Archive By Section - Editorial
A snowy adventure
As a lifelong Central Valley resident, when the meteorologist mentions "inclement weather," my mind immediately turns to fog.
In the spotlight
More people across the nation than ever before have some idea where Turlock is located thanks to the national media attention our town and the surrounding area received in 2010.
Less is sometimes more
A tropical vacation is typically filled with snorkeling, jungle excursions and hours of laying on sandy beaches. And while my recent trip to the Caribbean Sea was filled with all of those things and much more, I couldn't help but bring back something extra - a more grateful and appreciative attitude.
For goodness’ sake
In the spirit of Christmas I've decided to blatantly steal some seasonal inspiration from my favorite television shows.
Wishing you well
"Merry Christmas!" What an odd combination of words to get so much attention. First, I want to begin with a statement that this is not a rant on the Christmas season and how it is being taken out of our society. It is an observation of a complex world where offense is the first reaction and best intentions are misinterpreted.
Birthdays
By the time you read this, it won't be my birthday anymore. Thankfully. But it is right now, and birthdays don't get easier as you get older.
Banning Happy Meals lawsuit is beyond stupid
As a strong proponent of parental responsibility, it both amuses and angers me to see some parents lining up behind an initiative to sue McDonald's over the inclusion of toys in their Happy Meals.
The Democrats' new pork: Trains to nowhere
In the last decade, the symbol for profligate federal spending was the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere" - a huge proposed span that would link the town of Ketchikan, Alaska, population 7,500, to an airport on Gravina Island. Powerful Alaska Republican lawmakers tried to stick American taxpayers with a huge chunk of the tab for this dubious project.
The art of satire is alive and well
I have created a new award in honor of comedian Jon Stewart - the Swiftee. This coveted honor goes to the person who most personifies the king of satire, Jonathon Swift. Stewart and "The Daily Show" writers were channeling the renowned Anglo-Irish essayist when they shined a light during their Monday night Comedy Central program on the U.S. Senate Republicans and their hypocritical nonsupport of health aid to ...
What a dame
I don't care what they said about her in "Game Change." Bitchy? Who wouldn't be? Difficult? She had a right to be.
Season of hope
No matter how commercial the Christmas season gets, there is one pure thing the holidays always bring - hope.
'Don't ask, don't tell' on the way out
On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates released a long-awaited Pentagon working-group report on the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy enacted under President Bill Clinton. Most troops, the review found, would not object to a repeal.
Using their powers for good
I am usually not a fan of celebrity news. In fact, I cringe whenever someone in the office asks "Did you hear what Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt (or any other famous people) are doing?"
Giving rats a bad name
An interesting news story circulating on the Web this week really caught my attention. The headline read "1000 rats rescued from California Home." The basic story is that the reality TV show "Hoarders" found over 1,000 of the critters in a man's California home during filming. The rat colony was a result of one pregnant pet rat being brought home by a child who lived in the house. ...
The boogeyman is winning
I used to enjoy flying. I really did.
Articles by Section - Editorial
Sign of the times: To twirl or not to twirl
It is a sign of the times. The Great Depression had men walking around in A-frame signs. The Great Recession has young people twirling signs. Employing them are businesses vying for a commodity that seems as scarce at times as common sense in Sacramento - consumer dollars. I haven't come across anyone who said they were prompted to visit a particular business because of someone head banging to i-Pod music ...
Occupy Wall Street: All bite, no apple
As Occupy Wall Street activists clogged New York's Zuccotti Park protesting "corporate greed" and Occupy SF hit San Francisco's Financial District on Wednesday protesting "corporate greed," the world learned that Steve Jobs, perhaps America's most beloved modern capitalist, had died at age 56. The protesters claim to represent the working people, the 99 percent of Americans who, according to their blog, are getting kicked out of their homes, must choose between groceries and ...
A big, blue, acid ocean
Our deep blue has always been engulfed in a rich and remarkable legacy. After all, its Portuguese name "pacifico" was chosen by explorer Ferdinand Magellan to mean peaceful, steady, pacific. But such times are quickly changing. The Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, as a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has affirmed that the oceans are truly the prisoners of our pollution– adapting to increasing carbon-dioxide emissions by swallowing one-fourth of ...
The other side of death
"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking ...
High speed rail means quicker trip to poor house
The Central Valley Water Project implemented during the Great Recession helped lift the lot of the poor in the San Joaquin Valley by providing the means to turn fields into fertile farmland. There are those who believe launching the California High Speed Rail will do the same thing for the San Joaquin Valley and help it shake poverty that is rooted deep especially in the valley's southern part. Unlike the CVP that brought construction ...
Nothing heroic about same old, same old
If your business was failing, would you keep doing the same thing, or would you try something new? Or would you even know what doing something new would look like, having spent so long mired in an unworkable business model? Just recently, DC Comics was forced to answer those questions, opting to fight falling sales with a "new" tactic which, sadly, ends up being more of the same old thing. For ...
Not too long ago …
One hundred years seems like a long time in most situations. When someone turns 100 years old, I can't help but marvel at all the technological changes that one person has seen just in his or her lifetime. In 1911, automobiles were a novelty and many people still traveled by horse and carriage. Radios were only in the homes of the rich, but entertainment was something that many families didn't have much time ...
Real VIPs
Today I had the honor of meeting some impressive VIPs and I don't think I will ever forget the time we spent together. They were patients at Emanuel Cancer Center. As I tell you about some of them, I'm going to use fake names because of patient privacy, but they were anything but phony. These were real men and women involved in a major battle for life. First I met "Sally." She was ...
Season of new beginnings
According to my desk calendar, Friday was the start of autumn. I usually don't like to argue with inanimate objects, but I made an exception when temperatures reached 98 degrees Fahrenheit on what was supposed to be the start of a cooler season. I'm not sure if my calendar was trying to make up for the sizzling hot end of last week with two days of mild weather conditions on Sunday and Monday, ...
Worried about America? Visit a Boys & Girls Club
The political world is so toxic that I needed some relief, so I tuned into a reality show more real than anything on television. I wasn't disappointed. The stories I heard were at once harrowing and inspirational. And they were deeply connected to the future of the country. This week, I served as one of five judges in the Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Youth of the Year competition. This is ...
MacGyver to the rescue — most of the time
For those of you too young to remember the television show "MacGyver," allow me to share about the 1980s American action-adventure series. The show was about a secret agent, Angus MacGyver, who employed his resourcefulness and knowledge of chemistry, physics, and technology, and often a little duct tape and a Swiss Army knife, to resolve what were often life or death situations. I'm married to a MacGyver kind of guy. I've nicknamed my ...
Want a job? Stay in college as long as you can
With the unemployment rate hovering above 9 percent, today's job market is bad for everyone. One group does seem to fare better than the rest, however: The jobless rate for workers with a bachelor's degree or better is just 4.3 percent, compared with 14.3 percent for high school dropouts. But among college grads, the outlook is gloomier for one critical segment: recent graduates. A study this year put their unemployment rate at 10 ...
Newspapers: A bridge to the community
I am one of the fortunate people who do not fear public speaking. When you put me in front of a captive audience and ask me to talk about one of my passions - like community newspapers - watch out, I might just talk your ear off. California State University, Stanislaus professor Elizabeth Breshears offered me just such an opportunity this week. I was asked to speak to her graduate social work students ...
Can you live without it?
For those of you who don't know me well, you may be surprised to read that I grew up on an almond ranch. My two sisters married almond farmers and have lived happily ever after in what I refer to as "the dirt." I, however, fled to suburbia as soon as I turned 18. As Eva Gabor used to chant during the Green Acres theme song, "Dah-ling I love you but give me Park ...
Gov. Jerry Brown and 3 telling bills
California Gov. Jerry Brown scored a victory for common sense last week when he vetoed a bill that would have imposed criminal penalties on minors - or their parents - who ski or snowboard without a helmet. "While I appreciate the value of wearing a ski helmet, I am concerned about the continuing and seemingly inexorable transfer of authority from parents to the state," Brown explained. "Not every human problem deserves a law." <p ...
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