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For the last year or so I have been opening my mind to new possibilities. Yes, I joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), which has introduced me to many veggies I have never seen before, let alone cooked. That’s why my family now eats stuff like parsnips and fennel, two veggies we’d never heard of, let alone eaten. They are delicious, by the way. (Well the fennel I still have issues with; I mean it smells like licorice but isn’t candy. Isn’t that false advertising?)

The historian Thomas F. Madden described the United States as “an empire of trust,” a phrase he fashioned to compare modern America with the golden era of the ancient Roman Republic. According to Madden, both the American and the Roman republics grew into sovereign powerhouses because external threats stimulated the drive to expand their boundaries of geopolitical influence by means of superior military might, used to transform enemies into allies.

For Marty Richman's podcast interview with interim Police Chief David Westrick, go here.

Gavilan College registration

The third annual Hollister Airshow, created in 2010 as a way to market the local airport, is set to take off on Memorial Day weekend.

Anyone can see the effect the recent economic recession has had on public facilities. Falling tax collections have led to budget cuts resulting in layoffs of public workers. Parks, schools, playgrounds and buildings are looking increasingly shabby. But public-spirited volunteers can make a big difference.

There’s a unique story out of Japan about a lost parakeet reunited with its owner. It all occurred in a small town outside of Tokyo, where a parakeet named Piko-chan escaped out the window of his home. He flew the coop, so to speak, and landed on the shoulder of a startled guest at a nearby hotel. The police were called and at first, Piko-chan was quiet. But after a few days at the station, he started talking.

Grape vines that struggle generally result in better quality grapes. It’s a bit like people.