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Ihatebeingoneofthose crotchety old people who hears a story, shakes his head in dis- gust, and says, "When I was a kid…" Yet, I find myself in that posi- tion — hope- fully I am not crotchety however. "When I was a kid…" I don't remember parents bringing birthday cakes or cupcakes to classrooms. I just don't think it was done way back then; maybe they melted on the stagecoach ride over. Who knows? Yet, times change and it appears to be standard operating behavior for parents to do so nowadays — that is, un- less you reside in Northern Kentucky. Burlington Elementary School in the Bluegrass State revised its wellness policy. The end result is a ban on food for school birthday cel- ebrations. We're not just talking about cakes; rather — in the interest of promot- ing healthier food choices — all other snacks are now verboten. Non-food "treats" such as pencils, balloons, erasers and bookmarks are suggested. "Happy birthday Johnny, now blow out your bookmark!" The intention is laudable; they're actually doing some- thing to combat the ever- burgeoning obesity crisis and attempting to shift the focus of celebrations away from food. Good on them for that. And there are in- deed health concerns in- volving food allergies; not to mention, I imagine it's purt' near impossible to school a child redlining on a sugar buzz. Yet I have concerns. Boone County is in the forefront of this brave new no-sugar-for-you world, but they do not stand isolated. The Edmonds School Dis- trict near Seattle will soon be doing the same thing to promote healthy eating and food safety also. Some schools are providing gift pencils, origami frogs, and extra recess time instead of sugary goodies. Though birthday treats are off the table, quite liter- ally, the ban is not without exception. Their wellness guide states "food may be served at three classroom celebrations — such as sea- sonal, cultural or curric- ulum related — per class- room per year." DJ Jakala, spokeswoman for the District, points out, "We're not just talking about one cupcake a year, we're talking about 25 cup- cakes a year." Before I mount my soap- box, let me again give props for the objectives of both districts — and I imagine more to follow. The goal of decreasing the amount of sugar consumed by children — let alone adults — is admi- rable, even necessary. Yet, as they say, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions." Let's take a step back and look at this objectively. Hav- ing a cupcake on 25 differ- ent days of the year is not causing childhood obesity. It's what's happening the other 340 days of the year. Substituting birthday cupcakes with paper frogs is sending the wrong mes- sage; labeling some foods as "bad" and others as "good." Whereby there is a nugget of truth there, I have worked with people losing weight — myself included — for over 40 years and learned a thing or two about a thing or two about such classifica- tions. When one describes eating choices as "black and white" and eventually slips up (which we all do), he or she transfers the label — and a dose of shame — to herself. I've heard more times than one can shake a calorie at, "I was really bad. I ate some cake (or ice cream or chips)." He or she is not "bad;" he or she make a mistake. "Bad" cannot be corrected; mistakes can. We might argue it would be great if we could just ban sugar, but it ain't gonna hap- pen. So instead of shame- basing foods, we are now provided a great opportu- nity to teach what makes for healthier choices and what does not. When em- powered with such knowl- edge and a better decision is made by choice, rather than edict, it sticks, even- tually becoming a lifestyle, lasting far into the future. The better approach here is more education, which I believe is what schools can do so well. Scott"Q"Marcusisana- tionally known weight loss expert for baby boom- ers and the CRP (Chief Re- covering Perfectionist) of www.ThisTimeIMeanIt. com Get his free ebook of motivational quotations and one year of his highly- popular Monday Motiva- tional Memos at no charge by visiting his website. He is also available for coach- ing and speaking at 707 442-6243. SCOTTMARCUS Bi rt hd ay c ak e ba n fo r th e sa ke o f th e ch il dr en Scott Marcus AWARENESS Medical clinic marks Think Pink Day Tunnel construction crews of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company bor- ing the 22 foot by 23 foot tunnel on the Pit River Power Job No. 3, came face to face Thursday when they broke through the mountain after dig- ging approximately a mile to meet one another. Both sides came together on a perfect alignment. — Oct. 17, 1924 90 YEARS AGO... Two crews meet underground at a depth of 4640 feet The Sacramento River Discovery Center will hold its annual plant sale 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 at 1000 Sale Lane. Volunteers will be avail- able to answer questions and plant selection assis- tance will be provided. Most plants will be sold for $5 per container and new wildflower seed packet assortments will be available. Area native plant nurseries have been invited to increase the va- rieties available. For more informa- tion, call 527-1196, send an email to bhughe1@te- hamaed.org or visit srdc. tehama.k12.ca.us. DISCOVERY CENTER Annual plant sale scheduled Nov. 1 The Lost Monlinos Chamber of Commerce and the Molino Masonic Lodge #150 invite the pub- lic to their second annual joint mixer set for 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24 at the lodge, 25020 Tehama Vina Road. Refreshments and bev- erages will be provided by the Masons. Bring a business card or fill out a provided slip for a chance to win a number of door prizes. MIXER Chamber, Masons team up for event COURTESYPHOTO EmployeesatGreenvilleRancheriamedicalclinicinRedBluffmarkedNor-CalThinkPinkDayThursday. REDDING Early registra- tion is encouraged for Simp- son University for Seniors' November courses, which run Nov. 3-24. Simpson University for Seniors offers non-credit, no-homework classes to adults of any age who are in- terested in learning. Classes are taught on Simpson's campus by university pro- fessors and professionals in their field of expertise. The following courses are being offered: Historic Gold Mines in Shasta County, 10:20-11:20 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. This course discusses many of the rich- producing mines that once made gold mining the ma- jor industry of Shasta County. A few of these his- toric mines are still oper- ating and producing gold. Presented by Dottie Smith, Shasta County historian. Folk Music of the Amer- ican Peoples, 10:20-11:50 a.m. on Nov. 3, 5, 7, 12, 19, 21 and 10:20-11:20 a.m. on Nov. 24. The two continents of the Americas, along with the Caribbean Islands, con- tain a rich history of folk musics created through the collision of African, indig- enous and European cul- tures. This class will explore some of the most important musical traditions of these lands, such as salsa, samba, bluegrass, Sioux flute songs, blues, calypso, tango and much more. Presented by Dr. Dwayne Corbin, associ- ate professor of instrumen- tal music. Two courses are offered each month through May. The cost is $95 per per- son, per course, or $145 for couples registering for the same course. Register on- line with a credit card at simpsonu.edu/seniorschool. For more information, call Glenn Schaefer at (530) 226-4146 or Dianne Mueller at (530) 226-4524. SIMPSON University for seniors accepting students The following informa- tion has been compiled from Red Bluff Police De- partment, Tehama County Sheriff'sDepartment,Corn- ing Police Department and California Highway Patrol logs. Suspicious SouthAvenueand Stephens Road: A caller reported Wednesday that two people were seen in a vehicle coming out of an orchard with bags full of walnuts. 22100block of River- side Avenue: A caller reported Wednesday that she believed her phone had been tapped. The caller was referred to a phone company. South Avenue: The California Highway Patrol reported Wednesday that it received numerous 911 calls from a person who wanted officials to respond and deport him. The authorities were unable to get anything further. Vandalism First Street, Corning: A caller reported Wednesday that eggs were thrown at his van. Police logs PLEASERECYCLETHISNEWSPAPER. Regular Haircut $ 2 00 off KWIK KUTS FamilyHairSalon 1064SouthMainSt.,RedBluff•529-3540 ANY RETAIL PRODUCT 20 % off withanychemicalserviceof $50 or more Notgoodwithotheroffers Expires 11/30/14 With coupon Reg. $13.95 www.lassenmedial.com RedBluff 2450 Sister Mary Columba Drive (530) 527-0414 Red Bluff & Cottonwood Locations 9am-1pm • October18th • November 1st • November 15th LASSEN MEDICAL FLU SHOT CLINICS Lassenmedical.com Cottonwood 20833 Long Branch Drive (530) 347-3418 CattleWomen's Luncheon & Fashion Show Roaring 20's TicketreservationdeadlineisOct.31st 529-9679 Sat.Nov.8,2014 Rolling Hills Casino Tickets $ 28 00 www.RedBluffDailyNews.com Facebook:facebook.com/RBDailyNews Twitter: @RedBluffNews Customer service..................527.2151, Ext. 126 Fax.........................................................................................530.527.5774 Hours: 8a.m. to 5p.m. Monday through Friday Newsroom .............................................527.2151 Toll free................................................................................ 800.479.6397 A er hours.....................................................................................527.2153 Write to us........................................P.O. 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