Posts published by “Turkey Vulture”

Statistics continue to support the impression created by the grim sequence of mass shootings in this country that such incidents are becoming more common. These are frequently highlighted by the ramshackle system of background checks for gun-buyers. Gun lobbyists and their allies say the answer is for more law-abiding Americans to carry guns in colleges, or shopping malls, or churches. This impulse to self-defense in kind is natural, but surely mistaken. Does keeping guns or carrying them around make people safer? All research suggests it does not. In fact keeping guns at home doubles the risk of a resulting homicide.

In today’s world, it seems that we all know too much about each other. Social media has some benefits certainly, but in terms of human development and interaction it’s dumbing us all down, in my humble opinion of course. Do we really need to be constantly reminded what a fantastic time someone is having while eating a ham sandwich?

Are you up for some significant service to our community? Well your opportunity to make a difference has arrived. With High School Principal Michelle Hutchins taking on the extra duties of School Superintendent starting in the fall, many Valley folks believe a number of new ideas may be introduced at our local schools, and now we are presented with a chance to make a positive complement to her appointment: The upcoming School Board elections in the fall.

It was a veritable smorgasbord of activity and entertainment in the Valley over the past weekend. There was live music all over the place with The Ukeholics at Lauren’s Restaurant, The Subdudes at the Navarro Store Amphitheater, and “Dancing on Ivories” with Tom McDermott at The Grange; not to mention other events such as the Barn Sale on AV Way, the usual wining and dining at our various restaurants, and the wonderful first annual Heroes of Health and Safety Fair at the Fairgrounds featuring all the good stuff that our local firefighters and ambulance crews provide us with.

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.

Mild rumblings continue to circulate around the Valley regarding the new-ish barn alongside Highway 128 opposite Breggo Cellars that was constructed, according to “investigative reporter” David Severn, neither strictly to code nor its stated usage by owner Tim Mullins of Balo/LiveOak, etc.

A little over four years ago, Jack Kevorkian, the American pathologist and most famously the euthanasia activist, died at the age of 83. I mention this as a result of some recent personal experiences of being around many elderly folks with no quality of life remaining, the kind of people whom Kevorkian believed should be able to end their lives with some dignity intact.

One of my favorite places to visit, anywhere in the world, is Hendy Woods. right here in the heart of the Valley. Now, to encourage more local folks to embrace this most special of places, the Hendy Woods Community is inviting Valley people to visit for free on the afternoons of the second Sunday of every month.