White Rock Center closed in 2016 (after an exciting opening in 1973, the year I graduated from E. T. S. U. and began teaching in F. H. S.) and had thrilled skaters for more than 40 years. It is now for sale if you have a spare six or seven million dollars and a feel for fun, food, excitement, and romance! I remember skating there once; I remember falling more than once, and I remember that there was a “MONEY MACHINE” that “blew out” mostly onedollar bills, but also some larger, for the lucky “birthday boy or girl” to try to pull out of the pulsing drafts! The rink was close to White Rock Lake; I think there was access to the roof, and it was quite the glamourous place to go— don’t know why I only went once!
Schools Need More Money for Safety! As far as I know the Texas Legiscloseouts, lature has said that Texas School Districts should post an “armed security guard” at every campus, but it will probably not surprise you that reportedly many schools have not been able to fully do this because they lack manpower and/or funds to do so! However, it is only fair to note that schools have “latitude” in choosing how they implement an alternative safety plan and what their security alternative is. But, articles I have read and speeches I have heard show a belief this is something necessary to think about and study and bring into effective being.
Do You Know What “Dumpster Diving” Is?
This is a “nickname” for many versions of “picking up treasures that have been thrown out.” Gaining popularity is doing this on a large scale and targeting the “large dumpsters” sitting behind stores, businesses, manufacturing plants, and even very large residences. Some “divers”— mostly just “regular” folks much like you and I—go out after business hours and often after dark, use headlamps for better viewing into and around trash bins, use long-handled hooks to reach deep and/ or to avoid touching “yucky” stuff, wear protective/heavy clothing/boots/shoes, wear gloves and masks. After they have a little experience, divers look into and even get into dumpsters/trash bins after “clearance sales” and inventory deadlines, at the ends of certain selling seasons (Christmas, Spring, etc.), after remodelings, after store and after just about any big estate sale or seasonal event affecting all of us. Most “pros” seek out the big hauls behind businesses, but many valuable finds are out on the streets! One seasoned veteran advises to go behind stores at night so as not to disrupt business, be courteous to any folks in the diving areas, ask for permission if it seems to be warranted, and pass on/ donate any finds that you do not expect to use yourselves. One “seasoned” diver relates that she has donated to senior citizen centers, thrift stores, food pantries, charity garage sales, etc. and really feels she is helping others!
ALLIGATORS FREEZE, BUT DON’T DIE— I have written about the invasion of alligators into East Texas waters, but I think of them gliding through the warm waters of summer and snatching ducks off the stream tops or stealing big fish off the trot lines of angry fishermen! However, what do they do when the temperatures drop to zero degrees or stay below freezing for a week at a time? Answer: They submerge into frigid and even frozen waters and actually just keep their “snouts” above the surface, breathing just one breath per minute... SERIOUSLY!...while their hearts beat about every three minutes…SERIOUSLY! This action is termed “brumation,” and about one-half million alligators live in Texas and know how to do this, especially
in Beaumont’s “Gator Country,” according to their experts there! Just for the record, there are gators in the Trinity River, and they have been found in the Greater Dallas areas!
Donations of Organs— Animals to Humans! In the past I have written about the transplantation of “pig hearts and kidneys” into humans in dire need! They all showed some success and hope, but the “end” always came before two months had passed, and the recipients (who were always willing to help medicine advancement and to live as long as possible) “passed on.” I don’t know exactly how I feel about “animal to human” transplants of some organs, but tissues are another issue altogether for me. HOWEVER, I have heard recently and been very interested in what finally happens to a “pig kidney
transplant” woman who has gone past the “magic 2 months records” and is listed as being “healthy and full of energy” after more than 60 days—and supposedly cannot be picked out of a crowd of folks as being or looking any different than they! This pig kidney and those being studied for more use today are genetically altered to function in a more human-like manner, and the lady who received this latest transplant was and is more healthy than others in the past and is helping to pave the way for doctors, who may some day be able to move beyond what is called “compassionate use” and on to elective use. I pray for success!
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