Columnists

David McRaney, author of "You Are Not So Smart," a book on psychology, insists that procrastination is, in fact, not the result of laziness or lack of time management skills, but rather that, "procrastination is fueled by weakness in the face of impulse and a failure to think about thinking." In addition to love, fear and other familiar emotions I am utterly convinced that procrastination is yet another common denominator of humankind. It plagues both the young and the old, the student and the employee, the homeless and the housewife. But, of course, we all know this.

Jon Coupal likes to say his hard-fighting organization, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, exists to beat back constant attacks on Proposition 13, the landmark 1978 initiative that limits property taxes in California.

Well, it's finally over: The most important, earth-shattering, paradigm-shifting, portentous political event since - oh, gosh, a very long time ago, really - has concluded, and by that I am of course referring to the Iowa caucuses, in the relentless view of the media. Never in the history of a Mongol horde of reporters with nothing better to do has there been such a lengthy, breathless, heart-stopping buildup to a non-binding straw poll among 20 percent of the Republicans in a state whose total population could fit into metropolitan Los Angeles without appreciably slowing down the traffic on the 405.

Earlier this week I was driving down San Benito Street in my 2001 Ford truck unwillingly going below the speed limit behind a distracted driver behind the wheel of a Dodge Viper sports car.

There is an old joke that goes "Christians have their cross; Jews have their Star of David; Muslims have their crescent; and Unitarians have the question mark."

If you are a fan but never had the opportunity to experience the King of Pop perform, this is as close as you will ever get. "Cirque du Soleil" has combined Jackson's music, dancing and awe-inspiring visuals into a celebration of the experience of one of his legendary concerts.

As the New Year begins, I reflect on the local arts events of the past year. Among them are the art shows at the center, choir concerts, symphony concerts, theater productions, the Diva/Divo Concert, songwriter's showcase, poetry readings, dance recitals, Kids Discover Arts, Garlic Festival entertainment and the wonderful Fifth Street Music Series. How fortunate we are to have this wealth of enrichment in our community.

One had to believe that 2012 was the gift of a benevolent God on New Year's Day when temperatures in South Valley soared, and the dawning day felt warm as springtime.

Q: Our dog's name is Trouble and he has bad ears. He's been treated at least 10 times with different medications, including eardrops, ointments, pills, etc. Now our vet says he has both a bacterial and a yeast infection that will never go away. The vet wants to do surgery and we think this might be a bad idea. What do you think?