Drought will inevitably bring out snakes
Several months ago I wrote about the probable consequences to wildlife of the anticipated drought. The drought has now officially arrived, and there is no longer much hope for any significant rain for the next six months. When water is lacking, plants do not grow, insects and rodents do not thrive and large animals that eat small animals have a difficult time finding a meal.
Fundamental rights can be restricted when student safety is compromised
Over the course of our common history, brave men and women of all racial groups--whites, blacks, Latinos, Asian and all other nationalities- have served in the armed forces and given their lives to protect our First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and to protest. We all cherish those two rights. The question is under what circumstances can those two fundamental rights be restricted? The federal courts have ruled that those rights are not absolute and can be restricted in a school setting to curtail threats of violence or disruption of school activities. That is what the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held when it affirmed a lower court ruling in Dariano vs. MHUSD that the administrators at Live Oak High School acted properly on May, 5, 2010. The court upheld a finding that administrative actions were motivated by concern over the safety of all Live Oak students when they requested four then enrolled students to remove or turn inside out clothing that had images of the American flag.
Sharks kick off homestand with 5-4 come-from-behind win
A six-game homestand started on a positive note Thursday as the San Jose Sharks rallied past the visiting Colorado Avalanche 5-4. Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture registered goals in the third period after San Jose appeared to be headed toward an eighth loss in the past 10 games. San Jose erased a 4-2 deficit after two periods with a three-goal outburst in the final period.
