Brigitte Bowers: Sports mantra -- just don't be the worst
The holiday season, which begins in August at Costco, is finally over. This means it is January, the month when basketball begins.
View ArticleBrigitte Bowers: Taking a stand against consumerism
Footage of the pepper-spraying incident at a Los Angeles Wal-Mart on Black Friday reminded me of the
View ArticleBrigitte Bowers: Online references no match for hard copy
The demise of the hard copy Encyclopedia Britannica -- first printed in 1768 and today containing about 45 million words -- brought back memories of my childhood friend Nick, who is probably...
View ArticleBrigitte Bowers: Lack of school bus service hits some harder
When I was in high school, I took the bus every day. Walking was impossible, as my school was located 35 miles from my home. Our bus driver, Clint, was a former Marine with a ruddy complexion and crew...
View ArticleBrigitte Bowers: Birthday sleepover -- The pain is short-lived
Having a sleepover is a little like giving birth. While you are going through it, you swear there is nothing that could convince you to ever do it again, but once it's over the pain fades from your...
View ArticleBrigitte Bowers: Cynicism takes a back seat for the night
The last time I left Merced for the day, I didn't want to come back.
View ArticleBrigitte Bowers: Summer camp should be fun, nothing more
There is something luxurious, almost delightfully self-indulgent, about a long summer day with nothing to do. It's also true that sooner or later boredom -- especially when kids are involved -- will...
View ArticleBrigitte Bowers: Taking a back seat to son's iPhone
When my eldest son Casey was an infant, I couldn't wait for him to learn to speak, but when he finally began to talk I found that the ideas of a 2-year old were not really all that riveting.
View ArticleBrigitte Bowers: Remembering the victims
In a few weeks, we will have lost interest in the lunatic who opened fire in a movie theater on July 20, shooting 70 strangers who had never done him any harm.
View ArticleBrigitte Bowers: Enjoying an authentic vacation
Summer is almost over, and I am happy to say that once again I have avoided that most dreaded of vacations, the theme park adventure.
View ArticleBrigitte Bowers: Nothing funny about seventh grade
As I said goodnight to my 12-year-old son recently, I asked him if he was excited about starting seventh grade the next day. He sighed heavily and replied, "Well, at least I can see my friends again."
View ArticleBrigitte Bowers: Egret infestation -- Noise, feathers, guano causing...
It is evening in late August and the sun has dipped below the horizon. People in South Merced are coming out of their houses, venturing into the cool evening air.
View ArticleBrigitte Bowers: Egrets might make mess, but they're amazing
Editor's note: The second in a series of articles about the effects of egrets in South Merced
View ArticleBrigitte Bowers: Egrets depart, but questions remain
It is quiet at the Gonzalez home on U Street, between 8th and 9th. In the back yard, high in a pine tree, a lone egret perches, studying something in the distance. It will leave soon.
View ArticleBrigitte Bowers: In Pakistan, dreams can be deadly
In a column a few weeks ago, I wrote about my son's reluctance to return to school after summer vacation.
View ArticleBrigitte Bowers: My first vote for president a memorable one
In 1976, my family lived outside a small town in the Sierra Nevada. There was not much to get excited about there. An occasional bear needing relocation, a fire now and then, a tarantula in my boot:...
View ArticleBrigitte Bowers: Pop culture as seen through an aging mind
Recently, I assigned an essay to my students that required them to define a problem in their community. A discussion of possible topics inevitably turned to the lament that there is nothing to do in...
View ArticleBrigett Bowers: Shopping -- and prices -- great outside the big box
EDITOR'S NOTE: First of a two-part series about locally owned businesses.
View ArticleBrigitte Bowers: Atwater shop a great place to shop local
Editor's note: The last in a two-part series
View ArticleBrigitte Bowers: Who really keeps their resolutions?
In a few days it will be time to once again make New Year's resolutions we know we will not keep even as we utter them. Still, it's nice to deceive ourselves, at least once a year, into believing that...
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