2013 On My Mind Archive Stories

“It is clear that much additional work will be required before a complete understanding of this phenomena occurs.”Whoa! So many words! How about just saying “I don't understand it”?Dyrk Schingman of Oregon State University says he finally figured out scientific jargon and he published a list of phr

Last week I wrote about a victim of bullying. This week I'm writing another story about bullying – but one with a different outcome.My best friend in junior high school was Jeff. He was a big guy, 6 feet 1 and about 250 pounds. But he was very shy, gentle and soft-spoken.A bully who was about the same size as Jeff u

There are places I remember, and one of those nearest to my heart is Yosemite.The last time I was there, we drove up from Yuma uncertain if we would make it into the park. A record snowmelt meant that even in May, the park was flooded. Luckily, on the day we arrived, the park reopened.It was magical. All that water meant

Often when we talk about bad weather elsewhere, like when the temperature is 30 degrees below zero up in North Dakota, we use the phrase, “That's why we live here.”And in the wake of the deadly tornado that ripped through Moore, Okla., this week, and talk about why the people there insist on living in Tornado Alley, a fri

Technically in Yuma, it's always sunscreen season. But just as the heat is settling in to stay, experts are issuing some new guidelines on that oh-so-important summer staple.New federal requirements ban terminology such as “waterproof” because it's misleading to consumers, according to the Associated Press. Sunscreens mus

The mayoral campaign seemed to capture the attention of Somerton voters this year, to the exclusion of the city council seats that were also being contested. Given that the mayoral race was decided in the primary back in March, the runoffs for two remaining council seats in this Tuesday’s general election may seem anti-cli

Some towns are just plain better at making headlines than others. That’s why Eugene, Ore., ought to win some kind of award. Their latest newsmaking ditty is one that I kinda enjoy. A funeral home there has a new hearse. Not newsworthy, you think, until you read that it’s three wheeled and pedal powered. Yup, they&rsqu

Does it seem like your smartphone is attached to your hand? Can't go an hour without checking Facebook or Twitter? You're not alone!According to a CNN report, a new summer camp is designed to help adults take a break from technology. Organizers promise a weekend free from cell phones, gadgets and Wi-Fi. Talking about work is not allo

A couple of months ago, our online commenters had a lively discussion about bullying in schools. One woman essentially said that bullying is just part of life, builds character and makes the victims stronger.I could not disagree more, especially when talking about children who are mentally incapable of handling repeated physical and

I've spent the last week struggling to recover from the flu.I haven't had it in years, which after the last week, I now realize is a blessing.Since my daughter was born, I've been very proactive about health issues. She had bad allergies as an infant, and for her, getting sick usually meant breathing treatments, which was

Back in 2002, a young journalist from Back East came to work at the Yuma Sun and brought her mother along to see what this city in the desert Southwest was all about.When the journalist arrived, her supervisor was away, so I took it upon myself to take our new hire and her mother to lunch. While dining, the young woman's mother asked

Driving down the road toward the Picacho recreation area, one man came upon another man, standing beside a broken-down truck. The first man offered help, and said he would pick him up on his way back if the man was still there when he returned. As they rode back to Yuma together, the man with the truck told the other that his in

No-nonsense grammarians might pull their hair, but I give credit to people who can assemble numbers and letters of the alphabet into creative combinations on personalized license plates to describe themselves, their occupations or interests.Some memorable taglines I've seen on plates over the years include THK POS, LV2SHP, GUNSHO, N2

Few things prove the sweetness of weight loss quite like air travel. Although I’m still “I’d like an aisle seat” kind of big, I am grateful to be past the days of dreading what I love most – foreign travel. A couple hundred pounds ago, people on planes would see me coming and visibly fret that I woul

Where does the light go when it goes out? Where does the sky end? Why aren't birds electrocuted on wires? How do we know God is real if we can't see him? Kids will ask anything and everything. As a matter of fact, a British study found that mothers get asked 288 questions every day by their children between the ages of 2 and 10. That

I went to Fry's on a Sunday morning in 2004. I saw people walking out of the store with flowers and balloons.“What's going on?” I asked myself.As I approached the entrance, I saw a huge Mother's Day display. The occasion was not on my mind because my mom had died earlier that year.“What do I

This week, my grandma would have turned 84. My grandfather had a long-standing tradition: For every celebration, he got a bouquet of yellow roses.In fact, when he proposed to her, it was with yellow roses and a charm bracelet overflowing with silver hearts. He had gone to jewelers all over Chicago, buying up every silver

There is a television station out of Phoenix that sent its morning news team to San Diego for a live broadcast Monday and Tuesday.The purpose was to promote summer vacations in San Diego.Yes, San Diego.While I do enjoy spending time in that port city, I find it, well, a little disturbing that a station in Phoe

You’ve probably seen some of the popular "Keep Calm" quotes on merchandise and on social media sites. Keep Calm and Carry On was originally on a propaganda poster produced by the British government in 1939 during the beginning of World War II. It was intended to raise the morale of the British public after widely predicted mass ai

I think Joe Orduño would be proud if he could see the park in San Luis, Ariz., named for him.Orduño was a San Luis police officer killed in a 1986 traffic accident while answering a report of a child kidnapping. The report turned out to be a false alarm, but the fact remained Orduño gave his life helping a youngs

It’s not often that you can walk up to a library and barely have room to stick your hands inside.Then again, most libraries aren’t smaller than a microwave and festooned with just a single shelf. That’s just the beginning of my love for Little Free Libraries, which offer a free book exchange with their “Take

Don't you love it when a bad guy gets caught?Apparently some laptop thieves are getting caught unawares, with the help of tracking software and apps.I heard about a thief in Yuma who was caught after the owner activated the tracking software on an electronic device. It led police right to the burglar's mobile home, where

Part of my job at the newspaper is placing the obituaries on the pages. I often find myself staring at the photos of the deceased and wondering what they were like in person. So many of them have such sweet, inviting smiles. I wish I could have met these wonderful people and just sat and listened to their life stories. This week

May is a pretty awesome month.In my family, we celebrate several birthdays and our wedding anniversary, and there's Mother's Day and Memorial Day, too.But there are some pretty off-beat holidays in there as well, and the Yuma Sun plans on celebrating one of them with a fun little contest.Star Wars fans often m

I don't know. Please take note, that will be my answer to anyone who asks me today and in the days to come how the Yuma Sun's sale to Rhode Island Suburban Newspapers will impact me or the my fellow associates. This is what I expect to happen: Nothing, of a monumental nature. It will be business as usual for Yuma County's