Opinion
I really loved the first woman I ever met. I could just tell mom was good people from the outset. She raised me by herself, made untold sacrifices, most of which I’ll never know about, and taught me nearly all the stuff that’s good in me.
by Peter Weinberger | pweinberger@claremont-courier.com Last week I wrote a column about how recent changes on Independence Day festivities have impacted the quality of events and the participation of the public. This impacted the Freedom 5000 run, which was pushed to the week before the Fourth of July, a parade that started earlier, impacting attendance […]
by Steve Harrison The cacophony begins most nights after sunset, usually after the first big rain of winter. Our house looks out east over Chicken Creek, poetic in name but little more than a paved drainage ditch off Padua. The sound — loud, boisterous, rumbling — reverberates against the hills and bounces off fences back […]
I remember two time-worn but true sayings: “Timing is everything,” and “Strike while the iron is hot.” Of all the sustainability issues that we face locally, our urban forest has become the item of greatest recent attention and controversy. Please take this opportunity to exert your influence. The Claremont Community Services Department proposed sweeping tree removals by species, which violated city policies. It then deflected the attack on its violation by hiring a consultant to review the city’s tree policies and guidelines manual, but not the urban forest management plan. Courier photo/Peter Weinberger
“I’m slowing down. And not just with age: the lure of decelerating has won me over. I’m calling it “thoughtful living.” It’s a lifestyle, I’m realizing, with myriad benefits. And best of all, when used properly it reduces stress. The problem I’m having is remembering I am this new guy, this calm, chill dude. My job and DNA has predisposed me to be anxious at idle. And when things heat up in my brain, whoa! That anxiety can spike spectacularly, and good intentions can go up in flames.”
Independence Day in Claremont includes so many popular events. It’s the largest city celebration of the year, like the 2015 parade above. But over the past several years participation has dropped by an estimated 30-35%. Determining the reasons why and how this occurred is a point of growing debate between the city and Claremont residents. Courier photo/Peter Weinberger
On March 20, the Dodgers opened their 2024 campaign in Seoul, South Korea against the San Diego Padres. The game’s location is part of the effort by Major League Baseball to build international interest in the game. Fittingly, it will feature baseball’s top global star, Shohei Ohtani, in his Dodgers debut.
The grandmother related how the granddaughter had attended very conservative schools, where she was told such “lifestyles” were sinful. As a gay man who came out in the 1990s when same-sex relationships were beginning to be accepted and same-sex marriage was about to be a hotly contested issue here in loosey-goosey California, I could relate. As a severely disabled person used to being stared at and sometimes made fun of, and who people constantly make the wrong assumptions about, I could relate. A bit. At least enough so that my eyes began to well up.
St. Patrick’s Day isn’t celebrated for the same reasons it once was. Times change, and holidays take on different meanings.
Before last week, the last time I covered a city council meeting was in 1993, when I was a young reporter in my first full-time job in journalism at the long gone North Lake Tahoe Bonanza, in Incline Village, Nevada.
We worked with women who had never attended school, including some who had not been allowed to leave their homes. They were unaware of their rights and lacked skills beyond household chores. Our goal was to educate them to the best of our ability. Many eventually joined schools and later, universities. But sadly, history repeated itself: on August 14, 2021 I was on my way to work when a man dressed in the garb of a Taliban member stood in front of me and shouted, “If you don’t want to die, go back home; a woman’s place is at home.” Photo/by Hamed Painda
I don’t count sheep, but I count lots of other things. While out for my walk, when it isn’t too hot, too cold, or too wet, I find myself counting my steps. I count calories, but more often count the number of cookies I have in a day’s time. Suffice it to say, too many.
What keeps people from getting the help they need? Too often it’s the stigma around mental illness. When people are afraid, ashamed, or just don’t understand mental illness, it makes it hard to talk honestly about this incredibly important health issue. When they can’t talk about their struggles with those closest to them, it makes it hard for them to seek help. These challenges can increase when dealing with more severe mental health issues. There are programs and services available to help those with severe mental illness heal with compassion and dignity. And the first step toward healing is to reach out for help. Photo/courtesy of Priscilla Du Preez
As publisher of the Claremont Courier, the financial decisions I make come with enormous highs and lows. When times are difficult, weighing the needs of the individual with the needs of the company can be excruciating. And there are rarely any good answers.
“Most young musical hobbyists opt out early, understandably discouraged by that inevitable, bruising first wave of disappointment and degradation. Others soldier on. Why? Some because it’s the only remotely marketable skill they possess. Most toil away at related day jobs and keep their dreams alive by night. And though a few of my contemporaries have risen up the ranks to respectability and acclaim, most of us are still kicking around the lower rungs, if not content with our lot, resigned.” Photo/Christopher Lockett
By Pamela Casey Nagler An overflow crowd — a broad interracial coalition of Muslims, Jews, Christians, residents, professors, and students — showed up at the February 13 Claremont City Council meeting to ask that a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza and return of the hostages be placed on its agenda. The subject met with […]