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We’re moving from chips to charm
Santa Clara County has been carrying around the nickname Silicon Valley for half a century. However, the nickname is as one-dimensional as a microchip. The phrase summons images of hoodie-clad coders, driverless cars, and tech CEOs who think kombucha is a food group. Silicon...
A love letter to Los Gatos
Many thanks, Los Gatos, for inspiring us for 15 years and counting. Thank you for being our creative sanctuary when the world, writing, life and our dreams needed the kind of grounding and encouragement that could only come from the kind of solace we’ve...
Finding happiness in laughter
Happiness is something we all pursue, but sometimes we take it too seriously. Some people treat happiness as a goal to be achieved, while others treat happiness as if it is a key business performance indicator. But in doing so, we miss the things...
CAUTION: This article contains warnings!
On a recent car trip, I drove across a set of railroad tracks and noticed a large white sign in bold black letters: “Do Not Stop on Railroad Tracks.”
Of course, the sign has a serious purpose. Sadly, there are people in crisis who have...
Channeling Twain pt. 2: Voyaging beyond the 101
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...
Blum: A little local humor, inspired by a literary master
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...
Letter: Kudos to history writer
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...
The moral will to serve
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...
Do Governor Moonbeam’s words apply to the current Los Gatos housing picture?
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...
Thriving with Age: How Santa Clara County’s older adults are defying expectations
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...