Break the glass, douse the flames

As everyone who watches the evening news knows, in the western United States wildfires and forest fires are common enough in the late summer. Young people work diligently on fire-crews here in the West, fighting one of nature's great forces. Out-of-control blazes in our National Forests are all but an annual event, with only the number and intensity of the fires varying from year to year.

Stanislaus students finally speak out

When I came into work on Thursday at the Turlock Journal, I was surprised to hear that there had been a protest at California State University, Stanislaus that morning. I had spent the last three hours in class at Stanislaus and I hadn't heard a word about it. I took a look at photos and a cutline by Meagan Martens, and found that a group of about 30 students had organized a morning march to the president's office. That's pretty out of character for CSU Stanislaus.

Our vigilante past

While today's criminal justice system can, at times, seem to favor the guilty and punish the innocent, all one needs to do to get the proper perspective is read the history page published every Saturday in the Journal.

A delicious heat wave

My 84-year old mother bent over the cookbook one day recently and read aloud to me as I wolfed down a chicken sandwich I'd made at lunchtime. The reading was a lesson in how to make a traditional - and very fine as it turned out - pork roast.

A shadow for debate

I'll be the first to admit that I do my best to avoid national news, despite being absolutely fascinated by the intricate politicking that goes on in Washington.

Getting an education almost out of reach

I am a strong believer in going to college and getting a degree. It is essential to progress in a professional career and most companies require a bachelor's degree at minimum. But with the increased tuition prices, it is making a bachelor's degree almost unattainable let alone getting a master's degree or a doctorate.

Water package is more litigation, less irrigation

Last week, the California Legislature passed a water package that many lawmakers are lauding as the solution to our state's problems. What this dysfunctional legislature really passed is three more layers of unneeded bureaucracy along with a bond that will not create a drop of water for at least 15 years - if at all.

A decision for change

Turlock voters made a statement on Tuesday: They want change. And change they will have, as it looks as if almost half of the Turlock Unified School District Board of Trustees will be replaced. There are 13,000 to 15,000 mail-in ballots that still have to be counted and could potential change the election results, but I doubt it. I must admit that I was a little shocked at the outcome of Tuesday's TUSD board election. ...

‘Hard Candy Christmas’

The countdown has begun. There are only 51 days until Christmas. "Christmas," you say, "How can that be? It seems like just last week I was sweltering in Indian summer heat." I know what you mean. How can it possibly be time to bring out the holly and tinsel again when I haven't even had time to put away my summer clothes? On top of the seemingly supersonic season changes, finding the extra money for ...

What would you do if...

I like to think of Turlock as a caring community. There are dozens of service clubs, places of worship and volunteers who give of their time and money all year long to make our town a little bit nicer place to live. But I'm sure that the majority of people living in Richmond, Calif. also thought they lived in a caring community - until last Saturday that is. The Contra Costa Times reported that up ...

Who wants to be an idiot?

I, along with many of my co-workers, took time out of the busy workday on Thursday to watch a giant helium balloon float over the Colorado countryside while it was chased by a plethora of emergency vehicles.

New eyes and new ideas

This year is the 400th birthday of science and engineering. It's an occasion worth noting and giving thanks for because each day those twin disciplines improve the lives of billions of people around the world. (Beyond that, science and engineering are awfully fun, so their total effect is sort of like combining doing good all around the planet with the pure joys of playing chess.)

Our right to know

Democracy is a great thing. A government by the people, for the people sure beats a system that caters to a dictator or a royal family. But like many good and wonderful things in this world, democracy must be nurtured, watched over and protected by everyone involved in order to maintain its greatness.

Do the right thing

As a manager, I have the usually frustrating and always time-consuming job of interviewing candidates for open job positions. This is one of my least favorite aspects of my job.

$1 goes a long way in fighting auto theft

With over 700 bills sitting on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk waiting to be signed or vetoed in the latest version of partisan politics between the Governor and the State Legislature, sheriffs and other law enforcement leaders from around the state have joined forces to urge the Governor to put aside political haggling and sign a critical yet obscure bill, Assembly Bill 286. Frankly, there are a dozen or so bills of importance to day-to-day operations ...

UnOccupy LA

Los Angeles is no longer occupied. After two months of Tent City across from City Hall, the LAPD finally moved in after midnight on Wednesday to disperse those who remained after multiple warnings. All told, some 300 Occupiers were arrested by the 1,200 police officers who conducted the final eviction. Later that morning, sanitation workers arrived in protective gear to clean up the 30 tons of debris left behind. Once that's done, the farmers ...

Count your blessings

The residents of Turlock have one more thing to be thankful for this holiday season - they don't live in the city of San Fernando. If news of the Southern California city's scandalous affairs hasn't reached you yet, then here's a recap: - The police chief is on leave for having sex with a cadet; - A police dispatcher was caught exposing himself; and - A council woman was accused ...

Pension reform will free up dollars for schools

Not quite Mayberry

My brothers dared me to do what they caught Jeff, a young kid from across the alley, doing one day.

Holiday survival tips

In the next few weeks, the Journal will be running a series of stories intended to help readers survive the holiday season. From gift buying guides, to decorating ideas and entertaining tips, these stories are meant as a tool for getting the most out of the season. However … I thought it might be helpful to offer my own holiday survival tips as a reminder of what is really important. Tip #1) ...

A balanced budget: Certainty in our economy and accountability in government

Our country's national debt exceeded $15 trillion this week. Our debt has now tripled in the last 15 years and is set to surpass our total GDP for the first time since World War II. This week, Congress had an opportunity to ensure a brighter future for our kids and grandkids by passing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. The amendment failed and once again, Congress failed to take an opportunity to enact ...

What would happen if we stopped voting?

Did you vote on Nov. 8? If not, you weren't alone. According to Stanislaus County Registrar of Voters Lee Lundrigan's office, there were 50,982 ballots counted in the final election results. In a county of 514,453 people, only 227,278 are registered voters, and only around 50,000 people actually voted in this election.

Give smartly this holiday season

If the red and green decorated retail stores, the Christmas-themed movie marathons and the ever-present holiday music piped in at every store in town hasn't cued you in yet, then let me say it straight out - the holiday season is upon us.

Turkey sticker shock

Have you checked out the price of turkey lately? You can thank Al Gore. Actually you can thank Gore and the Midwest ethanol subsidy lobby consisting of Republican and Democrat lawmakers alike. Gore was the leading cheerleader for ethanol as the elixir for all that ails America when it comes to energy. He led the charge to put in place ethanol subsidies. The end result: Ethanol gas that is not cost effective and has ...

Keeping our promise

When President Woodrow Wilson designated November 11th a day to honor our nation's veterans, he was welcoming home a generation of servicemembers from World War I. With American troops expected out of Afghanistan by 2014 and out of Iraq by the end of this year, we have a new generation of brave men and women returning home. As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan come to a close, there will be a tendency to ...

Back to the sleep saving time

As Sunday brought a close to the 2011 Daylight Saving Time, ushered in were an assortment of relief, doubts, and inquiries. The most pressing views challenged whether this supposed energy-preserving, society-reviving system still left room for correlation with the shifting lifestyles that characterize today's generation. Folks still fatigued from March help make the pool of individuals wanting to re-question the logic behind what has felt like a blindly-followed practice. Not surprisingly, the installment ...

The root of all Oakland

The morning after Occupy Oakland's midweek violent protests, the take in the Bay Area was that it was a dirty, rotten shame that a few bad-egg anarchists hijacked a mostly peaceful protest and made an otherwise good cause look bad. That is so delusional. From the start, troublemakers have advocated violent protest during the group's general assemblies. Guys with masks and ill intent threw rocks and bottles at police before officers used ...

All the benefits of a small town, none of the baggage

According to the United Nations' Population Division, the world's human population hit seven billion on Oct. 31. Locally, we have also seen a jump in population - although not quite as drastic - with over 70,000 people inhabiting Turlock today, compared to just 13,992 in 1970. With all the people in the world - and the growing number of Turlockers - it's amazing to me that one night of the year can make ...

Stepping up to a bright idea

At first I wasn't sure I was reading the CNN report correctly. The story hinged on special pavement that uses the impact of human feet to generate electricity. That's right. A young man in Britain has invented a device that harvests the energy from a footfall hitting the pavement to power things like LED lights. Talk about a bright idea. The "PaveGen" project is the brainchild of Laurence Kemball-Cook, age 25 ...

Bad times? Most of us have no inkling

These aren't exactly the greatest of times. Even those who normally would feel comfortable with a decent paying job have anxieties about the economy. In reality, most of us still have it good compared to many. And with the holiday season just around the corner, the pain of hunger at a time when people traditionally celebrate their good fortune of family and life becomes more acute for those who are struggling more than the ...