10B
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
EDITORIAL
AND
OPINION
Bulletin,Progressive, Record, Reporter
EDITORIAL
Has the CHP
changed ways?
By the time you read this, the trial in the
case of Ruth Jackson versus the California
Highway Patrol will likely have concluded.
When the jury will return a verdict is anyone's
guess.
Jackson's lawsuit stems from her Sept. 12,
2009, arrest and jailing by the CHP on charges
of driving under the influence.
Jackson's civil complaint against the CHP
said she had a blood alcohol level of 0.00 and
had no drugs in her system at the time of her
arrest.
Judging from the number and content of the
comments on our website story, the trial is
stirring up deep-seated resentments against
the CHP.
But a lot has changed in the three years
since the Jackson incident. In response to pub-
lic outcry, the CHPhas gone on a public rela-
tions offensive. Its leaders, including Quincy
Area Commander Bruce Carpenter, admitted
there were problems. The CHP publicly took
ownership and has been attempting to mend
the badly .damaged fences.
It's been'll months since Feather Publishing
hosted a meeting with Carpenter, then new to
the area, along with CHP's Northern Division
assistant chief Todd Chadd and community
leaders, who had a litany of complaints about
the agency's behavior in Plumas County. They
told the CHP brass they were afraid of our
CHP. They said that young, aggressive patrol-
men were looking for any reason to pull them
over.
After that meeting, which was conducted by
state Assemblyman Dan Logue, Carpenter met
individually with citizens to address their
complaints. He said he had instructed his offi-
cers on how he wanted things done.
Carpenter held two more meetings. On Aug.
11, 2011, he met with a dozen Northern Califor-
nia CHP commanders along with Plumas
County Sheriff Greg Hagwood and District At-
torney David Hollister.
On Aug. 19, 2011, he met again with Logue
and other community leaders, including
Plumas County Supervisors Lori Simpson and
Jon Kennedy. The meeting included the CHP's
northern division chief, Stephen Bell, and '
Chadd, , : ..
Carpenter followed up on his promise to hold
a townhall meeting by convening one in Octo-
ber, which Logue moderated.
Through it all, Carpenter took responsibili-
ty, saying at one point, "It's on us." To his
credit, he also did not get defensive.
But nearly a year later, as we enter the
height of our tourist season, we have to won-
der -- has anything really changed?
In many ways, we think it has. We are re-
ceiving fewer complaints and letters about the
CHP from-local drivers. Rarely do we see CHP
cars hidden on the side of the road or tailgat-
ing drivers. Those were two of the major com-
" plaints about the CHP officers.
( Regardless of the outcome of the Jackson civ-
' il trial, it appears the CHP is trying to change
• : the way it does business in Plumas County.
We hope a verdict in the Jackson trial pro-
vides a measure of closure and doesn't open
: old wounds that appear to be slowly healing.
Fea00ing
00spaper
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Mona Hill
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Creativity requires connection
I've been thinking a lot about creativity
lately. I've been going through a bit of a dry
spell myself, so I picked up a copy of"Imag-
ine: How Creativity Works" by Jonah
Lehrer•
I wasn't surprised to learn that there are
multiple forms of creativity -- improv, for ex-
ample, is its own animal. Nor was I surprised
to know that creativity involves both the re-
. ceptive right brain and the focused left brain.
The right brain is the source of those "ah
hah!" moments when the answer to a vexing
question seemingly magically materializes.
The left brain, on the other hand, brings
discipline and persistence to the process. The
flash of insight usually needs polishing, re-
fining, editing. So the two halves of the brain
form a kind of back-and-forth dialectic.
This resonated with me since I have long
conceptualized the creative process as hav-
ingtwo distinct parts: exuberance and re-
straint. Exuberance being the I-can't-write-
fast-enough-to-get-it-all-down part, and re-
straint being the discipline to recognize
what is worth keeping and the attention to
deliberately refine it.
More interesting to me were the ways we
can collectively increase our creativity. The
chance encounter is one way. Companies
that design their workspaces so that folks
are more likely to run into others that they
might not normally interact with are more
successful.
Using outsider insight is also important.
An outsider is someone on the fringes of a
field, a passionate amateur who doesn't
"know better." Lehrer gives the example of
a broken-hearted computer programmer
EDITOR'S NOTES
DELAINE FRAGNOLI
Managing Editor
dfragnoli@plumasnews.com
who turned his knowledge of chemistry into
a second career as a heralded mixologist.
Or consider pharmaceutical giant Eli Lil-
ly, which posted its hardest scientific prob-
lems -- along with monetary incentives --
on a website called InnoCentive. According
to one review, 40 percent of the most diffi-
cult problems were solved within six
months. These were problems that stymied
Lilly's best scientists. Lehrer cites a physi-
cist who solved several chemistry and engi-
neering problems.
The ultimate outsiders are young people,
who "haven't become enculturated, or
weighted down with too much conventional
wisdom."
Plumas County has an aging, static popu-
lation. If we are to thrive in the future, we
need to find ways to cultivate outsider in-
sight and tap into youthful creativity. Feath-
er River College is important in this regard,
bringing fresh minds into our community.
We may do better when it comes to "social
This week's special days
NOT JUST
AN ORDINARY
DAY
COMPILED BY
KERI TABORSKI
Not just an ordinary day....a sampling of
weekly notable special days and facts
throughout the year.
June 20 -- Summer Solstice
The longest day of daylight of the entire
year. It is also sometimes referred to as
midsummer or lithia.
June 23 -- National Columnists Day
This day recognizes the importance and
value of newspaper columnists. Created
by the National Society of Newspaper
Columnists, it was established in memo-
ry of columnist Ernie Pyle, who was
killed in World War II.
June 23 -- National Pink Day
Two words: Think pink! (This is a per-
sonal favorite.)
June 25 -- Log Cabin Day
Recognizes the history of log cabins and
their preservation in America. It was
created June 25(1986, in Michigan by the
Log Cabin Society.
June 26 -- Forgiveness Day
A day to forgive and be forgiven•
intimacy." Researchers have discovered
that groups are most creative when their
members have the right amount of social in-
timacy - not too close, not too far. The best
teams have "some old friends, but they also
had newbies .... They were comfortable with
each other, but they weren't too comfort-
able."
In Plumas County, it's easy to get ac-
quainted with a lot of different people,
which bodes well for creative thinking. The
flip side is that we need to be careful of al-
ways grouping up with the same people. The
"good ole boy" netwosk is an example of the
bad that can come from too much social inti-
macy.
Interactive "third places" -- neither
home, nor office -- are key to bringing peo-
ple together. Here in Plumas, we have a
number of these kinds of spaces in our walk-
able downtown areas: the post office, li-
brary, park and coffeehouse. The more peo-
ple run into one another and the more they
talk with one another, the more productive
and creative they become.
Taken to the macro level, cities increase
in productivity and creativity as they grow
in size. (Lehrer doesn't address how unde-
sirable attributes like crime and insanity al-
so increase with size.)
This would seem to bode ill for rural
Plumas County. But we can counter that by
encouraging density in our towns. (As they
grow, suburbs do not enjoy the same in-
crease in productivity as urban areas.) We
can seek out places and ways to engage with
one another.
And we can think about "meta-ideas" that
unleash creativity. Lehrer uses the example
of Shakespeare to explain meta-ideas. Larg-
er societal trends like freedom of expres-
sion, the concept of intellectual property
and the spread of education and literacy
were all key to Shakespeare's success.
What policies can we develop at the local
level to increase our collective creativity?
--Support education that values creativi-
ty, whether in science and technology or
the arts.
--Concentrate talent. Talent thrives when
it's inspired and challenged by other talent.
--Welcome newcomers.
--Travel. Going to unfamiliar places helps
cultivate outsider thinking.
--Take risks. Don't be afraid to fail big!
--Encourage borrowing and adaptation.
Shakespeare was an avid "borrower." Pro-
tect the commons, ....... ! vqv .....
'I think summer is the perfect time to get
out and about to connect and inspire one an-
other. So I encourage all of you to take in the
bounty of cultural offerings summer in
Plumas County brings.
REMEMBER WHEN
KERI TABORSKI
Historian
75 YEARS AGO ........... 1937
The Plumas County visit of members of
the California Newspaper Publishers Asso-
ciation will attract prominent state officials
and outstanding newspaper publishers to be
held over the weekend at the Canyon Inn in
JohnsviUe, the fabulous summer resort. Cal-
ifornia Governor Frank P. Merriman will be
in attendance at the Governor's party to be
held at Bucks Lake Lodge Friday night. The
CNPA consists of 414 newspapers through-
out California.
50 YEARS AGO ......... 1962
It is fun again at Paxton Lodge with
dancing under the stars at the new dance
pavUion--$1.00 a couple. Have dinner the
French way by chef Marcel DeBolan. So
tasty, so liberal, so cheap. Come for food,
fun and refinement.
Sheriff W. C. Abernethy retained his posi-
tion defeating E.L. Spellmeyer 2510 to 1682
votes. Robin Jeskey, incumbent supervisor,
out polled three other contestants but will
face Joe Crivello in a run off election in No-
vember. Gordon Purdy, incumbent supervi-
sor, defeated Gus Anderson.
25 YEARS AGO ........... 1987
California Governor George Deukmajian
gave Plumas County $75,000 in Rural Re-
naissance funds to foster economic devel-
opment and business growth among Cali-
fornia rural areas. The Chamber of Com-
merces of Chester, Indian Valley and Quin-
cy each received $3,000. The Eastern
Plumas Chamber of Commerce had not ap-
plied for the funds. More than half of the
monies, a total of $45,500 will go to the
Plumas Corporation. Other monies went to
the Plumas County Chamber of Com-
merce-S12,000, $5,000 to the Regional
Council of Rural Counties and $3,500 to the
Plumas County Community Development
Commission.
10 YEARS AGO ....... 2002
A 1 to 24 scale working model of the Mo-
hawk stamp mill had been added as a per-
manent outdoor display at the Johnsville
museum at Plumas Eureka State Park. The
model was built by Gerald Bradish, a for-
mer resident of eastern Plumas County.
The real Mohawk mill started processing,
rock in 1878.
Note: items included in the weekly Remember
When column are taken from our bound newspa.
per archives and represent writing styles of that
particular period. The spelling and grammar are
not edited, so the copy is presented as it actually
appeared in the original newspaper.
Running out of time? Try slowing down
I don't like to be wrong. And, it's hard to
admit it when I am. But, right here, right
now, I have to say I was pretty naive to
think my life would be different than every-
one else's. Did I really think I was that spe-
cial?
The older I get, the more I realize I was
wrong to think all those people who advised
me to enjoy life because it goes by way too
quickly were actually right. I am still hav-
ing trouble wrapping my head around the
idea that life speed s up as you age. Scientifi-
cally, it doesn't make sense to me.
Time doesn't actually slow down or speed
up, it just feels that way because our percep-
tion of.time changes over the years. Some
say it's because the proportion of time de-
creases compared to the number of years
you've been alive. So when you're 10 years
old, a year is 10 percent of your whole life.
But, at age 50, a year only accounts for 2
percent of your life. Thus, a single year is
worth less in proportion to the rest of your
lifespan. Hmmm ... that makes sense.
Then again, maybe the pace of time has to
do with our ability to grasp the concept of
time. When we're younger, we live more in
the moment, with new, distinct experiences
popping up all around us. In adulthood each
passing year converts our experiences into
daily routines we hardly notice. The days
and weeks blend together and become indis.
tinguishable.
Adults have more past experiences to
AURA WHITTAKER
Staff Writer
awhittaker@lassennews.com
obsess about and we increasingly project
our mind into the future, worrying about
such things as getting a job and longing for
possessions. We have trouble staying and
P
living in the moment.
There is also a theory that as we get older,
bodily processes slow down. As our internal
clock runs slower and slower compared to
the external calendar, time passes much
faster than we expect it to. While these are
just theories, they may all play a part in this
phenomenon we humans witness.
For me, the speed of time is directly relat-
ed to my tO do list. Time passes faster when
I feel rushed and can't get things done. As
I've gotten older, life has gotten bigger. Af-
ter all, I am not just taking care of my needs
and wants anymore. I am now responsible
for my family, a mortgage, pets, work,
school, ballet, softball, groceries, yard work,
cleaning, cooking, organizing, shopping,
paying bills, etc. Life is so much more com-
plicated than it was just 10 short years ago.
I have 10 times more things to do on any
given day, but still only 24 hours in which to
do it all. There will never be enough time to
get everything done. Duh. While I can't
change my biological clock, I can work on
living in the moment and being more mind-
ful about daffy experiences.
Although, I do love to plan for the future,
but I don't spend a lot of time worrying
about what is to come. I am blessed with the
ability to adapt and be flexible. Instead of
worrying about the future, I rely on faith to
guide me.
Being mindful of everyday experiences is
another story, however. Since I am very
task:oriented, I tend to enjoy results more
than the process. The numerous experi-
ences that fill a day often do not make it on-
to my radar as I plow forward to the destina-
tion. In my quest to get things done, I sus-
pect I miss some of the most important parts
of living.
Slowing down and simplifying my life
might be the answer to decreasing the pace
of time since it seems the busier I am the
faster time goes by. Now I just need to figure
out how to live more minimally and leisure-
ly in a house full of kids, pets, laundry, dish-
es, dirt and everything else that needs my
attention on a daily, if not hourly, basis.
Wish me lucki
