off on Monday, the day before, behind The Boonville Methodist Church. If you need someone to glean your produce to take to the Food Bank, contact Valerie Kim at valerie.h.kim@gmail.com. Denisse Mattei is the Food Bank director. You can reach her at 895-3763.

Here is the menu for the Community lunches over the next week at the Senior Center at the Veterans Building in Boonville. The Center asks for a $6 donation from seniors. Tomorrow, Thursday, July 16, the lunch, served by Marti Titus and her crew at Noon, will be Oven Fish and Fries with Cinnamon Roll Cake for dessert. Then, next Tuesday, July 21, the lunch will feature Beef Stroganoff with Sundae Cone Cake for dessert. All meals include vegetables, salad bar, and fruit, plus milk, coffee, tea, and lemonade. What a deal. It may be the best $7 you’ll spend all week! Hopefully you will be able to attend, and remember, all ages are welcome! Hope to see you there.

Nothing to report from The Three-Dot Lounge this week as the location was closed to host a memorial for the recently deceased Venerable Pheasant, as amiable, agreeable, and pleasant a living being as you could ever hope to meet. R.I.P. and thank you for being you.

Time to take my leave. Until we talk again, Keep the Faith; be careful out there; stay out of the ditches; think good thoughts; be wary of strangers with more dogs than teeth; please remember to keep your windows cracked if you have pets in your vehicle; and may your god go with you. A final request, Let us prey. Sometimes poking, often stroking, but almost always humbly yours, Turkey Vulture. Contact me through the Letters Page or at turkeyvulture9@gmail.com. PS. Keep on humming, Hummingbird. On the sheep, Grace. Keep on wagging that tail, Fred. Everything cool with you, O.J.? Of course it is.

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