Columnists

“End of the year” reviews are a wonderful tradition. As we look back on the passing year, it gives us perspective while we look forward to a new beginning and new year. To complete my first full year writing “The Flavor Chronicle,” I offer a few recipes for celebratory nonalcoholic beverages.

The Roman Catholic Church established a formal procedure to declare holy men and women as “saints” in the 16th century. Since then, some 921 people have received this coveted title. Previously, however, sainthood depended on various local processes, so no one knows the exact total number of Catholic saints who have been canonized.

Like many pets, kittens and cats are considered part of the family. People have such a close bond with cats, so it is no surprise we want to spoil them every so often. The next time your kitten or cat deserves a treat, instead of reaching for the factory-created ones in a pouch, consider one of the three recipes for homemade cat treats I feature today.

Let's start this week with one final reminder. The Gavilan

"An evil action cannot be justified by reference to a good intention." - St. Thomas Aquinas

When you meet with a financial consultant, at some point the

I know, it's not even Halloween yet! I get as annoyed as the next guy when I see Christmas showing up in the stores before Labor Day; however, I felt this was a timely message as many of you are about to begin the annual holiday shopping expedition!

Q: We got into a discussion the other day about hiking the hills with our dogs. There’s some poison oak on this trail we walk, so we try to avoid going to close to that area. Can our dogs get skin problems if they get into that stuff?

Do you think parks are Santa Clara County's top priority?

The June 5 primary ballot is a simple affair. It should take just a few minutes to mark my choices on my absentee ballot. But I’m stuck on one vote: Proposition 29, which would levy a $1 per pack tax on cigarettes to fund cancer research.