Opinion

I’m still reading the biography of Mark Twain by Ron Chernow. The book is more than 1,000 pages long, so cut me some slack. My last column channeled Twain’s propensity to write fake news stories when he was a journalist. Prior to picking up Chernow’s...

It’s time, once again, for a humorous column, dear reader. In that vein, I welcome Mark Twain to the conversation. Ron Chernow’s recently published biography of the famous author serves as the backdrop. According to Chernow, before he was America’s most celebrated humorist, Mark Twain...

I enjoyed reading Lisa Traylor Scott’s chronicle of her family in last week’s issue of the Los Gatan as well as the companion piece she wrote last year. As an amateur historian, I’m forever curious about the people whose mostly untold stories reveal how...

Why does racism still continue to prevail in our society, covertly and overtly? The intent here is to answer these questions analytically.

Crying doesn’t mean something’s wrong. Sometimes it means everything is gloriously right.

The world of family law is often a battleground. Yet, even in such a demanding arena, some individuals rise above the fray. Bob Hoover, a Santa Clara County family law attorney who practiced for over 60 years before his passing at 93, was one...

(Executive Editor Dan Pulcrano’s obituary for businessman Ed Stahl, which ran in last week’s newspaper, sparks outpouring of remembrances) I am a cousin of Ed Stahl, living in Virginia, where he had numerous cousins. We all loved Ed—his cheerful smile, his booming voice and his lifelong...

Each week, when members of the Rotary Club of Los Gatos rise to say the Pledge of Allegiance, we reaffirm our commitment to the country and our community. It is a meaningful ritual, but I believe we have room—indeed, a responsibility—for something more. After...

Back in the 1970s, then–California Governor Jerry Brown earned the nickname “Governor Moonbeam” for his forward-thinking and unconventional ideas. Among them was a now-famous mantra: “Small is beautiful.” Brown’s vision championed conservation, thoughtful planning, and development that respected the natural landscape and community character. Los...

We live in a society that often views aging through a lens of decline. From advertisements promising to “reverse the aging process” to assumptions that older adults are disengaged or deteriorating, the cultural script is clear—and frequently wrong. But a growing body of research...