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.
Read more
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.
Read more
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.
Read more
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.
Read more
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.
Read more
You heard that right – I actually ate a live earthworm at school. Here’s how it went down – no pun intended. This would have been in the early 2000s when I was teaching 5th grade math. At this time the required standardized test was the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills, or TAAS for short. I always prided myself on teaching mathematics and not teaching the test, however – there is so much riding on the students’ performance that one must do what one must do in order to survive. You can take the high road as a teacher only so long because at the end of the day your performance will be determined by a group of 11-year-olds.
Read more
This week’s article pulls on my heartstrings quite a bit. I met this young lady at the Grimes County Go Texan Cook Off in January where her boyfriend was cooking on our cookoff team. They had recently started dating and Friday evening we were first introduced to her. Karina Munoz, from Madisonville, came into our circle and fit in perfectly from the very beginning!
Read more
In my last column, I chastised Senator John Fetterman for his lack of appropriate attire when conducting the people’s business in the people’s capitol. No good deed, or good intent, goes unpunished. The very same day the column was released, I was visited by the clothing gods of retribution in the form of my gentleman friend. While disgusted by former President Clinton’s infamous finger-wagging, I have to concede there may be situations when such emphasis is justified. That Wednesday was one of those days for me. So, with a stern face and a wagging finger, I swear I had nothing to do with his color choices that day!
Read more