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.
There is little argument that gay teens have been in Scouting since the movement started a century ago.
As we plow through this new year head on and heartened, it is a given that we will encounter technology in its newest and most thrilling forms. However, the ever-increasing reliance on digital devices poses some thorny questions about what technology could be doing to our attitudes. The proof is in the pudding as the primary purpose of most digital devices today is to cater to our ease and to gratify information needs ...
Smriti Nalwa and her 9-year-old son partook in an American pastime back in 2005.
Every December, we at the Journal do a year in review story. Hopefully, you read the 2012 review in Saturday's paper; if not, you can find it online at www.turlockjournal.com. This is always a daunting task as it is more than just a review of the year's top stories; it is also finding the reoccurring themes during the last 12 months. This year, we made it easy to understand the themes the editorial ...
Abandon all hope, ye who watch the "fiscal cliff" drama. There has been serious pressure on House Republicans to buckle and pass the extension of the Bush tax cuts for 98 percent of income tax filers demanded by President Barack Obama. I would have cried, "Uncle." Polls show that voters are predisposed to blame Republicans if Washington falls off the fiscal cliff. I don't see how House Repubs can withstand the onslaught ...
Hollister - the store not the town - has to be one of the last places on earth that any sane 56-year-old would go.
Over the course of 2012, farm families and rural communities faced a number of challenges. A record drought impacted much of the country and many were impacted by a major hurricane, flooding and severe storms. However, thanks to the resilience of rural Americans, our communities are still going strong.
Dear Mr. Superintendent of the Turlock Unified School District, My husband wrote you an email regarding school safety since you refused to meet with him in person. He wrote a list of short term and long term suggestions regarding the safety of your schools. This was done after we took pictures and video of open gates with no locks. He also videotaped himself walking around our daughter's campus for over three minutes this past ...
Oakland has $316,000 that the city is not legally entitled to keep.
Just as most folks are settling in for a long holiday break that includes spending time with family around a fireplace or a home-cooked meal, I'll be packing up my entire household. Yes, I am one of those crazy people who decided December would be the perfect time to move. When my husband and I first decided to move this month, I dreaded the work that would entail. I envisioned endless hours of ...
How can you possibly celebrate Christmas in California?
There's a scene from "Back to the Future III" - shot in the Red Hills area near Jamestown - where Doc Brown is lamenting his sorrows in a saloon over his lost love, Clara. In an unguarded state of mind for lack of sleep, Doc admits to a crusty trio of cowboys from 1885 about being from the future. When one skeptical bar patrons asks Brown what people do for fun in the future, Brown ...
For the majority of Turlockers, preparing grand feasts for the holidays is nothing new. But a deeper, often overlooked and undervalued, power of those feasts may come as a surprise. The fact is, in any food, mixed in with the pinch of spice and seasoning is the unique ingredient of unification. Food brings together world leaders, as they may convene at a dinner over the Millennium Development Goals. Food draws together communities, as ...
Steve Fossett was a successful American businessman and a multi-millionaire. He also was a risk taker.
Artificial or real. It's the seasonal version of the plastic or paper question.