‘Defenseless’ from bullying at Calistoga schools

At JFActivist, moderator Frankie Mastrangelo shares information about bullying from the Stevens Johnson Syndrome Foundation. She invites readers to comment, asking: “Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you felt any kind of physical or mental abuse from someone and felt the need to defend yourself from it? Did you ever feel defenseless to something outside your control?”

Animal predators prowl neighborhoods

Cover image: Dark’s Tale by Deborah Grabien

Few sounds are more chilling to me than the shrill yips and howls of coyotes. Whenever I hear these eerie sounds, my immediate concern is to bring my cat Elizabeth inside.

Library school: Researching city colleges

I spent some time on the computer last night, looking up city college programs accredited by the American Library Association. Paying $20 per unit seems much more reasonable to me than nearly $500 per unit. Particularly since I can hardly expect to dive into the jobs that require a Master's degree.

MLS degree: Tuition even higher than expected

I had a setback with applying to San Jose State University. The college is only offering what it calls the "special" sessions, unpaid for by the college. The tuition is nearly $500 per unit instead of $217. So enrolling in a Master's program for Fall 2010 turned out to be unfeasible.

Small handful of writers I can count on

There is a small handful of writers, perhaps two or three, whom I can count on to write to the Clear Lake Observer American in response to something that ran on its opinion page. So all is not totally an isolated endeavor, although it feels as-such. I try to promote more dialogue, believing as I do that the editorial and/or opinion pages should be the most vibrant in the newspaper.