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During the summer I saw a help wanted post from the downtown restaurant Rail & Rye, so I inquired about working a little bit since I have my food handler certification, was home for the summer, and didn’t have much to do.
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On the way home from church Sunday, I tuned into a program to hear the host saying that the World Happiness Report published by the United Nations found Israel to be the fourth happiest country in the world behind Finland, Denmark and Iceland. He added a little personal commentary saying that was the nicest thing the U.N. ever said about Israel! Wanting to hear more about how a population living 24/7 under the threat of annihilation by its neighbors could be so happy, I took to the internet. This information is out there for you to review as well.
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These days, it’s getting harder to tell what’s real and what’s not, both in words and images. Thanks to technological advances coming so fast it makes one’s head spin, software programs can now convincingly duplicate voices, falsely enhance or create totally realistic-looking landscapes that never existed with people who were never there, and even show “live” images of actors, politicians and others speaking or moving that are completely fabricated but are very hard to detect as deceptions.
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The Texas Legislature, conceived as a part-time body to meet every other year for 140 days, is now in its record fifth session (counting the regular session). When the impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is included, legislators have been in Austin pretty much the entire year, as the Texas Tribune noted. While legislators are paid just $7,200 a year in salary, per diem payments – meant to cover their expenses while in Austin – have mounted. If the fourth special session goes a full 30 days, taxpayers will have spent $4.8 million keeping lawmakers in Austin.
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A few weeks ago, my neighbor, Frances Zaragoza, and I went door to door in our neighborhood passing out invites for our National Night Out event. It was fun walking with someone that was brave, bold and fearless about meeting new people and walking into their yards unannounced.
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Early voting is now underway for the Nov. 7 general election. Voters will decide the fate of 14 proposed amendments, including measures to provide property tax relief and raise the homestead exemption to $100,000.
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Dear Readers, this story took place almost exactly 20 years ago, in 2003 when my church choir director, Judith LaFontaine recruited me to take part in this endeavor. I was already singing with the Brazos Valley Chorale at the time, but Judith was very persuasive and convinced me that it wouldn’t be too much more work to sing with this new group. Judith knew the conductor, Kevin Riehle, and they carved out a rehearsal schedule and we set about preparing for the most wellknown venue in all the world.
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Gov. Greg Abbott, just hours after the Senate initially approved a school voucher measure, said he would add teacher raises and increased public school funding to the ongoing special session agenda if the Texas Legislature passes his voucher plan, the Texas Tribune reported.
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