A few years ago, I was running a discussion group on aging at the Mastick Center. One theme that surfaced immediately by the participants was retirement. I learned that many had retired and regretted it. The group was amazed to discover how many shared the thought that they were not happy.

For years, I have been concerned about the diminishment of conversations in our lives. It began with the answering machine, moved onto emails, and now text. People are not talking to each other much anymore. And I believe it is having an impact on our relationships.

South Shore Center in Alameda will host a community blood drive with Stanford Blood Center (SBC) on Friday, Feb. 17 from 1 to 5:00 p.m. at 2310 South Shore Center.

I have found myself spending a fair amount of time recently trying to decide what to write about in this column. I have been doing this for a long time. And then today, an idea emerged.

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Monday, Oct. 17, that the COVID-19 State of Emergency will end on Feb. 28, 2023, charting the path to phasing out one of the most effective and necessary tools that California has used to combat COVID-19.

The past couple of years have been a challenge emotionally and practically. Our whole lifestyle changed. We were threatened by a disease, businesses were forced to close, children were educated virtually, and many people began to work from home. There was Ukraine, Roe vs.

Formed in 2018, CASA (Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda), is a community-wide coalition dedicated to raising awareness, mobilizing community action, and facilitating the implementation of programs to achieve the goal of the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (to reduce Alameda’s carbon e