People who see in black and white only inadvertently shortchange themselves – and others – by not embracing a wide repertoire of hues that can make things possible even during trying times.
Why, they ask up in Sacramento, don't people trust us? There are at least two million reasons why. That happens to be the amount California State University Chancellor Charles Reed spent of your money to hire high-priced private sector lobbyists to lobby your state representatives to get even more of your money. If that sounds outrageous, you haven't heard anything yet. Reed spent the money without seeking bids and did so on top of $1.1 ...
It's Tuesday morning and I'm online trying to find the best PC feed to view the Michael Jackson memorial services.
Rip-off AT&T's intellectual property and make it available for free and faster than you can text "SUE U" the communication giant would unleash lawyers upon the offender in droves.
The guy was a jerk. We were driving the right way down a one-way parking lane outside Trader Joe's in Modesto Saturday when he turned the wrong way and stopped within three feet of my front bumper. I sat there waiting for him to move. He stared. Thirty seconds passed he did not move nor was there even a single car passing behind him in the travel lane in front of the stores. Another 15 ...
Hey man. The land of hippies has gone for government controls to protect head shops from competition. No kidding. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors last week unanimously passed a moratorium on the opening of new tobacco paraphernalia establishments for three years on Haight Street in the Haight-Asbury neighborhood immortalized by the "Summer of Love." Given there are three dozen plus head shops already on Haight Street selling everything from bongs to bubblers, this obviously ...
The Mad Hatter has nothing on the California Legislature these days. Sacramento - The Craziest Place on Earth – makes Mr. Toad's Tea Party look like a meeting of the Mensa Society. After missing the deadline (surprise, surprise) to pass the budget Wednesday, the Twiddle-Dees and Twiddle-Dums on both sides of the aisle were blaming each other for swelling the deficit by another $2 billion. If that is supposed to raise your ire and side ...
There is no law governing what you can and cannot do to the American flag. No law exists against burning the flag either in protest or just because one wants to do so. It is extremely debatable whether one really would want any law on the books tightly regulating how the flags displayed or used as criminalizing how the symbol of the nation is treated arguable would erode basic freedoms. But given that, it is ...
There was a time not too long ago that Manteca's permit process for new development and the little guy read like a script for a B-grade horror flick.
It was reported last Thursday that Walter Cronkite is seriously ill and "not expected to recuperate."
"We're going to do badly in school next year because there are going to be more kids in my classroom." – Words of an elementary student on a San Francisco TV station news report.
Bank robbers aren't nearly as brazen as some of the lawyers that represent them. Sometimes the bigger crime is how an attorney can either twist the constitution or use the legal system to rob the people of justice. Many times lawyers use creative legal strategies to try and get their clients off the hook or at least find them some additional dollars through litigation after they're arrested. If bank robbers are caught clearly on tape, ...
There are those who have lost faith in California. They point to dysfunctional folks up in Sacramento, too many people, air pollution, and the high cost of living as reasons why they flee convinced the fabled California Dream has turned into the California Nightmare. As they look at California in the rear view mirror, they're convinced those who stay are crazy to do so. Yes, things do look bleak at times and you've got to ...
Michael Jackson died this week. Have you heard? While it's sad that a supremely-talented musician met his demise, in the big scheme of things, Jackson's death means nothing more than Uncle Morty's. The day Jackson died, and in the days following, I have repeatedly turned on the news expecting to be informed about the many pressing concerns this country currently faces, including the ongoing political conflict in Iran or America's floundering health care reform issue. ...
"Well, that's two. Wonder who'll be the third…" said a lone voice in the Manteca locker room. We were standing there in reverent silence before the Fox News Broadcast of Farrah Fawcett's death. It was Thursday.
Here's a little nugget for those embroiled in the debate over gun control: Young men kill.
Almost four years ago, I wrote a column entitled "The Obama Effect" in which I described how fear and distrust of our then newly elected President created panic among our citizenry and that there were massive shortages of almost every kind of ammunition imaginable.
Is the plan PG&E proof?
The Internet.
DEAR DIDI: It hasn't been all that hot yet but I noticed when I was walking my English Bulldog the other day he refused to stay on the sidewalk. Can you tell me about temperatures for walks and what I should watch for when I take her in the car? -Worried Mommy in Manteca
Pundits - and editorial cartoonists - are having a field day over Congress' decision to restore funding for air traffic controllers while letting programs such as Headstart for low-income kids and Meals on Wheels for shut-in senior citizens take federal budget hits.
"This is called slave labor," said Pope Francis.
People need to stop having heart palpations over Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
Meeting a couple of Ripon folks, and one from Linden and another from Tracy was an unexpected pleasure in my brief two days of jury duty this week – especially when four of us just happened to go out to lunch together on Thursday.
FRENCH CAMP – It's a funny thing, this horse racing business.
She's a single mom in her early 30s. She lives in an old farmhouse in an almond orchard five miles east of Manteca. The closest neighbor is a quarter mile of a way but the trees make it impossible to see their home.
Yosemite National Park is not Disneyland.
The aging RV was parked under a stately tree providing relief from the 90-degree midday heat.
Bell bottom pants. Flare-leg pants. Men's rayon tie scarves. Polyester suits.