Page 56 - Sonoma County Gazette - October 2017

The News Is Like That Lover...
...the one you can’t live with or without. News or lover, some would just call it addiction. You might not want to always tune in and hear a same old, same old current issue continuously batted back and forth! (Like beating a rug on a clothesline. Do people still beat rugs on clotheslines?) Then again, you don’t want to miss the rare good stuff like the promise of Rachel Maddow questioning Hillary Clinton for a full hour!
Oct 5 ~ Legal Aid for Seniors -
Oct 12 ~ A Matter of Balance
News delivery paradigms have shifted in fascinating ways; and that’s not news. It is virtually (no pun intended) impossible to evaluate authenticity.
In venues such as the Facebook phenomenon, the Twitter idiocy and many entrepreneurial “news”websites now available, newly evolved aficionados develop their own special “news” and send it across the Internet as reality.
(It seems the “fact check” sites have also come under scrutiny!) Such factors
of news delivery provide astounding responses. I’ve questioned individuals randomly and asked: How and where do you get the News? Answers ranged from singular addictions like “only online!” to such wide-ranging inclusions that they must do nothing else! How do they decide which is fact and which is fiction? Most said they “don’t worry about it.”(Yikes.) For others it depends on who is delivering. “John King is always telling the truth; I can tell!” one enthusiast stated.
It’s been a long time (in my humble opinion) since we had a female commentator/interviewer the quality of Maddow, who intelligently researches, prefaces and structures her incisive questions. She gets thorough answers.
In the case of the Hillary Clinton interview (September 14; MSNBC), we got
to hear about both “WHAT HAPPENED” (her current book), and “What happened?” – her current dilemma! If you missed it, you might think it worth searching...
Back to that lover you can’t live with or without... Sometimes it’s the way they squeeze the toothpaste tube; sometimes it’s just because. Nevertheless, my news analogy: they both offer fascination, but come with frustrations around the damn nature of the beast, news or lovers!
Preregistration required, 707-545-8608, Free, 12:30-1:30p, Bennett Valley Senior Center, 704 Bennett Valley Rd, Santa Rosa, 707-545-8608, srcity.org
Senior Fall Prevention course classes occur at various venues. Eight sessions of two hours each. To attend a class series or request a class in your community, email mob@schsd.org or call 707-565-5936. Oct 12 - Dec 7 ~ YMCA, 1111 College Ave, Santa Rosa – Thursdays, Free, 2-4 p, djacoby@schsd. org, sonomacounty.ca.gov
Oct 9 ~ Restorative Yoga – 90-minute class, bring a small blanket and small pillow. Call for pricing, 8:30-10a, Cloverdale Senior Community Center, 311 North Main Street, Cloverdale, 707-894-4826, cloverdaleseniorcenter.com
and family members - Half-hour consultations available with elder law attorney, Janice Sternfeld, on the third Wednesday of each month. Free, 10- 11:30a, Parents Place of Sonoma County, 1360 N. Dutton Avenue Suite C, Santa Rosa, 707-303-1530, jfcs.org
Ongoing produce market every Friday morning. Local produce sold at a discounted rate. 10-11a, Cloverdale Senior Community Center, 311 North Main Street, Cloverdale, 707-894-4826, cloverdaleseniorcenter.com
Oct 12 ~ Active Aging Series - Sonoma Valley Hospital and Vintage House continue the popular lecture series 1:30-4p, Vintage House Sonoma, 264 First Street East, Sonoma, 707-996-0311, vintagehouse.org
Since production and presentation of the news to the consuming public is structured as drama – timed and sorted like just so many lines scripted on a live-performance stage – why would that public see it as anything but a play? “Reading” is hilarious to watch. Readers often lose their place, or stumble over a name or some unfamiliar word; and it can be revealing to notice who can fake it and recover, and who can’t because they’re not invested in the context in the first place.
Oct 5 ~ Single Seniors Social at Aqus Cafe -Thirsty Thursdays Singles Social. Fun activities and events, mix & mingle. 5 -7pm, Aqus Cafe, 189 H. St, Petaluma, 707-778-6060, info@aquscafe.com, aqus. com
Oct 5 & 12 ~ Active Aging Series at Vintage House - How to remain healthy and active in order to get the most out of senior years. 2-4p, Vintage House Sonoma, 264 First Street East, Sonoma, 707-996-0311, vintagehouse.org
Oct 18 ~ Legal Consultations for seniors
I confess, I’m a news junkie; I indulge MSNBC, CNN, FOX, Internet, hard copy New York Times and several elsewheres. The spins are fascinating. Trying to psych out the game is either like watching grass grow or trying to track a hummingbird without going cross-eyed. As far as authenticity goes, I think it’s a crapshoot.
Oct 5, 12, 19, 26 ~ Exercise with Valarie
Clearly, my age has a lot to do with how I view today’s news delivery
Thur. 11:30-12:30p, Russian River Senior Resource Center, 16010 Armstrong Woods Road, Guerneville, 707-869-0618, westcountyservices.org
versus 60+ years ago when I was in my 20’s. Was it more authentic then? Or, in retrospect, does it just seem so because there were so few gimmicks for its delivery? I go back and forth. Concern is partly because –in such numerous obscuring formats – identifying authentic news is more important than ever. That concern aligns with others about sheer volume, contrivance and velocity. The assault is no longer just about the content and its origins!
Zoë Tummillo is a Business & Marketing Consultant, Trainer and Commercial Writer, dba COMMUNICATION CONCEPTS and Writing Service, in private practice. SENIOR MOMENTUM: A Series of Situations!© Zoë Tummillo To contact her: email: writingservice@earthlink.net.
Oct 6 & 13 ~ AARP Tax-Aide Clinic
Low and moderate-income households headed by those 50 and older. www. aarp.org. Free, 9-12p, Rohnert Park Senior Center, 6800 Hunter Dr, Rohnert Park, 707-585-6788, aarpca2.org
Oct 6, 13, 20, 27 ~ Senior Produce Market
News and that lover...where do they come from, how were they molded, can they be trusted to influence everything from our hearts to our votes?
Oct 6, 13, 20, 27 ~ Senior Ballroom Dancing at the Finley Community Center, 2060 West College Ave, Santa Rosa, 707-543-3737, Heresbillie@aol. com, $8, 1-4p
Oct 6 ~ Steve Luther, DJ
Oct 13 ~ Tom Shader Trio
Oct. 20 ~ Manny Gutierrez
Oct. 27 ~ Carl Green (Halloween)
HOLIDAY EVENTS?
Get on the Gazette’s HOLIDAY CALENDAR FREE LISTINGS for events under $20 or a BENEFIT for a Good Cause. SEND your event listing to vesta@sonic.net
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