Another for the record books

Last week I became a statistic. I was one of the over 6,700 cases of whooping cough reported in California for 2010 - the most cases reported in 63 years.

A patriotic reminder

I used to know Denair as a small town where I would go to visit an old friend who showed sheep. Just a small town, not too much going on, but a pleasant Central Valley community.

Finding common ground in a sea of isolation

"No man is an island," begins the famous poem of the same name by John Donne.

Losing your head at the Supreme Court

On Election Day, the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case Schwarzenegger vs. Entertainment Merchants Association. The irony of this case name was obvious: The celebrated violent-action-hero governor of California had signed a bill into law in 2005 forbidding the sale of ultraviolent video games to minors, a law that lower federal courts prevented from ever going into effect.

Gov.-Elect Jerry Brown's new worst nightmare

"The taxpayers gave and they also took away. On one hand, the people said by a majority, 'Give us a budget.' On the other hand, they said, 'Don't pick my pocket.'" This was Jerry Brown's verdict on California voters' picks on ballot measures delivered at his post-victory press conference Wednesday.

After Election Day blues

The day after an election can be difficult for many. Of course, there are those candidates whose hard work, sincerity and perseverance didn't pay off and they now have to deal with the reality of losing a race for office. Many candidates are social people and failing in such a public manner must be hard. Everyone knows you didn't get the job - tough break.

The unfriendly skies

Air travel has always been a part of my life. The moment my Indiana-born dad met my California-born mother and fell in love, my flying destiny was sealed.

The final countdown

For half of the candidates on Tuesday's ballot, these are the days you remember.

Ad nauseam

Election season advertising campaigns are always insufferable, but this year is the worst in recent memory.

I guess I won’t be on “Jeopardy!”after all

Last week a press release came across my desk that killed a dream of mine. The news was innocent enough; it congratulated an Elk Grove college student on his upcoming appearance on the TV show "Jeopardy!" For me, however, this press release ended four months of waiting and hoping on a phone call from the "Jeopardy!"casting staff. You see, I was also in the running to compete in ...

Who wants an autonomous car?

I'm not usually one to rail against new technology. I'm a geek, a nerd, a certifiable tech-addict with more gadgets, gizmos, whozits and whatzits than "The Little Mermaid" could ever dream of.

Paging Clark Kent

Education, like politics, is local. You want it close to home, the better to monitor it. That's how it should be.

Last chance to hear from your City Council candidates

Back when our country was young, political candidates relied on their friends to spread the word about their accomplishments and suitability to hold office. In fact, historian Samuel Eliot Morison wrote that candidates "were supposed to play coy, obeying a call to service from their country, saving their energies for the task of government. Electioneering was done by newspapers, pamphlets, and occasional public meetings." <p style="margin: 0in 0in ...

The whole story of courage

You hear stories of courage every day. A man survives cancer and goes on to climb Mount Everest. A woman born without legs opens her own business and becomes an inspirational speaker. A child becomes badly burned in a house fire and, despite the pain, is cheerful and full of hope.

The burning need

It's Thursday morning at 4 a.m. and I can't sleep. It's a common occurrence when I'm carrying a big load at work-my brain just doesn't turn off even though my eyelids are closed. So, instead of counting sheep, I'm doing a mental roll call of my to-do list at the office. But, I have a rule. If I'm still awake after 30 minutes of lying in the dark, ...

Congress shall make no law...

And I wondered why people don't trust the government.

May is National Bike Month — a perfect time for our community to recognize and celebrate all the ben

The San Joaquin Valley's blessing is its curse. It was once part of a great inland sea stretching 450 miles from the Cascade Mountains north of modern-day Redding to the Tehachapi Mountains just south of Bakersfield. It varies in width from 40 to 60 miles bordered by the mighty Sierra to the east and the Coastal Ranges on the west. The retreating sea left two things immensely valuable to modern civilization especially in the ...

Thank you, Turlock

When I walked into the offices of the Turlock Journal I was expecting a hectic newsroom with people yelling across the office, papers flying, phone cords wrapping around computers as some frantic writer tries to write down notes from a phone interview that took six weeks to get. Much to my surprise, I was greeted with a friendly face, a quaint office and warm smiles from each one of my co workers. Honestly, it ...

Time to get physical

I've always felt that the rapid approaching of summer has a unique power of infusing a new type of energy in people. There's something undeniably exhilarating about the promise of sunshine that inspires a mindset to try something new. It seems rather befitting, then, that May was designated National Physical Fitness and Sports Month by the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. The council, having been active for over 50 years, brings ...

Venture into the wild at your own risk

Welcome to Turlock

Playing host is nothing new for Turlock. The town welcomes thousands of athletes and fans to its fields and diamonds each year; sees over 200,000 visitors to the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds; and is the site of Christmas and Fourth of July family traditions for thousands of parade attendees. Turlock recently saw new-found fame as San Francisco 49er fans and Colin Kaepernick supporters flocked to the QB's hometown for a truly unique NFC Championship ...

Beware of sugary drink tax: It might end up killing you

How many calories are in 16 ounces of orange juice? Try 220 calories. How about 16 ounces of beer? It has some 200 calories. What about the caloric count of 16 ounces of Red Bull? It comes in at 220 calories. And how many calories are in 16 ounces of my favorite poison, strawberry-banana V8 Fusion? There's a whopping 240 calories. Which brings us to the $2.6 billion question: How many calories are in ...

Affordable Care Act offers small businesses better choices

For years, we had a health insurance market that was broken for small businesses. Because they had less bargaining power, small businesses paid an average of 18 percent more for the same health insurance plan offered to the bigger business down the street, and their premiums could skyrocket if a single employee got sick. But because of the Affordable Care Act, California's small businesses and their employees are getting better choices, starting with ...

The baby-faced bomber

Sometimes a picture speaks volumes. Sometimes it's outright deceptive. The picture of "Bomber No. 2" didn't look a bit like a mass murderer. A sweet-faced college kid, the former lifeguard, the nice young man described by classmates and friends. It couldn't be. There must be some outside organization calling the shots. An international conspiracy, perhaps. Brainwashing. Or maybe it was just a deceptive picture of a cold-blooded murderer. He and his brother ...

Stop me before I buy food

There is no problem too flimsy for California's nanny lawmakers, as witnessed by the many laws that state solons have proposed to keep constituents from getting free plastic bags at the grocery. Those teensy plastic bags are cheap. They're lightweight. They're energy-efficient. People use them a lot, which means that they can end up as litter. That can be ugly. So Sacramento Democrats keep concocting bills to outlaw their idea of blight - not ...

Hitting home

I'm from Boston. Over the years, I lived in two apartments within a stone's throw of Monday's bombings. Over the years, I stood and cheered marathon runners countless times. I know every square inch of the area in all the pictures, which is hardly unusual. It's the center of Boston. My nephew was around the corner when the explosions went off. This week's terror hit home for me. And what to do? ...

Healthcare cost battle: Switching sticks for carrots

Get ready for the real healthcare crisis. A growing number of firms are being nailed with rising health insurance expenses. The consulting firm of Towers Watson projects corporate spending on health care will average $12,136 per employee this year. Firms that for years have tried soft sell approaches to get their workers to take personal responsibility for their health through offers of reduced gym memberships and such are now getting employees' attention with money. ...

Keep the discourse coming with public art

I admit it; I'm a fan of Califia. Since 2005, when the 14-foot fountain statue was placed at the corner of Main and Market streets in downtown Turlock, it has evoked many a passionate opinion - mostly negative. But I , for one, am a supporter of the mythical Amazon queen that is supposed to symbolize this area's connection to the soil and its agricultural vitality. On my daily drive to work, the ...

Yosemite must be available for all to enjoy

I am writing to provide comments on the National Park Service's (NPS) Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Merced River Comprehensive Management Plan. Yosemite National Park is a national treasure that must be available for the American public to access and enjoy in the same manner that Americans have for decades. The 1864 Act authorizing the original Yosemite land grant to the State of California stated that the "premises shall be held ...

From the AP Stylebook: How to obscure

The Associated Press announced last week that it no longer sanctions the term "illegal immigrant" in its stylebook. Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll explained that the AP has decided it is wrong for reporters to use the word "illegal" to describe a person, but it's OK to use the word to "describe only an action, such as living or immigrating to a country illegally." Make no mistake about this decision. Whatever prompted the change, ...