The public is bombarded with news reports saying that young people in the U.S. aren't learning enough about science, especially compared to kids in Asia. I'm not sure that's true, because I work at a large university where I see very able American students starting to excel in their scientific careers, and I hear back from them as they flourish in later years. <p style="margin: 0in 0in ...
I now have a better understanding of the phrase "making a mountain out of a mole hill."
Like 111 million other Americans, I opted to spend my Sunday drinking beer and watching oversized men take each other's land by force. It's a national pastime, after all.
Hello Turlock Journal readers! My name is Jonathan McCorkell and I am the new education reporter here. I just wanted to introduce myself and give you a brief outline of who I am, my journalism history and my journalistic philosophy.
We're all in this sinking boat together, so we had better quit fighting and start rowing in unison or else we'll end up at the bottom of the ocean. That is my summary of Gov. Jerry Brown's State of the State address from Monday.It was somewhat inspirational and called on the innovativeness that Californians are known for to lead us into a brighter future. But ...
I remember when I first brought my newborn daughter home from the hospital that my days were filled with worry. I worried about her getting enough to eat. I worried about positioning her in the crib the right way. I worried about germs, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and baby snatchers.
Community Colleges were not totally surprised by the Governor's initial budget proposal. We knew there would be some combination of cuts and increases to address California's $25 billion deficit. However, we did not anticipate the cuts to be as severe.
Late on the night of Jan. 11, in the cozy confines of the Yosemite Room of Turlock City Hall, a Turlock City Council meeting continued on well past 10 p.m.
Unlike most people I've met over the years, I have fond memories of eating lunch in my elementary, junior high and high school cafeterias.
In case you've been living in a hole – no offense to Punxsutawnee Phil, eagerly awaiting Groundhog Day – I feel it's my duty to inform you that it's a bit gloomy outside.
Recent news tells us that the American economy is continuing to move the right direction, creating private sector jobs for twelve months in a row. The Obama administration has worked hard to turn around the economy. And last year's compromise to reduce taxes, as well as the tax relief provided to small businesses by health insurance reform, have also provided necessary certainty to help get businesses to hire ...
It wasn't pretty, but it was a win. The Warriors ended the weekend with two victories after edging UC San Diego, 57-55, Saturday night at Fitzpatrick Arena.
How do we react to the horrific murders of Christina Green, 9; John Roll, 63; Gabe Zimmerman, 30; Dorothy Morris, 76; Dorwin Stoddard, 76; and Phyllis Schneck, 79; and the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and 13 others?
Before my story interview with the Alliance Worknet about the services they offer for job seekers and local businesses, I had a picture in my mind of what the atmosphere at the Alliance office in Turlock would be like.
The art of crafts is slowing dying. I realized this Thursday night at a service club meeting when our group discussed delivering Valentine's Day cards to residents of local nursing homes.
Medical science increasingly has some evidence of a principal your mother warned you about: there really is too much of a good thing. A few folks throw themselves headlong into aerobic exercise. Most of these hard-core endurance athletes start young. Many fall by the wayside in middle age, but there are also those who keep going, completing marathons and similar events well into retirement age. What happens to the heart muscles of ...
Gas - as one Valley billboard proclaimed last summer - is $1.10 per gallon.
Some election cycles it seems that nothing changes. The incumbents are reelected, or candidates with the same ideology take their place. On Nov. 6, Turlock voters elected to replace incumbent City Council member Mary Jackson with newcomer Steven Nascimento. What, if any, change will this bring to the City Council? While Jackson has, in the past, supported more traditionally Democratic ideals and Nascimento is currently a district director for Republican State Senator ...
Thursday was our nation's 223rd Thanksgiving.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau I just reached "middle age," or the approximate mid-way point in the expected lifespan of a female living in the United States. This factoid is surprising to me because I feel like I just graduated high school a few years ago. This warp in my time perception also extends to other events in my life. I still talk about when I was a Journal sports reporter "a ...
It's open season on law-abiding Californians.
With another Presidential Election safely tucked away for four more years, some folks may be relieved to revert once again to their set of typical tasks. But try as we might to return to normalcy, one concept seems to forever trickle into our lives - patriotism. Are we patriotic enough? Or perhaps the more important question: do we need to be? I would like to believe that patriotism is just as relevant ...
Every year, our country comes together on Veterans Day to honor the brave men and women of our armed services who risk their lives daily to protect our freedoms and to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice defending our country. America would not be what it is today without the heroism and sacrifice of those individuals bravely serving our country. Our service men and women risk their lives to protect our country and ...
The republic is still standing.
The fact I'm typing this on an i-Pad may lead one to believe that I would be right at home with a Kindle. I'm not.
Detroit's city leadership is probably relieved that the Tigers didn't win the World Series.
The scariest time of the year is almost upon us.
Contemplate this little tidbit the next time gasoline prices push the $5 a gallon mark: The nation's largest known shale oil reserve is in our own backyard. The Monterey Oil Shale that encompasses virtually all of the San Joaquin Valley, with the Santos Oil Shale covering the Los Angeles Basin area, has 15.4 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil reserves. The U.S. Energy Information Administration notes that is three times more recoverable reserves ...
Let's be honest. Neither Proposition 30 nor Proposition 38 will solve California's school financial problems. Education spending is the 900-pound gorilla of the never-ending state budget crisis. And until such time as the entire system is reformed from pensions to hacking away - and restructuring - the administrative structure above the district level school cuts are going to keep getting more and more dire. States that have taken bold and decisive pension reform measures ...
They're kids. Well, actually young adults. And at age 20 they're part of the Percentage People. The 99 percent. The 47 percent. The 7.8 percent. They aren't part of the wealthy. They don't pay income taxes. They don't have jobs. That doesn't mean they aren't industrious. It doesn't mean they are living on entitlements. And it doesn't mean they don't want to work. They are dealing with reality. Good people come from tough backgrounds. ...