In Columns, Turlock Journal Stories on June 27, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Alex Cantatore
Remember when you were a child, playing outside on one of those hot summer days, and all of a sudden music started faintly lilting across your front yard?
At first you might have dismissed it, attributed the sound to some radio or record player. But then the noise of neighbor children screaming became audible. The music gradually grew louder and louder.
And, then, the ice cream truck rounded the corner on to your block and you ran inside to beg your parents for a dollar.
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In Columns, Turlock Journal Stories on June 27, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Alex Cantatore
If I were to make a list of people that I’m not envious of, “Turlock City Councilmembers” would be sitting pretty at number one.
The annual budget process is a hellacious time. No one ever leaves the negotiating table happy, even in years when there is more than enough money to go around.
Then-Vice Mayor Kurt Vander Weide summed up last year’s budget process - a knives out, expletive filled festival of accounting and arguments - as “overly laborious, the process is antiquated, and I believe if I use the word correctly, Mr. Attorney can correct me here, arcane.”
“Arcane works, yeah,” responded then-City Attorney Dick Burton.
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In Columns, Turlock Journal Stories on June 27, 2009 at 8:15 pm
BY ALEX CANTATORE
Let’s get this out of the way right at the start.
Yes, new Turlock City Manager Roy Wasden will be making just over $202,000 in base salary during his first year on the job. Ignoring taxes and required benefit contributions, that’s enough for Wasden to purchase a beautiful new 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 1,500 square foot cul-de-sac home in Turlock with just one year of pay.
Yes, Wasden will be receiving a $500 a month automobile allowance in addition to his salary - enough to lease a Mercedes Benz GLK350, an Infinity M35, or a Porsche Cayenne. And, yes, any one of those cars would be fantastic to take on a cross-country road trip during Wasden’s four weeks of paid vacation or two weeks of “cough, cough,” sick leave.
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In Columns, Turlock Journal Stories on June 27, 2009 at 8:05 pm
This is, without a doubt, my least favorite time of the year.
And, believe it or not, it has nothing to do with the mercury inching up into the triple digits on my comically large thermometer. I like to think that our sweltering summer days just give me another excuse to take a swim, light up the barbecue, or throw on those short-shorts that, most unfortunately, are not considered “workplace appropriate.”
But I’d rather not bring up that regrettable incident for my co-workers once again.
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In Columns, Turlock Journal Stories on June 27, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Alex Cantatore
According to the spooks who put together the CIA World Factbook, California would play host to the 10th largest economy in the world, were it an independent country. That slots The Golden State in right below Brazil, and above nations such as Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Canada.
And yet, somehow, California found itself with a $40-someodd billion budget deficit this year.
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In Columns, Turlock Journal Stories on June 27, 2009 at 7:38 pm
BY ALEX CANTATORE
I have fond memories of growing up in Stanislaus County, paying countless visits to the old Modesto Roller King for one grade school birthday or another. Without fail, the Roller King staff would strike up a game of “Red Light, Green Light” at some point during the proceedings.
If you’ve never had the chance to play, it’s a rather simple and straightforward game.
When the referee says “Green light,” you skate. When he says “Red light,” you stop. If you don’t stop and the referee catches you, you’re out of the game.
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In Columns, Turlock Journal Stories on June 27, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Alex Cantatore
When looking at the current makeup of the Turlock City Council, one question immediately comes to mind. Why do we as Turlockers endorse a council composed entirely of members that live on the north and east sides of town?
We may have elected these representatives, but do they truly represent the increasingly diverse City of Turlock?
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In Columns, Turlock Journal Stories on June 27, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Alex Cantatore
The Chrysler Building. Sears Tower. The Transamerica Building. Disneyland.
It’s a time-honored American tradition to name developments after those who fund them. And I have absolutely no problem with the practice; it simply makes sense to honor those who have invested their time and money to make our world a better place.
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In Columns, Turlock Journal Stories on June 27, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Much to the delight of millions of screaming preteen girls-and my Editor-the “Twilight” movie came out on DVD last week.
The release was fairly unremarkable, unless you consider utter pandemonium remarkable. Target looked like World War III had swept through with the unthinkable reality of bare shelves in the DVD section, women vociferously crying upon hearing the release had sold out, and life-size stand up advertisements of vampires tipped over like a child’s building blocks.
In case you somehow missed hearing about “Twilight” until this column, the operative word in that last sentence was, “vampires.” Yes, not since Buffy and her ilk walked the Earth-or at least the creepy confines of the ill-fated WB Network-have vampires been so gosh darned cool.
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In Columns, Turlock Journal Stories on June 27, 2009 at 7:03 pm
ALEX CANTATORE
Okay readers, time for a little quiz.
If I were to name Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita,” George Orwell’s “1984,” Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road,” and Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s “Watchmen,” what would you say these four novels have in common? Other than the obvious of being printed on paper, of course.
Believe it or not, all four books were selected among Time Magazine’s Top 100 English-language Novels written since 1923. That’s right, “Watchmen,” the groundbreaking 1986 graphic novel whose movie adaptation opened in theatres Friday, was rated among the best works of English literature in the 20th century.
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In Columns, Turlock Journal Stories on June 27, 2009 at 5:07 pm
ALEX CANTATORE
“Oh, you don’t know about that because you’re not on Facebook.”
It’s become a wildly common turn of phrase amongst the world’s twenty-somethings. A constant refrain among my particular group of college friends as we admonish the last few holdouts, those who-for some unknown reason-have decided against making every detail of their daily life available to complete strangers.
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In Columns, Turlock Journal Stories on June 27, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Alex Cantatore
A little over a week ago, as we were preparing for the Valentine’s Day issue of the Journal, my editor referred to me as, and I quote, “completely unromantic.”
“Me, unromantic?” I said/laughed in reply. Clearly my editor does not know me as well as she thinks she does.
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In Columns, Turlock Journal Stories on June 27, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Alex Cantatore
Turlock Auto Plaza. Circuit City. Mistletoe and Roses. Home Depot. It seems like everyone’s going out of business these days. No one’s job is safe, regardless of how long they’ve worked somewhere or how long their employer has been in business.
I guess there’s a reason they call it a depression, because it sure as heck makes me depressed.
But fear not, readers, for I can help you survive this economic downturn unscathed. With a little help from my favorite reality TV shows, that is.
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In Columns, Turlock Journal Stories on June 27, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Alex Cantatore
My mind races to Indiana Jones, circa “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” exploring ancient temples with booby traps awaiting at every turn. I catch a mental glimpse of “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” flipping her way through Egyptian and Cambodian ruins. Heck, I even think of Ben Gates, barely escaping the flooding lost city of Cibola with his life in “National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets.”
And then my heart-which is doing some racing of its own-makes me think that perhaps I’d best pay some attention to the reality before me. Or, perhaps, I should say below me.
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In Columns, Turlock Journal Stories on June 27, 2009 at 1:49 pm
ALEX CANTATORE
Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly beginning to feel a whole lot more ho, ho, ho-ier as I flick open those little windows on my advent calendar, revealing those oh-so delicious morsels of chocolate, and tick off the days towards Dec. 25.
Certainly, the fog is helping my holiday mood. It’s the Valley equivalent of snow, as you well know. But I think there’s something a little more special that’s urging me to don my obnoxiously jolly Christmas vest this year.
Something a little more… Secret, if you will.
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In Columns, Turlock Journal Stories on June 27, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Alex Cantatore
Once upon a time, in 1957, to be exact, Ayn Rand sat down and wrote an exceedingly long book called “Atlas Shrugged.” Despite the 1,200-page length of the book, however, the plot is surprisingly simple. In fact, it’s really just about one little question.
“Who is John Galt?”
Now, you don’t have to have read the book to understand this question. In fact, it’s almost better if you don’t understand the question. Because that’s kind of the point of it, you see; it’s a query with no answer.
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In Columns, Turlock Journal Stories on June 27, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Alex Cantatore
Look, I love Wikipedia as much as the next guy. After all, it’s the absolute best source for any information ever known to man [citation needed].
What’s that? Oh, that pesky little citation needed tag, pay no attention to that, trusty reader.
You see, information on Wikipedia is nearly infallible. It’s just that “nearly” that causes trouble. Allow me to relate a little anecdote.
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In Columns, Turlock Journal Stories on June 18, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Alex Cantatore
Staff reporter
When I left for work on Monday I was well aware that it was the first day of autumn.
I could feel it in the air. It was cooler, somehow crisper. A brownish leaf even caught my windshield as I backed out of the driveway that morning.
What I did not realize was that, with autumn, would come the start of the so-called silly season of local politics.
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In Columns on March 18, 2009 at 4:43 pm
By Alex Cantatore
Staff reporter
I seem to have developed a bit of a reputation as a tech maven during my tenure here at the Turlock Journal. I admit that it’s not entirely unwarranted, given my endless computer advice and amazing telephone-fixing capabilities.
But for all my technological know-how, I’m surprisingly old-fashioned. I would have loved to have lived in the sort of America that typified the 1950s.
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In Columns on March 15, 2009 at 6:34 pm
BY ALEX CANTATORE
Staff reporter
A week ago today I was sitting in the conference room here at the Turlock Journal Headquarters, trapped in our long, tedious weekly story meeting, when a strangely sweet smile came across my editor’s face. In her hands she gripped stacks of bright green half-sheets of paper, each covered with hastily scribbled notes.
I felt the room collectively shiver in anticipation of what was to come.
You see, when my editor smiles, it’s probably a good sign to be very, very afraid.
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In Columns on March 15, 2009 at 6:21 pm
BY ALEX CANTATORE
Staff Reporter
A few weeks ago I found myself sitting in a dimly-lit San Francisco bar called The Red Room, hunched over a small table, arm wrestling one of my female friends. And believe me when I say that this was an absolutely vicious, seesaw battle.
The arms pitched back and forth, our muscles quivering for what seemed like hours, until finally my friend reached out and cheated, slamming my own hand to the table.
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In Columns on March 15, 2009 at 6:12 pm
BY ALEX CANTATORE
Staff reporter
On Feb. 8, 2008, an era came to an end.
I know, I know, your memory banks are racing, trying to think back to February. But, to be honest, you probably didn’t hear about this.
It was a small piece of news that slipped away, the death knell of a product that had long since been relevant. Why would anybody care about a thing like that?
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In Columns on March 9, 2009 at 11:01 pm
BY ALEX CANTATORE
Staff reporter
I certainly don’t consider myself a social butterfly. But for some reason, I rarely find myself in town when the weekend hits.
This state of affairs causes much half-hearted consternation from my editor.
“Fiiinnnnee,” she huffs, then sweetly asks a co-worker if she will cover the opening of the Patterson Dog Park instead.
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In Columns on March 9, 2009 at 10:54 pm
BY Alex Cantatore
Staff Reporter
To the recently graduated Class of 2008, I must first apologize for my delayed commencement column. I’ve been struggling for the past few weeks trying to find the right words to guide you through these wild roads ahead of you.
Sure, I could be like every other commencement speaker in history and tell you that you can accomplish anything you dream of, that the best lies ahead of you, and that there is a Santa Claus, but I’ve decided to take a different tact. Instead, I’m going to talk to you about Ray Allen.
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In Columns on March 9, 2009 at 10:45 pm
BY ALEX CANTATORE
Staff Reporter
I don’t know if you’ve seen the latest worker productivity study, but I personally pay as much attention to this stuff as I do to Hollywood gossip.
Well, okay, maybe I pay a little more attention to the gossip. But, I mean, Tori Spelling’s new baby is like totally cuter than any of these economist dudes.
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In Columns on March 9, 2009 at 10:38 pm
By Alex Cantatore
Staff Reporter
I can hardly imagine what it was like to grow up before the age of the Internet. You know, back when you actually had to go on a date with someone to find out if you were compatible or not.
Sure, they’ve had dating services and personals ads forever, but, “Cuddly SWF seeks fun loving, 20-something male with a passion for long walks on the beach and barnyard animals,” only tells you so much about a person. Mainly that you should run, not walk, in the opposite direction.
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In Columns on March 9, 2009 at 10:28 pm
By Alex Cantatore
Staff Reporter
Last week, with 97.5 million votes tallied, David Cook defeated David Archuleta by more than 12 million votes to claim the title of American Idol alongside such noted pop luminaries as Rubin Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, and Jordan Sparks.
Now, don’t get me wrong here, I’m not trying to start an argument about the success-or lack thereof-that the most popular show on television has had in picking new pop sensations over the last seven years.
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In Columns on March 9, 2009 at 10:03 pm
BY ALEX CANTATORE
Staff reporter
I’ve said it before in these columns that I write, but I am a huge fan of open wheel automobile racing. While all the cool kids these days are wearing Dale Earnhardt Jr. shirts, or perhaps Tony Stewart jackets if they’re fans of overweight rebels, I’m much more likely to be seen in a vintage Jacques Villeneuve hat from his first stint with British American Racing.
Like all things in life, I blame this obscure fixation on my parents.
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In Columns on March 9, 2009 at 3:51 pm
BY ALEX CANTATORE
Staff reporter
As I have alluded to in past columns, I am a voracious reader. I love nothing more than to sit by myself and read a good book, to build up visions of the world that the author has created and to starve myself from sleep over the intricacies of syntax and structure.
Fortunately, I am surrounded by a good number of people here at the Turlock Journal who are bibliophiles like myself. Short book-oriented discussions ebb and flow throughout the workweek, but my coworkers and I constantly find ourselves on uncommon literary ground.
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In Columns on March 9, 2009 at 3:45 pm
BY ALEX CANTATORE
Staff reporter
You may not believe me when I say this, but I am, generally speaking, a fan of the Turlock City Council. After all, they must have done at least a few things right over the years to transform “The City of God” from a sleepy agricultural community into a place that over 70,000 now gladly call home.
Despite the many challenges the Council has faced throughout the years, they have always moved forward. From their very first meeting, when the Council addressed the problem of the time and got pigs off the streets, to the modern day, when the Council saw the need for the arts in this community and allocated the necessary funds to rebuild the Carnegie Arts Center, the Council has always been one of action.
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In Columns on March 5, 2009 at 6:36 pm
BY ALEX CANTATORE
Staff Reporter
I was sitting in the car with my mom one day when a commercial for the Nintendo DS game “Brain Age 2″ came on the radio.
The advertisement seemed fairly benign. It asked a few simple questions and gave listeners a very rough idea of what the game was about.
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In Columns on March 5, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Alex Cantatore
Staff Reporter
I know, the seven propositions before California voters this year are undoubtedly important to the future of the state. But I have no idea how to vote on them.
Proposition 92 would change the state of the community college system. Attending Modest Junior College, for example, would become more affordable to those in need. But would lowering tuition and revamping the power structure cost our already indebted state more than we could afford?
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In Columns on March 5, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Alex Cantatore
Staff Reporter
On Tuesday evening the San Francisco Republican Alliance held a straw poll at the Holiday Inn at Fisherman’s Wharf. Or, at least, they were supposed to.
The evening was to be a rather simple affair; attendees could pay $33 each to vote in the straw poll and attend a gala banquet, highlighted by an hour-long speech from State Senator Sam Aanestad (R-Grass Valley). Those that did not desire to enjoy dinner and hear Aanestad extoll the merits of Presidential Candidate Fred Thompson could simply pay $5 to vote in the poll.
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In Columns on March 5, 2009 at 6:00 pm
BY ALEX CANTATORE
Staff Reporter
After having attended several Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors meetings, I would like to state my extreme joy that elections are less than a year away. The Board of Supervisors are in need of a shakeup.
I am not a political neophyte by any means. I served on several boards in college, I have attended city council meetings, and I’ve seen sessions of the House, Senate, and various overseas institutions. I understand the need to be political. I understand the need for money.
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In Columns on March 4, 2009 at 11:57 pm
Alex Cantatore
Staff reporter
I’ve been in one fight in my entire life. It was in preschool.
This kid, I don’t remember his name, he was a biter. He bit everyone all the time. It was like his hobby. Other kids would finger paint, he would bite.
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In Columns on March 4, 2009 at 8:53 pm
BY ALEX CANTATORE
Staff Reporter
Last week a fellow reporter here at the Turlock Journal casually mentioned that “Super Mario Bros. 2″ was her least favorite Mario game. I immediately launched into an explanation of how SMB 2 wasn’t a Mario game in Japan, it was a game called “Doki Doki Panic” that Nintendo changed to be a Mario game to make it more successful in America, and so it isn’t really fair to call it a Mario game or to judge it against the others in the series.
I don’t think she cared for even for a second. I can’t say I really blame her, after all. I mean, I doubt you really care either, right? So why am I telling you all this?
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In Columns on March 4, 2009 at 8:21 pm
BY ALEX CANTATORE
“Close that hole under your nose and pay attention,” screamed a California Highway Patrol Officer who was no more than six inches from my face.
And I wasn’t even talking.
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In Columns on March 4, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Alex Cantatore
Staff reporter
Everyone in Irvine always felt like one of the cool kids when The OC was on TV. When they name dropped about valet parking at Fashion Island, we knew exactly what they were talking about. We were living it.
We shopped at South Coast Plaza, surfed at Newport Beach, and had bonfires at Corona Del Mar. Half the people I knew had season passes to Disneyland, myself included.
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In Columns on February 25, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Alex Cantatore Staff reporter
Hello, and welcome to my first column here with the Turlock Journal. My name is Alex Cantatore, and it is an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance.
I am a native of Stanislaus County, born and raised just a ways down Hwy. 99 in Riverbank. I went to Central Catholic High School where I got to know a good number of T-towners. I attended the University of California, Irvine, where I majored in English with a minor in Information and Computer Science. Yes, you read correctly, I studied both English and computers. My friends have always said that I have a bit of a split personality.
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