It is important to remember as we face a more complicated world and we only go into battle only when necessary that there are so many ready to serve and all of their lives are valuable.

Their stories are important to learn and their experiences can teach you a lot. So let’s make sure that we are flying our flags on November 11.

Originally known as Armistice Day to commemorate the end of hostilities at the end of World War I on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, it was renamed Veterans Day in 1954

I ventured out on a chilly autumn morning to the Modesto Pioneer Cemetery to find the gravestone of celebrated Modesto architect and inventor, Julian Mourot. The stone was overgrown with weedy grass but Mourot’s legacy remains unsullied as one of our city’s most prolific designers.

He was born in 1842 in Illinois and studied with a leading architectural firm there before settling in Modesto in 1879 until his death in 1928. Read More

Plenty to do this month before we come together with family and friends to cool the goose on Thanksgiving and then on to the frenzied pace of Christmas & merriment to be had. So here’s to the changing of the seasons, harvest festivals, daylight saving, waking up in the dark, and the last days of the farmer’s markets. Read More

Steve Grubbs, the professor of the class, uses every platform to conduct his teaching. He would play the original recording of a song, then show it with post-production, and hop over to the piano to break down the musicianship of the song.

After understanding the notes, he would tell us who composed it and the meaning of symbolism in the song. Of course, we didn’t have to do that with all 237 songs, a lot of class time is dedicated to their influences in fashion and world politics. Read More