FresnoBee.com: David Mas Masumoto

The Highway 99 Yard Sale Trail

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 23:25:23 PDT

Imagine a caravan of buyers, many from out of the area, flocking to our San Joaquin Valley for Americana gold. Imagine thousands of yard sales and swap meets flourishing for a week along Highway 99 as it winds through the heart of our state. Imagine a Valleywide festival, celebrating who we are, sharing (and profiting) from our junk. Welcome to my dream of the "Great Highway 99 Yard Sale Trail." Read comments

Do you hear the people eating?

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 20:04:16 PDT

I recently completed a ritual done every five years: the farm census. But this isn't my father's or grandfather's census. This one may have a new audience and they're not farmers. Foodies and the food community have their fingerprints on this document. The farm census contains a hint of what may come: a new urban and public interest in agriculture. Read comments

The language of reform

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 00:59:07 PST

I want to see the faces behind the national debate on immigration reform. I want to hear the voices of those who are dramatically affected by the talk of others. I want to feel the hands and acknowledge the strong backs of those who work in the darkness of our nation's fields, hotels, restaurants and construction sites. Read comments

The Last Print Issue

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST

Holding the last print issue of Newsweek in my hands felt like holding the hand of a friend who was dying. Newsweek, the magazine, was gone. It will now change to an all digital format accessible only online. Read comments

Year of the Snake

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 01:10:33 PST

Whew, what a year. And what's to come? We are ending the Year of the Dragon and 2013 will be the Year of the Snake. Read comments

The good neighbor

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 22:55:41 PST

Witness the series of natural disasters from the most recent Superstorm Sandy to the summer wildfires in the Northwest and the tornadoes in the South: No one is immune from the wrath of nature. When a natural calamity strikes, who can you first turn to for help? Your neighbors. Read comments

Caring hands provide, teach healthy eating

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 23:30:12 PDT

I want to honor the hands that feed our kids, especially those hands that prepare school meals. Read comments

State's map a crazy quilt

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 21:45:41 PDT

Welcome to the political geography of California. The accompanying surreal political map of California looks like a state on drugs, a wild refiguring of regions based on voting patterns. Read comments

School calendar once followed Valley's rural rhythms

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 16:06:43 PDT

The start of school from the 1960s: waiting for the bus on a hot September morning, a cloud of dust kicked up as the yellow bus pulls into our farm driveway. Us kids were both excited and depressed summer was over. But sometimes the bus was late, a week or two late. It all depended on the raisin harvest. Read comments

Wisdom of Age

Sun, 05 Aug 2012 00:00:00 PDT

The assignment was to write a story, a reflection, an observation about life. In six words, a type of six-word memoir. Read comments