Guest Column | Cal State Monterey Bay, Recognized as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, Is Crucial for Developing the Workforce of Monterey County
On a recent bright and warm Thursday afternoon, I strolled through our campus, surrounded by Folklorico dancers moving to lively music in their vibrant skirts, with ribbons woven into their braided hair. Latiné artists showcased their drawings, earrings and postcards. Students enjoyed free pupusas...
Funny Papers Again Column | Fear and Loathing in America: The Grift Goes On
Because yesterday, Tuesday, March 19, was the Equinox, that happily makes this morning the first day of Spring and a long-established ritual assigned to this time of year is Spring Cleaning. In keeping with this What-Stays-What-Goes protocol, I have scrapped all my scraps. There...
Funny Papers Again Column | ‘The Nutcracker Ballet’: What Have I Been Missing?
Very soon, in fact just two days from today, the Monterey County Dance Foundation will present the Monterey County Dance Theatre’s 62nd anniversary production of “The Nutcracker Ballet” on the Robert Stanton Theater. That will be a treat for me as I have never...
Funny Papers Again Column | After a Bad Year, We Look to a New Year With New Hope for Renewed Unity
Greetings on the last day of 2025. And what a year it has been. As I look back on this year, I think about what those of us in our senior years, that being anyone 70 years old and up, have seen happen in...
Window on the World Column | The Soup Diaries
They were the best of friends from a very young age. Though quite different — my sister was very bossy and her friend very sweet and accommodating — they were the ying to each other’s yang. I’m sure sister frequently got a good telling...
Worthy to Print Column | Paratrooper Boots
Today is one of those days where the memories came flooding in. I got up and dressed in my usual attire — sweater, light jacket and paratrooper boots. That’s when I saw it, a Jump Certificate from Sky Dive Monterey. The name on the...
Funny Papers Again Column | Donate Yourself and Be a Volunteer
The definition of the word “volunteer,” according to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, is a person who does a job without being paid for it. That’s pretty straightforward, but in my opinion it falls a bit short of the mark; if one takes the...
Funny Papers Again Column | Celebrity Sightings in South County
One of the favorite questions posted on social media is “Who is the most famous person you have ever met?”; or some derivative thereof. Well, I have met many in my life, probably more than my share compared to the average life, but that’s...
Window on the World Column | Make a Difference, However Small
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...
















