Look up at the sky
Most of us are aware of the Chicken Little fairytale. This time-told story has many similar versions. The basics and moral teachings remain the same. Chicken Little gets hit...
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Yellow billed and exclusive to the Golden State
Birders from all around the globe often come to central and northern California to observe a member of the corvid family that exists nowhere else on the planet. The yellow-billed magpie (Pica nuttelli) is not only native to the...
Read MoreThe baptism of repentance
REV. BOB GILBERGOlive Branch Community Church of Firebaugh I grew up on the south side of the San Francisco Bay Area. I was raised in a small town on a cul-de-sac with many neighbors and children. When I was ten years old, my...
Read MoreColorado Park has good memories and a better future
As a long-time resident of Los Banos, I am pleased to hear about the planned renovation of the Colorado Park complex. In truth, I’m pleased to hear news of any park development, because I believe parks are an important part of a...
Read MoreApril, the feel better month
As I sit down for this week’s column, I cannot get out of my head the well-known line from T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Waste Land.” He penned, “April is the cruelest month.” In the Midwest where Eliot was raised, April was a muddy...
Read MoreBreaking the stigma: Latinos and mental health
BY CHRISTINA MARTINEZ, LCSWContributing Writer Mental health remains a taboo subject in many Latino communities, where seeking therapy is often viewed as a sign of weakness or something only for people with “serious” problems....
Read MoreA time for acts of random kindness
If you were to take the temperature of most of our country right now, it would probably be pretty hot. I offer here one way to bring down the temp, maybe just a wee bit, on the one-to-one basis with a tried-and-true old method....
Read MoreDo you knee-d a uni?
Total knee incisions are so big! That is because total knee replacement replaces all three compartments: the anterior under your kneecap, the medial next to your other knee and the lateral compartments. A unicondylar knee (a...
Read MoreThe cost of a friend in need
PASTOR SUSAN YOUNGOur Father’s House “On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the...
Read MoreIf it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
One of the first life lessons I was told was that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. It’s so easy to want that magic cure, that effortless way to lose weight, those great profits with no risk or that perfect...
Read MoreMarch: Celebrating social workers and their impact on our communities
March is Social Work Appreciation Month. A time to recognize the dedication, compassion and hard work of social workers who tirelessly serve individuals and families in need. These professionals play a critical role in our...
Read More‘State of the College’ in Los Banos on April 7 is another milestone
On Monday, April 7, the State of the College presentation will take place at Merced College, as it has for more than a decade. After a luncheon, President Chris Vitelli will explain to those in attendance where Merced College is...
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