Think pink: It’s more than just a catchy slogan

October may be passing into history, but there are still a few days left to recognize it as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and act accordingly.

Started in 1985 by the American Cancer Society, the campaign is designed to create awareness of breast cancer and to raise funds to help combat it. It serves as a reminder that all women over the age of 40 should get an annual mammogram. Women younger than that should get them earlier if there is a genetic history of breast cancer and/or if there are any symptoms such as a lump or pain.

Locally, Hill Country Memorial’s Breast Center provides state-of-the-art services and technology for scanning the detecting breast cancer. Texas Oncology likewise is set to provide full treatment right here in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. There is no need for anyone to have to travel to a big city to get the level of cancer care they do here.

We’ve included a special section in this week’s edition to highlight some survivors and give simple tips about prevention methods that are available here locally.

As with any cancer, early detection is the key to survivability. According to the American Cancer Society, when breast cancer is detected early, and is in the localized stage, the 5-year relative survival rate is 99%. Early detection includes doing monthly breast self-exams, and scheduling regular clinical breast exams and mammograms.

Breast cancer is one of the deadliest cancers for women. With improved research and clinical trials, methods are constantly improving to combat it. The funding and awareness raised during Breast Cancer Month has helped save uncountable lives and will continue to do so.

Wearing pink has become synonymous with breast cancer awareness and serves as a simple reminder for people to check on loved ones and to make sure regular screenings are happening.

And guys, it’s not just for the women. Although fairly uncommon, men are also at risk of getting breast cancer. Fortunately, it’s treatable.

Also for the men is No-Shave November, or Movember, for cancer awareness. Just like wearing pink for breast cancer awareness, men are encouraged to grow a mustache or stop shaving for the month of November. The awareness campaign started a few years ago to draw attention to prostate and testicular cancer, but has widened in scope to include all cancers.

The main thing is that these public awareness campaigns do make a difference. They help save lives. Hopefully there will be a time when cancer is curable and preventable and a thing of the past. Until then, we can wear pink ribbons and grow facial hair in support of great causes and loved ones very dear to us. – J.S.

(This editorial appeared in the Oct. 27, 2021, edition of the Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post.)

Hopes cast upon the stars

When Blue Origin launched “Star Trek” actor William Shatner and three others into space last week from a remote West Texas launch site, it gave me hope and inspiration.

At 90 years of age, Shatner shattered the record as the oldest person to go to space. That record was briefly held by 82-year-old Wally Funk, who was a passenger on Blue Origin’s maiden flight in July. Prior to Funk, the oldest person was John Glenn, who returned to space on the space shuttle in 1998 at the age of 77.

Seeing commercial ventures like Blue Origin and SpaceX (both operating in Texas, no less) along with Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic taking humans to space gives me hope that suborbital thrill rides could one day be within reach of common folk. And if Shatner can do it at 90, there is remote hope for me at one orbit past double-nickel.

I grew up with “Star Trek,” having watched the original run of the series as a toddler in my mother’s lap. Captain James T. Kirk was a hero of mine. I have never met Shatner, though I have seen him twice at comic conventions. When I first heard that Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos was opening the captain’s chair to Shatner, I was thrilled. I was so happy for him and was pulling for him throughout the entire 10-minute mission. Granted, that’s a far cry from a five-year mission aboard the USS Enterprise, but wow! To actually go into space is the dream of millions of people.

With age and physical conditioning no longer being a limiting factor for spaceflight, that clears many hurdles for older people like me. Now, about all that stands in my way is a few million bucks and the limited number of seats. I guess my last, best hope for ever going into space is if Bezos, Branson or SpaceX founder Elon Musk decide to send a journalist. (Hey guys, if you’re reading this, I volunteer!)

Sending Shatner to space was purely a publicity stunt for Blue Origin, but it paid off big time. It got much more attention than the billionaire Bezos could have ever hoped to buy. And Shatner’s unique observations make space travel that much more desirable.

“What you have given me is the most profound experience I can imagine. I’m so filled with emotion about what just happened ... it’s extraordinary,” Shatner told Bezos after the flight.

“I hope I never recover, that I can maintain what I feel now,” Shatner continued. “I don't want to lose it. It’s so much larger than me and life.”

In media interviews later, Shatner expressed a sentiment nearly every astronaut that has gone into space has observed. All known life exists under a thin skin of air around Earth and we need to clean it up and protect it. I’ve had the good fortune to interview three men who walked on the moon (Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean and Harrison Schmidt) and numerous Apollo and space shuttle astronauts, and to a person they all returned to Earth with a profound appreciation for the environment.

“We came to explore the moon and what we discovered was the Earth,” Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders famously said after he orbited the moon in 1968.

Shatner was joined on the flight by Audrey Powers, Blue Origin’s vice president of mission and flight operations, and paying passengers Chris Boshuizen, co-founder of the Earth-observation company Planet, and Glen de Vries, vice chair for life sciences and healthcare at the French software company Dassault Systèmes.

The four of them reached an altitude of 66 miles, which is four miles higher than the internationally recognized Karman line as the barrier to space. That line is significant, because in the billionaire space race between Bezos and Branson, Branson went up first but only reached an altitude of 53 miles, which is higher than NASA’s demarcation of 50 miles as the boundary, but well below the Karman line.

In comparison, when Alan Shepard became the first American in space, his sub-orbital flight on Mercury Freedom 7 in 1961 went 101 miles up. He later eclipsed that with a 239,000-mile journey to the moon on Apollo 14 in 1971.

I see the altitude as primarily an ego thing. If I went up 53 miles and experienced zero G, you’d have a hard time convincing me that I didn’t go to space. Likewise, if I broke the Karman line, I’d jokingly look down (literally) on those who didn’t make it that far.

Unfortunately, I may never get to experience the thrill of a rocket ride or weightlessness. That’s part of the reason I traveled vicariously with Shatner and company as they made their trek to space. Space travel is mankind’s greatest adventure and the future belongs to those who exploit it.

Someday, hopefully soon or at least in my lifetime, we will see humans return to the moon and set foot on Mars. In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy these real-life star treks and hope and dream that maybe someday me or my offspring will have that opportunity.

Live long and prosper, Mr. Shatner!

 

joe@fredericksburgstandard.com

Know what you’re voting for in next election

It would be very easy to let voter apathy take over the Nov. 2 election in Gillespie County since there are no local officials or measures on the ballot.

The eight proposed amendments to the state constitution, however, should not be overlooked. Any changes to the state constitution will have a local impact.

In order to make an informed decision when early voting starts on Monday, let’s look at the amendments and determine what they mean.

 

Proposition 1

 “The constitutional amendment authorizing the professional sports team charitable foundations of organizations sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association or the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association to conduct charitable raffles at rodeo venues.”

This allows the charitable arm of sports teams to hold raffles at rodeos. Professional sports teams already do this with popular 50/50 raffles. The raffle winner gets half the pot and the other half goes to the foundation or charitable arm of the team to support community causes.

 

Proposition 2

“The constitutional amendment authorizing a county to finance the development or redevelopment of transportation or infrastructure in unproductive, underdeveloped, or blighted areas in the county.”

This is pretty straightforward. Counties could issue bonds to pay for infrastructure and transportation projects in impoverished or neglected areas. One thing included with this is it would prohibit counties that issue bonds from pledging more than 65% of the increase in ad valorem tax revenues to repay the bonds.

 

Proposition 3

“The constitutional amendment to prohibit this state or a political subdivision of this state from prohibiting or limiting religious services of religious organizations.”

This issue arose in 2020 when churches and other religious institutions were forced to shut down with the rest of the state during the pandemic. This amendment would prohibit the state from suspending or prohibiting religious services, even during a public health crisis.

 

Proposition 4

“The constitutional amendment changing the eligibility requirements for a justice of the supreme court, a judge of the court of criminal appeals, a justice of a court of appeals, and a district judge.”

New requirements for one of the judgeships would include candidates being a resident of Texas and a U.S. citizen. It would also require:

·         Candidates to have 10 years of experience in Texas as a practicing lawyer or judge to be considered for the supreme court, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, or a court of appeals;

·         Candidates to have eight years of experience in Texas as a practicing lawyer or judge to be considered for district court;

·         Candidates who have their license to practice law was revoked or suspended during experience requirement would be disqualified; and

·         The requirements would begin after Jan. 1, 2025.

 

Proposition 5

“The constitutional amendment providing additional powers to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct with respect to candidates for judicial office.”

This would authorize the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct to investigate complaints against candidates running for state judicial offices. It also balances elections between incumbents and challengers because challengers are not held to the same Code of Judicial Conduct as sitting judges. Challengers would have to meet the same standards as incumbents.

 

Proposition 6

“The constitutional amendment establishing a right for residents of certain facilities to designate an essential caregiver for in-person visitation.”

This allows such facilities to right to designate an essential caregiver for each resident that may not be prohibited from visiting the resident, even during a pandemic.

 

Proposition 7

“The constitutional amendment to allow the surviving spouse of a person who is disabled to receive a limitation on the school district ad valorem taxes on the spouse’s residence homestead if the spouse is 55 years of age or older at the time of the person’s death.”

Disabled people can currently apply for a $10,000 homestead tax exemption and a limit on school district property taxes. This allows the legislature to extend a homestead tax limit for surviving spouses of disabled people as long as the spouse is over 55 years old and resides at the home.

 

Proposition 8

“The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of the residence homestead of the surviving spouse of a member of the armed services of the United States who is killed or fatally injured in the line of duty.”

Currently, the exemption is only offered to the surviving spouse of a member of the armed services “who is killed in action.” This expands it to include service members who were fatally injured during military training or other military duties.

(This editorial appeared in the Oct. 13, 2021, edition of the Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post)

Monkees see, Monkees do: Band makes final run after 55 years

A melancholic excitement settled over me the evening of Sept. 25 at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in San Antonio as The Monkees made their final appearance in Texas.

The remaining members of the Pre-Fab Four are on their farewell tour. Then The Monkees will be no more.

Sadly, only two members remain, Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith. Davy Jones passed away in 2012 and Peter Tork in 2019. I’ve been a fan of The Monkees ever since MTV reran their 1966 television show in 1986. Something about it just grabbed me. It was my junior year in college at Adams State and the goofy humor and bubblegum pop tunes just resonated with me. And it wasn’t just me. Interest in the band exploded and led to a 20^th anniversary reunion tour.

I saw them in concert that August at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver. The next year I caught back-to-back performances at the Minnesota State Fair. Each of those times the band consisted of Micky, Davy, and Peter. Mike only occasionally joined his bandmates on the tour. He was always the aloof loner of the bunch. His seriousness about the music caused him to famously clash with the show’s producers. But it was mostly his commitment to other projects that kept him from Monkeeing around on the various tours over the years.

That Saturday night at the 1,700-seat Tobin Center, however, he did plenty of Monkee business. Hampered by age and health (he is 78 and underwent heart surgery in 2018), Nesmith didn’t play any instruments (ironic since he had been so adamant about The Monkees playing them on the show), but he played many air instruments and did many other corny hand gestures. He also took a few breaks from the show, leaving much of the work to Dolenz.

Micky has always carried the load for The Monkees, being the only one to appear in each incarnation of the band over the decades. I had the privilege of conducting a backstage interview with Micky during a solo tour in the early 1990s in Norfolk, Virginia. That was the last time I saw him until that Saturday in San Antonio.

Although spry for guys in their late 70s, their show lacked the energy and pizzaz that it had 35 years ago, and that’s understandable. I just hope I’m that energetic at their age. After 55 years as The Monkees, this is their last rodeo. They have about 30 dates to go and then it’s over. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Micky do solo tours, but as a band, this is it. It’s probably a good thing, too, as it appeared Mike has pretty much checked out already.

Nez was clearly having fun, but often seemed to be lost in his own little world. There were times when he had full command of his Texas twang, but most of the time his voice could barely be heard over the nine-piece band (which includes Nesmith’s son, Christian Nesmith, on guitar, and Micky’s sister, Coco Dolenz, on backup vocals).

Micky was in full command of the performance, singing lead vocals on most of the 28 songs they performed. It was bittersweet to hear him sing parts normally done by Jones and Tork, especially on “Daydream Believer.” There were fitting tributes to absent friends and plenty of camaraderie built by five and half decades of Monkeeing around.

Last year’s The Monkees Present: The Mike & Micky Show was supposed to be the farewell tour, but COVID cancelations pushed it out to this year.

At the Tobin Center, Mike and Micky sang the obligatory Monkees hits such as “Daydream Believer,” “Last Train to Clarksville,” “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” and “I’m a Believer.” Much of the show centered around deeper cuts and lesser-known hits. The crowd went nuts at each reference to San Antone in “What Am I Doing Hanging ’Round.”

The concert was a chance for the duo to showcase songs that Mike had lead vocals on as well as many of the songs he wrote, including “Different Drum,” which was not recorded by The Monkees but became a hit for Linda Ronstadt.

Midway through the show the band took a 20-minute intermission, after which Micky came out and sang “Porpoise Song.” He then left and Mike came out and sang “You Told Me,” before being rejoined by Micky.

As the show went on, I couldn’t help but appreciate not only seeing Mike for the first time, but also hearing many of the songs performed live. A lot of those deeper cuts didn’t make the set lists in earlier tours because of the depth of top 40 hits they had to choose from.

Considering all the singles, numerous albums, a movie (“Head”) and a hit television show, it still blows my mind that they are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There are lesser acts in the hall and these guys are more than deserving after 55 years of Monkee business.

 joe@fredericksburgstandard.com

Photo by Johnna Ann Alberthal

Photo by John David Scarcliff