In America, every day, over 6,000 people hear the three words that most of us fear, “You have cancer.” Each year in America, over two million people die from this prolific disease. When people first hear this...
Read MoreThe loss of an hour of sleep each March triggers our interest in the importance of sleep in general. Many studies available on the internet warn about smartphones and the dangers they pose to a good night’s sleep. The National...
Read MoreToday’s column is written in appreciation of CNAs, LVNs and housekeeping personnel, especially those working in skilled nursing facilities. These are health care workers who are often overlooked and underappreciated. When we...
Read MoreAnyone who has spent time outdoors has heard the rapid-fire tapping of woodpeckers, especially in the spring as the birds excavate new nesting sites in local trees. The Downy (Dryobates pubescens) and Nuttall’s (Dryobates...
Read MoreAs you all know, I am a certified master arborist and am offering my consulting services to anyone here in the Westside. Currently, I work with other arborists as far south as Fresno and Monterey Counties. These are levels of...
Read MoreLos Banos is blessed with many dedicated volunteers. Among the most dedicated are those who donate their time with the Milliken Museum Society. The society is a group of volunteers who share their passion about the history of...
Read MoreBY SUSAN YOUNGOur Father’s House “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything...
Read MoreThis year, the season of Lent begins on Feb. 18 and is known as Ash Wednesday. On this day, many people receive ashes and begin Lenten fasting practices. What was once only a practice of mainline Christians, predominantly...
Read MoreMany people seek therapy due to the belief that there is something fundamentally wrong with them. They talk about themselves as if they are a problem to be fixed: “Once I stop overthinking,” “When I’m less anxious,” “If I could...
Read MoreWho among you remembers “Thank You For Being a Friend,” the opening song of the classic sitcom “The Golden Girls”? This show, still shown on multiple channels (I get it on Hallmark), has become an eternal lesson on living,...
Read MoreReaders of this column may remember a column I wrote in November about turning 80. That column generated many responses. Joanne, for example, a fellow octogenarian, told me, “John, you’re right. There is a big difference between...
Read MoreContributing Writer Valentine’s Day, as we know it, is a product of Victorian romance. The day brings thoughts of my grandmother. Born in 1880, Grandma was a true Victorian romantic. She loved poems pasted on lacy cards. A...
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