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Wednesday, October 6, 2010 – Daily News – 3B FEATURES Cheating chief chooses cheerleaders Dear Annie: Last night, my daughter’s high school held tryouts for cheerlead- ing. Many girls and their parents were shocked by the actions of the cheer coach, who advanced her own sophomore daughter and six of her daughter’s friends to the varsity level, thereby cutting experienced juniors and seniors. This screams of nepotism. The coach refused to show the score sheets to justify her decisions. These same girls got together with the coach over the summer to practice, and they were grouped together for the tryouts, which gave them a tremendous advantage. I am livid and want this coach fired. Should we ask for tryouts to be held again? The problem is, some girls who made the junior var- sity squad do not really have the skills, but there were seven spots that needed to be filled due to the mass exodus of those sophomores who were moved to the varsity squad. I don’t know how to make this fair. Any suggestions? — Sad in Maryland Dear Maryland: If the coach has total control over who makes the squad, there may not be much you can do. However, we suggest you and some of the other angry parents approach the principal and register your complaint as a group. We hope the principal cares enough about the school’s reputation to see that tryouts are fair and, if neces- sary, to put safeguards in place to avoid accusations of favoritism. Whether or not that means the sophomores are back on the junior varsi- ty squad is not your call. Dear Annie: My older Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar sister was 10 years old when I was born. She resented me from the beginning, and I cannot remember her ever speaking a kind word. When she moved out of the house, all communication was through Mom. That is how she kept up with my life. I was never considered part of her family. She made it clear she was too good for me. Whenever I made an effort to see her, she wouldn’t speak to me. She would only watch TV while I sat there. Now I have been informed by one of her daughters that she has a few months to live, and that I should hurry to her town if I want to see her before she dies. I am no youngster myself. I have no desire to see her, and besides, I’m getting too old to drive. My question is: Should I feel guilty? — Too Late To Care Dear Too Late: It doesn’t sound as if you have much to feel guilty about. You are not obligated to make this trip, particularly if it is too difficult for you. However, if you wish to maintain a relationship with your nieces, it might mean a great deal to them that you made the effort to say goodbye. Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to phone. Dear Annie: I read the letter from ‘‘The Girlfriend,’’ who resent- ed her live-in boyfriend’s 14-year- The deadline to apply for the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Game Warden Academy is Nov. 4. Applicants will be considered for the proposed January 2012 academy at Butte College in Oroville. “Game wardens ensure the future of wildlife resources for the people of California through respon- sible enforcement of laws and regulations,” said DFG recruiter Lt. Jeff Longwell. “They are charged with ensuring public safety, investigating illegal commer- cialization of wildlife, protecting the state from pollu- tion, enforcing habitat protection laws, fighting illegal drug trafficking, keeping the homeland secure and responding during natural disasters.” A typical day for a California game warden is as diverse as the state’s fish and wildlife. Wardens have the opportunity to patrol ocean, desert, mountain and valley environments, as well as California’s urban areas. They frequently work independently and con- duct full-scale law enforcement investigations. War- dens employ everything from ATVs to jetskis to snow- mobiles while on patrol, and spend much of a typical day making contact with Californians in the great out- doors. DFG has a dive team and uses K-9 partners as well. Environmental crimes and pollution incidents also fall under the purview of game wardens. Annually, wardens make contact with more than 295,000 people old bratty daughter. She said the girl is a ‘‘guest’’ in her home. I thought that was terribly sad. It is hard enough to be a 14-year-old girl, with the angst and hormones and everything that goes along with puberty. But this child has seen her parents divorce and her home torn apart, and every other weekend, she has to visit her father in this woman’s home where she is not wanted. ‘‘The Girlfriend’’ has no com- passion. She expects gratitude from the child, yet states she wants her boyfriend to entertain his daughter on his own for a day and then return her to the mother without letting her stay overnight. I am sure the girl would like to have a home where she is welcomed. Most 14- year-olds haven’t learned all the social graces. That boyfriend ought to get his own place and make a home where his daughter can visit him in peace, and where he can be a father to a girl who is already hurting. ‘‘The Girlfriend’’ needs a boyfriend without children so she can have him all to herself. She doesn’t know how to be a mother. — M.J. Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Game Warden Academy deadline approaches and issue more than 15,000 citations for legal infrac- tions. Successful academy applicants will enter a 30-week program, followed by several monthlong training assignments where they will work with a seasoned field training officer. DFG’s academy at Butte College is Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST)-certified. Cadets are trained to be police officers with specific emphasis on working as a warden. Butte College has a 41-year his- tory of police recruit training and has trained more than 5,000 students through its law enforcement academy. The 928-acre campus, the largest in California, includes a wildlife refuge. In California, with 159,000 square miles of area that offers habitat and wildlife diversity unequaled by any other state, the average warden has a patrol district of more than 600 square miles. The state has more than 1,100 miles of coastline, 30,000 miles of rivers and streams, 4,800 lakes and reservoirs, three desert habitat areas and scores of high mountain peaks. Information and applications: www.dfg.ca.gov/enforcement. Applications are now being accepted online and must be postmarked by Nov. 4. To learn more about game wardens visit www.dfg.ca.gov/enforcement/career to view DFG’s new recruitment videos. Hwy 36 group to hold annual meeting The Greater Highway 36 Association will hold its annual gathering and dinner on Friday, Oct. 22, at the Elks Club in Red Bluff. This is an opportuni- ty to express views about the State Hwy. 36 Twenty-Year Plan, pre- sent conditions and the route’s future? Your comments will be considered during the development of the Transportation Concept Report, which is a long- range plan that consid- ers how the highway operates in the commu- nities it passes through, and with respect to the entire State Highway System. Highlights of near- term and major projects programmed to begin will be shared. $143.96 in Discount Coupons were published last week in the D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY … And that does not Count all the ads offering percentage discounts, two-for-ones and Free-with-Purchase offers! Don’t miss a Day of it! Subscribe Today 527-2151 It pays for itself. Special guest speak- ers will be Scott White, office chief for the Dis- trict 2 Office of System Planning, and Laura Rose, associate trans- portation planner, both of Caltrans. RSVP to the Red Bluff-Tehama County Chamber of Commerce at 527-6220 or Steve McKenna at 527-7167 or e-mail sdmckenna@snow- crest.net by Oct. 11. Please specify your choice of New York steak or Chicken Cor- don Blue. If no request, Oh Snap! The Daily News wants your photos: Cute kids, Adorable pets, Inspirational sights, Any shot you think readers would enjoy You might just see it in the Daily News Send pictures to editor@redbluffdailynews.com or drop off at 545 Diamond Ave. in Red Bluff. Include a caption. you will be given a steak. The cost is $23 per person and will be col- lected at the door. For more informa- tion, call Leland George, president, Greater Highway 36 Association, at 527- 4200. Are robots replacing doctors? DEAR DR. GOTT: I recently read an article in The New York Times where doc- tors are commu- nicating with their patients long distance via robot machines. What has the medical industry come to? Dr. Peter Gott DEAR READER: I, too, read the article and was aware of robotic medicine but still rather amused by the changes that have occurred since I became a physician. Robotic medicine is the wave of the future. When a robot is brought to a patient’s bedside, a physician can speak with him or her, observe movements and reac- tions, provide laboratory or X-ray test results, and prescribe — all from hundreds of miles away. The unit resembles a vacuum cleaner and comes with a top that looks like a television so the patient and physician can see and communi- cate with each other. These mobile units are available in hundreds of hospitals across the country, and they become the eyes and ears of the physician involved. Robots are not a new technology. They have been used for years in a great variety of venues, from informational research in outer space to diagnosing a sick patient. Law-enforcement agen- cies and the military use robots to disarm bombs and carry out other dan- gerous missions. They even helped seal the BP well in the Gulf of Mexi- co — a mile below the surface! The possibilities are endless. Are there pit- falls? Sure. A robot can’t approach a hospital bed and hold out a warm hand for support. It can’t wipe the brow of a lonely older patient whose family has yet to visit. That and more reasons are the trade-offs. But I guess we will all have to adapt when we expect our doctor to be tall and handsome, not short and metal. DEAR DR. GOTT: Is there an over-the-counter holistic medicine to use in place of prescription steroids? DEAR READER: Steroids are powerful hormone-like substances prescribed for a great number of disorders. Athletes have been known to take them for performance enhancement. I cannot stress strongly enough that they and all herbals or OTC substitutes should be prescribed only for a specif- ic cause by a qualified health- care professional who knows your medical history. They should be taken under detailed instruction because of vital dosing reductions that must be adhered to. That said, there are several herbals that might be taken alone or in conjunction with other OTCs. They include net- tle root, saw palmetto, hydrangea root, pygeum bark, pomegranate, viburnum, ginkgo biloba, black cohosh, lemon balm, chaste tree berry (monk’s pepper) and hawthorne. As you can imagine, the list goes on and on. You neglected to indi- cate why you or someone else might choose an alternative, and there are countless disorders for which a physician might make the recommenda- tion. Is it for menopause, pain, poison ivy, low testosterone levels or performance enhance- ment? The possibilities are limitless, so without knowing the specific rea- son, I cannot even con- sider what might be appropriate. Speak with your pri- mary-care physician or a naturopath for direction. Good luck. To provide related information, I am send- ing you a copy of my Health Report “Herbs and Other Healing Fads.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order made payable to Newsletter and mailed to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092-0167. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my website at www.AskDr- GottMD.com. Dr. Peter H. Gott is a retired physician and the author of several books, including “Live Longer, Live Better,” “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet” and “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook,” which are available at most bookstores or online. His website is www.AskDrGottMD.com.