Thoughts on Easter
On this coming Easter Sunday we will rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a moment visited by angels from the afterlife delivered to us by the almighty power of God. The Easter stories of the rolled away stone and empty tomb will be retold and the gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke will be recited where Jesus, the son of God, died for our sins and “was carried on high into heaven.”
Less is more
For some members of the Healdsburg community who took pride in Healdsburg being a big school district, enrollment decline may seem unfavorable. However, the research over the last 30 years on school size has demonstrated over and over that less is more. HUSD’s current enrollment of 1,850 students is an advantage, not just because there is more money per student but also because of the more intimate, personalized learning environment it creates. Our students are not just a number, but individuals with strengths, talents and challenges.
Commentary: The problem with Calpers
CALPERS is the pseudo government agency set up to manage the defined benefit retirement program for government employees. Their charter is to collect retirement contributions, invest these contributions to maximize return and provide defined benefits to the actual retiree. CALPERS is controlled by and largely for the benefit of the legislature and government employees.
Good and healthy
The news this week is good. Sonoma County was just rated the eighth healthiest county in California, based on findings in a national survey of 3,000 counties. Good health is always good news.
An urgent appeal for support
Early in 2013, the new members of the Board of Directors of the Healdsburg Animal Shelter confronted the task of examining the Shelter’s business model and dealing with its continuing operating losses—losses that had severely eroded the Shelter’s financial reserves. In providing the high level of care that the Healdsburg community has come to expect, the Shelter has now exhausted nearly all its operating reserves. Today we need community support—more than ever in the Shelter’s 53-year history—to keep the Shelter operating and fulfilling its mission.
Commentary: Life Long Learning
In the Fall of 2002, I enrolled in a course titled "Greed and Corruption in Corporate America" through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Sonoma State University. We had recently moved to Sonoma County after I retired from practicing Pediatric Dentistry for 40-plus years in the Bay Area. The Enron scandal had just unfolded, and I wanted to better understand how capitalism works in this country and broaden my horizons in general. The course and the OLLi program changed my life. I have not looked back.
Reality check
I love Daisy Damskey. And I love her grandmother’s wisdom that everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion, but no one owns the facts. Well, here are the facts:
