By Benjamin Custer
Texarkana Gazette (Published August 2011)
Some of us are so focused on our problems we regularly fail to count our blessings.
There is often something to worry about, something to desire or something to regret.
The state of the economy seems to be the most pressing concern among Americans. The tentacles of the recession have reached the young and old, white- and blue-collar workers and everyone in between.
Continue readingBy Benjamin Custer
Texarkana Gazette (Published July 2011)
Luke Skywalker met his equal a little more than a decade ago, and it wasn’t Darth Vader—it was a boy wizard with a lightning-bolt-shaped scar.
The boys in my third-grade class would sooner have contemplated real-life Wookies than believe a book about a school of witchcraft and wizardry could prove as fascinating as the original “Star Wars” trilogy.
Friendships were forged through mutual obsession with the classic films, and lunchtimes were spent trading “Star Wars” cards and discussing our favorite Jedi. Posters of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia adorned my walls, action figures lined my shelves and “The Empire Strikes Back” practically lived in my VCR.
Continue readingBy Benjamin Custer and Matt Hansen
Peninsula Press (Published April 2014)
Nearly 20 years ago, Gary Doss set out to sell computers from his small Burlingame store. A lifelong PEZ enthusiast, he decided one day to exhibit his candy dispenser collection.
As customers expressed more interest in PEZ dispensers than computer equipment, Doss decided to turn his shop into a shrine to the Austrian toy phenomenon.
Continue readingBy Benjamin Custer
Peninsula Press (Published February 2014)
Palo Alto Unified School District is reducing its carbon footprint and beginning to save money a few years into its most ambitious effort to operate its campuses in a more sustainable manner.
Palo Alto’s schools are trading in sprinkler-reliant lawns for native plants accustomed to natural cycles of rainfall. Students and staff are adopting more energy-conscious practices. Composting and recycling are standard across school sites. And the district is exploring the possibility of powering newly constructed buildings with solar energy.
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