Generation

There’s a certain mental toughness, resilience and, ultimately, a type of happiness that is born of the ashes of uncertainty and fear. That just seems to be a psychological condition of wanting, hoping and willing, for lack of a better term, that things will get better. Today is ground zero of the worst recession many of the younger generations have ever seen, especially those just entering college in hopes of being trained for a career, and those just leaving school ready to enter into a job market that barely appears to exist.

I don't want commercial and housing developments and undesirable people living next to ME. I see nothing wrong in the killing of live unborn unwanted babies and using their stem cells to cure ME and MY family. Hail to me! Did I misspell Hell? WANDA M. JURCO North Ridgeville, Ohio

When I was growing up in the Washington, D.C. area, patriotism wasn't something I was forced to learn. It came naturally. From the experience of my father and his brothers who served in World War II, to my mother's memory of what life was like on the home front, I was taught by example what it meant to love my country. Mom kept a scrapbook, which I inherited. I see my Dad and his buddies. I also look at Mom's ration books and recall a generation largely untouched by the entitlement mentality that grips us today.

Imperial Irrigation District General Manager Jesse Silva and the IID Board of Directors honored 13-year veteran Daniel Johnston as employee of the month for May 2002 at the board's May 14 meeting. Johnston's quick thinking and prompt action at the Drop 2 hydro generation facility in early February helped the district avoid losing thousands of dollars in lost generation and prevented potential equipment damage and cleanup. While working on an unrelated project at the drop on Feb. 6, Johnston, a mechanic generation leader, noticed that the governor to the compressor on the Unit 1 turbine was running and unattended.

While some “broken Spanish” was spoken around the home, Brawley resident David Ramos said English was emphasized by his parents and grandparents. A third-generation Mexican-American, Ramos said that while he wished his Spanish proficiency was better he does not feel like a part of his Latino identity suffers on account of it. Yet, according to first-generation Mexican-American students he encountered while in college, Ramos was not Mexican enough. “They would call us coconuts,” Ramos, now the vice principal at Brawley's Hidalgo Elementary School, said.

A local geothermal plant will get a hand from a global company. Fuji Electric Co., a leading supplier of turbine generator equipment to the power generation industry, announced Thursday its investment of $10 million in the development of a geothermal plant in Imperial Valley, owned and operated by EnergySource LLC, an independent renewable energy generation company that develops utility scale geothermal power plants, according to a press release...

I am not a World War II veteran, but my father is. Reading the remarks published in your paper by individuals who were "sick and tired of the World War II generation" was sad and disturbing. Perhaps these same individuals are sick and tired of the freedoms and lifestyle they now enjoy as a result of the immense sacrifice of all Americans in WW II. I do not believe it can be disputed that the world would have been a very evil place had not the United States people had the courage and will to prosecute and emerge victorious in both the Pacific and European theaters in that war. Hundreds of thousands of American soldiers lost their lives in that war and even more American fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, wives and children felt the pain of those deaths.

Ten years after Karmen Chell and her husband, Robert, started advocating for the Imperial Valley Pioneers Expressway, she saw her work materialize at the expressway’s ribbon-cutting. “I want the next generation and then the next generation to know how this Valley came about,” she said. The renaming of Highway 111 from Interstate 8 north to Highway 78 received legislative approval Wednesday and was officiated at Pioneers Museum at noon Saturday. As first-generation descendants of pioneers in the Valley, the project was important to the Chells to recognize the pioneers’ difficulties in settling the Valley, Karmen said.

WASHINGTON (MNS) ? For the first time, U.S.-born Latinos will outnumber immigrant Latinos, reversing a 30-year trend, according to a study released by the Pew Hispanic Center on Tuesday. The trend bears strong implications for politics and policy, especially in the areas of education, labor and socioeconomics. Native-born Latinos will shape the country differently than did their immigrant parents and their socioeconomic status will improve. Their incomes will be higher. They will be bilingual, with views and outlooks that diverge from those of their parents.

Elections are almost here and it is important for me to know which candidate will be the best one to really make an effort to help Calexico. There is a candidate in mind who is hard-working toward helping the city of Calexico. David Ouzan stands on the corner of Highway 98 with a poster and explains his vision for Calexico. Mr. Ouzan came to our school and spoke to a group of us. His ideas are new and fresh. If only David Ouzan was to become a council member I know he would do good.

BRAWLEY - After six weeks of hard work and critical thinking, a group of sixth graders at Sunflower Elementary School were ready to test their solar-powered boats at the Lions Center pool here Friday morning. The boats, which were made of various materials including boogie boards, Styrofoam and plastic water bottles, went head-to-head in a competition to see which one would travel the longest distance.  April Moran, who helped build the winning boat, said she was surprised her team's creation came in first place.

My wife and I took in the California Mid-Winter Fair & Fiesta last Friday. For those not in the know, the CMF&F (as I like to call it, OK I don't really call it that, but it's a lot to type out the other way) is Imperial Valley's county fair. I have been hooked on the fair since I arrived in Imperial Valley in 1974. When I was in high school it was a great place to talk to girls, and hopefully get a few numbers. It was always weird to me how many girls had the same phone number as a pizza place or some other restaurant.

Local dignitaries and Imperial Irrigation District officials dedicated the official unveiling of the El Centro Unit 3 repowering project Tuesday. The project, which reached commercial operation in early October, is designed to increase the IID's generation capacity, boost efficiency and reliability while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It replaced its aging Westinghouse steam turbine generator with a modern natural-gas powered generator by Siemens. “EC3 is part of our long-term strategy to provide the resources necessary to meet consumer demand for years, while supporting the implementation of renewable energy into the local grid - demands that are both expected to grow as time goes by,” said General Manager Kevin Kelley in a statement.

IMPERIAL - On a day of great remembrance and sorrow, students of the Associated Student Government at Imperial Valley College sponsored a 9/11 remembrance event to reconnect a younger generation with the tragic attacks on the World Trade Center more than a decade ago. For many IVC students, remembering the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, involves looking back into adolescent years in elementary or junior high school, Superintendent and President of IVC Victor Jaime explained Tuesday.

BRAWLEY - With dove season in full swing, many locals and out-of-town hunters are sharing this dove-hunting season with young and older generations, as more and more families look to dove hunting as a popular way to bond with family and friends. “Dove-hunting season is a lot more than shooting a bird,” Joe Brana, former Fish and Game Warden, said. For many new and experienced hunters, the opening of the season means something more, Brana said. “It a real generational thing for people; most were taught (dove hunting)

8minutenergy Renewables announced Monday it had signed a generation interconnection agreement with the California Independent Systems Operator Corporation and San Diego Gas & Electric for 200 megawatts of clean, renewable utility-scale solar PV power from its solar project in Imperial Valley. The agreement confirms that 8minutenergy's solar project has completed the state grid operator's Phase I and Phase II interconnection study processes as well as posted the required letters of credits.

A local geothermal plant will get a hand from a global company. Fuji Electric Co., a leading supplier of turbine generator equipment to the power generation industry, announced Thursday its investment of $10 million in the development of a geothermal plant in Imperial Valley, owned and operated by EnergySource LLC, an independent renewable energy generation company that develops utility scale geothermal power plants, according to a press release...

BRAWLEY - There were several Brawley Union High football players and cheerleaders greeting local golfers as they arrived to the annual Jim Skipper Honorary Gridiron Classic golf tournament to thank them for their generous support. At the end of the day the golfers seemed as if they needed to thank someone, as for another year the tournament was a pleasant success. “I thought it was great it really added something to have Jack Myers and Ralph Casillas from the CIF champions team,” tournament organizer Leighan Seybert said.

When Mary Ann Kline attended Iowa State College, she pursued a major in home economics and education. Her goal was to become a teacher - a decision driven in part by finances and the opportunities available to a young woman in the 1950s. “There were only so many things you could do (as a woman) - become a nurse, a teacher or a secretary,” she says. “I liked working with children, so it was an easy choice.” When she earned $3,100 for her first 10 months as a teacher, “I was in heaven.

While some “broken Spanish” was spoken around the home, Brawley resident David Ramos said English was emphasized by his parents and grandparents. A third-generation Mexican-American, Ramos said that while he wished his Spanish proficiency was better he does not feel like a part of his Latino identity suffers on account of it. Yet, according to first-generation Mexican-American students he encountered while in college, Ramos was not Mexican enough. “They would call us coconuts,” Ramos, now the vice principal at Brawley's Hidalgo Elementary School, said.