(Originally published in Palo Alto Weekly) The thought of canning, or preserving fruits and vegetables in glass jars, may bring to mind a bygone era of life on the family farm and women cooking over a hot stove all day long. But in a modern Palo Alto kitchen simmering with the sights and smells of […]
(Originally published in Palo Alto Weekly) General contractors, interior designers and architects may be the first people you call when you have a home-improvement project in the works. But, when money’s tight, renovating your kitchen or adding that extra bedroom to your house are also likely the first expenses to get the axe. Local home […]
(Originally published in Palo Alto Weekly) Painting with broad, bright strokes, muralist Erin Tajime Castelan is transforming a plain wall into a scene straight out of the rolling, tree-dotted Palo Alto hills. Where there was just a moment ago a blank space, there is now a majestic oak tree, its wavy branches reaching several feet […]
(Originally published in The California Aggie) If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to achieve perfection in anything – sports, music, math – look no further than the Tiger Mom. She’s Amy Chua, a Yale Law School professor and author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, a firsthand account of how to be a […]
(Originally published in The California Aggie) Every time a movie trailer or poster screams, “In eye-popping 3D!” I die a little inside. I thought I was the only one. But now, at long last, it seems I’m no longer alone. Don’t get me wrong, I was spellbound by Avatar when I saw it in IMAX […]
(Originally published in The California Aggie) I feel sorry for a lot of people in the world – for instance, flood victims and the homeless. Movie stars who get their feelings hurt, however, are not on this list. I say this because apparently there are a sizeable number of people for whom celebrities’ egos represent […]
(Originally published in The California Aggie) Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, one of the most enduring works by one of America’s most beloved authors, is read and enjoyed by millions of students every year. Yet the legacy of the classic tale is not as idyllic as the great Mississippi River that young rascal […]
(Originally published in The California Aggie) When was the last time you bought a CD? Go ahead, take a minute to think about it. If you’re anything like me, you made your last purchase at an actual music store in middle school. You browsed the alphabetized stacks for Avril Lavigne, Foo Fighters or No Doubt, […]
(Originally published in The California Aggie) Ah, winter break. Time to spend half the day sleeping and the other half being slowly eaten by your couch in front of “Jersey Shore” reruns, right? Not so fast. It may be tempting to spend those three glorious weeks in a vegetative state, but the holiday break actually […]
(Originally published in The California Aggie) Two taxi rides in St. Petersburg, Russia, turned out to be the kryptonite that eliminated Michael and Kevin Wu from The Amazing Race 17. In the seventh episode of the season, which aired on Nov. 7, the father-son YouTube stars were the second to last of seven remaining teams […]
Robin Migdol 