Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/784431
GregStevens,Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIALBOARD How to have your say: Letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and no more than two double-spaced pages or 500words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section will be published. Email: editor@ redbluffdailynews.com Fax: 530-527-9251 Mail to: Daily News 728Main St., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS RussianPresidentVladimirPutinsaidsome positive things about America's new Presi- dent Donald Trump during last year's elec- tion. He said those while we voters were still deciding whether our 45th President would be Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. Myfirsttakeon2017'slead- ers in Russia and America will need more time in order for me to gather infor- mation as Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin deal with each other. I am remaining hope- ful and cautious. I hope their goals will not result in yet an- other continuing conflict be- tween the two nations. And, I am just guessing that their views of the opposite sex are probably similar, which I believe are probably quite in- appropriate. I have already de- cided that President Trump's are. In his own words last year we heard our new President's thoughts about women; but a mere object to be used for his personal pleasure? We did all hear his voice define his view on that Access Hollywood video. I have also seen President Putin likes to display his mus- cles in photos he released of himself on horseback with- out a shirt. I think Mr. Putin was probably hoping the world would admire his muscles. I even had a thought recently that both Donald's and Vlad- imir's favorite song might be; "What About Me?" As they continue to deal with each other I think neither will have a tendency to blink first. Fifty-five years ago in 1962 American President John Ken- nedy and the Russian Presi- dent Nikita Khrushchev faced off and barely averted a possi- ble nuclear war. At that time both of them implied they were proceeding to finally put an end to what we all called The Cold War. However, with my 40 years experience watch- ing politics, I believe that for- mer President Ronald Rea- gan deserves even more credit for getting that war ended when he gave a speech in Ber- lin, Germany in June of 1987 — i.e., " Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." Now Presidents Trump and Putin have the wonderful and rare opportunity to make earth a safe place. My sincere de- sire is that both of them don't blow it. I did get nervous when I learned that Mr. Trump's new Secretary of Defense James Mattis has the nickname "Mad Dog." Maybe our new President would like to change that gen- tleman's title to Secretary of Attack. As you probably know, Mr. Putin actually started out as a member of the KGB. Not much imagination could make you believe that the per- sonalities of President Trump and President Putin are quite similar. May they are politi- cal clones? I have just recently began to factor in a man I have ad- mired for some time, who was once declared the richest man in Russia. His name is Mikhail Khodorkovsky. He is in the pro- cess of opening an Open Russia Foundation. He was sentenced to prison and did serve 10 years for simply expressing his views in Russia publicly. However, Mr. Putin unexpectedly par- doned him in 2013. Khodorkovsky was exiled and now lives in London and is do- ing very good work on his proj- ect. Give me your opinion. In the meantime, I suggest we all keep a very close eye on President Trump's choice of "Mad Dog" as our Secretary of Defense. Mytakeonthemovies "Resurrection of Gavin Stone" is a very cute film that quickly becomes extremely se- rious. Make this family movie a part of your 2017 schedule. Everyone with me in the au- dience showed their apprecia- tion with applause. StanStathamserved1976-1994 in the California Assembly and was a television news anchor at KHSL-TV in Chico 1965-1975. He is past president of the California Broadcasters Association and can be reached at StanStatham@ gmail.com. Stan Statham Mytakeon American- Russian relations By Todd Brose In August of 2014 I wrote an article detailing the great sup- port the Red Bluff community provides to our public schools. It is clear the support contin- ues with the recent passing of the Red Bluff Joint Union High School District's Measure J. The district is humbled in offering its gratitude to the community for the fiscal support in provid- ing a 21st century learning en- vironment for all our students. Thank you. The district is well aware that with support comes great responsibility, expecta- tions, and transparency. The purpose of this article is to de- scribe the next steps in the im- plementation of Measure J, how- ever, I first would like to report out on the progress the district is making towards its goals. Two and a half years ago the Board, through its Local Con- trol Accountability Plan (LCAP), identified five goals based on an analysis of specific metrics. The five goals were; 1) Increase col- lege readiness, 2) Increase ca- reer readiness, 3) Improve aca- demic intervention, 4) Improve behavior intervention, and 5) Provide and maintain quality fa- cilities. These are solid goals, in- deed, but just as important was the desire to work collabora- tively and professionally to ac- complish these goals. In the past two and half years RBJUHSD has seen a number of changes. The seven-period day was im- plemented to provide students with more opportunities in tak- ing a variety of classes. A Ca- reer Technical Education (CTE) pathway requirement was added to the curriculum so students could begin career exploration at an earlier age. Recent retire- ments have resulted in a number of new staff. I personally want to thank the service of the teach- ers and staff who have entered, or will be entering into retire- ment. They will always be part of the Spartan Family. This year, RBHS welcomed a new principal and dean of students. Their ded- ication to our students and com- munity has been evident in pro- viding the best opportunities for our students. Much of the changes have supported the college and ca- reer readiness goals, and we are seeing results. Students eligi- ble for UC/CSU entrance contin- ues to rise as well as students graduating with a CTE path- way completion. We have made great connections with indus- try leaders in the areas of man- ufacturing, health, and infor- mation technology. That said, this year's focus has been on academic and behavior inter- vention. Currently, site admin- istration and teachers are col- laborating to implement strate- gies and programs to assist our most struggling students. This includes how the district uti- lizes its support staff as well as scheduling to provide extra support for students. It also in- cludes plans to address the so- cial and emotional well-being of students. The district has in- creased resources to its Inde- pendent Study Program and is providing an alternative setting for students at its new location on Monroe Street. All this col- laboration takes a lot of work. I personally want to thank teach- ers and administration for working extra hours in develop- ing an intervention system. As the district continues to strive to meet the needs of all students, it is also excited to be- gin to address goal number five through Measure J; providing and maintaining quality facil- ities. The district has already taken steps to prioritize projects from the Board approved list. A timeline will be presented to the Board at its February meeting with the anticipated issuance of bonds in May. Things are moving forward, but we need the help from the community. The Board must appoint a citi- zens' oversight committee at the March meeting. The oversight committee's purpose is to ac- tively review and report on the proper expenditure of taxpay- er's money for school construc- tion. This committee will meet at least four times a year and must provide to the public an annual written report. The dis- trict invites any citizen who is interested to sit on the commit- tee. If you feel inclined to partic- ipate, please notify the district of your desire by either visiting our webpage at http://www.rb- hsd.org/ or calling the district office at 529-8700. Again, we in- vite all who would like to par- ticipate. The board will approve the committee at the March 15 regular meeting. Finally, RBJUHSD exists to improve our community by serv- ing our students in a safe en- vironment. We want to do this with enthusiasm and commit- ment through respect and ac- countability. This will be the same purpose when it comes to the repair, renovation, modern- ization, and construction proj- ects funded through Measure J. Again, thank you Red Bluff com- munity for your support and we will continue to work collab- oratively and professionally in meeting your expectations. Todd Brose is the superintendent of the Red Bluff Joint Union High School District. Your view A letter of thanks for supporting Measure J Cartoonist's take I got a call this morning from someone in Detroit on my cell. The call wasn't completed, as I probably lost the signal (as often happens here). But I don't know any- one in Detroit. They didn't call back nor leave a voice mail, so I can only surmise it was another junk call. You know, the equivalent of junk mail, but on your phone. My number is on the "Do Not Call" list. I wonder if that re- ally helps. Would I be getting a lot more calls if it wasn't listed? There is no way to know. And if you take the trouble to report it, all that happens is that the in- formation goes into a database for possible future action. Not very satisfying. I don't let junk calls upset me. I usually say "no thanks" and disconnect after hearing that I've won a cruise or three-day vacation in Florida. But some older folks feel compelled to en- gage with the caller. Maybe they're just bored or feel obli- gated to listen out of a sense of politeness. My mother likes to ask how they got her number, gets indignant, and tells them not to call again. It can get her worked up. Many of these calls are made by "robots" and it's of- ten difficult to tell at the outset. Back before we had cell phones and caller-ID, I used an answering machine to screen my calls. Everyone hated that. But I've always believed that it was up to me if I wanted to stop what I was doing and answer the phone. My family's dinners were never interrupted by calls, unless something important came through the speaker. Some folks refused to leave messages, preferring to try and catch me later. Good luck with that. If I was home, and I wanted to talk to you, I'd pick up. If you ever wanted to reach me by phone, you eventually learned to speak up. I didn't respond to silence. I can hardly believe that folks are taken in by scams threaten- ing them with arrest and/or de- portation if they don't pay some- one immediately. Who ever heard of the IRS or any other government agency getting paid by getting the code for a prepaid money card? The bad guys tar- get vulnerable people like the el- derly and recent immigrants. There's now another reason to hang up right away. I learned of a new scam where a human- sounding robot asks a question calling for a "yes" answer. They record your response and use it to verify a purchase of some kind. Now that's scary. Grandparents have been fair game for crooks who imperson- ate their grand kids online or via text. They say that they're stranded because their car has broken down, or are in jail, and they need money right away. I remember when we used to get letters stating there was a mil- lion dollars waiting for us in a Nigerian bank if we paid the necessary service fee. If some- thing is too good to be true, it usually is, especially with offers received over the phone. If someone genuine is call- ing about something important, with legal consequences (i.e. a fine, arrest or deportation), you will generally have been con- tacted by e-mail or snail (USPS) mail first. Even collection agen- cies don't call until they've mailed several notices, and you have not replied. While these are not junk calls, bill collectors also have rules they must follow. Not having a phone is not a viable option today. So feel em- powered, and just hang up the next time you get a junk call — then block the number. Corky Pickering and his wife relocated from the Bay Area to Cottonwood in 2014. He recently retired from the federal government as an attorney advising law enforcement. He has been a rock and roll bass player and a Marine JAG. He can be reached at thecork6@ gmail.com. Corky Pickering Some reflections on junk calls Corky Pickering Stan Statham Some older folks feel compelled to engage with the caller. Maybe they're just bored or feel obligated to listen out of a sense of politeness. My mother likes to ask how they got her number, gets indignant, and tells them not to call again. It can get her worked up. Many of these calls are made by "robots" and it's often difficult to tell at the outset. OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, February 9, 2017 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4