Archive By Section - Editorial
Ads not so Super
"Wow, what a game on Sunday, am I right? That Drew Brees, he, uh, he looked good out there! And Peyton's interception, when he threw that ball to that guy in white and gold! He'll never get into the Hall of Fame now!"
Don't ask, don't tell
I don't get it. Since 1993, more than 13,000 soldiers have been discharged from the military under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy. Countless others are effectively denied access to mental health and other services because they can't tell. In 2006, a blue ribbon commission concluded that the policy - at that point - had cost the military some $360 million because of the loss of qualified and trained soldiers and the need to ...
Fighting frozen toes
This winter opened with bitter cold for much of the nation - including parts of the country not used to snow and ice. Here in the northern tier states we are, at least, equipped to respond to winter storms, but they always pose a challenge.
We need jobs here, jobs now and jobs to stay
Ask anyone on the street what they believe is California's top problem and most will tell you it is unemployment. The state's economy is so bad that most people worry about their job, are out of work themselves or know someone who is.
Sign of the times
Another sign of the Apocalypse was recorded last week when the one and only book store in Laredo, Texas - which has a population of 250,000 people - closed its doors. People in Laredo now have to drive 150 miles away to San Antonio, Texas to buy a "Twilight" book. When news of this literary nightmare reached me, I imagined a "Book of Eli" -esque scene where culture-starved Laredoians set up ambush sites for travelers ...
We’re losing access to our history
I was lucky enough to spend Saturday, the only sunny day this week, wandering up and down the coast of Monterey Bay. I took in the sights and sounds of Cannery Row in Monterey, I watched seals play at the Santa Cruz Municipal Warf, and I ate far too much seafood in Capitola.
Federal court has become the new feelings forum
Forget the law. Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker has allowed the trial over a challenge to overturn Proposition 8 - the 2008 California ballot initiative that limited marriage to "a man and a woman" approved by 52 percent of California voters - to turn into what the measure's opponents like to call a "teachable moment." That's another way of saying that the law isn't as important as feelings in this trial.
We’re all on the same team
Cheerleaders and coaches have very different roles on a sports team. Cheerleaders are meant to rally community spirit and motivate and inspire the players on the field. They do this by accentuating the positive. I have never heard a negative cheer. Not once in all my time as student, parent or as a sports reporter have I heard "Our team lacks talent and skill, oh yeah!" Even when the scoreboard is shouting the imminent defeat ...
Mother Nature clobbers us
Many of us - perhaps most - living in the far Western states know what it is to feel the power of seismic waves passing through the Earth. The sharp jolts are unmistakable, and the sense of chaos is terrifying even to those of us who like a thrill.
It’s called the Brown Act, Parks Commission
Attention all local elected officials and members of public boards: You are responsible for knowing and adhering to the provisions in the Ralph M. Brown Act.
Turlock humdrum
I hate to admit it, but the City of Turlock has a well-deserved reputation as being, well, a bit boring.
Ears of corn
It's a world-famous grass, and crucial to our bellies. It's called Zea mays by botanists; rock-heads like me call it corn. Compared to many plants, it's excellent at tolerating drought and heat - almost in a class by itself in that regard.
The courage to dream
Turlock is not starting out 2010 in the way that I had hoped. In fact, after reading Journal reporter Sabra Stafford's article on the mini-crime spree that rang in the new year and reading the police call log for the past weekend, I'm thinking about moving.
Is it bread or is it cheese?
We Scandinavians have several strange customs, including our hallmark fish dish, which is cod that's been processed for days in caustic lye. This truly imaginative creation is known as "lutefisk," which means lye-fish.
A glimpse into the future
As another year ends, it's natural to look ahead and wonder what the next 12 months will bring. Lucky for you, the Journal editorial staff have all gazed into their crystal balls and made some predictions for the year 2010.
Articles by Section - Editorial
Spring brings change to Journal
Spring has always been a time of change - in weather, the end of daylight savings, and the blooming orchards that line the Valley. This year spring has also brought changes here at the Journal.
On the road to racism
Lin-sanity may be ebbing, but a fundamental issue it raised is still on the rise.
Growth plans need to be fair for all Turlock
The ongoing debate about how to preserve farmland along with the economic base and food resources that agriculture creates for this county, as well as the nation, is healthy and necessary. However, I feel that the debate needs to occur within a much larger framework.
Improving on the staff of life
About 10,000 years ago Earth's climate lurched from bitter Ice Age conditions to the much balmier time in which we live today. We don't fully understand what caused that great climate shift, but we know it was near the time of that great temperature transition that people started to farm. And one of the crops people in some parts of the world learned to tend was wheat.
Fun to dream, while it lasted
If you are reading this column, then I did not win the lottery. I wrote this on Friday afternoon, when lotto fever was still high and we all had hopes of winning $640 million dollars. I have to admit that I was not immune to that fever myself. I bought several tickets for myself, and I'm part of an office pool of 12 people. I prepared this letter in the unlikely, but unfortunate ...
Standing up for our veterans
America is blessed with the strongest and most capable military in the world. Our service members execute challenging missions in the most complex environment on earth. They leave the military with skills that our economy needs to compete. It is our responsibility to take care of them when they return. Unfortunately, upon returning home, many of our veterans discover that even though they have the training to perform a wide variety of jobs, the system ...
A new wave of protest
I remember growing up in the 1980s and having my elders say things like, "Kids nowadays don't care about anything." After commenting on the apparent apathy of my peers, I would then be treated to a detailed recounting of epic protests against the Vietnam War, nuclear proliferation and segregation that took place in the 1960s and 70s. Maybe America just needed a 30-year hiatus to perfect its chanting and sign painting, because the ...
Half Dome ‘fix’ a hiker nightmare
Leave it to the federal government to screw up something that wasn't that hard to fix - if indeed it needed fixing.
Whatever happened to Turlock’s bridal district?
I remember it well. It was January 2008, and while there was a chill in the winter air outside, the atmosphere at Two Guy's Catering was electric.
Sen. Snowe’s leave and the deterioration of American politics
Most local individuals would be far from alarmed to learn that a Maine woman recently announced her decision not to run for a fourth term as senator. In fact, there are few folks who devote enough attention to remember the names and term numbers of local politicians, let alone ones coming from the opposite end of the nation. However, it is not former Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe's leave of politics, but rather her reason ...
Living in 209
I am always amazed at how once a year, that perfect day arrives in the spring that finds the Valley trees all in bloom, the sun is warm and the air is so aromatic you cannot help but say "Wow." My perfect day was over the weekend when driving about on Sunday I happened to find myself among several orchards lined one after another with beautiful pink and white blossoms. The warm 75 ...
Life-changing moment
It seems like you go along in your everyday life working, sleeping, and playing a little when there's time and energy. Then something happens that changes everything. On Feb. 16 I became a grandma. I've known for the past seven months that this day would come and I was attempting to prepare for it. But there was nothing that could prepare me for the joy in watching my little girl become a ...
Make renewable energy mandates obtainable
Last year, Governor Jerry Brown signed SB x2, which requires California's utility districts to provide one-third of their total electricity from "renewable" sources by 2020. At the media event held for the signing of the more onerous Renewables Portfolio Standard program, the Governor and the bill's author, Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), spoke of how great this would be for California as a world leader.
There’s only one tax to support this year
This year, you and I will be asked to support a litany of tax measures. There's only one I plan to support: The continuation of the eighth-cent sales tax that fund the Stanislaus County library system until 2018.
Skills for American workers
As America works towards an economy that's built to last, we must make sure to provide American workers with the skills they need to compete.
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