If there was a funeral notice, I missed it. No obituary appeared in any of my daily papers. But make no mistake about it: In the spring of 2011 in the United States of America, our collective sense of moral outrage must now be officially dead.
Hopefully, everyone reading this column successfully made it through another April Fool's Day. It is difficult for me to have any serious conversation on the first day of April because I'm always worried that I will be made a fool in the end.
Across the country, American families and businesses are feeling the impact of higher gasoline prices. But while some politicians may claim they have a quick fix, the truth is that in the years to come, prices will continue to go up more than they go down. There are only long-term solutions.
Those of us who have been around the block a few times will remember the last time gasoline hit $4 per gallon a new industry sprang up. Drivers could buy magnets to attach to fuel lines to allegedly boost a car's gas mileage by 20 or even 30 percent.
Every American should look at Libya through the prism of the 1988 Pan Am 103 terrorist bombing that left 270 people dead. Moammar Gadhafi - the man whom Ronald Reagan called the mad dog of the Middle East - ordered an attack that killed mostly American civilians in a bombing over British soil. Yet rather than be beaten by more powerful nations, he lived to crow about it.
The tragic death of Costa Mesa city worker Huy Pham after jumping from atop the City Hall building last week - hours after receiving a layoff notice - should serve as a wakeup call. In these depressing economic times, everyone needs to remember that our jobs are not who we are. That might seem like a simple concept, but it isn't. Our culture is centered on ambition and "The ...
Three plus years ago when I left the Navy, I remember thinking "I will never tell anyone to join the military." I thought the only thing I learned from my five years in the Navy was that I could accomplish a lot without having to deal with the rigors of military life.
The earthquake and subsequent tsunami which ravaged Japan last week were unqualified tragedies.
Geology has surely been in the news lately, with the price of petroleum moving relentlessly upward, a threat to global economic recovery because oil is so central to industrial society the world around.
The hearings that will determine whether eight current and former Bell city leaders will stand trial for misappropriating more than $5 million is a prime example of the "not my fault" mentality that has become commonplace in America today.
I have a confession to make: I used to be a smoker.
Of all the jobs that American citizens might do, and of all the careers for which they may train, only one profession is constitutionally protected. The First Amendment to the Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of speech and of the press; and by "the press", they meant journalism.
Dear governors, welcome to Washington! We are delighted you are visiting us for the National Governors Association Winter Meeting this weekend.
On Saturday morning, I received an e-mail from my cousin, informing me that he – while on a family trip to London – had been mugged and effectively left for dead.
Every couple believes in "happily ever after" when they're in love. As they plan their future together, the thought of separation never enters their minds. But all too often, one or both partners will one day decide the best course of action is to go their separate ways.
I'm not sure why legislators in California think they need to take on the role of parents to the state's millions of children.
Noelia could always make a teacher's day, so I was glad to do the same for her. A 17-year-old who moved to the country just recently, she told me she felt badly about her command of English.
If the City of Turlock opted to develop an affordable housing complex fewer than 500 feet from your home, would you expect to be notified?
You and I have our challenges and some real worries, too. There are bills to pay and doctors to visit, to say nothing of mulling over those strange sounds coming from the rear of the car.
Dead man eating. That's how the public health advocacy organization known as the Environmental Working Group would probably describe me.
Global food security – making sure that everyone in the world has enough to eat each day – is one of the most serious issues facing the international community today.
California is known as a car-culture state. Driving down Highway 1 with the wind blowing through your hair and the ocean at your side is practically a required activity to be called a true Californian.
Later this month the Turlock Unified School District Board of Trustees will decide on a trustee district map which will forever change the makeup of the board. Whichever map they choose, it will undoubtedly lead to a more diverse board of trustees.
Former tennis star Andre Agassi deserves enormous credit for recognizing that nothing is more important than ensuring every child gets the kind of quality education that is their best chance for success in a rapidly changing world. I know, there are high school dropouts who make it to the top. But all the ones I know were blessed with gifts that enabled them to do what the other 99 percent of high school dropouts don't.
Very often, it is in moments in which you least expect it that you can be encountered with the grimmest pain.
I love the Fourth of July. As holidays go, it is pretty laid back. You spend the day barbecuing with family and friends, hopefully next to a lake or a pool, and celebrate being an American.
It is time to end the farce.
For the last two years it has been my privilege to photograph Turlock's high school seniors as they walk across the graduation stage. I have seen the tears, smiles, laughter and victory they experience as they receive their diplomas, all through the lens of my camera.
This Memorial Day weekend, Americans across the nation will gather with their friends and families to go swimming and for picnics, parades and barbecues.
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.