Opinion: Affordable housing in the future?
Stated simply, the price of housing is dependent on the number of houses available and the number of people who would like to purchase a home. When the number of vacant houses exceeds the number of potential buyers, the cost of housing is relatively inexpensive. When the number of potential buyers exceeds the number of […]
Charla de Libros: Margolin, ‘Cuestión de vida o muerte’
Este es el cuarto libro de la serie de Robin Lockwood, pero —al igual que los otros tres— se puede leer fácilmente como una novela independiente. Por lo general, recomiendo leer las series en orden, pero Margolin es diferente a muchos otros autores de “series”. Puedes tomar cualquiera de sus libros y disfrutarlo sin [...]
Happy Valentine’s Day
It was a few days before Feb. 14, 1954. I walked to the candy store on Flatbush Avenue, just two or three blocks from our apartment on Fenimore Street in Brooklyn, NY. I’d heard that the store sold a small, heart-shaped box of chocolates that could be mailed. The bottom of the box had space […]
Book Talk: Lisa Gardner, ‘Never Tell’
Lisa Gardner has a talent for writing prose that is both raw and visceral. It pulls the reader into the story on an emotional level. In “Never Tell” (2019, 399 pages) the book unfolds through the narration of several characters, including Detective D.D. Warren, Evie (a former and present suspect), and Flora (a former victim […]
Opinion: Absurdity of climate change
This has been the coldest winter that I can remember since I moved to Madera more than a quarter of a century ago. Locally, I’ve watched friends come down with flu and serious colds that they’ve escaped during previous winters. Nationwide, I’ve heard from other friends who have been similarly affected. Now, I’m battling flu. […]
Book Talk: Rachel Hawkins, ‘The Storm’
It’s being advertised all over the Internet as well as within several of the news services that I receive, so I had to purchase a copy. One reviewer’s comment that shows up often is: “Grips you on page one and doesn’t let go.” Okay. Sounds like my kind of book. So, I was somewhat disappointed […]
Opinion: ‘Bigorexia’ — a growing male disorder
Most adults know something about — or at least have heard of — anorexia, an eating disorder that affects females, for the most part. Although anyone can become anorexic, the ailment is most likely to affect young women, probably starting in their teens. However, there is a little-known affliction that is most likely to be […]
Book Talk: Greg Iles, ‘Dead Sleep’
Greg Iles died a couple of months ago at the age of 65. He was born in Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, West Germany but lived his life in Natchez, Mississippi. He was one of the great American novelists to have obtained his college education at Ole Miss. And like many other best-selling authors (some in the Southern […]
Opinion: Strategic Greenland
Climate change is occurring before our eyes. We can track significant alterations in weather patterns within lifetimes, rather than over generations or centuries. Some parts of the globe are affected differently from other parts, and melting ocean ice in the Arctic Circle has made the island of Greenland of strategic importance to certain countries, including […]
Madera celebrates MLK with uplifting program
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Local Host Committee put together a program for the annual MLK celebration that was superb, according to many who attended. Alejandro Juarez, Principal of Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School served as emcee for the afternoon. The nearly 250 attendees were welcomed by Donald Holley, president of the sponsoring committee. […]