I parked my ample butt on the granite steps and waiting in the shade of a campus building. As good as his word, Dan Hanson of Olympus Innov-X came to meet me to show me a real-life device that reminded me of Spock's tricorder in "Star Trek."
My very first job was working at a home for physically and developmentally disabled children. I started out in the laundry room, then worked my way to the kitchen and, finally, became a certified nurse's aide.
There was a moment that stood out during my 10-year high school reunion last weekend. It happened after people had some food and a few drinks, and the banquet hall was overwhelmed with loud chatter and pop-fueled '90s music. I was standing next to a friend and said the first thing that came to mind.
Ten years ago, I was nervously sitting in the back row of my high school graduating class. I had to, since my last name put me there. Why was I nervous? Was it because I was scared about the life I was going to lead in the coming years? No. I was nervous because I didn't want to trip and fall after I was handed my fake diploma ...
Of the only man ever elected four times to the White House, the historian James MacGregor Burns wrote: "If other leaders bent under the burdens of power, Roosevelt shouldered his with zest and gaiety. He loved being president. ... The variegated facets of the presidential job called for a multitude of different roles, and Roosevelt moved from part to part with ease and confidence." FDR's optimism was contagious. <span style="line-height: ...
The Gulf oil spill has shown us just one of the downsides of petroleum. That makes the mind of even a geologist like me turn to several questions about the future. Could we Americans grow more of our own fuel – enough to run a number of our cars, trucks and airplanes? And, quite importantly, could we do so without displacing food crops like corn?
Good news. The folks in charge of such things announced this week that the recession is over. Actually, it's been over for some time. It officially ended in June 2009, according to the Business-Cycle Dating Committee of the National Bureau of Economic Research, which is responsible for making such determinations. As of then, our national output stopped declining and started increasing, along with a number of other key ...
A decade ago I retreated to a mountain cabin with a group of professional women. One thing led to another and soon we were having a bonding experience that I'll never forget - absent the "Kumbaya" song and campfire.
After three years, California State University, Stanislaus' 50th anniversary celebration is finally coming to an end.
In an effort to bring Cunningham Elementary's dismal tests scores up, the Turlock Unified School District administration decided to use the turnaround model at the school voluntarily - before test scores dropped so much it became state mandated.
Jerry Brown has a secret plan to balance the California state budget. When the state attorney general and Democratic gubernatorial nominee recently visited the San Francisco Chronicle's editorial board, he brought with him a large three-ring binder with his ideas on how to bring state spending back into the black. But he wouldn't tell us what was in the book.
On Thursday afternoon I let my fingers do the walking - but not through the Yellow Pages. Instead I spent some time reading the "Guinness World Book of Records."
Here's a really bad idea: Burn the Koran to send a message.
As a Midwest transplant, one thing I have found to be true with most Californians is their love of travel. Many of my neighbors and co-workers spend their weekends sightseeing, attending festivals and enjoying the great outdoors all around the state.
I'm going to let the cat out of the bag…my given name is Pina. Pennie is my nickname. I was named after Grandpa Pino and my maiden name is Skittone. Have you guessed that I'm Italian? I'm proud of my family heritage and yes, Skittone Road in Modesto was named after my Great Uncle Johnny.
With the 2012 Presidential Election just around the corner, the American public is caught in the midst of a torrent of propaganda. As the popular trend of politicians fashioning their own facts abounds, folks here and around the nation encounter the same issue: what are we supposed to take to heart? I think the newer generation is hit hardest by this difficult decision. They're the most impressionable, having only recently been exposed to ...
Walter Reuther - a labor leader if there ever was one - was once given a tour of a modernized Ford assembly plant.
Honor labor.
It's commonplace to observe that we live in very partisan times. Red versus blue factions dominate our public discussions, and there often seems very little room made for agreement in the middle.
Give us your garbage, your hardcore felons, and your air pollution.
I am in the midst of planning an extended family camping trip - a venture that will, hopefully, include at least six different households and bring cousins together for more than just a few hours of chit chat. Family reunions and get-togethers are nothing new; it's been an American tradition for decades. The trouble I'm encountering is getting my family members to commit to a date that is far enough in the future to ...
Sarah is frustrated.
Sugar taxes are not about health.
What did the San Joaquin Valley do wrong?
The success of food banks is based on relationships in local communities with individuals, faith-based organizations, retailers and food service businesses -just to name a few. Additional partnerships with food producers and processors assist with sourcing local, fresh foods that can be provided to needy families. Some of these relationships have innovative roots, and fairs are an example of that.
Whenever I travel back to my hometown in Indiana, the first thing I notice as the airplane makes its decent into Indianapolis is the vast swath of green that seems to cover the entire state. You don't realize how few trees actually grow naturally in California's Central Valley until you see an aerial view of Midwest lushness. Tree climbing is a mandated childhood activity in Indiana and no house has fewer than three ...
Why are deer getting killed by a car crossing the freeway?
The rapid approaching of another school year raises an idea that has unfortunately been buried beneath years of disregard. Writer and social critic John Ruskin put it well with his eloquent remark: "The entire object of true education is to make people not merely do the right thing, but to enjoy right things; not merely industrious, but to love industry; not merely learned, but to love knowledge." No doubt, it is quite ...
Like many people around the world, I am a fan of science fiction. The genre asks the question "what if?" and then allows for an infinite number of answers. What if is fun to ponder, but a new scientific development - and the implications of its usage - have me wondering, should we? It's always fun to watch classic science fiction movies that portray the future - which is usually close to the ...
I have never met Joseph Greenwood. By all indications, the 18-year-old Ripon High graduate is a solid citizen with a great attitude. The former wrestler and track athlete is also a fighter. Joseph is being treated for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Joseph - and others like him - are the reason I set aside a three-hour block of my time every three weeks to donate platelets. Platelets are critical in fighting leukemia, ...