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I cannot imagine the stress and anxiety associated with evacuating your home during a category five hurricane. It is hard enough to watch the devastation from the safety of my living room. I cannot imagine what it is like to be there.
Like most people, Leah and I have friends and relatives living in the path of hurricane Ian. So far, they are all safe. Time will tell what damage is done to their homes and belongings. My heart goes out to all the people of Florida at a time like this.
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This from the Police Tribune.
Five members of the Roxborough High School football team were shot as they were walking off the field on Tuesday afternoon and a 14-year-old player has died. Philadelphia police said the incident occurred at about 4:41 p.m. on Sept. 27 as the football players were leaving the field behind Roxborough High School in the 300-block of Fairway Terrace after a scrimmage against two other schools, WCAU reported. Officials said two gunmen in a green Ford Explorer fired at least 70 rounds in the direction of the football players.
In another incident earlier today, six students were shot on a campus that houses several Oakland schools on Wednesday.
Police said that gunfire erupted at about 12:45 p.m. on Sept. 28 at facilities shared by Rudsdale Newcomer High School, Sojourner Truth Independent Study, and Bay Area Technology School (BayTech) in the 8200-block of Fontaine Street in the city’s Oak Knoll/Golf Links community, CBS News reported. Oakland police confirmed that multiple people had been shot outside the school buildings. Officials have not released any information about the medical conditions of the six victims, nor have they released any information about their identities, KGO reported.
So far in 2022, not including the mass shooting in Oakland today, there have been 508 mass shootings in the U.S, which has resulted in 545 deaths and 2,089 wounded. I keep wondering what it will take for us to get serious about this issue.
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It is amazing what can happen when Governor Whitmer and the legislature work together on things. State leaders have reached a deal to allow the pre-processing of absentee ballots starting two days before the Nov. 8 election in large communities, according to the chairwoman of the House Elections and Ethics Committee.
The deal between the GOP-led House and Senate and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer would also involve the passage of laws tightening security around ballot drop boxes and changing the way dead voters are removed from voting rolls ahead of the Nov. 8 election. Other provisions to be implemented after the November election would allow overseas military members to submit their absentee ballots electronically and expand the types of locations that could be used as polling locations.
The changes would be permanent, unlike the temporary pre-processing allowance implemented just for the November 2020 election. The pre-processing element would apply to August and November elections. The House and Senate are likely to vote on the measures Wednesday.
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I am looking forward to reading Linda Flanagan’s book Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids’ Sports — and Why It Matters. Here is a brief summary of the book.
Some 75% of American families want their kids to play sports. Athletics are training grounds for character, friendship, and connection; at their best, sports insulate kids from hardship and prepare them for adult life. But youth sports have changed so dramatically over the last 25 years that they no longer deliver the healthy outcomes everyone wants. Instead, unbeknownst to most parents, kids who play competitive organized sports are more likely to burn out or suffer from overuse injuries than to develop their characters or build healthy habits. What happened to kids’ sports? And how can we make them fun again?
In Take Back the Game, coach and journalist Linda Flanagan reveals how the youth sports industry capitalizes on parents’ worry about their kids’ futures, selling the idea that more competitive play is essential in the feeding frenzy over access to colleges and universities. Drawing on her experience as a coach and a parent, along with research and expert analysis, Flanagan delves into a national obsession that has compelled kids to specialize year-round in one sport, Increased the risk of both physical injury and mental health problems, encouraged egregious behavior by coaches and parents, and reduced access to sports for low-income families.
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Don’t look now, but the Tigers have won five in a row and seven out of eight following their victory tonight against the Royals.
Pleaase feel free to share my blog.
Elections Matter. Pray for peace and tolerance. What are you doing to stop the violence and mass killings?
Quote of the Day: “I’m happy to say all sides were able to come together. These should not be partisan issues. These are practical solutions to ensure that we have solid elections that are run with a great level of integrity and voters have confidence that their vote’s going to count.” state Rep. Ann Bollin, R-Brighton.
Orchid of the Day: NY Yankee Aaron Judge for hitting homerun number 61 tonight, tying Roger Maris for the American League Record.
Onion of the Day: The people responsible for the mass shootings in Philadelphia and Oakland.
Question of the Day. When will this country get so tired of mass shootings that they develop a comprehensive plan to address the root causes of the shootings?
Video/Image of the Day: #61 by Aaron Judge