I came across this very cool East Texas business this morning. It’s an air charter service called East Texas Helicopters (ETH). As a kid I was watching television in the eighties when shows like Air Wolf, Blue Thunder and most especially Magnum PI ruled the ratings market. Back then, the idea of having one’s own helicopter charter business seemed like the coolest job in the world to me. Much cooler and more attractive than teaching! And as much as I admired “Thomas Magnum,” it was his friend “T.C.” whose job I most wanted. Remember T.C. was the one who owned his own Chopper and flew patrons around the Hawaiian Islands on special tours. I’m fairly sure the day to day ins and outs of the job are not really as glamorous as they were portrayed on television however.
Anyway, come to find out, there is a Helicopter charter business here I East Texas. It seems they service the Tyler, Longview, Kilgore, Jacksonville region. As far as I can tell they’re largely a one ship operation (again much like T.C.), the primary chopper being an R44 Raven II. On their Facebook page however, they do have a couple of other choppers pictured, so I’m not sure how many they actually run. In terms of advertising and public relations, the only web page they operate is linked through KLTV, which is not a terrible strategy in guess, since that’s how I found them. (As I mentioned earlier, they also have a Facebook page). On the site, ETH lists the services they offer. They’re available for tours, aerial photo shoots and surveys, patrolling power lines, or just public rides. The cost comes to almost a hundred dollars for every half hour, which given the cost of fuel these days seems pretty reasonable to me. If I read their pages correctly, it seems they also frequent Canton Trade Days where they offer rides to the fair going public. For more information on this fascinating business, visit their webpage at http://www.kltv.com/category/174993/east-texas-helicopter . Readers can also go to their Facebook page by clicking on the following link: http://www.facebook.com/EastTexasHelicopters?sk=wall . To contact the business directly simply call their office at (903)570-2840; or e-mail them at easttexashelicopters@gmail.com .
On June 2nd, Tyler will be holding its much praised Downtown Art Walk. The concept is basically this: ten downtown businesses open their doors for more than thirty local artists to display their original wares. Patrons can browse the shops for free and catch a glimpse of the kind of art their fellow East Texans are producing. There is also a public mural, where visitors to the event, can leave their own artistic mark. The mural will be on display on a temporary basis on the Tyler Square.
This event offers an opportunity for everyone. Art lovers from all over East Texas will come spend money here. The city of Tyler has the chance to continue its rejuvenation of the downtown square. Business owners there, get some great advertising (particularly those participating in the Art Walk). And of course the artists themselves receive some much deserved recognition. The businesses opening their doors to the artists include: Downtown Coffee Lounge, Subway,Balance Studio, Gallery Main Street, Cue:creative, Mango Express, Edward Jones Investments, East Texas Symphony Orchestra, Jakes, Salon Verve, and of course, T.B. Butler Plaza. I won’t list the artists, (there are too many) but suffice to say there should be something for everyone. There are also a number of sponsors of the event, including: The City of Tyler, Tyler Junior College and Austin Bank. The Art Walk’s hours run from 4pm until 8pm on June 2nd. Hopefully the turnout will continue to be large.
Well, the Texas Senate has passed a law banning texting while driving, but the ban has yet to become law at this point. Instead it has been sent back to the House to approve a change in verbiage that is actually a significant change. The bill’s author, Senator Judith Zaffirini, a Democrat from Laredo, included reading texts, (or anything), in the band. The changes to the bill would make it a crime to write or send a text while the vehicle is moving, but not specifically to read them. Senator Zaffifini was not pleased with making the ban less restrictive, but wanted the process to go forward despite the change. Now this is going to strike some readers as ridiculous, but I have to say that, at this point, I’m not for it!
On the surface it seems like a slam dunk. We all have stories we could tell of people becoming involved in accidents because they were trying to text while driving. I certainly don’t deny that it’s extremely unwise. But the question for me is; where does the legislation end? Should we pass a law that says you can’t tune the radio and drive? Or how about eat and drive? Maybe drink and drive, (and no I don’t mean alcohol, I mean anything). Cherry lime-aids are particularly dangerous if one goes rooting around the bottom of the cup looking for cherries when the drink is gone. This seems like more nanny- state legislation to me. And for some reason, we in Texas are really susceptible to peer- pressure. If a big fancy state like New York has it, we should too! It’s the same thinking that brought that ludicrous smoking ban to Tyler.
No one can possibly argue that texting and driving are, two things that go great together; nor is smoking good for you, nor is eating too much red meat! Hey! And you know what? Sitting too close to the TV is hard on the eyes! Oh and it’s a bad idea to swim after eating! Maybe pools should be held liable if I cramp up while swimming. Government, local, state, or national, does not exist to protect us from every risk. But we have lost the ability to distinguish what is unwise, from what is unlawful, and given a few years, we’re all going to be so mired down in petty rules and regulations we’re not going to be able to turn around without some do-gooder or other handing us a ticket.
“So what would you do? HUH?!” Well I don’t know… For starters, I’ve no opposition to raising the driving age a bit. I’d wager that a large portion of the offenders are young people anyway. Surely not all, but most I expect. But maybe we as citizens just need to be more responsible. I understand the good intentions here. Honestly I’d probably be hard pressed to find anyone who defends the right to text and drive. But at some point we’ve got to stop trying to legislate common sense.
It’s been around a year since I last “donated” plasma at Bio-life Plasma Services in Tyler. Of course the term donate is actually incorrect. As a private school teacher my summer budget can be tight, so another fifty dollars a week can mean the difference between making my bills and having my water turned off. I wrote one other time about my experience with Bio-life which has been largely positive. I went for the better part of a year, twice a week nearly every week before eventually slowing down. My attendance gradually became less regular due largely to lack of time. For a while return had diminished as well, to the point that it was no longer really worth my time and gas money to make the trip to that side of town. I will admit as well that I grew tired of being poked and prodded every couple of days. I now have small but permanent scars inside my elbows due to my regular attendance.
Most anyone can donate provided they’re over the age of eighteen and weight at least one hundred ten pounds. There’s actually quite a long list of screening questions donors are required to answer each time they visit the center, but most people should have no major problems getting the ok. This makes it a really viable way for college students who live on ramen noodles and Dr. Pepper, to make a little extra cash. But of course the plasma donation isn’t entirely about making a few extra dollars for the donor. All plasma collected by the center is used in all sorts of medical research. Numerous therapies also require blood plasma, particularly for hemophilia and other immune disorders. So it actually is a really good cause.
One other positive note about Bio-life in Tyler; I recognized much of the staff as being there last year. For me this was good to know. I’ve been stuck by new or inexperienced staff members just learning the ropes before, and it often makes for a long afternoon. I realize they have to start somewhere, but it’s nice to know the center has retained an experienced staff. For more information visit the company’s web page at http://www.biolifeplasma.com/index.html.
Memorial Day weekend is probably the most popular weekend in the year for backyard grilling. The smell of burgers cooking, and the smoke from backyard cookouts, rises from the back fences of half the homes in America. And the homes that aren’t hosting parties are abandoned for those that are. Now I love grilled burgers and brats, but if you’re interested in a more educational Memorial Day experience, I happen to have a suggestion. The Texas State Railroad is holding its Memorial Day Armed Forces Event, on May 27th, 28th, and 29th. The event features passage via the historic Texas Railroad, to the German Village of Rheinhausen, where a historic reenactment of a World War II battle will be taking place. Also on the agenda is a 1940s style USO dinner and Dance, and a number of living history exhibits. There is also a Patton exhibit which features among other things a replica of the General’s personal car. Other activities include things like rides aboard a Huey Helicopter.
The event is fairly pricey at $35.00 a head plus parking and activities. But the kids will certainly never forget it. For more information visit the Texas State Railroad’s webpage at http://www.texasstaterr.com . Reservations can also be made by calling the office at 1-888-987-2461.
Texas to Ban Texting and Driving
May 27th, 2011On the surface it seems like a slam dunk. We all have stories we could tell of people becoming involved in accidents because they were trying to text while driving. I certainly don’t deny that it’s extremely unwise. But the question for me is; where does the legislation end? Should we pass a law that says you can’t tune the radio and drive? Or how about eat and drive? Maybe drink and drive, (and no I don’t mean alcohol, I mean anything). Cherry lime-aids are particularly dangerous if one goes rooting around the bottom of the cup looking for cherries when the drink is gone. This seems like more nanny- state legislation to me. And for some reason, we in Texas are really susceptible to peer- pressure. If a big fancy state like New York has it, we should too! It’s the same thinking that brought that ludicrous smoking ban to Tyler.
No one can possibly argue that texting and driving are, two things that go great together; nor is smoking good for you, nor is eating too much red meat! Hey! And you know what? Sitting too close to the TV is hard on the eyes! Oh and it’s a bad idea to swim after eating! Maybe pools should be held liable if I cramp up while swimming. Government, local, state, or national, does not exist to protect us from every risk. But we have lost the ability to distinguish what is unwise, from what is unlawful, and given a few years, we’re all going to be so mired down in petty rules and regulations we’re not going to be able to turn around without some do-gooder or other handing us a ticket.
“So what would you do? HUH?!” Well I don’t know… For starters, I’ve no opposition to raising the driving age a bit. I’d wager that a large portion of the offenders are young people anyway. Surely not all, but most I expect. But maybe we as citizens just need to be more responsible. I understand the good intentions here. Honestly I’d probably be hard pressed to find anyone who defends the right to text and drive. But at some point we’ve got to stop trying to legislate common sense.
Tags: Accidents, Aids, Alcohol, Bad Idea, Cherries, Cherry Lime, Cramp, Democrat, Hard On The Eyes, Judith Zaffirini, Laredo, Nanny State, Pools, Reading Texts, Red Meat, Slam, Smoking Ban, State Legislation, Texas Senate, Texas texting and driving, Tyler Texas, Verbiage
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