Passerby's Comments
I grew up in the Central Valley between Bakersfield and Fresno. The area I grew up in is mostly miles of orange trees, vineyards, peaches, plums, alfalfa fields and nut trees. Doesn't sound like the sort of place that would be that bad, right? The air quality has become amazingly bad, as other local commentors have explained. The number of children with asthma is nearly the worst in the US.
My science teacher in high school mentioned to me one day that he "had been able to see the mountains on both sides of the valley" in years previous before the air quality had become bad in his opinion. This was 25 years ago. Now you're lucky to be able to see some of the Sierra range on a good day from Visalia, which isn't that far away. Things have gotten much worse there in a fairly short amount of time, relatively speaking.
In the housing and building frenzy of the past several years, many large production dairies have relocated to the San Joaquin Valley from pricier regions like LA, adding to the number that were already there. This isn't helping matters, nor is the increased number of vehicles and traffic along the highways in recent years with the increase in population and housing. Burning regulations have been put into place. Several groups are pointing fingers at each other while things continue to get worse.
Most people don't realize how much of our food and produce comes from the SJV. It really is amazing what can be grown there. I find it more than a little scary to think what the future may hold for that area if the problems there continue to grow at the rate they have been.
My science teacher in high school mentioned to me one day that he "had been able to see the mountains on both sides of the valley" in years previous before the air quality had become bad in his opinion. This was 25 years ago. Now you're lucky to be able to see some of the Sierra range on a good day from Visalia, which isn't that far away. Things have gotten much worse there in a fairly short amount of time, relatively speaking.
In the housing and building frenzy of the past several years, many large production dairies have relocated to the San Joaquin Valley from pricier regions like LA, adding to the number that were already there. This isn't helping matters, nor is the increased number of vehicles and traffic along the highways in recent years with the increase in population and housing. Burning regulations have been put into place. Several groups are pointing fingers at each other while things continue to get worse.
Most people don't realize how much of our food and produce comes from the SJV. It really is amazing what can be grown there. I find it more than a little scary to think what the future may hold for that area if the problems there continue to grow at the rate they have been.
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I'm very sorry to see any more of the things that Mary Blair had a hand in designing disappear in favor of Disney's cash cow characters.
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Personally, I just lost my cat to what I later found was a terminal illness. I loved her for many years and I can't imagine not trying to give her a fighting chance. I did what I was able to do for her and I have no regrets.
I already have a car, thanks. I've had many cats, but I will never have another cat with her personality and absolute adoration of me. Every one of the extra days I got to spend with her was worth it.
In the course of this, I met many people who spent tens of thousands of dollars in trying to help their pet in question. They all had nearly the same thing to say. Their pet was somehow exceptional to every other animal they had owned. The animal had done so much for them in some way. It made perfect sense as I stood there, trying to make very difficult decisions myself, not quite knowing where the situation with my own pet was headed. Their money, their pet, 'nuff said.
I already have a car, thanks. I've had many cats, but I will never have another cat with her personality and absolute adoration of me. Every one of the extra days I got to spend with her was worth it.
In the course of this, I met many people who spent tens of thousands of dollars in trying to help their pet in question. They all had nearly the same thing to say. Their pet was somehow exceptional to every other animal they had owned. The animal had done so much for them in some way. It made perfect sense as I stood there, trying to make very difficult decisions myself, not quite knowing where the situation with my own pet was headed. Their money, their pet, 'nuff said.
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When something as simple as a cat can make it possible for this man to interact more normally in everyday situations, I think it's a great idea. If a cat, or any other animal can help him with his rehab, that sounds like a service animal to me.
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The longer I go without watching it, the more irritating some things about it become. 'Laugh tracks' on sitcoms, for example, are incredibly annoying after a year or so of not being exposed to them. Commercials drive me crazy. Wading through an hour of news when I can get what I want to know in a few minutes of reading online makes no sense.
Add a lack of much worth watching, and I'm glad to do about anything else other than flip through 200+ channels for 20 minutes, trying in vain to find something that interests me.