Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/60233
Friday, March 30, 2012 – Daily News 5A FEATURES Student changing faiths worries about family Dear Annie: I'm 20 and attending college near my parents' home. Despite what my Catholic family wants, I've been exploring other religions for the past five years and have decided that Judaism is the right road for me. I want to let my family in on this process, but I'm afraid they'll react badly and insist that my Jewish fiance is swaying my decision. My mother is starting to pick up on the fact that I haven't been going to church with her. She has informed me that she would be greatly insulted if I became Jewish, because all those years of putting me through Catholic school would be for naught. She recently hoped loudly that eventually I would "do the right thing and come back.'' I'm tired of lying when they ask where I go on Friday evenings. Help? — At the Crossroads Dear Crossroads: There is Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar young for such a life-chang- ing decision. Regardless, please stop lying to your parents. If this is the path you have chosen, you must be able to stand up for your beliefs in the face of their disappointment. The sooner you start the more time they will have to reconcile them- selves to the situation. You also can enlist the help of your rabbi. Dear Annie: I am writ- ing this to help military fam- ilies who are at home while their spouses are deployed. As a military spouse for 20 years, I am sometimes overwhelmed, exhausted and isolat- ed. Deployments are lengthy, and training adds to the time we are sep- arated. Life is challenging. We often encounter people who some validity to the claim that your fiance may be influencing your decision, but that is to be expected. Even if he isn't making a concerted effort to convert you, his prefer- ences and beliefs would be persua- sive on their own. We respect the fact that you have spent five years considering your decision, which indicates you've done a great deal of thinking. But we also recognize that most of this five-year period took place while you were a teenager and quite want to thank my husband for his service. I thank them for their sup- port. But if you know of a military spouse who is alone, here are a few suggestions: Offer to babysit for free. Older children often miss out on evening events because younger siblings need to be in bed or it's too difficult to take them all to the event. Offer to drive the children to practices or games and supervise them.Include their children in your family out- ings, and give the military spouse an afternoon off. Take a meal to the family. A frozen casserole is a treat on a hec- tic day. Or treat them to a meal out. Anywhere. Offer to mow the lawn, wash the car, check under the hood or take a pet to the vet. Check on them when the weather is extreme. Send their spouse a letter. Call and ask what you can do to help. Please help the military by help- ing out military families. A little kindness goes a long way. — A Soldier's Spouse Anywhere Dear Soldier's Spouse: Thank you for reminding our readers of the simple things they can do to help out our servicemen and women and the families that stand behind them. Dear Annie: I read the letter from ''Old in Indiana,'' the 90- year-old woman who wondered how to divide her possessions among her daughters and daugh- ters-in-law. Several years before my lovely mother passed away, she had all her valuables appraised. Then, in her own handwriting, she wrote who got what next to each piece. I encourage everyone to do the same. It made a difficult time so much easier when we knew we were hon- oring her wishes. I consider it her final gift to us. — Missing Mom in Maryland Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. Utility recognized for women businesses Pacific Gas and Elec- tric Company (PG&E) has been selected by the Women Business Enter- prise National Council (WBENC) as one of the recipients of the 2011 America's Top Corpora- tions For Women's Busi- ness Enterprises Award. It is the highest nation- al award honoring corpo- rations that level the play- ing field for women busi- ness enterprises (WBEs) to compete for corporate business. During an award pre- sentation on March 22 in Baltimore, Md., WBENC recognized 29 corpora- tions for developing and driving innovative best practices across their organizations that result in productive business partnerships with women entrepreneurs and valu- able products and services for their customers. "Thanks to the extra- ordinary leadership of PG&E, and the commit- ment of all our member companies, we have cre- ated tremendous opportu- nities for WBEs in the public and the private sec- tors. This work, in turn, fuels a stronger economy as WBEs add jobs and contribute to their com- munities," said Pamela Prince-Eason, President and Chief Executive Offi- cer of WBENC, the lead- ing authority and advo- cate for WBEs as suppli- ers to the nation's leading corporations and govern- ment entities. PG&E recently announced that it achieved an all-time high of $1.61 billion in spend- ing with diverse suppliers in 2011, accounting for 36.6 percent of its total procurement budget. PG&E's total spend on women business enter- prises also reached an all- time high of $514 million, an increase of $120 mil- lion over 2010. "PG&E enthusiastical- ly supports the economic health of communities in which we live and work as a major purchaser of goods and services," said Des Bell, PG&E's senior vice president of safety and shared services. "Since 1981, our supplier diversity program has provided thousands of diverse businesses with opportunities to provide products to PG&E. It's an honor to receive this recognition – especially during Women's History Month – as we continue our efforts to integrate more women-owned busi- nesses into our supply chain." For more than three decades, PG&E has been committed to diversity and inclusion. The com- pany has developed one of the state's leading pro- grams that support eco- nomic development and job creation in the com- munities it serves. PG&E partners with diverse suppliers to generate innovation and increase competition while con- tributing to their revenue growth. In addition, the utility has played an important role by provid- ing small businesses with technical assistance training. For information on PG&E's supplier diversity program or to learn how to apply to become a cer- tified diverse supplier, visit www.pge.com/sup- plierdiversity/. Events for Chico State's 125th anniversary CSU, Chico is celebrating its 125th anniversary with a year-long series of events, including a cam- pus-wide Expo/Open House on Sat- urday, April 14. The College of Humanities and Fine Arts (H.F.A.), home of the School of the Arts, the North State Symphony and the Janet Turner Print Museum, has a number of events planned for the Expo/Open House. "We invite you to join us for a fun-filled day of informative tours of our facilities, art demonstrations and exhibits, and a preview of the 2012 Spring Musical, 'Oklahoma,'" said Robert Tinkler, H.F.A. co- Associate Dean. See the calendar below for a complete itinerary of H.F.A. Expo/Open House events. • Janet Turner Print Museum, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. • Meriam Library Breezeway, Sustaining Cultures Print Exhibit Contemporary prints by Native American and Australian Aborigi- nal artists celebrate Ishi's 100th anniversary. • Janet Turner Print Museum, noon-3 p.m. • Meriam Library Breezeway, Printmaking at The Turner. Student volunteers demon- strate printmaking techniques in the lobby and help guests make prints. • University Art Gallery, noon-4 p.m. • Taylor Hall, Room 111, Sculpture Exhibition. Works by San Francisco-based artist Stephanie Syjuco; also student works. • Humanities Center Gallery, 1-4 p.m. • Trinity Hall, First Floor, Art Exhibitions, Rouben Mohiuddin's "Recent Works from Design SI" and Cameron Kelly's "Make it Work — Remade and Appropriated Objects." • Art Studios Tours, 2-2:45 p.m. • Meet at "Pugh Mural," 1st & Salem Streets. Come tour our various art studios, see student work in progress, and enjoy a glass blowing demonstration. • Theatre Backstage Tour, 2-2:45 p.m. • Meet in Performing Arts Cen- ter Courtyard. Take a peek behind the scenes and find out what it takes to stage Chico State's many wonder- ful theatrical productions. • "Oklahoma!" Revue, 3-3:15 p.m. • Warrens Reception Center, Get a preview of the upcoming (May 2-6) Spring Musical! Record- ing Arts Studio Tour, 3-3:45 p.m. Meet in Performing Arts Center Courtyard Discover how students make high-quality sound produc- tions. All events are free and open to the public. For more information contact Robert Tinkler, 898-5351. OHV area to be temporarily closed for public safety The Bureau of Land Management will close the South Cow Mountain Off-Highway Vehicle Area to gen- eral recreation use and through traffic through Sunday, April 1, for public safety during two motorcycle races. The North Bay Motorcycle Club has been granted an exclusive-use permit to use the trails throughout the OHV area for the 2012 Crosscut Family Enduro and Sawmill Enduro events. As many as 200 riders per event are expected. COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES Smog Check starting at $ (most cars and pick-ups) 2595 + cert. Pass or FREE retest 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. K W I K K U T S Family Hair Salon $200 REGULAR HAIRCUT off with coupon Not good with other offers 1064 South Main St., Red Bluff • 529-3540 Reg. $13.95 Expires 4/30/12 For more information about the Cow Mountain Recreation Area call the Bureau of Land Management Ukiah Field Office at (707)468-4000. Glaucoma caught early stops damage DEAR DOC- TOR K: I was recently diagnosed with open-angle glaucoma. What can I expect in terms of treat- ment? Will the doctor be able to save my vision? DEAR READ- ER: Our eyes are filled with clear fluid. In glaucoma, pres- sure builds up in the fluid. This increased pressure damages the optic nerve, which carries information from the eye to the brain. Because of the damage to the optic nerve, the infor- mation reaching the brain is reduced, and you cannot see as clearly. In open-angle glauco- ma, pressure tends to rise slowly over time. Gradual loss of vision is usually the only symptom. Because vision is lost painlessly and gradually, most people don't realize they have a problem until substantial damage has occurred. Last year, a close friend of mine dis- covered in a routine eye exam that glaucoma had produced some permanent damage to her vision. For- tunately, she caught it rel- atively early. The good news for her and for you is that proper treatment of glaucoma can prevent further loss of vision — although it won't restore vision that has already been lost. On the other hand, untreated glaucoma can lead to per- manent blindness. Treatment usually begins with prescription eye drops. These medi- cines lower pressure inside the eye. Laser surgery can be done as an alternative to medication, or when med- ication fails to control glaucoma. This surgery is called laser trabeculoplas- ty. Eye surgeons perform this procedure in an office or eye clinic. A high- intensity beam of laser light carefully widens openings in the eye's drainage system to increase the amount of fluid that drains. When a little fluid drains out of the eye, the pres- sure drops. Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. If both medica- tion and laser surgery fail, eye surgery may be necessary. In this procedure, which is performed in an operating room, the eye surgeon will apply numb- ing medication on and around your eye. He or she will create a new opening to improve fluid drainage. Eye pressure almost always decreases with either laser or con- ventional surgery. In most cases, eye drops alone will success- fully lower eye pressure and protect your eyes against further damage. So the most important thing you should know about glaucoma is that it should be diagnosed early, before it starts to damage your eyes. Glaucoma is like some other diseases — high blood pressure, for exam- ple — in that it causes damage without causing symptoms. The only way to know that you have glaucoma is to have your eye pressure measured regularly. Also, an eye professional should look at the shape of your optic nerves, since glaucoma can sometimes change the shape of the nerves before it raises eye pres- sure. There is no expert con- sensus on how often a per- son should be screened for glaucoma. My advice to patients is that they have the screening after reach- ing age 40. If their eye pressure or the appearance of their optic nerves is close to being abnormal, I recommend repeating the screening every several years. My friend who dis- covered she had glaucoma had not had her eyes examined in a long time — too long. Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. Go to his website to send questions and get additional information: www.AskDoctorK.com. Estate, long term care class Passages is hosting its second workshop of its Long Term Care series at 10 a.m. April 19 at the Chico Area Recreation District community room, 545 Vallombrosa Ave, Chico. The topic will be: Medi-Cal, Veterans Benefits, and Estate Plans – How they support your long term living arrangement — Steps you can take now. This workshop will be presented by Neil Har- ris and Nicole Plottel, attorneys at law. Discussion will focus on how these government programs impact estate plans. Reservations are required by calling 898-5923. More information about how to pay for long term care may be obtained by calling the Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program (HICAP) of Passages, at 898-6716. FREE Class Kids Easter Basket Planting Saturday April 7th @ 10 am Please call to reserve a seat Great Soil Amendment Bumper Crop Sale Buy 3 Bags Get 1 FREE Red Bluff Garden Center 527-0886 766 Antelope Blvd. (Next to the Fairground)