NEW AT THE LIBRARY: A way to go online and learn to become proficient in many of the computer programs now being used in various businesses and professions and just for you. Our main library in Port Lavaca is now making available to all residents classes online in the following software programs: Computer & Internet Basics, E-mail Basics, Social Media (Facebook, etc.), OpenOffice, Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Outlook. All you have to do is to visit our Library, sign up at the desk and then go online. What a painless and nonstressful way to learn!

These Things Hidden, a somewhat startling book by Heather Gudenkauf caught my attention with the cover illustration. (I’ve found that many times the cover of a book is what prompts one to read it.) I speak of the book as startling and that is what the plot conveys. The book is extremely well written, well thought out, and the pages flow easily from one to another. The premise of the plot is not that unusual in these times; it tells of the relationship of two sisters and the hidden results of their lives. One sister is the super girl; perfect grades, many friends, champion achievements in 5 sports, and the “golden” girl of the community. The other sister is pursued by unnamed phobias — all calculated to lead to self punishment. Allison, the older and super daughter becomes pregnant at 16, and, following the unexplained death of her baby at birth, is tried, convicted and sent to prison for ten years. Released to a half-way house, she tries to reunite with her family, and particularly her younger sister, who refuses to see her, knowing that the many hidden secrets of their lives together will emerge and result in unforeseen consequences.

The book definitely holds your interest; it is beautifully written without excessively detailed paragraphs, and creates a strong empathy from the reader to the characters.

On the other hand, Alafair Burke’s newest book was a disappointment, and definitely not up to the standards created by her previous books. Although I may be in the minority with this opinion as others who have read it speak of it as being powerful and well done. Entitled Long Gone, the book wanders from mini plots to major plot, eventually tying them all together at the end. Yes, she writes well, constructs sentences and plots, gives life to her characters; these are all excellent. But this time, the many proponents of plots and people are extremely difficult to follow, and mesh with each other. Which is really a pity as a previous series re heroine Ellie Hatcher were much better.

We have a number of books, both hard cover and soft cover, available for sale; at the prices of $1.00 for hardcover and $0.25 for the soft. They make excellent companions when you go on a trip and don’t want to worry about a due date from our Library. Do come and check them out! You won’t be disappointed.

“When an old person dies, a Library burns down.”
Karin Gillespie

Ahoy from the Seadrift Sail and Yacht Club. We had our 3rd quarter bay front cleanup recently and are happy to report that there was less trash than usual to be picked up. Thanks to all of our members who came out to help with the cleanup. Thanks to our community for helping to keeping our bay front looking good and ready to be enjoyed by everyone. After the cleanup the sailboats were launched for a day of sailing in San Antonio Bay. Come and join us for the fun.

Jack LaBarge,
Commodore

Every time I decide to fix something myself instead of calling in someone that knows what he’s doing, I wind up with a surprise. For instance we need a simple ¾” pvc pipe to the rock garden. What’s a little glue cement and a pipe cutter that is so difficult?

So I get started with a small ditch drenched with sweat from the August delightful summer atmosphere. The pipe is laid and glued to the water source. Then I use an upright right angle fitting for the riser on which to place the faucet. That seems simple. Then another right hand angle fitting but this one must have threads in which you screw into it a plastic (cheap) faucet.

Now I’m ready for the faucet. However, every time I screw in the faucet it winds up pointing the wrong way when it is completely up tight. I back it off again, and again, and again.

Phooey, it’s hot out here. I’ll just leave it upside down; that is, with the spout pointing skyward instead of the usual way.

The water is now on and the plants love it. After a thorough drenching I turn the faucet off….but it won’t cut off. A drip remains….but what the heck….it’s only a drip. So I put a shallow clay bowl under the drip to catch the drip so it won’t make a mud puddle.

Evening time approaches when the temperature calms down a little, and what do you know? I see a bird show that would stop all bird shows. That hole in the spout accommodates only one bird at a time. But the bowl can handle three or more in the tub. They are all taking a bath and splashing water in each other’s faces.

First one to show is always the Titmouse. With the top knot on high to announce it is his (or her) turn at the faucet. He drinks by many dips of his beak in the faucet discharge opening. Then he’s dive bombed by the second Titmouse waiting his turn and the beat goes on.

Wow, where did this one come from? It’s a canary yellow warbler with light grey wings and piercing black eyes. I believe it is a Prothonotary Warbler. Then a hummingbird does a fly-by just to show the others he prefers nectar and doesn’t care for snorkeling.

Expecting a real fight with the Titmouse, here sails in a red bird. But he is calm and is slowly deliberate in having his drink in the leaky faucet. Strange because a red bird (Cardinal) is always the cock-of-the-walk and doesn’t put up with any foolishness! Then we took a second look. It isn’t a Cardinal, it is a Scarlet Tanager. It is rather rare to see this bird at the faucet and is spectacular in its entire splendor.

The feisty little Black Capped Chickadee makes a fast run at the faucet when the Titmouse isn’t looking. Tiny compared to the Titmouse, it quickly retreats to catch the departing flight of the Titmouse and takes his turn.

Probably the greatest beauty of them all is a flock of Eastern Blue Birds. They are a gregarious type and are somewhat suggestive when the boys and girls all bathe together. Oh well, it isn’t the season anyway. But they are not here according to the book. They are winter birds (November to April); but they are here and it is August! And there are over twenty five of them enjoying summer at the beach, so to speak.

Many other birds have now found this most ‘thoughtful’ gesture of making a leaky faucet just for them. Of course, I am acquainted with Blue Birds but since “they aren’t here, all I can say is they sure ain’t a titmouse.

It is really hard to beat your very own back yard show time with a bird bath. jbobalong@yahoo.com

Classes started Aug. 22 and Port O’Connor has 100 students enrolled in Pre-K through fifth grade. The majority of students, when asked, stated they were anxious to return to school. The halls were filled with lots of positive energy and excited kids all happy to be reunited with their friends and classmates.

Students Learn New Analytical Techniques – This year teachers at POC are working together with teachers from Seadrift to introduce new techniques to improve students’ analytical skills. The process involves Thinking Maps which help organize students’ thoughts. There are eight maps and each map teaches a specific cognitive skill eight methods aimed at improving eight different cognitive thinking skills. The students have learned how to develop Circle Maps to define, describe and make connections between pieces of information within a frame of reference. Students also work with Bubble Maps which visually helps students represent the thought process of describing. The picture below shows first grade students in front of the Circle Map they made to define library rules.

Front Row: Sergio Sanchez, Ethan Redding, Ashton Albrecht, Damian Guzman,

Chase Harding, Keaton Cady and Dylan Ramirez. Back Row: Jenna McManus,

Leah Lucey, Kalynn Harding, Makayla Reed,

Adalia Gossett, Harley Peeler, and Elizabeth Carriles.

Check Out Our Class Blogs – Parents be sure to check out the school website to see what’s happening in your child’s class. Each grade is keeping a blog about what they’re doing and adding pictures of students. To access the blogs go to www.calcoisd.net. On the top select the Our Schools tab. From there select Port O’Connor Elementary. On the left side of the screen you’ll see Classroom Information. Click on Classroom Information and select Staff Blogs. You can select the appropriate teacher from the drop down list.

Teachers Thank Service Club – The teachers at POC Elementary are so very grateful for the generous $25 gift they each received from the Service Club. The money was used to purchase craft items, hands on manipulative tools, snacks and other items for the classrooms. The teachers thank the Service Club ladies for helping to defray the large out of pocket expenses each teacher incurs. Your gift is sincerely appreciated and was well spent!

PTO News – The PTO is now selling snacks every Friday afternoon in the cafeteria. All items are 50cents each so parents don’t forget to send extra money with your kids on Fridays. PTO is now on Facebook. You can access the site by going to www.facebook.com/pocpto .

Don’t Forget – As everyone is trying to get back in the school morning routine, remember to make sure your kids bring their AR library books and homework back to school each day. If your child will be tardy or absent, please call the office at 983-2341 to let us know.

Miss Sandra in the cafeteria would like to remind parents to make sure kids have enough money in their accounts to pay for their meals. Parents may check their child’s balance by accessing Meal Pay on the calcoisd.net website or come by the cafeteria. When accessing Meal Pay, parents will need to create a new account this year even if they accessed MealPay last year.

Dates to Remember:
September 13 Open House and PTO Meeting
September 16 Constitution Day
September 23 Picture Day
September 30 Student Holiday
October 6 Awards 8:00 in the cafeteria

Re. King Tomlinson’s Letter

Of Naomi Albrecht’s recent letter, Mr. Tomlinson writes, “…it is misleading to say he (W. Bush) immediately cut taxes, thus costing our nation $1.6 trillion over the next ten years.” Perhaps, but she didn’t say that. She wrote, “Bush immediately proposed tax cuts that would cost our nation 1.6 trillion over ten years…” Bush did propose that. And his Congress provided him with the Economic Growth and Tax Relief and Reconciliation Act of 2001. He signed it on June 7, 2001, not 2002 as Tomlinson suggests. And, it even applied to tax year 2000 income; that’s pretty immediate to me. By the way, Dubya took office January 20, 2001, not in 2000 as the Tomlinson letter indicated. Congress later provided him with the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief and Reconciliation Act of 2003. This Act more quickly implemented many of the sweeping tax changes that were in the 2001 Act. Mr. Tomlinson implies that the Bush tax cuts made tax revenues go up. And that “fact” he says proves the Republican talking point that Washington, therefore, clearly has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. But is it true? Here is what FactCheck.org summarized about this issue in 2007 (italics/bolding are mine):

SUMMARY

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain has said that the major tax cuts passed in 2001 and 2003 have “increased revenues.” He also said that tax cuts in general increase revenues.

That’s highly misleading.

In fact, the last half-dozen years have shown us that we can’t have both lower taxes and fatter government coffers. The Congressional Budget Office, the Treasury Department, the Joint Committee on Taxation, the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers and a former Bush administration Economist all say that tax cuts lead to revenues that are lower than they otherwise would have been – even if they spur some economic growth. And federal revenues actually declined at the beginning of this decade before rebounding. The growth in the past three years that McCain refers to brings revenues back in line with the forty-year historical average as a percentage of gross domestic product.

It is unclear how much of the growth can be attributed to the tax cuts. Capital gains tax receipts did increase greatly from 2003 to 2006, but the CBO estimates that they will level off and decrease in the next few years. The growth overwhelmingly resulted from a sharp rise in corporate tax receipts, the cause of which is a topic of debate.

I leave to the reader to see http://www.factcheck.org/taxes/supply-side_spin.html for the analysis of these findings.

Mr. Tomlinson tells us to please do some research and don’t just listen to the media talking points. He implies that Texas didn’t balance the budget for 2012-2013 on the backs of our school children. Here is the lowdown on Mr. Tomlinson’s claim:

Question: My legislator says that the Legislature added $1.6 billion in funding for schools. I thought school funding was cut. Who is right?

Answer: Here’s what happened. The Foundation School Program is funded from the state’s General Revenue. In 2009, Texas received $3.4 billion in one-time federal stimulus money. The Legislature used that money instead of General Revenue (GR) to help fund the Foundation School Program in the state’s 2010-11 budget. At the time, everyone knew this was a one-time band-aid to school funding.

This year there is no federal stimulus money. In order to fund currently enrolled Texas students at the same level, the Legislature needed to add $3.4 billion, they added only $1.6 billion to the amount appropriated from GR last time. Instead of the full $3.4 billion, they added only $1.6 billion to the amount funded by GR in 2009, which means that funding for students currently enrolled in Texas schools was cut $1.8 billion in the 2012-13 state budget.

Additionally, they did not provide funds for the 160,000 students expected to enroll in Texas schools during the next two years ($2.2 billion). When you add the $1.8 billion and the $2.2 billion, you have the $4 billion cut that is often mentioned. The Legislature also cut grant programs for schools ($1.3-1.5 billion depending on what you consider a grant.)

So, for Texas schools to maintain the current level of services through the next two years, they needed about $5.5 billion more than what was appropriated in the 2012-13 state budget.
http://www.truthaboutschools.org/2011/07/22/is-legislators-claim-correct/

Tomlinson assures us that the Texas job creation “miracle” is Perry’s doing. But is it? The following quotes are taken from a New York Times article and a Boston Globe article, referenced below. “Some economists as well as Perry skeptics suggest Mr. Perry stumbled into the Texas miracle. They say that the governor has essentially put Texas on autopilot for 11 years, and it was the state’s oil and gas boom – not his political leadership – that kept the state afloat.” Bryan W. Brown, chairman of the Rice University economics department says, “Because the Texas economy has been prosperous during his tenure as governor, he has not had to make the draconian choices that one would have to make in the White House.” Dick Lavine, senior fiscal analyst at the Center for Public Policy Priorities, says, “The Texas model can’t be the blueprint for the United States to successfully compete in the 21st century economy, where you need a well-educated work force.”
Contrary to the Tomlinson spin on facts, “Texas is tied with Mississippi for the highest percentage of jobs that are at or below minimum wage”, said Dick Levine. “What distinguishes us from all the other states is the high proportion of jobs that don’t offer any medical benefits,” he said. “Critics of Perry’s record point to the 26% of Texans who lack health insurance, the highest percentage in the nation according to US Census surveys.”

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2011/08/29/perrys_claim_of_texas_job_boom_is_criticized

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/16/business/in-texas-perry-rides-an-energy-boom.html?

James Hummel
Port O’Connor

IS IT TRUE?

Are Calhoun County Democrats really “not concerned with cost”?  So stated the Dem Chair, Mrs. Burleson, at Commissioners Court on August 25.  Her comment was in reference to a proposed plan to combine some of the voting precincts.

Taxpayers (supposedly only 50% of the population)  pay all costs of General Elections and that portion of Primary Elections not covered by candidate fees.  That means you are paying approximately $1,000 per polling place (at present Calhoun County has 23),  per election.    The 2010 Primary Election cost taxpayers over $12,000,000 in state funds.  The General Election cost county taxpayers approximately $25,000.   I hear all this hoopla over cutting education and services, but when it comes to elections, democrats are “Not concerned with the cost”.  Does Mrs. Burleson express the view of all Calhoun County Democrats?  Seems the Court thinks so as they voted to cut costs ONLY for the upcoming November Amendments Election,  per Mrs. Burleson’s wishes.  No consideration was given to future elections.

It takes time for citizens to get used to change.  It sometimes takes several months to get a plan approved through State and Federal offices.  Large voting precincts in the county would not change from the 2010 elections, i.e., Precincts #1, 16, 17, 18, 19, 24, & 25 would remain as they are.

The only reference in Texas Election Laws is  Section 43.002 which  stipulates that a county  of more than 175,000 may not designate a polling location that would require a voter in the precinct to travel more than 25 miles from the voter’s residence.  This in no way applies to Calhoun County since our population nor distance to voting places is anywhere near these limitations.

There is always 2 weeks of early voting for every election.  Surely, if you don’t want to worry about going to the polls on election day, you will be able to vote at the courthouse sometime during early voting.  Also, for the convenience of “shut-ins”, college students, military, and those temporarily residing outside the county, there is the Absentee Ballot.

I am asking you to contact your Commissioner and discuss combining  “low-or-no voter” precincts with others near them.  Mrs. Garcia, our Election Administrator, spent a lot of time and research in putting the plan together.  Please give this careful consideration, check out the plan and cost savings, and let your  Commissioner know your feelings.  He represents YOU!!

Connie Hunt
Port Lavaca

Re: “The Way I See It” By William D. Brayshaw

We do have a “Democrat Party”. I, Dorothy Geraldine Wilson, am a Democrat.

I have always voted on the Democrat ticket. True, if the “Communist” take over this country, I will not have a right to vote at all. Forbid the thought.

In grammar school many years ago I did have a male school teacher that did believe in time our country would be ruled by the “Communist”. He has gone on to be with God, and won’t see this come to pass, if it does.

Freedom of Speech and  Freedom of Press is still ours.

Dorothy G. Wilson
Seadrift

People really tick me off with their dogs! Was just at the beach with Honey (on a leash) and saw a gal who didn’t believe her doberman needed a leash. Then I watched the dog attack and cripple a seagull! She’s yelling at the dog but it’s doing what it does. Sure wish a cop would have been there to cite her for the killing of a protected bird. Not the dog’s fault – hers!

Jim Hicks via Facebook

Request from the Dolphin: Exceptions have been made recently, but henceforth please limit your Letters to the Dolphin to approximately 300 words.

Ten Cannots of A. Lincoln

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.

You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.

You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.

You cannot further the brotherhood of man by creating class hatred.
You cannot establish security on borrowed money.

You cannot build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence.

You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.

Submitted by VFW
District 28
Yorktown, Texas

The Dolphin welcomes letters from our readers on any subject that is of general interest to our audience. Letters should be 300 words or less (with exceptions at the Dolphin’s discretion). Letters reflect the opinion of the writer, and not that of Dolphin Talk staff, and we retain the right to determine suitability for publication. It is the policy of this newspaper to promote area interests: therefore, complaints against local businesses should be directed elsewhere. Letters must be signed and include day and evening phone numbers, which will not be published. Your name will be withheld upon request, but anonymous material will not be considered for publication.

Letters to the Dolphin:
Dolphin Talk P.O. Box 777
Port O’Connor, TX 77982
dolphin1@tisd.net