Archive By Section - Editorial
Every time a bell rings...
As the holiday season starts to wind down - except in Russia where they celebrate through Jan. 10 - I find myself feeling a little blue.
Some assembly required
Congratulations on purchasing your Wonder Fun Doll Dream House with Stables, Orchard and Shooting Range! These are your assembly instructions, so if you're a man, you're not reading this.
We need some heat in here
The recent massive snowstorm that moved from California across to New England certainly got the nation's attention. While some Americans dealt with snowfall measured in feet rather than inches, my part of the Northwest simply endured temperatures near zero, night after night. (Where I live, we think of ourselves as human weather stripping, nobly protecting states to the south from Canada.) Either way, we all had a moment, I'm sure, to reflect on the fact ...
The art of contradiction
I have come to the conclusion that we, as a society, are pretty hypocritical. I know this is a somewhat harsh statement to make, but the evidence continues to mount for its authenticity.
Win one for the Griper
Congress is at it again, battling unfairness wherever it pops up. This time, it's taking on college athletics, a world in which a conniving cartel spins backroom deals and then foists injustice on vulnerable football fans.
Now hear this
I wasn't quite sure I had heard correctly. My friend, a fellow geologist, and I were standing in the swimming lanes of a lap pool where we had stopped to give each other greetings of the season.
We can make it happen
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with JoLynn DiGrazia of Westside Ministries, Major Debi Shrum of the Salvation Army and Pastors Samuel Galdamez, Steve Carlson and Tim Hawkinson of Turlock Covenant Church.
Happy Hanukkah everyone
I like Hanukkah. It's a very nice holiday, as Jewish holidays go; one of the few where the Jews actually won, as opposed to having the Temple destroyed, or fleeing the divided sea, or being spared from the evil Haman. Usually, it's enough if we survive. Often, we don't even do that.
In God Turlock trusts
If anyone still believes that nothing big ever happens in Turlock, then they haven't been to a city council meeting in a long, long time. Although Turlock can only be considered a small city or big town in population terms, it often has big city political issues.
The best record keepers
As a record-keeper, I'm pathetic. I often can't keep track of where my checkbook is, let alone the balance in the account. The chief problem determining the balance isn't my arithmetic skills, it's that I don't enter all the checks that I write for merchants in the ledger. No wonder the amount I show I have becomes a tad different from what the bank feels I have in my account.
A journey to the Christmas spirit
After living in the Valley for the past 11 years, I have finally made the journey to Bethlehem.
Education is key
Although the 1980s occurred three decades ago, it seems like just yesterday I was pondering the genius of the Rubik's Cube and wearing parachute pants. While the '80s were the dawn of the personal computing and cellular phone boom, they were also the years in which a new fear was introduced into Western civilization: HIV.
Hiding the past in plain sight
The other day the forecast near my home included winds up to 50 mph. That's a strong wind, to be sure, but not something I'd write home about. One forecaster I heard, however, presented the news in a shrill voice, as if we might have to stay in the basement all day. I considered calling his station and explaining that, when I was a small child, we walked to school in winds of 50 mph (and back) without a second thought.
Just another manic Friday
The frantic rush to start shopping for Christmas always catches me a bit unaware. It might be that I'm still sleeping off my turkey and tryptophan hangover on Black Friday each year, but even on the best of days I am in no hurry to battle crowds of sleep-deprived deal hounds.
Giving thanks
It is that time of year again; a time to count your blessings and give thanks. Many of you might read that and say "Give thanks? What for?" I understand why giving thanks may be a little bit harder this year.
Articles by Section - Editorial
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 ...
Giving credit where credit’s due
While ordinary antidepressants seize headlines in the media and medical journals alike, a relatively recent breakthrough lies forgotten in the frenzy. Regardless, I know brilliance when I see it. Potential and productivity stand out at a glance. Despite some views of ineffectiveness, I believe transcranial magnetic stimulation deserves a second chance. Tragically enough, even with its unmistakable title, I've found that there still remains a slice of society who is yet to become ...
Where were you?
This week on Facebook, my dear friend Jan Hallam wrote, "Ten years and I still weep...What were you doing that morning?" What a powerful question. I remember, like it was yesterday. Allen and I were sound asleep when the phone rang. It was my girlfriend Ann. She told me that a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. I thanked her for the call, mumbled her info to Allen, and dozed back ...
Dancing with death over the centuries
Once I had a case of influenza so bad I missed close to a month of graduate school. I ran a fever and coughed until it felt like my whole world was turned upside down. Because I'm a geologist, not a medical doctor, I nicknamed that bout of illness "the plague." But what I experienced was a walk in the park compared to the real McCoy. The sheer virulent power of plague is ...
For the heart—permanently
I can vividly remember the worst I ever performed as a wife during my 26-year marriage. I failed big time. It was Saturday and I had a work function. So, plans were to meet my husband at a local restaurant for dinner. I was so happy to see him as we approached in the parking lot. Big blue eyes. That charming smile. And oh so huggable. No quicker than I could reach ...
State legislators need a holiday from red tape
As Mayor of the City of Turlock I feel compelled to let my concerns be known regarding several anti-local control bills that are currently before the state legislature. Passage of any of these bills will impose unreasonable restrictions on local government and limit our ability to maintain the basic public services our local residents deserve and depend upon. AB 438 would place new, precedent setting requirements on cities that choose to ...
Our spirit endures
I remember the day clearly. My husband was getting ready for his 7 a.m. work shift while I stayed in bed drifting in and out of wakefulness. I suddenly became aware that he had stopped getting dressed and was just standing quietly. My husband's odd behavior made me sit up and find out what had interrupted his morning routine. He was staring at the television with a blank look on his face. I ...
Water, water, not quite everywhere
When I was a kid I was "born again," a process that involved being fully and totally immersed in water. Much more recently I was on the home stretch of an 8-mile walk in the hot sun when the minister I was walking with kindly poured her drinking water on my hot little head. Seldom does water feel so good as when splashed on an overheating noggin in the summertime. As ...
BART protesters' oppression envy
During one of the protests that shut down Bay Area Rapid Transit this month, an anonymous protester - hiding behind a Guy Fawkes mask - stood with a sign that read, "Mubarak Gaddafi BART." Talk about delusions of oppression. Egyptians risked torture, imprisonment and their very lives to oust the heavy-handed Hosni Mubarak regime. Libyan rebels have been engaged in months of bloody combat to evict Moammar Gadhafi from power. And BART? ...
Waiting for the heroes
Have you ever watched a horror movie and wondered why the townspeople never decide to just get out of dodge before the monsters arrive at their doorsteps? I have.
A new and growing crop
This summer has been filled with acrimony about the federal budget, with red versus blue politicians squaring off to hurl criticisms at each other. For a lot of us, turning on the news has felt like an exercise in masochism. Imagine my pleasure, then, at going to a recent meeting where Americans from quite different walks of life were gathered to learn together about something we all need – a nutritious food supply.
The few, the proud, the teachers
Can you hear it? The sounds of brand new pencils being sharpened mean that school is about to be back in session.
Developing global perspectives
In the words of John Ciardi, "The classroom should be an entrance into the world, not an escape from it." Of course, this essayist, poet, columnist, and author was no newcomer to adventure himself. From the spectacles of seven states to the battles of World War ll, this son of Italian immigrants journeyed throughout America and far beyond its borders – and by the time of his March 30, 1986 ...
Words have power
It's a different world than when I was a teenager. I've known this for awhile now, but a recent article in the Ceres Courier made me realize just how different.
Rebuilding rural America through rural philanthropy
President Obama and I have worked hard to build thriving, sustainable economies communities in rural America. This is essential to the strength of our nation, but government cannot do it alone in these tough economic times.
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