Reduction realities

On the list of important birthday anniversaries, from that very first birthday party to a young woman's quinceanera or Sweet 16, turning 18 is not only cause for celebration but it is that critical turning point from childhood to being an adult.

Fair time is upon us

No sooner than the Turlock Chamber finished hosting thousands of guests on our fairgrounds for the Fourth of July, our team at the Stanislaus County Fair has shifted into high gear to prep our grounds and buildings for a celebration of our own.

Globalization is not so new

I was throwing sticks for my dog into the Snake River on Sunday evening, watching a fully loaded ocean-going barge on the slack-water of the river. The barges move mountains of goods all around the Pacific Rim, including from my part of the inland Pacific Northwest to Asia. This year it has looked to me like the intensity of barge traffic is down, I assume due to the global recession.

Best show in town

In case you missed it, the Stars and Stripes 4th of July Celebration was a wonderful event to end a great day.

Playing with Jello and deducing climate change

I hope you played with your food when you were young. Perhaps you experimented at some point with pushing a drinking straw through Jello. If you twisted the straw as you removed it from your food, you could sometimes trap a column of gelatin in the straw. You then had the choice of either blowing the Jello at a sibling or, if your parents were at the table, gently squeezing the gelatin out of the straw onto your plate with your fingers.

Here we go again

I don't know about you, but I am just now recovering from the last election season and the next election cycle has already begun.

A surprising Pride

When my alarm clock went off at 6 a.m. on Sunday it took me a few moments to comprehend what was happening. I am not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not sure I could even tell you what time the sun rises. But there I was, brushing my teeth and applying make-up at what I could only assume was the crack of dawn. What could make me sacrifice my one day of sleeping in this week? I was going to a parade!

Our new look

There are always those who obstinately cling to technology of the past. Like that one person in line at the grocery store who whips out their checkbook to pay the bill while the impatient debit card users roll their eyes. Or the final few Americans without a cell phone who don't want to be reached by others 24/7; and, I must admit, the Turlock Journal can also be called technology sluggish. Our current Web site is more reminiscent of 1999 than 2009.

Food truck junkie

Remember when you were a child, playing outside on one of those hot summer days, and all of a sudden music started faintly lilting across your front yard?

Reclaiming Father’s Day

As another Father's Day comes and goes, there are many who cringe when they see television-perfect children and their dads fishing together or playing catch. The ideal father-child relationship portrayed by Madison Avenue marketing types to sell more ties, lawn mowers and tools is just a reminder to some that a model father is nothing but fiction. But there is a way for the men in our community to reclaim Father's Day and become the ...

Federal funds making a local difference

At the ripe old age of 14 I entered the American work force and I haven't been without employment for more than a month's time in over 20 years.

Glass half full even if city coffers empty

If I were to make a list of people that I'm not envious of, "Turlock City Councilmembers" would be sitting pretty at number one.

Twitter gets the news to you now

When news of the two probable swine flu cases in Merced County broke in our newsroom, editor Kristina Hacker called reporter Alex Cantatore with a request.

Powering up the next generation

The following is an excerpt of California State University, Stanislaus' President Hamid Shirvani's 2009 commencement remarks.

Toodles Turlock!

For the past couple of weeks, I've been snapping photos and jotting down notes at various local graduations but if it's still June 6 and you are reading this over breakfast, good morning and by the way, I'm the one graduating! Today I'm participating in the commencement ceremony at California State University, Stanislaus and I'm newly unemployed.

Take a break and spur the economy

I love vacations. Unfortunately, my desire to travel the world far exceeds my financial means and time availability to do so. Don't get me wrong I still travel, just on a smaller scale and not as often as I'd like. When I finally do get away, I feel guilty about the money I spend and my absence from work. Thankfully, the Obama Administration is giving me a guilt-free reason to travel. President Obama ...

And a little child shall lead them

Little kids are amenable to learning new habits - generally much more so than those of us who are set in our ways because this isn't our first rodeo. That's why it's sometimes more effective to teach children health science information rather than to do outreach aimed directly at their parents.

Supreme Court case obscenely out of step with the times

What is obscene cussing and should the government regulate it?

Nothing new under the sun

Out with the old, in with the new. That is the rallying cry for many come January. I'm not quite sure about the "out with the old" part, but in 2012 the Journal is bringing in new - and hopefully exciting - features for our readers. One of the most interactive projects the Journal is undertaking this year is our Readers Recipe Book. Throughout the year, the Journal will be collecting recipes from ...

The worth of water

According to the "Longman English Dictionary," a New Year's resolution is "a decision to do something better or stop doing something bad in the new year." Not surprisingly, New Year's resolutions generally serve only as broad ideals that individuals fabricate in an attempt to freshen themselves for the new time period; exercising more, controlling expenses, or simply behaving nicer constitute the main desires. Despite the truth that such resolutions rarely survive the temptations that unfold, ...

Preserving prime ag land, planning for a sustainable future through regional collaboration

Stanislaus County is a unique community. Ours is a county where city leaders come together on a regular basis to discuss ideas, strategies, and opportunities where regional collaboration can best be implemented.

Plan needed for successful New Year’s resolutions

Hitting below the belt

If you've made a New Year's resolution to eat right and trim down, be forewarned that medical science shows your brain has it in for you and will actively promote your failure on two different fronts. That's not good news, of course, but you should know about it so you can strengthen your resolve as best you can. Here's the scoop. It's relatively easy – particularly if you are significantly overweight ...

LGBT History Law step in right direction, but lacks guidance

California Senate Bill 48, also known informally as the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) History Law, officially becomes law with the New Year and overall I agree with the law - with a lot of The new law, which is titled the FAIR (Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful) Education Law, is controversial because it requires social science instruction to include a study of the role and contributions of lesbians, gay, bisexual and ...

Turlock continues to see success, despite challenges

Turlock had many successes in 2011, in spite of a challenging economy and a state government and legislature bent on taking money away from local government. Though the diligent work of our city staff and improving local economy, we were able to cut expenses and maximize revenue to reduce our projected 2010-11 budget deficit by $2.5 million. We have already seen stabilization and a slight increase in our local sales tax revenue, as ...

Keep cursive alive

Some of my fondest childhood memories are the times I spent with my Grandma Stout. Being the only grandchild of her only son meant that the world actually did revolve around me when I came to visit. We would spend hours together playing board games, talking, shopping - and playing school. My Grandma Stout was a fourth grade teacher for most of her life and when we played school, it was serious business. ...

Hands-free, means HANDS-FREE

I don't know about you, but I get so very irritated with folks who drive and talk on their cell phone. You've seen them-numerous unsafe lane changes, fastest driver on the road, turning without signaling, etc. It is obvious that they are unable to multi-task.

Christmas coconuts and other weird traditions

When I was a little kid I assumed that everyone celebrated Christmas exactly the same way that my family did. Christmas shopping was done no sooner than two weeks before Christmas. The outside lights did not go on the house until after Dec. 9, which happened to be my sister Sandra's birthday. And above all I knew that Santa did not wrap the presents he left on Christmas morning.

Christmas choices

Right around now is when people start fretting over creches in the public square and arguing as to whether publicly funded Christmas symbols violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment. And right about now is also when certain Jewish groups begin insisting that the answer is to place a Hanukkah menorah right next to that creche, which leads atheists to complain about a plague on both their houses. Years ago I was ...

Hefty parental issues

Is your kid overweight?