Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/724518
Doesn'titgetonyournerveswhenyouhave to change all those old battery operated clocks on the walls that you own twice a year? Does "spring forward" and "fall back" sound familiar to you? I'm sure it does. Foryourinformation,New Zealander George Hudson first proposed the idea of daylight saving time way back in 1895. Different coun- tries have imple- mented his idea in different ways since then. As you know, evening day- light lasts an hour longer during summer months with DST. There are many reasons for that. One of the advantages of DST at the start was for rural agriculture-oriented areas. It gives them the option of put- ting their children to work picking corn or cutting hay after they are released from school each day in the mid afternoon. However, there is some op- position to changing our present system. Some of the disadvantages of DST clock shifting are said to be travel disruptions, bill- ings, records keeping, medi- cal devices, heavy equipment and even sleep patterns. This is a controversial issue. I don't sleep that well my- self. I haven't for years. Light or dark, I have pretty much adapted myself to handle my erratic sleep schedule — i.e. I am typing this at 2:24 a.m. I think California Assembly member Kansen Chu is trying to go back to our future, and I like it. Please let me know what you think of eliminating DST and how you would vote on his measure. AB-2496 would end the practice of DST in Califor- nia, which voters approved way back in 1949 with prop- osition 12. Our society has made significant changes in those 57 years. I sometimes think uninformed citizens think they harvest their food at Safeway or Raley's rather than return to working in California fields, known as the breadbasket of the world. In mid August the Califor- nia legislature failed to pass Mr. Chu's proposal. So much for my hopes. I'll just keep changing those battery op- erated clocks I own that are hanging everywhere. Would you have voted to eliminate DST, or not? Please let me know your opinion. As it turns out, Tehama County's State Sen. Jim Nielsen was the only one to vote against this change in early August when the bill came before the Senate Ap- propriations Committee. I re- spectfully disagree with Jim and would have preferred to not "fall backward" and "spring forward" each year. My take is let's keep ev- erything as simple as we can. Then we could all plan on one time and allow our planet to spin. In that fash- ion, the sun will continue to rise up in the morning and go down at night. I don't think we should try to mess with Mother Nature. The author has stated that there is also research that in- dicates a greater risk of heart attacks, car crashes and workplace accidents each year immediately after Day- light Saving Time begins each year. I myself would like to continue joining the 21st Century where most of our communications devices are automatically set and thus, they say, are more user friendly. Mytakeonthemovies My movie review is "Hell or High Water" starring Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben Foster. It is an excellent crime drama set in rural Oklahoma. This film is cerebral, with ac- tion besides. And, I think it will hold your attention throughout. It makes you feel that same anticipation you did when you saw the "Bonnie & Clyde" movie decades ago. 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. StanStatham The advantages and disadvantages of Daylight Saving Time Some of the disadvantages of DST clock shifting are said to be travel disruptions, billings, records keeping, medical devices, heavy equipment and even sleep patterns. This is a controversial issue. Shopper's honesty is appreciated Editor: The Red Bluff Daily News is my addiction with my morning coffee. As I read I became very sad again for the Betty Kinner family, seeing in the obituaries she has lost her last and fourth son. That family has been through so much. I hurried around, changed clothes and drove to Food Maxx to get a few things to put a few meals together for the Kinner family. Quickly did my shopping, checked grocer- ies out and loaded them in my car. Got home and my daugh- ter was helping me unload the car when I discovered my gold ring had slipped off my finger. I kind of panicked. It wasn't worth a whole lot but was a very favorite. My daughter and I looked through all the bags of groceries and the car. No ring. So I called Food Maxx and told them I may have lost it there and would they call me if someone returns it to them, not really believing I would ever see that ring again. They were very nice about it and took my number. Not 15 or 20 minutes passed and my phone rang and it was Food Maxx telling me some- one had found my ring. I could not believe it. I felt so blessed to have the person that found it to be such an honest, worthy per- son. I just hope they are read- ing this and know that I thank them so very much. And thank you for being who you are. — Betty Carroll, Red Bluff Thanks to Corning workers Editor: The city of Corning is the ol- ive capital of the world, but there is something wonderful in Corning that those who come to taste olives will never encoun- ter. I am speaking of the indi- viduals who serve the public. For example, take the em- ployees who work for Women Infants and Children program. Were you aware that they served 2,069 infants last year alone? In addition, they helped 5,267 older children. Anyone who has been around babies knows that out of that many children some of those must have been screaming. Yet the WIC personnel are always pa- tient and kind. Many members of the public appreciate the help they receive from County Health and So- cial Services, but it is impossi- ble to serve 8,720 persons with- out there being some who have succumbed to their stress and may not be the most agreeable under the strain. Yet never have I heard a social worker, recep- tionist or healthcare provider scream or yell, or speak harshly in retaliation. It is one thing to be trained in how to be gracious when working with the public, but it is another to put the train- ing into practice. The county employees who work in the Meuser Memorial Health Cen- ter in Corning do an excellent job of putting graciousness into practice. Let's not forget the employ- ees who work with more than 13,824 patients each year at the Corning Health center. As hu- man beings, when we are ill, we are not usually in the best of moods, and we may be a tad impatient. Yet rarely do we think of those serving us as having life stressors. Since they are human, they too have head- aches, family concerns and a myriad of life stress. I have known the staff for more than ten years almost on a daily ba- sis and never have I observed the staff at Corning Health Center be anything but kind, patient and caring. Lastly, imagine with me a darling little baby so cute with cuddly cheeks and bright eyes looking up at you. You know that in the next few seconds this baby is not going to be happy because you have to take a sample of the baby's blood. You steady your nerves, try to reassure the mother, and at the same time fulfill the doctor's or- ders. That is what a phleboto- mist like Lilia Rodriguez and Jan Irvin has to do day after day. These women are amazing individuals. So the next time you interact with a county employee, clinical staff member or phlebotomist, please let them know you ap- preciate what they do for your community. — Shirley Engebretsen, Corning Jefferson movement alive and well Editor: In reference to the Sept. 1 let- ter from Janice Stout, she must be some special kind of upset — the kind of upset that would cause a person to disparage thousands of decent citizens who are merely seeking equal representation. Our vision of the 51st state is quite visible in the Califor- nia Assembly, where we duly submitted 21 Declarations of Support from 21 counties. The California Assembly has duly ignored them. We have docu- mented the ignoring and are headed to Federal Court. The moment of truth has been here for some time, that California government is tax- ing, spending and regulating us to death. And we in the North State have a serious under rep- resentation grievance. One factor of the State of Jef- ferson movement that put my endorsement over the top was that it had a plan A and plan B. Plan B is court and it struck me that this could have a profound positive effect upon the entire nation, as we are not the only state with this problem. So, we are headed to court. If it costs anything less than $1 million I would be sur- prised. The donations are com- ing in louder than even peti- tions, if Janice gets my drift. No one is being coerced, do- nations are coming from peo- ple that understand what is needed to win our liberty. — Michael Smith, Paskenta Your opinions Cartoonist's take I love reading. There's some- thing about a tangible book that excites me. It's just not the same with eBooks. Like other book lovers, I love browsing book stores. You peruse the aisles until a subject catches your eye. Read- ing the title, you wonder what this book is about, and whether it might teach you something. You look at the cover art and read the back cover. If you're still in- terested — you open it — scan the pages, look at the table of contents and then ask yourself, "Is this a keeper?" If not, then it's back to the shelf. I've found that the number of keepers diminishes with age and has a correlation to the number of books at home on your book- shelves and how many you have sold or donated over the years. Studies have shown that just having books around the house has a positive effect on the lit- eracy of children. Even before they can read, they can see the books, touch them, turn the pages and look at any pictures. They subconsciously attribute value to books when they see them being read by others at home. And if their parents read to them regularly — that really makes a difference. I also love libraries. And you can read their books for free. I've always been a big library user. Many friends just order new books online. I'm too thrifty to do that and I don't have enough room either. So I use the library. I was excited when I first set foot in the main branch of our library in Red Bluff almost four years ago. It was soon af- ter we had bought our place. I was filled with trepidation as I stepped inside because I knew that the local library would be a big factor in how happy I would be living up here. I must say that I was de- lighted with the numerous tomes and categories I found browsing the shelves. And the staff were so friendly when they issued my library card. I was surprised to learn that a new li- brary was in the works, as I thought the current one was just fine. I thought it had charac- ter. But I guess we can't wait for buildings to fall down around us before replacing them. But I was really shocked when I saw the library's hours. I couldn't believe that the main li- brary wasn't open on weekends. What a travesty. I certainly hope there is money left after the new library is finished to ex- pand the hours. I would hope our kids might want go to the library once in a while on Sat- urday. Hey, it even has Wi-Fi — which was very important to us before I finally sprung for our satellite dish. And what better time is there for a working mom or dad to take their toddler to pick out books to read together at home than Saturday? I soon learned that I could also get a card from the Shasta County library. I could stop off in Redding after work or go to the Anderson branch on my way home. And the librarians are equally friendly and helpful in Anderson. I also enjoy browsing the catalogs online and placing holds on books that interest me. Like an online bookstore — but it's free. Just pick up your books when they come in. So if you haven't been to a bookstore or a library lately, then make a visit. You might enjoy it. Remember, books are our friends — and also be nice to the librarians. They're book lovers too. 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 The love of books, bookstores and libraries GregStevens,Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIAL BOARD 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: P.O. Box 220, 728Main St., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS Corky Pickering Stan Statham OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, September 8, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4