Opinion

Some years back, not so very many, I was prepared to say that I had done all the traveling my pocketbook would allow and I was content with that until in October of last year an opportunity arose, to wit: money. I had set...

The other day my wife’s cousin and his wife gave me a little book of memoirs written by a young man who had been drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. I sat down to read a few chapters and it got me...

Friends of mine in England had so been looking forward to their promised Christmas at the tail end of these long and tiresome months. After a long, brutal year of Covid-cancellations, they had been guaranteed a slice of merriment and celebration over Christmas. A...

There is no doubt that the agriculture industry dominates the Monterey Bay region. Agriculture generates a substantial portion of direct economic output, and has a significant number of jobs directly related. It is the leading industry in Monterey and San Benito counties and within the top five...

This week’s headline is bit light-hearted, I thought it would help ease you folks into helping out with a situation here in Salinas Valley that for many is not a light subject at all. I am talking about the long closure of San Lorenzo...

In this column, let us venture into the sociological world of politics in the present age through the eyes of a former member of a cult. This particular cult, like most cults, was grounded in religion, in this case Christianity. This person would have claimed,...

Since Memorial Day is coming soon, I thought perhaps we might write a few words about why we have Memorial Day and who benefits from the holiday. It isn’t just the military that stands tall on this day. I know lots of folks that have...

I had to do it, the time had come, so I walked stoutly to the middle of the Oak Avenue overcrossing and stepped over the rail, took a long look around me at my hometown of Greenfield, California, then jumped to the dirt below. That...

The Covid-19 pandemic has dominated the headlines for 18 months — and rightly so. But there is another respiratory virus that still demands our full attention. I’m referring to the all-too-common influenza, a viral infection that can be deadly, especially in high-risk groups. The flu...

People are digging out maps and figuring out where this place is — Ukraine. Who are these people? They live so far away from us; aren’t we glad we are not them! They seem like a fiercely loyal people — they love their animals...