The following words are by no means indicative of my attitude toward those readers who often, and with good cause, suggest themes for this column; I appreciate the interest and the input, but the problem of time constraints often dictate the amount of time involved in the process.
A very nice lady approached me a few days ago with a very good back story connected to the current situation at our southern border, one of the major issues of this year’s oh-so-important national election. Her personal experiences some years ago in lands far to our south gave her first-hand knowledge of how our government, via one of its alphabet entities, sought to influence national policies of foreign countries that have led directly to why the historically predominantly Mexican people seeking entry are now joined by men, women and children from overseas countries.
The problem writing such a piece falls mainly upon issues, such as in the few minutes Pat, her name is Pat, and I discussed the matter, probably took up five to six thousand words while I am limited to one, and I would have to spend this week’s limited time in research, so that is why today all you get are just a few random and unconnected musings.
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This falls under the Good Idea, No Practicality banner. Ever have just one sentence, or one short statement, set you to thinking? Happened to me last Saturday while attending a very pleasant late afternoon affair with a score or more people present when one sentence at the end of a rather lengthy text caught me up. In just a few minutes I thought it would be a good idea, for those who have yet to cast ballots, to hear a debate between the two candidates for the District 1 city council seat. Good idea, very traditional in American politics.
But knowing such an event would have zero effect on those ballots already in boxes, enroute via Uncle Sam’s post, or in some cases already marked and sealed in the envelope awaiting the opening of polling places in 13 days; this is where practicality enters the picture. Given the late date, the remaining undecided voter is probably low in number; and how to reach even that segment? It would require both candidates to agree upon a number of issues, say five, to address with each debater given two minutes to respond and one-minute in response to opponent’s comments. Either one or two moderators and of course a way for the people to hear and/or see the debate. There are the radio station and local print/online media, but I doubt neither reach all the people all the time, so a building would be needed for a live audience, with translators, and then what day and time would be best for all concerned, and you now see why that idea is not practical.
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I am sure many of you have heard the old offer of either one million dollars cash right now or a penny a day doubled for 30 days; seems a no brainer at first thought but as you may know the cool million ends up looking very cold in the end. I’m not going to go through the whole rigamarole here, but if you chose the million dollars you cheated yourself out of four million, three hundred sixty-eight thousand, seven hundred and nine dollars and 12 cents. You do the math.
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I recently checked out a, or rather the, telescope at the local library (they only have the one) and like a book, DVD or any number of items in that wonderful little building, it can be checked out with a library card for a three-week period. I didn’t keep it that long, so I recommend any parent check out that piece of scientific equipment and you and your children and your neighbors gather round the eye piece and look at the moon and stars. It was fun for some of us here on Seventh Street to see the moon last week as it reached its yearly perigee, that phase when it is closest to Earth than any other time of the year.
One interesting little fact is that, for reasons beyond my academic levels, the features of the surface of the moon, the craters and mountain ranges and vast open areas, all appear clearer in the morning blue sky than in the black sky of night. That seems opposite to me when I think of seeing a deer’s eyes in the daytime as opposed to the shine they give off when in headlights. Check for yourself; I turned the telescope in yesterday.
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We are free falling toward the end of another year, and so there are many an event on the near horizon. There are some exciting things going on down at the Monterey County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum (MCARLM) when this weekend will be a hauntingly good time for one and all. Check out their website or social media pages or call them for more information.
The Saturday following the Monterey County Dance Foundation (MCDF) will hold the annual Clara’s Tea in the studio at Bassett and South Vanderhurst streets, you can find out more about this wonderful affair on Facebook either on Monterey County Dance Theatre (MCDT) or MCDF pages.
And on Wednesday evening the day after Election Day, the Monterey County Pops! Orchestra will again take to the Robert Stanton Stage for a rousing Veteran’s Day commemorative concert featuring the King City High School Band and with special appearance by the Kick Line Dancers from the above MCDT. That event is free to the public, doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the concert to commence at 7 p.m. This event, sponsored by the Monterey County Center for the Performing Arts, is always an uplifting time of musical honoring of our local veterans and all attending will be glad they did.
Take care. Peace.
