Opinion

Cheers to Michael "Poppy" Castelan and Rocca's for joining forces. Beginning March 1, Castelan - a third generation fisherman and former owner of Poppy's Fish, Poultry & More in Morgan Hill, is bringing fresh seafood such as Ahi tuna, Chilean sea bass, wild salmon, halibut and oysters and a line of all-natural, grass-fed beef to the San Martin market.

It's that time of year, preparing for your annual tax filing and

President Barack Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Dec. 31, 2011, allowing any president to imprison a suspected terrorist without trial until the threat of terrorism subsides - that is, indefinitely. With the signing of this bill, the president's power has expanded in the monitoring of suspected terrorist threats while sacrificing civil liberties. Previously, by the executive order of George W. Bush, the president could only imprison people without trial if they were possibly involved with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But now, the new law states that anyone can be taken into custody if he or she is a suspected supporter of terrorists groups or those groups' affiliates. These vague parameters make the NDAA bill threatening to civil rights. An individual's suspected affiliation with a certain group is based on the U.S. government's fear and desire to control.

Let's talk about teacher evaluation. This is one of the most complex topics in education, and I cannot say that I have the answer. What I do have, however, is the perspective of a teacher who cares deeply about the success of the public schools, the reputation of the profession and of my own school, and the experiences that students have every day.

Coming on the tail of another spy movie that was released recently, “Safe House” falls quite short of what might be expected after seeing “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” For an action film, however, it is just about right.

Man's battle with nature has never been more dramatically told than through the true story of building a canal across the Isthmus of Panama.

Public schools all over California are being pressured by the state's hard economic times. Budgets continue to be cut, impacting students: larger classes, fewer enrichment programs, less individual attention. Also, increased gang activity has resulted from cutbacks in after-school activities.