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Re: Demand School Board put geography back in classes, Oct. 3 column by Jeff Webb:
Editor: I couldn't agree with Webb more. I did call the Hernando County School Board and asked that my vote be added to those advocating putting geography back in the curriculum.
As a high school student in an excellent school in Colorado Springs, Colo., many years ago, geography was taught and taught well. Even so, I can't say I was an outstanding student of the subject.
However, I did grow up knowing where things are in the world, visiting some of them and appreciating the world I live in.
An anecdote: I just moved to Florida from Elko, Nev. It's more than 400 miles from Las Vegas. I worked for a time for the Elko County Economic Diversification Authority. Our mission was to attract businesses to Elko in preparation for the eventual closing of the gold mines in 10 years or so. Good thinking on the part of our city and county leaders. We sent out info to anyone we could find with business or manufacturing expansion or relocation possibilities.
Guess what? Especially from the East Coast, we would get responses that clearly showed they had no idea where we were; some didn't even know for sure where Nevada was. Others thought we rode horses to work and had to deal with Indian uprisings. Some were surprised we had television and, I suppose, telephones, let alone Internet access.
Webb is absolutely correct about the need for young people (well, older people, too) to know what the world consists of, especially since computers and satellite communication are making the world smaller and smaller. The U.S. is consistently criticized for our geocentricity, particularly in Europe.
I am active in the space advocacy area, currently serving as National Space Society Director of Projects chapters, plus writing for several space publications. The U.S. is, as I said, continuously criticized because we seem to think all space exploration belongs to us. Not true at all. We have some advantages, but the European Space Agency is alive and well. Other nations routinely put up their own satellites, the Chinese are making great strides in their own space program, and Russia is currently the only nation with vehicles that can reach the International Space Station. Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne just claimed the $10-million Ansari X-Prize on Monday, but a Canadian team is not far behind.
We are not alone on this planet. Commerce is international and becoming more so every day. I routinely communicate via the Internet with colleagues in Australia, Indonesia, Germany, Japan and Mexico, to name a few.
Oh, and regarding Webb's short quiz: I think I know where Tasmania is, and I lived and worked in and around Sacramento for 30 years.
Re: Price tag still troubles critics, Oct. 3 Times:
Editor: The comments made by the "yet-to-be-elected" county commissioners regarding our new Emergency Operations Center are out of line. They strike a chord of "me too," as they don't think there are bigger issues to be discussed.
We need a new EOC, as only the last two storms, which could have been four, attest to. The people working at the EOC, looking after our best interests, shouldn't have to worry about their own safety while they work for ours. It would be a sad statement for these workers if they were actually safer in their homes than at the EOC conducting emergency business.
Possibly, these wannabe commissioners could take up the issue of canceling THE Bus. That seemed to be a hot-button issue a while back (tongue in cheek).
Re: Price tag still troubles critics, Oct. 3 Times:
Editor: I am writing in regard to the story about the cost of the new Emergency Operations Center.
My father is Bill Fagan, who is running for Hernando County commissioner in District 1. He has a passion to serve the residents of Hernando County in this position.
Your story quoted him correctly regarding the fact that he and his wife volunteered at the special needs center during one of the storms, and that he personally visited the Emergency Operations Center to see how the operation works, and to take a look at the facility.
It was nice to have a picture inserted into the story from your files. However, the newspaper did two candidates an injustice by inserting a picture of Pat Fagan, who is running for the School Board, next to the copy regarding Bill Fagan, and under that picture wrote, "Democrat Bill Fagan, running for the commission, supports the project."
I know you agree that by this error - and mistakes do happen - many residents of Hernando County may have become confused because of both candidates having the same last name.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The mistake was corrected, with a photo of Bill Fagan, on Tuesday's Hernando Times front page.
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