It’s about time

Eating corndogs larger than your head. Watching cars run into each other on purpose. Engaging in activities you know may lead to projectile vomiting.

University researchers lend expertise to the Valley

It takes everyone's help to strengthen Central Valley communities.

Same old, same old doesn’t cut it

One day a month I ignore my nocturnal tendencies and wake at the absurdly early hour of 6 a.m. I then drag myself down to Latif's for the monthly Kiwanis Club of Turlock Board of Directors meeting.

Summer vacations that teach a lot

My finest memory from childhood is sailing a kayak my clever brother had made out of plywood and canvas. The sailing adventure was on a lake in Glacier National Park. The wind was good, my beloved dog was tucked between my knees for ballast, and I scooted over the water like a rocket – or so it seemed to an 11 year old. I have a black and white ...

A season of change

Everything changes.

The biggest show in town

As you are reading this at least a dozen people are probably still at California State University, Stanislaus sweeping up peanuts from the circus that was the Sarah Palin event.

A sad situation

I believe the picture that ran with Saturday's Journal story, "Shelters overrun with feral kittens," was probably the cutest animal photo we have ever published. The story that accompanied the photo, however, was also one of the saddest animal stories we have ever published.

More than a party

Growing up in Indiana, one of the best things about summer was the community backyard.

Eggs from near and far

To me, there's nothing like a breakfast that involves an egg. That dose of protein, I think, helps me last at work until noon or even beyond the lunch hour if need be.

Innovation is the key

Back in 2006, Nintendo obtained a license to print money - an arm-waving, flail-centric, world-changing license to print money.

Grow up national media

Most days I am proud to be a member of the media. I believe that newspapers - and other forms of news media - are essential to a healthy democracy. But sometimes the actions of my colleagues make me want to hide my head in the sand and deny that I ever shared the same profession.

The best is yet to come

There's no reason to be concerned about Turlock's lack of a July 4 fireworks celebration this year.

‘Sex and the City’ stars good examples

The famed "Sex and the City" characters have given hope to women all over the world since their 1998 debut of their HBO series, and now two movies. They rock killer shoes, designer brands and juggle relationships, while keeping friendship a priority.

A threat to the world’s wheat

If you like eating hotcakes or bread (or my own personal favorite, huckleberry muffins), you might want to pay attention to a problem that's looming over wheat worldwide. It's a new type of "stem rust" caused by a fungus that cripples wheat plants. Throughout history, stem rusts have created major famines. Even in the United States, wheat harvests in parts of the country were hit hard ...

The game of life

A few years ago when I was a full-time sports reporter, I wrote a column extolling the virtues of sports movies. Over the holiday weekend, I had the opportunity to view another movie that not only peaked my interest in a sport I had otherwise not given two thoughts about, but also renewed my faith in humanity.

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 ...

The missing piece of the Turlock arts scene

There really is no excuse for Turlockers sitting at home on Friday nights. Despite what a few Bay Area transplants may think, Turlock has a lot to offer those seeking cultural stimulation.

Doing more with less on the road

Between the debt-ceiling kerfuffle and Hurricane Irene, you may have missed two bits of summertime news that will be important for what we drive in the coming years. First, President Barack Obama announced that the administration and automakers had reached a deal to double the fuel economy of our national fleet of cars starting in model year 2017 and reaching the goal by 2025. Right now, cars and light trucks – light trucks ...