Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/19974
4A – Daily News – Friday, November 19, 2010 Opinion D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Express yourself this Christmas Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer’s home street address and home phone num- ber. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 Due in part to the success of our reader photos feature, the Daily News is offer- ing a holiday version with its Tehama Country Christmas Album, which will feature not only your photos, but other visual creations, rec- ollections of Christ- mas past, holiday recipes and even Christmas poems written by readers. The goal is to pro- vide an overview of Christmas in Tehama County, and who knows better than you what that means? From an editor’s chair, this represents an opportunity for all of you who have sent me poetry or family stories in the Chip Thompson 545 Diamond Ave. past, only to be told space is too valuable for most such sub- missions, to share your tales and talent with the community. But don’t wait, because the deadline for submitting your items is Dec. 1. There are a few guidelines, which are published in our clas- sified section each day under the head- ing of Announce- ments. Far and away the most important of these guidelines is that all submissions should be your own original work, or that of a consenting family member. Many of us have a favorite Christmas poem, recipe or piece of art, but if it’s not yours, please don’t submit it — this includes professional portraits, which are copyright- ed. Not only are there legal ramifications, but we’re look- ing for truly local work — the creativity and talent that reflect our community. Look at it this way. This is your chance to shine. Would you put a photo of strangers in your family Christmas album, or a published author’s work in your child’s school scrap- book? Sure, the portrait of the strangers might be more pro- fessionally done, and the work of the published author may outstrip your child’s own cre- ation. But the album or scrap- book wouldn’t be yours. We want this Christmas album to be yours, Tehama County. *** You may have noticed another new feature recently in the Daily News called “I want to know.” It debuted Monday with a reader asking why some shops charge sales tax on the Daily News, while others did not. The answer, from Circulation Manager Kathy Hogan, is that we sell the papers to retailers and it is up to each shop whether to charge sales tax or absorb the tax into their prof- it. Like reader photos, we’ll publish these questions and answers as they are received and space allows, so keep an eye out. Chip Thompson can be reached at 527-2151, Ext. 112, or by e-mail at editor@redbluffdailynews.com. Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 4164 P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento 94249; (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319- 2102 STATE SENATOR — Sam Aanestad (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 2054, Sacramen- to, CA 95814. (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 893-8363. U.S.SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Location, location, location Commentary Not to bite the hand that feeds me, so to speak, but the DN should refrain, when pos- sible, to designate a fight, an altercation or a stabbing as occurring near a business estab- lishment. Last week they reported a fight occurred in the alley behind a popular family Mexi- can restaurant. In my opinion, the article did a disservice to the eatery when the fight could have been reported as in an alley near the intersection of Main and Oak. However, the paper must have read my thoughts because this week they reported a similar incident…but this time merely wrote "Two men were stabbed after an altercation in a Main Street business parking lot“. Much better. * * * As my destiny in life is to pose as a poor man’s Herb Caen, herewith are a few of his pithy observations: “Cockroaches and socialites are the only things that can stay up all night and eat anything.” “I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there.” “The only thing wrong with immortality is that it tends to go on forever.” And “The trouble with born-again Christians is that they are an even bigger pain the second time around.” * * * Did you catch the typo in last week’s col- umn head? I was trying to be erudite and sophisticated by quoting a Latin phrase…and then it took the icing off the cake when the head read “mea clupa”. Tsk, tsk. True, the text continued with the correct “mea culpa” but my literary ego suffered mightily from the gaffe. And since that column about Facts & Fic- tion owner L. Elsner discontinuing her famous store, I not only failed to mention the Book Barn on Oak Street was flourish- ing in the book trade, but also the Christian Book Store across from the Post Office. You see what happens when you get a lit- tle age on you and don’t get out of the house very often? * * * A Korean War veteran dropped by to report that the US Post Office and the Post Office Annex did not display the flag on Veterans Day. He was incensed. I thought it might have been an oversight, but he said when he called them about it they mumbled something about budget restrictions. Seems like this is an issue that the late columnist Sydney Lindauer would have run up her flag- pole. * * * 92-year-old R Calvin, in good old Cottonwood, reading in the 22 October column about an ambitious though fictional chicken, wrote of a real life encounter he witnessed back in the ‘30s when he was a lad of 14 or so. One summer day, on the way to his farm family’s outhouse, he heard an unusual sound coming from the chicken pen. It was coming from a while absent the newspaper pouting and pontificating mightily. The parade will deal with people and places no longer with us but deserving of remembrance…and the latter will be reprints of earlier I Say columns of mine or my father’s dating back to 1939. Hope you enjoy our Robert Minch I Say hen sitting on the ground and crying with every breath. Her tongue was hanging out, and she apparently had tried to eat a giant, glossy brown, hard shelled beetle. In an act of self preservation, the beetle had gotten its pincers into the hen’s tongue and wouldn’t let loose. He ran back to the house and got a pair of pliers. He picked up the chicken who would ordinarily run from him but was desperate to let him solve her problem. With great effort he was able to get the beetle pried loose and threw it into the hog pen when it may have fared badly, but deserved it he thought, for the pain it inflict- ed on the little hen. He said the hen had a grateful look on her face as he walked back to his house after doing his good deed some 80 years ago. * * * Did you check out the obituary page Wednesday? Thereon, you might have seen our second column venture. It will have a bold boundary and an hour glass in the upper right corner and a very brief “brought to you by” at the bottom. It will be either “The Passing Parade” or “We Said.” Both categories were published in the website we maintained for a couple of years * * * Last week’s quiz was apparently too easy as witness the number of respondents. In early were the knowledgeable N. Rick and the retired but alert J. Yingling who knew all of the second lines to the famous poems such as, “the midnight ride of P. Revere” , “while I pondered weak and weary,” “wind of the western sea,” “let me count the ways,” and “but liquor is quicker.” Good show, all. This week’s quiz: What was the locale (town) of radio’s “Lum and Abner,” of “All My Children” and, where is the University of Arkansas located? * * * When twins came, their father, John Dunn, Gave “Edward” as name to each son. When folks said, “Absurd!” He replied, “Haven’t you heard That two Eds are better than one?” Tsk, tsk... Robert Minch is a lifelong resident of Red Bluff and former columnist for the Corning Daily Observer and Meat Industry magazine. He can be reached at rminchandmurray@hotmail.com. stroll down memory lane. However, the columns will still contain a lot of person- al pronouns, so if you find that as irritating as some, you might ignore them and only read the regular obitu- aries… or contemplate your navel. The choice is yours and don’t blame the editor or publisher for this additional material. After all, they are your arbiters of good taste.